Jane Austen Giveaway

http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog/2010/03/20/a-perfectly-lovely-giveaway-and-sale/comment-page-8/#comment-48168

Go check out this awesome giveaway!

Wonderful Weather of Colorado

Thursday afternoon I had an appointment at the chiropractor's. As I opened the car door, I was assaulted by a blast of heat from inside. Our temperatures were near 70 degrees. It was 2:00 in the afternoon.

Wanna know the weather forecast? Blizzard warnings starting at 6:00. From 70 to snow in four hours, peeps. =D

My sis and I bought flip-flops at Old Navy, wore them home, and put them away. It snowed all day yesterday and is supposed to snow more today, so we're wearing boots instead.

And don't think I'm complaining, 'cause I love it!

P.S. Monday is supposed to be around 70 again with possible snow on Wednesday. hehe I love it right now... but I do hope that the weather will make up it's mind!

Our World Explained

She takes the knife and slits her wrists. The cuts aren't deep - she won't die - she's done this many times before. The scars line up like ladder steps.

He puts on his eyeliner. It's heavy blackness matches his t-shirt and baggy pants. The empty gaze that meets him in the mirror reflects a night of wild partying. But no one cares.

He laughs as he pushes past the speed limit, his companions laughing and yelling their encouragement. This high is like none other. And the speed... He'll never tire of the speed.

She takes a deep breath and nods her head in acceptance. She'll be at his house tonight. Who cares if she ends up pregnant?

Want me to paint more pictures? I can. Why? Because this is the world we live in. And it can be summed up in just three words. Three words that almost made me cry.

I was on my way home from the chiropractor this afternoon when we passed a train. The bold green graffiti letters refused to be ignored. Someone, somewhere, recognized the problem and stated it for the world to see.

The question?

What are YOU going to do about it?

A Tag

I post devotions... nobody comments. I don't know if anybody even reads them. I post about my life... a comment or two. Then I post a quiz or more of my book. *kerpowee!* Comments. LOL So is that what ya'll want me to be posting?

My new-found friend Lindsay just recently did this quiz, so I thought I'd do it, too. Enjoy!

1. High heels or boots? Hmmm... heels. It really depends on my mood and my outfit, actually.

2. What time did you get up this morning? 7:34

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I’ve never been.

4. What is your name? Emily. Why do you ask? LOL

5. What is your favorite TV show? Leave it to Beaver and Sue Thomas. Not that much alike... but yeah.

6. What do you usually have for breakfast? A wide variety of things. Cold cereal, hot cereal, breakfast burritos, coffee cake, muffins, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, and egg sandwich, toast, English muffins. Variety is the spice of life!

7. What is your middle name? Rose

8. What food do you dislike? Seafood, generally speaking. Though I make exceptions for some tuna and an occasional salmon burger.

1. What is your favorite CD at the moment? The Dear Frankie soundtrack is what I listen to most... but So High The Price is probably my favorite right now.

10. What characteristic do you despise? When people think that they’re really cool (or really hot) and show off.

11. Favorite clothing? I don’t really have any right now. I don’t think.

12. Anywhere in the world on vacation? Europe

13. Are you an organized person? Sometimes. I’m actually more organized than I appear to be. lol

14. Where would you retire to? Some place in the Rocky Mountains

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? My 13th birthday, I guess.

16. What are you going to do when you finish this? Go out for a walk. It’s a gorgeous day!

17. What is your Birthstone? The amethyst.

18. Person you expect to publish this first? Nobody in particular.

19. When is your birthday? February 14.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night, for sure.

21. What is your shoe size? Usually an 8 or 8 1/2.

22. Do you own any animals? One cat. I dream of owning a dog, though. =D

23. Any news you'd like to share? I need to come up with $150 so I can go to Arizona this summer. No allowance... no job... maybe I should try sitting on a street corner? hahaha

24. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? A missionary. A mom. A farmer’s wife.

25. What is your favorite flower? I love lots of flowers, but forget-me-nots and roses make the top of the list.

26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? May 28... Graduation!

27. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Some shade of green, most likely.

28. How is the weather right now? Springy! =D

29. Last person you spoke to on the phone? I think it was my mom. Yeah, it was.

30. Favorite drink? Lemonade. [Note: this changes on a frequent basis]

31. Favorite restaurant? Qdoba. Mmmmm....

32. Hair color? Brown.

33. What was your favorite toy as a child? Grand Champion horses.

34. Summer or winter? I like both!

35. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate. At the moment.

