Summer: I don’t know, summer is always the best time for me because I’m busy with things that I want to do and enjoy, and nothing else. I’m busy spending time with family, whether that’s exercising in the morning and swimming in the river in the afternoon, or busy at Interlochen, hanging out with friends having fun, or traveling around Europe catching Pokemon. Also summer is just the best because it has fantastic weather. Sure it can get hot and muggy but that time of day when it’s early in the morning or as the sun is setting, and the air is still warm, but the grass is cool, and at least in PA, the fireflies start coming out. I guess I’ll add the faint smell of bug spray to my summer nights;) and it just means the days are carefree. I’m not worrying about applications, due dates, assignments or performances. I can just bask in the life that I have, enjoy nature, and spend time in good company.
Which brings me to my second love: Nature
Nature: In case you haven’t heard me bemoaning Utah enough, I’ll refresh your memory. Utah is stinky, and hot, and artificial and full of so many people. Well at least most of “Happy Valley” is. It does have its moments, but then I see something on TV, in an ad, in a picture that looks like the green grassy home I know and I’m reminded that Utah is just not for me. Another problem is that spending time outside, even if it is nice weather at BYU, means I’m breathing in toxic air. Sometimes it gets worse and sometimes it’s better, but there is no denying that the valley is just not good for you. I want to be able to go outside, breathe in and smell fresh air. Whether it’s crisp and cold, or warm and muted, if it’s not fresh, I ain’t having it. Even when we’ve visited New York City, the air moves, blows around and you get hints of clean fresh air in it. Here, it’s like stagnant water but with air. I love sitting outside, it’s literally one of my favorite things to do. Well that and watch TV, and when I can’t do that on nice days, it is so aggravating. Nature is just the gosh dang best, whether I’m sitting in the lawn with the dogs, walking through the woods or just strolling down the street, I see natural fauna as a refuge from the regular world. The smells, the feel, even the sounds. The only sounds you hear in Utah are the occasional bird and I relish in those sounds, but when I’m outside at home, there’s the rush of wind, the trees, the grass, water, it’s just natural. I think Utah has only made me appreciate that more.
Let’s see what’s next….
Stories: I honestly can’t pinpoint it to any one genre or medium, because I read Harry Potter and I’m like, "This is the best!!!" And then I watch Supergirl and I’m like, "No this is definitely the best," and then I read about Batman and Catwoman going on a double date with Clark and Lois and I’m like, "No, this is the best," so I’ll just stay general and say stories. A couple weeks ago, I was watching something while at Ethan and Rebecca’s, and Ethan commented that I have done the same thing since I was a kid: reabsorb things over and over and over again. It all started with Eldorado--what a great movie! The only Dreamworks production truly worth watching. Annnnyyyyway, I love watching things over and over again because I love to quote things, exemplify character traits, and investigate every corner and cranny of a fandom. And you know what’s the best? Over time you forget stuff that you absorbed so you get to read or watch it again!!! Seriously, it’s never been seen enough by me not to fangirl over my favorite parts everytime. Which reminds me, I have to get on rewatching Legion and Poldark because there are so many little treasure troves in those shows I’ve forgotten. I also love telling stories, but I very rarely finish them so I usually don’t end up telling them. That’s why I think animation is so great though because you can tell a story in like 30 seconds, and it can still be super good. Plus I have the best of both worlds to appreciate stories. I'm open to any genre thanks to the influence of Mommy and Daddy. I love fantastical and sci-fi things mostly from Daddy, but then I can also appreciate emotional and character depth in both fiction and more historical stories because of Mommy. And then there are the TV shows and books that only I like for some reason i.e. Teen Titans, Legion, assorted books that at most one of my siblings has read. I get my hands on anything I can connect with. Plus knowing the stories I love so well allows me to put little hidden jokes to myself in regular conversations by quoting some obscure line from Supergirl, or Incredibles, or Legend of Korra and no one else knowing. Or when someone does notice and we become instant friends.
This next one is kind of random, but I really like to feel the thrill of moving fast.
It seems like a weird one, but I’ve been thinking about it lately because I’ve been dying to go to a roller rink nearby because I can go so fast on roller skates and it’s so much fun. And then I thought some more and I love riding a bike for the thrill of being able to go crazy fast. And then, over Christmas break, Daddy, Mommy, Mark and I went to the Detroit Zoo and ice skated on this fantastically environmentally friendly fake ice and man in that ice I could MOVE and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! That’s also why, if I could have any superpower at this moment or any moment in time, I would for certain choose flying. Think about being able to move freely, without obstacles like gravity, or stop lights or anything like that and just soar through the air. Ugh, that would be the best. Also, to clarify I would definitely have levitation flight, not wings. Wings are super dope, but definitely not user friendly, and most likely slower than levitation flight, unless you’re part of the X-Men. (Side note: I’ve categorized basically every superpower into 3 categories: Transformative superpowers, Internal Powers, and Transportation. Transformative would be like Wolverine’s claws, or Mystique’s ability to shapeshift, whereas the kind of flight Kryptonians would have would be Transportation ability, and flight with wings would be both. Meanwhile Jean Grey and Storm are firmly in the Internal powers that affect externally category, so if I had to choose one of each, I would def do flight for transportation, claws like Wolverine (more specifically like Laura Kinney because feet claws would be so useful) for Transformative and maybe Teleportation for Internal power, although that’s very firmly in the transportation category as well, so maybe telekinesis, or something like Magneto. I don’t know, but anyway, back to my love of the thrill of moving fast...) The only problem is is that my eyes really don’t like when I go super fast, and I immediately start tearing up and my nose starts running like crazy!! But it’s a necessary evil.
