The end!

I guess since this blog project is almost over, I should tell you more about my sisters. (this probably should have gone as one of my first posts by whatever.)

First off, I am the oldest one of us. Its a struggle because I am basically the guinea pig and my parents have never raised a child before me, so whatever doesn't turn out good for me, they'll know what to do for the other two. From going through school and applying to college and getting a job, it's all firsts for me and my parents. The other two will have it so much easier...

The next is Niamh. We like to joke and say she's adopted or that she's "the postman's daughter." (an Irish joke...) She has very dark hair and eyes and tans as if she's Hispanic, unlike Aoife and I who are pale as ghosts. She's 14 and is very small, like me, but more quiet and admittedly smarter than me. 

Aoife is the youngest, at 10 years old. She is clearly my parent's favorite and doesn't get in trouble for anything she does wrong ever. EVER. She has very curly blonde hair and is loud and crazy and all over the place most of the time. She also never brushes her hair. I usually fight the most with her because our personalities are very similar and clash all the time.

Thank you for putting up with my lame blog and laughing along with me on my sister's shenanigans! 

Random movie review: What's eating Gilbert Grape

If possible, I would give the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape? 5+ stars. At first when I heard the name, I immediately thought it was going to be a lame kids movie. I was wrong.

The Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated film from 1993 stars Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape and Leonardo DiCaprio as his mentally challenged younger brother, Arnie. This is a touching story of Gilbert's inner struggles to find what he wants in life. He has to act as a father figure to Arnie, taking care of everything that Arnie can't do. He also looks over his typical teenage sister and helps out his other sister who acts as a mom. His real mom, 500 pound Mama, sits on the couch feeling sorry for herself and growing fatter and fatter every day. The family tries to protect her from the people of their small town, who venture out to their house and make fun of Mama. He goes grocery shopping for the family, fixes the house that is getting too weak to hold Mama, and pretty regularly coaxes Arnie down from the town water tower. He lives a boring life until he meets a girl, who changed his life and causes him to question what exactly he wants in life. 

This film, although slightly predictable, is not great because of their odd problems, but because of how they deal with them throughout their life.

Believing

   I found out when I was in 3rd grade, my 14 year old sister Niamh found out when she was in 4th grade. Our parents lie to us for our whole lives about it, until we either find out or are told.

...Santa.

Every year we try to sleep in for as long as possible until little Aoife runs into our rooms and shakes us awake. This year she woke us up at 7:30 am, yelling and jumping up and down that Santa had come!

 We walk out to the living room with sleep still in our eyes to see the Santa presents wrapped in special gift wrap and placed in individual piles for each of us. Aoife rushed through opening her presents and didn't even read the note Santa had left... classic 10 year old.

So the whole presents thing happened and was over. 3 days later...Aoife goes up to the attic. (nobody ever goes up to the attic...except apparently Santa.) She came down to my mom and showed her Santa's wrapping paper she had found in the attic. She asked my mom why we have Santa's paper in our attic. 

She was crying, and mom said that Santa just left it here. 

"Are you sure?" Aoife said, still crying, and my mom felt very bad as she answered yes.

Eventually, my mom had to go up and tell Aoife the truth. There was a lot of tears and screaming and hugging. 

My mom told us that she felt the worst about telling Aoife about Santa...clearly we can see who the favorite child is. 

Now we're all waiting for her to find out about the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny...