Welcome, Ivy!

Dia duit! Welcome to my blog! Sorry for the lack of posting lately. The Southern MTTB School for Higher Learning has been MUCH harder than my old school! I've had project after project after project! Good thing it's almost summer!

Remember last post when I said I was hearing whispers about a new student? Well I waited and waited and WAITED, but still heard nothing more! I was about ready to give up, but this week she finally arrived!

I was, unfortunately, walking to school. I had recently roller skated right into a mud puddle, and Mam insisted on washing them.

Just outside the Southern MTTB stood Julie and a girl I'd never seen before. To my surprise, Julie called my name and enthusiastically waved me over. It was almost as if she actually wanted to see me!

"I'm coming!" I called back as I cut through the grass to meet them.

"Saoirse! It took you long enough to get here!" Julie scolded. "Ivy and I have been waiting here for, like, half an hour!"

I brushed off her comments and stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. "Ivy?" I stupidly muttered as Julie rolled her eyes and motioned to the girl beside her.

"Yes, Ivy!" Julie sighed impatiently. "She's my best friend from back home. I haven't seen her since I got here back in, like, December!" Julie exclaimed, much more cheerily than her usual self.

As if on cue, Ivy stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you, Saoirse! And those are some groovy pink scrunchies!" She squealed, motioning to my hairbands. 

"Umm...thanks." I mumbled rudely. To try and cover up my awe-inspired dullness, I attempted to start a conversation. "Will you be boarding here with Julie?" I asked with genuine interest.

"Yeppers!" Ivy responded. "It's kinda a funny story, actually. You see, even before I learned about the time traveling aspect of this school, I had been, like, begging my parents to let me come here with Julie. They were all for the 'better education' part of the whole thing, but there was one problem: I wouldn't be able to take gymnastics here."

"So then, I told the man in charge of the School for Higher Learning that I 'accidentally' told Ivy about time travel." Julie cut in, putting air quotes around the word "accidentally."

Ivy began to giggle. "And, like, Julie told him that I was threatening to tell everyone I knew about time travel if he didn't allow me to come to this school!"

"I also told him that she wouldn't attend if they didn't offer her gymnastics." Julie added. "So they hired an Olympic gymnast trainer to give Ivy lessons every day after school!"

"And, like, now here I am!" Ivy concluded, beaming. It all seemed rather manipulative to me, but I didn't say anything.

"Wow!" I responded when I was sure they were done gushing over their story. "I bet Kaya, Josefina, and Caroline will all be surprised to see you in class today!"

Suddenly, Ivy threw her hands up in the air. "That reminds me! I almost forgot about the surprise!" She then bolted inside, leaving me just as confused as ever.

Julie and I followed her inside, where she ran into Julie's room and closed the door abruptly. Julie and I waited in the hall awkwardly until we saw the door crack open a moment later. Ivy poked her head out and scanned the hallway. When she was sure that Julie and I were the only people present, she revealed her surprise.

In Ivy's hands was wiggly little bunny! 

"Nutmeg!" Julie shrieked, her voice laced with tenderness I had never heard from her before. She immediately scooped the bunny out of the basket and nuzzled it up to her face. The rabbit obviously recognized her, because it made throaty noises of affection in response.

After the heartwarming reunion, the bunny started to twist around in Julie arms, so she carefully set it on the floor beside her. There, it nestled next to her feet as I squealed over its fluffiness.

"I can't believe you brought him!" Julie exclaimed to Ivy.

"I can't either!" Ivy giggled, but then hesitated. "Just...keep it on the down low for now. I haven't exactly okayed it with the MTTB yet. But Saoirse, you can keep a secret, can't you?" Ivy smiled sweetly. I was getting a little fed up with all the secrets that surrounded these two, but I nodded nonetheless. A bunny couldn't harm anyone, could it?

As Julie and Ivy rambled on, I bent down to try and get Nutmeg's attention. He hopped over and stuck his neck out, just an inch away from my hand...

