Polkadots and Moonbeams

Something about Photography!

2012-02-08T20:13:00.002-05:00

There is just something about photography. Something about being behind a camera. Something about hearing that shutter sound or adjusting the Aperture knowing just what DOF you have in mind. There is some about capturing a scene, a moment, an emotion for all time. Making a picture come out exactly how you had in mind. There is something about spur of the moment photo shoots. There is just something about it that is so wonderful, so creative... Just so amazing.

I am a moment catcher...

...a light writer...

...a shutterbug...

...a photographer...

I may not be an amazing one, I may never be one of the best, but it is what I love and what I have a passion for and I'll do it until I'm no longer capable of turning that shutter dial or compressing that oh-so-wonderful button.

I just realized...

2012-02-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

... that I never told y'all that Superman and I set a wedding date. Y'all know we're getting married and are planning it, so I thought you might wanna know what day :) I'll also post more interesting stuff about it as I get the chance - and if I actually stop to think about it. Right now we're just scheduling things and a buying decorations and fitting dresses. Mostly getting the details down.

Anyway the date is... **duh duh duhhhhh**

Yep - of this year too :) Isn't that a cool photo? I didn't take it, but it fit so well ;) I think I'll have one similar done. I like the idea - whose ever idea it was!

xoxo's

Le Happy {ramblings of a tired person}

2012-02-02T21:59:00.000-05:00

Le Happy

A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

Engagement rings :)

Sunflowers

Braided bracelets

Bird necklaces

Oreo cookies

Libraries

Amber

Chicken noodle soup

iPod touch

Lyssa's visit

Superman

Reed diffusers

Journals

Old keys

Jane Austen books/movies

Lovely fonts

Sky blue

Pretty weather

B&W photos

I Love this!!

2012-02-02T00:15:00.000-05:00

It may be corny but I love this!!

Updates and such

2012-01-31T23:33:00.000-05:00

I feel like I'm/we've sorta abandoned y'all. We do apologize and hope that it wont always be this way.

Now for updates.

Wedding plans in full swing and I do mean full. Wedding dress fittings at the end of February, bridal shower plans and florist appointments. Color co-ordination, design ideas, ordering wedding invitation samples to make sure the picture's right, the font style is right, font size and color also. Trying to pin down my plans around my Uncle's, and he doesn't even have settled plans. It's nothing short of annoying, because I have to change my plans (ones I made before they did) just to fit their plans. Ahhhh! Ok, sorry for the vent. I'll move on.

Ok, we went to Grandma's house for ten days. Ran around doing tons of stuff... Saw movies (none that were high on my "to see" list, but whatever:), going to museums and such like. But I also got a sinus infection while there and I haven't shaken it yet. I am feeling tired, sick and run down... But hey, nothing a Chai Tea wont help, right?

My week is booked now too. Got home yesterday, milk run was today, tomorrow is pay day and I have a orthodontist appointment, Thursday we have a consultation with the florist, Friday Lina's guitar lessons and a b-day dinner and Saturday seems to be the only free. I am happy about going to church Sunday though. I've missed three weeks now, first due to being sick with a cold and then two due to being at Grandma's. I miss a particular little boy so much. He is so adorable. I haven't seen him in too long! He is one of my good friend's little brothers (she has three). He is 2 and just the cutest little things. And I just love to hear him come up to me and say "Wiah... Hi Wiah!" His version of Riah :) Awww I miss him. I also will love to hear a sermon now. It's been too long!

Today was a pretty good day... Except what time I had to get up. I didn't get to bed until about 1am and I had to wake up at 5:30am. I took a shower, got ready for the day, filled up the car and woke up Bre and T. Lynn and made sure they were getting ready. We left at 7 and took Bre to our Grandfather's for her shooting lesson and her gun-smith lesson, then we went to meet Superman for breakfast. It was his b-day today! He's 22 now. After breakfast with Superman we left and headed to get the milk. We stopped by Lyssa's first and we had a nice long visit. Marmie (I love using T.'s new name for mom) and T. Lynn stayed at Lyssa's house and Marmie read and T. occupied herself while Lys and I went to her old work place to pick up her tax stuff, to B.J's to get Vanilla Almond milk and then we dropped by Starbucks to pick up two coffee's for Mom and T. and then Lys and I got Chai Tea Lattes. I am all coffee'd out from being at Grandma's house. She doesn't keep tea and so when we don't go out to eat our options are coffee, milk, lemonade and sprite :) Not that I mind coffee, just I love tea.

And now that I've complained and ranted and talked y'all's ear off, I'll leave y'all with this:

Sorry, it's a Christmas photo... I just haven't uploaded my newest one's onto my laptop yet.

Oh and it's not watermarked, so please ask before use!

Much Love,

Long time no see!

2012-01-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hey Y'all!
It's been a long time since I've been in blogger world... there is so much catching up I need to do! But first, here is a look into my life:
The new year started off kinda slow but that didn't last! I spent several days (when I wasn't working) watching the Passion conference online - it was amazing! Wish I could have been there in person, but it all worked out :)
After the Passion conference ended I had a few days with a regular schedule (and a small cold) and then there was a 12 day revival at my church. That was incredible! There were so many people that came from all over the world to be there (and waited in line all day to get in). Each night there was a different speaker, and each night God showed up :) Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the final night of the revival in person...I was sick :( But thankfully it was streaming live online so I was still there in a way :)
Now, a week after it ended, I am almost completely better! YAY!

I'm super excited for the end of February to get here because that's when I am going to Riah's house! YAY! Its been forever since I went. :(
Well, it's time for me to sign off - got more laundry to do - hopefully you will see me around more than you have....
Night!!

A peek at...

2012-01-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

Something mildly funny.. now that is.

So today T. Lynn and I went to get our ears pierced together. I have my first piercing, but I decided to get second ones right above the first. T. Lynn was super nervous, and I gotta admit that I wasn't a cool cucumber myself. I went first (per T.'s request), selected my earrings and then looked at the marks she placed on my ear for the placement. T. held my hand... as we agreed. I'd hold her hand and she'd hold mine. So the lady puts in the first earring and it looks good. Puts in the second and it's wayyyy too low. So I'm looking at it and we decide something has to be done. The lady goes in the back to see if they had another one of the earrings I wanted. Sadly they didn't, so what we had to do was take out the too low earring and re-pierce it with a different earring then take the different earring out and put the one I wanted in the new hole. It was pretty painful, especially since they had a hard time putting the back on.
Now I have a third hole in my left ear. Thankfully it's all closed over now and I just have a little red pin-prick... a painful one, but still little :)

Much love,

Damsel's Daybook #9

2012-01-09T23:04:00.000-05:00

Outside my window: Cold and rainy and dark...

I'm thinking about... How much wedding stuff their is!

From the kitchen... Peach cobbler

I am creating... not much

I am reading... Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren.

I am hearing... "How Do I Look?", Kay wiggling in her seat, Bre (her preferred spelling now) complaining that Jennie Mai has no right to tell people how to dress and Mom turning pages in her book.

I am hoping... That I can get the wedding venue settled this week - it simply has to be done!

I am planning... a wedding.

I am wearing... a black skirt, grey long sleeved shirt, black tank, grey socks, engagement ring and two necklaces.

Around the house... not too much, needs to be tidied.

My wish of the week... see "hoping".

Night y'all :)

Outfit, Photo Friday and Le Happy :)

2012-01-07T00:24:00.000-05:00

Ok... This post is to make up for yesterday. I did finally get the photo's to upload!!

First, yesterday's Outfit:

Shirt: Olive green peasant style, Christmas gift.

Skirt: made from old jeans, Goodwill.

Shoes: (can't see them) Black boots, Christmas gift from Superman :)

Necklace and Engagement ring (probably can't see them).

Ok... now on to Photo Friday and Le Happy :)

SOOC - Please do not steal!!!

I didn't have time to edit it and there is no copyright written on it, so please ask before use!

Le Happy :)

smiles

new boots

bad day by daniel powter

save the dates

a new book

caramel brulee coffee

cheesecake

barnes and nobels

blue nail polish

starbucks

giggles

notebooks

sharpie pens

enchanted

secrets by onerepublic

best friends

pictures

happy emails

hand written letters

xoxoxoxoxoxo,

2012-01-06T00:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry about not posting today... I couldn't get my camera to upload the photos and I'm too tired to fight with it, especially since I really had to do school and I took a benedryl to counteract an allergic reaction. Benedryl always makes me super sleepy! I'm just gonna upload it to mom's computer tomorrow. That'll be faster!

Love,
post signature

Randomness Wednesday...

2012-01-04T23:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry - I wasn't at home much yesterday! I didn't get a chance to post! Went to Lyssa's.. had a milk run. Overall, just too busy :) I apologize.

Onto randomness Wednesday...

