Saying Goodbye

Well here we are, on the last day of 2009. The next time you read a post from me, it will be in 2010!! Blogging is a funny thing. Here's a picture that describes it all:

And now for the other highlight of this post. The perfect song to cap off the year. Yes, you have to sing along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvJRmdN9iyU

Happy New Years Eve!!

Outlines, Devotions and Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I'm officially procrastinating now. I should be working on a Biology outline but having four days to finish it, I'm not too worried.

Well today's been pretty boring so far. My mom went to breakfast with a couple ladies from our church while I cleaned the house. Now she has another friend over for lunch though I do benefit from that. We get Grilled Chicken Salad Sandwiches for lunch. :) I'll probably spend most the day doing my outline and then tonight we're going to church to help take down the Christmas decorations. What fun.

Here is one of my new favorite songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZeA0PbjcdI

The whole soundtrack is amazing! We have it someplace but I'm gonna have to look hard for it.

My devotions this morning were great! I forgot over Christmas break how much I love the combination of coffee, Tchaikovsky and God's presence. Reading Psalm 55 this morning, I came across verses 12-14 where David is talking about a friend hurting him. He says that he could have endured a wound from an enemy but the rejection and betrayal of a friend was almost too much for him to bear. It's nice to know that even David felt the same way I have.

So there's my thoughts for today. Now I'm called away to eat lunch. So far, Operation Evade Outline is successful. Over and out!

Worldview and Coffee

Ah life. Funny how it has it's ups and downs. Right now, life's kinda at a meh for me. Well maybe not. Maybe it's an up. I don't know. It's not bad anyway. :)

Now let me see. Oh! Avatar was pretty good. The movie had a plot, complete with action, adventure, romance, on-the-edge-of-your-seat excitement, the whole shabang. The most interesting part of the whole movie was the worldviews presented. The main soldier took the Marxist-Leninist view. He would do whatever it took to continue the cause, even if that meant killing innocent people (or in this case, large smurfs). The aliens (aka the large smurfs) had a weird Cosmic Humanist thing going on with the whole "all the earth's energy is one" thing, but then had a Goddess that they worshiped which isn't Cosmic Humanist at all. It was strange. But there you have it. And I gave you no spoilers.

Today I spent all day babysitting the Kern's. They're so easy! Two boys that sit around, watch movies and play video games all day! And I get paid to watch them! Woot! When I got home, I went to Starbucks (Peppermint mocha! YUM!) and shopping with my mom. And now I'm here, writing this post for you.

Well there you have it folks. That's all my thoughts for this evening. Thank you and goodnight!

Tick Tock

Waiting... waiting... more waiting.... yeah you get the picture. What am I waiting for? Well, a couple things. But before we embark on a journey to the future, let's look back at the past first.

Yesterday was a pretty good day! Church went well. Matt actually came for the first time in a couple weeks. And he's still determined to be a rockstar. When I suggested he have a Plan B, he told me that his Plan B is to be a hobo. We're gonna have to work on that kid. :) After church, dad got us burgers and fries for lunch and then we watched State Fair! One of my favorite movies ever. And here is the best song in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4YbLH22ph4

THEN a bunch of my parent's old friends came over which was better than I had expected. It's surprising the stories you never hear about what your parents did at your age. Good times. They all left late.

Today, I spent about two hours playing in the snow with Maisy! I took some pretty good pictures too.

Ok so now back to the waiting part. At the moment, I'm trying to kill time faster because Garrett, Kate and I are going to see Avatar at 3:50. Tomorrow I'm babysitting the siblings and then my mom and Maisy and I may be going to see The Princess and The Frog in the evening. Wednesday will be spent at home, watching the siblings some more while my mom goes to breakfast and has people over. Thursday is the big day! The last day of 2009. I'll be hanging around the house for the day and then going to Shannon's for a party/sleepover in the evening. I can't wait!!

Well, that's pretty much everything. No deep thoughts today. Until tomorrow!

Movies, Chocolate and Fun Socks

I love days where you can be lazy and just hang around the house. That's what today has been. Besides cleaning, I've been folding laundry while watching Runaway Bride. Very good movie. For lunch, mozzarella sticks and orange dark chocolate. Mmmm. And it's only 3:20! I'll probably go read now until dinner.

When I woke up this morning, there was a light dusting of snow on the ground and the wonderful sun shining through my window. It made me think of this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL_ag3NQ0o0

Beautiful huh? I love Chloe Agnew's voice!

Tomorrow I have church and then a bunch of my parent's old friends are coming over. All that reminiscing. Joy. Oh well, hopefully it'll be fun.

Oh! By the way, I'm wearing blue socks with snowflakes on them today! :D Laters!

Merry Christmas!

Happy birthday Jesus! The presents have been opened and the wrapping paper cleared away. Breakfast has been served and we just got done watching a movie. Later we're going to my Grandma's for dinner and more presents. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

My favorite gift so far has been my study bible. I love it! Lots of extra notes and large margins, perfect for writing. I can't wait until my devotions tomorrow morning!

Oh! Last night went off well. The mime was a hit, thank you Lord! Second service, the one guy I told you about came. I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my entire life! But it went and my dad didn't do any awkward introductions or anything. Phew! As he left, he told me that I did a good job on the mime, being the first time we've talked..... mmm...... ever. My dad and his hawk eyes saw of course and he wouldn't let it go for the rest of the night. Joy. Maybe I can move to Ireland now?

Well I'm going to go play some games with the fam. Hope your day is filled with family, friends and lots and lots of wrapping paper. Love you dear reader!!

A Big Night

Well, we are so close! It's Christmas Eve and my stomach feels like one big butterfly. Why? Let me tell you.

As you know, I am miming for the Christmas Eve services at my church tonight. Well I discovered the other day that the guy my dad has been trying to set me up with may be coming tonight. Oh so THAT'S why my dad wanted me to do a last minute mime BY MYSELF. Grrrrrr...... Can I just skip it? Can we just pretend I'm not doing anything? No? Dang it.

So I tamed my curls and my eyes are caked with makeup once again. Oh the joys of performing on stage. I can't wait till it's over.

