Fall Weather on a Winter Day

Today Keisha and I decided to go outside and play and take some pictures.  We haven't done that in a while because it's been rainy and chilly, so it was nice to get out there today.

New Beginnings

So it's been too long since I've updated this blog, and I apologize for that.  The reason for it, I think, is that I started this blog when I was going through a hard time with living in a new place and adjusting to my new family once my dad for remarried... but for a while, things started to get better and make sense.  I was happy.  I'd even gotten to like my step-mom some.

But today I found out something that's going to change everything.

Lily, my step-mom, is gonna have a baby.

I'm going to have a little brother or sister.  And I don't know how I feel about it.

On the one hand, my dad is really happy.  And it would be cool to not be the youngest.  Maybe I'll get to baby-sit the little tyke.  But on the other hand, there will be more responsibility for me and less time with my dad because he'll be paying attention to the baby.  And what if it's a girl?  Dylan will have a new little sister and maybe he won't like me as much then.

I'm a little scared.

Spending Time With New Friends

Hello, world!  Lucy here.  I know, I know… long time no post.  I’m going to try to be better about that from now on, though.  Anyways, when I came home from school this afternoon, my dad was still at work and my step-mom Lily was with the elderly lady she helps take care of.  Dylan had just rushed in ahead of me and was taking a shower.  I called Keisha to see if she wanted to come over, but she had an event for the cheerleading squad and couldn’t come over.   My other friends from school (McKenna, Salima, and Kennedy… all of whom I promise to tell you about soon!) live too far away to hang out after school without arranging rides with parents beforehand.  I figured I could just read some of my latest manga finds or maybe watch some of my recordings on the DVR, but I knew I’d be a little lonely since everyone else was out having fun.  So I was really pleased when Dylan was about to leave and asked me if I wanted to go with him!  Well, Dylan is a pretty cool brother (most of the time) and I’d pretty much go anywhere with him, but I was happy when he said we were going over to the Steins’ house, so he could see his friends Bethany and Sarah and I could see my friend Wendy (of the blog Wendy’s Life).  When we got there Dylan, Bethany, and Sarah all settled in to watch some TV, so Wendy and I, as well as her friends Quinn and Ashley went to play outside.  It was a lot of fun!  I don’t know Quinn and Ashley very well, but I’m glad we all hung out today… they’re pretty cool.  Maybe I could count them as friends, too.

Lunch with the Stepmom

So, if you've read this blog at all before, you'll know that my step-mom is not my favorite person by any stretch of the imagination.  She realizes that neither Dylan nor I are terribly fond of her, but she tries to push a little too hard.  It's really hard not to resent her for that.  But the other day, I was out playing with Keisha, and when I came home, I overheard Dylan talking and laughing with her.  Like old friends.

And then, the biggest insult of all was when he said, "thanks, Mom," to her.  I mean, he was joking... but still.  That woman is not our mother.  First my dad replaced her, and now Dylan is.  When I heard that, I ran to my room and slammed the door.  I stayed in there crying for a long time and I wouldn't let anyone in.

I never really got to know my mom, but Dad and Dylan did.  It isn't fair that they have memories of her and they're letting Lily invade that.  Dad has told me that loving Lily doesn't mean we're replacing Mom, and intellectually I understand that.  But I can't change how I feel... I just wish someone would try to see it from my perspective.  *sigh*

Well, Lily knew I was upset but she didn't really know why.  She wanted to cheer me up though, so she came and got me out of school early the next day for a girly day.  She took me to lunch, to get a manicure, and to get a new outfit.

It was awkward.  Very awkward.  This was the first time I was ever alone with her for that long.  I know she was trying to be nice, and I appreciated it, but it was another one of those times when she was trying way too hard.  We hardly knew what to talk about.  And the dress she bought me is so not me.  It looks like something she'd wear, but in my size.  Again, I do appreciate the gesture, but it was just so... wrong.

So, yesterday morning (the day after our girly day), she got a little upset when she saw me dressed for school in something other than the dress she bought.  And then she got even more upset when she saw that I'd kinda scuffed up my manicure a bit.  I mean, I'm not sure what she expected... she knows I bite my nails.

Oh, well.  I know she's trying hard.  Maybe I should be trying a little harder myself.  But I just... can't.  Not yet.

Tea Party

Today was a fun day.  Keisha and I didn't have anything to do, so we decided to throw ourselves a little mini tea party, because that's what sweet girls do when bored (or so my step-mom said!).  We had tea and cupcakes, and I must admit, it was pretty nice!  We wanted to get dressed up like society ladies, but neither of us owns any clothes like that, so we wore our regular stuff.  We acted sophisticated, even if we didn't look the part... so we felt pretty grown up!

