Mary's Postings

Mary's Debut in Acting

2009-05-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Mary had a part in the high school play this spring. She was a drunk actress. It was a small but hilarious part, and she played it a little too well for her mother's tastes! We were really proud of her!

Picture #1: Cast

Picture #2: Mary trying to convince her employer that she can act even when she's drunk.

Picture #3: Passed out on the couch.

Picture #4: Interrupting the scene with a special song....

A picture says a thousand words.....

2009-03-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Christmas Concert

2009-01-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

In the high school concert, Mary played the flute in the band, sang in the choir and sang in the vocal ensemble. She had a lot of fun with so many costume changes!

Time for another Quinceanera!

2008-10-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

Mary went to another Quinceanera which is a formal birthday party for 15 year olds in this culture. It’s kind of like a debutante ball. Here are pictures of Mary and her two best friends, Hannah and Michelle. Did someone call for “Charlie’s Angels”?????

Street Kids Ministry

2008-04-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mary is involved in a weekly ministry to street kids called Opcion de Vida (Option of Life). They teach the kids English, play soccer with them, sometimes teach a craft, etc. She really enjoys it but says that it is really sad to see how they live. They are often dirty or high on drugs. They are usually her age or younger. In this picture, she is teaching English.

Time for a Haircut!

2008-04-11T10:10:00.001-07:00

What a view

2008-02-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Beach!

2008-02-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

Mary enjoys playing in the sand at the beach. This year's creation--the sand octopus.

She also enjoys walking along the beach, and this year she was able to do it with Mr. Snuggles!

Mary and Friends

2008-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

Pictured here are Mary with her friends--Yoo Bin, Olivia, and Sonja--the night of her Christmas concert.

2007 Soccer Team

2008-02-24T18:29:00.001-08:00

Intensity!

2008-02-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

Mary takes her soccer pretty seriously as this picture shows.

Oh Me! Oh My!

2008-02-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

When we visited an animal reserve in Shell, this monkey surprised Mary by jumping on her back and followed us everywhere. For awhile, he rode on her like a backpack. Then he got interested in her barrette and even tried to eat it. It was a bit unnerving but a lot of fun to watch them together.

New Doo!

2007-09-25T11:18:00.001-07:00

NYC -- Incredible! Awesome!

2007-09-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Mary went to NYC this year (thanks to the sponsorship of the MO District NYI) and had an incredible time. Worship was her favorite part, praising God along with 10,000 others. Being with friends from the MO District and the Fenton church was a close second. She enjoyed being in the Journalism track and got two articles published in the online newspaper. She also learned about how she is changing in comparision to her US friends. She's lived in Ecuador now 2 years and sees changes in eating habits, expectations and attitudes. It was good for her to make this connection. She stayed in the Milennium hotel (Top of the Towers for older St. Louis folk) and enjoyed being back in her home town.

Junior High Worship Team

2007-08-07T19:08:00.001-07:00

Mary enjoys playing the guitar and singing on the Worship team!

Up, Up and Away!

2007-08-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

Mary's 8th grade Science class made hot air ballons out of tissue paper and glue. We gathered in May on a chilly evening to see if they'd fly. The balloon made by Mary's group flew a little bit before it crashed and burned in the middle of the street in front of the school!

Quinceañera

2007-05-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

I was invited to my friend's Quinceañera (15th birthday party). In this culture is a very big deal (similar to a debutante ball) where the family introduces their daughter to society. I had a lot of fun with my friends. Everyone looked amazing!

My flute solo in Jazz Band

2007-03-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

This was in January. Since then I've been learning to play the bass guitar in Jazz Band since there are so many who play the flute. In regular band I'm also learning to play the piccalo for when we perform at a basketball game.

Science Fair

2007-03-18T12:53:00.002-07:00

This year my Science Fair project was on "at what age does a child know the difference between candy and medicine." I intereviewed 49 kids from pre-K to 2nd grade. I also interviewed a few older kids for a comparison. The little kids were so cute! I really enjoyed my project!

Science Fair

2007-03-18T12:53:00.001-07:00

Carnival 2007

2007-03-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

Snuggles discovers candy!

2007-02-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

We had some hard candy in a bowl on our coffee table and we found 8 empty wrappers with the remains of candy in Snuggles' fur! Luckily, he didn't get sick.

Beauty to Behold

2007-01-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

Beauty to Behold
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

For Mary's birthday party, she and her friends had manicures followed by McFlurry's at McDonalds. It was a fun afternoon.

Ooh La La!

2007-01-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

Ooh La La!
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Four international beauties: Yoo Bin, Mary, Olivia, and Michelle.

Varsity Soccer Team 2006!

2007-01-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

Mary's in the first row, second from the left. Mary was a starter this year. She improved by leaps and bounds as she proved herself to be a varsity player!

Varsity Soccer Team 2006!
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Christine, Ellie & Mary

2007-01-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

Christine, Ellie & Mary
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Mary Dancing

2007-01-06T14:25:00.001-08:00

For the Quito Day celebration the 8th graders performed a special dance. They worked for several weeks on the dance and did a great job.

Mary Dancing
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Guardians Christmas Party 2006

2007-01-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Mary Guardians Christmas Party 2006
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

The 7th and 8th graders attend Guardians which is a youth group at the school. Mary really enjoys these times. Here a group of them are playing a game during the Christmas party.

