¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo, Amigos!

Oh wow, stop the presses, I'm writing! Er, wait, does that mean I should say "start the presses"? idk.

My life for the last bit has been fairly routine. Work, church, crashing at home. Maybe reading some Shakespeare when I feel like it. Oh, geez, Hamlet is due tomorrow...better finish it tonight hehe. It's really really awesome. I would love to go see the actual play sometime.

Speaking of shows (although of an altogether different sort), I am going to a Relient K concert on May 30 at the Wonder Ballroom. I don't think you really realize how much fun that will be for me. I have been into this band since I was a preteen, and now I'm going to get to see them live. I know I know, it's just a show, not like meeting them or anything. But to me it IS a big deal. And some good friends of mine are going to go with me, so it'll be a fun evening.

Paul and Ethan are coming home from college soon! For Paul it's just a visit, but Ethan will be here all summer. :) I hope that there's some overlap time in my and Ethan's Home Depot jobs...that would be so fun to work with him. Although I think I'm starting to get a little more comfortable talking to the other people working there...I'm not really used to being the "new" person somewhere. Usually it's "new" people that come to my church, so it's tougher this way. But guess what: God threw open the door for me to give these people some WORD. lol but seriously, it's true! It's not all the time that someone hears you're a Christian, so they say to you, "I'm open to talking about that." I am so excited but so scared! I'm not a strong person, so being the one who is supposed to know the answers is intimidating. But I'm praying, and I would be thankful if you would too.

Steps for Life is coming up fast. I hope you can be there, whoever is reading this! I am so thankful that I got that whole day off work. It is so important to me to be there, since not enough pro-life people go each year. That is starting to bother me rather seriously. Pastor's right: how many people went to Luis Palau's big party? Thousands. How many go each year to the Walk for Life? A few hundred. What is wrong with our brains....

I don't know if you've heard of the fashion designer Christa Taylor. She's a Christian who designs and sells modest, beautiful clothing for women online. She also has a blog that talks about fashion, current stuff going on, and moral issues. I saw her at the Steps for Life last year (I didn't introduce myself because I wasn't sure it was her), but I found out that she's going again this year. Soooo I sent her an e-mail asking if she would maybe do a post on her blog talking about the PRC and the upcoming walk. She wrote back about three days later saying that "it couldn't hurt!" I was very happy! idk how many readers she has in this region, but maybe God will use it somehow. Either way, I'll be happy to meet her at the walk!

A Good Day.

Today Jeff came over...twice! :) The second time he came over he drove his motorcycle, which was kinda cool. I have kind of gotten used to the idea of a motorcycle being a feasible means of transporation, but when he drove away I still felt a little scared and uttered a short prayer. So, yes, it still seems dangerous to me. But it is ooookay. I will not worry about it...-_-

But anyway, when he was here, we destroyed some stuff in the backyard. First we pulled apart that old, broken couch swing. That was pretty easy, so we worked on the playhouse. Yes, the playhouse is completely obliterated. I won't lie; I'm a little sad about that. I have some fun memories with that thing, and I know that the little kids will miss it when they come over in the summer. But it's okay, at least it gave Jeff something to ax down! hehe he was laughing when he saw how fearful I was of that ax. Come to think about it, he was laughing at me the whole evening! Oh well, I suppose I make an entertainingly dumb sight oftentimes.

Today in my writing class, I was assigned to write something that is my favorite memory. I had two choices in my head that I bounced back and forth between. I finally chose Bible quizzing, which has had a profound and very positive impact on my life, mostly in the way of relationships. If there was one time I could ever go back and relive, that would be it. With almost nothing done differently. Isn't it rare how often that happens! Even the best memories will sometimes have something that you wish you could go back and fix. It's a treasure when something is a blessing from God from beginning to end, no doubt about it.

The other thing that was runner-up was actually an evening I had this last campout. Jeff, Bek, me, and Jason all went out and talked on the docks. I got to lie down and watch the stars during that time, and it was really good conversation. I'd hung out with Jeff before, but never really gotten to know anything all that deep. It felt good to be able to have a conversation with someone that is completely serious, but still really enjoyable. And of course I loved talking to Bek. I don't get to see her all that often, only once a year usually. She's more mature than a lot of people give her credit for, I think.

I'm supposed to be in bed right now. I'm not tired. But I will go to sleep now, because I know that I'll be zonked in the morning if I don't. :(

Trapezii. I feelz dem.

