Quiz Retreat & Chorus Tour 2012!

This year was the best year I ever had of quizzing and chorus. I learned lots of things during quizzing, and the chorus songs we had this year were awesome and the people were fun. So here are some final pictures of Quiz Retreat and Tour 2012!  

This is the whole chorus on tour. A couple people didn't come, but this is pretty much everybody. We have about seventy, it's fun having such a big chorus. We stayed at Penn York Retreat Center, so we had a gym!  (Awesome) We usually stay in one or two churches, but this year the retreat center was great. We played basketball and speed v-ball all the time and had lots of fun. We had four programs, two of them in New York and two in Pennsylvania. 

Oh, quiz retreat. :) I learned so much during the quiz season this year! With my totally cool teammates, Laura and Lexi, and my inspiring coach, Laura's mom Mary, they made my third year quizzing the best yet. I got to know lots of new people too, and that is always great.  

Here are some things I learned: 

1. Never judge by first impressions. :) 

2. Being a good sport is so much more important than winning! And also, being a good sport is so much more fulfilling, because when you lose, (you will sometimes) you can be happy for the other teams! We didn't get a trophy this year, but winning isn't everything. We had so much fun anyway. 

3. If a person tells you someone else is a jerk or cocky or whatever, don't believe them. Wait and see for yourself. They probably aren't. (Smiles)     

4. There are more nice people in the world that you think there is. :) 

Team huddles were one my favorite parts about my team. :) Having a team to support you makes everything so much more fun and stress-free. After all those hours of studying, it's easy to give in to the pressure and be competitive and really want to win. But that just isn't the most important thing! We talked about how God is in control of everything and that everything single thing that happens has been planned since creation. Why stress? God knows. :) 

Bottom line? 

God is Control,

Winning isn't Everything, 

But being a Good Sport is! 

Oh, yes. And how could I forget the crazy jokes? Smiles and laughter were a BIG part of our team. Laughing makes everything so fun. We had all these jokes that made us laugh. Laughing draws a team together. Especially a team consisting solely of GIRLS! We were a very girly team. That was really, really fun and special. 

Okay, I'll stop my ramblings...here are some pictures. We didn't win a trophy but we got a chocolate bunny! (Even though we got third in the bunny quiz hehe)  

I gotta explain the beaver cards. Laura had this thing about drawing beavers, kind of an unofficial team mascot, so she gave us beaver cards. Yeah, that little beaver is pretty cute, huh? :)  

And yes, we look silly, but we were having fun...(Smiles)

 

 So that is Tour and Quiz Retreat 2012! Looking forward to next year! :) 

 

Oh, sugar cookies!

These are the most beautiful sugar cookies! Smooth icing...bright colors...distinct lines...and sugar. Sweet. Literally. For more such wondrous cookies, visit the sight of the creator of these cookies, The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle. 

 These little guys...are just too cute!

Quizzing...then and now! :)

Wow. Things change. :) Quizzing in 2010, 2011 and 2012. My teams changed but I had so much fun every year! Collage credits to my cousin Lexi. And yes, it was a little humbling to put that 2010 picture on my blog. I look a little...well, just a little strange. Oh well, I guess that's how you look after a long, hard day of quizzing.  :) Update on Quiz Retreat and Chorus Tour 2012 coming soon!  

The Letters-No.5

This letter was a little time consuming, but easy to make. I cut strips out of pieces of paper from Michael's, just random strips that weren't all the same size. The color theme was black, white, grey, pink, and purple. I had some solids and some patterns. I put the metal piece (also from Michael's) in the middle with a pink paper center, and then fastened the strips around it. I used sticker squares to fasten the strips on, but I needed to cut the stickers to size. I wrote the "M" in the middle with a calligraphy pen.

    

 

Quizzing 2012! (Smiles!)

Here, finally is a quizzing post. For those of you that know me, you know that quizzing is huge part of my life right now. :) I love it, even though it is a lot of work, it is worth it! So here are some pictures of quizzing, studying, and a some other things. 

It's the Hope Effect! :) Yes, our name is "Effect," and it comes from James 5:16, "...the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." 

My team is just...awesomeness! Laura, Lexi and me. I'm the oldest and the shortest. No surprise, huh? :) 

Our team with our beloved-est coach. (Smiles) Also Laura's mom. 

 

Me answering a question. Supposedly I put my hands on my hips when I don't know the answer, but I think I got this one.

High fives after a correct answers. A lot of high-fiving goes on at quizzing. It's cool.  

Having a earnest discussion with Lexi. (Yeah, I know I look dorky on most of these pictures! hehe) 

We made lots of new friends at quizzing this year. So fun! Some of them I remembered a little from other quizzing years, but not all of them. In this picture I'm talking to Trina from Weavertown...

....and this is Amber from Maranatha. 

This quiz was awesome. I had one of my totally favorite quizmasters (Shawn King), and it was a really close quiz. We were quizzing some of our friends in the picture, Diego and Tiffany (Tiffany is in the black), and so a lot of laughing went on. :) 

Time-out! This is when we receive moral support and advice from our coach. (My coach and my team are my support in stressful quizzes.) :) And so, even if we lose a quiz, we laugh and say "Better luck next time." :)    Having a awesome all-girl team is so fun, it makes our team stick together in a special way. 

Lexi and I! Yeah, I think we were feeling a little goofy. 

These next pictures are of us studying, but I don't think too much studying was actually going on. :) 

We were in our cabin at Boulder Ridge Retreat. 

Yup, I study FTV! (Finish This Verse) I love it!

But here is a secret: I can't do reference. It seems my brain just can't handle it. :) 

So to all the other reference quizzers...I'm no threat. Hehe 

(Except 1 Peter 5! It only has 14 verses, so I can do reference on that chapter) 

 The opening verse. Man, I wonder how many times I quoted that verse? :) 

Tired of studying, supposedly sleeping.

 Okay, maybe not. :) 

 My darling little brother climbing the ladder up to the loft of the cabin. 

 We got tired of studying. :) 

So that's quizzing, and I love it! :) If you are willing to study hard, it's worth the work and a fun and useful way to memorize the Bible. I used to hate memorizing, but quizzing fixed me up good and proper. :) 

So if you ever want to try it...go for it!