...but soon lost interest and bounded away.

Slightly offended, I asked Julie, "Is he yours?"

She smiled down at the bunny at her feet. "Yeah. Ivy and my dad have been taking care of him while I've been boarding here. I've missed him so much!"

She then scooped Nutmeg back into her arms and turned to Ivy, making me feel a bit like a third-wheel. In a way, I guess it was worth it, though. I had never seen Julie so happy since, well...I had NEVER seen Julie so happy! Have you ever seen a friend change for the better?

Slán!

~ Saoirse

The Best Blogger Award

Dia duit! Happy day after Easter for those who celebrate it! I hope everyone's Easters went well! Unfortunately, I had to do my egg hunt in the rain, but it was a ton of fun nonetheless!

My blogging friends Sophia and Emma and Charlotte and Zoe nominated me for the Best Blogger Award! Thank you all so much!

Now I need to answer these questions:

1. What is the favorite post you've ever created?

A Triple Birthday Party was definitely the most fun post to make! It was so much fun to get so many girls together at one time! 

2. What is your favorite photo story you've taken part of?

I recently had a ton of fun taking pictures for the Adventures With Dani photo story!

3. Why do you blog?

I started a blog because I really wanted to show other kids who have had to move to new places or learn new languages that they aren't alone. I felt really alone and different when I first moved to America, and I don't want anyone else to have to feel that way.

4. How many followers do you currently have?

Right now I have 21 followers, and I'm thankful for every single one of them!

5. Do you like being nominated for awards?

Of course I do! Thank you to anyone who has ever nominated me for an award! Go raibh maith agat!

Nominate 5 other blogs for the award:

1. Edie in the City
2. Simply Sayoko
3. The Best of Breá!
4. Musings of a Time Traveler
5. Melody Travels

That's it for today! I've been hearing a lot of whispers in the hallway outside of my classroom, and Julie has been happier than ever lately. I wonder if we're getting a new student? I might need to investigate...

~ Saoirse

Adventures With Dani

Dia duit! Fáilte chuig mo bhlag! After Deirdre and Lilly left, all of the girls in the room swarmed me, begging for answers.

"Well, talk about family drama!" Julie tittered, followed by snickers from Stephanie.

"Oh dear, I sure hope those two get back home safe!" Caroline whispered.

"THIS is what we get for letting Europeans in our Time Traveling Base." Molly groaned, followed by a harsh glare from Emily.

"Reckon I should ride Jackson around the Base and look for them?" Nicki asked with genuine concern.

I'll admit, I normally like a lot of attention, but after what happened it was just too much. Dani seemed to realize my hyperventilation, because she pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to go play outside, to get my mind off of "things."

The first thing we played on was the slide. I slid down first, with Addy in my lap.

Then Dani slid down, with me at the edge waiting for her.

Next, we decided to venture into the woods. In order to get into the woods, however, we had to climb over the rock wall surrounding the Midcoast MTTB. The snow had surprisingly melted since my arrival, so we didn't get too wet.

In order to get over the fence, we had to put our feet in exactly the right places. 

I had gotten a head start since I slid down the slide first, and was a bit ahead of Dani...

...but she caught up eventually.

It seemed to take forever to get my leg up and over the rock, but I did after a bit of struggling and some help from Dani.

Addy climbed the wall with us, too!

After we climbed the rock wall, we hopped onto a log and crossed a sea of lava.

This was much too dangerous for the dolls, so we left them behind.

The log was pretty thin and unstable, so I had to hold my arms out for balance.

The log was also a little slippery from the previous snow, and Dani and I weren't exactly wearing shoes with the best treads...

I almost slipped off multiple times!

I felt bad for Dani, because she kept having to wait for me to move while I regained my balance!

After we crossed the log, Dani and I found a tree perfect for climbing.

Addy climbed it, too!

Although I tried to act brave so Dani wouldn't see how frightened I actually was, I kept a hand on the tree at all times. There was NO way I was going to let myself fall.