1. iPod apps?
2. School
3. Filters
4. Music

Explanation:

1. I tried to download and app on the iTouch Lys let me have/"borrow" and it is now acting like it's perpetually loading... I don't know how to fix that. Any suggestions people?
2. I'm super nervous, the coming up assignment is the first where I have to submit a photo. I'm freaked it will be a horrid photo!
3. I got a polarizer and UV filter for Christmas, but stupid Ritz camera gave my Grandma (who got them for me) the cheep polarizer rather than tell her they didn't have the more expensive one I wanted (I want a good quality filter, no use in one that will mess up shots). They just wanted to make a sell. So Momma and I went today and talked to a woman there about it and she had one at another store put on hold. She'll (the lady) pick it up Friday at the other location and we'll pick it up Tuesday. They should have just admitted they didn't have it!
4. I have a (very incomplete) wish list on iTunes of the music I want to get at some point, that totals $25.50. I am so tempted to buy it, but that probably isn't a good idea... And like I said, it's way incomplete!

Much Love,

Great night!

2012-01-04T10:09:00.000-05:00

First off, I wanna say how GREAT it was to see my bestest friend in the world, Riah, yesterday! She is so sweet :) She brought me a pair of new earrings without a reason to! :) Love you Ri!

Anyway, so I've been watching Passion live on my computer for the last 2 days (today being the 3rd) and WOW is it good!!!
Hillsong United played last night at a little after 11:30 and I didn't get to bed until 2:30 :)
God is so good!!!
more later (hopefully) :)

Damsel's Daybook 8 :)

2012-01-03T00:51:00.000-05:00

Outside my window... It's dark. Yeah I know it's late.

I'm thinking about... How I hate colds.

From the kitchen... Nothing - we already ate supper.

I am creating... Um? Hannah's blog design... yep, that!

I am reading... Torrent by Lisa Bergren.

I am hearing... The Singing Bee.

I am hoping... That this cold goes away quickly.

I am planning... On seeing Lys tomorrow.

I am wearing... A blue jean skirt, blue peasant style shirt with cream cami, socks, heart necklace and engagement ring.

Around the house... No more Christmas decorations. We took them down today.

My wish of the week... That we'll get some more of the wedding stuff nailed down.

Sorry it's late!

What do y'all think?

2011-12-31T21:32:00.001-05:00

You guys are probably on post over load from me - plus most likely you are shocked that I have managed to post so much, seeing as how I've practically abandoned y'all for awhile! I am going to try and remedy that by giving myself things to post about...

Monday: Damsel's Daybook
Tuesday: A Peek At...
Wednesday: Randomness Wednesday
Thursday: Out Fit Of The Day
Friday: Photo Friday/Le Happy
Sat. & Sun.: I'll post if I can :)

I'll try this out for about 2 or so weeks and see how it goes! What do y'all think? I'll add a link if y'all want to link up one of the days... Would y'all be interested?

A long day....

2011-12-31T00:42:00.000-05:00

It's been a long day... Getting up, getting ready, going on a walk, cleaning, taking my first archery lesson, running errands...

Now I am getting ready to settle in with a book (Torrent), a cup of Chai tea, freshly washed hair and watching a re-run of Downton Abbey. Chai tea is going to become my new addiction, that or Vanilla Almond Milk, but I think it'll probably be Chai tea. And is there anything nicer then freshly washed hair?
- on a side note, the house smells like ginger bread! Yum!

As for details on the archery lesson... I learned how to string my bow. I have to un-string it every time I finish using it, so I learned to do all that. I learned how to anchor it, load the arrow (super easy), aim and shoot. At first I just practiced drawing without an arrow, just getting used to the feel of it. I then practiced drawing with the arrow, then shot. The first shot went rather well... I hit the target (not the bulls eye though) and managed not to hit my arm with the string. The second time I shot I missed and I still didn't hit my arm. The third time I missed and hit my arm but the arm guard protected me, the fourth time my guard slipped and I hit my arm... Boy did that hurt. I hit the same place the fifth time, I thought I had moved my guard to protect my arm properly, but apparently I hadn't. I now have a red, sore spot on my arm, but it only hurts now if I touch it. Lucky for me I was wearing long sleeves or it could have been worse! Tomorrow morning my uncle (who got me the bow, arrows, accessories and target and who taught me today) is taking me to the place where he got my bow and they're going to teach me too. I am also planning on buying more arrows while I'm there. He got me four and I'd like to have some more... I'm hoping to buy three more tomorrow while I'm there. I wish I could get maybe four or five more, but they cost $5 per arrow (yeah, not cheep). Still I'm excited!

Archer-in-training,

Le Happy {Christmas}

2011-12-29T17:47:00.000-05:00

I'm alive, so is Lys... We apologize for practically ignoring y'all!

And because I am starting to feel like posts shouldn't be photo-less if you can help it:

le happy christmas edition...

new boots

the pioneer woman cookbook

the hunger games trilogy

candy canes

candles lit

christmas trees

spicy scents

family pictures

knit jackets

socks

vintage clothing

vintage jewelry

bow and arrows

popcorn strung on a tree

spun glass ornaments

children's smiles

milk and cookies!

I love doing le happy :) Thanks for starting it Jocee!

Wow...my week is going to be the best!

2011-12-13T20:47:00.000-05:00

So... this week I am shooting for Extreme Makeover Home Edition! It's so much fun and I'm only two days in!

First day. DEMOLITION!!

Observing the mess!

Clean-up crew :)

Thought this was a cool shot.

This is all I'm gonna post for now. All of the photos were from yesterday (12-12-11)

Oh.. one more thing...

Ty Pennington, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ty Pennington!!

(I was about 3 feel away from him!!!!!)

I'm still alive (Damsel's Daybook 7)

2011-12-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

And very busy... I don't have time to go into everything I've been doing, so I decided to just do a Damsels Daybook today. I know it's a day early, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get to it tomorrow.

Outside my window... Cold. Yep, cold.

I'm thinking about... Everything I have to do. Finish Christmas shopping, wrap gifts, finish creating gifts, finish my letter to Amber (almost done), do three blog designs **hangs head in shame**, school work.

From the kitchen... leftover Chinese food - nummy!

I am creating... Christmas gifts.

I am reading... Under The Mistletoe, by I can't remember who.

I am hearing... music that is on TV.

I am hoping... somehow magically everything I need to do gets done and that on my next school assignment I get a 10/10 mark which is a perfect mark. For my first assignment ever submitted I got a 9/10! I was sooooooo - am still - sooooo happy! 6/10 is average... I was expected a lower mark, I was so nervous that I had done something wrong.

I am planning... On sewing today.

I am wearing... pj's and glasses.

Around the house... comepletely needs to be cleaned.

My wish of the week... see hoping :)

A bit of catch up

2011-11-22T22:33:00.001-05:00

We've been strangers around here lately. Our lives are pretty busy. I'll try and give you a run down.
I started online photography schooling and am working toward my diploma and learning a whole lot. I got a PS CS5! I am super excited about that.
We had a big Thanksgiving dinner Saturday and will have a smaller, simpler one on Thanksgiving day.
Wedding planning is going. But at a nice slow pace. Lys and I got our dresses ordered and are waiting for them to come in. We have the officiator, but not the venue. Everything else is going alright.
I got a car Monday. A silver Mercury Sable. It's really nice. I haven't a license yet, I'm gonna get one in January. I have driven it twice and will take T. Lynn to her dentist appointment tomorrow.
I was sick with some sort of stomach bug for almost two weeks and am finally starting to feel alright again. I didn't eat much though for two weeks and now I feel like I can't get full. It's pretty annoying.
Let me see, what else, what else? (Ugh, I'm annoyed with my glasses - moving on.)
I am sadly behind on Christmas shopping/sewing. I need to desperately clean my room and I painted my nail deep purple ;) My iPod is in sad shape (the stripped ear phone plug in is getting worse) and I am dying to get started with the rest of my blog designing and some sewing. I miss Lyssa to bits!
I think that is everything. If I think of anything else, I'll try and let y'all know!

Hugs and Kisses,
xoxoxoxoxoxox,

Ugh.

2011-11-16T22:10:00.002-05:00

Ugh... Sisters... Need I say more?!
thought not.
Goodbye and goodnight

A new song from my church :)

2011-11-14T19:37:00.000-05:00

...

2011-11-09T23:17:00.000-05:00

I miss Riah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cried when we said bye on Monday. Never missed her like this before.
The end.

I'm back

2011-11-09T12:17:00.001-05:00

Sorta. This isn't going to be very long. I have school, housework, letters to write, laundry to do and much more.
I miss Lyssa. Like worse than usual and I don't know why. I feel sorta depressed that she isn't here. It's so sad....
The Mad Hatter Tea Party went very well. Pictures coming soon.
I am loving the new Michael Buble Christmas cd. It's great.
I have pictures to edit, but first I have to find the notebook I wrote them all down in.
I need to read. I have a million or so books from the library and I'm sadly behind on reading them.
I need to sew, nuff said.

Love you depressed, tired, worn out,

Le Happy

2011-10-29T13:10:00.002-04:00

blankets

hot cocoa

warm tea

freshly baked bread

coffee

fire places

space heaters

a new book to read

soup

stew

biscuits

pumpkin pie

new book characters

emails from amber

lys coming to visit on tuesday and not leaving until the following monday.

lowercase letters

gloves

hats

scarves

boots

michael buble's new christmas album

socks

sweaters

caramel

waffles

hash browns

mad hatter tea party

fun ideas

sleep overs

a friend from church coming to spend the night on friday.

netfilx

fred astaire movies

jane eyre marathon

popcorn

sleep

Your cold and happy,

Cross - Out tag...

