Lots of reading and work on my movie.

I have been doing a lot of reading over the past couple days.
I started a book called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. The book is written by a Christian and it's about, well, dating. The author talks about his own experiences with dating and why or why not a Christian should date. He tells real life stories and intertwines scriptures into the book. It's really good so far and full of helpful advice! Not that I'm interested in dating anytime soon... Or at all. A friend recommended this book and I've read an amazing book ("Do Hard Things") written by Joshua Harris' younger brother's.
On Tuesday I read a book called "Diary of a Teenage Girl: Becoming Me". Becoming Me is a series of fictional diary entries telling about Caitlyn O'Connor's junior year of highschool. It was pretty good! The author for this book was also a Christian.
After reading two books with controversial subjects I decided to read an easy book so I grabbed one of my favorite books "Replay" off my bookshelf.
After finishing "Replay" yesterday morning I started a book called "Uglies" by Scott Westerfield. A friend recommended this book to me and I am really enjoying it. It is set in the future where every sixteen year old receives an operation that turns them from Ugly to Pretty. Tally, the main character, is about to reach her 16th birthday and she can't wait to turn Pretty. Then she meets Shay, a girl with strange stories about "rollercoasters" and "barbie dolls" and a man named "David". Shay doesn't want to turn Pretty and runs away. Because of this, an organization called Special Circumstances won't let Tally turn Pretty unless she tells them all she knows about Shay and where she went. Will Tally turn her friend in or face being Ugly her whole life?
And that's as far I've gotten in the book. =D

Today I worked all afternoon and part of the evening on my American Girl Twelfth Night movie. I finished two whole scenes. One was very large and had sword fighting in it and the other was small and had sword fighting in it. :p

Tomorrow I have choir and then I am going to have a sleepover with my friend! I can't wait. Unfortunately that means I won't able to update my blog.

See you all on Saturday or Sunday!

The Dog, a really bad cold, and a new board game!

Yesterday afternoon we let Rosey outside and she came back looking like this:

She smelled too... she had rolled in cat poop. So, Daddy took her outside and hosed her off.



Then Mom gave her a bath.



And a haircut.


And now she's all clean and shaved!


I didn't do much today, I have a really bad cold. I've been lying on the couch watching the Cosby Show and filling up the trash can with dirtied tissues.

Check out this Star Trek strategy board game... it's perfect. =D Daddy brought this home as an early birthday/Christmas present for himself from Mom and I (yeah, kind of confusing). I can't wait to play it. It looks super fun.


Here is the inside of the box with all the pieces. The object of the game is to move around the board (made of the tiles you see at the top right of the picture) and finish missions. Things can go wrong though... You could run into a Klingon Bird of Prey or get a visit from Q or the Tribbles!

Here are some of the ship pieces up close.

Until next time...

The ER

I woke up at 8:00 today. Being tired, I kept my eyes closed for a few minutes and tried to go back to sleep. Then I thought I was seeing the visual symptoms I usually get before I get a migraine. Sure enough, I was getting a migraine. The headache part came and then, like usual, I started to throw up. Although it wasn't so much as throwing up as dry heaving, since I didn't have anything in my stomach.
Anyway, I was throwing up every 5-15 minutes for about 5 hours. Mom called the doctor and they told her to take me to the Emergency Room.
So Mom and Dad packed me up and drove me to the ER where they hooked me up to an IV and started pumping liquid and anti-nasua medicine into me. After an hour and a half I was able to go home.
The doctor gave us a prescription for anti-nasua medicine for the next time I get a migraine. He also gave us some advice on how to "abort" a migraine before it comes on.
As well as advice, I was able to pick out a Beanie Baby to take home!


I choose this white kitty cat whose given name is Flip.

I am feeling a lot better now than earlier. I am SO grateful for all those who were praying for me! =) God is truly amazing.

The fair

Although Cody is the "logical" name of the Pillow Pet I will probably call it a variety of names like Jonas Quinn... Or Dog... Or Pillow.
The reason I got the Pillow Pet is because my family and I go on at least two car trips a year to visit family and hauling a regular pillow on every trip takes up space, plus regular pillows aren't that comfortable in the car. On the way home from the fair I tried out lying my head on the Pillow Pet and it fits the shape of my neck nearly perfectly! It's a lot better than a pillow and smaller to! =D I am very happy by the purchase.




