Blog Party!

Aren't blog parties fun? Well, there is a lovely on going on over at this blog that you really should take a look at. Here are the questions for this week, along with my answers!

What is your favorite way to outwardly display your femininity?

One of my favorite ways to make an outfit look extra girly is to add a flower somewhere. I have several cloth flowers that can be used both as a clip and a pin. I usually stick one in my hair before running out the door, they look good with almost any hair style and are super chic!

What's your favorite color(s) to wear?

Well, I'm a pretty much a fan of color, period. So I tend to incorporate a lot of it into my wardrobe. I rarely have a black and white outfit without a pop of color somewhere =) That being said, some of my favorite colors to bring into outfits to shnazz them up a bit are Yellow, Red, Purple, and of course, Pink.

Who do you closely relate to in style and taste?

Audrey Hepburn, easily. I love her simple but elegant style, and I've been known to wear a straight sheath dress with some oversize pearls from time to time!

What fictional character (book, movie, etc.) do you think strongly presents herself as truly feminine? (or your favorite feminine character(s) at the very least. ;))

Hm.... this is a hard one! I like that Lady Blakeney is willing to seek out the help of men to save her husband, and is perfectly happy to allow her husband to save her in the end. I guess any heroine who is content being rescued by her husband/intended. I think it's more romantic than all the current stories where the woman saves herself and then chases down her man. Where's the chivalry in that?

(Completely random, but it's been bugging me.) Generally, do you think eye shadow should match/compliment skin tones or simply match your current outfit?

Both =) If a color looks bad on you, then don't wear it, even if it complements your outfit perfectly. And neutral styles will go with any outfit no matter what. Furthermore, you don't want to be too "matchy-matchy" with your makeup, that's just a bit odd. However, you should try to make sure nothing you are wearing clashes. For example, stick with brown palate shades for a brown toned outfit. And never, ever wear purple eyeshadow if you have on a red top or dress!

My Shocking Revelation....

I'm officially a card carrying nerd. There's no way around it anymore.
Sure, I always loved books and reading, writing stories, history, doing school, and cheesy BBC miniseries based on British Classics. But still, I had plausible deniability for most of my life so far.
Until I turned 18.
And became an Insta-Nerd.
I now have braces.
Braces! The metal-mouth bracket kind. With colored rubber bands. Granted, they will only be on for about another month. But still! Can you even imagine the trauma resulting from all pictures taken during this time?
And as if that wasn't enough...
I now also have glasses.
Oh yes, prescription, help your vision, eye glasses. Granted, they are super cute. I found them at Target and I kind of really love them.

See why? They are pink, but not a nasty bright neon kind of pink. they have scalloped, polka dot arms. And best of all, they have just the teensiest bit of cat eye going on. Enough to be fabulously vintage, not so much that they are ridiculously unflattering. All in all, they're a preeetty great find. But it's the principle of the thing! Today as I walked into work in my belted cardigan and flashed a smile with my braces on as I looked at the world through my slightly askew glasses (a la scattered librarian) and lugged my huge purse containing not one but two books.... It hit me. There'll be no more denying it.
I am a nerd.
Fortunately, I think I can live quite contentedly with that.

Is It Well With My Soul?

One of my favorite hymns is It Is Well With My Soul, by Horatio G. Spafford. There is a lovely arrangement of it on this cd (one of my current favorite albums btw) and I've been listening to it almost nonstop lately. Add to that the fact that we just sang this song in church and... yeah, it's been on my mind lately.

There is so much truth in this song, so much comfort, and so much conviction as well. Because as I've listened to it over and over again, I've had to repeatedly ask myself:

Is it well with my soul?

The first verse makes me think about every day instances.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

For example: when I'm late to work and my car is out of gas and someone cuts me off on the highway, is it well with my soul? Do I walk in the Spirit and keep a good attitude, or do I scream "OUTTA MY WAY YOU MORON!!!" I have to admit, there are  times of both. Why am I so easily ruffled? I have a big God who is in control of everything, even my daily commute! So why don't I trust Him more easily and just do right? Or, as Pastor Scott preached on a couple of weeks ago, why can't I exhibit more meekness?