Last but not least I’d have to go with Family.
Having Ethan and Rebecca in Utah with me and Hannah next semester and possibly Mark and Allison is such a blessing because family is such a refuge for me. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a couple friends in my life that I’m as comfortable around as family, but family is a guaranteed to understand, tolerate and make the best of their time with you. Even visiting the Alpine Kennedys the past couple weeks, they are just so easy to connect with and be around. That may be partially because of Kennedy Cousin Camp, but seriously, I feel so much more comfortable around them then just normal people that I haven’t seen in a really long while. I think that’s also why I love summer so much because it means that I’ll always be spending it with family. To branch off of that, I thought I would make a list of why I love each member of the family equally but for different reasons, because at first I was like, "Oh man I have to put Baby on my list of things I love," but then I was like, "No cause then I would have to put Mark on the list because they’re my two best friends" and then I was like, "Well, speaking of best friends, what about Mommy?" And then I couldn’t forget Hannah and our fantastic discussion of Comic Con while she was on email Monday and then I was like, "Well, Ethan appreciates stories as much as I do," and then I was like, "Daddy appreciates every story he reads and is my go-to source on all things Brandon Sanderson," and Rebecca can’t be left out because she is the single most selfless person I know and she’s just amazing whenever I visit, and Allison can’t be left off the list especially now that she’s family and can have some really great memeing back and forth so here we go.
Baby: I mean how the heck can you not love Baby with all of your heart. Not only is she the single most personality-filled two-year-old of her generation and super smart, but also the most adorable thing in the whole world, and soon to be the best dancer in the whole world too. The other weekend I was at Ethan and Rebecca’s, and I was doing homework upstairs, and I heard her call my name and I responded back. I heard someone slowly coming up the stairs, and I couldn’t wait any longer to see her,and I went outside of my room, scooped her up the last couple stairs and plopped her down on the bed next to me and went back to doing homework. She fumbled around in the blankets and got the sheet all mixed up on the mattress before spotting my sketchbook and pencil (from taking notes while on the phone with Sister Winscot going over Music Ed stuff). She started scrawling all over the page and I just can’t stop that artistic process. Then, she saw my computer screen and immediately asked for Star Wars, and as she knows, I never can say "no" to her, so I just pull it up on my phone, get out the headphones for her and she sat in my lap happily watching while I went back to homework. A little later I’m talking through the lesson I’m submitting for music ed and for it I rap the “Music ABC’s" (basically just rapping CDEFGAB with some verses in between) and all of a sudden, Baby has her headphones out and is wiggling her little body to the beat. I just love her so much and can’t wait to share everything with her.
I didn’t know which one to put first after Baby - Mark or Mommy so I’m putting you in columns next to each other for equality's sake:
Mark: Mark is my best friend in Mommy: Mommy and I understand each other
everything. He and I just get one perfectly. This probably comes from me
another. Even if we have slightly spending a whole summer helping her recuperate
different interests we can always from a broken ankle, going out in the rain to take
make each other laugh with a well care of puppies so she could stay in bed, going
placed quote from a vine, or a with her to her doctors' appointments and
funny meme. When I’m with Mark, reading so many books for entertainment while
I’m up for anything and everything we sat in bed together. Then, being the only kid
as long as he is. The fun doesn’t have allowed to sleep in Mommy and Daddy’s bed
to come from the activity, it can come when Daddy was on call, and then being the only
from spending time with Mark. And two people once everyone was out of the house when
even though we do have some Daddy was at work. Finally, it was packing up the
different interests, we can find almost whole house together one box at a time and giving me
anything to do together that both of us refuge at Interlochen. Like Mommy always says, I’m
enjoy. Even playing video games by really in tune to her feelings, and she’s in tune to mine.