2011-10-28T17:45:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do a Le Happy post, but I haven't gotten permission from the creator (the lovely Miss Jocee) yet, so I figured I'd do this that I found on Cubette's blog. You cross out the one's that apply to you... To make it shorter, I got rid of some of the sections... if you want the entire thing, visit her blog.
BTW: Jocee just said I could do a Le Happy, so expect one soon!

Appearance

I have/had piercings besides the ears.

I want piercings besides the ears.

~~I have many scars.~~

~~I tan easily.~~

~~I wish my hair was a different color.~~

I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.

I have a tattoo.

I want a tattoo.

~~I can be self-conscious about my appearance.~~

I have/had braces.

I have more than two piercings.

Embarrassment

Disney movies still make me cry.

~~I’ve laughed so hard I’ve cried.~~

~~I’ve glued my hand to something.~~

I’ve laughed until some kind of beverage came out of my nose.

~~I’ve touched something sharp/hot/etc to see if it would hurt.~~

Health

I’ve gotten stitches.*

~~I’ve broken or dislocated a bone.~~

I’ve had my tonsils removed.

I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed.

~~I’ve had chicken pox.~~

I've had malaria.

I've had typhoid.

I've had jaundice.

Travel

I’ve been on a plane.

~~I’ve been to the US~~. **

I’ve been to Europe.

I've been to at least one other country.

~~I've never been out of my country.~~
~~I’ve driven/ridden over 200 kilometers in one day.~~

Experiences

I’ve gotten lost in my city.

~~I’ve seen a shooting star.~~

~~I’ve wished on a shooting star.~~

I’ve seen a meteor shower.

I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas.

I’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.

~~I’ve slapped someone.~~

I’ve kissed someone underwater.

I’ve chugged something.

I’ve crashed a car.

I’ve been skiing.

I’ve been in a musical.

I’ve auditioned for something.***

~~I’ve been on stage~~.****

~~I’ve caught a snowflake on my tongue.~~

I’ve sat on a rooftop at night.

I’ve pranked someone.

I’ve ridden in a taxi.

Honesty / Crime

I’ve been threatened to be arrested.

I’ve broken a law.

~~I’ve done something I promised someone I wouldn’t.~~

~~I’ve done something I promised myself I wouldn’t.~~

I’ve sneaked out.

I’ve lied about my whereabouts.

~~I’ve cheated while playing a game.~~

I’ve been in a fist fight.

Materialism

~~I own over 10 music CDs.~~

~~I own over 10 novels.~~

~~I own over 5 electronic gadgets.~~

I’m obsessed with anime/manga.

I collected comic books.

~~I own a lot of makeup.~~

~~I own gaming console(s).~~

I own a car.

I own a bike.

I thrive on compliments.

I thrive on hate.

Random

I can sing low key.

I’ve stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.

I open up to others easily.

I watch the news occasionally or always.

I like to kill bugs.

I sing in the shower.

I’m a morning person.

I’m a sports cricket fanatic.

~~I twirl my hair~~

~~I care about grammar.~~

I love spam.

I’ve copied more than 30 CDs in a day.

~~I bake reasonably well.~~

~~My favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, blue, red, black, purple, or orange.~~

I would wear pajamas to school.

I like Martha Stewart.

I laugh at my own jokes.

I eat fast food weekly.

I’ve not turned anything in and still got an A in a certain class.

I can’t sleep if there’s a bug/insect in the room.

~~I’m really ticklish.~~

~~I like chocolate.~~

I bite my nails.*****

I’m good at remembering dates.

~~I'm good at remembering names.~~

My memory sucks.

I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.

People

...used to ask if I was anorexic/bulimic.

...called me fat.

~~...say I’m skinny.~~

...have said I’m ugly.

~~...have said I’m pretty.~~

~~...have spread rumors about me~~.

~~...force me to eat.~~

...say I eat too much

~~....say I eat too little.~~

...say I eat too fast.

...say I eat too slow.

~~...have called me a genius.~~

~~...have given me gifts.~~

Eating

~~I’ve lost weight~~.******

~~I’ve gained weight.~~

I’m at my thinnest.

I’m at my biggest.

I’ve lost weight and kept it off.

I’ve lost weight, but gained it back.

My weight affects my mood.

I diet.

I’m vegan/vegetarian.

I exercise.

I’ve fainted from exhaustion.

Family

I’ve sworn at my parents.

~~I’ve planned to run away from home before.~~

I’ve run away from home.

I have a sibling less than one year old.

~~I want kids.~~

I’ve had kids.

* I should have had stitched on my leg once, but the doctor said if I promised to be super careful he would glue it instead, so I have been glued :)
** Live in the US
*** I didn't audition, I was just given the part (I didn't even ask for the part)
**** Does a church stage count?
*****I file them down really low - I don't like long nails, they get in the way... They look pretty though.
******I lose and gain 5-10 pounds regularly.

The "huh?" post

2011-10-25T23:55:00.002-04:00

I can't think of anything to post... Maybe I should do a Le Happy post, even though Jocee isn't?
Maybe I should do a day book?
Maybe I should just ignore the need to post and go read... or better yet, do school or edit photos or clean my room, or or or...
Ugh, what to post, what to post? I have not had an adventurous day, school isn't interesting enough for most people to be worth a post (although I'm liking it). I've watched every episode of Merlin and Doctor Who on Netflix and now I have to wait until the newest seasons are over so they'll put them on Netflix. Covert Affairs doesn't come on till next month and White Collar doesn't come on til January :(
I'll just do a post on one of my favorite tv shows. Um, which one, which one?? Merlin! If you haven't watched Merlin and are planning too, you may not want to read the following as it may contain spoilers, also, if you have watched Merlin, but haven't watched every episode up until season four, it may also contain spoilers. I'll try my best not to ruin anything for anyone though. All of the quotes are from season one, so if you've seen season one the quotes are safe for you to read.

"In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy. His name... Merlin."

BBC's Merlin is about a young Merlin who is just learning his powers. Arthur is already prince (no sword from the stone needed) and he is also rather big headed. Merlin and he don't really hit it off, in fact Merlin really doesn't like him, but finds out (from an old, wise "person"- I'm not saying who this is. In the words of River Song **spoilers**) that it is his destiny to be friends with and to help Arthur once Arthur becomes king. The story follows the escapades that Arthur and Merlin (as Arthur's man servant) get into.

Merlin: wizard-in-training, Arthur's servant and best friend (although neither will admit it) and the main character.

Arthur: Merlin!
Merlin: What is it?
Arthur: I don't know. We'll surround it. I want you, to go in there, flush it out.
Merlin: You want me to go in there? You just said that you don't know what it is, it could be dangerous.
Arthur: Let's hope so. Go!

Arthur: Crown prince of Camelot, a royal pain and Merlin's best friend (sorta). He doesn't look like that normally :)

Merlin: (helping Arthur dress) When was the last time these were cleaned?
Arthur: Last year, sometime. Before the feast of Beltane.
Merlin: Did it end in a food fight?
Arthur: Don't all feasts?

Gwen: Morgana's servant, Arthur's true love and as loyal as she can be if you prove yourself worth it. Isn't she lovely?

Merlin: You know what? I think our Sir Lancelot might have eyes for you, Gwen.
Gwen: Don't be silly.
Merlin: So what if he did? Would is really be so bad?
Gwen: He's not really my type.
Merlin: Oh, there's a surprise. Sometimes, Guinevere, I wonder if you'd know what your type was if it was standing right next to you.
Gwen: You're probably right.
Merlin: So, come on, just for the sake of argument. If you had to: Arthur or Lancelot.
Gwen: But I don't have to and I never will.
Merlin: You're no fun Gwen.

Morgana: The king's ward and (in the beginning) Gwen's best friend. I can't tell y'all anymore, for fear of spoiling something. I will say that despite everything, she is my favorite character. I just love her.

Morgana: I wouldn't see an innocent child executed. What harm has he ever done anyone?
Merlin: Uther believes he has magic and that makes him guilty.
Morgana: Uther's wrong.
Merlin: You believe that?
Morgana: What if... magic isn't something you choose? What if it chooses you? (Merlin looks at her) Why are you looking at me like that?

Gaius: Court physician, Merlin's teacher/mentor, like a father to Merlin. I like Gaius too!

Merlin: I just knew, you know part of my powers.
Gaius: What else do your powers tell you?
Merlin: That... I am only one side of a coin. The brighter side, obviously!
Gaius: And who's the other side?
Merlin: I think that might be Arthur.

King Uther: King of Camelot, Arthur's father, horrible ruler.

