Anna form September to May

I've never been so ready for summer. This year has been full so much stress, I am so done. On top of the school stress, I have spent the past four weekends waking up at 6:30 for an all-day volleyball tournament. I've never been so tired for so long. I'm always tired, and in the summer, SLEEP is what I'll be doing. So my motivation has clearly gone downhill. I hate to admit it, but I was so much more motivated in the beginning of the year. I was planning on reading every page in my AP text book twice, study for every test weeks in advanced, and so on, but that didm"t exactly happen.
 

If you see me in the hall, chances are I look like this. Photo from http://cliparts.co/tired-clipart

Another example of my motivation that's changed, you can see it in my blog. I was planning on writing a lot on makeup, but I haven't wrote strictly on makeup since Christmas. I wore a lot of makeup in the beginning of the year, in fact I wore wayyy too much. Now, I only wear mascara and a little concealer for redness, and of course I need my eyebrows to be on fleek. I'm sure people see it as I look a lot uglier than normal, but I do it so I can sleep. I can now sleep in thirty more minutes than I used to which feels like thirty more years of sleep. 

I've also realized to stay away from the drama. I was so caught up in the gossip and who was dating who and cared about popularity in the beginning of the year. Now, I know if I keep a few friends close, I will be happy, and the rest doesn't matter even a little. 

I learned so much from all the volleyball I've been doing too. I spent a lot of time with older girls during high school season, being one of tow freshman on the JV team along with Amy Playing a sport has taught me so much, especially this year. The most important thing I’ve gained from my volleyball team is my friends. Some of my best friends play with me, and I wouldn’t of met them if I hadn’t played volleyball. I met one of my current best friends in a rec soccer league in the third grade. Friends are obviously such an important aspect of a good life, and being on a team will create a bond with your teammates unlike anything else. Something else I've really learned this year is how an attitude can effect a group. This season I’ve had a few experiences where I can’t preform to my best because of the negativity surrounding me. I really learned to ignore a certain player or coaches comments that put me down, and focus on the goal of the game. Overall, I've learned so much from being commented to a team and playing a sport I know and love. 

My High School JV team 

Me and my parents during club season

People and sports have really influenced me and how I've changed. It's really made me think how am I going to change from May 10th 2015 to the day I graduate? I know my sister has changed so much from that time. I just hope it's an exciting journey full of fun. 

Mother's Day

Expectations vs. Reality
I don't know if this is just a Deimling family issue, but I'm sure it happens in some other households. We plan the day out hoping we will spend it with family we love and have a really relaxed day, focused on our mom's and grandma's. In reality, the mom is usually stressing out and cleaning, preparing for a gathering of some type. I always feel so bad, I want the day to be one of the best days for my mom, but I feel like because of all the stress, that doesn't happen. I usually don't spend that time with my mom, but I usually hide in the basement with my sister to get away from certain people. I think (at least I hope) that the thing that matters is that you spend quality time with your mom that day. Going out to lunch, getting coffee, watching a movie or really doing anything should make your mom happy before your extended family get-together. That's typically not the plan, but as long as your with her, she should be happy.

Me and my mom in Costa Rica 2014

DIY Gift Ideas

My mom always says something like, "Don't spend too much money on my present, as long as its coming from your heart," but I don't know if thats true. My sister and I were able to come up with something cheap, easy and hopefully our mom will like it. It also made for some great bonding time with my sister.

Picture Board-

What you need:
•One wooden board
•Paints of choice
•Mason Jar Lids (optional)
•A picture your mom loves

I painted a wooden board with a color that matched the theme of the picture. While the paint dried, we painted lids we had laying around from a mason jar. My sister and I each painted three of them with something that had to do with our mom. I did a palm tree, sloth and city skyline, and my sister did her college logo, our dog, and pooh bear. We glued on the picture and the jars, and thats all. It's super easy, looks good, and actually really fun.

Candles-

What you need:

•Mason Jars
•Candle Wicks
•Soy Candle Wax
•Essential Oils
•Paints of choice

This is a little harder, but it's really fun to make. We melted the wax, added in essential oils that are mom's favorite, put it in mason jars with wicks in it, and we had homemade candles. It is a little bit confusing so this may help you out on how to make natural soy candles.