36. Coffee or tea? Tea - no question about it!

37. Wish you were still young? I’m pretty happy where I’m at. =D

38. Do you want your friends to publish this? That would be great!

39. When was the last time you cried? Seems like sometime last week.

40. What is under your bed? Scrap-booking and card-making stuff.

41. What did you do last night? I read one of my journals, wrote in my current journal, and read my Bible.

42. What are you afraid of? Snakes.

43. Salty or sweet? Sweet!

44. Best quality you have? I don’t like this question. =P I’m not a very good judge, so don’t expect me to answer!

45. How many years at your current job? Um... 18 for being a daughter, 12 for being a student.

46. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday. I think.

47. What four people will you tag? Amber, Becky, Mary, and Erica. [Edit: Becky already did it... but I don't think I'll tag anyone else anyhow]

Youtube Tuesday - Did You Know?

Today I'm going to share a couple of videos with some facts about today's world. Some of you will have seen the first one because you got the email awhile ago from The Rebelution. Anyhow... mute the music and enjoy the facts!

The Looking Glass Chapter Four

You guys have absolutely no clue how happy you've made me. There are two - count 'em, two!! - people who want to read more of The Looking Glass. Yay! Thanks so much, you guys! Here is chapter four. Once again, if you're joining us a bit late, here's the previous posts:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four:

Holly clutched the handle to her suitcase and readjusted her purse and backpack. She couldn't believe that she was finally on her way to France! The last few days had been pretty crazy, but totally worth all of the trouble. Holly's best friend Bex was on vacation, so Holly had left a note in their secret mailbox. As close as she and Bex were, Holly hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Bex about Aeroth. She had simply said, "Bex, Jared and I have kinda made up, so he wants me to come to Europe with him on his graduation trip. I'll call you if I get a chance. Luv ya, girl! Hols"

"Holly, keep up, squirt!" Jared called over his shoulder, "You'd think we were taking you to prison with you walking so slow!"

Holly grinned and said, "I was thinking."

"That's why you were going so slow," Jared teased, "Not very good at multitasking, are you? Walking and thinking at the same time..." he let his voice trail off as Holly stuck her tongue out at him. She broke into a trot to catch up with him, then matched his pace with only minor difficulty. Their parents were just a little ahead of them, Mrs. Spencer was almost more excited than the kids.

"It'll be the first time I've been to Europe in 20 years!" She said happily. "Remember our honeymoon, sweetheart?" Mr. Spencer smiled and nodded. "I went a couple of times before that, too. I love France and Italy! I sometimes think it would be a good idea to move there!"

Mr. Spencer laughed and said, "Living there would be totally different than vacationing there. I'd have to work, and you'd have to clean. It would be the same life in a different location."

Holly couldn't help bouncing a little in her seat as the plane took off an hour later. She turned around to smile at Jared, who was in the seat behind her. He chuckled a little, finding his sister's enthusiasm contagious. Not that he needed more enthusiasm! He ran a finger along his camera and grinned, leaning forward.

"I'm glad I got a window seat, but those stupid wings!"

"They're the wings that are taking us to adventure!" Holly admonished. "Hopefully one of our flights will have a better view for you. And better windows, too. My window is filthy! You'd never get a good picture!"

Jared brushed his hand along his window and nodded in agreement. Holly turned to face forward again and settled in for the trip.

"Agh," Holly moaned, "How can a person be so tired and achy after sleeping for so long?"

"Are you going to be okay, dear?" Mrs. Spencer asked.

"I'll be fine." Holly craned her neck, looking at the airport. "It doesn't look all that different," she commented, "I don't know why, but I was expecting a French airport to be different somehow."

"Try talking to someone and you'll figure out that there is a big difference," Jared said, rolling his shoulders. "Man! When I first got on that plane I thought, 'Wow, this is a spacious plane.' but now I'm seeing that even a spacious plane is rather cramped!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Mr. Spencer talked to a man at a desk, then steered the family through the airport. A moment later they were loading their luggage into a taxi and heading for the hotel. The drive was a quick one, and before Holly knew it, she was in a hotel room. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer would share one bed, Holly would sleep on the other, and Jared would use the couch. Holly bit back a grin as she thought of her parent's conversation.