Morgana: So he was paid, he is a blacksmith, he could have been shoeing Tauren's horse.
Uther: In gold?
Morgana: This is madness. You condemn a man with no proof.
Uther: I have enough proof.
Morgana: Arthur, have you nothing to say?
Auther: Father the blacksmith committed a crime, but we don't know for sure he meant treason.
Uther: No you're right, nothing's certain. The law stands or this kingdom falls.
Morgana: Well we must give him a fair trial.
Uther: He'll get a fair trial and be found guilty because that is what he is.
Morgana: Execute Gwen's father and I will never forgive you. Never!

That's most of the main character's in the first season. Other main-ish characters join in later, but I'm trying not to post any spoilers.

Much Love,

Challenges

2011-10-24T20:30:00.002-04:00

In case y'all don't know, Lys and I have weekly photo challenges at our photography blog December Roses. Link up if you want to, or just go look at ours.

A sweet award!

2011-10-21T17:22:00.000-04:00

Autumn @ Storygirl was very sweet and gave us this award:

The rules state that you are supposed to share 7 things about yourself, but there are two of us, so we'll share 14!

Riah's 7:

1. I love Secrets by One Republic.

2. I love hot chocolate with hazelnut creamer.

3. I am super clumsy, and no, I don't care what your book says, clumsiness isn't romantic or cute. Mostly it's just painful and embarrassing.

4. I have considered doing NaNoWriMo to get my book really going, but I don't have time, plus "NaNoWriMo" just sounds plain silly.

5. I procrastinate. At least four skirts and two blog designs should be done my now that aren't.

6. I love pens, pencils and notebooks. I don't know why, but I do.

7. Maple syrup cotton candy is the best cotton candy - it actually tastes good, unlike that other pink and blue stuff!

Lyssa's 7:

1. I am a very random person.

2. I should have been born in the 40's.

3. I have books everywhere - literally everywhere.

4. I love to stand in the rain.

5. When I get super tired I laugh hysterically over everything!

6. I constantly listen to music.

7. I hate to spend money, but I like to shop. I shop, I just don't buy anything.

We award all of our dear followers, you know who you are :) We love you all and couldn't think of just 5 people to award. If you decide to take the award, comment and let us know! We want to read your answers!

Dear Blogger friends,

2011-10-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let you know something so you don't think I ignore you...
When you leave comments, I love them, and I would be so happy to reply....but blogger must hate me and it won't let me actually comment back. :( SO! Thank you to all who comment and thank you for your lovely thoughts/compliments!
I don't know why blogger won't let me comment. Riah can still comment though! :)
much love,

Some pictures

2011-10-20T14:01:00.001-04:00

First off, Autumn - We'll post the award soon. Lys just needs to write her answers.

Ok, so if you follow December Roses, you've already seen three of these pictures. But if you don't they are all new to you ;) All the following photos were taken the same day.

Taken at the blue ridge parkway. No, Lys and I didn't go together :(

This was taken at the picnic area.

This was also taken at the picnic area.

Also near the picnic area. It was a very well situated picnic area! :)

This was taken at the same place. I really liked that picnic area.

Not taken in the mountains :) Linking up ^^ with Jocee's photo challenge.

Note to Jocee - I had a much better photo for this challenge, but I can't post it since you can see my sister's face in it and the parents won't post pictures of us online for safety reasons.

Photographer in training,

6th Damsel's Daybook

2011-10-17T22:50:00.001-04:00

I'm linking up with Autumn @ Storygirl :)

Outside my window... It's dark. Yes I know it is late again. I was busy today.

I am thinking about... How tired I am. Benedryl knocks me out.

From the kitchen... Nothing but clean counters.

I am creating... a skirt and blog design.

I am reading... Tomorrow's Promise by Linda Lee Chaikin. Can't wait to finish it and start on Timeless by Alexandra Monir.

I am hearing... How Do I Look? on tv, Kay talking, my cell vibrating, Mom turning pages in her book, Bree sketching.

I am hoping... That I wont be sore tomorrow from my fall today.

I am planning... A Mad Hatter tea party.

I am wearing... A tan skirt, a teal V necked tee and jewelry.

Around the house... Needs tidying.

My wish of the week... To make good progress on my sewing, blog designing and school.

Your very tired,

Mountains!

2011-10-17T00:16:00.001-04:00

Today I went to the Blue Ridge Mountains to assist at an engagement shoot. I wasn't really shooting anything involving the actual couple... no, I was more focused on my mountains. Oh how I've missed those mountains. Once you've lived in the mountains, there is no way for you to ever get them out of your system! <3
Anyway, here is a picture I took today. This week I invested in a Polarizing filter for my camera, so that explains the amazing color in the photo. (it's sooc, minus the signature / i removed a weird thing in the left bottom corner of the pic.)

(this photo is entered in Jocee's photo challenge http://thecupcakedictionary.blogspot.com/)

Old fun forward. :)

2011-10-11T11:04:00.000-04:00

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1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?	My middle name is after my dad's
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?	Last week sometime
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING	it depends on if I'm trying or not. Most of the time I don't
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?	Ham
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?	no
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?	Probably
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A Lot?	yes
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS	Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?	maybe :)
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?	Captain Crunch!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?	Depends on my mood and what shoes I'm wearing.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?	I would say yes because I can lift a 60pound bail of hay and carry it pretty far (although I actually don't do farm stuff anymore)
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?	Coffee!!!!
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?	Probably their eyes
15. RED OR PINK?	Red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?	That I'm always working and never really get to spend time with my family/talk to Ri
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?	Riah and my Grandpa
18. WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE RIGHT NOW?	Rainy and dreary
19. WHAT COLOR BOTTOMS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?	Blue jeans and no shoes, just my feet :)
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?	Cinnamon Roll
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?	Jesus Culture CD
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?	Purple or something super happy looking!
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?	Fresh cut grass, fall-like candles, after the rain, fresh baked bread, and steak!
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?	Riah (of course!)
25. WHERE DID YOU GO LAST NIGHT?	I went to Wolf Camera to see my friend who works there, and then I played with a camera just like mine, but put a super good Macro lens on it with an external flash - I was in camera heaven!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?	Football (Go Redskins!)
27. HAIR COLOR?	Dark, dark, dark brown
28. EYE COLOR?	Green!
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?	nope! never had eye trouble
30. FAVORITE FOOD?	right now? My fave is a tender steak with my mushroom sauce on top!
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?	Happy endings for sure!
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?	Pretty Woman
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?	Black - its my Hillsong United shirt.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?	fall
35. HUGS OR KISSES?	Both
36. FAVORITE DESSERT?	I dont no, i love tons of desserts
37. Plans today?	Yep!
38. WHAT ARE THEY...?	Gonna see Riah, go turn in my official notice at one of my jobs, take my car back to Firestone because they didn't do something right, and then I will clean :)
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?	"Love Me Tender" by Janice Hanna - its super good
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?	don't have one - laptop!
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST LAST NIGHT?	Some sporty show, and How I Met Your Mother.
42. FAVORITE SOUND?	Running Water
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?	Neither
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?	Canada
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Sure - I love to sing, and take pictures

The stuff I need to do

2011-10-10T11:55:00.000-04:00

1. Clean my room.
2. Wash my bowl.
3. Eat.
4. Read my lesson for today and take notes.
5. Clean the main areas.
4. Do laundry.
5. READ.
6. Edit photos.
7. Sew.
8. Take photos.
9. Read the manual my tutor gave me - long story - and take notes.
10. Go to the library and return my books, then pay the late fee.

That's all I can think of!

Picture Day

2011-10-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

I got a fun idea from Bleah @ Where Love Abounds to take a picture every hour... almost like a journal. I actually took the pictures last Thursday, but hadn't uploaded and edited the until late this week. So here it goes.

8:30am: Wake up, shower and follow my normal routine. See that purple "Herbal Essences" hairspray bottle? Well guess what I did the other day? I had opened it because it wouldn't spray and when I turned around to pick up something I had dropped I accidentally knocked the bottle into the sink and dumped the entire contents down the drain - it was almost full! I had to buy some more, but the store I went to didn't have that kind, so I had to get a different kind.

9:30am: I made breakfast for us, Cinnamon Muffins.

10:00am: Eat breakfast... See that cute fairy cup in the back? That is T. Lynn's coffee cup! She is a coffee-aholic!

11:00am: Devotions.

12:00pm: Playing Mario with Kay after cleaning the main areas. Bree, Beenie, and T. Lynn were doing school.

1:00pm: Lunch is done and we finally got the girls and Marmee to come eat it. Sometimes I wonder why Kay and I bother cooking?

2:00pm: This is a skirt I am working on for Beenie. Just a plain gored, blue jean skirt. These are super simple to make.

3:00pm: Reading, texting, emailing, reading blogs, drinking tea, charging my iPod, listening to music... All sorts of stuff... Oh and buying music... hence my brown wallet.

4:00pm: Clean my room... and I only sorta made my bed for the picture so Mom wouldn't fuss (although she still might). I don't normally make my bed. Why should I? I'm getting back in it in a few hours anyway, plus I don't have a chair in my room, so where else am I going to sit? I don't want to make a bed then sit on it! Yes, I'll admit, I'm lazy about beds.