After church, we eat dinner and go to the barn with my dad's side of the family. We all sit on hay bales, read the Christmas story and sing happy birthday to Jesus. Then it's home to set out the cookies for Santa and in bed by nine.

Here's one of the best songs ever! No one does Christmas like the muppets!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhjTHlui2ws

Only one more sleep until Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Almost There

What have I done today? I've slept half the day away, cleaned the church and folded laundry. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. I actually have two thoughts for you today.

Here's the first. Every Christmas, my family and I read parts of the Christmas story every Sunday for Advent. It's become so familiar that I can quote it. But this morning I was reading over part of it in Luke, the place where the angle comes to Mary to tell her about Jesus. He says "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28) Mary was highly favored! It made me think, I want to be highly favored. Now not so much that I bear a child right now (though I would if He asked me) but to be highly favored by God! I just can't imagine!

My next thought was more an image that I think God gave me. One of the hardest things for me to do is to be still and listen for God. So I've been trying to spend part of my prayer time just laying with my eyes closed, listening for Him. This morning during this time, I got this picture in my head of a white room. I was standing in the middle and looking around at faded paintings and mangled furniture I had placed in it. Then I started packing up all these things and putting them away. Suddenly there was a man there with me. He put up colorful paintings and nice new furniture and he and I danced around the room. Here's what it meant to me. The white room was my life. The dirty worn things were the things I cared about, things that I wanted for myself. The man was God and the nice new things are the things He wants for me. It just showed me that I need to put away my hopes and dreams and be searching for God's hopes and dreams for me. I'm positive that He has things planned for my life that are better than I would never have thought of.

So those are my thoughts for today. Deeper than usual. :)

Only two more sleeps until Christmas!

The Icing On The Cake

Well, it's been a long day but I'm not tired at all. Big surprise. I've been snacking on sugar and Dr. Pepper all evening.

So today I woke up late..... again. Then I spent the day cleaning and helping get ready for my party. I had a bunch of friends over to hang out this evening. We had a blast! We ate tacos and cookies and popcorn and all kinds of other sugary goodness. Oh and you can't forget the Dr. Pepper! We played Apples to Apples and watched Confessions of a Shopoholic. All in all, the party was definitely the icing on my cake for today.

One last point. I finished choreographing the mime for Christmas Eve and BOTH my parents said they loved it!! That's huge! I'm so glad to have that finished.

Only three more sleeps till Christmas! Night!

The Countdown Begins

What a day. A good day though. Since I have no deep thoughts, I guess I'll just tell you about it.

I woke up at a glorious 8:40 this morning! Kinda surprised my family let me sleep in so long. Anyhoo, I took my time getting ready and then went to run errands with my mom. I got a new outfit for my mime on Christmas Eve. It's purple, me favorite color!

Speaking of mime, I found out this morning that my dad changed it. FOUR DAYS before performance! And this song is HARD! There's not so many words really but it's reeeeeaaaalllllllyyyyy slow so hard to mime to. Picture like turtle stuck in the mud slow. I'm just praying that God will give me the patience to pull it off.

After we got home, I got all my Christmas letters written which is a huge check off my To-Do List. What are my Christmas letters? Well let me fill you in! Over the past couple years, I've found myself wanting to do something for my siblings for Christmas but having no money to buy them gifts. So instead of gifts, I write them personal letters called my Christmas letters. I really wanted to expand this year and write them for all my friends but I waited too long and now I don't have time to get EVERYONE.

To continue, my dad took us out to pizza for dinner and then we spent almost two hours driving around neighborhoods, looking at lights. Maisy and I sang every single song that came on the radio. It was fun! Charlie Brown wrapped up our night and now here I am, recording my day.

The countdown to Christmas has begun. Only four more sleeps until Christmas!

Ah Freedom

Well, all I can say is that today has been a good day. I went to church this morning and during second service, got a headache of the most phenomenal proportions. So while Jess and Kate sat around and talked, I laid on the floor with my eyes closed. When we got home, mom fixed pizza for lunch and I took a wonderfully glorious two hour nap! I can't remember the last time I took a nap! Now my headache is gone and I feel oh so much better! I'll never sleep tonight though. hehe Oops.

Plans for the rest of the day (which is only a few hours technically), I think dad will probably end up buying us pizza for dinner because it's a Sunday tradition. Then we'll probably watch a movie all together and go to bed. I'm opting for watching Pride and Prejudice but I think I'll end up watching that alone. The rest of my family isn't amazing enough to love six hours of pure ecstasy. Oh well.

So since I'm in a good mood, here's an awesome song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejEVczA8PLU

Hakuna Matata my friends! And with that, I'm out.

Let It Begin!!

Can you hear it? The sound of sleigh bells? The sound of carolers? The sound of children playing in the snow? The sound of the high schooler's collective sigh at being done for a full two weeks? I can and it sounds wonderful!

I finished school yesterday afternoon and then went to our annual Co-op cookie party at the Harris's. Kate came along with me and spend the night afterwards. After all those cookies and soda pop, we were a little...... loopy. Let's just say that there were conversations about beddraft, the Death Goose, the Ghost of the Gopher Empress and narwhals being the unicorns of the sea. It was fuuuuuuunnn!!!

Here's some songs for you to dance to!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJ0wQxwnBs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_E0HJpIMhw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rog8ou-ZepE

Oh! You know that I do the mime stuff at my church. Well this year I was determined to let other people perform the mime and dress up really nice for Christmas Eve. No such luck. This morning my dad came in and asked me about a song that I did a few years ago and if I could do it again. So turns out I am doing mime after all though since I'm doing it by myself so I can wear something nice. I guess it's the best of both worlds! :)

Well I'm off to give my baby sister a bath. Later!

Apologies

So I reread my post from yesterday and I apologize to anyone I might have freaked out. You know how I get to rambling. I hope at least some of it made sense.

Today is the normal pretty much. I've been doing school all day. I finished lots of my worldview homework and wrote a persuasive essay on pirates vs. ninjas. Ninjas owning pirates of course. I'm leaving for work in a little bit and then coming home, grabbing the boys and going to church for mime practice. Oh and somewhere in there I have to eat. Or maybe I just won't. Hmmm....