I haven't been on a computer in two days, and I didn't miss it at all! Yesterday morning we went over to the Sires/Naish house and did some moooooving! I actually really enjoyed it, my muscles are pretty sore (in the good way). After a beautiful day, we left mid-afternoon to get me to the library. I shelved for two hours , then went back to Jeff's house for some more moving! Then I went to Meymey's house for a sleepover. Well, actually we went to the Potts house till like 1:30 or so. Elder Dave helped Mike with their bathroom while we sat around (except for the bathroom run/Doritos coveting trip to Fred Meyer).

Next day, we started out at Permapost wheeeee. Not all that exciting, but I learned that dancing with a vacuum can be rather fun when one puts in their earphones. :P We then went over to Jeff's again, which is pretty much where we spent the rest of the day. Megan, Janelle, and I packed up the kitchen; Jordan and Bill washed out the nasty fridge; Drew and Jeff put up sheet rock.

All this sounds not all that great, but I really had a great time. I mean, come on: I spent like a day and a half with some of my best friends, just a really good feeling. Of course, there was the whole episode tonight...ugh. I suppose if I get into it again, I'll just get me and certain readers of this frustrated all over again. But let me clarify that any anger I felt (or still feel, actually) is tempered by the fact that I still love them and always will. I hope you feel the same...?

I wrote today. I did! It's a four-stanza poem, and it's been in my back pocket since this afternoon. It's not half bad...okay, yes it is half-bad. But I think it's half-good too. Maybe just because it's something, but I feel better about my "ability" to write now that I have something down on paper. Maybe someday I'll start putting my real writing on this blog; it's all stashed away somewhere.

Lily likes Sour Sixteen

Today was Valentine's Day. But more importantly, it was Lily's birthday party! We went to the ice rink, which was surprisingly un-packed. I am not by any means good at ice skating, but I still had fun. And I didn't fall down, so that's something! Afterwards we went to Megan's house for some ice cream and Bill's presents. The Loynes family and I all pitched in and got Lily a very nice airsoft gun, which she definitely liked. Perfect timing too: Loyneses are having an airsoft war pretty soon. Even if I have to borrow one, I am going to be there. Airsoft is amazingly fun, even for someone with no shooting skills like me. So now Lily is 16, and I'm 18. Is anyone else seriously freaked out by that fact?

This makes my fourth post in a row that is ridiculously short. I'll get back into normal posting soon.

"It's my-ee aighteenth birthday-ee tuhday-ee!"

Although I hate that character (and was sort of glad when she died...I'm a spiteful creature!), I've been saying that line all day and will continue to chant it till tomorrow! :D

Which means that today is my eighteenth birthday! Daddy took me out to breakfast eeearrly (I got up at 5:15 and we got to the restaurant at 6:00), where we had a very nice talk. He gave me a gift card to Barnes & Noble, which OF COURSE I was very excited about! It was Cindy's day off, though, so I didn't get free fruit or anything. :( When I got home, Mom gave me some num-nums and tasty juice! Grandma gave me a sweater that is pretty much the softest thing ever. I love my family so very very much (this is not because they give me stuff on my birthday).

I complained, both to others and myself, yesterday about how I really thin that eighteen is too old for me. Not that I am not ready to face up to life (okay, well maybe I'm not, but I'm getting there), but I really ought to be considered as an adult now. Yet, I know I will not be unless I act and think like one. Do I want to? I believe that I do. It's just a slightly difficult transition for me.

I have library work today, and Megan's picking me up afterwards. We, along with Mishmash and Danna, are going to have a really weird slumber party that I am quite positive will result in extreme sleepiness the next day at Courtney's concert. 240 milligrams of caffeine is something that I am quite interested to learn the effects of.

Speaking of concerts, did I tell you guys yet about that concert coming up? On March 22, Jeremy Camp, MercyMe, Hawk Nelson, and Tenth Avenue North are coming here. Best part is, there's no advance purchases of tickets. Just show up at the door and give them $10! I really want to go, and I think that if we get together a big enough group, it could happen...yes it's on a Wednesday, but I never ever miss Wednesday nights. I think that I can be absent just once.

Danna told me on Wednesday that I am very open on my blog. Funny, I always thought that I was rather reserved to what I'm really feeling...I think that certain blogs, which write mostly in secretive allegories, can be more enlightening into the inner thoughts than mine. This is because if you know what you're looking for, it's not that hard to decipher what someone really means by supposed random type.

