we're graduated!

On Friday I graduated high school forever. I cannot believe it. It was still weird after a day filled with graduation practice, graduation, and a party that went until 5 AM.

I will miss many things about high school: the couple of these girls that will be gone away, seeing all the wonderful students, my amazing teachers, the commons, the library, the journalism lab, the UCCU employee parking spaces, the random dark hallway whose purpose is still unknown, the drinking fountains who spurted suspicious rusty lake water, seminary.

In keeping with tradition, here are a few of my favorite yearbook signatures (names changed).

"Isabelle. You are not asian. That is all." (An Asian)

"Isabelle,
Our lives are filled with tragic miscommunications, mostly when I hit on you, and you are confused and mildly afraid." (Rarrison Hichards)

"Isabelle:
Well. When you slept under the tables that freaked me out." (The Younger James)

"Isabelle! I liked how you slept under the tables." (Peary)

"You are easily one of the most memorable personalities in school." (Jenkins the Janitor)

"Isabelle, I don't know what I would do without your sarcastic remarks and wonderful smile." (Joshua)

It has been a roller coaster of good times and bad these past years, and I wouldn't trade one moment of it for anything.

Love,
Lizzy ;-D

class of 2009

We graduate in 2 days. Oh my goodness! That picture is the last time all of these girls will be together until Christmas. I love all of these wonderful women. They are truly amazing.

Love,
Lizzy

to be alive is to feel pain

"When I protect myself against the dangers of loss by teaching myself not to care, not to let anyone get too close to me, I lose part of my soul. When I protect myself from disappointment by not wanting to be happy, by telling myself that happiness is a mirage and an illusion, I diminish my soul.

To be alive is to feel pain and to hide from pain is to make yourself less alive."

(source unknown)

Love,
Lizzy

the bell of the ball...

...or maybe just one of the really, really bad dancers. I had the time of my life at Senior Ball. Thanks, honey. More pictures available on Facebook. :-)

Love,
Lizzy

if I were Satan...

If I were Satan...

I would gain control of gifted, creative, compassionate women in the world. I would attack the women because then I could destroy the future children and the family, the backbone of any nation. I would delude female minds into thinking their worth was their body, their appearance and achievements. I would promote an attitude of loving material things and using people, instead of the other way around. I would dupe entire generations of women into comparing themselves to the illusions portrayed in the media. I would have complete control of the media so that every day I would pollute the thoughts of women for my agenda. I would promote pornography and violence as art and entertainment. I would make the female body a sex object and promote fashions which make that statement. I would confuse women into thinking that glamour is beauty. I would get women to worship movie stars and models. I would set a standard of thinness as beauty in order to make women weak. I would make it socially acceptable for a women to dishonor her body through starvation in order to attain society's ideal for the female form. I would convince women that their hunger is a sin. I would make life so fast-paced and noisy that there is no time to nourish each other, to play together or listen. I would degrade the sacredness of marital intimacy and fidelity. I would make divorce easy and attractive, even fashionable. I would make it legal to take the life of unborn babies; I would make it socially acceptable to mutilate one's body or take one's own life. I would cheapen human life as much as possible, so that the lives of animals are valued more than human beings. I would promote a culture of perfectionism and competition where women are taught to feel inferior, guilty, and not good enough. I would teach women to compete with each other and to compete with men. I would persuade women to focus on the god of self instead of their Creator. I would take spirituality out of the schools and out of the homes and out of the hearts of gifted, creative compassionate women.

I would leave things pretty much the way they are.

~Kathleen Slade Hofer

I loved this quote and thought I would share. :-)

Love,
Lizzy

graduation!

here are the graduation announcements my wonderful uncle made for me, so that you can see them in case you don't get one sent your way.