Category: Diary

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

And it’s Beth’s15th  birthday!!!

So after Diana got back from school, Liz, Crystal and her parents, Emiko and Aika and Mika, Allison too… everyone showed up!!!  Sabby gave us the day off because she wanted to spend all day baking.  We made her promise not to go overboard.  She just looked innocent.  And went overboard.

OMG the cakes!!!

I don’t know how she makes so many cakes with just one oven!!!

Anyway, after everyone showed up, we had pizza for dinner, and then cake for dessert (CHOCOLATE!!!) and then we gave Beth her presents!!!

She got soooo many presents!!!!

But I think the best thing is how meaningful they were.

Liz got Beth a music player.  But it was loaded with lots of different world music!  Chinese, Japanese, Korean…  OMG.  I’ll have to, er, “borrow” some of those myself!!!

Crystal still doesn’t have a lot of money, but she got Beth a little locket that said “BFFs”, with little pieces that fit together.  I think Beth almost cried.

Aika and Mika don’t know Beth very well, but they gave her a chopstick set.  I… don’t know?  But it’s the thought that counts, and Beth accepted it happily.

Allison gave her a book.  Of course, if you want to give Beth something she likes, give her a book!!!

And I got her one of those plexiglass blocks that contain every element in the periodic table.  It wasn’t anything really special, but she seemed to like it.

Of course Diana didn’t get her anything, but no one expected her to.

After the presents were given, we played games!!!  Girl games!!!  David was invited, but he… had other things to do.  Don’t blame the poor kid.  OMG Me, Beth, Liz, Aika, Mika, Diana, Crystal, Allison… SO MANY GIRLS!!!!  It’s soo much fun!!!  Poor Sabby having to put up with all the squealing!!!  I think Allison got a bit confused, and then at some point we split into two groups…  The younger girls, Allison, Aika, and Mika, and the rest of us older girls.  That seems to have worked out.

Now we’re going to brush each other’s hair, tell stories (Allison’s good at that!) and make a girl-pile!!! OMG I LOVE GIRL PILES!!!!  I think Diana’s a little hesitant but she’s got her jammies on just like the rest of us.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

So this morning I went off for a run, and when I got back, Maria had gone to work and Diana had gone to school.  Sabby decided that everything was well in hand, as far as debris cleanup went, so we headed off to the temporary shelter to see if we could be of any help there.  They had that well in hand too, so we went off and at least got some snacks for everyone.  They seemed appreciated.

After we got home, we studied some more, and then Diana came back home.  After we did our schooling, we spent a little time getting to know her.  She seems like a nice kid.  I don’t think she’s as smart as Beth or Crystal or Liz, but she’s pretty good at cooking!!!  Much better than me and Beth!  Sabby let her make a Mexican dinner, and she knocked it out of the park!!!  So yummy!!!  Maria came home and we all ate.  Diana explained that sometimes she’d come home and her mother was still at work, so she made dinner.  Seems like they have a bit of a tough life.

Well, a tornado doesn’t make it any better.

The NWS just released their assessment of the tornado – it was almost an EF-3!!  Peak winds of 135mph!  Wow!!!

So we’re going to watch a movie.  We asked Maria what her favorite movie is.  She liked Spanglish.  I just checked back and we watched it on October 22 (this diary is handy sometimes!) and that’s when Liz confronted her parents, and that led directly to my meeting Jack and… well… Spanglish changed my life!!!  I should tell Maria that!!!

Beth’s birthday is tomorrow!!!  We’re having a party after Diana gets home from school!  Crystal and Liz and Diana and even Mika and Aika will be there!!!  It’ll be fun!!!  And we’ll all sleep over too!!! It’ll be a HUGE girl-pile!!!  Sorry jack!!!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

So today there was no school.  The city told us what they needed and where to drop it off, so we trundled over to the local hardware store (it actually was hit by the tornado, but the worst that happened was a bunch of grills got thrown around) and picked up stuff like tarps, work gloves, etc.  Then we went over to the baseball field where they were taking donations and dropped it all off.  After that, we went around to see if anyone needed help with tree branches and stuff.