My choir concert went GREAT! Our last song is always a salute to all the branches of the military, ending with the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. I always get emotional at the end of the song when we sing that National Anthem but today I got teary during the Pledge. I could barely finish it! And I could barely finish the singing. I don't even know why I get so emotional... I think it's because America is - was - such a great nation... The Founding Fathers worked SO hard to write the Constitution so that we could be a great nation without anarchy or a monarch. Today people want to abolish the Constitution.... They want to change it to the opposite of what it says.
Then you a group of teens together saying the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem in a choir format... All the thoughts of "What happened to our good and moral nation?" come rushing to you and you get overwhelmed. I want to do everything in my power to protect my Constitutional rights.
And that's all I will say for tonight because it's high time I'm off my computer.
Expect more from me on this topic in the future.

Rosey and more sneak peaks

I was torturing Rosey today... I tied her ears back to her head. She was NOT happy. Poor puppy.




And here is a sneak preview for my AG Doll Twelfth Night....


And another sneak preview video of some of the stop motion in the film (because SOMEONE, not pointing fingers - Mom - didn't think my last preview was long enough :p)
Enjoy!



Tomorrow my choir and I will be singing at a fair. I can't wait. We will be singing patriot music, how fun!

Skillet, a sneak preview, and my first day of class.

Because a few of my friends like the Christian heavy rock band Skillet I thought I would post some clips from the Skillet concert I went to over the Summer. Those who don't like rock bands and static-y/bad video quality because the music was so loud, don't watch this video.
Please excuse my singing (on "Happy Birthday Korey"), my "Daddy?" at the end of the violin solo clip, and my frantic "fan girl" screaming at the beginning of the last clip (I'm not gonna spoil it for my friends who are reading this =D)



And here is a sneak preview clip from my upcoming Twelfth Night American Girl Doll production!



I had my first day of classes today. I think they went rather well, if I do say so myself. Today it was mostly getting to know people and getting to know the structure of class. I can't wait until next week.
This week's writing assignment/opinion paper is "Where do your allegiances lie and why?"
Right now my thoughts are, "First and foremost my allegiances lie with God and then with family and friends." I will try construct a paper around those thoughts.
Until tomorrow...

I am rejoicing

I am FINALLY finished with my novel!!! It has been a real struggle.... The program that we (my class and I) are uploading our novels to is poorly constructed so it takes longer to edit.... It has been a painful five days and I am SO glad to be finished so I will NEVER have to use that program again!!

As I said, the past five days have been pretty much solid editing... However, I did take a break on Thursday to go to JoAnn's Fabrics with Mom where she bought me a notebook for school... I can't wait to start using it! =D Originally I had planned to use it as a notebook for short stories when I fill up my current short story book... But this notebook is just so cute I don't know if I will be able to hold back not using it. (Sorry the picture is sideways.)

I made a deal with Mom: I get a pair of socks, I have to throw one away. At JoAnn's I got two pairs of funky toe socks (they're "flip flop friendly") and am getting rid of five or six pairs of socks in return. (Sorry the picture is sideways.)


I also bought this outfit for my dolls (sorry for the bad quality... I have Dad's problem: shaky camera syndrome).


And I also bought these shoes. (Sorry for the bad quality AND for the picture being sideways.)

Then on Friday morning I couldn't resist taking a video of the birds that swarm to our bird feeders. I was lucky enough to catch some action when a Stellar Jay flew in and disrupted the Gold Finch's feeding frenzy.
After I finished taking the video, the Finches came back and brought friends.... There were about 10 or 12 birds on the feeders.



I am exhausted... But extremely happy that my novel is finished! What kept me going throughout the editing process was listening to Harry Connick Jr., Michael Buble, AD, and Ken Medema. Without the music, I probably would've cracked.

Well, I'd better head off to bed. I go back to school tomorrow.
Night night and have a good week!