5:00pm: I walked up to a neighbor's house quite a bit away (so not really a neighbor) to take pictures of these mushrooms. I've never met the man before... so it was a little weird asking him. He laughed at me a bit, but then gave me permission to take as many pictures as I liked. I think he thought I was weird. Bree walked with me, but refused to walk up to the door with me. I think she was embarrassed :)

6:00pm: Dinner time! I can't remember what we had, durn.

7:00pm: Wash dishes. By the time I took this picture we had already washed all the dishes and had put almost all of them away. See our lovely, disassembled coffee maker? I adore that machine :)

And that's it. After that I probably watched t.v, read or got on the computer. Not sure which. And look how structured my day seemed! Well guess what? It's not. I did bunches of stuff between those pictures... And that was a school day, which is more structured then the weekend for us anyway.

So that was my day! Join in a do the same if you wish!

p.s. I wrote this last night! When you are reading this I am out running errands. Unless of course, you read it later, in which case I'm not.

A sad sad sad sad sad day

2011-10-06T20:07:00.001-04:00

I called Riah tonight to talk, since we haven't really talked that much in a while, and found that she wasn't there. Not really anyway. It was her voice I heard on the phone, but she said it wasn't her. Her exact words were these:
"This isn't your best friend Riah, this is her cloned version." or something to that effect - lol
"What do you mean 'her cloned version'" I asked.
"I mean that aliens have taken her and sent me, her clone, back in her place."
"But... will I ever see my real best friend Riah again?!"
"I don't know - she is on Mars somewhere."
*Sigh* "I guess I'll hafta deal with you then."
And so the conversation went on. Yes, this is a true story. We do things like this sometimes - don't be too worried. :)

this is my i-can't-think-of-a-title-post

2011-10-05T23:44:00.000-04:00

Life really is interesting right now. School, work, and more work. Although, I am relieved to say that I am about to go from 3 jobs to 2 - It just got to be too much to handle. Stress isn't my friend in any way. (and) I did what I said I wouldn't do...I burnt myself out. Yippie. BUT, I am very thankful to have the jobs I do because there are some people who can't find work.

Onto some other news now... I've had some drama arise in my life. Let's just say that you learn who your friends are/who to trust when someone goes behind your back lying to your own dad about stuff about you... yeah - that happened to me. I'm trying very hard to be forgiving and not be angry... its a work in progress. :)

And now for some very exciting news!
My Grandpa is FINALLY retiring and moving back to NC! I only ever get to see him once a year, since he's so far away, but now I will be able to see him a lot more! :) I've missed him.

Here is a list of things I'm trying accomplish this month:

Get new tires for my Jeep/make the other repairs
Learn more about photography (as usual ;) ...)
Plan my trip to Ri's house for the first of next month
Read at least two books a week
Get my sister's Christmas present(s) (yes, I'm Christmas shopping already... Riah's gifts were the first to get done) :)
Bake Apple Dumplings (maybe Ri and I can make them at her house when I come!)
Master my mushroom sauce
Enter a Photography contest

There are more things but that's all I can list for now!
I will try to do an upbeat post next time. :) Have a great night, y'all!

5th (I think) Damsel's Daybook

2011-10-03T16:39:00.000-04:00

Doing the Damsel's Daybook from Autumn @ Storygirl

Outside my window... Slightly overcast and it's starting to look fall-ish.

I'm thinking about... How badly I want a cup of apple cider and the fun (at least for me) post that I will eventually get around to.

From the kitchen... Canner going with Apple Jelly we're canning, vent in the microwave going, jar seals sealing with that satisfying "pop", cinnamon-y apple smells. (Now we're canning apple butter, I'm typing this between canning).

I am creating... A skirt.

I am reading... The Hunger Games (with Bree) by Suzanne Collins and A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin.

I am hearing... Kay and Bree chatting, the vent in the microwave, the tv.

I am hoping... That it's warm tomorrow for our trip to the Dixie Classic Fair.

I am planning... On finishing Beenie's skirt, making a cute apron, watching the Sing-Off tonight and much more.

I am wearing... A black knit skirt, a teal t-shirt, jewelry, and T. Lynn's froggy apron. The bib part (obviously) doesn't fit, but if I fold the bib under and wrap the skirt around my waist it fits nearly perfectly, just like a half apron. I told you I need to make an apron!

Around the house... a mess that needs tidying, open windows, people talking, warmth from the kitchen...

My wish of the week... That we get all these apple's canned in their various forms: aka applesauce, apple pie filling, apple butter, apple jelly, apple syrup and cinnamon versions of both applesauce and apple jelly.

Your busy and cinnamon apple-y smelling,

le happy - le tired

2011-10-01T23:41:00.002-04:00

Jocee has this fun post linky thingy up now! It's called "Le Happy" and you post this list of things that make you happy. Here's my "Le Happy" (in lowercase).

smiles

laughs

dinner with relatives

my camera

australia

photography classes

photoshop cs5.5

nice, soft, warm beds

mascara

blt salad

candy corn

t. lynn

books

friends

lyssa

new skirts

a cute dress pattern

new (cute) notebook

libraries

starbucks

pumpkin spice lattes

white chocolate mochas

chili

australian tutors

fred astaire

letters

fall

spice scented candles

canning season

apple pie with ice cream and apple syrup

bed time

sleep

Your tired,

p.s. I'll eventually post that post I've been talking about.

Another Random Post

2011-09-30T22:40:00.000-04:00

Some random facts about me...

1. I am allergic to shellfish.
2. Chocolate makes me break out.
3. Candy Corn makes my throat sore.
4. I like white Circus Peanuts with caramel and malted milk balls on them.
5. Prunes are horrible.
6. I love Chicken n' Dumplin's.
7. I had Chocolate Pie instead of a cake for my birthday.
8. I like Oreos dipped in Peanut butter, but I'm not a fan of the Peanut Butter filled Oreos,
9. I had a really cool post I was going to do instead of this, but I don't have the energy to upload and edit all those pictures!
10. I started the Photography school yesterday - sorta. I'll officially start **hopefully** Monday. It depends on how long it takes us to can the apples we picked today.
12. I am getting Adobe Photoshop. Maybe this month, maybe next month...
13. I'm tired and am going to stop now

Your very tired,

Randomness

2011-09-28T22:06:00.000-04:00

I guess this will be a random post, simply because I can't think of anything to post. So here is a bunch of questions that Bleah posted.

1. High heels or boots? Boots, every time.
2. What time did you get up this morning? 11am **blushes**
3. What was the last movie you saw in theaters? Captain America
4. What is your maiden name? Not saying, but it starts with a D.
5. What is your favorite t.v. show? Um, I have several, but I'll go with Doctor Who.
6. What do you usually have for breakfast? Toast, or yogurt and toast, mostly just toast.
7. What is your middle name? Michelle, shortened to Chelle more often than not.
8. What food do you dislike? Lima beans! They are so gross.
9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Steppin' Out: Astaire Sings - Fred Astaire.
10. What characteristic do you despise? Spoiled brats (is that a charateristic???)
11. Favorite piece of clothing? Don't think I have one.
12. Anywhere in the world on vacation? Australia.
13. Are you an organized person? Sorta, in my way.
14. Where would you retire to? Home ;)
15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 19 (my last one) - I got a DSLR camera.
16. What are you going to do when you finish this? Hopefully watch Doctor Who while working on my mending basket. It's overflowing with mending and projects waiting to be done.
17. Furthest place you've ever been to? Missouri.
18. Person you wish you could meet? Amber.
19. When is your birthday? June 28th.
20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Definitely a night person, all the way.
21. What is your shoe size? 71/2 or 8.
22. Do you own in animals? Nope, not a one.
23. Any news you'd like to share? I'm starting the Photography Institute next month.
24. When you were little what did you want to be? Well at first I wanted to be the first woman on Mars, but then I realized how hard the training was and decided to be an astrologer instead.
25. What is your favorite flower? Sunflowers.
26. What day on the calender are you looking forward to? None that I know of.
27. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue, sky blue.
28. How is the weather right now? Good... not much is going on and it's 9:40pm, so...
29. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Lyssa.
30. Favorite drink? Sweet tea.
31. Favorite restaurant? I don't have one.
32. Hair color? Very dark brown, brunette.
33. What was your favorite toy as a child? A white valentine bear holding a red heart. Don't ask!!
34. Spring, summer, fall or winter? Fall, fall, fall!
35. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate unless it's ice cream. I'm not a big chocolate ice cream person, chocolate ice cream doesn't taste like chocolate - seriously.
36. Coffee or tea? Both.
37. Wish you were still young? Um, I'm still young. I'm only 19.
38. Do you want to get married? Yes.
39. When was the last time you cried? I don't know. I teared up yesterday while reading The Secret Life of Bees. When May dies it is so sad.
40. What is under your bed? Two plastic storage containers. One with Hope Chest stuff and one with random stuff.
41. What did you do last night? Watched Doctor Who, read Hunger Games with Bree, answered emails, painted my nails, that sorta thing.
42. What are you afraid of? Heights, no wait, falling. Definitely falling. And fish scales. Hey, don't judge me, we all have irrational fears, mine just happens to be more irrational than most.
43. Salty or sweet? Depends on my mood.
44. Best quality? Mine? I don't have a "best" one. I just have normal qualities, both bad and good that hopefully balance each other now.
45. How many years at your current job? I don't have a job.
46. Favorite day of the week? Don't have one.
47. Favorite movie? Again, don't have one.
48. Have you ever had a crush on anyone? Well of course.
49. Do you like finding all this stuff out about your friends? Yep.