The third verse gets me thinking a little more deeply.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

My sin, not in part but the whole!!! Wow!!! We have so many reasons to glory in Christ. He has taken all of my sin on Himself and set me free from the bondage I was in! He has sealed me with His Holy Spirit and will never, ever let me go!!! He WILL finish the work that was started in me at salvation! So why am I so weighed down by this life? Why do I allow myself to grow so weary, so busy trudging down here that I forget to look up? I think a big part of the problem is addressed in 2 Timothy 2:4

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Even after reading this verse again and again and again,
I get so entangled with this life.
I worry and stress and struggle and focus on things of this earth. With what I'm going to do here, where I'm going to go, how I'm going to get there. I have problems with this relationship. I won't be able to afford this need. I bury myself under a load of anxiety, and instead of casting my cares on Him, I try to carry them all by myself. Then, after living my day to day life barely acknowledging God because I'm so focused on the things of this world, I wonder why I continually fall into sin. Why can't I get the victory? Maybe it's because I'm not being a good soldier.

I heard an incredible message on Sunday night entitled He Is Able. It was based on what is quickly returning to a 'favorite verse spot'.

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.          Jude 1:24

It was one of the best messages I've ever heard, and I'd suggest you listen to it here. (Sermon from 05/08/2011 Evening) I think the biggest encouragement is in the title itself. He IS able!!! He can keep me from falling! He can give me victory over sin! I just need to 'untangle' myself from this world and and focus on Him, and "the Only wise God" will take care of the rest.

Sing To The Lord A Joyful Song

So, my friend Emily (who is leaving me to travel to another state for the whole summer. *sniff sniff*) recently did a blog post entitled "Barbossa Is Hungry." Pretty interesting huh? Turns out she found a list of questions, put her ipod on shuffle, and then used the songs that played in order to answer the questions. [This used to be really popular on facebook] She came up with some pretty funny answers, so I though I'd give it a try! Here's what I got.....

If someone asks "are you okay" you say?
Let Me In (Rigoletto)
What would best describe your personality?
Don't Forget (Laurie Beachell)
How would you best describe yourself?
Part Of Your World (Original Broadway Cast)
What do you like in a guy/girl?
Thou Wilt Keep Him In Perfect Peace (Mac Lynch/Tim Fisher) haha!
How do you feel today?
Gone With The Wind (Prague Philharmonic)
What is your life's purpose?
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross (Majesty Music)
What is your motto?
The Legend Spreads (James Horner)
What do your friends think of you?
Sorcery and Sudden Vengeance (Prince Caspian Soundtrack) Oh dear!
What do your parents think of you?
Count It All Joy (Mac and Beth Lynch) you'd have to ask them about that =/
What do you think of most often?
High Wire Stunts (John Williams)
 What do you think of your best friend?
How Shall They Hear? (The Herbster Trio)
What do you think of the person you like?
Lord I Need You (Northern Lights)
What is your life story?
Count Me (The Wilds)
What do you want to be when you grow up?
The Duel (Prince Caspian Soundtrack)
What do you think when you see the person you like?
Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus, K 618 (Robert Shaw) Everytime! haha
What will you do at your wedding?
Embraceable You (George Gershwin 101 Strings)  =/
What will they play at your funeral?
Amazing Love (The Wilds)
What is your hobby/interest?
I Am Thine O Lord (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)
What is your biggest fear?
The Turtle Lope (Thomas Newman)
What is your biggest secret?
The Bassingstoke Assembly (Adrian Johnston)
What do you want to do right now?
The King Of Love My Shepherd Is (Galkin Evangelistic Team)
What do you think of your friends?
When Love Came Down (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)
What is the worst thing that could happen?
Joy (The Wilds) Not really! lol
What is the one thing you regret?
 My Fathers Love (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)
What makes you laugh?
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior (Galkin Evangelistic Team)
What makes you cry?
To The Pirates Cave! (Klaus Badelt)
Will you ever get married?
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes (Jack Jezzro) Ironic....
What scares you the most?
Be An Example (The Wilds)
Does anyone like you?
Do You Love Me? (Original Broadway Cast) Ironic again!
If you could go back in time, what would you change?
With A Voice Of Singing (The Wilds)
What hurts right now?
The Secret Life Of Daydreams (Jean-Yves Thibaudet)
What would you want to say to the person who tagged you?
All Creatures of Our God and King (The Wilds)
What will you name this note?
Sing To The Lord A Joyful Song (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)

It's All About The Cross.