Just a quick update

Sorry there was no post yesterday... I had one planned out but I was working on my novel literally ALL day (except for the hour or two that Mom and I took to go to the fabric store). I've been working on my novel nearly every spare moment today as well. The program we're using to upload and order our books is FAR from easy and it's got Mom and I stressed out... I've been taking lots of deep breaths. It doesn't help that I'm overly-tired. At least tomorrow is a weekend, I'll get to sleep in.

I had choir today. We received a piece of music that we have to sing in Latin! We tried it out, it's beautiful! I can't wait to hear what it sounds like all worked up. =)

Quote of the day (found by Mom) : Live you life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says, "Oh CRAP! She's awake!"

Expect a large post tomorrow or Sunday and never forget to praise the Lord in whatever your doing =)

Not much today...

I don't have much to talk about today.
I was kept busy all today doing schoolwork. Despite getting up late I got a lot done... Bible, math, Dutch, my science pre-test, 5 pages of a debate book my mom and I are going through, saxophone, piano, and I started the third edit for my novel. I'm quite proud of myself! This has been the most school-filled day since before Summer.
I am exhausted and I think I'm getting sick... Not good! Especially since I have to sing on worship team on Sunday, plus youth group and Sunday school are starting up and I don't want to miss a second of either of them!

Right now, I'm watching Stargate SG-1. They just made a Star Trek quote!! They do that a lot...
The first one was a few seasons ago when Colonel O'Neill was being questioned by someone. Instead of using his real name he says, "I'm James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise." Later he changes his answer and says, "I lied, my name isn't Kirk.... it's Skywalker, Luke Skywalker."
A few episodes ago Colonel Mitchell was in a fight to the death and the character he was fighting gave him a drug so he would appear dead. The same thing happens in a Star Trek episode when Kirk and Spock are fighting to the death. McCoy drugs Kirk.
After Mitchell wakes up in the Stargate episode, he says to the alien that drugged him, "Thanks Bones."
And now in the episode I just watched alternate SG-1's came through the Stargate so there where about 20 different Daniel Jackson's and Teal'c's and Sam's and Cam's walking around. An alternate Mitchell took over the Prometheus (a ship). The real Mitchell askes to speak with his alternate. When the real Mitchell comes in he says, "You don't have a beard so I'm guessing your not from the evil twin reality." In a Star Trek episode, while being beamed up, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and I think Dr. McCoy as well, get placed in an evil reality where Spock has a beard.
I love Stargate... =D

P.S. Happy birthday to my best friend!! Welcome to the emotional rollercoster called the "teen years"
=D

Dolls in trees

I take a lot of pictures of my dolls in trees.... It's something I started while in Minnesota this past Summer. Since then, every time I do a photoshoot of a doll I take at least one picture of them in a tree.
This is the beautiful Jess in... a tree. I believe this is the second picture I took of a doll in a tree... It might be the first. I can't remember.

And here is Kirsten, wearing her Lady Olivia costume for my Twelfth Night production, in... a tree.


I believe this is the first picture of a doll in a tree. It is Jess and I absolutely LOVE this picture of her! Of course, I love all pictures of Jess... She is a gorgeous doll.


Here is a picture that I took today of Jess in a, surprise surprise, a tree!


And the last picture, it's Jess again, in a tree.


So there you have it, dolls in trees! More to come in the future... ;p

Right after I post this I am going to work on the other page on this blog "Meet the Dolls". Make sure to check it out tomorrow, when it should be finished.

Bathtime for The Dog

Rosey got a bath tonight (YAY! She was super dirty)
Enjoy the videos....




And here's a picture...
Woooohoooo!! I finished the 2nd edit of my novel today!! =D I'm having Mom read over it and make notes and then I will edit one final time.... Then it shall be finished!