"One room?" Mr. Spencer had asked in surprise.

"Yes, dear. This whole trip is going to be expensive, so I'm just trying to save money in any way that I can!"

"But the trip is for Jared, and you know he's not going to have Holly sleeping on a hotel couch. The guest of honor is going to have the worst sleeping place!"

"Jared wants to go camping for pity's sake! He's not going to mind being stuck on a couch! A hotel couch will be a great deal more comfortable than the ground!"

Holly flopped down on the bed and sighed. "I love Paris already!" she said, "This bed is so comfortable!"

"Well, get ready to go eat some dinner, then we can come back and you can sleep in it."

"What's the order of events, mom?" Jared asked from the doorway.

"Did you guys want to rough it first and come back to relax and recover? Or relax in preparation for roughing it?" Mr. Spencer asked before Mrs. Spencer had a chance to answer the question.

Holly bounced on the bed as she said, "Let's rough it first!"

"Jared?"

"I'm with Holly. I want to get out there and see the rugged woods. It's supposed to be a full moon on Saturday night - I wish I could be in the city and in the country to get pictures, but the moon rising over a tree out in the country will probably be my top pick for a good shot."

"Okay. We'll get you guys on the bus tomorrow, then," Mrs. Spencer said.

All through dinner and as she lay in bed that night, Holly couldn't stop thinking about how close she was to discovering the truth of her grandfather's tale. She was in France now! Maybe within 24 hours she would be in another world! Holly sat up and stepped over to the window, looking out on the beautiful city. Glancing outside, she saw a bright star hanging above the city.

"Star light, star bright," she whispered, "First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. Please let Aeroth be there!"

"Holly!" Mr. Spencer hissed, "Get in bed. There's a lot to do tomorrow and you won't want to be tired."

"Yes, sir." Holly said quietly, jumping back into her bed. She suppressed a squeal of excitement, wriggling down into her covers before dropping off.

"We get off at the next stop." Jared said. There wasn't even a hint of excitement in his voice, but Holly knew that it was just a cover-up. Jared had been unable to eat either breakfast or lunch. Usually he ate three meals a day with enthusiasm in spite of his snacking all day long. She craned her neck to look out at the French countryside. It was rather nice, but she couldn't seem to focus.

"Jared," Holly said, "You should take a picture of that little farm over there."

"I'll get it some other time. We're taking the same route back to Paris, you know."

Holly nodded, then her mouth dropped open. "Jared!" she hissed, glancing at the other passengers, "Grandpa didn't tell me how to get back!"

"Someone will know. I hope." Jared said quietly, "But let's not talk about it now. I really don't want anyone getting an idea of what we're doing."

The last 15 minutes of the bus ride seemed like an eternity, but as Holly shouldered her backpack and followed Jared out of the bus station, she realized that the trip had been much quicker than she had anticipated. She picked up her pace as she noticed that Jared was getting ahead.

"Aren't we going to call a taxi?" she asked.

"Why should we? It's only about a mile into the woods, then we just have to find the cottage."

"I'm getting scared," Holly admitted before she even knew what she was saying, "We're going into a forest basically trying to get lost!"

Jared laughed. "Don't you trust me to get you out all right?"

"Get me out of the woods, yes. But there's nothing that we can predict about Aeroth! I might be eaten by a giant or something!" Holly shuddered.

"I thought the giant was killed when Jack cut down the beanstalk."

"Ha ha," Holly said, "That's very funny. Not all of the stories of our world have been recorded in our world, so how can our world have recorded all of the stories of another world? There's probably a lot more giants."

"That's confusing, but I see what you mean," Jared replied. He stepped off the sidewalk of the small town and headed toward the line of trees that announced the edge of the forest. Holly stayed right behind him, her heart thudding loudly. This was it! They were going into the woods that would either prove their grandfather's story, or prove his insanity. Sticks crunched under their feet as they entered the woods. Holly bit her tongue and said, "How big exactly is this forest? Is there a chance that we could wander here all weekend and not find the house?"

"I suppose that would be a possibility," Jared said, "But I'm thinking that we'll get there. We know which side of the woods it's on, and grandpa found it within a few hours."

"But it must be somewhat hidden," Holly countered, "Otherwise a lot of people would know about Aeroth. Unless this descendant of Snow White just really liked grandfather and only told him even after such a short acquaintanceship."

The two walked for 45 minutes, and Holly was beginning to feel tired when Jared said, "Hey, this looks like an old trail! I don't think it's been used for awhile, but it sure looks like a trail." He turned off onto the little path, his own energy apparently renewed. Holly felt herself shaking and wondered if Jared was even half as tense as she was. They continued down the trail for another half an hour before Holly found herself yelling, "Jared! I see it! There's a little cottage!" She broke into a run, Jared following her lead. When they reached the little house they found that it was falling apart and very dirty. Jared knocked on the door but gave no time for an answer. Holly wasn't even sure why he had knocked. If there was anyone in the house, they would have been dead for awhile for the house to look this bad. As they stepped through the door, Holly caught her breath. There against the wall was a big, beautiful mirror.

See, What a Morning!

Most mornings I wake up with less-than-happy thoughts. "Aw, man! It shouldn't be 7:00 already, I just got to sleep!" Or "Oh, boy... killer headache and I haven't even opened my eyes." I won't depress you with any others.

Whether my thoughts are cheerful or not, I always wake up with a song stuck in my head. Sometimes it helps my mood, sometimes it doesn't. On occasion, the song itself will be lighthearted enough, but it only sours my mood because it's such a stark contrast to my feelings. Songs like... Almost Like Bein' in Love from Brigadoon. LOL Other songs get annoying as they play over and over and over again. Find a wheel and it goes round, round, round as it skims along with a happy sound. As it goes, along the ground, ground, ground... Anyhow... I like that song well enough as long as it doesn't stick with me for too long. (That's Perry Como, in case you wanted to know)

Where am I going with all of this? This morning I woke up with an amazing song stuck in my head. I don't know how many of you have picked up on this, but I love love love the Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team. You should really look into their music if you're not already familiar with it. These are the lyrics that brightened my day as I stumbled out of my bed this morning.

See what a morning gloriously bright
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem
Folded the grave-clothes tomb filled with light
As the angels announce Christ is risen
See God's salvation plan
Wrought in love borne in pain paid in sacrifice
Fullfilled in Christ the Man
For He lives Christ is risen from the dead

See Mary weeping, "Where is He laid?"
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb
Hears a voice speaking calling her name
It's the Master the Lord raised to life again
The voice that spans the years
Speaking life stirring hope bringing peace to us
Will sound till He appears
For He lives Christ is risen from the dead

One with the Father Ancient of Days
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty
Honour and blessing glory and praise
To the King crowned with power and authority
And we are raised with Him
Death is dead love has won Christ has conquered
And we shall reign with Him
For He lives Christ is risen from the dead

Can you say awesome? As wonderful as these words are, you really need to hear the tune to get the full effect. I would definitely recommend getting the album So High the Price by the SPET. To make everything even sweeter, Steve Pettit's albums are available on iTunes. The songs on So High the Price are amazing... I want to post all of the lyrics here! Instead, I'll just share one more song: The Look

I saw one hanging on a tree
In agony and blood
Who fixed His loving eyes on me
As near His cross I stood
And never till my dying breath
Will I forget that look
It seemed to charge me with His death
Though not a word He spoke

My conscience felt and owned the guilt
And plunged me in despair
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there
But with a second look He said
“I freely all forgive
This blood is for your ransom paid
I died that you might live”

CHORUS
Forever etched upon my mind
Is the look of Him who died
The Lamb I crucified
And now my life will sing the praise
Of pure atoning grace
That looked on me and gladly took my place

Thus while His death my sin displays
For all the world to view
Such is the mystery of grace
It seals my pardon, too
With pleasing grief and mournful joy
My spirit now is filled
That I should such a life destroy
Yet live by Him I killed

I hope that these words are as much of a blessing to you as they have been to me.

I Call Him Seth, and He is Mine

My brother. Those of you who haven't met him are really missing out on a lot. =D Perhaps you have little brothers of your own to make up for your loss, though. Today I'm going to share a couple of things Seth has said this week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Seth loves pretending to be a cowboy. This morning he showed me his "cowboy boots with spurs" (they look remarkably like tennis shoes! LOL) "They're made out of turkey skins," he told me, "that's why they're so colorful!" hehe

We've been watching Secrets of the Ocean Realm, a five-hour series about sea life. I LOVE this series and would recommend it to anybody. There are a few evolutionary statements, but not nearly as many as there could be. =D Anyhow... little rabbit trail, there, but I just thought I'd share that. Seth has loved watching them because Finding Nemo is one of his favorite movies, so he's enjoyed the sharks, turtles, clownfish, whales, etc. Well, he told me the other day that he was a "crab shark" and that these amazing "crab sharks" live off of... cactus! LOL

I know there's at least 10 other funny things Seth has said recently, but I can't think of them right now.

There are two people who read this blog who I have promised posts to. The reason it's taking me so long is that most of my posts take very little thought and I can just whip them out and post them. These two posts are in the works but take a larger amount of thought and/or research. My apologies for the time it's taking!

Partay!!!

A couple of people from blogs I follow have done posts about a blog party that they found... And being the party person that I am, I decided I'd join the fun! So here are some questions and answers I thought I'd fill out for the party. =D

1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why? Evening, especially in the summer. The satisfaction after a day of work or play... the slowing down feeling. Ah...

2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of? Qdoba. And pizza and cinnamon rolls.

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be? That, my friends, shall remain a secret. =D

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot? *ahem* Okay... I'll go for something not too embarrassing... like snakes. Yeah. Snakes. {And here is where I do the unbelievable and post a picture.} (And here is where I do the believable and change my mind)

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be? Oh, boy... tough question. Probably the Love Comes Softly series. I'd be... a female character. LOL

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be? To be athletic. A good ice skater, actually. I would SO love to be a good ice skater!

7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation? If money were no object, I'd go on a tour of the world. If I had to pick one location, though... Pemberley. =D



8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing? 50's and 60's music or sacred.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be? Do you even have to ask?????



10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be? This is a tough question, too. I think sometimes that I'd like ANY time period. Right now, though, I'd say the 40's or 50's. Big band music, awesome radio shows, drinking sodas at the soda shop with friends, poodles skirts, etc etc etc *sigh* I love 50's diners! Johnny B Goode's and all those other unhealthy places to eat. *grins*



11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be? Green or brown.

12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey) Today I'm fighting some serioius allergies, so I'm Sneezy. Other days I might classify as Dop... I mean, I'm usually Sneezy.

13. What's the last album you listened to? LOL Funny you should ask... The Fabulous Fifties. =D A little Perry Como, Dorris Day, etc. Happiness!

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you? Ever since I saw my first winter olympics, I've wanted to skate. =D That interest is renewed every time I see the winter olympics or any other skating show. Even watching Sue Thomas, FBEye makes me want to skate! (Fans of the show will prolly know why) \

The End. hehe

Jewelry Giveaway!

Hey, everyone! I have some exciting news for you! One of my blog friends (one of the few I've actually met in person!!!) is having a giveaway! Go check it out! =D

The Looking Glass Chapter Three

I didn't think that anyone was even reading this, much less enjoying it... but yesterday I was asked if I would post more. In case you're interested and haven't read the previous two chapters, chapter one can be found here and chapter two can be found here.

Holly groaned as she woke up. She had fallen asleep while reading about the Princess and the Pea, and now she had a crick in her neck. She pulled on her bathrobe and ran downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal. She rolled her head around on her shoulders as she pulled the milk out of the refrigerator.

"Someone was up late last night," Jared commented from his seat at the table.

"Mmmm," Holly moaned, "I couldn't sleep."

"You look like you didn't sleep. You should take a shower or something."

"Thanks, Jared."

"I have to go mow our lawn and the neighbor's lawn, but I'll call Mrs. Peters when I get home. Good luck with the trunk!" Jared said, pushing his chair back and grabbing his baseball cap. Holly yawned and nodded. "See you later."

After eating breakfast and taking a shower, Holly ran into the garage. The trunk was in the corner behind the old kitchen table and chairs, so she went and moved the furniture around until she could sit in front of the trunk. Pulling the lid open, she peered inside. "Wow," she muttered, "Who'd ever figure that so much stuff could fit in a little box?" She pulled out a quilt. It had been grandma's favorite. Holly sniffed it, imagining grandma's apple pie, then gently laid the quilt in her lap. Searching through the trunk she found fair ribbons, grandma's wedding dress, old photographs, grandpa's uniform, recipes, an ancient camera, birth certificates, an old Bible, and countless other things. There were at least three journals that belonged to grandma, and Holly put these aside to read later. It didn't look like grandpa had ever written anything. There weren't even love letters! Holly was almost done when the garage door opened and Jared came in.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"Well, there's a lot of neat stuff in here, but nothing that will help us. What about Mrs. Peters?"

"She couldn't really tell me much, but she said that she's pretty sure her dad kept a journal. We can come and look if we want."

"Where does she live?"

"It's about five and a half hours from here. If we left at four in the morning, we'd be there by ten. We could talk to her, look at the journals, and hopefully be back by dinner time. If dad will let us take the car."

"That's a big if. And what about gas money?"

"I'll miss a couple of dates with Casey while we're gone, so I'll use that money on gas."

Holly began placing things back in the trunk. "I hope dad says we can go. But how are you going to explain it to him. You can't just say, 'We're trying to get into the land of fairy tales' or anything like that."

"I'll just tell him part of the truth. We want to see exactly where grandpa was, so we're going to look at his best friend's journal. It may seem a bit overboard, but as long as I'm paying for the gas and all, hopefully he won't mind."

The next hours until dad got home moved slowly for Holly. She was reading through her grandma's journals, which was interesting, but she had a hard time focusing. Excitement and questions bubbled through her. After reading the fairy tales last night, Holly had realized just how magical Aeroth was. There was so much potential for a great time! At the same time though, there was a big possibility that Holly and Jared might run into evil. "If it even exists," Holly thought, reminding herself for the millionth time that there still wasn't any proof.

Finally giving up on the journals, Holly went into the bathroom and pulled out a mirror, looking at the reflection of her reflection, she sighed. Nothing. "What did you expect anyhow, you bonehead?" she muttered, slamming the mirror down on the counter and stomping away. Just as she reached her bedroom door, she heard her dad pulling into the driveway. "Jared!" she yelled, "Jared! Dad's home!" She ran down the stairs and flew out the door.

"Dad! Can Jared and I go on a trip tomorrow?"

"We're already going to France, what more do you two want anyhow?"

"We want to know exactly where in France we're going," Holly said mysteriously. "See, there's this old war buddy of grandpa's that kept a journal, so we're going to go get it so we can know for sure where grandpa was."

"Is that okay with this man?"

"Oh, he's dead already, but his daughter said that as long as we return the journal, we can have it for awhile."

Mr. Spencer nodded. "We'll see. It sounds like an invasion of privacy."

Holly rolled her eyes at her dad's back as he walked into the house. "Sounds like an invasion of privacy," she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!"

"Sorry, but I really REALLY want to do this dad!"

"I said we'll see. Don't ask for more than that until I know for sure just what you two have up your sleeves. For the last three years Jared has hardly even spoken to you, then suddenly he wants you to come on his special trip with him. The great photographer wants to visit boring old fields and forests instead of seeing exotic creatures first-hand. I don't know how to process all of this, so just give me some time, okay?"

Holly nodded silently. She thought to herself there's that point that parents reach when even agreeing with them aloud can send them over the edge. It's like they're just waiting for you to open your mouth so they can blow up, so even if you say something nice, they're ready to bite!

As Holly was getting ready for bed that night, her dad called up the stairs, "Okay, you guys can go. But for pity's sake be polite! This woman just recently lost her father!"

"Yes, sir!" Holly called down. Jared knocked on her door a moment later.

"You need me to wake you up in the morning?" he asked.

"No, I'm good. I'll set my alarm."

"Okay. I'll see you downstairs for breakfast at 3:45, alright?"

"Absolutely!"

Holly quickly got into bed, hoping that she'd be rested for the drive tomorrow. At least she could sleep while Jared drove. He'd have to stay awake the whole trip. After sleeping so badly last night, Holly went right to sleep and didn't wake up until her alarm went off in the morning. She quickly got dressed and ran downstairs. Jared wasn't in the kitchen yet, but Holly immediately started to make sandwiches. By the time Jared came down, she had made sandwiches and packed them up with apples, carrots, and a case of Dr. Pepper.

"Are we just going to grab cereal?" Holly asked, "Or did you want to scramble some eggs?"

