Richards are never late, everyone else is simply early

If you know me or my family even an inkling, then you know about our....problem. No matter where we're going, who we're meeting, or what we're doing, we are 99.99% of the time at least fifteen minutes late. Sundays are the most obvious because who doesn't notice a family of seven trailing in at the end of praise and worship? A little conspicuous don't you think?

Sophomore year, I had an academic tournament the morning after our school's Sadie Hawkins dance. Being the dancer that I am, I of course didn't make it home until around midnight and stayed up talking about it until one. Five minutes later at 5:30 (well it seemed like minutes) my mom comes rushing in my room telling me that I have to hurry. While still comprehending the fact that my mom had turned on the lights, my cell phone rang, and as I looked at the caller ID I remembered: I had a tournament and was supposed to be at school right then! I open the phone and, "Kiersten! Where in the world are you? We're about to leave." Groggily, I answer, "I know, I'm sorry. I'll be there as fast as I can." So for the next 10 minutes I'm running around my house, brushing my teeth, hair, and trying to find an outfit that's cute enough for the only girl on the quick recall team. Nice huh?

My second favorite late memory was when I wasn't really late at all. Orchestra was leaving at like 5 am for a trip to Gatlinburg and if we weren't there on time, then my teacher said she would leave us. (For some reason, when she said that, the entire class gave me a look. I have no idea what could have prompted that notion.) Everyone else, being the punctual people they are, arrived at 4:30. At around 4:50 I still wasn't at the school and my best friend was getting worried so she called my cell to see how close I was to the school. When I answered the phone in my sleepiest and most confused voice, I asked her why she was calling me so early in the morning. Panic-stricken, she tried to explain that our school trip was that day and that I had to be there in less than ten minutes or I'd be left. Stifling the laughter that was threatening to explode, I replied, "Hey calm down, everything's okay." After a few more minutes I assure her that I'm only 2 minutes from the school and that I'll make it on time. She's still mad at me! haha!

In closing, don't ever ask me to be early, it's almost like asking the sun to rise in the west, it just ain't gonna happen! :)

Random Thoughts

Writing is fun, or at least I think it is. Every day the circumstances I go through make me want to write my own story or poem to express what I'm feeling. Then, I get really excited because I have a topic to blog about. But wouldn't you know, that the instant I open the computer the idea is gone like snow in June without a trace!

Now I know that sounds really nerdy, but I don't care. I've embraced the fact that I love to learn, write, and be on the academic team. Not that it matters that I'm not cool, it doesn't hurt that bad. As long as I'm the girl God created me to be, I'm perfectly fine with wherever or whomever (even if it's no one) He puts me.

Accents=Cool

I don't know what it is, but I think that accents are so cool. Listening to English or Scottish people speak just fascinates me. Sometimes, they talk so fast that you have stop what you're doing just so you can understand what they said five minutes ago! I don't know what started this fettish but when my cousin brought home an Englisher as a boyfriend, I knew I was hooked. Just noticing both the obvious and subtle differences in our pronunciation and word choice is really fun.

And it's not just English accents that are cool. In America there are so many different accents that are native to each state, and sometimes the regions within the states. For instance, us Kentuckians have a seemingly distinct accent. But western Kentucky has a totally different one than Eastern and that's where everyone gets confused. It's the mountaineers who have the extreme country accents and don't wear shoes, not us.

On one of our last days in Hawaii, we took this trip around the island to see what treasures it had to offer. At one of the stops we met up with several families who were jumping off a rocky edge into a ravine about 30 feet below. As we watched the crazies jump, a girl from another family stood next to me and after we'd talked for a while she asked, "Are you guys from Texas?" It took everything in me not to fall down laughing. In my mind, Texans are a completely different breed and our accents are nothing alike, but for this Orange County, CA native, we're one and the same. It was kind of cool to be compared to a Texan though; I'd never gotten that before this year.

Who am I like, again?

Similar Sire, Similar Scion

What a funky way to switch around "Like father, like son"! Sorry I just think it's cool how they're all s's and they just kind of roll off the tip of your tongue.