Most houses just had a little damage, but some were… in very bad shape.  Not just knocked over fences, but some houses were pretty much goners.  Sad.  But we did what we could.  The city put dumpsters out and we helped put some of the debris in.  It wasn’t much, but we did what we could.  Around lunchtime we went to the grocery store and got lots of water and ready made sandwiches, and handed them out to the first responders and city crews, who seemed to appreciate the gesture, anyway.

We got home in the evening and Dave ordered pizza.  I think he wanted to do grilling but we were all tired, and Dave said we deserved pizza.  Beth didn’t even complain at all.  I guess she figured that it was better than school, and like I said, she’s not a bad girl, just doesn’t take anything off people.

Anyway, Dave got a call from the pastor later in the evening, and turns out that a family was looking for a temporary place to stay, having been displaced by the storm.  We didn’t have room for a lot of people, but it was a single mother and her daughter, so after discussing it, they said we’d take them in for a few days while they talked to insurance and figured out what to do.

Anyway, they came over with a few things.  The mother was a youngish middle aged hispanic woman named Maria, and her daughter was a girl about Beth’s age named Diana.  Of course neither of them were happy about the situation, but we made them as comfortable as we could.  Their house was repairable, but there were holes in it and it couldn’t be lived in until contractors could come and fix it.  Aww.  We fed them leftover pizza and settled them in with the couch.  The couch isn’t awful at all.  Like I said when Crystal stayed over that first time, heck, I’d sleep on it, it’s mega comfy.  They still have their car, it only sustained minor damage, so there’s that.

I guess they’ll move into a hotel when one becomes available, but things are a bit booked up right now, as you can imagine.

Tomorrow night when the girls come over, we’ll include Diana too.  After all, while she’s here, she’s family.

My first impressions of Diana is, she’s sweet, but a bit fiery.  She’s short, a little shorter than Beth, with curly, black hair and a brownish complexion.  Kind of like Beth, actually, they look somewhat similar in that way.  But Diana’s features are more hispanic where Beth’s are a bit more like Sabby.  She’s not mean by any means, but she’s not too happy with the situation (obviously) and isn’t shy about saying how she feels.  But it’s more matter of fact than anything, she’s not lashing out like Beth probably would.  I think we’ll get along, but she needs to get to get to know us first.  And the other way around.

Okay well we’re going to introduce Diana to the joys of hair brushing now, and get to know her a little.  Maybe we’re not best friends yet, but if she’s going to be living with us for a while, we might as well get along, right?

Oh!  My present for Beth arrived while we were gone!! I love Amazon!!!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!!!

That tornado yesterday was all over the national news – it was a big deal.  It started at an intersection of two major highways and then shot northeastward.  There’s a lot of damage.  Some houses were flattened.  Aww.

Dave took everyone he could spare and went around seeing if anyone needed help cutting up trees or with light construction work.  Some things were just too big and he told the homeowners to let insurance pay for it, but things like flattened fences or things like that he helped set as right as he could.  That was nice of him.  Sabby told us we’re going to be volunteering as well, as soon as we know where to volunteer and what’s needed.  I guess everyone needs to pitch in, right?

But today we learned about tornadoes.  They’re actually really interesting.  It’s amazing what forms out of just air, water, and heat.  And they’re pretty powerful, too!!!  Next time I see a thunderstorm I’m going to try to see some of the stuff I learned about!

This Friday is Beth’s birthday.  I love Beth.  I really do.  Even though she was mean to me for a year, she got over it, and now she’s such a good little sister, even if she gets jealous sometimes and acts like a…  well, a jerk, if we’re going to be honest about it.  But she knows it too, it’s not like I’m talking behind her back.  She’s got a mean and a jealous streak, and she’s really, really terrible about it.  But she’s not a bad person.  Just knows what she wants and never apologizes for it.  But I have to get her a present.  I don’t know what to get her!!! She’s not easy to shop for.  But I do have an idea.  Maybe it’s time I make use of my shiny new Amazon account.

I’m going to be reworking this diary soon.  My tech friend slapped it together to help me get something out – and I’m sooo glad he did!  But I think it’s time to take it to the next level, now that I know how to do some of the tech stuff I didn’t before.  So look for amazing wonderfulness!!!  Or something.

Allison’s mother isn’t feeling well.  Awww.  I hope she feels better!

Love you all!!! ❤

And watch out for tornadoes!!!

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

I saw a TORNADO today!!!