Well, here's a song to brighten up your day. One of my favorites!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBDo-uUwiS4

I hope that as you go about your day, you will find something beautiful too. Until later!

Banishment

You know what I'm doing today so I will skip the schedule and continue with my thoughts for today.

This morning, my mom and dad and I were having a discussion about what the Devil throws at us. My dad had my mom read a passage from one of his books about the subject. The Devil being the Father of Lies, he wins over us most often by convincing us we aren't good enough, lying to us about God. God doesn't care about you. God couldn't forgive you for that. Then he goes personal. You're stupid, fat, lazy, ugly, 'insert your word here'.

During this battle with him, we most often agree to these lies. We begin to believe we aren't good enough. That, dear reader, is how we lose the battle. By making agreements with the Devil.

I never thought about it this way before. Though I know without a doubt that God loves me and will always forgive me for everything I've done and will ever do, I struggle with my self image. That's where the Devil's been attacking me. Worse, I've been letting him win!! I've let myself believe that I'm not smart enough, not pretty enough, not skinny enough, etc. He's been winning battle after battle until they aren't battles anymore. He shoots an arrow at me and I've stopped ducking.

Well no more of that! I'm finished letting him win over me. I'm not going to take this "You're not..." crap anymore! It'll be hard and I may stumble but with my God's help, I know I can defeat him. I will send him running back into the shadows with his tail between his legs, where he belongs. As this next song says, "Why don't you skiddlededoo cause I don't wanna see your face around here no more!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLO2-_emvDY

GO BACK TO THE SHADOWS! I AM THE LORD'S CHILD! HE MADE ME AND LOVES ME THE WAY I AM! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

I Will Survive!

We did it! Last night was our Co-op's big See What I've Done Night and I think everyone made it out alive! Let me give you the details.

First, we had classes in the morning and then a three hour dress rehearsal. That was fun. NOT! After that, we came home, shoved down some dinner and I put on my stage makeup. I've decided that the feeling of your eye's being caked with makeup isn't fun. We were back at the church at 6:15. Out came the red dress (oh which I got several compliments) and then I went to greet people. Of course, as it is with all performances, there were people there who you wanted there and also people who you didn't. My friend Caleb came which was awesome as I haven't seen him in months!

Anyway, the program started and I sang second. I think I did well but I couldn't hear myself which made it difficult. My uncle and aunt (from Texas) said I did wonderful so I'm taking their word for it. Then I had to change into my very unappealing drill sergeant costume. When I got up there, I had a huge line about becoming a leader and then my next line I yelled at the recruits. I saw someone actually flinch!! It made my night. After, I got countless compliments, especially on my amazing drill sergeantness. :) I think I'm gonna make a good mom someday. My poor kids.

So there you go! I got through the night all in one piece and rejoiced afterwards. I also discovered that that was my last Christmas SWIDN!!! It makes me happy.

Ok so today, we're folding laundry like crazy and then we're going to my Grandma's to hang out with my uncle and aunt. The rest of the week is pretty much the normal school and work. Thursday night I have mime practice and Friday I have a cookie baking party at the Harris's. It should be a good week. Then Saturday begins Christmas Break! BRING IT ON!!!!

Here's a good song that doesn't really have anything to do with the above but I love it anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpyKXcMYMS8

So long self and so long to you dear reader, but only for now.

Short and Sweet

No deep universe changing thoughts for today. Church went well this morning and we teens went out to Chinese for lunch afterwards. Then I spent the rest of the day playing video games and watching movies with the family. Now I have nothing else to blog so to make up for lack of interestingness, here's a hilarious picture that my brother found today and I thought I'd share.

Good Vibrations

Ok so the title of this blog post is completely cosmic humanist but it seemed to fit my mood at the moment. You know the feeling of having a great weekend and when it's all over, it leaves you completely satisfied with life? Well that's me right now. I've had a wonderful time and the weekend isn't over! Let me recount to you of my adventures.

First was the party last night with Rachel and her group. That was quite interesting but fun. Not only was Rachel with me but my friends Leah, Jenn and Dustin were there as well, which made the experience so much more enjoyable (even if Dustin was mean to me). :) The rest of the group was awesome even though I didn't know them. And guess what the big game of the night was! You never will so I'll tell you. Duck-Duck-Goose! That's right. The game where you walk in a circle saying "Duck, duck, duck..." as you tap each person on the head and then slamming one person yelling "GOOSE!" and bolting away. It was probably the most epic game of Duck-Duck-Goose I've ever played in my entire life. Then Rachel and I stayed up until about 2:30 watching The Proposal and talking. Oh! And she got me orchids for Christmas! They're gorgeous and are now gracing my bedroom dresser.

I got home around 2 and was greeted to gingerbread cookies and a sick little sister. So I took a shower and holed up in my room for three hours until it was time to leave again for Jessica Green's house. Of course I was the last one there...... out of the five of us. All Kate, Jess and Stephanie came. We made Christmas candy and I'm now covered in powdered sugar. Then we ate pizza and watched the new Pride and Prejudice. In my opinion, the soundtrack is the only redeeming quality to the movie. I much prefer the six hour version with Colin Firth and his heart stopping smirks. Did I mention that we spent the entire movie piled on top of Jessica's couch? Yeah that was fun.

So here I am now. Thoroughly tired and thoroughly satisfied with my weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to church in the morning and I'm then going to be blissfully idle all afternoon. Maybe play some video games with Gavin or read Kate's book. We'll see where my whims lead me.

For now, goodnight dear reader and may you dream of butterflies and stardust.

Caution: Fun Times Ahead

Today has been fabulous so far, despite my having to study for Biology class! I'm pretty much done with that now though. *rejoices*

So, first, I got my coffee this morning. This puts the whole day in perspective. Life is better with caffeine. :) Second, I found out that my aunt and uncle from Texas will be arriving Monday afternoon, in time to come to See What I've Done Night!! They're staying for a few days and I'm really looking forward to it! Thirdly and lastly, I get to see my friend Rachel tonight whom I haven't seen in over six months! She invited me to a Christmas party and I'm staying with her overnight.