Becoming a Model

Hello everyone!  First, I must apologize from my long blogging absence.  Nothing blog worthy has really happened to me though.  I do promise to try and update more (as I miss you all when I don't!) and Keisha has promised the same.

School has gone well, and I've been hanging out with Keisha all the time.  The other day, my brother Dylan took us to a Super Bowl party at the teen center, and that was fun.  I mean, I don't like football much, but I did enjoy hanging out with people and eating snacks.  But Dylan got into a foul mood since the Pats lost, but I pretty much knew that might happen.

For everyone that was concerned, things have been going fine between my dad and step-mom.  They've had a couple of spats (mostly about finances) but my daddy told me not to worry.  He said most couples fight from time to time, and it's usually about money.  They only fight about twice a month... the rest of the time, they get along great.  Sometimes they get along too well!  I'll vomit if I catch them making out again.  *shudder*  But better that than my dad being sad.

Anyways, the whole point of this post was to show you all this link.  Bre, the human around here, bought this spiffy new Valentine's Day party dress and she asked me to model it!  I couldn't say no!  You can see more pics on the link above (which leads to her blog), but here's a preview:

I'm going to wear this dress to the Valentine's Day party we're having at school!  Don't you think I'll look spiffy?

*Pokes head in room, peeps around*

Hello everyone!  It's Lucy again, still alive after a long, long absence!  For all of November my silly human has been writing a book for NaNoWriMo and I haven't had much access to the computer.  Before that, she was having some... issues... and went a little underground and we all had to avoid the internet some.  Anyways, I'm planning on posting more from now on.  <3

So, to catch you up:
1. Halloween was awesome.  I went trick-or-treating with Keisha.  She was a butterfly and I was Nancy Drew.
2. Thanksgiving was equally nice.  I loved the parade, as usual.
3. Keisha and I were saving up for AG dolls, but we ended up giving all the money we had saved to this charity drive our school held for the local homeless shelter.  We didn't have much saved up yet, but our whole class donated so we got to give them a good amount.

Anyways, I'll try to talk to you all soon... hopefully I'll have more interesting stuff to tell you all!

Parental Arguments

Hey again!  Lucy here.  I just had a pretty weird experience.  I woke up early to go to the rest room, and as I was walking down the hall I passed my dad and step-mom's door, and I overheard them arguing.  It sounded pretty bad too... they were fighting about money.  I guess my step-mom bought some painting which cost way more than my dad thought she should spend, and he was really upset that she did it without talking to him first.  And then she was upset that he was acting as if she needed his permission.

Now, I've made no secret of the fact that I don't get along with my step-mom.  Sometimes the sound of her voice sets my teeth on edge.  But hearing them argue like that really scared me.  I used to think I'd love it if they broke up, but I know now that I wouldn't.  My dad would be miserable.  I mean, I can't see anything in her, but he apparently really loves her.

Have you ever heard your parents arguing?  If so, did it worry you?

We never did ask...

Hey everyone! It's me, Keisha! I'm sure you noticed when you clicked on the blog that we have a fancy new header pic. Lucy put it up when she made her last update. We also added survey pages for the both of us, and we're planning to update them from time to time with other random surveys.

What do you all think of these changes? Do you have any ideas of what we could do to make the blog the best it could be?

Morro Bay!

Hello, readers!  Lucy here.  This past weekend, my family went on a little trip to Morro Bay, which is a tourist friendly city a couple of hours from here on the coast.  Where I live in Bakersfield, it's apparently hot until November... but Morro Bay felt lovely and amazing.  

It was really fun too.  We went to this shell shop that sells sea shells from all over the world... I got two shells from Japan to decorate my room.

Then we went to the aquarium and fed seals... they're so cute!  I have a little video of them, if you're interested.

We spent some time on the beach too, and I have a couple of shots.  You can see what a lovely and clear day it was.

We went to a couple different huge candy stores.  At one of them, we got this bag of chocolate rocks!  They look really real.

Overall, it was a really great trip.  I hope you've all been having fun while I haven't been posting!

Insights

Stole this survey from Sabine. =)


What is your name? Were you named after someone else? Do you like your name?
Lucy: My name is Lucy Ryoko Nakamura.  Lucy is because my mom loved I Love Lucy, and Ryoko is after my grandmother on my dad’s side.  I love my name!  It’s old fashioned, so not a lot of people have that name anymore, but it’s not so old fashioned that it sounds out of place.
Keisha: Mine is Keisha Rae Vance.  I’m not named after anyone.  I like my first name, but my middle name is just okay.

Do you have any pets? If yes, what kinds, and what are their names? If not, why don’t you have any pets?
Lucy: I have a sun conure named Pajarro and a hamster named Yuu.
Keisha: I don’t have any yet.  My parents want to make sure that my younger brother and sister are ready before we get any.  But they’ve been talking about getting a cat soon.

Do you like to cook? What’s your favorite food? Are you good at cooking?
Lucy: I’m not a great cook, so I don’t do much of that.  Growing up with my dad who worked so much, we had a lot of fast food, pre-prepared meals, and boxed and canned things.  I never really learned from anyone.  My favorite foods are grilled cheese and tomato soup.  I can make that!
Keisha: I like to help my mom in the kitchen.  I’m still learning from her and really enjoying it.  My favorite food is spaghetti and turkey meatballs.

Where do you live? Have you ever lived in another country from where you do currently?
We both live in the US (California) and no, we’ve never lived in another country.  Hopefully someday!  We’d love to go to Brazil or Japan.

Have you ever met a famous person? Who was it?
Lucy: I met Jason Varitek, the catcher and captain for the Boston Red Sox once.
Keisha: Never.  Maybe I will soon!

What do you do in your free time?
Lucy: Sports, reading, drawing, watching anime and classic movies, hang out with my friend Keisha =)
Keisha: reading, photography, watching classic movies, singing, playing with my little brother and sister, hanging out with Lucy!

Do you like sports? What are your favorite sport?
Lucy: As I mentioned in the last question I love sports!  I play soccer and volleyball.  I also love tennis.
Keisha: I like to cheer and swim, if you count those. =)

How old are you? Do you like being the age you are? 
We’re both 11 and loving it!

What are your hobbies?
Lucy: reading manga and Nancy Drew, drawing, classic movies, collecting antiques
Keisha: reading the classics and Nancy Drew, singing, photography, learning about my culture

Do you have a religion? What is it?
Lucy: I wasn’t raised in a religion and I haven’t really put any thought into adopting one.
Keisha: My family is Methodist.

How many languages do you speak? What are they? 
Lucy: I only fluently speak English.  But I’ve picked up quite a bit of Japanese over the years, and we’re learning Latin in school.
Keisha: I’m also only fluent in English.  But I learned a lot of Spanish when I lived in Los Angeles, and it comes in handy here!  And I’m also studying Latin in school.

Who do you live with?
Lucy: My dad, evil step mom, and older brother
Keisha: My mom and dad and younger siblings

Are you a morning or night person?
Lucy: Afternoon, actually.
Keisha: Early morning!

Would you want to be famous? Why or why not? 
Lucy: I’m a little too shy and I hate having people look at me all the time.  I think fame would be too much pressure for me.
Keisha: I could handle it.  In fact, I would love it!  I’m good with attention, and I bet I would love to meet all the cool celebrities.

What are five things people don’t know about you?
Lucy:
1. My brother is one of my best friends.
2. I like my new school better than my old school in Boston.
3. Unlike a lot of native New Englanders, I can pronounce the letter “R.” =)
4. My dad told me that when he and my mom were in college, she dyed her hair purple!  I’m going to do that one day as a tribute to her.
5. I really love ‘80s music because my dad played a lot of it when I was really little.

Keisha:
1. In my old school, I was the smallest kid in my class.
2. I’m saving my allowance for an American Girl doll.
3. I want to learn how to play the oboe because I think it sounds cool.
4. Since my mom and dad are both in the medical profession, I’m thinking about going into it myself when I grow up.
5. I just painted my toenails sparkly purple. =D

Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Ahoy, me hearties!  Cap'n Lucy here!  In case ye did nay know, today was Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is a really fun holiday.  As you can see, First Matey Keisha and I got decked out in our pirate finest for the occasion.  But that's not all... my brother Dylan took us to a charity event at his high school where everyone dressed like a pirate!  We listened to his school band play and ate lots of junk.

But the big surprise was that we met up with some friends of his while we were there.  Dylan introduced me to his friends Bethany and Sarah (the twins I saw him with at the movies so long ago).  Bethany and Sarah had their younger sister and cousin with them.  These two girls are around my age (one is a year older, the other a year younger) and they don't go to my school.  But I have heard of at least one of them by reputation. Bethany and Sarah's sister is fellow blogger Wendy from Wendy's Life!  Keisha and I spent all afternoon with Wendy and her cousin Allie, both of whom were really fun and nice.  I got a little nervous at one point because Dylan and one of the twins seemed to had disappeared, but it turned out that they were only off getting sodas.  For half an hour.  Guess the lines were longer than they looked.

