So... I have been a very bad blogger. I haven't posted in awhile, I never told you whose quotes those were from before, I forgot it was Friday the other day and didn't post the next section of When God Writes Your Life Story, etc etc etc. I sorry!
So, let's start with the basics: I'm still alive. I'm doing well.
Those quotes were as follows:
"If I ever show the slightest bit of arrogance, please call me."
"You better have call waiting 'cause that'll be one busy phone line."
"What's come over me? I'm hugging a cat!
"Do us a favor. I know it's difficult for you, but please... stay here and try not to do anything... stupid."
Quote numbers one and three were both correctly guessed a few times (here and on facebook) but nobody got number 2. That's okay, though... I guess the movie isn't as well known as I thought. SO...
Quote number one was Myles Leland (the third!) and co-worker Lucy from Sue Thomas, FBEye
Quote number two was Gussie Maussheimer from An American Tail.
And last, but not least, quote number three was Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
Here are my Florida pictures, as promised. It's kinda sad 'cause nobody has commented on them. =( http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2096237&id=1166874469&l=c909a6db96
You should also check out these pictures. A girl I follow on Twitter tweeted the link, and I thought it was cool enough to share. =D
Okay... one more thing. I know a few people who have started Vlogging, or video blogging. I think that daily is too much, but what if I did a video every week or even only every other week? Would anyone be interested?
When I was younger, and I suppose even now, I loved princesses. My favorite princess was surprisingly not a Disney heroine. Forget Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle - the whole lot of them! I loved to watch the Royal Diaries movies from our library. These three movies told the stories of Elizabeth 1 of England, Cleopatra, and Isabel of Spain. Isabel was my favorite, hands down. She was SO cool!
Awesome clothes, a great prince, etc etc etc. When I first read about her in history, she became 10 points cooler because she allowed Columbus to discover America. So far as princesses and queens went, she was definitely tops.
And then I read Lysbeth: A Tale of the Dutch by H. Rider Haggard. And I found out the truth.
Today is the anniversary of my former favorite's marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon. The awesome prince in the movie. The cruel Catholic Monarch in real life. Through the Spanish Inquisition, Ferdinand and Isabella saw to the burning of thousands of Christians in order to purify their country. Catholicism and Catholicism alone would be the religion of Spain if they had their say. The torture methods used on the Christians of Spain were indescribably terrible. I remember crying as I read some of the stories in a history book I checked out at the library.
My first impressions were wrong.
How many other times have I been wrong in my first impression? More times than I could count. It's important to search out a matter before coming to conclusions, whether it's judging people you've just met or hearing stories about old friends. Searching things out really applies to a lot in life. Sometimes it's what's beyond the surface that makes all the difference.
I had a great vacation in Florida! My grandparents treated me like royalty the whole time. I spent time at the pool and the beach, went to Busch Gardens and SeaWorld, did some shopping in a Greek village and at a pier, and saw some manatees. I took WAAAAY too many pictures, but I'm glad I did. Once I have them all up on facebook, I'll share the link here. =D
Fall is finally here! I think it arrived in Colorado while I was in Florida. I love the crispness of the air. You know, I hate to say it that way because that's the way everyone says it... but I love it! hehehe
A few movie/TV show quotes for you to guess! I had so much fun with this awhile back that I thought I'd throw a couple in here for you. =D
"If I ever show the slightest bit of arrogance, please call me."
"You better have call waiting 'cause that'll be one busy phone line."
"What's come over me? I'm hugging a cat!
"Do us a favor. I know it's difficult for you, but please... stay here and try not to do anything... stupid."
Sorry I've missed posting more from When God Writes Your Life Story the last two Fridays. Hopefully I can get back into my groove and do that every week. Right now I'm trying to decided if I need to break the next chapter up into three segments. Do any of you have an opinion? I could do one really long post, one condensed (but missing a few things) post, or a couple of shorter posts.
Today is the anniversary of one of my favorite stories in all history. I do kinda have a lot of favorites, but this is near the top of my favorites list. :)
A lot of people I talk to have never heard of Sergeant Alvin York. Maybe you never heard of him yourself. But his is a story that I would highly recommend.
