Time Traveling Mix-Up!

Dia duit! Welcome to my blog! Last Tuesday was my very last day of school! It was a half day, so I decided to meet Ivy and Julie at their house after they finished moving all of their belongings back to their homes in California.

When I arrived at the Southern MTTB, I made my way through the winding 1900s branch and hopped into a time machine that was supposed to take me to a TTB in 1974. When I stepped out, however, it was obvious that I was NOT in a Time Traveling Base.

I stood in shock as my bare feet touched grass, not the cold and unfriendly floor of a Time Traveling Base. I glanced around to see there were no buildings in sight. It took me a moment to realize that I must have been dropped off at an emergency time machine in a lonely location.

I turned around to head back the way I came when the time machine began sinking into the ground. "Uimh! Fan le haghaidh dom!" I screeched. Once it was entirely consumed by the earth, I remembered Daid telling me that emergency time machines are one-use-only. But, he told me, where there's one there are bound to be more.

As I began my search for another time machine, I noticed a small figure in the distance. As I got closer, I realized that it was none other than my best friend Dani!

"Dani!" I squealed as I ran to meet her.

"Saoirse!" She yelped in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Um...I'm not sure really. I was SUPPOSED to be meeting Ivy and Julie at a TTB in California, but was dropped off here instead." I explained. "But there should be another time machine around here somewhere. Let's go explore!"

Dani and I made our way into a mysterious garden. It was full of plants that were much taller than both of us, and flowers the size of our heads! 

After gaping at the exotic plants, I noticed a bush of blueish flowers that particularly caught my attention. "There's so fuzzy!" I squealed as I rubbed the petals between my fingers.

"And the flower is as big as your hand!" Dani giggled. "I wonder why someone would need flowers that huge?"

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. "I think I know where another time machine is, Dani! Help me move these flowers out of the way!" We both began frantically pushing our way through the plant. Sure enough, I felt a large metal box in the center of the bush.

Dani and I quickly hopped into the time machine, fearing that it may disappear at any moment. We took it to the Midcoast MTTB, where I said bye to Dani and took yet another time machine to meet up with Julie and Ivy. 

Even though it was short-lived, I was so happy I got to see Dani again! Have you ever found something positive in a horrible mix-up?

~Saoirse

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