Mission Trip, Theme Park, and Birthdays // July 2021

Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning, afternoon, or evening! This month went by wayyyy too fast, let me just say. From fooling around at Sheetz before voice lessons to turning eighteen, I say that this month went pretty well! Looking back on it, I wish I was more productive and more motivated, but, despite everything, I’m looking forward to August!

>> Special Happenings <<

– Mission Trip –

From July 10th to July 17th, my sisters, Emma and Briana, and I went with our church on the annual mission trip to Fairmont, West Virginia. I think I’ll make a blog post especially for that trip, but if not, you can read about last year’s trip right here. We stained/painted a lot, and on our day off, we went to a super fun watercourse where I learned that I’m actually stronger than I thought. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner on our day off, where they celebrated my and another girl’s birthdays. Overall, it was such a fun trip, and, as always, I can’t wait until next year.

– Hershey Park –

My workplace always has an annual summer trip on our day off for all the employees. I missed it my first year (2019) because I had just joined and was suuuper shy, COVID canceled it in 2020, but this year I was able to go! We went to Hershey Park, and it was my first time going. It. Was. Huge. I had been to Kennywood and Idlewild before, but nothing prepared me for all the people and the expanse of rides that I saw at Hershey Park. It was a three-hour bus ride to and from the park, and we were there for around nine or ten hours. Yeah, it was a long day.
Overall, I had loads of fun and hung out with quite a few friends throughout the long day. I didn’t have much of an appetite due to my anxiety and actually felt sickly anxious a few times. Other than that, I had a great time despite not really being a theme park person.

– Birthday! –

I turned eighteen! (you can read more extensively into my birthday and my thoughts here) Anyway, on my birthday, I had a picnic lunch with a friend at a nearby park where we ate Panera. I relaxed pretty much the rest of the day until around 9:30 pm when one of my coworkers (and fellow birthday buddy) dropped off two kittens that my older sister and older brother were going to have. My brother’s cat’s name is Totini, which means “socks” in Samoan, and my sister’s cat’s name is Binx, as in Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus. Since I share a bedroom with my sister, Binx is sort of mine as well, but I’m just there to cuddle him occasionally…

– A Looong Shift –

It all started when my younger sister picked up another shift. We were both originally scheduled to work 8am – 4pm. However, a friend and coworker of ours was on vacation and couldn’t attend her 4pm – 10pm shift. Being the workaholic she is, Briana picked up the shift, but since she’s a minor, it’s illegal for her to work 8am – 10pm; that’s fourteen hours. However, it was the day after I turned eighteen, so I could work that long. So I did. You might be thinking, “Callie… why?” Well, I may or may not be crushing on someone (co-workers: you didn’t read that)… also, a lot of my friends work the night shifts, and I wanted to work with my friends. Overall, I had two or three cups of coffee, I think, and despite my sickening anxiety because I was around my crush, I think the shift went really well, and I actually had fun!

>> psst… in the image gallery, there are two pictures of me in uniform (one of which was taken after this 14-hour shift), and I have blocked out/blurred anything that could reveal where I work. It is for my own privacy’s sake, so please ignore any random hearts and blurred backgrounds, and please don’t try to guess where I work.

– New Tech –

My sister bought me an iPad… holy cow. I dabble in a bit of art and had been debating whether or not I wanted to buy an iPad once my current tablet (Samsung Tab6 Lite) craps out and/or doesn’t work anymore. However, for my birthday, my sister, Emma, bought me an iPad! She said she got tired of hearing me debate and weigh the options, so she got me one herself. I’m planning on using the iPad for drawing and any other art-related stuff (once my Apple Pencil comes in) and my Samsung tablet for everything else like games, entertainment, and some editing services.
I’m SUPER excited to start using the Apple program “Procreate” for art and might even share some of my works with you… who knows?

>> Shows/Movies Watched <<

The Greatest Showman
- musical, drama, romance
- second time watching
- ADORE this movie; definitely get very hyped at every song
We Are Marshall
- sports, drama, docudrama
- first time watching it
- only kind of watched it; it wasn’t my ideal movie and I was trying to sleep
Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets
- family, fantasy, adventure
- third time watching (??)
- I enjoy this movie; it’s really cute and still makes me laugh after watching it multiple times

>> Books Read <<

The Hardy Boys: Cast of Criminals
- mystery, fiction, suspense
- first time reading
- REALLY ENJOYED this book; there were some hilarious lines and I really loved seeing the plot lay out