Busy (maybe not...) Sunday

This morning when I woke up I didn't even have to get out of bed to feel my falls on the ice from yesterday... I had to get up at 7:30 (ok... I got away with 7:38) to make it to worship team practice at church which is at 8:00.
That went well; but the actual worship went even better. I had tears in my eyes by the last song. After singing I had to miss the sermon to be in the nursery. That was fun. Little kids are so cute.
After church was the annual church potluck which was also fun. Although I didn't do much but sit in the sun because by that time I was so sore and stiff I could hardly walk... The food was delicious, as always, and the company was great.
We had to leave at 2:50 to run home and grab my saxophone and then to go to lessons. Guess what I found out? My sax teacher likes Tintin! I was very excited to hear that... He said in his English accent, "Not many people in the United States can say they know about the Thom(p)son Twins." I said, "To be precise."
When I got home I was even more sore than at the potluck so Dad and I played a game of Robo Rally where you have to try move your robot to the #1 on the board. During this, your robot can get in the path of lazers, fall in holes, fall off the board, and a number of other things that end it's short lived existence. It was super fun.
Then I was plagued with not knowing what to do (I'm not calling it boredom because boredom is a choice, and I choose never to be bored) so I started thinking... What's to do on a Sunday evening? Watch this and you'll find out...



P.S. Sorry the captions on the videos aren't showing up that well... In order they say:
Watch a fly crawling on the window
Sing a song
Play piano
Pet The Dog
Play saxophone
Read a really good book
Write a story
Listen to the radio
Watch a sci-fi show =)
With your favorite character Dr. Daniel Jackson =D

Youth Group Kickoff

This morning I was allowed to sleep in until 9:00. Yay!
Today was my Youth Group's Fall kickoff party. It didn't start until 1:15 so I had a long, uneventful morning in front of me... I worked on my novel for a bit (only 10 pages left to edit! =D ) and also did science with my dad. I spent the rest of my morning surfing the net. Finally 1:00 came... Oh no! I had forgotten to water the neighbors plants!! While they are away on vacation, I had promised them I would water their plants each day so they wouldn't die. I hurried over to their house and started watering immediately. Man do they have a LOT of plants... It seemed to take longer than it did partly because I was watering in 80+ degree weather and I was wearing jeans (due to the fact that the first part of the youth kickoff was at an ice rink). Finally I finished and ran back to my house, sweaty and hot. After a quick change of shoes Dad and I headed off to church where we were meeting the rest of the youth. Shortly after we left for the ice rink where we were to play broom hockey.
Broom hockey is SO fun!! I was on the red team and stayed near our goal protecting it most of the time. Yes, I fell... Yes, it hurt... Yes, I will be sore tomorrow. No, my team did not win. Oh well, I had a LOT of fun. =D
After that the youth group went to a nearby park to go swimming in the pool and to have a BBQ. Swimming was fun. I believe we stayed in about two hours... I was a prune by the time I got out.
I ate a hot dog, as I am not fond of hamburgers. There were also Doritos and watermelon (yummy!) and Oreos!
For the last ten or so minutes I was taken for a walk by our youth group mascot. She's an adorable little red-headed 1-year old baby who is the daughter of one of my youth leaders.
When I got I home I practiced my saxophone and took a well needed shower... Now I sit watching the show Stargate and typing this... I'm sooo tired I can barely think about writing full sentences the right way so I apologize for any mistakes.

And now, a cute video of Rosey playing with another treat (with all the treats we've been giving her she's becoming quite fat).

An exhilarating story, among other things.