"Cereal works for me," Jared replied, opening the pantry and pulling out the raisin bran. Holly wrinkled her nose and said, "Lame. I'll take some cinnamon toast crunch." Jared pulled out the other box of cereal while Holly grabbed spoons and bowls. After eating a quick breakfast, the pair threw their lunch in the back seat and started out. Holly had thought that she was wide awake, but she discovered rather quickly that she wanted more sleep.

"Did you want me to stay awake?" she asked Jared, "I feel bad sleeping when you have to stay awake the whole time, but if it doesn't make any difference to you, I'll take a snooze."

"Go ahead. I'm fine right now, but I might need you to help keep me awake on the way home."

Holly nodded, then yawned. Soon she was asleep again. When she woke up it was 6:30. "We should be there in three hours, right?" she asked. Jared nodded. "Do you think," Holly asked slowly, "that we might be chasing after something that doesn't really exist?"

"I can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind," said Jared, "but I think that the thought that this just might be real will make up for any trouble we go to."

"I can just see us in a few years laughing about the time we tried to leave earth." Holly said with a sigh.

"Really? What I see is us in a few years recalling the exciting times we had in a magical land."

Holly found herself laughing and saying, "Your fairy is still alive!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Suppose that Peter Pan is a true story, too. If every child has a fairy for as long as they believe in fairies, then your fairy is still alive. I've been rather surprised at how willing you are to believe in all of this, Jared."

Jared shrugged, then said excitedly, "Do you think my camera will transport? Wouldn't it be great to get a picture of a genie?"

Holly's eyebrows shot up, "Yeah! I guess so! Never would've thought of that myself, though." She turned and smiled at her brother. "Is that what you're most excited about? Running into a genie?"

"Well, I'd like to see the beast, but he's been transformed. What about you?"

"I wonder if Hansel and Gretel's house is still there? Maybe it's all been eaten by now. I keep thinking how much I want to see certain things, but then I remind myself that we could just be chasing nothing."

"I don't think Grandpa was ever insane."

"Neither do I, but it just sounds so impossible!" Holly exclaimed. Jared nodded and was quiet. The two were quiet for most of the rest of the trip. Holly was glad to be spending time with her brother, but she didn't want to annoy him by talking too much. The last thing she needed right now was for him to get all grown up again and start thinking of her as the annoying, immature little sister again.

When they finally pulled up the long drive to the Peters' house in the country, Holly was more than ready to get out of the car. She jumped out and stretched, walking around the car before following Jared up to the door. Jared glanced at Holly as he rang the doorbell. "I was going to tell you to behave, but I suppose you don't need the reminder."

"No, I don't. But you decided you'd remind me anyhow, I see." Holly laughed to ease her sarcasm, and Jared followed suit. "I guess I was indirectly reminding you, but I didn't really do it intentionally."

The door opened, and a man who probably looked older than he was opened the door. "Come on in, kids, the wife is expecting you," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the living room. "She just had to get some banana bread out of the oven, but she'll be right in."

"Thank you," Holly and Jared chorused.

A few minutes later Mrs. Peters came in. She smiled broadly as she said, "I'm so glad you called! Jared and Holly, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jared said. Holly just nodded.

"I went to look for Dad's old things, and I found the journal for you. I stayed up late last night reading it. I never knew before that my father wrote poetry!" her voice cracked as she said, "I can't thank you enough for making me go through all of that stuff. So many memories."

Jared looked a little uncomfortable as he nodded, but Holly smiled. "Did you get to read the whole thing?" she asked, "I would hate to take it from you if you're not done. Maybe we can just glance through it or something."

"Oh, don't worry, dear, I finished it," Mrs. Peters said, "And I'd love for you two to take it and visit as many of the places as possible. Maybe you can even take pictures if you think it's worthwhile. I would love to see some of the places my father talked about in his writing."

"Jared loves photography, I'm sure he'll take lots of pictures," Holly said enthusiastically.

"Wonderful!" Mrs. Peters exclaimed. "I guess I'll just go get that journal for you now. Would you care for some banana bread and a glass of milk?"

"We don't want to be any trouble," Jared said.

"Oh, you're no trouble at all! I'll get you some and maybe I can tell you a few things I remember my daddy saying about your grandpa. Perhaps you will have already heard all of the stories, but maybe not."

"I'd love that!" Holly said happily.