Tomorrow I'll be hanging out at home and then going to my youth group "Christmas Party". Ok so it's not really a Christmas party but one of the ladies at our church is having a get together at her house, just for the girls so it might as well be. We're going to make Christmas candy and just hang out. Then Sunday which is the usual go to church and hang with the fam. I'll probably be getting ready for SWIDN most of the day too. I still have to put together my costume for my skit. Don't tell my drama teacher on me. The one I had doesn't look like a Drill Sargent so I gotta go looking again.

So here's a Christmas song for you. One of my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wz8HR8Fh0Y

Well there you have it folks. As you travel through your weekend, watch out for stampeding moose and falling cheese. Have a great day!

Snowflakes

This morning was cold, cloudy and windy when I woke up. During my devotions, the sun peeped through my window, lifting my spirits immensely! THEN as I was getting dressed and ready for the day, the wind picked up, clouds covered the sky again and snowflakes danced through the air! This is exactly what I needed! Of course, Tchaikovsky would capture the magic in one of his songs: Waltz of the Snowflakes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS_gumNLHhM

It's perfect!

Now everyone knows that each and every snowflake is different. There is not one that is the same as another. In the same way, God made us all different and special the way we are. No one in the whole world could replace us. So there's my object lesson for today. Have a wonderful day!

Insecure: adj. - subject to fears, doubts, etc.

That's what I am. Insecure. This morning my dad was sharing with my mom and I something that he read. As he says, "Family is the problem." The author of this book explains that as a person, we are our true selves when we are around our family. When our family condemns us and puts us down for showing our true selves (maybe unintentionally), that beats us down even more than when our piers do the same thing. This could explain many of our insecurities as adults. We feel we must be someone else because we believe not even our family accepts us for who we are.

This got me thinking. Who am I? How do I define myself? Taking a big step back and looking at my life, I find that I try too hard to fit into the group I'm hanging out with at the time. I've lost my identity to my parents, to my friends and to the world. I'm trying to be what they want me to be. Flirty, successful, passionate, sarcastic, outgoing, whatever the case may be. I'm done! I'm finished with it. I'm tired of having to change the way I act to mold with the group. And if people don't like the way I act, well they can either suck it up and deal with it or not be my friend. As of two hours ago, I'm on a quest. To find my identity in Christ Jesus. He's the only one who truly knows me, knows what I am and where I'm going.

This brings me to my second point. A new idea popped into my head this morning. Looking at college, I've been considering things that the world deems acceptable. Interior design and elementary education are all for self benefit. But what about going into the ministry? Church is the only thing I'm passionate about nowadays so why not consider being a youth leader instead of an interior designer? Since I have to wait to get married and have kids (my ultimate goal as you know) why not work in the church? Another something I'm going to have to pray about.

So there you go. My thoughts for today. Normally my morning devotions are comprised of ten minutes reading my bible and about fifteen minutes praying. This morning I skipped the reading and ended up praying (out loud by the way) and crying. What a lovely way to start the day. Not.

On a lighter note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY! She's two today so we'll be doing something special later.

Until next time.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Well, today was a very satisfying day! Monday is Co-op as you should know by now. Both worldview and biology were rather boring. During study hall, me and a few friends practiced our skits. Drama was interesting. Our teacher was very irritable and as everyone was supposed to have their lines memorized, I think we were all walking on eggshells. It was such a relief to get out of that room!

When I got home, I helped my mom prepare for dinner. We had some old family friends come over to eat with us. Chili on the menu! While we were waiting for them to arrive, I turned on Bohemian Rhapsody and my whole family was dancing around the kitchen, singing very loudly and very off key. Best time I've had with my family in a long time! Anyway, they are still here and I excused myself so I could come blog.

Oh! I must tell you about the ballet last night! It was absolutely lovely! The dancers were incredible! It makes me think back to the days when I dressed up in frilly dresses and danced around the living room. So I'm going to confess something to you, a secret dream. But you can't tell anyone! I have always wanted to be a ballerina. Ever since those days of dancing around the living room. But my mom never got me dance lessons and it's too late now. Oh well. I shall content myself with watching the professionals and dancing around my room late at night.

So I awoke to a wonderful surprise this morning! The ground was covered with snow! Just a light dusting but enough to make it difficult for my mom to drive. :) I was oh so tempted to start a snowball fight before Co-op but I didn't. Then I ate a candy cane this afternoon which is a Christmas tradition at my house. Candy canes have graced our tree for many a year. This year, they are gracing our kitchen counter so Lucy won't get to them.

Well, here's a song for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSQ3ZRmkmy4

Thank you and goodnight!

Obligations

Okay fine, I'll update you on the past couple days. You guys and your guilt trips! Gosh!

So, Friday was awesome! I went with my mom and Maisy to see The Nutcracker but it was a different version of the original ballet. In this version, Clara was a poor little girl who lives in a cardboard box in NYC. Another homeless guy (Droslemeyer) gives her a nutcracker he found in the trash and casts a magic spell over the girl. Then there was the traditional mouse fight but it was a mouse queen instead of a mouse king. The Nutcracker then comes alive and becomes Clara's father and the Sugarplum Fairy her mother. Worst of all, there was no Tchaikovsky!!! None whatsoever! So yeah it was a cute performance but not The Nutcracker for me.

After the performance, we went to lunch at Panera and then I came home and played video games with Gavin for a while (Lego Star Wars rocks!!). After that I went to work and then Angie came to pick me up to spend the night with her at the B&B. Miranda came with us and brought baby Brody. That kid is adorable! We all went to Chicago's Pizza and then to the B&B where we watched chick flicks and scrapbooked the night away! It was really late when I finally got to bed.

Saturday a bunch of the ladies from church joined us for the planned Craft Day. Joyce, Leslie, Jessica G. and I made baby blankets for the Crisis Pregnancy Center. We made six of them all together! Then I helped my mom with Christmas cards (ok, pictures) for a while before we left. When we got home, I got the Christmas mime video ready, played some more video games (our basement is freezing by the way) and went to bed.