As I lay in my bed, trying to drift into the great abyss of sleep I heard a "scritch scritch" that seemed to be coming from inside my wall. As it was nearing the 12 0'clock hour, and as I was nearly asleep, and as I fear strange noises (especially in the dark of night) I jumped to the conclusion that it was either a rat scratching along the inside of my wall (that has happened before) or it was a ghost. The later I dismissed almost instantaneously.
Perhaps I imagined it?
No. There was the noise again. It almost sounded like something was making my shades bang... Was my window open? I pulled the curtains up an inch and no, the window was shut securely.
There was the noise again! Without a second more of hesitation I darted from my bed to my parent's room where Mom was reading some sort of quilting magazine...
"I think there's something in my wall. I keep hearing noises coming from there." I said in a whisper so I didn't wake my slumbering father. Mom got out of bed and followed me back to my room where we lay in silence, waiting for the noise to make itself heard.
There it was.
"What is it?" I said in a small voice, cuddling up next to Mom in fright.
"It sounds like a bug stuck in your window shades!" Mom said. I relaxed. Good, it wasn't a rat! Although a bug was nearly as bad.... The light was turned on and the shades pulled up. Out flew a crane fly.
"I'll go get a shoe to kill it." said Mom and presently left my room. When she came back neither of us could see the crane fly... There it was! We must have looked quite comical, Mom waving the shoe wildly, trying to hit the long-legged flying creature. And me, cowering on my quilt, scared of a bug.
Whap! The shoe narrowly missed the crane fly.
"Where did it go?!"
Neither Mom nor I could find it. We moved pillows, stuffed animals, my bed, the dog... By now our sleeping canine had gotten in on the chase and was jumping around frantically, thinking it was a game.
Just as Mom was about to leave my room in defeat, I spotted the fly behind my door. Two hits from the shoe insured it's certain death and I was able to sleep peacefully, knowing my room was safe from bugs.
Bug-Killer-Mom-Lady saves the day once more!! My hero.... Thanks Mom! =D

Today I have spent the morning editing the novel I have been writing this Summer... No matter how much I edit, I end up having 11 pages left to do. Will it never end??

The choir I am in started today. It was nice to get back to choir; the director's really fun and kid-friendly. Her husband, who plays piano for choir and co-directs, is going to be my new piano teacher!
We are singing 6 songs including a tobyMac song, Simple Gifts (it's a gift to be simple, it's a gift to be free), and a song in latin! That will be exciting.
I think that next year I will try to find a more advanced choir to participate in.

Tonight Daddy and I went to a family game night at church. It was really fun! I played two games of Triominos, three games of Dominoes, and three games of Uno. Snacks are a must while playing games so we crunched and munched on sweets all night. I'm looking forward to brushing my teeth tonight. =)

My mom forwarded an email on to me (which I sent to some of you readers) about The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Arlington Cemetery. It has been guarded 24/7 for the past 81 years (since 1930). While guarding The Tomb, a guard walks 21 steps to signify the 21 gun salute which is the highest honor given to a soldier or foreign dignitary. After 21 steps the guard turns around, waits 21 seconds (for the same purpose) and then walks 21 steps again. The guard is changed every 30 minutes.
Each guard commits 2 years of his life to guard The Tomb. He lives in barracks underneath The Tomb and promises not to drink any alcohol or swear in public for the rest of his life. For the first six months of duty, a guard can't talk to anyone but instead has to learn about all the notable people buried in Arlington Cemetery and commits to memory what he learns.
After two years of serving are over, a guard receives a wreath pin. A guard must follow the rules above (no drinking or swearing for the rest of his life) or the pin is taken away.
The email says that in 2003, as hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington D.C., Congress took a two day recess to get away from the storm. The military officers guarding The Tomb were given permission to suspend their assignment but they declined saying that guarding The Tomb was not just an assignment, but an honor. They stayed, guarding, walking 21 paces, waiting 21 seconds then started again, in the pelting rain of the tropical storm.
Now THAT is integrity. I think that is so amazing. I ask myself, would I be able to do that or would I give in to the temptation of going off duty for a few days? Then I start thinking about my generation of teenagers. Instead of learning to be people of integrity, like those guarding The Tomb, very many teenagers of this generation are on drugs, drinking alcohol, partying, having sex and babies, among other un-Godly behaviour. Think back to three hundred years ago, in the 1700's. People didn't act like that. People like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Lafayette strove to be moral men. At 15, 16, 17 years old they weren't out partying, they were studying to become someone, something, great. George Washington became a land serveyer at age 18, and he was one of the best around. People may say, "Oh well... I could never be like Washington. He was born great." Here's what I have to say to that,
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
George Washington is just like me and you. The only difference is he decided he wanted to make something of himself, set his mind to it, and did it. We can do anything through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). And we can do anything we set our mind to do. Personally, I am striving to be a moral and knowledgeable person so I can make a difference in this sin-filled world.
In the end it comes down to one question. How far are YOU willing to push yourself?