But anyways, what relative am I most like? Well of my parents, it's definately my mom. People just look at me and they're like, "Oh my gosh. You're Linda's girl aren't you? You look just like her." We both love crossword puzzles, reading books, and watching the very cheesy Hallmark movies. On a side note, I know that most people don't like cheesy-ness. But my mom and I just love them. We also react to things the same way. Like seriously, my dad has asked my mom a question and then asked me the same one later, and we give him the exact same look, tone, and choice of words. It's kinda scary. He always says that if one of us commits a crime then we're both going to jail because the DNA is so close.

But I also steal several traits from my dad, even if they're random. When I watch TV or read a book, I like to stretch out my legs and cross my ankles and my pinky toes. I know that sounds weird like what planet are you from, but I just do it. Our faces are long and angular, and I also inherited his teeth which, unfortunately, meant that I had to get a pallette expander. Another random feature is that when we smile, we lose our eyes, or they look like "sunshine eyes". We both love sports and can play almost every one out there. But perhaps my favorite trait is our loud voices that can be heard miles away.

Now with four brothers and sister, I'm not going to tell you everyway we're alike and different, but I'll try to give you the run through:

• My sister has been my hero for as long as I can remember. I wanted to walk, talk, and dress like her because she was the epitomy of cool in my book. She's a great sport, hanging with a sister nearly four years younger who looks older than she does. When we went to the airport the ticket person waved her through and said that he didn't need to see the ID of people under 16. To this I replied, "Well, they asked to look at mine..." Oops.
• Ethan and I are definately the most analytical in our house, paying attention to detail and having things a certain way. We both love reading and learning about new things so we can play quick recall and be the best.
• Austin is like my twin born 18 months late. We look alike, talk alike, and sometimes Mom says he is the male version of me. Also known as my ShaBa, (sharing buddy, ask later), we have so many inside jokes that everyone looks at us really funny. What's even better is that while some people think we are twins (because we obviously look alike), we've been mistaken for boyfriend and girlfriend before...kind of awkward.
• And finally Jared, the affectionately called "little blonde kid". He's loud, attention-demanding, and a natural born entertainer. I would say that he and I are the most different. But I remember when he was three and I was the only one who could understand him. I was like his older sister protector who knew exactly what he needed and could get it for him. So I think we'll always have that bond together, no matter how much we get on each other's nerves.

That's really long, but I had too many people to compare to, and I didn't even include my dog, Lexie!

Family Proverb

"A family is like a forest"

Really? I don't feel like a tree; I feel more like a bush. Everyone else is like 6 inches taller than me, and they love to rub it in my face. But I don't care, being 5' 6" isn't half bad. I can limbo 10 times easier, and it's harder to find me when it's time for chores. On the flip side, it feels like no one notices the little bush among the great tall trees. I never want to cause a problem and if the squeaky wheel gets oiled, then what happens to the silent wheel? Absolutely nothing, because why fix what isn't broken? So in return for being a good little bush, I get to continue being a good little bush. Fun fun.

I'm not complaining or anything. I love my family even when my little brothers get on my nerves. I know I can count on them when I need them the most and to help me through the tough times. But when the sun is shining, I know we have this great relationship where we can laugh at each other and spend hours talking about nothing and feel we've accomplished everything. So maybe that's how the forrest can be dense. There doesn't have to be so many in number per say, but the fact that a family can be close knit can provide almost a shield so everyone bears the pain instead of the tree falling alone.

It's funny how people gawk at big families. While we were vacationing in Hawaii, a waitress asked my dad if all of us kids were his. When he answered yes, the smile froze on her face and she squeaked, "Congratulations," and scurried back to the kitchen. I laughed the entire way back to the hotel after that. She thinks that it's a punishment having 5 kids, but it's really great because I can make an entire volleyball team with just my family. Now, how many people can say that about their forest?

Wow, now that I'm reading this is sounds like random babble, and I'm really sorry for making you read this, but it's all I have right now. Maybe as this thing goes on I'll have more....understandable things to write about!

Name Change

For the past few days, I've had several conversations about names. Like why do people shorten their names when they get to a certain age, from say Robert to Bob? It just makes it so hard on the people who know them to get used to a completely different name with the same face. Sometimes it just makes me wonder, what will changing your name do? I mean seriously, if I like you, I will like you whether your name is Samantha or Sam, so why don't you just pick one and stick with it? Although, it would be kind of fun to go by something different for a while, but it just seems a little silly to me.

Maybe it's because I'm so sleepy I'm delirious that I'm typing this right now. Oh well. Something is better than nothing. Or is it?