I'm having a wonderful day!
A) There was free breakfast in the office;
B) I'm going to get a free Starbucks drink by bringing in a reusable cup;
C) I get off work at noon instead of five;
D) I'm going for lunch and shopping with my mom, just the two of us;

Simple equation:
A+B+C+D = Absolutely, positively, fabulously wonderful day! (And there are even more factors I'm not listing!)

I've been pretty excited about it all morning.

But then I got to thinking:
Today is Good Friday, when many people celebrate the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This may not be the actual day he died, but it is the day when much of the world takes time to remember and reflect on it.
I heard a message yesterday morning in which the preacher said that the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, all points the message and power of the Cross. I got so excited! Christ died for me, shed His blood to atone for my sins, and rose on the third day to conquer death and give me eternal life!

But this morning when I was soooo excited:
It wasn't about the Cross.

I'm easily stirred to passion for the gospel when it's repeated to me or right in front of my face, but why am I not passionate about it all the time?

My 'wonderful exciting' days are few and far between.
Why?
I serve a Risen Savior, each and every day!!!
There is ALWAYS something to be excited about, the Cross! It should affect my life in every way. Every action, thought, and word. Every aspect of my life should be changed and transformed because of the cross. It should be my focus, my passion, the object of my devotion and gratitude. It should be everything!!!

Is my life all about the Cross?
Is yours?

Praise God for Crutches!

Have any of you ever heard derogatory terms used for the Christian life such as:
"Oh, they are living in their safe little bubble!"?
or
"You are just using your religion as a crutch!"?

So often we rush to defend ourselves, talking about how those are the worlds perceptions but it isn't really true, and trying to save face in front of the lost.

But I've been doing some thinking.

Those things are true. So why are we so quick to deny them?

After all, I do live in a "safe bubble"! I am not completely isolated from the world, but I am safe and protected from harmful influences by my Lord, and I am separate from the world and all it's sin and heartache!

The point of my "bubble" isn't to keep me in, but to keep evil out! And it doesn't mean I can't communicate and be friendly with the outside world! In fact, I would love to invite anyone reading to join me in my bubble, it's a fabulous, peaceful place to be!

Jesus truly is my crutch. I wouldn't have it any other way. If anyone says that the reason I need religion is because I'm not strong enough to stand on my own two feet? They are absolutely right.

I am crippled because of my sin: we all are. The ONLY way that I can stand and live a full life is if I lean wholly on that 'crutch' that I've found in Jesus Christ!

With all the depression, suicide, emptiness, and heartache in this world, do people really still believe that we are fine on our own? That we don't need anything? I'm SO thankful that I've found a way to stand!!! And by the grace of God I will continue to stand, not choosing to grope around on the floor because of my own pride in refusing the ever necessary crutch.

How foolish would it be of me to try and walk on a broken leg unaided, making it worse and worse, when I had a crutch available to help me?

That's the foolishness of the world.

So I challenge you, when you are accused of your own weakness in accepting Christ, agree! We are weak. We do need help. We can't make it on our own! So let's stop fighting the worlds attacks, and instead point them to God, showing how different things are from His point of view.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  I Corinthians 3:18, 19a

Fantasmiwondermazing!!!

Hello Readers!
I noticed that this blog has up to this point been entirely lacking in something rather important, fashion! Now, I don't claim to dress very fashionably. Much to my chagrin, I can't afford the vintage, feminine style that I oh-so-dearly love. But a girl can dream, right? So I though I'd use this post to give you a glimpse of how I'd dress if I had gobs of money!!! Here goes....