***Edit*** I received another email from a friend of a friend's friend who said that some of the above information about the guard duty may be a bit exaggerated so don't quote me. As I have not done any research myself (I am too busy) I cannot say whether either email is true or not. If the subject interests you, please feel free to search it and post your finds as a comment. =)

P.S. Happy Birthday to my favorite cousin!! May your day be filled with Mario, Nerf, and lots of cake! =D

Perelandra and Rosey

Since this is Dolls, BOOKS, and Things that matter, I thought I'd better tell you all what I'm reading.
Currently I am reading two books. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe; I am reading it for my upcoming classes.
The second book is "Perelandra" by C.S. Lewis. Perelandra is the second book in Lewis's space trilogy.
The first book ("Out of the Silent Planet") starts with the main character, Ransom, walking around the country side on what is called a "walking tour". Lewis liked to take these to; he was often accompanied by his brother. We follow Ransom as two professors kidnap him and bring him to Mars via spaceship. On Mars, or Malacandra as it's called by it's inhabitants, Ransom runs away from his kidnappers because he overheard he was going to be a Human sacrifice.
In the second book Ransom goes, on his own accord, to Perelandra (Venus). I'm on the 8th chapter, I believe. Let me tell you, it is SO hard to read!! It's SO deep. I think that Lewis's characters are talking about God and faith and creation but they're almost talking in metaphors so it's kind of hard to understand at times. It's fascinating, though. I love it.
One of the elements of the book that I'm really enjoying is Ransom's attitude towards the new things he encounters on both Mars and Venus. He discovers things as if he's a baby discovering his toes or fingers for the first time. He's in great wonder at the things on other planets and experiences things with innocence, like a child. In sci-fi TV shows things are very much different. You see a lot of the same things as you see on our planet... Trees, furry beasts, even Human-like aliens.
More about this book coming soon; when I actually finish it! =)



And now just cute video of Rosey playing with a treat.

New garage door, Doll Trek and Movie trailer

Today we got a new garage door...
Here is the before picture:



Here is the new garage door on the truck of the man who installed it.



He had an ADORABLE chocolate lab hanging out the window...


Meanwhile my dog was... well, watch:



We weren't too happy with Rosey today.... Although you don't see it in this video, she was barking like MAD! Hence the panting.

And here is the new garage door!


Here is what you've all been waiting for.... DOLL TREK!! =D Here is a stopmotion/live action doll film I made based off of Star Trek. Pause it as soon as you start it to read the black/blue synopsis at the beginning (turn your sound on).




Here is a trailer for an American Girl Movie I am making.... (turn your sound on). Yes, it IS Shakespeare. =) It's the play I was in two years ago.

Orthodontist and only God is awesome

Around four years ago I walked into my orthodontist's office for the first time. I can just imagine being a bit frightened about what was going to happen to my mouth... I had an expander put on the top of my mouth. My mom had to use a little wrench to turn it every day. Slowly it moved my teeth out and made my mouth bigger. A little less than a year later I got something stuck underneath my expander and couldn't get it out. It was very painful. My mom took me to the orthodontist and he took my expander off a month early (yay!). After that I had a retainer for awhile. After the retainer I had headgear to wear at night. Finally, not even two years ago, after a very long process, I got my braces on.
This morning I got some joyous news... I will get my braces off at my next appointment! =D Six weeks is a long time to wait...
When I first got my expander off I couldn't stop feeling the top of my mouth, since I hadn't felt it for nearly a year. I think I will have the same sensation when my braces come off and I can feel my teeth once more.

Can you believe I can't find any AD songs on Youtube?? Instead I use Grooveshark, a website my saxophone teacher told me about. You can look up any song or artist and listen to their music for free. It doesn't even require an account. Plus, it's legal.
Now I sit listening to the song "You are the distance" by the band AD. I find the lyrics to be very true. I especially like the chorus:

You are the distance, but oh, so near.
How can the one I love be the one I fear?
There is no peace 'till You choose to appear.