I met Coralynn yesterday! I have to admit, all the crazy cooing that Michelle and Marinda have been doing over that kid is not over-the-top at all. She's so adorable! Her eyes are enormous, and she's super chubby. Chubby babies are fun to poke. I was quite entertained yesterday by staring her down intensely; I think I either intrigued or disturbed her. Or even better, both! >:)

Which is worse: to be absolutely sure of something, but change your mind several times, or to admit that you really don't know for sure what you think yet--and keep people in the dark as to what you really feel?

My hair is getting really long. Meh, I'm too lazy to go get it cut hehe.

The past few days have not been stellar. Well, there have been bright spots, but overall I feel like there hasn't been too much yay going on.

I spent my Saturday lounging about and doing a small amount of shopping until 5:30, when we had dinner with the Parks. That was nice, until Jordan and Michelle got into drilling me with questions and giving "advice." The advice they gave soon turned into code talk between them about something or other that has to do with me, but I can't know about it. Ugh. I spent the next 24 hours trying to understand what they were hinting about, to no avail. I'm not even going to think about it anymore.

Megan ditched the first couple hours of Potts Night for a Superbowl party, but I can't hold that against her. We held our own quite well without her there, as a matter of fact; Jeff's debate topic really got me thinking. It's rather shocking to myself when I realize that something I thought I had analyzed thoroughly turns out to be (most likely) a preconceived idea that really doesn't have a lot of solid, Biblical basis. I'm not sure if the discussion is put off for a further time or if I need to wave the white flag right now...we shall see.

Today was a jumble of Emily being a brat, Mom being a whiner, and Lily being incomprehensible. That makes a very nasty tasting stew! Oh well, we're not arguing now, so that's something.

This Friday, Megsie is hopefully going to spend the night here, but the next day is still hazy. I was planning on having a bowling party, then going to my house for pizza and stuff...but I really don't know. Courtney has a concert that day, and I really want to be there to vote for her and stuff. That is at one o'clock, and I don't know how long it goes to. There's a bowling alley really close to that, but I checked the prices (it would be cosmic bowling at that time), and it costs quite a lot. Ridiculous really. -_-

When I get a thought in my head, saying "Why can't they just leave me alone?" Is that wrong?

I Hope I Challenge Me

Today I went to a meeting at the library. It was really weird. Out of about fifteen people, I was the only person there under the age of 20. I met some nice people, and learned a lot about how the library works and where it is going, but I was by far the dumbest person there. I did contribute a little, though. My discussion group was on "Diversity" (yes, I volunteered for that group, don't kill me) and I did help somewhat with brainstorming how to integrate that into the county's library system. The biggest thing I got from this meeting was how much the staff loves the library as much as the patrons. They truly are happy to be working there and enthusiastic about making it a better place. I did get a little choked up when I realized that that could be me...and I'm not taking it. I know that God's plan is the right plan, and that's what I really want, but I've never felt so inspired to WORK HARD as the times when I see what librarians can do and get to do. I feel a little like I'm missing out. But not enough to pursue that when I know I won't have time for a career and still be dedicated to my future family. Not a lot of careerist homeschool moms out there.

My birthday is coming up. I think I'm going to just have us go bowling; does that sound okay to you? This will be my last birthday party, in fact I feel too old for it now. But I might as well have one for my eighteenth and then be done with that. :)

Tomorrow is dinner at the Parks house. A few months ago, this would've brought a huge smile to my face and lots of ideas of what Michelle and I can do while I'm there to have crazy fun and maybe finagle a sleepover afterwards. ^^ But now it's different somehow...I don't know that either of us have changed all that much, but--well I take that back. One of us or both must've changed somehow for me to feel like our friendship is different. Maybe it's a part of growing up; Michelle is still very much a teenager and living life in the moment. I do that too, but I think that parts of me are starting to become the person I will be for my whole life. In a week I'll be legally an adult. Isn't it time I start thinking like one?

I got The Two Towers soundtrack from the library today. It's immense. The quality of the disk is crap, though (of course it is, it's from the public library), so it's hard to get into the more emotional parts when you have a "tch tch tch" going in the background constantly. -_- Speaking of Middle-Earth, I started The Silmarillion today. It's from the First Age, which is thousands of years before the Third Age, in which the Lord of the Rings takes place. So far it's interesting; I think I just love having a book to hold and call my own.

