We watched from below the basket, mesmerized, as the orange ball bounced off the rim, falling down to our outstretched hands. The ball chose me, and I hastily shot it up again, excitedly observing as it swished through the net.

I threw my arms in the air, squealing gleefully only to notice the opposing team was doing the exact same thing. My own teammates were glumly looking down at the floor, evading the brightly glaring scoreboard, which did not lie.

I had just scored for the wrong team. More »

A few weeks ago, I was volunteering at the State Theatre downtown, working the concessions. The whole time I was watching the snow come down through the little round windows in the doors.

By 9:30, my mom had called me five times, telling me I needed to come home immediately. It was going to be my first time driving in a real winter storm. I stepped out on the sidewalk, into about six inches of snow, I pulled my hat on and ran to my illegally parked car. More »

It’s been awhile.

By “awhile” I mean about three months.

I’m sorry but I’m not going to make up some bad excuses; I was just enjoying summer and life in general. I worked my way through July and quit in August. My family went to Beaver Island for nine days that felt like nine years. More »

If you sing the title of this entry to the Batman theme song, it will make more sense.

It has happened. I am officially employed. I don’t have what I would label as a “dream job,” but it must be said, the cash is nice. Four days a week, I don my extremely flattering, over-sized, pee-yellow polo and go clean my khaki clad tushy off.

I am a housekeeper. You do not mess with me when I’ve got my mop. More »

Dear Summer,

I welcome you with open arms. This is an understatement. I welcome you with open arms, jumping up and down while screaming at an extremely loud volume.

Please come as soon as possible. Exams are despicable.

All my love,
Elise

#1 Most FAQ to Elise: “Are you working this summer?”

Well. More »

I was lying in bed last night, unable to sleep. So I bundled up in some blankets and wandered outside to sit under the stars. The decision I made is that I will always be a small town girl.

Last year when my mother and I took a trip to Chicago (which I believe I have mentioned before) it was my first time staying in the heart of a big city.

I went absolutely crazy. More »

My mother and I are not capable of taking a road trip without any detours. It is simply not possible for us to go from Point A to Point B. Somehow between my navigation and her direction sense, something always goes wrong.

Last year coming home from Chicago, we missed the exit to the highway into Michigan. The biggest problem is that it always takes awhile for us to discover our mistake. It wasn’t until I saw a sign that said “TOLEDO – 100 MILES” that it occurred to me to turn and say, “Hey. Isn’t Toledo, like, on the wrong side of Ohio?”

I know. Very eloquent. More »

I am having my first case of writer’s block. Countless times over the last month I have sat down to write a blog entry. Some of the topics that failed were: winter driving with my mother (a stressful activity), cross-country ski events (experiencing perpetual hat hair), painting my room tangelo (then watching how every time my dad walks by my door, his expression transforms into a just-bit-into-a-lemon face), and tonight I tried to write about the snow day and creating a giant snowman, which is taller than eight feet, with my brother and friend. More »

It happened again. Someone was screwing around in class. Here come the words we hear all school day long.

“Bob… what are you doing?”

Ahh. The Responsible Thinking Process. Also known as RTP; it is a series of questions teachers give: “What are you doing?…What should you be doing?…What will happen if this occurs again?”

What will happen to Bob if he does not heed his warning? More »

For my entire life I have been a devout Michigan State basketball fan. I never bothered to be a football fan because that team never really bothered to win.

When I was ten, the year State went all the way, there was a particular game against Wisconsin I will never forget. MSU was down by one point and their basket at the buzzer was deemed invalid. I, of course, went into mourning and wore black for a week. More »