Perhaps I will listen to a bit of Ken Medema... He is a truly amazing artist. He sings tell Bible stories and the piano just flies under his fingers... It's hard to imagine he's blind and can't see the keys. One of my favorite songs from Ken Medema is "Sittin' in the Window Prayin'" which tells the story of Ananias "Sittin' by the window prayin', waitin' for the break of day" when God calls him and tells him to go to to Saul and talk to him. Ananias is shocked "Don't you know that he's got orders from Jerusalem to put us all in jail? Don't you know that he's got orders from Jerusalem to run us out of town on a rail? Don't you know that he's got orders from the powers in Jerusalem... Do you know all that? Do you want me to go still?" In the end he goes (but he stops to buy a bagle). When he reaches the place where Saul is he rubs the mixture of mud on his eyes and "Instead of a enemy, see's a friend." It is truly a wonderful song and a wonderful telling of the Bible story.
My other favorite Ken Medema song is "Wade in the Water". Two semesters ago when I found out we would be singing Wade in the Water in choir I was overjoyed. It was lovely, but not like Ken's version. In Ken's version he changes some of the words to tell the story of the man healed by, I believe it was the disciples. The man had been lame for 45 years (I think... I haven't listened to the song for a few months) and then one day he was healed and was able to walk into the healing fountain. Ken Medema's version is breathtaking... His piano skills are amazing. Parts of the song sound like rushing water. He truly has a God-given talent.

As I listen to these powerful songs I reminded of something my pastor has said in church a number of times.
"Only God is awesome."
Since hearing that in his sermons I try to use the word "awesome" less and only save it for when I am describing God. If you think about it, awesome should only be a word for God.
Webster's 1828 dictionary of the English language (it's huge, but the best dictionary around) describes awe as: " Fear mingled with reverence and admiration. Reverential fear."
As Christians, we fear God (Psalm 19:7-11 "The law of Yahweh is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of Yahweh are trustworthy, making wide the simple. The precepts of Yahweh are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of Yahweh are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of Yahweh is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of Yahweh are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.") in reverence and admiration.
As I said above, I try to use the word "awesome" less. Instead I say "cool" or "amazing". Sometimes "awesome" seems like the only word to fit what I'm trying to describe and I use it... But I feel a nagging in my heart as if I've said something wrong.
Only God is awesome.
Food for thought. ;)

P.S. Happy birthday Grama (Mom's mom)!! I love you. =D
Also, happy birthday to my friend's brother!
And to Freddie Mercury (the band Queen's leader singer).

"First" day of school.

Today was my official "first" day of homeschool, although my co-op classes don't start until the 20th.
The day started with my alarm waking me up at 8:00. While discussing the upcoming school year with my mom we decided I would be getting up at 8:00 every morning.... So far so good. Although it wasn't so much getting up as rolling out of bed with a grunt...
Moving on.
My Mom and I are going through the book of Acts in the Bible. Currently, our pastor is also going through Acts in his sermons. We are about 11 chapters behind him.
Today we read about Paul and Barnabas preaching in Pisidion Antioch. I remember our pastor's sermon on the verses we read... It was very good.
The Archaeological Study Bible we own is very interesting. It has pictures and facts about the places and people in the Bible.


Next in the day came math. Math is my weakest subject... I am trying to get through this math book (nearly finished!) by the start of my classes.
Teaching Textbooks is a very good curriculum. It comes with CDs that go into the computer that explain everything in the book. And if you mess up, it explains what you did wrong and how to fix it.
Since I don't understand math, the CDs work really well for me.




After math on the computer I did Dutch on the computer with the program Rosetta Stone. I enjoy Dutch where you repeat what the program says and hope you get the pronunciation right.
Today I learned, "Mijn trou is bruin"
Or, "My sweater is brown"
Not too hard....


After that I took a break for a lunch of a polish hotdog on a hoagie bun with ketchup, mayonnaise, and potato chips. Although no the healthiest it tasted good!
After lunch I did some creative writing with a writing kit my friend gave me for my birthday. It gives you a prompt for everyday of the year and you have to write a short story or poem or report about the first thing the prompt puts in your mind. Sorry the picture is sideways... I can't fix that.


Science is my second least favorite subject.
My dad does science with me and today we learned about water... Well, we were supposed to be learning about water. But instead this chapter was about gasses and how to categorize molecules (at least... I think they were molecules).