Much love,

Hunger Games Cast?

2011-09-21T13:16:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you just have to wonder if the people who are casting movies based off books have ever actually read the books! Now there are a few movies where I thought the casting was pretty good in: Star Trek(2009), Jane Eyre(2006), X-Men: First Class and such but the cast for Hunger Games? Not my favorite and all I can hope is that the actors prove to be good actors. I'll list the cast first, then I'll list who I might have cast instead.

Katniss Everdeen:

Meet Jennifer Lawrence.

In my opinion, Miss Lawrence is much, much too sophisticated looking to be Katness, plus it looks as though they are trying to make Katness seductive, which she most certainly IS NOT. And Jennifer is too old to be Katniss. But on the other hand I completely hate the idea of Emma Watson being Katniss, so I suppose Jennifer is the lesser of two evils (I can't stand Emma Watson).

Gale Hawthorne:

Meet Liam Hemsworth.

By far the worst cast character in the entire movie. I admit, I don't like Jennifer for Katniss... I think the casting crew were trying too hard to make Katniss seductive and therefore lost Katniss in the midst of everything. But seriously, Mr. Hemsworth for Gale?! I couldn't stand Liam's acting job in The Last Song (and it wasn't just because Miley Cyrus was there). Plus, Liam doesn't look mean enough to be Gale.

I'm sorry, but I just really don't like the idea of Liam in the movie - at all!

Peeta Mellark:

Meet Josh Hutcherson.

At first I thought "NOOO"! I couldn't help it. I still see Mr. Hutcherson as the skinny, squeaky, little nephew in Journey to the Center of the Earth. But, I saw a picture of him taken during the filming of The Hunger Games movie, and he's not so skinny anymore. In fact, his build is similar to what I imagined Peeta's to be. So, overall I actually like this choice. May I just say I am very happy they didn't cast Alex Pettyfer? I am. Alex Pettyfer is very, very good looking and an amazing actor, but he is NOT Peeta.

President Snow:

Meet Donald Sutherland.

I didn't really think about who to cast for President Snow, but Mr. Sutherland doesn't look anything like my mental picture of him. I sorta pictured him short-ish, round-ish and sorta crazy. I really don't know how I would have cast him at all, but the minute I saw "Donald Sutherland" I shouted with pure joy. I absolutely LOVE Donald Sutherland... He is just great. Now I've changed my mental picture of President Snow to match Donald Sutherland.

Effie Trinket:

Meet Elizabeth Banks.

She'll do for Effie I guess. I haven't seen her in much, so I'm not sure. She played in the Spiderman movies, but I don't really remember her... Of course, I hated the Spiderman movies and have blocked most of that torture on film out of my mind.

Now I could go on and on about casting choices I hate (see Lenny Kravitz for Cinna and the fact they completely left Venia out of the movie)... But I'll move on to choices I would have made.

Katniss Everdeen:

Meet Haileee Steinfeld.

Sure, Miss Stenfeld is pretty, but her features are nearly identical to how Katniss is described in the book. Plus you can make her look plainer (see True Grit). I think she would be an amazing Katniss.

Gale Hawthorne:

Meet Chace Crawford (thanks Stephanie for bringing him to my attention).

I think he would make a rather good Gale. I've never actually seen Mr. Crawford act, but if he is a good actor, then I think he would be a great choice. Well, except his eyes are blue :)

Effie Trinket:

Meet Judy Greer.

I think she would have been perfect! I love her parts in movies (see The Wedding Planner and 27 Dresses) and she would be amazing...

As for President Snow and Peeta, I am happy. I wont go into the nitty gritty of how everyone on the movie should have been cast, that would just be boring. Oh, I like who they cast as Haymitch Abernathy... at least, I think I do.

Your Opinionated,

A "night book"

2011-09-14T22:16:00.002-04:00

Since it's too late to be a day book!

Starting time: 9:48pm
What I'm listening to: Don't Stop Believin' by Journey (that song never fails to make me think of Losers)
A quote: "Let us accept the truth, even when it surprises us and alters our views." - George Sand
A random thought: I want Thanksgiving and Fall to be here and I sorta wanna listen to Christmas music. Weird huh?
Outside my window: Dark, or at least I'm assuming, since the blinds are closed ;)
I am reading: I Am Number Four by Pitticus Lore with Bree and Masquerade by Nancy Moser.
**I interupt this post to whine... I can't make Pandora stop playing and the guy singing "The Way You Look Tonight" is horrible! Sob!**
I am hearing: The tv playing Merlin, my cell phone vibrate and my fingers tapping the keyboard.
Song stuck in my head: I'm Yours/Over The Rainbow by Strait No Chaser.
I am wearing: A tan skirt, teal cami, cream cami and cream sweater and jewelry.
My wish of the week: To finish at least two skirts, three blog designs and make great progress on my secret project.
One of my favorite things: My ever growing stack of letters from Amber.
Around the house: Not much. The little 'uns are in bed already.
I am hoping: To accomplish on everything on my "wish of the week list".
A picture:

I took this while riding in the car. Not a stellar photo, I know!

Much love,

Polkadots and Moonbeams :)

2011-09-13T08:43:00.000-04:00

Dontcha like that name?! It is inspired by a song by Frank Sinatra. It is awesome!
The quote is also based off the lyrics of the song, but changed to fit us by our lovely Miss Mariah :) Ain't she gifted??? I thought so. I was trying to make the quote and called upon her for the use of her amazing brain. Yep - I surely did and it paid off :)
Well, I gotta go add wedding pictures to a disk to take to the photographer -
See ya!
Oh and be sure to leave us a comment to let us know what you think!

It's finished!!

2011-09-12T23:42:00.003-04:00

Don't worry... It's still Lys and Riah.... We just have a new look and design. Whatcha think?
Oh.. and the quote below the header is from yours truly!

Re-design!

2011-09-12T21:29:00.000-04:00

Right now Ri is working on our new blog design! Super excited about it :)
Not only is our look changing, but our name is as well!! So when you look at our blog after the design is complete, don't panic when you don't recognize the name. And no, I'm not gonna tell you what it is until the "unveiling" - rahaha :)
See ya later!

Wedding!

2011-09-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

I shot a wedding today - it was super fun...tons of hard work, but still fun!!
Learned a lot! Here is a picture I took at the reception - enjoy! :)
*Note - all I added to this image was my signature and the faded white edging - thanks :)

Procrastination part deux

2011-09-09T18:28:00.000-04:00

Here I am again, listening to Some Kind of Wonderful by Michael Buble on Pandora. Here I am again eating a sour cream donut and drinking coffee (feeling slighting police officer-ish). Here I am again procrastinating. I should be sewing skirts, working on my secret project, uploading music into my computer, cleaning my room, cleaning the main areas, cleaning the bathroom and blog designing. Oh and calling Lys and working on a Christmas wish list (per her request, be it only September). I should be writing my untitled novel, but instead I'm dreaming about this store. I should be cleaning up the extremely messy table beside me, but instead I'm thinking about being here:

Paris at night...

In this dress...

wearing these shoes...

these bracelets...

And this necklace (I love this necklace!!)...

and this hat...

and this purse! Yep, that's a complete ensemble.

And it costs - $233.94 - yep, that's without the Paris part ;)

Yeah, sometimes I have expensive taste **blushes** I try not to though. And I'd never actually buy those things. It would be a ridiculous waste of money; money I don't have.

Much Love,

Riah

P.S. I started this post way earlier...

P.P.S. It would be preferable if somewhere Fred Astaire music was playing, but since Paris doesn't have a soundtrack, like movies do, I guess I'll have to live without it :(

Hello Fall!

2011-09-08T14:44:00.002-04:00

Hello Fall,

Hello colorful leaves

And crisp, cool breeze

Hello candles scented like spice

And autumn air that smells so nice

Hello pumpkin cheese pie

and thoughts that soar high

Hello socks and sweaters

and laughs and whispers

Hello long, wordy books

and cozy little nooks

Hello sweet, warm dreams

under harvest moon beams!

You're poet-in-training,

Riah

pictures via Weheartit and Alyssa M. Photography

Oh the things I should be doing!

2011-09-07T16:13:00.001-04:00

What I am doing:
Listening to Pandora (the exact song is Beyond The Sea by Bobby Darin).
Texting.
Procrastinating.
Blogging.
Dreaming of all the wonderful books upstairs waiting to be read.
Wondering if the Hunger Games movie will be anything like the book?

What I should be doing:
Editing my bokeh picture for December Roses.
Contacting the Photography school I'm going to start next month and ask them what supplies I'm going to need.
Changing my account statement.
Making coffee.
Writing to Amber.
Sewing.
Cleaning.

Yeah, I need to get started!