The other day, when I went to my bookshelf to get it (Silmarillion), I saw in front of my books someone had put a picture frame. Not really a big thing, it was probably in the way somewhere and got stashed the first place seen. But in the picture frame was a photo of Noah. Even after three months of being resigned to having lost these friends of mine, it broke open anew. I wept for Noah, I wept for Melinda. When will I be able to get past this, if even now it draws tears? I can sort of see how people get loathe to make new friendships or become close to someone, when having them ripped away from you is one of the most painful experiences I can even think of.

I can see my bedroom floor. That is a big deal if you know my room. o.O

To Keep Above Water

So yaaaaay I'm posting. When I should be doing school, especially since I took a break midway through the school day to go to the movies hehe. I went to see Inkheart with Lily...I think Ethan's tee shirt sums it up:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=986017&op=7&o=global&view=global&subj=824461257&id=724350670

Yeah. -_- Since I don't think any of you guys have read the book, it would be pointless for me to point out all the flaws of this film, so I'll spare you...I guess it was just cool to do something with just Lily for once. Although I embarrassed her horribly (of course) during the previews before the movie by singing random lalala's during silent moments and clapping gleefully during the Cartoon Network commercial. She was sufficiently mortified. ^^

On Saturday there was a surprise birthday party for Marinda. We went to the beach and then back to her house. It was a good time; I think Marinda was blessed a lot that we thought of her (or rather Michelle did and got us in on it...anyway). :)

I'm supposed to write a current events editorial this week. Any ideas of a big deal topic I can "imo" on? I'm so sick of reporting on the newest mess-up President Obama is doing to "save" America.

A question that has been bouncing around in my head for a while: why are many atheists moral?

My hair looks nasty!

I haven't brushed it yet today and I look like a cavewoman lol.

Today I had to do the impossible in writing class...write a positive paragraph about Barack Obama. It was painful. But thankfully, I got to undo all that in a second paragraph that squashes him flat! XD

We finished Fellowship of the Ring yesterday. Twin Towers is next! ;) hehe Jeff. I'm getting grumpier and grumpier all the time thinking about Megsie having an 8-5 job. -_- It's not what I would have done. Oh well, she's happy about it, so that's all that matters, right?

My finger can almost bend all the way now! Not quite, but by the time I get the stitches out next week, I'll be a-ok! *knock on wood* :D

Tonight is the Ladies' Christmas Party. Yes, I know it is January. But with all that yucky snow (OH THAT'S RIGHT I said yucky) last month, we never got to have it. :( Hooray!

I've been assigned to write a summary of Philippians. Today I started on the first chapter, and it stuck out to me how much Paul absolutely LOVES those people! Such an admonishment to me; I mean, I love you guys to death, but read this:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%201;&version=50;
That's real love.

My family is driving me insane. But I guess that means I should read Philippians 1 again, right? >.<

Emily is Boring Today :'(

So yesterday I was moping that I wouldn't have any fun on the weekend with my friends. So guess what? I got an email from Michelle this morning asking if I wanted to go hiking with them? Sounds great right? Well, of course, you know me; I said no. :( I know, I suuuuck. But geez guys, can't you be a little more creative in your plans than two hikes in one week? Because you know that you'll never get me to go....

Part of my finger is going numb. Kind of freakin' me out, but Mom said don't worry about it. So I won't. 8(

Last night I watched (on Youtube) one or two episodes of a reeeaaaally old TV show called 21 Jump Street. The show itself was ehh. Kinda average quality, but there is one big reason I lurved it. Can you guess? ;)

So, instead of going hiking, it seems I'll be running around town doing errands and stuff with my mom today. Sounds boring, right? Might not be. idk, I think I like my family more these days. Bill and I get along better (for the most part), Mom has her ups and downs, and Dad is much more gentle. :)

So I sent in an email to Michelle this idea: since I'm rejecting the whole hiking thing, do you guys want to come over here after the hike and hang out/get some food? I can't guarantee what time would be okay, since Michelle hasn't emailed me back yet saying if she likes the plan. Once I hear from her, I'll try to figger what time would be good.

Well I gotta go take a shower and do some chores. I think I better cool my amount of computer time for a while here...Mom is getting pretty whiny about it.

Szechuan BURNING

Mom brought home the leftover Szechuan chicken and it's burning my lips like crazy! 8( Oh well, at least the dinner I made at HOME was good. Pasta alfredo with mushrooms. Yummy stuff (even though Lily said it was yucky). ^^

The bandage is off my finger, and now I'm looking at a nasty jagged line of stitches. Plus the finger is swelling up. Plus there's a couple weird bluish spots. I guess you probably didn't want to know about my creepy finger problems...sorry. XP

Today school was super-easy again, which I'm guessing it will be tomorrow too. Maybe these stitches aren't so bad after all. :) I'm counting down to the END of this school year...which means the end of high school!!! :D That's very exciting for me. Homeschooling has been a great experience, but it's starting to get to me. Being cooped up for so long can make a person crazy...jk (mostly). We already know that my fall into madness came quite a while ago, so the damage is done. :(

Mom and Dad went to dinner with the Gottwalds, who they hadn't seen for quite a while. Pray for Mike; his cancer is getting pretty advanced. Pray that he would find comfort in the Lord during his time left here.

While they were at dinner, I listened to a lot of music and chatted on Facebook with Jeff for most of the evening. That was pretty fun; now he's going to Albertsons so I'm here blogging...Bill also got a little crazy. She talks so funny online. X)

I think we're going to try to do something for a going-away type thing for Greg and Ethan on Sunday. I'm sorta counting on Ben reading this, since I forgot to call him today. And Jeff, you're invited too. Since you guys basically make up the extent of my readership (except for Washingtonians), I'll put the invite up here: we don't really know what we're doing yet, but we might hang out at my house or go to Park Lanes or something. Whatever we do, it won't be expensive. :) Do you want to come?

My fingers are so cold...breathing on them doesn't help. :'(

I printed off some piano music for Bill today. I got her Ice Dance, You Raise Me Up, and her favorite song...Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger! I hope she learns Ice Dance...Edward Scissorhands is one of the best movies ever. (Obligatory watch-with-someone-who-knows-the-scene-to-skip comment...)

Please sing me a song. I have Poker Face stuck in my head, and I think I've had about enough "mu-mu-mu-mah" for one day!

Hard to Type, Sorry.

It feels kinda good to be posting again. Except that typing is still really hard with this atrocious strap thingy around my finger. I take the bandage off in the morning, so hopefully I'll be free as a bird with my fingers! One upside to all this though--I got five more phone calls than I normally get! Which makes a grand total of five phone calls. And two of them were from the doctor's office. And one person didn't even ask how I as doing. :/ hehe. But I'm not bitter. ;) But guess what pretty much made my day? Michelle, Marinda, and Tami all came over and gave me juice and cookie dough!!! I love juice! That's a heads-up: if you ever are forced to get me something, and you can't think of anything, get me some nice box or bottle of juice. Yummy. :)

Michelle wrote a fancy-schmancy poem with magnetic poetry on my fridge. Something about rain drops journeying through the wood...I wrote a poem with magnetic poetry too, and it's much better. *ahem*

"People freeze and fall dead
In my refrigerator."

Whatcha think? Uuuuhhh I think I must've been a little loopy, because I was literally lying on the floor laughing after I wrote that. Not really that funny now that I look at it. But yeah, they're sweet sisters. I love my church family so very very much.♥

I ditched on a hike for tomorrow. Sorry guys, but it's just not my thang. Maybe someday when I get all fit and amazing super-woman or something. But have fun anyways! :)

Now that I start blogging again, I want other people to blog too. I like reading about the lives of my friends, as everyone has their own writing style and viewpoint of events. Plus it seems to be easier to be open about yourself on a blog. Not that that's always a good thing. X( Ugh but that's another story.

In case you're not on Facebook, I'm going to post a link on here that I posted there:

http://fiveprime.org/flickr_hvmnd.cgi?search_type=Tags&photo_number=100&photo_type=250&noform=t&quicksearch=1&sort=Interestingness&textinput=castle+france

I really want to see these. In person. A pipe dream, but maybe someday...and yes I know that a lot of these are Photoshopped. Don't matter to me none, I bet they're even better in real life. :)

Well there's my first REAL post of the new year. The commenting is the fun part!

"There's a party in my tummy"--UGH GO AWAY

So last night at Danna's party was really really fun. We had this AWESOME water balloon fight in the huge greenspace behind their house, and I think I got the wettest. lol yeah my hair, clothes, and glasses were so drenched. But I got some other people almost as wet as they deserve. :) Jordan Parks arrived late, so he was completely dry after the fight...so Sam picked him up and held him in the air while Jordan Varela and Charlie shot him with a Super Soaker!!! Good times.
Pastor taught a devotional from Ecclesiastes, which was really good. I sort of like the smaller teaching times; they're more personal and, idk, I just think it's easier to focus on what he's saying when it's in such a small, direct, audience.
We had a water-chugging contest: three rounds. I participated in all three, but UGH it hurt after the last one. Of course nobody beat Sam; that guy is Superman at everything!!!
I spent the night at Megan's house afterwards. We went to be pretty early, but that was because we had to get up at (ew) 6:30 this morning. Bleh. But of course it wasn't all bad, since we were going to church and all. But, just to be safe, Megsie and I didn't sit in the peanut gallery this week...to conspicuous if somebody falls asleep. lol but I don't think either of us did anyways. Michelle, on the other hand....
When I took nursery shift in the afternoon for GBI, I realized something: I love kids, like a ton. But I'm not very good when there's a crisis. I'm either afraid that if I don't do anything, they'll think that kiddish shenanigans are ok. But if I send them in to their parents or something, I'll be perceived as inept or harsh. So I found myself asking MIKHAILA of all people, "What should I do about this?" And Mikhaila's great and all that, very mature for her age, but she's only thirteen. Not the wisest person in general.
Pray for ministerium on Tuesday. Pastor's going to bring rebuke to the fellow pastors about Dr. Schumaker. I know a few of the pastors in our district, and I love them dearly as brothers and mentors in the faith. I hope they have open ears to this.

I want and don't want to grow up....

Campout 2008

Learning about the glories of heaven.
Drawing close to God.
Drawing close to God's people, my real family.
Lying on the docks, having good conversations.
Eating marshalades and throwing them.
Seeing the Predmores.
Singing to the Lord in the kitchen.
Calling Melinda all kinds of weird names.
Hiking up an easy hike...that practically killed me.
Boating across the lake with amazingly cool people.
Eating my mom's world-famous food.
Helping my mom cook that world-famous food.
Playing "Down by the Banks" and not feeling stupid about it.
Being silly.
Being serious.
Looking at my future with fear and happiness.
Seeing Vengeance Creek.
Trying ping pong and not caring that I FAILED.
Watching a new sport be invented (Ultimate Ping Pong!!!)
Hugging people.
Learning to trust God more than ever.
Watching four precious saints be baptized in the lake.
Crying for joy with them.
Remembering and missing Grandpa Bob.
Laughing at the cheesy and marvelous slideshow.
Counting the times people said, "It's cold out here."
Wearing the dorky life jackets.
Being honest with people who care about me.
Learning new things about myself.
Wondering about other people.
Loving and being loved.

My heart is full and yearns for heaven. But while I'm here, it soars to be with the church family that I love more than words can say. ♥

Campout tomorrow!!!

Yes I'm excited. Could you tell??? ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺Today was a MAD scramble to finish shopping for campout food. We loaded up three carts FULL at the grocery store. Then we stuffed it all in our little Civic. Then we unloaded it all at home. Then we loaded it all into Uncle Don's truck. Then we drove to the church and unloaded it there. And TOMORROW we load it up again and drive it up to Clearlake. Whew! But I'm still smiling! 8D
So I thought your Jeff's friend Ben was going to come on Wednesday to church too? But I suppose I misheard. Too bad, he was a really funny fellow.
I watched a movie today called Funny Girl. It's a musical with Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif. Really good stuff. I know Streisand is kind of a nasty old weirdo in real life, but she's a really good actress. And outstanding singer. She and Dianne Weist are probably my favorite actresses. (Dianne Weist was the Avon lady in Edward Scissorhands and the evil queen in The 10th Kingdom.)
I finished packing today; it's amazing how much stuff I feel like I have to bring to a four-day trip! And I even tried to pack light this time! But what can I say: girls will be girls.
Since I'm going into my senior year of high school, it seems like everybody everybody EVERYBODY is asking me what my plans for the future are. Ugh, I don't like being reminded! How am I supposed to decide what I want as a "career" or whatever, when my ultimate goal is to get married and have kids, just like God designed. But I don't even know if I'll get that far. I mean, of course I want that; every girl I know wants that. But I just don't know if it could work. It's a little weird for me.
So I guess I should start thinking about my future on a practical level. College and work and all that lovely stuff. XP Not so lovely when I start thinking seriously about it. What's my problem? Megan wants to be a dental hygienist, Danna wants to be a nurse, Robyn's a hairstylist, Marinda wants to go into landscaping, and me? I'm completely aimless!!! Well, working with books has always sounded promising. If I could find an interesting line of work there. But it's scary to me to do anything important or to make any important decisions. I need discipline, that's what I need.

