Catching up

Okay, I promised Sabine at AG Playthings that I would be doing an update entry. Vee's health issues and my own busy life have seriously cut into my computer time. Trouble is, I may have to do TWO because so much has happened since I last wrote here!

I may have stretched myself TOO thin. That's because I'm now (finally) Student Body President at Adams. Yes, I got elected to the position pretty much by acclamation (sp) because no one else ran. You got that right. No one else ran. Right now, for example, I'm coordinating the holiday food drive.

Also, I'm in charge of all of Adams' student publications. That means the newspaper, the yearbook, everything.
And that isn't all. I'm also president of Jr. Beta club (which is an honor society for kids who have been on the honor roll) and volunteer in the library.

And you'll never believe what ELSE has happened. Natalie Spencer (yes that Natalie) is now captain of the cheerleaders. She beat out Meredith and boy was Meredith ANGRY. Meredith was so mad that she transferred to the private school on the other side of town, our biggest arch-rivals, Hillside Academy. Harriet says it's karma. I say Meredith got her just desserts. But Natalie being cheer captain is just so... weird. It really is. And it's even weirder cause she's kinda sorta dating Ethan Bergman. As in my friend Lindsey's older brother.

And to think, Natalie looked like THIS when she got here. Sigh.

Oh, and one more thing. When I came back this new girl, Cassidy, had formed a Glee Club, and Harriet of all people had joined it. I don't know her that well, but the other day she asked ME to join. Seriously. I can't sing a lick. Neither can Harriet actually, that's why she eventually quit the club. Anyway... I think she's playing Clara this year in the Nutcracker ballet.

The Big Holiday Pageant

So yesterday I was in the audience as the big holiday pageant was taking place. And yes, it was big. Too big for a lot of kids' tastes, as some of them walked out of the auditorium.

Notice the charm necklace I'm wearing. It came from the new Plaid outfit (I forget what it's called) and I have the 'smart' charm. Suits, huh?

Anyway, I'm seated next to Natalie Spencer and the current student body president, Hilary Lang, who I'm told beat out Meredith by one vote. I can't imagine what it would be like if Meredith had won. I doubt we'd even have had a holiday pageant.

So we have one. First off the Adams Glee Club (known as some circles as the choir) came out with a medley of Christmas songs. I'm still having a hard time believing Harriet actually joined this outfit.

There was a redhead in the front, with Harriet, Sasha Moore, and Vicky Vaccaro, and a few other girls in the back. Harriet told me the redhead is Cassidy Fitzgerald and she arrived in September from Kentucky. She's the one, Harriet tells me, who started the glee club after she saw Adams didn't have one. Thing is, Harriet never gave me any impression that she would do something like this. I mean, I'm happy for her but it's still a little surprising.

Then Sasha Moore came out with what I had to admit was a beautiful "Silent Night" solo.

Some of the other backup singers came out with angel costumes, with Mia St. Clair skating on the makeshift ice rink.
After the solo came the Nutcracker. Have to admit Meredith made a decent Sugar Plum Fairy. Maitte Luna as Clara was a nice touch. I don't know Maitte that well but she is a good dancer.

And there was another big surprise waiting for me. Antoinette!

Antoinette, remember, is the French exchange student who spent part of last year attending our school.

She showed up today, just in time for the holiday pageant. "Antoinette? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"My father is on a business trip, so I decided to pay you guys a visit." She laughed. "Cet endroit n'a pas change'. This place hasn't changed."

I decided to get her a seat somewhere in the auditorium to watch the rest of the pageant.

Hey y'all

Harriet sighting here.

Why am I dressed like this? Well, I took up yoga after seeing it on that Innerstar U site.

There was an Innerstar U rep at the school a couple weeks ago, and now I'm taking an after school yoga class. I find it relaxing and fun.

Natalie Spencer (yes that Natalie) is taking the class too. You figure she'd like yoga since she's a gymnast. She even offered to partner me on a couple of exercises.

"You're doing real good with this," Natalie said. While we're taking the class together, I forget sometimes that she hangs out with you-know-who.

Oh and my friend Lindz @ her new blog Lucky Lovable Lindsey says Haley's gonna be back for Christmas. I hope so. I miss her.

Ta-ta for now, Harriet ^_^

Sleepovers and Storms

Well, school starts today. Wish me luck.

Here are 2 pics from Haley's last host in RI, a lady and her 7 year old daughter.

She says this one was at a sleepover. Mmmm sweets.

A beach shot. Nice. Haley, where's your swimsuit???

Oh, speaking of sleepovers I had one myself on Saturday night. It was storming outside, and my BFF Kathryn and I planned one on the spot. We invited Harriet, and not only did she show up, but she came with Haley's cousin, Nicky.

We spent all night telling scary ghost stories while the lights flicked on and off. Poor Harriet was all tuckered out, she slept in her clothes!

Spring? What spring?

So, today Harriet, Lindsey and I were walking down the hallway, and we were talking about how chilly it is, to say it's the 3rd day of spring. I don't know why, but all of a sudden it feels more like early February than late March.

We were also talking about the upcoming spring dance, and Lindsey raised the possibility of Natalie Spencer winning Lady of the Fling.

"Come on," I said, "it's not possible. They only give it to an eighth grader every year. I bet Amanda Cooke is gonna win."

"There is a first time for everything," Harriet reminded me. "And you have to admit, Natalie is getting a lot of looks for that."

"Well I don't care who wins it," Lindsey said, "as long as it's not Meredith Hopkins!"

"Amen!" Harriet and I said in unison.

"Haley, what about you?" asked Lindsey. "I think you have a decent shot! I mean, you're class president, you're on the paper --"

"Girls like me don't win stuff like that," I told her, "besides, it's nothing but a big popularity contest."

"I know," agreed Harriet, "but it's certainly worth a shot."

Harriet pix

This is just a short post to share a couple of pix of Harriet Vee snapped today while the guests were here. :)

For newbies to this blog, Harriet is, of course, my best friend. We arrived here three days apart (she actually came first) and she sat next to me on my first day of school last year. We've been friends ever since.

Apolgies for my disappearing act

Sorry I've been "M.I.A."
1) My camera is broken
2) School is a drag and has kept me sooo busy
3) Vee's laptop is in the shop so I'm using the computers at school
4) I just got word that Harriet's going to the AG Doll Hospital!

Sorry this post is so brief but I was just letting everybody know I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth.

Oh and one more thing. Vee said I could travel again this year! And this time it may be for longer! I'll try to keep y'all posted

XOXO
Haley (:

Christmas Surprises

As I've said before in this space, yesterday was the big holiday pageant at Adams. Meredith played Clara in the Adams production of the Nutcracker ballet, a production I pretty much tried to stay awake through, even though I was the one mostly responsible for putting it together. It was mostly her and a bunch of 8th graders.
I wore my Sapphire Party dress because I can't find my Silver Belle dress (Vee says she has no idea where it is) and Harriet looked dazzling in the Butterfly Brocade outfit.
We did get a huge surprise though, at the pageant.




"Hey guys!" I heard someone call. Harriet and I looked over and it was Hilary! As most of you know, she's been living with her dad in California and attending private school there. I have to say, she looks great. She's lost fifteen pounds and definitely looks more grown-up. But her appearance made me wonder - is she back?
"I'm visiting mom and Hallee for the holiday," Hilary said. "Then -- we'll see."
Harriet and I introduced her to Antoinette and we spent the rest of the evening catching up on old times.



Very early this morning, though, at the airport, I was greeted with another surprise. Nicki greeted me with warm hugs and even a kiss on the cheek. But her brother Adam really shocked me. He's as tall as I am and is definitely going to be a heartbreaker when he gets older, if he isn't already.