Today was church as usual. Dad got us Chinese for lunch afterwards. Then my mom, Garrett and I went shopping. Both Garrett and I got our costumes for our SWIDN skits! That's a huge load off! I also got Lucy's birthday present. She's turning two on Tuesday! I'm so glad I'm not working so I can spend time with her! I got her a Cinderella doll, being the Cinderella lover she is. Anyway, now we're home and I'm leaving again in a little while to go with that Harris's to The Nutcracker (the professional one)! Becky is performing with her dance troupe in it and I'm so excited to go see! An evening spent watching lovely people dance to Tchaikovsky's best, what could be more wonderful?! Maybe undo some of the damage the last Nutcracker did. :)

Co-op tomorrow. Joy. But hopefully I'll have some time to blog tomorrow night. We'll see. Ok, here's one of my favorite songs for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtKKOq8JqaE

So there's my post. Happy? Good. Until next time!

Just Because

Well today went exactly as I told you it would! I did school, went to work and came home. The only difference is that I'm still doing school and probably will be for a few hours yet. I'm not too fond of my Biology outlines. Anyway, the parents are gone to a movie (rare for them) so us kids are rocking out. AP Biology, Queen and Eggnog makes a good combination. :) Here's a song for you by one of my favorite artists, Chris Rice. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haV0hdZp9yU

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work We Go

So it's Wednesday. Time to pick up the pace. Nose to the grindstone. I would love to smash the grindstone! How would you do that? Jackhammer maybe? Hmmm.... I must ponder this.

So today was filled with school and work. Pretty boring. My dad bought me ice cream and I sat around with the family watching While You Were Sleeping. I love that movie! It probably has one of the best proposals in the history of movies in it!! Anyway, tomorrow is going to be the same. School and work. Friday is crazy! I'm going to see the Nutcracker Ballet with my mom and Maisy, I work in the afternoon and then my friend Angie (who owns the B&B that I work at) is coming to pick me up and we're spending the night at the B&B! Saturday is our church's Ladies Craft Day all day. Then to Sunday. Phew!

Another of today's events, I was asked what I want for Christmas. It's harder to think of things than I thought it would be! I have a laptop which was on my list back in September. Check. I'm hopefully getting a car in January. Check. The only other thing I really want is an Evenstar necklace. You know, like Arwen's. But I can't ask my parents for it because they think those kinds of things are silly. So I came to the conclusion that I will be asking Santa for money, chocolate and socks this year. Joy.

Well, that's it for today. Au revoir!

Partay!!

Guess what! This is post number 100! *throws confetti and passes around party hats* Please, help yourself to the cake and ice cream. Now here's a couple songs to dance to because every good party has awesome music. Break it down now!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf45I1ZI__w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe9PSliDG4M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwg033Ze3Lk

Now an update on last nights post. First, I'm in a much better mood this morning. Coffee and a good debate about pirates vs. ninjas helps a lot, as well as good friends to give you a good slap and tell you that you're being stupid. lol This morning, my dad came in and we had a half an hour long conversation about college and stuff. He explained that he was mad at me last night because I made my mom mad. Makes sense. When mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Anyway, he pretty much told me that I was awesome and he loved me and now my parents are all good with me.

So, for today I have school and then a dress fitting at two. Getting my red dress ready to dazzle! And no there is no glitter.

Well my party animals, I gotta go finish my worldview homework now. Keep dancin'!

Conflict

I am now in a foul mood so don't mess with me. Let me just go over my day.

First, being Monday, I had Co-op. We got to watch part of The Golden Compass in Worldview class instead of the boring science lecture. AP Bio wasn't the most interesting but it's a class full of awesome girls who make it interesting! My friend Shelby stayed for lunch today which (I thought made my day) and she and I had a good conversation. Then for my study hall period, I helped a friend rehearse her monologue and went to run an errand with my mom who bought me Starbucks. Then we went home and I was there for about half an hour when Shannon called, requesting I come over to her house. I got permission and drove over there to join Shannon, Danni, Erin, Rissa and Kristin. We had a blast, dancing around her house and jumping on the trampoline. When the time came for me to leave, Shannon called my mom to ask if I could stay longer. My mom asked to talk to me and goes "Don't ever ask your friends to call us for you!" BUT I DIDN'T! Then to make it better, I walk in the door, my dad walks by and goes "Casey, stop being such an idiot." Oh, thanks father dearest. That's so helping my nonexistent self esteem. I'm already struggling with feeling ugly and unloved. Now my parents think I'm an idiot. Great.

So that was my day.

Daydreaming

Well here I am again after spending a fabulous day holed up in my room reading. I literally read for about 8 hours straight! Missed dinner while I was at it too. But it's a good book so it's worth it.

The book is Crown Duel and it's set in a medieval fantasy world. I find myself wishing I lived there. A place where you have beautiful dresses to wear every day. A place where you have servants to wash the dishes and fold your clothes for you. A place where education in refined ladies consists of learning to read and write and how to behave at Court. A place where men are of the most outstanding character. A place where there are grand balls and fine social activities every day. A place where the heroine has wonderful adventures, can get into trouble and everything still ends with happily ever after. Did I mention that she get's the guy too?

Well I guess that life can't be a fairytale and you can't live it like it is one. A girl can dream though.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! In honor of the holiday, I'm going to give you a list of things I'm thankful for! Here you go:

I'm thankful for the salvation I've received from my Lord and Savior. I'm thankful for my mom, my dad, Garrett, Gavin, Maisy, Lucy, my grandparents and extended family, Kate, Jess, Matt, Steve, Ben, Katie, Shannon, Becky, Erin, Joe, David, Kristen, Shelby and all my other friends no matter how frustrating they may be (you know who you are.) I'm thankful for my home, my laptop, my bed, my license and my two jobs. I'm thankful for the writing skills, piano playing skills and the singing skills (that some say I have) that God has given me. I'm thankful for my grey-blue eyes and my naturally curly hair. Last but not least, I'm thankful for you dear reader.

I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving Day, filled with much turkey, potatoes and good company!

Writing

Hello again dear reader! Not much going on today either. I'm writing a short story right now that's taking FOREVER because I keep coming up with new ideas. I need to stop being so creative!! Anyway, probably going shopping with mom later. I need to find a dress for the Christmas talent show thingy. Who's idea was it that I sing anyway?!