Little Black Dress

Everyone know that an essential to any girls closet is a reliable LBD. Well, I have a couple, but they can't hold a candle to this adorableness.....

And To Accessorize? Oh the options....

After all, the little black dress is all about elegance and class, right? Ok, so maybe I pushed it a leeeeetle far with this one. It's sure be gorgeous, wouldn't it? =)

But what's the point of any outfit without shoes?

Well, that's what I would love to be seen in on any given Sunday. Or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, come to think of it! So, when someone decides to give me more money than I know what to do with, these will all have to join my wardrobe!

This was a pretty fun post to do, maybe I'll have to put one together every Friday, as a tradition of sorts! At any rate, it'd be a fun way to kick of my weekend. And this particular weekend definitely needs kicking off! I have some fabulous plans with some fabulous people! (And some not so fabulous as well, but I'll never say which are which! ;) Tonight I'm going bowling, and tomorrow there's a birthday party for my grandpa and then a progressive dinner, which should be pretty interesting! Actually, all the fun started last night, when I saw this movie:

With two of my friends (who I must confess are among the fabulous) Emily and Naomi. It was so much fun! We had tickets for an advance screening *happy scream* and we got to go for FREE!!!! Can you say Fantasmiwondermazing?!? (No really, can you?)  It wasn't a perfect adaptation, but it was definitely a good one! My biggest problem with the movie was that I just wanted more!!!! They left out some parts I would have very much liked to see, and some lovely lovely lines. The only other issue was the proposal scene.... in a beautiful, romantic, emotional movie, that scene was wooden at best. Why oh why didn't they re-shoot it? *Sighs of longing* Oh well. It was still a great movie. and the experience was definitely worth it!

Now I can't wait to get to tonight's fun! But..... this...... Friday...... is taking....... for....... ever..............

Don't get me wrong, I love my receptionist job, but honestly, will today ever end?!?!? I suppose by the time I look at this post again, it will have. But it sure is taking it's own sweet time!

Anywho.... Now that I've strayed completely from my original topic......

May you have a blessed and speedy Friday!!!

Till Next Time....

The Princess

When Will My Life Begin?

So, I recently watched the new Disney Princess movie;

Tangled.

And guess what? I loved it! It's a really cute movie with awesome characters, (The horse is seriously hilarious, and I might have a bit of a crush on Flynn Rider;) majorly catchy songs, and a pretty good plot in the process! I've always loved the story of Rapunzel, {Being a bit of a hair fanatic myself} and I think she's a pretty awesome heroine. I loved the songs so much that I went home and bought them for my two cousins [NOT for me of course!] and put them on their music players. (It might have ended up on my ipod too....) The other day I was listening to the soundtrack and I started singing along to one of the theme songs,          

"When Will My Life Begin"

It's one of those catchy songs you just *have* to sing along with. But as I'm belting it out with my headphones in, something struck me.

That's how a lot of us live our lives.

Christian young people, and girls especially, always seem to be waiting for something. We feel like our lives won't *really* begin, we won't truly begin to serve Christ, until...... {You fill in the blank}

For many of my friends, they feel life won't begin until they get married. For others, it's when they start college. I know personally I often think [even subconsciously] that my christian service really starts once I get my medical degree. We are constantly waiting for that catalyst that will start our lives. The problem is, there is always something more to wait for. Once you get married, you are waiting until you have kids. Once you go to college, you are waiting to graduate. Once I get my medical degree, I'll be waiting for all sorts of opportunities! (such as.... a job!) So here's the idea I came up with.

Stop Waiting.

Groundbreaking, I know. But as simple as it sounds, it can be a lot more complicated than first glance reveals. It takes a focused effort, a daily decision to serve God right now. But while it isn't easy, I'm starting to see just how necessary it is. If I wait until I have my medical degree to start really serving God, I am going to waste almost thirty years of the life that God has given me!

James 4:13-17
Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.