TTYL (talk to y'all later ;)
Ri

P.S. Now I'm listening to What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. I love, love, love this type of music!

Tuesday Morning - and I don't mean the store...

2011-09-06T15:25:00.000-04:00

It has been an interesting day in the life of me. I set my alarm this morning for 7:30 to give myself an hour to wake up - yes, I can't force myself out of bed right when my alarm goes off. Ask Riah - she knows how hard it is to get me up. Moving right along...
I got ready for the day and headed off to my first official day at the photography studio. (yay!) It was great - Julie and I worked on creating our Fall pricing chart and brain stormed about new ideas for the company. That took a couple of hours and then we unboxed some new shipments of prints for clients. Then I went home. I ate. I brushed one of my puppies. Grabbed my computer. Now I am telling you about my day. lol.
The clock is being very mean to me. I only have 15 more minutes before I hafta go work at the bookstore.
Its been a rainy mess for the last two days - it makes me want a fire in the fireplace and a big fluffy blanket to curl up in as I read a super good book. Yep - that sounds nice.

Here are my complaints of the day:
1. I MISS RIAH!
2. I have not been able to talk to Riah in a while - I mean we have talked some but I don't count 5 minute conversations...
3. Riah has not texted me ONCE today. Ya hear that Ri? You should txt me. Now. ASAP. Chop Chop. Tick Tock Tick Tock. My foot is tapping. I'm waiting!
4. I don't want to wear my uncomfortable work shoes today. They hurt my feet.

Here are my happy thoughts of the day:
1. I'm working with a Photographer and I get to shoot a wedding with her on Saturday.
2. I have the bestest friend in the world.
3. I'm slowly but surely saving up money to go to Australia :)
4. God loves me!

I'm off to get changed into work clothes!
Much love,

The Damsels Daybook

2011-09-05T15:20:00.003-04:00

From Autumn at Storygirl.

Outside my window... it's raining like crazy.

I'm thinking about... french fries. I'm dying for some!

From the kitchen... absolutely nothing.

I am creating... tons of skirts and a secret project.

I am reading... Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl.

I am listening to... Long Live by Taylor Swift, the girls making various noises.

I am hoping... That I'll get around to working on Bree's blog design soon - preferably this week.

I am planning... On getting my hair trimmed and layers put back in tomorrow.

I am wearing... a blue jean skirt made out of blue jeans, a black and blue print t-shirt and jewelry.

Around the house... nothing much. It's a lazy labor day :) Oh the irony.

My wish of the week... um?

And thats about it. Later I'm going to take a picture of the boarding passes they give you when you go to the Titanic Exhibit and I'll tell y'all about the trip.

Much Love,

Riah Friah

P.S. The song "Acceptable In The 80's" is really, really weird!!!

Oh, I can't do shopping!

2011-09-02T14:42:00.000-04:00

I absolutely hate it when I need new clothes. I like new clothes, don't get me wrong (who doesn't?)... It's the shopping for new clothes I don't like. Why can't I have a magic wand to wave over my closet so a whole new wardrobe will appear without me having to shop for it? That's all I'm asking, really.
Yesterday we had to go clothes shopping for all five of us. Thankfully Bree and I share a wardrobe and we just shop together. All together (all five of us), we bought 37 pieces of clothing. Bree and I got a slate blue ruffled blouse, a cream, braided neck shirt, a v-necked black shirt, a orange and tan striped t-shirt hoddie, one cream lace tank, one grey ribbed tank with blue and orange bubble thingies and a blue patterned tank dress for church.
Ok, right now a little T. Lynn person is fussing at me about my handwriting. Excuse me while I go strangle her... **elevator music**
Alright, I'm back. She is soooooooo sassy! I am in charge of giving them their school today since our dear Marmee (as T. Lynn has started calling her) is at the hair dresser's getting her hair permed and cut. I wrote out a quote for T. to copy for her handwriting exercise. Apparently she thinks it's my handwriting exercise since she is sitting here poking fun at and criticizing my little "t's", "s's", "k's", "a's", "d's", "i's" and "w's". Apparently I'm not doing them just so. I've done threatened to hurt her about six times. Her only response is "You love me!". Yeah, she is a total twerp.
Back to what I was saying - I hate shopping and right now, little sisters are on up on my list too!
Now, onto other random things...
I still haven't charged my camera battery.
I have a appointment at the optometrist's next Tuesday - yay, more glasses (sarcasm).
I am started a college (type) course in photography next month.
I'll be getting a car, soon-ish.
I ordered thirty prints from Shutterfly the other day and only paid $2.66 since I got thirty free prints for opening a account there. I thought that paying just the shipping wasn't so bad for thirty free pictures. I'm super excited for them to come in.
I got the cutest Vogue pattern today at JoAnn Fabric store. It's a vintage style dress I'm dying to try and sew.. But I have 8 skirts still to sew, plus I want to make some crop jackets. My old one is looking ratty.
I need to email Amber!!!!!
I got Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren yesterday (the day it came out). The only thing that is a total bummer is that Marmee is reading it first... It's totally unfair. I like those books every bit as much as she does and she has got to read every one of them first so far.
And I think that's about it for this random post!

Much love,
Riah Chelle <3

It's me it's me!!!

2011-08-30T21:54:00.001-04:00

Here are some of the pictures I took in the first few days.

This is at the Natural Science Museum. It's the rock and gemstones exhibit, well part of it anyway...

This is only Titanic related picture they allow you to take, besides letting you take a picture of the banner (which I did). They have a "photographer" standing just inside the exhibit that makes you stand infront of a green screen and snaps a picture. Later, at the end of the exhibit, they print the picture for you (should you ask for it) and the picture shows you standing infront of the Grand Staircase with the "ghost" of the Captian on it. I put quotes around photographer because he wasn't one. I walked up to him and asked him what kind of camera he had. He shrugged and said "I don't know, I'm not a photographer." He looked at my bag and said, "Are you? Is this a good camera, do you know?". I was slightly appalled that they didn't have a real photographer, but he said he just uploaded the pictures onto the software program and it did everything. I wasn't thrilled to hear that. They should have a real photographer. It wasn't that poor guy's fault that he wasn't a photographer, but I think they should have hired a real one. I ended up looking at the camera and it's a basic entry level Canon DSLR. I told him that it was a perfectly fine camera for what he was doing. Ugh, still not happy about that... I want to volunteer sooooo bad :)

This was taken at the Bog Gardens. Yes, it's supposed to be blurry!

This was taken at the Bog Gardens as well. The duck is a little too dark sadly...

This picture is in memory of my dear Great Grandma "Cake" who passed away two weeks ago. She loved violets, so Momma made this arrangement for the funeral. The funeral was sad and I barely kept myself from crying while we (Mom, my sisters and I) sang. There were yellow roses every where (another of her favorite flowers) and it was very bittersweet. We know she's with Jesus, but being human we didn't want to lose her.

We love you so very much Grandma!

Goodbyes are not forever.

Goodbyes are not the end.

They simply mean I'll miss you

Until we meet again!

-- Author Unknown

Riah Chelle

Home again, home again!

2011-08-29T22:09:00.000-04:00

I'm home. Pictures will be coming (sorta) soon. I am sad though, my camera battery died only two or three days into my "vacation" and I didn't pack the cord to my battery charger. I thought I did, but apparently I left it at home on our school desk. I was very upset at that.
We visited several places. The History Museum, the Natural Science Museum, the Childrens Museum, the Titanic Exhibition, the Bog Gardens... It was so much fun. I'll tell y'all about it later!

Much love,
Riah

Expensive!

2011-08-28T00:11:00.000-04:00

They don't lie when they say Photography is an expensive hobby :/ I was just making my photography wish list. EEP! It really adds up! I did expect it to be expensive but this is just a tad bit crazy!
I still love it though :)

Hey y'all!

2011-08-23T16:39:00.000-04:00

It's been a while but im sure you will forgive me... 3 jobs takes up a lot of time and when you finally get home being on the computer is the last thing on your mind. :)

Riah is at her Grandma's house this week so we won't be seeing much of her in the blogger world so I will try to pick up the slack (both hers and mine - lol) and post!

Appearantly there was an earthquake in Richmond, VA that was felt all the way down through Rock Hill, SC and up through Canada - I found this online so maybe it will make some people feel better about it... "East Coast earthquakes are far less common than in the West, but they also tend to be felt over a broad area. That's because the crust is not as mangled and fractured, allowing seismic waves to travel without interruption."
There is whole lot going on with our planet - a hurricane, earthquakes around here and Colorado. Sheesh! But I'm not worried because I know that God has us covered :)

I got off work and one job this afternoon at 3 and I am going into my next one at 5:30 - really don't wanna go anywhere else today but I'll live :)

ttyl!

My Great Grandma...

2011-08-17T12:21:00.001-04:00

Passed from this world to the next early this morning. We'll miss her so much, but she wasn't happy here any more.
We love you so much Grandma "Cake" and we'll miss you terribly!

-Riah

P.S. This was the Grandma that lived with us for several years up until last February.
P.P.S Read more about her here.