Well, here's a poem because I can't think of anything else to write about.

Winterland

Out my window, a ground of white

The trees barren of leaves

My friends and I build a fort of snow

Getting the flakes down our sleeves

Retreating indoors, hot chocolate awaits

With marshmallows floating on top

Snuggling down we sing songs in time

To the fire’s rhythmic pop

But as night draws near, my friends must depart

To my sadness we say goodbye

Then I am alone by the fading fire

And let go a contented sigh

Have a lovely day!!

A Lazy Day

This is awesome! I've done absolutely nothing productive today! That doesn't happen very often. I woke up late, did my devotions, visited with a few friends that brought us donuts (Thank you Ms. Marci!!!), played a bunch of Christmas music on the piano and read! Now my parents are gone on their overnight to the Symphony (I'm jealous) and Grandma is coming to stay. Right now, the baby's asleep, I'm not going to fold the laundry now and I'm not going to clean up the kitchen now so I decided to blog instead!

One thing that has to get in here: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!!! 17! She's finally caught up with me..... though not for long. :)

So I'm in the middle of one of my favorite books! Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith. I'm convinced that the author's name is a handle and I wish I could come up with something that creative. Melody Claire is my handle and that's about as creative as I get. So now if you find a book by a Melody Claire, you'll know who it is!! Don't tell my secret! Anyway, it's an awesome book about a Countess who first helps her brother win a war and then ends up marrying the next chosen King. Fabulous book! This is my fifth time reading it. hehe

Ok, song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk5uf9hva6M

Over and out!

A Good Monday.... If That's Possible

Monday! I woke up thinking that this was going to be a terrible day. Why? Because my mom was making me accompany she and the kids to a friend's house. That friend has six children all under the age of twelve. Normally they make me play dress up and doll house!! But today we played card games and watched a movie! I was so relieved!

THEN my birthday present for Kate came!! A Twilight book. Now one thing you must understand about Kate (if you don't know this already) is that she is an avid Twilight hater. So I wrapped up her present and took it to her house. One minute she's giving me the "Awww you shouldn't have! I can't believe you got me a present!" and the next minute she's giving me glare that says 'I'm going to kill you.' Oh but wait. Here's the best part! Out of my purse I pull that fantastic invention known as 'The Lighter'. Kate was on the floor in tears..... laughing. So outside we went to the fire-pit in her backyard. Oh the sound of ripping paper. Oh the smell of smoke. Oh the sight of ashes skipping gently across the breeze. Yes, we burned Twilight!! Just the pages. The binder we kept and is now the finest book on Kate's bookshelf! I felt like a pirate though. I barge into her house unannounced, burn her birthday present, seal her Dr. Pepper and walk out again. Ghastly of me I know but it was the best Monday I've ever had!

Now I must go fight off the army of Twilight fangirls and sort through my hatemail. Until next time dear reader!

GO!!

It's here! I was going to blog last night but our Internet was out. So I've gotta make up for it now.

So let me see. First the schedule I think (skip this part if you think it's boring).

Today: Hanging out at home, doing laundry, reading, blogging, taking care of baby.

Sunday: Church and then hanging at Kate's house for a movie night with the youth group. WOOT!

Monday: To be determined

Tuesday: To be determined

Wednesday: To be determined

Thursday: THANKSGIVING!! Watching the parade and then going to Grandma's for dinner.

Friday: Decorating the house for Christmas and then movie night with the Worldview class.

Saturday: To be determined

So there you have it. This week's plan and it still leaves room for me to tell you about interesting stuff that might happen during the week.

And now it's time for the random dance off of the day!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l3G3_Npt5k

No deep thoughts today. Just dancing through life. Later!

Take Your Mark, Get Set.....

I'm almost there! I have a tiny bit of school left and then work tonight and then I'm free and easy for a whole week!! Oh the writing! Oh the reading! Oh the lazy hours spent on the Internet! I can hardly wait!

And then there's Thanksgiving! A time for stuffing yourself with turkey and potatoes and sleeping through the football game. Watching the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in your pajamas. Playing tricks on the unsuspecting cousins whom you only see once a year. Being hit by the smell of pumpkin spice as you walk through your Grandma's front door.

And THEN there's the day after Thanksgiving! The day you go into your basement and rummage through boxes for the Christmas decorations. The living-room furniture arrangement changes in order to accommodate the tree. Dad tangles with the tree lights, huffing and puffing about finding the one light on the string that will make the whole thing work. Mom gets teary eyed over the paper ornaments that her children made years ago. The kids scramble about, exclaiming over all the decorations that they haven't seen in a year. The nativity set is put up on the piano and the star goes on the tree. Christmas music fills the house and stockings grace the banister. Well, maybe that's just at my house.

Yeah, can you tell I'm excited? Well I'm off now to finish my writing homework. Laters!

Some Good Tunes

I have absolutely no interesting thoughts today and since my day is going to be normal, there's nothing to report. So instead of giving you a long drawn out blog post that would put you to sleep, here's some stuff for you to dance to! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d2iSqXWTns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpxkCu8Ri9c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_UxB5CCNU0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMBVbEUd7o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkf95onRgcc

A Real Princess

Where do I start? There's so many things running through my mind right now. I'll try to catch them and put them here as best I can.

It started last night when I was watching TV with my family and a commercial came on about some makeup product or something. The girl it displayed was thin, elegant and gorgeous and I found myself feeling inferior (again). I didn't have her pin straight hair. I'm not the size of a pencil. I'm not as pretty as she was. Those were my thoughts as I fell asleep.

This morning, I was reading Psalm 45 and my eyes fell on this. "The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." verse 11. It hit me that God thinks I'm beautiful! All this time I've gone around thinking so low of myself and He was right there, trying to show me differently. He thinks my unruly hair is lovely. He thinks I'm elegant. He loves me just the way I am. What more could a girl ask for?!

So while the world tells you that you have to be unbelievably skinny with a perfect face and perfect hair to be beautiful, I can prove them wrong. That girl on the TV probably doesn't feel like much of a princess because it's all artificial. But I can be the real princess because my Father is the King of Kings!