Oooh, before I go, here's this cute pic of all of us at the Christmas pageant last night. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

News and notes from Casa Haley

This December has been a busy one here at Casa Haley. The Thanksgiving food drive has turned into a Christmas one, and I'm still the coordinator, so we're still collecting food to give away to needy kids and their families. There's also a Christmas toy drive being run by Kit and the sixth graders.

The Christmas pageant is this coming Friday, and guess who is in charge of it? So you can imagine I've been very, very busy. Meredith has the starring role in the Nutcracker production (I had nothing to do with that one, trust me).

It's been cool and damp around here lately, and Vee has been a bit under the weather. So the other day Harriet and I decided to do the 'bestie' thing and wear matching outfits. I have to tell you, it totally shocked Meredith! "Oh, so the dorks decided to dress alike today," she said when she saw us together.

In six days I leave for Colorado to visit my cousin Nicki. If what I've seen on the news from there is any indication, I'll be snowed in for most of the time I'm there.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

So, on top of everything ELSE I have to do, I'm now in charge of the annual food drive, co-sponsored by the student council and the newspaper.

I actually convinced Harriet to come in and help with the food drive (I know, a miracle, huh?). We've got a good bit so far but there's still more to go. And we're still gonna need people to go door to door to deliver food.

Yeah, I actually think that's Lindsey's box of Cheerios :-)

Chillin

I didn't go to Antoinette's party last night. I used the excuse that it was too cold. Actually, it was fairly chilly last night, but that wasn't the reason I didn't go. I'm from Pennsylvania. The weather here in Louisiana is balmy compared to that.

Harriet went but she came back early, she said Meredith and a bunch of social-climbing 8th graders were there, not our crowd. She also said Antoinette herself looked like she wanted to leave. Instead we hung out at her place and looked thru the new AG holiday catalog.

She still says she wants the yoga outfit as purple is her favorite color. She also says she wants all of Julie Albright's collection -- for herself. She likes that 70s stuff.

Me, even though the Petal Hoodie outfit is, well, pink, I like it as it's loose and casual. I also LUV the Sparkly Plum outfit, definitely something I'd wear, but at $36 I'll only be able to afford it in my dreams. I did have a dream once that I was dancing in the snow with Adam Cartwright wearing the dress....

Happy Halloween everybody!

What are your plans for today?

Me, Harriet's trying to talk me into going to Antoinette's costume party. Antoinette invited us about a week ago. I'm not sure if I'm going, especially if Meredith's there like I think she will be.

Last night, somehow, we managed to pull off the 'Thriller' themed Halloween dance. Lindsey's dad let us use his lighting equipment and the smoke machines again. And I won second place in the costume contest, for something I threw together using Elizabeth's meet dress I found in a trunk last spring, and a wig Vee had around here for something else. Wouldn't you know, a boy dressed as Michael Jackson won first prize.

Oh, guess what? I'm going to visit Nicki in Colorado over Christmas break!

I don't think anything can prepare me for that weather. I suppose more than a year in Louisiana has spoiled me, even from PA winters. Nicki says they had over 3 feet of snow, already, and they were afraid they'd lost some of their ranch animals. I'm looking forward to seeing Aunt Joan and Uncle Dan and Adam and the twins, who are now about a year old.

Picture Day -- Say Cheese!

Did I tell you I HATE School Picture Day?

I hate it for several reasons, but most of all, that contraption that's up top. That's gonna be in the yearbook this year as me, Haley Hotchkiss.

Meredith and Marisa, those banes of my existence, cut in front of me in the picture line, and they tried to take Antoinette with them. She looked back at me and then at them and decided to stay with me and Harriet.

Oh, and I made another major decision. I decided to run for class president. I figured I was gonna get chosen as a class rep anyway, so why not go for the whole shebang?

So, that's why I've been busy -- newspaper and with devising my class presidency campaign. Since the position remains unfilled, there's nobody to help the student body president plan the back-to-school dance. But this time, I'm not running so that I can win. I'm running so that Meredith Hopkins will lose. Because there's no guarantee that Maitte or Caelan could beat her in an election against her.