My life is nothing but a vapor. It's like when you breathe out into the cold air. Your breath makes that really cool fog.... and then just like that, it's gone. It's neat while it lasts, but it isn't here long. That's my life!!! God has given me this marvelous opportunity of living on earth as His child, and I take it for granted every day. I have a small window of time to accomplish as much for Him as I possibly can, and I don't even know how small that window is! I could die of old age at eighty five years old, or I could die on my way home from work tomorrow in a car wreck and the age of eighteen. I'm not promised a specific amount of time. All I can do is make the very best of it. The last verse in that passage is particularly convicting. [To me anyway!] "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Wow. How many times am I faced with opportunities to serve God that I just let slip through my fingers? Sin isn't just doing wrong things, it's not doing the right things that I know I should! It's waiting because "I'm too young" or "I'm single" or "I haven't even graduated from college" and giving up chances to change lives for the Kingdom of Christ because I just haven't decided to start yet. So I've made a decision:

My life starts right now.

I'm going to do everything I can to live a life fully surrendered to Christ right now.  I'm not going to wait for my life to begin. Because if I just keep on waiting? It never will.

Till Next Time,

The Princess.

I'm Irish.... Don't Get Any Idea's!

So, I'm Irish.

. Partially. Actually I'm kind of a mutt. There's some Dutch in there, some German, some British, Some Cherokee Indian, and even some French Canadian. (sadly) But if you want to pin down the major nationalities in my heritage, it's Italian, and Irish. {and personally, I think that's kinda cool!} Now, you have to understand that my family isn't really big on ethnic heritage. I'm an American, and I'm super proud of that! So that's what I consider my heritage. Buuuuut it is kind of neat to see where my ancestors came from and what types of cultures are in my distant background! (Well, not so distant with the Italian, my dad's dad was an Italian whose parents both came over from Italy) My favorite part of looking into my ancestry is..... Can you guess? Seeing what types of food they ate! And that brings us back to today's post. Sort of. It's St. Patricks day! We don't have many traditions regarding this day. I generally wear some type of green to avoid being pinched by obnoxious people, and that's about the extent of it. But my grandma? Every year she makes Corned Beef and Cabbage on March 17th. I have to admit, it's not my favorite meal. But still, I love the tradition!!! [I think when I have kids our St. Patty's Day tradition will be Lucky Charms] So. This is the extent of the green I wore this year:

The ring I wear almost every day, it was a gift from my grandma on my eighteenth birthday. The emerald stone is gorgeous, deeeeep deep green =) And the band is from a rainbow colored set of bracelets. It's made of rubber. And totally doesn't match my outfit. (I wore it for an added sense of security)

So, if anyone's considering pinching me, think again! 

I heard someone say last night that only catholics are supposed to wear green, and for protestants the color of the day is orange. I did a little bit of research on this, {emphasis on little} and found this article, which I found pretty interesting! Here's part of it:

Protestant Irish have been known as “orange” ever since 1690 when William of Orange (William III), the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, defeated King James II, a Roman Catholic, in the Battle of the Boyne near Dublin. William’s victory would ensure Protestant military dominance on the island and has been a source of tension ever since. Although the “Orange” in William’s name actually referred to a province in southern France, the color reference stuck. This is why orange now appears in the Irish flag – to symbolize the Protestant minority in Ireland.
Thus, “Orange Protestants” have been around for quite a while, but wearing the color on St. Patrick’s is a relatively new phenomenon. The first group to take part in the tradition appears to have been the Orange Institution, a Protestant fraternal organization more commonly known as the Orange Order. Some members of the order wore orange in various parades on St. Patrick’s Day as a mark of defiance.

So, I should have worn orange instead!!! But at least this way I know I'm safe =)

One awful thing about St. Patricks day is the amount of alcohol consumption. I read that March 17th is one of the busiest days in the whole year for bar's and pubs! It's terrible! All those people out there drinking, impairing their judgement, and then unleashing themselves on our public with about a fifth or less of their normal brain power. Greeaaaaat idea. Oh well, all I can do is abstain myself, and hope, pray, and encourage others to do the same!