I'll think about it again after this marvelous weekend. See y'alls (or most of y'alls) tomorrow!☺☺☺☺☺☺

Next day!

So I hardly ever post the day after my last post. It usually seems like a waste. But here I am anyways.

So last night's dinner with Maribel went pretty well! Between Mommy and Daddy, I think she really got the gospel. I don't think she was really ready to accept it and let it penetrate, but she said she'd read the Bible verses my mom gave her as they left. But what a sweet family they are! Her mom doesn't speak any English, but her sweetness and motherly kindness showed in her face. She said to my dad a few times (translated by Maribel) that he has a very beautiful family. :) That was nice of her. Maribel also has a son named Kevin. He's eight and pretty sharp! He holds his own in a conversation pretty well (although he frequently inserts comments about Legos and Spongebob).

But guess what: Maribel thought I was 13. You all know how much that kind of thing bothers me. But hey; I've decided to not let that bug me so much. What I need to realize is this: whenever I hate the way I look, obsess over looking older, or compare myself to pretty girls, I'm basically pointing my finger at God and saying, "You didn't make me right! Why can't I be beautiful?" That is just pure sin and selfishness. So call me on it if I ever complain about that again.

I saw Megan's freshly painted room today. Very cool! It's chocolately brown and stuff. So Michelle and I chilled over there all day. We went to Macy's and guess what: Tyler was working! So we talked to him for a little on his break. I also tried a new eyeshadow at the makeup counters (yes boring to hear about). But it was really really REALLY bright blue. Kind of cool and weird.

So then the Nodurfts picked me up back at Megan's house and drove me to my house; they were coming out here anyways to have dinner with us. Daddy grilled steak. Nicey-nice! (I think people think I'm a total dork when I say that, but whatever)

And now the Nodurfts have gone home and I'm posting here at 10:45 posting. Anything else I need to talk about...hmmmm...don't think so. I think tomorrow will be uneventful. Oh, I almost forgot! I checked the bowling alley fees and there's a discount if we go between 3:00-6:00 on a weekday. So I'm thinking Monday or Tuesday? Gimme feedback.

I think I use a lot of run-on sentences and fragments in my blog posts. Never was a grammar fiend. :P

Not much going on here

Soooo it's been almost a week, figured I'd better make a new post. Not much has really happened this week though. I went to Oaks Park yesterday, I guess that's something. But there's not really a lot of good rides there though. In my opinion, the most fun ride there is the Screamin' Eagle, which I happen to find very relaxing. Seriously, I just de-stress when I go on that ride. And the roller coaster? I didn't even scream once the whole ride. Not that it wasn't fun, but it was just pretty simple and short.
Michelle spent the night last night. That was fun as usual, but it seems like we end up talking about a lot of the same stuff every sleepover. Taking apart the past, seeing how it relates to the present, speculating about the future. That can be either uplifting or depressing, depending on what you're talking about. I for one am rather unsure about my future. I mean, anything could happen to me since I don't really have any solid plans. Of course, I know that whatever plans I make, it's still in the hands of God. But I just don't have any clue of what I want to do! Sometimes I get scared that I'll make stupid choices and then have to live with them forever.
Aunt Lori emailed saying that the Predmores are coming to campout!!! I'm so happy! Haven't really got to chill with the whole family for quite a while. Better brush up on my lightsaber warring so I can pwn lol.
A lady is coming over for dinner tonight. Anybody at church last night during prayer requests knows who I'm talking about. Pray about it! She's not saved, and so we want to witness to her and the family she's bringing. I'm a little nervous; never met the lady.

Oooh-eeh-oooh

I've had the song Buddy Holly in my head for hours!!! But at least it's an AWESOME song. I think I say the word awesome too much. There really aren't too many things that deserve awe. But seriously, Buddy Holly by Weezer is really great. "Oooh-eeh-ooh I look just like Buddy Holly. Oh oh! And you're Mary Tyler Moore. I don't care what they say about us anyways. No, I don't care about that." Pretty good stuff.
I've been reading Job in my morning Bible, and it occurred to me: anybody who believes that God will give you a happy, easy life hasn't read that book! Job was a devout follower of the Lord, but God chose to test him in ways most people can't even imagine. It sort of blows the whole "health and wealth" faith system right out of the water.

So today I went to the airshow with the Loynes! It was cool. There were some boring bits, but plenty of good stuff in there. A jet-powered car raced a plane. That was the best. LOVE THAT. Bill got to go too; she actually has come to the past two sleepovers I've gone to. It's sort of cool I guess. Before the actual show, we went to the beginning...exhibits or whatever they're called. I climbed the rock wall! Actually really fun, but I looked like an idiot.
Mosquitoes are eating me alive!!! If I keep getting bit at this rate, I'll be a shriveled little wisp within a fortnight! XP
Ehhhh...not much else going on right now. Megan's sitting here. Say hello, Megan. "Hi!" she says. Clever as always. jk lol

ttyl my friends

Doing Things

Yesterday I went on a hike with friends. That was actually surprisingly fun...since I am NOT a hiker in any sense of the word. I only had to stop and collapse on the ground, gasping pathetically, one time! And I only blacked out once too. hehe. Afterwards we went to a waterfall that Pres hadn't seen. That was booooring because it's just a waterfall, but then it got fun. Megan, Michelle, and I jumped in the back of Jeff's truck; we thought he might drive like a 40 feet and we'd jump out. But we all went for a little ride down the road. It was actually really relaxing to feel the breeze. Except for when I kept SLAMMING back into Megan when Jeff SLAMMED on the accelerator. Geez.
So then I went to Michelly's for a sleepover (surprise surprise). I prob won't go again soon because I think I'm becoming a nuisance to Mr. Parks. I have been over probably three or four times in the past two weeks. But the interesting part was that Lily decided to sleep over too! And she was cool. Greg, Ben, and Tara came over for the evening. We played Settlers of Catan and an interesting version of charades.
I finally got Muriel's story proofed and typed. So there's on thing off my back. But now I have another thing to replace it! (albeit a little prob) I left my camera at Michelle's house, so now I can't upload the pics from yesterday immediately. That seriously bugs me. I wanted to email everybody the bestest ones and give Uncle Don some nice group photos.
I am depressed about the way I look again. I have had sooooooo many people tell me I look 15. I seriously is bothering me. First Mrs. Potts said it. Then Michelle said it. Then Jordan said it. Then Mr. Parks said it. Then one of Jordan's friends--who I don't even know; I met him ONCE--said it!!! Makes me want to hide in a corner like the little girl everyone seems to think I am. Forgive my self-absorption; it's just that this is my biggest pet peeve these days.
Have you guys ever been to www.totallylookslike.com? Check it out; it's pretty funny.

Psalm 33. It's beautiful.

Rips in the Wings

Short post today.

I feel simultaneously secure, comfortable...and jittery, unsure. Not a good feeling. Don't even ask; it's one of those strange Emily schizophrenic moments that makes me want to hurt myself. I have been getting a little less confident about things lately. Everything from my walk with God to my likeability to my friendships to my looks to my family to--well I just have been having a lot of stupid doubts.

I'm reading the Randy Alcorn book Heaven. It was assigned to me by my mom, but I think I'm really going to enjoy it. He obviously can't possibly know all about heaven, but at least I know he truly searched the Word and has come to his conclusions with prayer and faithfulness.

Sometimes I guess we get caught up in living for God here (which is what we're supposed to do!) that we forget: every believer gets to spend all of ETERNITY worshiping God, loving Him, and communing with him--with all other believers from all time! What a gift the Lord has in store for us!

I did a computer test thingy--I entered my photo into a program to see what "celebrity" I look like. I did it with a few other girlfriends too. Michelle, Megan, and Danna. They ALL came out as looking like gorgeous, glamorous movie star ladies. I came out as Bill Gates. Typical. :'(

So I just got my ear pierced on the left side yesterday. Bishelly came with and we had fun. It looks pretty good too. Next one is possibly going to be a little hoop in the side of the ear. But I don't know yet. Maybe a little nose stud? When I get older, I'm almost definitely getting a tattoo on my ankle. None of these things have been okay'd by my parents...yet. They may change their minds yet. ;)

Mom and Lily did the first campout shopping today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (that's 23 exclamation points) That's exciting!!!

I think I'll end every post with a verse reference. But I'll just do the reference (it'll make you guys look it up yourselves haha) So go read...James 1:2-7. idk I just really love everything in James.