We were supposed to get some severe storms, and around 6, a storm came through.  Not much rain or lightning, but suddenly, a TORNADO.  It went roaring by!! It was scary!!! Whirling and roaring and scaring people!!!

Well, some people.  Some were in their driveway with their phone.  Smh.

Anyway, it caused a lot of damage.  Flipped trucks and cars, destroyed buildings, trees and power lines down… But I’m okay!!! I’m okay!!!

But I’m a little sad.

It seems this is just a bad week.

I don’t want to talk about much else today.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

You know I say that every day… and even on the YouTubes.  It’s become kind of like my catchphrase.  And… it’s me!

I’m still sad today.  Maybe even a little depressed.  I had such a good time in Ohio.  It’s not like we did anything hugely amazing, like in Orlando.  We didn’t go to a theme park, or anything like that – I don’t even think there was one open in Ohio.  Jack was telling me about a lot that used to exist, and they closed.  Aww.  But Jack was there, and he’s like my other family now.

After I got home from work yesterday, Sabby just kind of took me in her arms and soothed me.  It was sooo nice of her.  I was sooo sad.  After I cried it out a bit, she told me she wasn’t going to lecture me, I was learning my own lessons.  But that she’d always be my mother.

Oh God I cried again.

I talked to Jack too, after I wrote last night’s entry.  It was…  nice.  Different, somehow.  It’s like he’s become a part of me.  Sigh.  I guess this is the life I chose – or the life that chose me, and I just have to deal with it.  I love him.  I love him soooo much.  I can’t imagine being without him now.  But I have to, for at least a while longer.

But I’m such a lucky girl, y’know?  I have sooo much family.  So many people who love me.  So many people that I love.  I have a boyfriend, lots of sisters, two mothers… well, three, if you count Jack’s mother.  She’s not a mother in law yet but she could be!  I…  I’m just a lucky girl.  Even though it’s hard, I’ve never forgotten that.

After work today, Sabby took me out for chocolate.  Just me and her.  We talked.  A lot.  She has accepted that I’m growing up now, and she’s treating me more like an adult than a teenager.  I love her soooo much.  I think having her is almost worth losing my memory.

Almost.

I did ask her why she doesn’t seem to want me to model.

“Lily,” she said, “You are a beautiful young woman.  You almost certainly could model if you wanted to.  Your body type is in high demand.  But…  do you really want to go through a large part of your life only being seen for your body, and then being discarded when it stops being as beautiful?  Beauty fades, Lily.  If you were to just model to make a few extra bucks to do what what you really wanted, well, okay.  Maybe you could even make a lot of money at it.  But don’t forget who you are, Lily, and make sure you value who you are, and not what you look like.  okay?”

I thought for a bit.  I think I understand what she’s trying to tell me.  Maybe I could make some money modelling.  But if that’s all I am… than that’s all I will be.  Ever.  And… and I have plenty of money right now.  I don’t have to do it if it’s not something I really want to do.  Do I really want to do it?

I don’t know.  But she’s right.  That’s not a good career for me.

School starts again tomorrow.  Life goes on.  And I will see Jack again.  I know it.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!!!

Sad Lily today.

I loved going to Ohio, and I loved spending time with Jack.  I loved that time we spent on the shores of Lake Erie, i love that he took me to all those chocolate places, I just..   I just loved spending time with him and his family.  And I miss Grace too.  She’s just a little girl who wormed her way into my heart and gripped on tight with her tiny fingers.  I love how she’d bounce off the wall if you gave her chocolate, or conked out like a light in the car on the way back from Sandusky, or giggled when you’d play dolls with her.  I love Beth and Crystal and Liz, but it’s not the same kind of thing.  I think I want a kid someday.  I want several kids.  I want little ones that bounce all over the place and play with dolls (or sticks and stones) and I want to see them run to Jack when he comes home from work and…  and…  sigh.

I miss them.

I wish everyone was all in the same place.  One big happy family.  But that’s not how it works.  And now with fuel prices increasing it might be harder to see each other.  I don’t know what to do!!!

I knew long distance would be difficult.  But I don’t think I really understood how it would be difficult.  It’s not so hard being without him – but it’s hard being with him.  I just..  hate leaving.

Oh well.  At least Beth and I are back to brushing each others’ hair.  Though…  though last night there were a few tears too.