Catching up again

I'm sorry I've been so busy here in Haley-land. The paper has pretty much taken all of my time.

The above shot was taken at my birthday party a week and a half ago. I decided to wear the Sapphire Party Dress that Vee had bought sometime last year but I never had an occasion to wear. I was surprised that Antoinette showed up. I did not mention Meredith or ask her why she came to my party.

Hilary left this week (sniff), which has made me sad. Not sure when or if she'll be back. And I still don't know where Kristy is, she's still kinda in limbo at this point.

As for the class presidency, as of right now I'm not in the race. There are, however, two more entrants. One is Maitte Luna, younger sister of Marisol Luna. The other is this boy named Caelan Staub, who hardly says 2 words in class, usually, so I'm definitely surprised that he's decided to run for class president.

I've been neutral in the race and have decided not to support one candidate or the other, but, honestly I don't care who wins as long as it's not Meredith.

Death in the (extended) family

Harriet's great aunt (her grandma's sister) died last night.
She called me at 12:30 this morning to tell me. I doubt she'll be back in school for the rest of the week, especially since her great-aunt lived out of town, so I'm gonna try to get her assignments for her. I don't have all the same classes, so that's not gonna be easy.
I still haven't made up my mind on running for class president, but I'm getting a lot of pressure from both on and offline friends to run, and Megan even suggested I resign my position at the paper to run against Meredith. "There's no way she can coast into office unopposed," Megan said.
Speaking of Meredith, she came by the office today and she's already put out an ad in the paper with her picture on it and the slogan "Hop to Hopkins." Her smug mug already makes me gag.
My party the other night was pretty nice; although Harriet seemed kinda distracted. I now know why. She said her great-aunt actually used to sit for her sometimes. I never actually met the lady but she sounded real sweet.
And I think this explains some of Harriet's strange behavior over the last several weeks. I've already mentioned that she has an incredibly large and close-knit extended family that includes a lot of cousins and the like.
I'll probably go to her house tomorrow or so, if they're home.

Nicki's gone home

Thanks everybody for the warm birthday greetings! Avery, I couldn't open the 'cake' you sent. :-(
Vee, Harriet, and I dropped Nicki off at the airport last night. I'd hoped she would stick around for my birthday get-together later this evening, but her mom called and said she wanted to get her ready for school on Tuesday.
Have to admit there were a lot of tears at the airport, but Nicki was the one doing most of the crying. I realize Nicki's my cousin and all, and Harriet says I've got to appreciate her but sometimes she is a royal pain. Before she left, she told Harriet to make sure I ran for class president and to stay on me like gravy on rice until I did it.
Abby suggested that I try to convince Antoinette to run against Meredith. One problem with that. She's only here for 1 semester, and the class presidency is for the entire year. Which puts me back at square one.
I'm gonna have to make my mind up soon, as the campaigning starts next week. Kit's already declared that she will try to get my old job -- sixth grade class president. Unfortunately, she's running into some stiff opposition from Kylee Phillips and another boy, Nick Staub. Lindsey took an informal poll and said that if the election were held today, Kylee would win in a landslide.

Just Another Day At The Office

Spent the entire weekend just vegging. Didn't do anything, didn't think about anything. I just did nothing. Oh, and I think Harriet came over twice. I dreaded going back to school.

However, going back to school meant going back to work on the back-to-school issue of the newspaper, which is almost done and will come out this week.

To no one's surprise, Meredith says she's running for 7th grade class president. But I'm also hearing she may throw her hat into the ring for student council president, even though that usually goes to an 8th grader. So far nobody's running against her, and I'm iffy on it, especially with my added duties at the paper. I can't see Meredith Hopkins being class president though. I don't know if I'd be able to tolerate it.