Most of the time I kept my feet firmly planted on a branch.

But as I became more confident, I allowed them to swing freely through the air.

I climbed much higher than I ever thought I'd be able to!

Just look at how close I am to the top of the tree!

Once I didn't dare to climb any higher, I clung to the tree tightly and waited for Dani to catch up.

Although the start of the visit was a big rocky, I had a ton of fun visiting Dani and MOST of her friends. I can't wait until I get to see her again, as long as a certain someone isn't there with her. Thanks for the great adventures, Dani!

~ Saoirse

Arriving at the Midcoast MTTB

Dia duit! This weekend, Caroline, Julie, and I went to visit Dani and her friends at the Midcoast MTTB.

Unfortunately, time machines aren't always reliable and instead of dropping us off inside the Base, we were dropped off at a hidden emergency time machine outside.

And, of course, just when we thought winter was over, it started snowing.

And, OF COURSE, Julie complained all the way to the front steps.

"In California it never snowed. In California I never needed a coat."

"Why do we have to come here anyways? I don't need new friends. I have all the friends I need IN CALIFORNIA."

"Do you realize that I'm wearing sandals right now?"

"I spent an hour straightening my hair this morning. There goes all that hard work."

 I was extremely close to locking her outside by the time we opened the door.

At first, nobody noticed us.

They were all too busy doing their own little things in Dani, Molly, Emily, and Nicki's room.

Lilly was the first to notice us. "Hey Saoirse! Nice to see you again!"

Dani looked up at the sound of my name.

"Saoirse!" Dani yelled, throwing her arms up in the air.

She gave me a hug. We haven't seen each other since our combined birthday party!

I then turned to introduce her to Caroline and Julie. Caroline told Dani that she was pleased to meet her and dropped into an easy curtsy. Julie on the other hand rolled her eyes and gave Dani a rather sarcastic smile.

After we put our stuff down and hung our coats up, Dani exclaimed that she had someone new to introduce as well.

Standing next to Lilly was an older looking girl with red hair and freckles. She looked vaguely familiar, but I didn't think anything of it.

"Saoirse, this is Deirdre." I stepped closer to shake her hand when everything suddenly clicked into place.

Flashbacks from 3 years ago bombarded me so suddenly that I almost took a step back.

My thoughts were jumbled and muffled, but one repeating pattern of distressed words seemed to stick out the most. No, no, no. Cén fáth go bhfuil sí anseo? Cén fáth go bhfuil sí anseo tar éis gach rud a rinne sí?

She's much older looking now, but her eyes are still the same. They still echo the same horrified, disgusted look that they did in Ireland. And her fingers still hide under her sleeves the moment I enter her large bubble of personal space. 

I stared at her barely visible white knuckles and my stomach twisted into knots.

Ní féidir léi a bheith fós as a meabhair ag dom.

For a while, the small room was ghostly silent. But, all at once, it began to click for others as well. 

Behind me, repeated and muffled "Oh dear"s came from Caroline.

Julie, on the other hand, began to giggle and loudly exclaimed, "Well this is awkward."

Dani was the only one who remained clueless. She kept turning from one face to the next, obviously lost. 

Without saying a word, Deirdre turned and ran out of the room.

The virtually silent pitter-patter of her feet mirrored the mystified speechlessness of the room.

I stared after her vacantly, the enormity of the situation not yet sinking in.

"Deirdre, wait!" bounced through the room so loudly and suddenly that I jumped. 

Lilly started running after Deirdre, simultaneously breaking the trance.

"Saoirse, what happened?" Dani whispered, causing me to turn.

What did happen? Even I wasn't exactly sure. I also wasn't sure how much I could, or SHOULD, tell Dani. There was one thing that she deserved to know, though.

"Deirdre Dani..." I started, before my desert-like throat forced me to swallow and try again. "Deirdre is my cousin."

~ Saoirse