I am sooo glad I set boundaries with Jack.  I…  I don’t know how I would feel if we crossed them.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

I’m home!!!

And I’m a little sad.

I had such a great time in Ohio!  Jack’s parents treated me like family!  Grace is the best little (very little, as opposed to little like Beth) sister a girl could want!  And Jack… I love him!!! He fed me chocolate!! A lot of chocolate!!

But still, I’m happy to be home.

Sabby gave me a big hug and didn’t even talk to me about Jack!!!  And I gave the family some chocolate I – with great effort – saved for them from the chocolate tour.  And i went up to my room, and i cried a little.

I miss Jack.  More than ever.

But I know I’ll see him again.

I love him.  I hope he knows that.  I love him with all my heart.

Love you all too!!! ❤️

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!!!

It’s ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!!

I have no idea what St. Patrick’s Day is.  Apparently people wear green, pinch each other, and drink green beer.  For some reason.

I fly back home tomorrow.  Aww.   It’s been so nice being here with Jack and Grace and his family/  Today he took me to his work to see his coworkers!!  They were sooo nice!!!  Except this one girl who I think was jealous.  Oh well. Jack’s MINE.  And she knows it.  It was just like the grocery stores here, but with different colors and brands.  One of his coworkers just stared at me.  It was… a bit creepy.  Jack told me he’s not the greatest in the people department.  Aww.

We went on another date, but I don’t know how Jack is going to top the last one!  I mean a chocolate tour of Columbus!! Really!!!  So he took me to German Village.  They have lots of fun stuff to do.  But you know what they have?

A FUDGERY!!!!

OH MY GOD THE SILLY BILLY TOPPED IT!!!!

Can we just get married now?????

Anyway, he stuffed me full of fudge (you know what I mean, silly billies) and then we walked around the village to see all the sights and do all the stuff!!!! It was fun!!!  We had dinner and came back home!!!  And here I am!!! Writing a diary!!!

I’ll miss him!!! But we’ll meet again!!! We have summer!!!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

I promised I would tell about my date with Jack yesterday!!!

OH MY GOD HE IS PERFECT!!!!! Do you know what he did?  Do you know what that silly billy did?

HE TOOK ME ON A CHOCOLATE TOUR OF COLUMBUS!!!!!

He found five chocolatiers, one after another, and he took me there and told me I get to pick whatever I want!!!  I chose some of the most decadent, most chocolatey things, and then the next one was even better, and finally the last one, in Grandview Heights, was the highest rated in the area!!!  It smelled chocolatey!!!  There was chocolate everywhere!!!  Oh my God, he got such a big kiss from me for that!!!!  And I bet my kisses tasted like chocolate too!!!

And you know what the worst thing is?  There are chocolatiers in Texas!!! Near where I live!!! And it never even occurred to me.  I love chocolate sooo much, and it never occurred to me to go to a place that specialized in chocolate!!!  Jack came up with the best idea he could possibly have come up with for a date!!!  Then after all that he took me to a steakhouse and we ate a steak!!! It was delicious!!! And for dessert was chocolate cheesecake!!!

I swear I am going to marry that boy.  I swear.  I’m going to marry that boy, and at the wedding will be a chocolate fountain and chocolate cake and chocolate… well, we won’t talk about that, but he’ll like it!!!  He doesn’t like chocolate as much as I do, but that’s okay.  Not many people do!  In fact, I’m not sure what he really likes.

I guess boys aren’t quite the same as girls in that regard, right?  As Babymetal says in onedari saisakusen, We like pretty things!  We like shiny things!  We like delicious things!  kirakiramono daisuki! kawaiimono daisuki!  oishiimono daisuki!!!!

And boys, well… like us.

It’s a fair trade.

GIMME CHOCO!!!!!!!

Ohhhhhh…. he got thanked.  He got soooooooo thanked.

Anyway, today was a little less exciting, though I still have some chocolate.  I shared a little – juuuuust a little – with Grace, and she loved it.  I gotta be careful, or I’ll spoil her, and then she won’t want normal chocolate.  Not that she’s allowed much of it anyway.  Girl bounces off the walls.  But we played legos and dolls and it’s warm out now, so we went to the park and pushed her on the swing and ran around with her…  she had soooo much fun!  I hope someday I have a little girl like her!!!

If the adults can stop being stupid, anyway.

Love you all!!! ❤