Mary and Yoo Bin

2006-11-01T04:54:00.000-08:00

Mary and Yoo Bin
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

This is my best friend! She is so sweet and she's a wonderful pianist. She's helping me learn a little Korean, too.

Mary Working at Harvest Fest

2006-11-01T04:52:00.000-08:00

Mary Working at Harvest Fest
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Our school had a Harvest Festival to raise money for each class. My job was to carry around a jar of origami stars and ask people to make a guess as to how many stars were in the jar.

Soccer Medal

2006-11-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

Soccer Medal
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Our school team went to Guyaquil, Ecuador, for a soccer tournement for two days and we won 2nd place!

Mary's Llama Hat

2006-08-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Mary's Llama Hat
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

My Little Friend

2006-08-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Mary's Little Friend
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Reading

2006-08-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Reading
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

My family went to the beach this summer. We did a lot of swimming and even saw some whales on a boat excursion. Of course I did a lot of reading too. I'm currently reading the Lord of the Rings triology. I also like the Princess Diaries series and lots of other books.

Me and Bro

2006-08-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

Me and Bro
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Besides the ocean, the complex had four swimming pools, so we swam there a lot too. Here me and Landon are relaxing in one of the pools.

Catchin' Some Waves

2006-08-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Catchin' Some Waves
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

All week long we rode boogie boards on the waves. I got pretty good at it (after some crazy spills first).

Braids Are First Priority!

2006-08-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Braids are First Priority!
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Doggie

2006-08-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Doggie
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

On our way to the beach, this cozy-looking doggie cracked us up!

Mary in Otovalan Market

2006-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is me the day that my mom and I went to Otavalo. This bear is made out of llama fur. Its the fattest one I have ever seen!!

Mary in Otovalan Market
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Just a Swingin'

2006-07-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

This is me on a tire swing on the Fourth of July.

Mary's Swinging
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

We had a party with the people in our mission, and while the food was cooking, us missionary kids played on the tire swing.

Middle School Academic Award Day

2006-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Middle School Academic Award Day
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

(This posting was made by Mary's proud mother against Mary's wishes!)
Mary won several academic awards this year. Besides earning high honor roll, she received awards for Best Creative Writer, Most pages read and journal pages written in English class and Highest Grade in Bible class.
Her mom embarrassed her by taking pictures at the awards ceremony, but we're glad we got this great shot of Mary with her favorite teacher, Mrs. G.

Mary with blowgun

2006-05-30T07:50:00.001-07:00

Hola! This is a blowgun the indigenous people use for hunting. It's actually about 3 times longer than shown in the picture. It's really heavy too.

Mary with blowgun
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Mary with Bull

2006-05-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

An indigenous man dragged me into the circle and made me look retarded because I didn't know what I was doing. The bull about chopped my head off with his horns.

Mary with Bull
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Mary & Esther

2006-05-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Mary & Esther
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

7th grade band

2006-05-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

band
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Bunny Cake

2006-04-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Bunny Cake
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

One of our family traditions is to bake the Bunny Cake for Easter. This year I helped mom decorate the cake so that could carry on the tradition.
The Ecuadorian soccer shirt I'm wearing was in my Easter basket!

The Royal Court

2006-04-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

The Royal Court
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Our 7th grade class had a history project on the Middle Ages. We each had a role. I was a Lady in the Quiring manor.

Running the Guantlet

2006-04-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

Running the Guantlet
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

We played games from the Middle Ages at the festival. Here I'm running the guantlet. The girls were better at this than the boys.

My manor singing a song

2006-04-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

My manor singing a song
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Our manor had a request from the Queen to sing a love song. We sang "You are so beautiful to me." Standing next to me are my two friends: Hannah and Olivia.

My friends in 7th grade

2006-03-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

Some of my friends in 7th grade
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

These are some of my friends that go to my school. It's so cool to have friends from all over the world- Korea, Ecuador, and America. This was taken the night of the science fair at my school. In the back (from left to right) there's Ester, Yoo Bin, Ana, Jeneth, Trevor, and Mrs. G. In the front there's Kelly, Hannah, Brady, Olivia, and Me.

My Best Friends!

2006-03-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

These are my two best friends in Ecuador. From the left to right it's Me, Ana, and Yoo Bin. This was taken the day of the science fair at my school.

My Best Friends!
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

My Science Fair Project

2006-03-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

science fair 3.06 005
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

My experiment was to see if my subject(Landon) would run faster after he drinks Coke, Kool-Aid and water. He ran 3 different trials for each drink. My conclusion was that Landon ran faster after he drank Coke (compared to Kool-Aid and water) because caffiene makes you run faster.

Me and my new polar bear!

2006-01-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Me and my new polar bear!
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Landon running!

2006-01-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Landon running!
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

2006-01-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

Hi! Lately I've been working on my Science fair project. It's whether my brother will run faster after he drinks Coke, Koolaid, or water. Above is a picture of my brother doing the experiment.

About Me

2005-12-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

Hey! My name is Mary. I'm 13 and in the 7th grade. I LOVE to play soccer, sing and read. Some of my favorite books are Ella Enchanted, Searching for David's Heart, and the Shadow Children series.

I go to Alliance Academy, an international Christian school, here in Quito, Ecuador. Although sometimes I miss my family and friends in the states a lot, being an MK (missionary kid) is great! I LOVE to spend time with my friends and "try" to speak Spanish.

Well, gtg.
Mary

Hello from Mary!

2005-12-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog. Soon I'll put lots of stuff here. Stay tuned.