Hello again, reader! For week three of my 20% nail art project I learned how to do gel nails. This is something that I had never tried before because I never knew how to do it, so I am trying it today! Since this takes a long time to do, I watched videos and tutorials on how to do it so that I have enough background knowledge to be able to do it successfully at home. Some success that I had when I did this is absolutely nothing! This was an absolute disaster in every way possible. The nails wouldn’t stick, they were breaking, the polish was all bumpy, and they were misshapen. They were nothing at all like how I wanted them to look. Something that i should work on is my precision and my following of instructions. Part of the reason they didn’t work out is because I did not let them come for long enough, resulting in bendy nails that were hard to work with. Next week, I am going to learn about drawing and making designs on my nails. Wish me luck! 😅 Here is the picture of what the nails looked like when I finished them on Friday.

My favorite room in my home is my bedroom! This is my favorite for numerous reasons. First of all, I love the design and layout my room. My room is on the second story of my house, and it has a big arch window with yellow floral curtains. In the corner, I have a white bean bag chair and a light pink rug. My bed has a sage green comforter and a knitted, round white pillow. On my wall I have paintings of seashells and the ocean, along with some posters of my favorite music artist, Taylor Swift.

Secondly, it is so cozy!! There is this really silky grey blanket on my bed that I have had since I was nine, and I love it so much! Every night, I cozy up in it no matter how hot it is outside. Also, I recently got a really soft bean bag chair that I now do my homework in everyday.

Finally, my room is my favorite place to be is because I can get time alone without anyone else bothering me! Of course I love my friends and family but I am still a bit of an introvert, so I need to be by myself from time to time so that I don’t get too mad! My room is a perfect space to relax and enjoy the quiet. I have a bathroom next to it and everything I need to stay relaxed and content from my clothes and makeup to my books and computer!
I

am so lucky to have a space of my own to relax and unwind. Where is your favorite room?

Hello again, reader! For week two of my 20% nail art project I learned how to apply glue-on nails. This is something that I had never tried before because I had always just done the press-on nails because they seemed easier, even though the glue-on ones are of much higher quality and last longer (up to two weeks with the brand I used.) Some success that I had when I did this is getting the nails straight and properly aligned. I was able to get them to match perfectly with the shape and width of my nail. However, I did not succeed when it came to putting on the right amount of glue. On some of the nails I put on way too much glue, so when I applied the fake nail some glue oozed out from underneath resulting in a gluey outer seam. To fix this, next time I should try to use a thinner layer of glue so that they would still hold while not oozing outside of the nail. Next week, I am going to watch videos on how to do gel nails, and hen do them at home after school since it would take too long to do in class! This is a very important skill to know how to do when doing nails, and I can’t wait to learn it! Here is the picture of what the nails looked like when I finished them on Friday!

Over spring break, I went skiing with my dad’s family in Lake Tahoe! The weather was perfect for me- it was warm every day, there was fresh snow on the ground, and there was a slight breeze aloft in the trees. I have only skied four times in my life before, but I picked it up extremely fast! I had recently done my first double black diamond, which is the hardest ski trail that the resorts have. On my third day of this trip, my dad asked me if I would like to add another double black diamond to my list of things I have skied. I said, “Sure, why not! What’s the worst that could happen?”

Little did I know… this would be a very scary experience!

As I started down the trail with my dad and my aunt, Tara, I noticed that there were a lot of sharp rocks, sticks, and unmarked objects jutting out haphazardly from where the snow had melted away. My dad told me to keep my speed so I could get enough air to jump over the logs. I timidly followed his lead, and I got the hang of it! My confidence was boosted as I glided smoothly across the steep, icy snow. I began to pick up more and more speed, and then, something daunting became visible in my view. After the jump that I was pointed to go on, there was a 15 foot cliff!

Closer and closer I came to the jump. I made a half-hearted effort to slow down, but I knew it was far too late. I came flying off the jump, and l could only think of one thing to do- which is to slide off the cliff like a penguin! Down I slid, over snow laden rocks and past frosty trees! I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I had landed on my butt with a thump. Luckily, I was ok and it was a soft landing. What I learned is that I should always be careful!

Hello, my name is Simone Beck, and for my 20% project I am learning how to do nail art. This week I am planning to accomplish learning how to do a French manicure. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it is a nail design with a pale pink base polish with a solid white tip. I couldn’t find my white nail polish for the tip, so I used light blue instead. Something that I successfully accomplished is doing my left hand. I am very much a righty, so it was very easy to do my left hand. But, when it came to doing the other side, I had a much greater struggle. The tip that I did on my right nail got a little squished and the line wasn’t straight. Something that I can learn from this and help me adjust to the coming weeks is to practice doing things with my left hand to improve my coordination and control. What I will be working on next week is learning to apply nails with glue. I have only used press on nails before so this is something new I would like to try.

Here is the end result from last week!

I would like to invite so many people over for dinner, but these are my top three. I would like to invite Taylor Swift, my Aunt Molly, and my new baby cousin, Birdie.

In case you don’t know who Taylor Swift is (which is pretty impossible by now!) she is an American songwriter and singer who is one of the most influential pop artists of all time. I would like to invite her over to dinner because I absolutely love her music so much! She is my favorite musician by far because she has an amazing voice and writes incredible, powerful music. She also believes that girls can do anything that they put their minds to even though you have to overcome obstacles a lot of time. I look up to her and it would be a dream to meet her.

Secondly, I would like to invite my Aunt Molly over for dinner. I would like to invite her over for dinner because I have not seen her in a very long time! I really miss her and I would really love to see her. She is really nice and funny and I would be so grateful to finally get to visit her after almost two months of not seeing her. She has recently had her new baby and has been really busy!

Finally, I would like to invite my new baby cousin over for dinner. She is so cute, but I have only seen pictures of her and I would love to see baby Birdie in real life! I really love babies because they are so adorable and lovable. It would be so exciting to meet her, and this dinner party would be a perfect time! Who would you like to invite over for dinner?

For this month’s rad reading, I read Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. This book is about a girl named Samantha in high school who has OCD. This is a secret who she has hidden from everyone at her school, including her best friends (the popular girls.) Every day, she tries to layer up all her problems behind perfectly applied makeup and fashionable outfits so that she can maintain the delicate friendship that she has with them. But one day, she meets this quirky, unfashionable, funny girl who shows her a hidden place called Poets Corner below the theater. It is a secret poetry club that meets in the old janitor’s closet twice a week where everyone reads poetry and has lunch together. There is one boy, AJ, who she is particularly fond of, but he is awfully cold to her for some reason that she will eventually figure out.

This is a great book about love, sadness, dealing with your emotions, and discovering your true friends. There are so many different things that I didn’t know before reading this book about what people who have OCD struggle with in their everyday life. I learned how it’s so hard to control obsessions and anxiety that people with this disorder have over certain things. In the book that I just read, the main character Sam has this obsession over the number three. She doesn’t feel safe or content until certain things that she does are done in patterns of three. For example, she won’t get out of her car until the odometer is at a three, or if the elevator number is pressed three times.

Caroline was my favorite character because she was a great friend, but also didn’t care what other people thought of her. One of her character traits was reliable. On page 233 the book states, “‘Can you keep a secret?’ I ask her. Caroline rolls her eyes. ‘Of course I can.’” This quote shows that she is reliable because she is a loyal friend that won’t share her friend’s private information. This is a great characteristic that Caroline has because it is good to have someone to talk to who won’t share what they hear from you.

My favorite quote from the book is “No. It’s not perfect. But it’s me.” (page 352) I really liked this quote because sometimes the things that we like best about ourselves aren’t always the things that are viewed as good or perfect, but sometimes that is what we like the most. A lot of people try to hide these things to fit in better with everyone else, but you can feel happier when you let this free. This is what Caroline taught Sam with her funny outfits and practical hiking boots. You shouldn’t have to care what others think, because your true friends will like you no matter what. 🤍

For my dream job, I would like to be a makeup designer for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour!

I would want to do this for many reasons. First of all, I would be able to travel the world for free! Taylor Swift tours the world because everyone just about everywhere loves her beautiful music and thinks that she is an amazing artist! I would get to travel anywhere from Tokyo, Japan to Italy!

