Winterfest!

      Last weekend I went to Hartford, Connecticut, for a volleyball tournament called winterfest.  I play for Maine Juniors, a volleyball club, and I am on 14 gold, the best team for my age division.  My team got first for our bracket and we did not get to play the winner of the bracket because there was another tournament after us and we were running late, so we did not have time to play.  Winterfest lasts 2 days for the bracket of 14 year olds and 3 days for the 16 and 18 year olds.  I had never been so I was really excited to experience my first winterfest and I am so happy that we won our bracket.                                                     

      On Saturday Afternoon my team got to hang out at the hotel, so we played a lot of games in the pool and we had a potluck.  We played elevator tag which is basically tag but you can not take the stairs so you have to ride in the elevators.  My team quit after about ten minutes and we sat on the end of one the halls and talked.  At about 6:00 we went to one of my teammates rooms and had dinner which was pulled pork and salad and a bunch of desserts that people brought.  After dinner we played hide and seek in teams of four and that did not last long.  My team went to one of our rooms and then once their parents came in we went to another persons room.  We played a lot of games like truth or dare or never have I ever.  Below is a picture of my team after the first day of winterfest.

We played five games between the two days.  My team lost the first game, but we won the second game.  We lost the third game which was also the last game of the first day.  We won both games on the second day and we won our bracket!  I had so much fun and it was good for us to be able to bond because in volleyball you have to be able to work together and not get flustered.

Top 5 things to do with friends!

1- Go to the mall or Old Port.

I love going shopping with my friends because we have so much fun and we get a lot of cool things together. Also, we get food so it is a win-win situation. 

 

2- Play board games.

My two best friends and I always play clue when they come to my house. We play with my dad and we are all super competitive so it is a lot of fun.

3- Go hiking.

Every year my friends and I from my camp go hiking at Douglas Mountain.  We all pack a dinner and we go and eat at this small tower on Douglas Mountain.  We play lots of different games while we hike and we listen music.

4- Go swimming.

During the summer I live in my camp on Sebago Lake.  I have a lot of friends that live right down the street from me and we sit on the beach and go swimming all day.  The cove my camp is on is called Wards Cove. 

5- Watch movies.

I love watching movies so what is better than watching movies with your friends!  I love eating popcorn and nerds while watching movies.

 

A-Z list of favorite foods

Apples 

My Favorite type of apple is gala because I like hard apples and these ones are sweet but crisp.

Bolognese

My favorite sauce to go on spaghetti is bolognese because it has meat in it and it is so flavorful.

Cupcakes

My favorite type of cupcake is a vanilla cake with coconut frosting and toasted coconut on the top.

Dumplings

I love dumplings because they have so many flavor components and they are easy to make!

Eggnog

I love the richness of eggnog and I love adding eggnog to my hot chocolate in the winter.

Feta 

Feta is so great because of how salty it is.  Feta is good by itself but also good in many salads.

Grapes

Grapes are best when they are frozen and you eat them sitting on the beach with your friends!

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are amazing when you crack the shell open while you are standing in a field of fresh hazelnuts.  Also make sure you wear gloves when you open them because their thorns are sharp.

Ice cream

                                             Chocolate. Enough said.                                              

Jello

Jello has such an interesting texture but I love having jello when I get home from school.

Kiwi

Although I am allergic to kiwi, I love how it is a little sour but is still sweet at the same time.

Licorice

Most people hate licorice but if I have the choice between strawberry twizzlers and licorice I always choose licorice.

Mango

I love how mangoes are so fresh tasting and they are super juicy.

Nutella

I love nutella so much.  My favorite way to eat is on top of a sliced banana!

Olives

My favorite type of olives are kalamata olives with the pit because they are so salty but they are like pickles so I like them a lot.

Pickles

Pickles are my favorite food ever!  I love how salty and sour they are!

Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite breakfast foods because of the flaky crust and the creamy eggs.

Rhubarb

My neighbors have a rhubarb bush in their yard and they let me take some!  My favorite way to eat it is with a little bit of sugar to sweeten it because it is so sour.

Sunflower seeds.

Sunflower seed are so good because they have a lot of flavor on the outside and then the seeds taste so good.  Also, they remind me of softball season!

Tea

Tea is my favorite hot drink.  I love herbal teas because they are so natural yet they warm you up!

U
I cant think of any foods that start with u that I like.

Vanilla Cupcakes
I love how spongey and delicious vanilla cupcakes are.  Also they go with any flavor of frosting.

Watermelon
I love how juicy watermelon is especially on a hot summer day.

X

I don't like any foods that start with x.

Yogurt
I love yogurt parfaits either as breakfast or a snack after school.  I put strawberries and granola in my yogurt parfaits.

Zucchini
I love zucchini that has been tossed in a little olive oil and has been grilled so that it has grill marks.

Top 6 Christmas presents!

Top 6 Christmas presents

1) Ipad mini

I wanted an ipad mini this year because I wanted something to store my pictures and movies on.  Also when I go on trips, my phone is kind of small to watch movies on and the ipad mini is a good size because it is small enough to fit in your pocket but big enough to watch a movie on.

2) Amazon echo

I wanted an Amazon echo because I listen to music a lot and you can say "Alexa, play spotify" and she plays music.  Also, the echo can control your lights but I have not figured out how to do that yet.

3) Ugg slippers

My grandmother gets me a pair of slippers every year but they are always too small for my feet so this year I asked for Ugg slippers from my mom that actually fit me.  The only problem is that they do not have fur inside in weird places and it irritates my feet so we have to exchange them for a pair that does not irritate my feet.

4) Ticket to ride

Ticket to ride is a board game that is really addicting and is all about strategy.  It is about building trains to connect routes.  I can't explain it all here because that would be really long but I recommend this game for people who like to play board games.

5) Lifeproof case

I drop my phone a lot so I asked for a lifeproof case.  I have a glass screen protector on my phone and I have cracked it about 12 times.  I had a speck case on my phone, which is protective, but I felt like I should get a better case because it is very expensive to replace the screen or even worse buy a new phone.

6) Sweaters

I asked for two sweaters from Old Navy.  I have one already that is light blue but I wanted one that is coral and one that is kind of brownish color.  These sweaters are very comfortable and I have a silver vest that goes with almost all of the sweaters.