I hope at least some of that made sense. Well, those are my ramblings for today. Farewell dear reader.

Decisions, decisions

Here I am again and I find myself facing a very important decision. I have to choose between two doors. What are behind those doors you ask? Well let's take a look.

Behind Door Number One: After I graduate, I go to Ivy Tech as planned and get a degree in Interior Design.

Behind Door Number Two: After I graduate, I go to Brazil for six months or so to teach at the International School down there. When I come back, I work and then start college the next fall.

So you see, this is big. Going to Brazil would be amazing but it also means I put off college for a year. I don't know. I'm praying a lot about it right now and if you are a Christian, dear reader, I would appreciate your prayers as well. I really hope God gives me some red flashing lights in one direction or the other because I'm not picking any doors until then.

As for me, I'm feeling kinda lonely today. Can't say why but I'll get over it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tKcTIshuwQ

Now it's off to research Lou Gehrig's Disease. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Rings, Hobbits and Second Breakfast

Suilaid! That's hello in elvish. Guess what! I've been watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring! I love those movies! Here's a couple funny videos that relate to LotR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE-1RPDqJAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVD0swvWU

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :)

Ok now to be serious. One thing I love about The Lord of the Rings is how Tolkien put parallels to us and God in it. And better still, it isn't as obvious as the one's in Narnia so it makes you think!! Here's one I like.

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

This is so true! I look at our world and think "Why did this have to happen? Why is everything so bad?" when I should be thinking "Sure, this is pretty bad but I don't have to worry about it. Just take it one step at a time and let God handle the rest." Here's another one.

Gandalf: There is only one Lord of the Ring and he does not share power.

Again, truest truth ever truthened out by a truthful source! (quote by David Moraes) Now I'm not sure which lord Gandalf would be talking about in Middle Earth but I know that here, it undoubtedly refers to God. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and he doesn't share power, whatever we may think. I don't know about you but to me, that is oh so encouraging!

Well those are my thoughts for today. My weekend was pretty boring so I have nothing else to report. Navaer!

Superstitious?

I woke up this morning and realized that today is Friday the 13th. Any of you readers superstitious? Well here's a song for you about superstition. Ladies and gentlemen, the great Stevie Wonder!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OJsYwLs7yE

I've had a pretty good day for it being Friday the 13th. This morning I was talking to my dad about college and CLEP tests. He started researching some stuff and decided that I don't have to take the CLEP tests!!! *cue music*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnHksDFHTQI

Don't you know what this means? It means that I don't have to study for any more generic tests after the SAT!!!! My life just got a whole lot brighter! On top of that, it's only noon and I'm already done with school! AND my family is all gone for most of the day! My mom probably won't be home until just before I need to leave for work. That's about two hours! So what shall I do? Read? Write? Watch a movie? Hmmm... maybe a little of everything. Tonight after work is our missions thing at church. So when I leave, I won't be home for a while. But I'll be with Kate so it's all good!

Right now, it's off to figure out some lunch. When do I ever get a whole pizza to myself?! :D Laters!

Heavenly Music

Ok I'm officially procrastinating now. I'm supposed to be doing my Biology outline but I had some muse to blog so I need to get that out first.

This morning I was reading Psalms 42 and a part of verse 8 says "At night his song is with me." That got me thinking, God has a song! I wonder what it sounds like? I know it's unlike anything we've ever heard, being His music. I imagine it's soft and sweet, rolling and flowing like the gentle roll of the waves on the sea. Maybe it sounds something like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Xm7s9eGxU

I can't wait to hear God's song someday! In the meantime, here is another good song that makes me smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeBHslEB3v8

You lucky reader. Two songs in one day! But I should be getting back to my Biology homework now. Until tomorrow.

A Miracle

Hello everyone! I'm not dead! I am alive and all in one piece! Yesterday took me on quite a roller-coaster though. I woke up and immediately told my mom about my mistake (thank goodness my dad was at a breakfast meeting). She was very surprised but just told me to e-mail him. So that's what I did. A few hours later, he called my mom to tell her about his meeting and didn't even ask to talk to me! After she hung up, my mom told me that he seemed fine. My mistake was inconvenient and expensive but not life-threatening. When he got home, he just smiled at me and said "Well, everybody makes mistakes. We'll just sign you up for another date." So here I am, alive and well and taking it in January.

During the hours between my e-mail and his phone call, I wrote up my will. So I could die any day now and lots of people would benefit. Thought I'd share it with you. Here it is:

The Last Will and Testament of Casey Ruble

First, Kate gets all my books and my three posters of France. Garrett gets my laptop, my digital camera, my stereo and my room. Shannon gets the money in my checking account to by fish and my imaginary pet dinosaur Rover. Jess gets my copy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The money in my savings account will do a few things. First, take some out to repaint my room for Garrett. The rest should be split in half. Half will go to Garrett for college and the other half will go to Living Streams Community Church for any needs there. Maisy can keep any clothes of mine she likes (she will grow into them). Gavin gets my coin collection and Lucy gets my stuffed animals. All my other possessions can be divided up between family and friends, given away, sold or whatever my family decides to do with them.

So there you have it! I can now die in peace. At the moment though, I'm off to eat lunch. So I'll say goodbye with a wave and a song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkSwF42cOm8

My Last Goodbye

Okay so remember what I said about the SAT not being that important compared to other things? Well now it certainly isn't. I found out that due to some mix up, I missed my SAT date. It was supposed to be last Saturday. You can probably imagine what will happen now. That's right. My dad is going to eat me alive. And you are all invited to my funeral. So, here's where I say goodbye. God bless and keep you all!