I was first introduced to Sergeant York through the old black and white film, which I love. Because his story interested me so much, I got the book that includes York's journal.
Al York was a crack shot, but he had a drinking problem. He wasn't really a great guy, to tell the truth. But then he got saved. It made all the difference in the world. Getting his life cleaned up and serving in church, he really had become a new creature.
Not too long after York accepted Christ he was drafted to fight in World War One. Because he was intent on following Christ and knew that killing was against the Bible, York appealed the draft. After a denial, he went to training camp.
Long story short (because I'm a bit busy with Florida life), York found that sometimes the only way to prevent killing was to kill. When most of his troop was wiped out in France, he almost single-handedly captured 132 German soldiers. I can't even tell you how incredible the story is. Of course, the movie makes it even more incredible than it really was. Movies tend to do that.
Anyhow, if you're not familiar with Sergeant York, you should read the book and watch the movie! They're both pretty good. =)
Mrs. Reed looked up from her work; her eye settled on mine, her fingers at the same time suspended their nimble movements.
"Go out of the room; return to the nursery," was her mandate. My look or something else must have struck her as offensive, for she spoke with extreme though suppressed irritation. I got up, I went to the door; I came back again; I walked to the window, across the room, then close up to her.
SPEAK I must: I had been trodden on severely, and MUST turn: but how? What strength had I to dart retaliation at my antagonist? I gathered my energies and launched them in this blunt sentence -
"I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed; and this book about the liar, you may give to your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies, and not I."
Mrs. Reed's hands still lay on her work inactive: her eye of ice continued to dwell freezingly on mine.
"What more have you to say?" she asked, rather in the tone in which a person might address an opponent of adult age than such as is ordinarily used to a child.
That eye of hers, that voice stirred every antipathy I had. Shaking from head to foot, thrilled with ungovernable excitement, I continued -
"I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty."
"How dare you affirm that, Jane Eyre?"
"How dare I, Mrs. Reed? How dare I? Because it is the TRUTH. You think I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of love or kindness; but I cannot live so: and you have no pity. I shall remember how you thrust me back--roughly and violently thrust me back--into the red-room, and locked me up there, to my dying day; though I was in agony; though I cried out, while suffocating with distress, 'Have mercy! Have mercy, Aunt Reed!' And that punishment you made me suffer because your wicked boy struck me--knocked me down for nothing. I will tell anybody who asks me questions, this exact tale. People think you a good woman, but you are bad, hard- hearted. YOU are deceitful!"
Ere I had finished this reply, my soul began to expand, to exult, with the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph, I ever felt. It seemed as if an invisible bond had burst, and that I had struggled out into unhoped-for liberty. Not without cause was this sentiment: Mrs. Reed looked frightened; her work had slipped from her knee; she was lifting up her hands, rocking herself to and fro, and even twisting her face as if she would cry.
"Jane, you are under a mistake: what is the matter with you? Whydo you tremble so violently? Would you like to drink some water?"
"No, Mrs. Reed."
"Is there anything else you wish for, Jane? I assure you, I desire to be your friend."
"Not you. You told Mr. Brocklehurst I had a bad character, a deceitful disposition; and I'll let everybody at Lowood know what you are, and what you have done."
"Jane, you don't understand these things: children must be corrected for their faults."
"Deceit is not my fault!" I cried out in a savage, high voice.
"But you are passionate, Jane, that you must allow: and now return to the nursery--there's a dear--and lie down a little."
"I am not your dear; I cannot lie down: send me to school soon, Mrs. Reed, for I hate to live here."
"I will indeed send her to school soon," murmured Mrs. Reed sotto voce; and gathering up her work, she abruptly quitted the apartment.
*Reads first article of the latest news on Voyage of the Dawn Treader*
*Makes confused/incredulous face*
*Rereads news*
*Makes shocked and frustrated face*
*Reads second article of Dawn Treader news*
*Screams madly, pulls on hair, bangs head on any and all hard surfaces nearby*
Fox, if the whole Narnia franchise completely blows up in your face, let me say this one thing: You richly - oh so richly - deserve it!