On a random note: we know from scripture that all who have trusted in Christ as their savior are saints. So, I officially move to make November 8th St. Bailey Day! And if you don't wear pink, you have to give any chocolate in your possession to someone named Bailey. Brilliant, isn't it???

Till Next Time.....

The (Irish) Princess

Wednesday's Walk

So, I was doing some blog hopping, and I found this blog, The Goodwin Family. And I like it. A lot! She does a post every Wednesday about taking a walk down memory lane. Isn't that neat? So read my post and then go to her blog and check it out!

I have kind of a lot of cousins, {14 to be exact.} Ok, that's not as many as a lot of people. But what makes us kind of interesting is how close we all are! Out of my fourteen cousins, 12 go to the same church as my family. I've grown up with my cousins, and some of them are more like siblings. Like my cousin Luke. He's 17 now {I can't believe it!} and one dashing young man if I do say so myself! We were best buds when we were little, and he's still one of my very bestest friends. He's super creative and HILARIOUS! That kid knows how to make me laugh! Not to mention he's one of the most tenderhearted guys I know.

Or my cousin Phil. He's nine months older than me [which makes him 19 now, just so ya know] and he's...... amazing. I know I can always talk to him about whatever's on my mind, he's a great listener. He always know when I need him to agree, or to give advice, or to just be quiet and hear what I have to say! He's also a greeeeaaaaat coach/teacher. He's the reason I was a Bible quizzer, AND he taught me how to shoot a basketball! (which may not seem like a good example of his abilities, unless you had seen me before!)

Here's a pic of us: Not the best, but the first one I saw that had all three of us in it =)

I'm close to lots of other cousins too, like Micah the oldest, who always took care of me even when I annoyed him. Or Sam and Dani, my little girl cousins who are my sometimes annoying but always awesome "little sisters." Or even my new little ali-bug!!! (She has her own post, Welcome Baby Ali!) But the reason I am focusing on Luke and Phil is because we were crazy children, so we have some interesting memories =)

Like the bejillions of times that Luke and I played Star Wars with my little cousin Ian. Their bunk bed was the Millenium Falcon, of course. I was Princess Leia, Ian was Chewbacca, and Luke was Luke Skywalker of course! [Sometimes he got frustrated that he couldn't be someone else, but come on, his name was Luke!!!] Sometimes Phil could be convinced to play too, but only if he could be Darth Vader. Luke and I were always playing some make-believe game or another. We had some serious imaginations! One of our favorite games was "orphan children running from Nazi's" and we majorly got into it! One time a "friend" of ours died and we actually cried, we were so sad and scared! My memories with Phil are a little different, lots of them involve trouble ;) One time we were being bad and we wouldn't stop, so my Uncle Troy had to punish us. (Actually, I'm pretty sure it was more than just once.) I wasn't ever that worried though, Phil always got it worse! ;) unless we were at my house =/  A lot of my good memories with Phil are actually more recent. Like class activities, hanging out and having movie nights, and our Senior Trip to London. Or even just the other night when he drove me home, and we ended up sitting in the car talking until 2:00 am. I am so thankful for all of my awesome cousins, I am truly blessed!