switching off everytime someone dies We just get when one another needs support, advice,
because it’s only single player, or talking. someone to vent to, someone who can just understand
about comic books for like an hour, or and respond with the perfect response. I’ve started
just driving together. Plus Mark is just calling Mommy every morning when I’m walking to
confident. He’s up for and will try school, and when I talk to Mommy, my worries and
anything and isn’t really going to care stress fall into the background and she just tethers me
what people think. When I’m around back to home. She helps me feel grounded, and
him, I can feed off that confidence and gives me a different confidence than Mark, but still
we will have a three-lap race in the middle just as effective. Mommy also thinks about even more
of an ice skating rink full of people, dodging. things than I do. She and I are pretty dang close in
them left and right and laughing and organizational skills, but Mommy still somehow sees
have pure fun because we don’t care what. things from more angles than I do. Mommy thinks
other people are doing, I just wanna about anything and everything. That’s what makes her
spend time with him. Mark is like Comic such a good planner, giver of gifts, keeper of secrets
Con embodied in a person. When we spend and greatest of friends.
time together, I stop worrying about
everything and can just have fun.
Ethan: Ethan, though the most stoic of the siblings I would say, is easily the most clever. There are sometimes Ethan just astounds me with how his mind works. Ethan really engages when you have a conversation with him, and I’m always learning something whenever I’m over at his and Rebecca’s house. Plus Ethan is dedicated to books the way I’m dedicated to TV shows and comic books. When we went to get Daddy a signed copy of Oathbringer, Ethan was talking about all this different stuff in the Stormlight Universe and Cosmere as a whole that was totally going over my head, so since we had a second to relax before Brandon Sanderson showed up, Ethan and I found his section in Barnes and Nobles and he pulled out all these different books, citing different passages, walking me through little easter eggs here and there and it was AMAZING!!! Ethan, like me likes to investigate things to their darkest corners, but like me, only with things that he truly enjoys. But when he finds those things, man he is dedicated!
Hannah: Hannah and I have the same interest I think in stories more than anyone else. She reads most of my books and watches the same TV shows, though she can delve into the more serious fantasy genres like Ethan and Daddy do. Plus Hannah is the best fangirl ever. She can appreciate inside jokes, specific gifs and fanfiction better than anyone. At Comic Con, I’m the more controlled one while Hannah just nerds out with reckless abandon and I love it. She’s dedicated to cosplay, will go to any panel, ask anyone anything because she just wants to soak it in. Hannah is fantastically great at being thoughtful. It’s little things that she does, but when you spend a lot of one-on-one time with her, like when I visited for Comic Con two years ago, you really notice how much she caters to your needs and wants, trying to keep you happy, entertained and excited to do more. Plus, she blends with us siblings really well. She can be the middleman for anyone of us. Understanding of Ethan being the older sibling of the two, she and Mark have a middle-child connection that just makes them click, and with me, she’s the ultimate fandom lover.
Daddy: Daddy has a very specific set of skills as a doctor, and when those skills come out, Daddy shows the true extent of his knowledge. Remember when that family was moving and we had to resell Journey and their other dog because they were being jerks? While we were moving the dogs into the car, Journey turned around and bit my arm. I was holding onto his collar because we had the enclosure gate open and didn’t let go till the fifth or sixth bite. Daddy got the dogs in the car, and we went inside to take of my arm which hurt a lot but thankfully wasn’t bleeding. For some reason, I specifically remember that time while Daddy was taking care of my arm, his whole Doctor self came out. He was assertive, but gentle and knew exactly what to do, not only in taking care of my arm, but calming me down after I got bit. It was amazing how well and perfectly Daddy handled that situation. The other great memories I have of Daddy are on Halloween. So far, I’ve gotten the title of Best Child at Handling College, and Best Halloween Candy Runner, bestowed upon me by Mommy and Daddy respectively. The last three years at home, it was just me and Daddy running the rounds of the cul de sacs. I know of no other parent who is as invested or efficient on Halloween night than Daddy. Whether he is in the car driving me down the road or running right alongside me, Daddy and I were the Halloween team. He’d always stand back from the door while I rang the doorbell, and would always get free candy from Mr Arbutina, but Daddy was always there to not only make sure I got the big haul, but that I was safe. I will always remember running in between lawns, the darkness in between each house where the lights don’t quite reach the grass, the uneven ground, my running shoes not matching my costume with Daddy in front or beside me, a little limp to his gait as he kept saying “Come on Glo!” I’ll try to continue the tradition papa!
Rebecca: Rebecca is the best fit ever for this family. She appreciates things the way we do, is open minded and always up for anything, even if she may turn out not liking it, she’ll try it for the Kennedys' sake. Whenever I go over to Rebecca and Ethan’s house, I do everything I can to help them out because I am so appreciative of how thoughtful Rebecca is when I come over. She makes me a bed every weekend, makes fantastic home-cooked meals, stays with Baby so Ethan and I can go see a movie together, and makes me feel at home. Thanks so much Rebecca!!
Allison: You haven’t been a member of the family for long, but I wanted to make sure I included you as well. You’re always there for deep Dr. Who Fandom knowledge, a good gif or meme, and fun light talk between the two of us! Welcome to the family Allison, and get ready for the ride;)
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