The WHS Practice Gym is filled with the sweet sound of more than a hundred string instruments playing in unison. My bow glides over the strings and my fingers move across the fingerboard, their calloused fingertips pressing down on the thick strings. The music rises and my heart swells with each bow stroke. I am apart of something bigger than myself.

Who knew that black squiggles on a page could create something so beautiful?

The smooth melody washes over the audience. I wonder if they realize how much they’re missing out on. Listening to the music is not enough—you have to be the music. The violins, the violas, the cellos, the basses, and the harps. All our instruments sing, regardless of skill or age. The entire room is vibrating with the force of horsehair on string. The final note of the song rings out loud and clear. The crowd claps loudly but I can honestly say, I think we enjoyed it more they ever could.

In GT we did a project called “Reuse, Redesign, Recycle”, where you take one thing and make it into something else. I took a pair of old jeans and made them into a purse. Here’s the steps I took to get the finished product:

1. Find a pair of old jeans that you’re not going to wear ever again.

2. Lay it down on a flat surface, facedown. Measure a couple of inches down from bottom of the back pocket. Take the ruler and draw a line with a permanent marker. Cut along the line.

3. So now you’ve got one side of the jeans looking like…well, jeans and the other looking like shorts. Okay, so that thick seam that connects each of the pant legs together? Cut along the edge of that seam so that when the two pant legs are separated, the thick seam is on the “shorts” side.

4. *Take some patterned ribbon (I chose something that was thick) and roll it out so that it covers the waistline. Put it through the loops (like a belt) and pin it down.

5.Now fold it inside out. Take some straight pins and put them in a straight line about 1 inch from the bottom of the back pocket. Also, put them in a straight line about 1 in from the side of the back pocket. Make sure that the point of the pin goes in and comes out of the fabric.

6. Now it’d time to break out the sewing machine. I already knew how to sew but if you don’t, I suggest that you learn because it’s a very useful skill to know and it will allow you to do things like this. After you thread the machine and the bobbin, put the presser foot down just outside of the line of straight pins underneath the pocket and sew there. Repeat for other line of straight pins on the side of the pocket. Since you sewed all the way up the side, the ribbon you looped like a belt (in Step 4) is now sown onto the waistline.

7. Now take your scissors and cut off as much of the excess fabric on the side and bottom of the pocket as you’d like, but leave just a little bit extra, the loose ends will be on the inside anyway.

8. Now take the same patterned ribbon you used in Step 4 (if you did Step 4) and measure it as long as you want your strap to be. Add a few extra inches. Cut. If it’s one sided, like mine was, then just sew two pieces together along the edge. If it’s double sided then you’re good to go (unless you want a thicker strap).

9. Okay, I suggest folding you’re ribbon over a little bit, sort of like making a hem, just because I think it makes it more even. Now you’re going to sew the strap onto the sides of your purse. Take the arm off the machine and put the layer of fabric that you aren’t using underneath. Now line the hem of strap at about 1 inch down from the waistband. Sew and repeat on both sides.

10. Turn inside out, add a cool pin if you’d like, and enjoy your new purse!

*= optional

Since I’ve moved to Austin from Scituate (which is in Massachusetts for those who were wondering), I’ve noticed a lot of the differences between them. The list could go on and on and on and on and on and—well, you get the idea. So I’m going to focus on the holiday season for now…

Austin: The winter is spent walking around at the Hill Country Galleria, usually only wearing a jacket to brace the cold.
Scituate: The winter is spent sledding down snowy hills wearing a snow pants, a bulky jacket, a scarf, hat, and mittens.

Austin: They make fake snow and people come out to the Galleria to see it.
Scituate: You have your own personal winter wonderland in your backyard!

Austin: I think it would be a Christmas miracle if we had a white Christmas.
Scituate: Dreaming of a white Christmas isn’t such an unrealistic goal.

Austin: Our weather is like a roller coaster! One day, it’s almost snowing and the next I’m in shorts.
Scituate: You don’t even need to check the weather forcast. Everyone knows it already: COLD.

Austin: We have one snow day (yay!) and we have to go to school on President’s Day (meh).
Scituate: Five days are incorporated into the schedule in case of snow. Because of that, their holiday vacation is shorter than our’s.

Austin: If it snows at all, then we don’t have to go to school. We had an unexpected late start because the road’s were icy.
Scituate: They’ll only get a snow day if it’s really coming down.

Please forgive me if my writing is kind of vague. I signed a contract stating that I would not discuss test questions with anyone but I didn’t sign anything prohibiting me from telling you how I felt. But I don’t want to break any official rules so I’ll try to keep it short.

6:00: I’m awake (barely) at this ungodly hour on a Saturday morning. Why? I have to take the SAT this morning for the Duke TIP Talent Search. Yay…

7:15: I arrive Westlake High School surrounded by kids more than 3 years older than me. I’m alone, lost and confused in the crowd of giants, with nothing to do but stare at the floor.

7:45: The doors open and the mass of mountains surge forward. I search for familiar faces but see none. I stumble to my assigned room: 172. “Hello”, said the nice, blonde lady at the door. I stand there and smile at her. “Uh, ticket please?” I snap out of my trance. “Oh! Right, um, here,” I stuttered, handing her my ticket. “I don’t see your name…”, she said, pointing to the blank line, underneath which the words Student Name were printed. I told my dad I needed my name there! But he said mom knew what she was doing when she filled it out. “Uh, it’s Ca-Carly,” I squeak out. Okay let’s face it. I’m a nervous wreck. After telling me my seat number (18), she lets me in with a smile. Way to make a first impression, Carly.

9:00: After about an hour of questions about the instructions, the test begins. This is where I’m going to need to become very vague, as to not disturb my contract. I can tell you at there are 10 sections. 7 of them 25 minutes, 2 of the 20, and 1 of them 10.

Many long hours later…

2:30: The test is over and I can go home. I’m relieved and happy, but also regretful, knowing that I could have done better. You see, missing a multiple choice answer loses you 1/4 a point but leaving it blank doesn’t count against you. I didn’t realize that until after the test, a.k.a. after I had guessed on about 10 questions. Yay…

I am from tattered dog leashes,
From fuzzy, purple lamps and too many books.
I am from the light blue house with the red star,
The smell of wet dog.

I am from winter’s first snow,
The “climbing tree” whose thin branches took me higher than ever before.

I’m from dirty-blonde hair and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
From Cheyenne and Peter.
I’m from American Idol and the Boston Marathon,
And from squinted-eyed smiles.

I’m from “I love you as big as the sky” and “Different strokes for different folks”,
And “Make new friends but keep the old…”.

I’m from Florida vacations.
I’m from Scituate, Massachusetts and Ireland,
Brownies and grilled cheese sandwiches.

From stories of my grandfather,
Reminding me how much I wish I could have met him.

A lifetime of memories,
Forever remembered in my heart.
These are the memories that make me who I am.

Thursday was Halloween and it was amazing! My costume, a Greek goddess, was my best one yet. My friend Lily did an awesome job on both hers and mine (she was Medusa). Lily and I went trick-or-treating with our friend Jane, who didn’t know what she wanted to be so she just wore a colorful wig and we called her….KATY PERRY! But she rocked it. I filled my make-shift candy bag (a Bath and Body Works bag) to the brim.

I’d say it was a rather successful Halloween.

What was your Halloween like? Please comment below!⬇️