Till Next Time,

The Princess

My Snowboarding Post

So, one of my favoritist things to do in the whole wide world is going snowboarding. Many people who know me find that hard to believe! (It could have something to do with the fact that I'm not exactly athletic..... or coordinated.....) but it's true, I adore it. I think it could partially be because I've found an outdoor activity that I am actually somewhat competent at, but I know that's not all there is to it! I love all the snow, and being in the mountains, it doesn't matter what resort you are at, it's going to be beautiful! I love the peace of it, especially when you are on a quiet run and there isn't anybody nearby and its just the sound of your wind and your board cutting across the snow.... *Sigh* I also love Love LOVE the speed. I'm pretty big into speed, actually, which can be difficult because I'm also a chicken! But it's worth the occasional fall to be gliding down the slope like that. Plus snowboarding is a great way to hang out with friends. I love huddling together on the ski lift, laughing and talking and singing and yelling at people below us.... it's all part of the experience. The first time I went boarding...... didn't go well. I went with one friend who had never gone, one who had gone once, and a "teacher" who, while meaning well, didn't really have the time or means to fully explain such concepts as, oh, stopping, turning..... things like that. I only went down two or three times, on the pitiful little green, and I was ready to call it quits. I honestly planned on never going again! A year went by, and our youth group had its next annual ski day coming up. I was willing to consider going to sit in the lodge, but no way was I going to get back on that crazy thing. But I had one insistent friend, who was sure I would like it. I was quite sure he was out of his mind, but when he helped make all the arrangements for me to go and offered to teach me..... he pretty much left me no choice! And I wasn't very happy about it, truth be told! But I went. And I learned. And...... I LOVED it! (Moral of this story: never, NEVER only go snowboarding one time before quitting.) So, I've gone, oh, seven or eight times now? And I love it more every time I do it. This last time I finally figured out how to carve. (Using both the heel edge and the toe edge of your board.) I have to say, my stubbornness seems to know no bounds. This same friend told me that I should try it. That I would like it. That I would go faster but not fall more. That I would be less sore. But nooooooo. I was perfectly happy feathering on my heel edge all day! (And not being able to walk for a week afterward because my legs hurt so bad!) But now, finally, when I got around to it, I tried carving..... and while it pains me to admit it, he was right. I love it! So glad I finally learned. So I spent the day carving and flying and falling and laughing with my best friend, and it was amazing! The only downside to the day was that her snowboard, (borrowed from a friend) got stolen at the end of the day! Isn't that awful??? I was kind of hoping I would see someone with it so I could have my cousin and his friend tackle him on the slope..... hehe. But other than that ridiculously awful incident, it was a pretty awesome day! AND I've already gotten to go twice this season, tying my record! (As much as I love it, time and money don't allow me to go very often.) I own my own board and bindings, but I still have to rent boots. So, if anyone wants to give me a pair of size 9's, be my guest! I haven't worn a helmet up to this point, but with my current record of rightness as far as snowboarding goes..... I should probably listen to people and change that. I don't have a picture of my board, but I'll show you the board I'd like to have someday!

Unfortunately you can't see it very well, but it's edged in pink, and the front is white with grey outlines of princesses and castles and all sorts of lovely things like that. I promise it's not as childish as it sounds! It's a Burton Lux, and it looks pretty sweet, if I do say so myself!
And somewhat fitting for.....

The Princess

R.I.P Blueberry

On Monday night at approx. 5:45 pm something very tragic occurred.
My van died.
It was a blue, '93 Plymouth Voyager, given to us by some friends, and it was given to them when the bought a business, and overall its been used by I don't know how many people. It had over two thousand miles on it. It was almost as old as me. It made all kinds of crazy clicking and clacking and grinding and overall not-in-working-order noises. It had so many scratches on it that when I scraped the side against  shopping cart holder it took my a couple minutes just to figure out where the damage had been done. It was formerly known as the Ghetto Rider, but when it passed to me it was renamed as the Blueberry. (I don't know how many of you watch Psych, but my brother and my "sister" and I are HUGE fans, so the name just made sense.) But in spite of all of these problems, it was my first car!!! And I think I was growing a sentimental attachment to it. We sold it the next day for 300 dollars and considered that pretty good, but I have to say I wanted more for it. But I think that's because I really just wanted it to work again. Everyone is telling me how silly I am for being sad at all. The heater barely worked. It ran terribly. It was in danger of exploding at any minute. But in the short time I had it, I enjoyed a lot of good times in that van, and made many good, crazy, scary memories. Like the time a goose attacked my friend Harmony and I. Or the time we rolled down the windows in the freezing cold at eleven o clock at night and sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer at the top our lungs. (Jr. High add-ins included, of course) Or the first time my sister and I got to drive somewhere on our own, and we thought it was sooooooo cool. Till we had to drive down Colfax and saw all sorts of scary people. Getting honked at, saying hello to random people as we drove by, playing Mexican music way too loud. All the stupid (But not unsafe mom!) stuff we did..... it was all in that junky blue van.
It looked something like this....