Singing Like an Angel and Dancing Like the Devil

I am one happy girl! My boss loves me and gave me an extra day to work because she likes having me there!! Also one of the biggest things this week (drum roll please)............... I GOT THE CHRISTMAS MIME FIGURED OUT! And it's all totally God's doing. His inspiration all the way. So I am a very happy girl and here is a song all about it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Worz1tf1Dc8

Just Like Vincent

Hello again! I find myself done with homework and it's only Friday afternoon! Might as well blog. :)

The other day I was reading Psalms 39 and verse 6 says that man is but a phantom. The things the world thinks are important will soon pass away. Think about it! Good grades, nice job, college degree, amazing SAT scores, not of it matters!! Now I'm not saying that I'm going to go drop it all because it is the world and we live here so I should do my best at those things too, but it got me thinking. What really matters in this life? After a while, I came to the conclusion that it all boils down to people. And not just people but also making disciples of them! Jesus came to earth to teach, preach and save us from our sins. Before he went into heaven he said "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matt. 28:19-20) You know that children's song 'I'm in the Lord's Army'? Well it's true! God has recruited us to bring people to him. THAT is what is important!

Now, seeing that I began to think about the people I know (and this brings me to my title). I have so many different friends and all are like a different color. Jess would definitely be bright pink with her spunky personality and happy-go-lucky attitude. Kate is kind of a mix of the dark blue of wisdom and the neon yellow of spontaneity. Shannon is a mix of the different shades of green; happy, sad, perky but always relaxing. Ben is orange, seemingly harmless before POW, he surprises you in some way. Rachel is definitely fiery red, throwing her whole being into whatever she does. My friends Katie and Becky are probably blue, very calm and collected all the time no matter what. Matt is......... well, Matt is clear (no offense buddy). My life is the canvas and my friends are the colors. They are all special in their own way and I wouldn't leave them out of the masterpiece for anything. If you think about it, my life turns out looking like a painting by Vincent Van Gogh!

Since God gave me all these special people, I need to make sure I give them the attention they deserve and not get distracted by the things that don't matter. I started asking myself, if God came back tomorrow, would he be pleased with how I'd lived my life? Oh how I want to hear the words "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Now I'm going to do something I haven't done before. I'm going to give you a challenge, dear reader. I'm going to ask that you take a big step back, look down at your life and weed out the things that aren't important. Make a mental note of them so in the future, you can prioritize your life by God's standards, not by the world's.

Well, those are my ramblings for today. Have a lovely weekend!

A Light

Yes! I see it! There's a light! A light at the end of the tunnel! That light is called Fall Break that'll be here in three more weeks! And then three more weeks until Christmas break! And then I'll be half done with my senior year! Wow, lots of exclamation points.

So another week gone by. It went almost exactly as I told you it would. Work went well. I did spend the night at Kate's which was awesome fun! We watched 'Confessions of a Shopoholic' and 'Tess of The Durbervilles'. Complete opposites but both good movies. As always, we came up with a handful of new inside jokes. "PROTECT YOUR TUBA!" hahaha Good times. Saturday we slept in until lunch and then baked cookies. Snickerdoodles, yummy! Then I sat at home watching movies and stealing my little siblings Halloween candy. Call me a couch potato if you wish. Sunday was lovely! Church went well and we had lots of girls come shopping afterwards! Me, Kate, Steph, Karie, Ali, Jessica Greene, Leslie and Joyce. What a party! Then I went home and watched more movies with the family.

Yesterday we had Co-op which was the usual. I don't like going. Come on graduation! In the evening, I went with Angie to clean at the B&B again. We were brainstorming ideas for names for the rooms and here's what we came up with: Elizabeth's Room, Isabelle's Room, Caroline's Room and Lillian's Room. I think it's great! Makes it personal to say "You're staying in Isabelle's Room." Also, we solved our Blank Wall problem. Angie has a piano sitting in her bedroom so we're gonna move that out and put some stuff on it to make it look pretty. It should work nicely! But I have to stop my interior designing brain now.

Alright, so we're caught up to this week's schedule. Today is the usual stay at home and do school. And I have a cold! Blech. Tomorrow is Maisy's birthday! I have school, work and then we're going to Small Group at church. Thursday is Jess's birthday! Again I have school and work. Friday is no one's birthday that I know of and again I have school and work. Seeing a pattern? I haven't a clue what I'm doing Saturday but knowing my family and friends, I'll end up doing something or other. Sunday is church and then to work at the B&B with Matt. Maybe we'll get him to move the piano? Hmmmm.....

Well that's pretty much it. Personal stuff going on but I won't record it here for all the Internet to see. Until next time then.

Oh! By the way, in case you didn't know... ITS NOVEMBER!!!

Delirious

I'm sure you're probably thinking "What a strange title." but that's me right now. Just going through the motions. School, work, life. It's all so boring! I want something more! I want to do something! Something big! Something drastic! Something world/life changing! But I haven't figured out what that is yet.

Talking to my dad Monday, it seems I can't do anything right. Come on! I'm working two jobs, excelling in school, saving my money for college, helping mom around the house, romantically free and easy and yet he still finds things wrong. Apparently I need to find a new job because the one I have doesn't pay enough. I'm not allowed to spend my money on anything, I'm to ask my parents for the cash they don't ever have. WHAT?! Well I've about had enough of this. I understand that I need to save my money for college but if I don't leave God some room to provide, He won't. Also, I'm not quitting my job because I love my job! So he can go sit on a tack. Ok that was mean but really. We were at the bank to get my checking account started Monday and when the guy asked me how much I wanted in savings and how much in the checking account, my dad answers for me. EXCUSE ME!! He was talking to ME! It's MY money! Don't you think I should be the one to make the decisions now? I'm glad for his help with it all but I need a little space! Ok I'm done ranting now.

My week was boring last week. The norm. This week hasn't been any better so far. I'm working today, tomorrow and Friday. Saturday's Halloween. I might be going to Kate's to spend the night Friday and I might be helping Mrs. Remmel paint her bedroom Saturday. And I might not be doing anything this weekend. We'll see. Sunday is church and then Joyce and Leslie are taking us girls out to shop for our Operation Christmas Child boxes. One good thing this week. The other good thing was that we didn't have any shoe boxes so my mom and I went to get shoes! Mine are sparkly silver and whenever I wear them, I feel like clicking my heels and chanting "There's no place like home. There's no place like home." I'm gonna wear them Sunday.

Well I guess I'd probably better go eat lunch now. I hear food is a good thing for you. Until next time.