Second of all, I would do something that I love to do everyday. I really like makeup because it is really cool and is a way to express how you feel. It can exaggerate certain emotions that you feel and can get people to act a certain way. If that isn’t enough, get to do it on Taylor Swift who is my favorite artist of all time!

Finally, I would have the privilege to hang out with Taylor every single day! I have always loved her so much from a very young age and she inspires me everyday to be a good person and to help others. Her music shows so much emotion and the struggles that she has had as a female artist, a person, and as a musician. I feel I could learn so much from her experiences and I really like her so much!

For this month’s reading, I read Rebel With A Donut by Chrissy Q Martin.

Emma is a nobody back at home in her school. She is sent away to her grandmother’s house in Florida to break her habit of following the rules at all costs, and to branch out a little and make some friends. Her grandmother has also invited her friend’s kids who are also in high school along with her. The five teenagers began their habit breaking adventures as they go on trips with their grandmothers together. She begins to take particular interest in a boy named Tyler, who he unknowingly went to school with her in their freshman year. As she begins to make friends with him, she soon realizes that you can’t always be scared and run from the truth!

What I liked about this book was its simple, sweet storyline that is very cute and easy to follow. Sometimes it is nice to just read a book that is happy and makes you feel good inside. I liked how all of the characters at the beginning seemed like such a mixed batch of people – Ravi is the ultimate nerdy school guy, Tyler is the popular people pleaser, Cole is the ‘scary’ one who wears gothic clothing, Hannah is the popular girl who wears fancy makeup and is constantly on her phone, and Emma is the nobody. But together, they all find ways to bond with each other in ways that they never knew before and built lasting friendships in their grandma’s retirement community in Florida! It made me feel warm inside and said that friendship can be found everywhere.

Grandma was my favorite character because she loves and cares for her granddaughter and wants to show her that change is good and can make you happy! One of her character traits is open-minded. A quote that supports this is on page 28, the Grandma states sincerely, “You’re so afraid of what people and of getting in trouble that you hide and run away. That’s why breaking some small rules might be good for you.” This quote demonstrates that Grandma truly cares and wants Emma to have a happier life and build some strong friendships.

My favorite quote from the story is “‘and you’re worth breaking the rules for.’” (Page 357). This is my favorite quote because it is really nice and shows how friends and relationships can sometimes make you feel uncomfortable and make you do things that you may not want to do. For Emma, this was breaking rules. She always focused on being obedient to everyone because she doesn’t want to do something wrong, and because of this she missed out on so many things. Sometimes it just takes someone to push you out of your box so that you can break habits and experience o many amazing new things the world has to offer.

The possibilities are endless when you are invisible for 24 hours! With my invisibility, the first thing that I would do is sneak into Knott’s Berry Farm! Once I make it swiftly past security, I will speed through the line at GhostRider and hop aboard. I quickly switched off my invisibility just ion time so I don’t get sat on by someone. “Whew!” I said, just as a lady almost sat on me before I appeared in the seat. This ride was so much fun! The exhilarating twists and turns caused me to scream with delight! Before leaving the park for my next activity, I grabbed a cinnamon churro which I ate contently. Yum!

The next thing that I would do is go on a free shopping spree for myself! I went to Irvine Spectrum and kicked off my shopping in the Apple Store, where I secretly smuggled a new phone without anyone even noticing! I will admit that I did feel a little guilty for taking phone, but a new phone is too good to pass up for my invisible self. After this, I went to Nordstrom Rack and got some new clothes. Finally, I finished off my time at the mall at Sephora. I tested out all of the free samples – from lip gloss to blush to lotion!

The last thing that I would do is go on a relaxing hike through the woods. Without all the people noticing me, I was able to have a calming, uninterrupted hike. I walked through the elegant winding path and listened to the peaceful birds chirp in the trees. Even though all of the other activities that I had done previously through the day were really exciting, this was my favorite because it put my mind at ease and I was able to just be myself!

Being invisible was so much fun, but it is nice to now be back to myself so people can talk to me!