... I will be on a plane headed for Florida! I am SO excited! One thing that makes my trip sound even better is the fact that I won't be flying standby. Flying standby didn't really bother me before, or at least I didn't think it bothered me. I wouldn't mind flying standby again, to tell the truth. Yet at the same time, I find that I am *very very much* happy to know for sure that I have a seat on a specific flight and will be arriving at a specific time. =)
Here's a picture from the last time I was in Florida. (I was 4) I think my grandparents live in the same place, so maybe I can ask my grandpa to take a picture of me jumping into the pool again. HAHAHA It wouldn't be nearly as cute, though! =P
I had thought before that I might be able to blog while I'm in Florida, but now that's not such a sure thing. My grandpa is having some computer issues. I'll blog if I can, but I'm not going to make any promises.
By the way, thanks again for the lovely comments you all leave! <3 What do you think of Disqus? Do you want me to go back to the way things were? Do you guys ever look back at your comments to see when I reply to them?
And now I'll leave you with a portion of one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite books. Here is a bit of the scene in Jane Eyre where Mr. Rochester and Jane are parting ways for a time.
[Starting with Mr. Rochester speaking]
"You go to-morrow, then?"
"Yes, sir; early."
"Shall you come down to the drawing-room after dinner?"
"No, sir, I must prepare for the journey."
"Then you and I must bid good-bye for a little while?"
"I suppose so, sir."
"And how do people perform that ceremony of parting, Jane? Teach
me; I'm not quite up to it."
"They say, Farewell, or any other form they prefer."
"Then say it."
"Farewell, Mr. Rochester, for the present."
"What must I say?"
"The same, if you like, sir."
"Farewell, Miss Eyre, for the present; is that all?"
"Yes."
"It seems stingy, to my notions, and dry, and unfriendly. I should like something else: a little addition to the rite. If one shook hands, for instance; but no--that would not content me either. So you'll do no more than say Farewell, Jane?"
"It is enough, sir: as much good-will may be conveyed in one hearty word as in many."
"Very likely; but it is blank and cool--'Farewell.'"
Here is the same scene in my favorite movie version of Jane Eyre.
Perhaps it really doesn't have anything to do with my short trip to Florida, but I love any excuse to share my favorite things. =D
So, then, my dear blog friends, Farewell for the present.
Well, okay... It's just the weekend. But it's been great! =) Last night we had some friends over for dinner. We ate a lot, talked a lot, and laughed a lot. It was a lot of fun! The only downside to the night was that one of our friends lost his wedding band in our back yard. There is a *lot* of grass back there to go through!
This morning my mom, Erica, and myself went to a seminar on being a good church pianist. There was a lot of good teaching! Putting it all into practice will be the hard part. I wish I could just overnight become a good pianist without having to work towards it.
Oh... I forgot to mention that yesterday was Julie Andrews' 75th birthday! Happy Birthday to her! I'm sure that since she's an actress, she's done some things I wouldn't approve of, but I love her voice! Here are a couple of the songs I love to hear her sing: (I was surprised to find that my favorites haven't all made it onto youtube)
And now, my friends, I will share with you the sad story of the Red Scarf Penguin.
It was a warm Thursday in September when a teenage girl went shopping at her favorite thrift store. She found much to make her happy, but narrowed her choices down to a couple of books, a lovely skirt, and a cute - adorable - little stuffed penguin with an amazingly soft red flannel scarf. This girl decided that the penguin was too expensive, so she went to put him back. But he looked at her with those cute little eyes as she put him down, and she knew that she must have him. So off to the cash register this teenage girl went, happy with what she had found, and pleased with herself for overcoming her instinctive cheapskatedness. (Okay, maybe not that last part.) The friendly man at the cash register made jokes as he rang up the girl's items, she laughed and cracked a joke in return. Then the two bid each other a good afternoon and the girl left. When she got home, however, she discovered that there was no penguin in her shopping bag. The girl enlisted the aid of her little brother and they searched the car. She also investigated every part of the house that her shopping bag had been in. It was useless. There was no penguin to be found. Sadly, she told her mother of her predicament. So it was that Saturday morning found the girl marching purposefully into the thrift store, receipt in hand. But the lady behind the cash register would not help her. "The man who helped you is not here to verify your story. I won't be cheated out of two whole dollars just on the story of some pretentious young lady." Crestfallen, and maybe a bit angry, the teenager went to search for her penguin. It was nowhere to be seen.