Just maybe with a few more scratches.
Here is a picture of the car it was named after....

Maybe a leetle nicer looking than mine, but still blue and containing crazy people driving around doing crazy things. I am hoping to get a new vehicle by this weekend so I can go places without bumming rides off of people. In case you are interested, here is the car I'm voting for....

Cute, right? I can definitely see myself making new memories in this one =) unfortunately, this is what my mom is vying for....

Not nearly as cute right? And gold cars? yuck. However, I will, of course, be grateful for anything that drives well and gets me where I'm going. (Just especially so if it is yellow.)
And just for kicks, here is the mother of all vehicles, my absolute dream car, the first thing that I would buy if I came into a large amount of money. So if anyone wants to give me one of these, please, be my guest, you'll be my hero forever!

And so, while there are lots of lovely things to drive out there and I'm sure I'll have many in my lifetime, all with different stories and memories, it's like they say, you never forget your first car. (In this particular instance, car and love are interchangeable.) So, Rest In Peace dear Blueberry, you served me well.

Till Next Time....

The Princess

Welcome Baby Ali!

I'm so excited! Seriously, I've been singing and bouncing and practically radiating happiness for the last sixteen hours or so. My aunt had her baby! Little Baby Alison Grace. 
 She is so beautiful, I couldn't help crying a little bit when I got to hold her last night. She was born 8 pounds 11 ounces, two weeks early! She's a big girl that one! Her little squinty blue eyes are so adorable, and so far she has dark hair! I think she should look just like me, don't you? Hm..... At any rate, I couldn't be more overjoyed about this precious little girl. I'm going to miss a lot of her growing up years since I'll be in school, but I'm going to skype that girly, she'll know who I am! I am 18 years older than her, more the distance between an aunt and a niece than two cousins. (In my family anyway) So I almost feel like I'm getting my first niece! I'm going to take her everywhere with me just as soon as she's old enough. Most people don't know this, but she's after named after me! Her middle name is Grace, which just happens to be my name as well. (Something else most people don't know=) So, welcome precious, I hope you enjoy your time on this earth and glorify our Lord and Savior with your whole life. Who knows, this little girl might even be the next....

Princess

Some People

Am I the only one who gets really irritated with people who just won't think? You tell them, they read books, they see signs, everything makes it terribly clear what they are supposed to do or not do. And what ends up happening? Exactly the opposite of course! I think the saddest example of this is when people choose not to accept Christ. It's right in front of them. The Heavens declare the glory of God. It's all layed out in scripture. We each have a conscience convicting us of sin, and the Holy Spirit prompting and telling us whats right. But some people just flat out refuse to see the truth, and because of that obstinacy they lose their eternal souls. But sometimes it isn't that serious of an issue. For example, when you work as a receptionist, you can very rarely actually solve peoples problems. All you can do is hear the summary of what they need and then transfer them to someone who can actually help them! But some people just don't listen! They insist on telling you their whoooooole story, even when it won't do either of you any good! I had a lady call me the other day, and she was definitely in this category. She starts in on her whole long shpiel, and I know right away what department she needs to talk to. So when she pauses, I say in my friendliest little miss receptionist voice: "yes ma'am, one moment while I transfer you to _____!" (You can practically hear my cheerful smile) But she just wouldn't listen! "Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there!" (You can most certainly hear the condescension) And then she continues to talk..... and talk.... and talk...... and tell me all about her problem and how she needs it fixed. (None of which has anything to do with my job description) I have to admit, it was very hard to stay professional and NOT walk in the flesh when she finally finished and waited for me to help her, and I had to say.... "Thank you ma'am, but I can't help you with that, so please hold one moment while I transfer you to _____." (Same department as before!) So now she gets to say the whole thing..... again.

Some People.

Till Next Time.....

The Princess