Spending time with your mom along with a gift coming from the heart will make your mom really happy. The day may be stressful for your mom, but try your hardest to make it easiest as possible.

How to have a memorable and productive summer ☀️

We have all had too many days in summer waisted away because of netflix or sleeping in or just being lazy. Trust me, I love those days probably more than most, but I still want to make memories this summer and get a lot done. Here are some ideas on how to spend your summer doing the best things possible.

1) Get a job-
This one is no doubt the least fun step for a great summer. I've never had a real job, but this summer I'm forcing myself to get one. Because I'm fifteen and will have hopefully get my license in about 6 months, I would like to have a car on my 16th birthday. Sadly, I'm not going to get a porche handed to me by my daddy, but I will be working to pay for my car. Getting a job and being able to buy something you want will make you feel like you actually accomplished something this summer. Money is an amazing thing, and I know I spend a lot of it over the summer, so get a job to allow you to buy what you want!

2) Find a sport/hobby- 
Last summer, I spent my Tuesday's, Thursday's, and Saturday's playing beach volleyball with one of my best friends. I will never forget those practices and tournaments because of all I learned. I had so much fun on the court, and I was able to take the skills learned there and apply them while at my high school volleyball tryouts. Find the thing you love, because the summer is the perfect time to practice and learn more about that sport or hobby. I've had so much fun over the years playing with my friends, Alexis and Bryn, we really bonded from that experience.

These pictures are from playing beach (or sometimes grass) volleyball over the past two years. 

3) Be with who you want to be with- I'm sure we all know those people we "have"to hang out with, but you're summer will be so much better if you're with those that you actually like. Surround yourself with good people that make you happy, and you always have a good time. Also, make some time for your family. My sister is graduating so it's my last summer with her; I'm going to make sure I spend as much time as possible with her. With school out, the last thing you want is to go through stupid drama in the summer, so ditch the drama and be with those you love
4) Camp- I'm lucky to live in Park City with the Uinta Mountians camp grounds only 30 minutes away. Camping doesn't have to be a huge production with a trailer, go camp in your car, a tent, or even under the stars. It's something new and exciting and will for sure make great memories.
5) Staycation with friends- Go out and explore your area with you friends. Go to the nearest city and shop, drive to a lake and swim, go for a hike or really anything that you normally wouldn't think of doing. It's really fun to see your city as if you were a tourist and not a local. Maybe you could even convince your parents to let you spend the night in a hotel with a nice pool, that's always a good time.

One of my favorite memories from last summer
 was having a picnic with my sister Sierra at the Jordanelle. 

Goodbye?

My best friend I've ever had is my sister Sierra. I'm not saying that because "she's family" or "my mom told me to," but my sister really is my best friend. We have such a strong bond with each other, and we actually get along unlike most siblings. She is no-doubt my biggest role mode; Her cumulative is above a 4.00, she is one of the kindest people out there, not many people can make me laugh as hard as she does, she is pretty, she is motivated, she is everything I want to be when I'm her age. Why am I bragging about what a wonderful sister I have? Because she's leaving me in about three months to go to college in Montana.

If you can't tell from this collage, my sister and I are kinda close.

I hate talking about her leaving to college. Whenever the conversation comes up, I usually leave because I don't want to start crying and make our happy dinner conversation turned into everyone crying and being depressed that she's leaving us. Sometime I wonder if she thinks I don't care about her leaving because of how little I talk about it. Like what am I supposed to do when we have dinners with my cousins and extended family? Who am I going to talk with the whole time? Who is going to drive me to the gas station to get donuts and lifesavers so we don't have to deal with certain people in out family?

Photo Credit: Mom

Missoula, Montana is roughly 7 hours and 42 minutes driving non-stop from Park City. Normally when I need advice or if I'm angry with my parents, I walk downstairs and we will end up singing Hannah Montana and Beyonce until midnight, but now I have to drive eight hours? I don't know how I'm going to survive. Phone calls and FaceTime aren't going to be nearly enough.

I know I'll get to see her during breaks, and with the close family I have, we will fly or drive out there very often. It may seem as I'm overreacting about this but I don't think most people understand how close we are. The students at The University of Montana are so lucky. They are gaining a truly amazing person. 

If you're going through the same thing, grab your sibling and listen to Rivers and Roads. I can guarantee you will end up crying and hugging for a long period of time. Enjoy.