August 29, 2016 I trudge back into the hallways of ANC, thoroughly depressed because school is starting again. That means I have to actually think and worse, do work. There is nothing to look forward to, just lots of work and sleepless nights. Charter day seems too far away, Thanksgiving break is out of my reach and summer vacation? Basically an eon away. 
Now about nine minutes here I am, sitting at my dining room table and feeling like August 29 was yesterday. This school year went by so quickly and yet so slowly. I can't believe everything that's happened in the last nine months-- actually, I can't even believe it's been nine months since I started the school year. I might've been exaggerating when I said it felt like yesterday. Maybe it felt like two weeks ago or something, but it feels pretty recent. 
I was right, though. This year was full of work and a TON of sleepless nights. And yet, somehow it's already over... how? 
I'd say Sophomore Year was a pretty successful one. I did well in school, won a Cappie award and even got to go to Spain. (Yeah, I'm working on that Espana Pt. 2. Well, thinking about working on it. I actually haven't started it yet. Like I said before, I've been busy with school. hehe.) 
Last year, I clearly remember looking forward to summer (obviously), but for weeks beforehand I was also sad because the year was ending. I knew I would miss all my classes and such. This year? I've been counting the seconds until the year ended. Maybe that's just because I've been getting a whole lot less sleep and have really been anticipating being able to sleep in (one of my favorite things). It actually wasn't until last night at academic awards when Ms. Walker, my history and spanish teacher, hugged and told me that she'd miss me that I realized that yeah, I am actually kind of sad Sophomore year is ending. I'm even more nervous for Junior Year to begin. Like seriously, if I thought this year was hard and sleepless... Next year is going to be a nightmare. 
Now let's talk about what actually happened this year. Well, the first thing to mention is Charter Day. That was fun, I actually got asked to the dance this year-- which was very exciting. 

Next up on the timeline, we won field hockey champs for the 5th (and probably last) year in a row!

Next I went to Florida for Thanksgiving break. It was a fantastic break from the cold Pennsylvania November. Why did I go to Florida? Well, Zia had a field hockey tournament there. While in Florida, I enjoyed staying in a nice hotel suite, and reading out on the beach. 
Then, the week before Christmas break I hosted a spanish student, despite the fact I'm in Spanish 1. Or I was in Spanish 1. I actually made a post about that week, which goes into more detail called Espana pt. 1. All the pictures are over there as well. 
​Then Christmas break I went out to tea with Serena. Yeah, you read that right. Tea. I know, I'm an old lady, I go out to tea and enjoy it. 

Next up, well Sadies. That's the winter dance at my school where the girls ask the boys. 

Oh! and of course we can't forget Camryn's surprise party! That was fun. Lol, I'm literally just writing this post off of pictures I found on my phone, but whatever. It's more just to make a timeline of my year (and then also I'll get into more detail towards the end, because, well, that's more recent so I have more to say.) 

Next up? For Spring break I went on the Spanish exchange and visited my Spaniard in SPAIN. It was a ton of fun, and I'll get around to making a post about it someday, probably. Maybe. Haha. Who knows, hopefully with summer, though, I'll have more free time to be posting on my blog. :) 

For Jr. Sr. I got asked really last minute, but hey, at least I got asked. A lot of girls didn't get asked to the dance. I had a ton of fun at the dance, too. We were served dinner, and there was a "cocktail" hour, which was really, well, fun. 

Alright, now we're actually getting to closer events in the year. Last year I join a small school group called the Cappies. Cappies is a nationwide program where students go to other schools and critique their play/musical. The best reviews are then chosen for publication. This year, I got four reviews published and was nominated for a Cappie award for Outstanding Underclassman. This is a huge honor, because I was one of five chosen out of many, many underclassman critics. 
The day of the Cappies Gala (where the winners are announced) I was so nervous. I checked-- my heart rate was 150 right before they announced the winner for Outstanding Underclassman... And then they announced the winner and my heart just sunk. It wasn't me. And I was so disappointed. But then I realized, wait-- last name Cooper. That's me. They just had my name completely wrong-- seriously, it's four letters. How hard is it to get my name right? Anij. And yeah, that was on my trophy, too. BUT I WON!! And ah. I'm still excited about that. 

Exams week nearly killed me. Like seriously, I think I got less than six hours of sleep that entire week, because... Ah. I get really nervous when tested, especially when the word EXAM is in there somewhere. But it's over and *happily sighing* I'm so happy. Oh my gosh, the year is over. I don't ave to THINK for three months. Ha. 
At the end of exams week was Awards night, which was a nice way to end the grueling week. And then graduation. Ah yes, Zia finally graduated high school and at the end of the summer she's going off to college. I've waited for this for sixteen years, haha. Whelp, it's been a very full year, and it's going to be a very full summer, so hopefully I'll keep up with this blog and if not... Well, sorry! I plan on posting as much as I feel like. Anyway, thanks for reading this choppy kind of weird post all the way to the end :) 
-Anj

Popcorn is a great snack. It's got that crunch that cures cravings AND is pretty healthy. Especially if you have an air popper (which I don't). So in this post I'll giver you all a good method to cooking popcorn-- and no, I'm not talking about microwave popcorn, this is cooking kernels on the stovetop. Oh yeah, another pro for popcorn? It's cheap yet it makes a TON. Though, if you're really in a time crunch, and still want to eat a healthy snack, you can buy some ready-to-eat popcorn like the ones made by SkinnyPop.  My sister, Zia loves the ready-to-eat stuff, she's always munching on it. 
I used to love to experiment with popcorn flavors-- making things like sushi flavored popcorn (using soy sauce along with a few other ingredients). It was something I enjoyed to to when I came home from school. But my all-time favorite recipe has to be the honey mustard popcorn, which is the recipe I'll share here along with a siricha popcorn recipe. YUM! The honey mustard popcorn is a little sticky, but the flavor is so worth it. They also have few ingredients that you probably already have-- so jump into the kitchen and get popping! (Sorry, that was really cheesy. I'm just in a good mood because exams just ended).

First, before the true recipe, I'll give you instructions on how to pop popcorn on the stovetop perfectly every time.

1/3 cup popcorn kernels
3 T Coconut Oil

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt coconut oil and throw in three popcorn kernels-- when these pop you know it's time to pour the rest of the kernels into the pan. Once all the kernels are covering the bottom, take the pan off heat and count to sixty. This will make sure they'll all pop at the same time. After 60 seconds, put the pan back on with the lid slightly cracked. Once the popping slows, remove from heat and add in your seasonings.

Seasonings:
Honey Mustard
3 T Honey
3 T Mustard
1 T Vegtable oil
1 tsp Salt (optional)

1) mix these ingredients together until homogenous.
2) pour over popcorn & toss to coat.

Siracha:
4 T Butter
2 tsp Siracha
1 tsp salt (optional)

1) in a pan melt butter, whisk in Siracha and salt
2) pour over popcorn & toss to coat.

Hope you all enjoy! Thanks for reading,
​Anj


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