Spent my afternoon at the paper today, and managed to convince Harriet to come this time. I'm pretty sure Megan can find a position for her on the staff, even if it's a nominal one like "special adviser to the editor" or something. Harriet has said that she can't see herself doing any kind of writing, and she's also said she can't see herself doing any art -- even though I've seen her sketches and they're actually pretty good.

I still haven't found the guts to warn Antoinette about Meredith though. I'm gonna have to sooner or later, as I see her getting suckered in more and more. She doesn't even have a clue what kind of person she is, and I'm afraid that when she finds out, not only will it be too late, but she'll be messed up big time.

Oh, Vee went to McDonalds and got some of those cute Happy Meal books everyone's been talking about. The ones she brought back were Molly and Josefina. They're actually very cute. They're little books with something about the character, a drawing, a couple paper dolls and some fold-out scenes from their books, and some craft projects from the girl's time and stories. I think I'm gonna give them to Hilary for her going-away present.

Friends Come...and Go?

Wow, judging by the comments here, I notice Antoinette has gotten everyone talking! I had so many questions for her, I couldn't ask them all!

But, I have to tell you, sometimes I don't get her.

Today she officially joined the newspaper staff when Megan created a 'special correspondent' post for her. She doesn't usually do that kind of thing, except it was Ms. Baldwin's idea and it's not every year a bona fide French exchange student attends your junior high school.

We were talking on our way to class when out of the blue she said in her French accent, "Pardon, I did not know you and Meredith did not get along."
I let out a deep groan, wondering what Meredith had told her. "You obviously have not been here," I told her. "You do not know her at all."

"Pourquoi?" she asked.

I was tempted to go through the laundry list of the things Meredith had done. But I didn't. I'm hoping Antoinette sees soon enough what kind of person she is. When I told Nicki about this, she said Meredith may actually be on her best behavior re: Antoinette because she doesn't want her to see her 'bad side.' And she also said something else too -- that Antoinette may actually be torn between me and Meredith. An odd place to be, for sure.

I decided to try to change the subject by doing what Abby suggested and asking her about her hometown of Nice. "It's a very beautiful place in the south of France," she said, making me even more jealous. "There are a lot of historical landmarks there, and since the weather is great, a lot of tourists come to visit."

"Have you been to Paris?" I asked.

"Un certain nombre de fois," she said. "A few times." She also joked that she tries to avoid a lot of the famous French cuisine but can't resist partaking of a few crepes every now and again.

At the same time, I do think Harriet is somewhat jealous of my activities & other friends -- I've been trying to talk her into joining the newspaper, that if nothing else she'll meet some new and interesting people -- and she insists that she'll have nothing to do on the staff. When I mentioned Antoinette to her, she was like, "why are you trying to befriend her?" I explained that I'm curious about her since she's new and different and seems cool. She didn't behave this way when I introduced her to Kit & Lindsey. Matter of fact, she's friends with them, too.

Oh, neither Hilary nor Kristy have returned. I'm wondering about Hilary's parents. I know they were getting a divorce this summer and she was back and forth. I also know Kristy was going through a time of it too -- she ended up in West Virginia (where she's from). Seems some relative claimed her out of nowhere, that's what Harriet said. I don't know if Kristy'll stay in WV or if she'll return.

All in all, I think I may be on my way to making a new friend, at the same time I may be losing at least one of my old ones. I'm hoping she and I will keep in touch even when she returns to France after Christmas.

Some staffers posed for this pic while we're working on the back-to-school issue, which'll probably be in the yearbook. Megan (seated) is still editor-in-chief. I'm the first four-eyed fool (lol) on the left, Kit's next to me, Marie-Antoinette (I actually just wanted to type that, lol) is next to her, and Alison is wearing the hockey shirt. Missing is Lindsey (who also joined today) and Katarina Engel. Having the new staffers around certainly helps; I remember at some points last year we were so stressed out because there were so few people. I hope these newbies stick around for the whole year. It's much more fun with them around now.

Seventh Grade!!!

Welp, started school this week, and hadn't had a moment to start recording everything. Until now.

Most of the usual suspects are back in action for another year, but a couple people still aren't back yet from whatever they were doing this summer, and I'm kinda worried. Kristy hasn't returned, neither has Hilary. I'm kinda bummed about it, actually. On the other hand, there are a whole lot of new faces around here.

Kit and Lindsey were telling me about some of their new classmates. "There are these three girls," they told me, "that you gotta stay away from at all costs."

Uh-oh. Are they the sixth-grade version of Meredith's crew?

I got a look at these girls. They sure did look like meanies. From left to right, they're Victoria Vaccaro (the dark haired one), Kylee Phillips (the blond), and Zoe Fishers (the brunette). Kit and Lindsey say Kylee is the definite queen bee of the group and has treated them like crap since kindergarten.

Speaking of Kylee, I'm actually stuck with her -- for the foreseeable future. That's because my student council sponsor matched us up for the seventh grade-sixth grade buddy program that I started last year. She reminds me of Meredith except, in my opinion she's actually even prettier. I was kinda hoping I'd get either Kit or Lindsey as I already knew them from Girl Scouts. Harriet's partner is Jess McConnell (I'm jealous as Jess seems far more interesting). I don't know who Hilary or Kristy have. Kit likes her partner as hers is into sports and they can talk baseball all day and all night. Lindsey's partner is Sasha Moore, one of Meredith's pals. I asked my teacher what made her make the matches she did, and she said they were totally random. I bet.

My classes -- I've only got one class with Harriet and three with Hilary. Hil and I have honors classes, plus French and TAG (talented and gifted) enrichment. Megan Ryder is still editor of the newspaper, although the newspaper sponsor, Ms. Baldwin, named me assistant editor now, so I'm gonna be spending more time with that. This means Megan and I have the task of picking new staffers. Kit and Lindsey have already submitted their stories, and I hope I don't have to tell one or both of them that they didn't make the staff, especially since they talked about it before all this happened.

I got into Parkington. I tried on my uniform, even paid the dorm fee... but then realized I couldn't go there. I didn't really belong there. It wasn't for me, at least not right now.

Guest post #2: Harriet!

Yo! Harriet here. Y'all have probably heard a lot about me, cause I'm sure Haley's had a lot to say about me. But y'all have never heard FROM me. So, now, here I am.

For starters, Haley came back last week, but she's resting, so she'll be back posting next week sometime. I'm sure y'all probably will be glad to hear from her again.

My full name is Harriet Louisa Jones. I know it sounds like an old fashioned name, and it was given to me by my mom. I'm named after my two grandmothers, Harriet and Louisa. Louisa's dead, and Harriet is the one who's raising me. I don't have any siblings, but I have a whole lot of cousins and other relatives, so there's always somebody around.

I know Haley's not so much into music, but I love it. Mostly I like hip hop and R&B, but I like some pop. I have to admit I LURVE the Jonas Bros and some Miley Cyrus...but I'm not so into Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. I've also found grandma's old Jackson Five records and have been listening to those, ever since Michael Jackson died.

Sometimes I wonder why Haley and I are friends, we're so different. I'm a couch potato and like watching TV and listening to music, she's much more active and would prefer reading to the tube. I barely read what I have to read at school, and writing for this??? I don't know how she does it.

Ok, where was I? Oh yeah, I was in summer school most of the summer, which is a total bummer. And I had some very long talks with Haley's cousin, Nicki Fleming. Nicki came down to visit Haley for the summer, only to have her up and leave on this traveling doll thing. I never understood it, myself. Nicki being Nicki, was dissapointed by Haley leaving, but she and I actually got close, in part because of it.

Last year, when Haley came to Adams, she was this girl that didn't seem to know where she was, and I've watched her grow and change just in the past year. I've mostly been along for the ride. We start seventh grade next week, so I can't wait to find out what else is in store!

Peace and love, Harriet