Anyways, we took some pictures... would you like to see them?  Well, I'm going to post them anyways. ;)

Me and Keisha:

Me, Keisha, Allie, and Wendy:

Me and my new pal Wendy:

Keisha Vance: Cheerleader

Hey everyone! It's me, Keisha! And guess what! If the title didn't tip you off, I made the cheerleading squad!!! Yay! *applause*

We tried out last Friday, and they didn't let us know the results until Tuesday! That day, we all had to get lots of paperwork to take home to our parents, and we placed our orders for uniforms. Since they come from a shop right here in town, the uniforms made it in yesterday. I couldn't resist trying it on!

I'm really excited about making the squad. One of the girls is having a pool party this afternoon and she invited the whole squad. I'm really excited! I feel guilty about going to a party without Lucy, but I think she understands...

I'll be sure to tell you all about it later!

Love, Keisha

Changes to the blog

Konnichi wa!  Lucy-chan here with exciting news!  Keisha now has her own account and will post on this blog regularly.  We're both really excited about it!  And you probably noticed that the title of the blog has changed.  "Love, Lucy" was a good title, but it didn't reflect that this is OUR blog.  

We're planning on making a snazzy header photo for the top of the page up there.  Just for fun, I added a couple of photos to the side over there -->.

If you have any more suggestions of fun things we can do with the blog, drop us a comment!

~ L. R. N. ~

P.S.  In case you were wondering, the blog's new name comes from this awesome song from the Powerpuff Girls!

Cheerleading tryouts and club week

Hi everyone!  It's Keisha again!  Now that Lucy has asked me to co-author on her blog, I'm going to be posting more often... I'm supposed to be opening my own account so my name can come up on the posts, but I've been too lazy.  I will eventually get around to it!

Anyways, I have to tell you all... this week at our school is club week.  It's been really fun!  We've been on minimum day schedule all week so that we could spend the last hour of the day seeing presentations by various clubs, doing sign-ups and auditions for the clubs and teams that need them.  On Monday I joined photography club... I'm really excited about it!  We're going to meet every Monday for 45 minutes after school and learn about photography and practice different techniques.  Each week we're going to have to submit at least one photo we've taken and at the end of the year we're going to compile them all into a portfolio.  We're going to do different themes like self-portrait, landscape, silhouette, etc.

My mom asked me to join MESA, which stands for Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement.  And I don't know if it's just my mom or a mom thing in general, but when she "asks" me to do something, that means that I don't have a choice in the matter.  I convinced Lucy to join with me, and although neither of us a super great at that sort of thing, we're going to try to make the best of it.  Our math teacher is the adviser... he's giving everyone who joins MESA and stays in it all trimester extra credit.  And actually does sound sort of fun.  I just don't plan on letting my mom know that! ;)

But the thing I'm most nervous about is cheerleading tryouts this Friday!  I was in club cheerleading and on my school's squad where I used to live, so I have a lot of experience, but I'm still kind of worried.  I saw a video on our school website of the squad from last year... they're really good!  I've been practicing a routine for my tryout... I hope I'm good enough!

~ Keisha

Tenth post! Some feedback, please?

Heya, blog friends!  This is my tenth post... yay!  But hold your applause for now.  I wanted to ask some opinions.  

First of all, I have 14 followers.  Thanks to all 14 of you!  But what should I do to get more?  I'm following most of the blogs that I've read so far and I try to comment on all the new posts I see.  I don't log on everyday though so I miss a lot.  I try to catch up when I can though.

Second, I've noticed that posts with pictures seem to get more comments than those without them. Should I wait to post until I have pictures and more to write about, or should I post more often (some with pics and some without)?

Third, I'm thinking of asking Keisha to become my permanent co-author on my blog?  I'm assuming everyone would be interested in hearing from my fun and cool bff? =)

Thanks for reading and for any feedback you have... I appreciate it!

Sleepover fun

Hello readers!  Lucy-chan here again!  Well, I mentioned a couple of days ago that Keisha and I were going to have a sleepover.  It was such a blast!   We played Rock Band with Dylan, ate all kinds of junk food (pizza, popcorn, berry ice cream blast oreos), and watched hours of Sailor Moon on my laptop.  At one point we were all hyped up and what not and started singing into hairbrush microphones and did a performance of the theme from Sailor Moon.  It's so catchy, it's hard not to sing along!  Well, right in the middle of the song, my wicked step-mom came in and said we needed to quiet down since we weren't the only people in the house.  We weren't even being that loud... 


"Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight.  Never running from a real fight -- she is the one called Sailor Moon!"


But anyways, after we got scolded for being too loud, we sat and did each other's hair in crazy styles.  It was really fun although I don't think either of us has a future as a hair stylist.

And we stayed up way too late, woke up early the next morning and spent all day doing nothing in particular but still having fun.  =)  All in all, it was a great weekend!

Back to school!

Hi-hi everyone!  Lucy here.  Sorry for the lack of posts.  Last Monday was my human's (Bre/BuckinghamAlice, for those who don't know) birthday and she's been busy and whatnot, so you know how it is.  


Well, this Monday was the first day of school here, and I was super nervous.  I'm in the 6th grade and this was my first day at my new school in Bakersfield.  Not only that, but my new school is a private all-girls school, and I've only ever been to public co-ed schools.  Luckily, Keisha and I were both going to the same school (and would both be new kids).  She was just as nervous as I was, so we spent a long time in the days before Monday talking about what we would wear, what we would bring, and everything like that.


When Monday morning came, Keisha's mom drove us the fifteen minutes across town from our regular middle to upper middle class neighbor to the bona fide ritzy area.  Keisha and I are in the same class (thank goodness!).  Our teacher is named Miss Anne Demello, but she told us all to call her Anne.  She's fairly young and really pretty, but best of all, she's really nice.  Keisha and I both like the school a lot, but we haven't made any other friends yet.  Most of these girls have been going to this school since kindergarten, and it's a pretty small school, so they all know each other well.  No one has been mean to either of us, but they haven't been nice either.  One of the girls is having a birthday party this weekend, and Keisha and I are the only ones in our whole class who didn't get invited.  We're not too upset by it, but it would have been nice to get invited to a party.  We decided to have our own party this weekend.  A sleepover -- just the two of us, a bell pepper and olive pizza, and a huge stack of DVDs.  We're going to have a lovely time and not think about school.  =)


And since the pic at the top of the post is a closeup, here's a full length shot of Keisha and me on our way out the door on the first morning of school:

Hello from guest blogger Keisha!

Hello everyone!  It's Keisha, filling in for Lucy today.  She suggested I give this blogging thing a shot... I figured why not!  I just wanted to introduce myself to everyone and hopefully get to know some of you. =)


My name is Keisha Vance, and I'm 11 years old.  Like Lucy, I've just recently moved to Bakersfield, and luckily she and I ended up next door to each other.  I was worried that I wouldn't meet anyone as nice as my old friends... but Lucy is great!  She and I have a lot in common... we both like to play outside, never sit still, and love old movies.  Lucy is really funny and sweet and is easy to talk to... I'm so glad I met her!


I live with my mom and dad as well as my younger brother and sister.  Sometimes I really love being the oldest kid in the family, but sometimes it's a pain.  I like to do lots of things in my spare time, but I often get stuck babysitting.  But hey, someone has to do it, right?


I like to take pictures and cheer.  I used to be on my old school's squad... I'm looking forward to trying out for the squad here when school starts up.  And I may join the photography club if there is one.  


Hope to talk to you again soon!
Love, Keisha

Suspect Behavior

So, you guys remember I was telling you that something strange was up with my brother Dylan?  Well, he's getting even weirder and more suspicious!  He's still been taking lots of private phone calls and sneaking around.  He's been very secretive.  And last night, I caught him sneaking in very late!


I was out of bed getting a glass of water (or, to be perfectly honest, I was getting a cookie and a glass of chocolate milk, lol), and I heard someone at the door.  I panicked!  It was almost 2 AM and, as far as I knew, everyone in the house was asleep.  I grabbed the nearest weapon-- one of my step-mom's ugly vases-- and the phone... I was readying myself to bash the intruder over the head or in the stomach or whatever else I could reach when the intruder lit the hall way with his phone and I saw it was in fact Dylan.


"Goosey! What are you doing up?" he demanded.
I put down the phone and vase.  "Why are you just getting in?"
He hesitated.  "No one needs to know about this, okay?  Just between me and you."


And then he rushed upstairs.  When I woke up this morning, there was a small stack of mangas outside my door.  Dylan had left a little note on them that said, "I've been meaning to give these to you <3."  So, is this a bribe?  I don't know what to think of any of this.  I'm just not used to Dylan  sneaking around and being less than honest.  What do I do?  I don't want to tell my dad that something is weird because I would hate to get my brother in trouble.  I mean, he doesn't seem to be in danger or anything... I just can't help but worry.