It was 2:30 by the time Jared and Holly left the Peters' house. It had been a wonderful day, and Holly was glad to have been able to talk about her grandpa so much, but as they got into the car, she turned to Jared and said, "Man, I feel bad. We've practically been lying all day! She thinks we're just really into history and our grandfather's past specifically, but we're not."

"I know what you mean," Jared said, "But there's not really anything we can do about it. The last thing we want to do is to advertise all over the place that we not only believe in other worlds, but are trying to get to one. There would be some people that would want to lock us up, and others who would try to beat us to where we're going. Aeroth would end up as a big tourist attraction!"

"You're right," Holly sighed. She fingered the journal in her lap. "I can't wait to read this!"

"Shouldn't I read it first? I probably know more geography, so I could plan our trip out of it, then you can read it."

"How about I read it out loud on the way home to help keep you awake?" Holly countered.

"That would work."

Holly opened the journal and began to read. It started off with so much day-to-day stuff that Holly found herself skipping bits and pieces. When she reached the point where Mr. Carson was on the way to Europe, Holly stopped skipping. She didn't want to miss a thing. The mentions of her grandfather became more and more frequent as the two soldiers bonded. The light faded as they continued down the road, Holly still reading aloud. She had to turn on the light in the car so she could see, but she kept reading.

"Jared! I think this is it!" Holly exclaimed after finishing one journal entry. She continued reading about the number of men who had been lost in the woods, and how no one knew if they were dead or alive. Lieutenant Carson found himself worried about two in particular: His buddies William Crow and John Spencer.

"So we know where they were," Jared said, "Now we just need to figure out how to get there."

**Update**

Okay. So very sorry to blog three times in one day... and about Voyage of the Dawn Treader twice, but I just had to share with someone (real or imaginary) the wonderful news. You know how I mentioned one thing I wasn't totally happy about in my previous post? Well... here's the update!

There will be no witch in VotDT!!!!

Me being happy--------------------------> =D

Little Random Pieces

First off, my dear friend Amber brought it to my attention that maybe, just maybe, my lack of followers has something to do with the fact that there is no 'follow' button on my blog. *gasps* There used to be... but it disappeared. So as of 4:00 this afternoon, there is now a 'follow' button down near the bottom of the right sidebar. Please use it at your earliest convenience! =D
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Everyone seemed to really like the idea of the helpful hints post that I'm going to be doing. In fact, so many of you were happy about it that I am now afraid that the post won't live up to everyone's expectations. So how about giving me a lift? If you know of something that you think would be useful for everyone to know, leave me a comment to tell me what it is! I have several things on my list, but the more the merrier!
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I am 1/4 of the way through my algebra now! I took the test this afternoon and I think I did pretty well. I hope. For those of you who are not aware of this, my history with algebra is VERY long and VERY sad. LOL So I have 3/4 of it left, and only 3 months 'til graduation. Not really an ideal situation, but I'm going to make the best of it.
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I'm going to be reading When God Writes Your Life Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy again and I wanted to know: Is anyone interested in reading through it with me? It might be a good book to have discussions on. It's been awhile since I read it, but I know I was blessed.

So Exciting!

Whether or not ya'll have managed to pick up on this, I'm not sure, but the truth of the matter is: I am a Narnia nut. I love the BBC and Focus on the Family audios, the oooold movies, the books, and every other little Narnian thing I've come in contact with. That's why I love narniaweb.com so much. It's a great place for anyone who finds Narnia to be one of the coolest places not on earth. LOL

So... what am I getting at? I got an email today from Narnia Web that made me immensely happy. A little hesitant about one thing, but I'll overlook that for the joyful news.

The last conversation between Aslan and Lucy is being left intact! Aaaannnd... the part where Aslan says that He has another name in our world is going to be included as well! Yayness!

Last, but by no means least, the story of Eustace becoming a dragon is not being toyed with as much as I had thought they would. I have high hopes that it will be left unchanged, but right now I'm just happy that the main details of it are the same.

Anyhow... That's my post for right now. I'll try and post again later!

Youtube Tuesday - Going Nuts

Today I'm going to share with you some songs that my sister and I used to sing multiple times (in a row, even!) almost every time we got in the car. I think that we probably drove my mom close to the edge of insanity. LOL

That, my friends, is a very small sampling of what my mom went through. Two little girls in the back of her car singing at the top of their lungs... songs that were about as annoying as they could get. I hope you won't all be mad at me for getting these stuck in your head! =D