One week later, the girl's mother decided to try and get a refund. It took some smooth talking and persuasion, but she finally accomplished her goal. She happily went to report her success to her daughter. But lo and behold, it was discoverd that only half of the money had been refunded! Unwilling to cause further trouble for the already unhappy manager, the mother decided that the daughter would have to be happy with half of her money and no penguin. The daughter was *very* unhappy. She went to look through the stuffed animals again to see if her penguin might have shown up. The penguin wasn't there, but a cute little elephant was. Now this may not be common knowledge, but this girl happens to collect stuffed elephants. She sighed and picked up the elephant, which she soon purchased with her refund from the penguin.
This girl hereby resolves to never complain about the penguin again, no matter how woeful the situation is.
Should I name my new elephant, "Penguin", or is that not a good idea?
P.S. Thanks to the amazingness of Google, the above picture is actually identical to the penguin in the story. *sniff sniff*
Hello, everyone! I have started to read When God Writes Your Life Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy. It will be my third time, if I remember correctly. I hope to go through it one chapter each Friday until I'm through. Next Friday I will be in Florida, but I hope I'll have time to schedule a post before I leave.
Chapter One, The Endless Frontier had a lot of good stuff in it. I think you all would get much more out of reading the book for yourselves rather than just reading what I have to say. In this chapter, a lot is said about kids and their great imaginations and unconquered spirit. Children have that extra dose of faith in life that makes anything seem possible.
So what happens? Why is it that when we grow up, we have little to no faith? God Himself is lovingly penning the pages to each of our lives, He has infinite power, and He has promised us *so* many things. Yet we stay huddled up, stuck around a cozy campfire instead of conquering that endless frontier and doing great things for the faith. The Ludy's said it this way:
As little kids, we gravitate towards the impossible like moths to flame. While the older and "wiser"among us are caged in by their knowledge and maturity, little kids are free to dream impossible dreams and pursue impossible lives.
Are you familiar with that wise and mature caged in feeling? I think a lot of Christians today are. I am. Dreaming impossible dreams is too impractical.
Our Christian lives sadly play out more like PBS documentaries on the history of saddle stitching rather than the awe-inspiring epic adventures. It seems Hollywood is the only place we find conquering, heroic lives these days.
No joke. Many of the Christians I know, including myself, are quite happy with their mediocre lives. Leave the conquering and exploring to others. We'll support these wilderness Christians financially or even through prayer, but becoming one ourselves? No way! (I'm not belittling the importance - necessity - of praying for and financially supporting missionaries and other servants of Christ. Just so you know.)
Now here's a passage I found especially convicting:
We get one step ahead of the culture, and then, for some strange reason, stop all forward movement. The majority of us may be one step ahead of the world when it comes to purity, spiritual disciplines, knowledge of Scripture, and understanding the problems of society. But what if being one step ahead of the world is ten thousand steps behind where God desires to take us? [...] Unfortunately, today's Christianity breeds settlers rather than pioneers. It has bred men and woen who no longer comb the wilds of God's grace. And it's time we realize that knowing Christ is an endless frontier---a frontier into which we have taken but one measly step.
I'm pretty settled in, truth be told. Not just to the point where I've pitched my tent in a comfortable spot and stayed. I've actually built myself a nice home. What kind of shakeup will it take to get me back on that frontier, camping out on the goodness and faithfulness of God?
When will I step out and be ready to experience the ultimate adventure with the Author of my life?