My mom showed me this piano/solo song a few months ago. I sung while she played and then I decided I wanted to play it. I haven't thought about this song since then... Until today. I pulled it out and played and fell back in love with it. It has a fun piano part and singing part is gorgeous and has very joyous lyrics about Christ rising from the dead.


After science I played this board game with Dad. He won...


And then we played this board game. He won again.... (Sorry about the quality of the picture... I don't know what happened).


I also played my saxophone tonight. I have been playing the same song for three weeks. Not because I can't pass it off, but because my teacher hasn't had me play the song yet. Oh well, it's a hard song, I'm grateful for the extra time to practice it.


Oh look! A cute dog!

Welcome to the Blog! and American Girl Doll Place

Hello and welcome to the first post on my new blog! Check back often for new updates.

Yesterday my parents and I went to the American Girl Doll store. I bought three outfits and the doll wheelchair. Below I will show a picture of the outfit and my review of it.

Here is Rebecca's School Outfit modeled by the lovely Samantha.
I love this outfit. It's simply adorable. The sweater is pretty heavy, perfect for walking to school on a cold winter's day. The buttons on the sweater are a bit hard to do and undo, just like real buttons.
The shoes are very similar to the shoes that come with Samantha's Sailor Outfit, except these are black instead of black and white. These black boots are much easier to get on the doll than the black and white ones. These have velcro on the back, while with Samantha's sailor shoes you have to do up the tiny buttons on the side.
The tights that come with this outfit are made of the same material regular tights are made of. They are a very clear white and I can get them on my doll very easily.


This is what the outfit looks like without the sweater. Underneath, instead of a separate skirt and shirt we find a dress. I like how it is one piece. It makes the outfit stay straight on the doll. The skirt of the dress is absolutely ADORABLE!! I love it. It is black and white checkers and pleated.


The final item that came with this outfit is the hair ribbon. It is made out of a study fabric and ties nicely. For $28 you get an outfit that has great quality, is very cute, and comes with many pieces! Way to go American girl!


Here is the second outfit I bought. It is called the Cozy Sweater Outfit and it is modeled by lovely Jess. I LOVE this outfit. American Girl only came out with it recently, on the 30th of August I believe.
The sweater is very high quality, although it feels like it could stretch easily just like a real sweater. The sweater is knitted which makes it very cozy and soft. I wish I had one!
The pants are stretchy, gray, tight, sweat pants.
The shoes are knitted as well with two buttons. The only way to get them on is to pull them on. I found this hard to do this and it took me about 5 minutes. Eventually you figure out a way to shimmy then on and over the gray pants. Although it is hard to get them on, the shoes definately make the outfit and are very cute.
This outfit also comes with a stretch one-piece hairband.


The final outfit I bought was an exclusive outfit - meaning you can only get it at the AG store(s). Kit is modeling this outfit and looks as if she should be on the beach with sunglasses and some sort of tropical drink!


The shirt says American Girl Seattle. At every AG store I go to I get a T-shirt with the logo and the name of the store I went to.


The pants are very adorable. They are very detailed and look exactly like something you would find at the mall.


The final thing I bought was the American Girl wheelchair. I bought it for my handicapped doll Rena (who you will see more of later in this post).
This wheelchair is very high quality. When you push it away from you it rolls straight, despite it's front "shopping cart" wheels.


Here is Rena being pushed by Kit.


The chair has actual brakes that work!


My Dad enjoyed the AG Store to...



This is Ezri Dax from my favorite TV Star Trek. Star Trek has 5 different TV Shows (Original, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise) with different characters.


I got my doll Rena for $6 at our local Goodwill thrift store. Her skin was very dirty, her fingernails painted, and her bangs chopped off. I wanted to re-wig her but my Mom convinced me to let her cut Rena's hair to see if it could be styled differently.
I was surprised and happy to find that the outcome of the haircut makes Rena look a lot like Ezri Dax!




My Mom and I have plans to make Rena a Star Trek uniform just like Ezri's! Pictures soon.
Stay tuned until next time...