Monday Damsel Daybook

2011-08-15T20:22:00.001-04:00

I can't think of anything to post about right now, so here's a mix of the Damsel's Daybook from Storygirl and one a friend of mine used to do when she blogged.

Outside my window... A lovely sunset... Well actually, the window is facing East so it's just the purple-y horizon, but it's still lovely.

I'm thinking about... Ice Cream, how bummed I am that Torrent isn't being released until September and how I should really get Amber's letter in an envelope so I can send it out tomorrow.

From the kitchen... Nothing much, we already ate dinner. I could use some coffee and apple pie though. I know what I am going to do when I finish posting!

I am creating... A secret project.

I am reading... The Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land by John Flanagan with Bree (we tend to read books together).
Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery.

I am hearing... Siblings chatting, bugs and birds making their usual racket outside, the movie Rio and Momma playing a game with Beenie.

I am hoping... That we'll watch Doctor Who tonight. We just watched the episode where the Doctor becomes human to throw off some aliens who want to absorb him (or some such thing). Need I just say I like the Doctor as a Time Lord, not as a human!!! I am dying to see an episode of him being himself the whole time, not just the last ten minutes.

I am planning... On sending Amber her letter, working on some skirts this week, making coffee in a little while and begging Mom to let us watch Doctor Who or Monarch of the Glen or Pysch.

I am wearing... A blue jean skirt (made out of actual blue jeans - I made it myself) and a rust colored, cap sleeved, thermal weeve t-shirt.

Around the house... A living room that needs tidying.

My wish of the week... That I'll get at least one skirt made before we leave Saturday.

One of my favorite things... My camera. I have the bestest family ever!

A picture:

Much love,
Riah Friah Me O Miah

Hi!

2011-08-12T13:34:00.000-04:00

You must think I've neglected you... I promise I'm not trying to :)
A lot has been going on lately - I haven't even been able to talk to Ri about it much which is very sad!
I am going to be quitting my bookstore job next week and working with the photographer almost full time - when I'm not working with her I'll be working at the kids hair salon my mom works at as a part time receptionist - that will only last until my photography picks up.

There is a chance I will be in Australia in January or July of 2012 - I was at a Hillsong United concert on Tuesday (AMAZING!!!) and when I was waiting in line to get a t-shirt I saw that they had a sign up sheet for a free semester at their college and I signed up for it! Now I hope that I get it!!
I am going to another Hillsong United concert on the 19th (next Friday) and can't wait - now I just hafta figure out how to tell someone I don't want them to go and I want my mom to go instead.... :/

I'm making some changes to my room - taking some stuff off my walls and adding other stuff - and I actually cleaned it! YAY! Summer really took a toll on my cleaning time... now my room is clean and mostly organized. So happy about that.

I miss Riah - we haven't really talked in what feels like a month :( - We don't really know what each other is doing!

I started my Bachelors course in my online class a couple of weeks ago - it's boring - I despise it - but it's something for now!

I should go get out of my pjs and get a move on my day - yes I know its 1:30.... but it's my day off (until 6:30 tonight) and I am enjoying it! :)

An interesting afternoon!

2011-08-09T22:12:00.001-04:00

When we go to the library, we have a system. Mom goes and researches what books she needs using the library card catalogue, Kay helps Beenie find books and I help T. Lynn. Bree is pretty much on her own, but she'll come to Mom, Kay or me for help if she needs it. After I have helped T. Lynn find her books I do one of three things: Take her with me while I find my books, leave her with Beenie and/or Bree in the children's sections or leave her with Mom.
Yesterday we went to the library and I took T. to pick out her books, but she was in a bit of a mood and didn't want to pick a book - not even a Nancy Drew or Ramona book (shocked?). Well she was required to pick one non-fiction book, so after some hushed arguing (which mostly consisted of me telling her she had better pick a book and pick one right now) she finally picked a spider book and a Nancy Drew book. I then went to help Bree find a couple of books and then I had to answer questions from the Librarian if we were like the Duggers or not (which we're not) - I eventually sent the lady to find Momma, since I have no clue what religion the Duggers practice nor do I know why they believe what they believe.
After I had done all of this I was about to look for my books when T. Lynn called me over to look at something. She was flipping through a magazine and had just thrown it down in disgust when I walked up.
"Riah, look at this!" She exclaimed irritably.
"What's amatter?"
"This magazine showed a snake on the front but there is only two snakes in the whole thing - the front (cover) and one inside! See?" She picks up the magazine and it falls open to a page covered in snakes. "Ohhhh! Riah, sit down and look at this with me! I musta missed it..."
I sat down beside her and she flipped through every page that featured snakes. Then she asked me to find her some snake books to take home, so I found one and handed it to her. She ran and got her spider book and wanted me to sit there while she looked through it too. While she was studying the spiders I happened to glance back at the magazine rack T. had gotten her magazine from. It was filled with girly magazines about bedroom designs, boyfriend quizzes and make up tips. There was one Boy's Life magazine - yep the snake magazine T. Lynn had was the Boy's Life magazine. Rows and rows of girls magazines and my baby sister picks up the only boy magazine in the whole rack! Go figure. Kay eventually finished looking for her books and very sweetly offered to sit with T. while I looked for my books.

As it goes my afternoon kinda went bad-good-bad-good!
Bad: T. Lynn refuses to pick out books.
Good: I eventually get her to pick out two.
Bad: She is irritable.
Good: She finally gets interested in something and ends up going home with about 5 books.
Bad: Our library is changing it's system and not only is it taking awhile to figure out, it also isn't fully installed and we can't renew, request or put books on hold. We can just check in and check out. Such a bummer.
Good: Maybe this new system will be better.
Bad: The library didn't have any of the books I wanted (it's a small, SMALL library).
Good: I was forced to browse most of the library and found two books that look great:

Two books and a Lemon Tea Snapple make for a fun afternoon. I can't wait to start reading them... Right now I am reading a rather boring book and am almost just going to stop reading it

And here is just a random picture of my sunflowers!

So that was yesterday! Fun, no?

-Miah

"Ah summer..."

2011-08-08T19:29:00.002-04:00

"...what power you have to make us suffer and like it." - Russel Baker

Summer let's us enjoy clean kitchens:

*please ignore the notes and pictures all over the side of the fridge

Yes, I scrubbed this entire kitchen!

Summer also destroys those clean kitchens (the same day you clean them!):

Just to can the tons and tons of tomatoes from the garden!

It also:

Gives you tons of yummy canned tomatoes - even if it costs you a clean kitchen!

Yeah, I love summer, but I don't exactly enjoy having my nice, clean kitchen messed up. It was worth it though :)

These are some of my favorite things about summer:

Reading new books and listening to music while sitting in our sunroom.

Taking tons of pictures of my beautiful sunflowers.

Going to the Bicentennial Gardens with my sisters and Grandma.

Getting long cheery letters from dear friends. I love Amber's letters!

Seeing our sidewalk up to our house so covered with plants that you can't even walk up it. Beautiful, no?

Laying on the ground to get close up shots like this.

Taking close ups of little sister's "très adorable" freckles.

And new perspectives... Our porch and stairs look so much more picturesque from this view!

Much Love,

Well...

2011-07-29T22:10:00.000-04:00

This post was supposed to be about canning and gardening and what not, but I'm on Momma's computer and I haven't uploaded the pictures from our canning adventure (if adventure is the appropriate word here?) yet, so this will just have to be a random post. Randomness Friday rather than Wednesday.

1. I hate wedding invitations.
2. I would so elope if Superman, Lys and my parents would let me.
3. I'm thinking about starting online college courses.
4. I've been working with so much teal fabric I sware I'm seeing teal.
5. I miss Lyssa!

Now for the explanations.

1. I have been getting emails and magazines about wedding invites to chose from... and they are not exactly the prettiest things ever. I've only seen a few I like and several of them weren't in my colors. I may make my own... Weddings have never been my cup of tea.
2. Superman wont let me elope, but I sware I'd make him if Lys and Mom weren't here to help me. Well.. Lys is bossing more than anything ;) Love ya Lys...
3. I am thinking about doing either Ambassador Christian or Photography Institute or maybe I'll even see what options they have for history... I don't know. I just love school and I would like to study something, plus it's always good to have something to fall back on. Who knows what could happen?
4. I am almost done with Lyssa's skirt. It just needs a zipper and to be hemmed. That teal is beautiful and will be comfortable to wear, but it stretches soooooo much that its hard to work with until you have it fully stitched to the eyelet over skirt. Oh well, it will be very pretty - or at least I hope so. I'm not exactly confident in my sewing skills.
5. Lys has been keeping busy. Camp, work, baby sitting (no, seriously I think she sat on one of them ;), and the internship. Yep, so busy she barely has time to blink, let alone talk to me. **Sob** I miss you my Lyssa!

That's it.. I'm hoping Mom is done sewing sunflowers now. I would like to go read or work on my special project or watch Monarch of the Glen, but she's keeping me here for company... Love ya Momma!

- Miah

Captain America! and more...

2011-07-26T00:02:00.000-04:00

I saw Captain American (in 3D I might add - amazing!) on Sunday afternoon - it was AWESOME! It did help that the guy playing as the Captain was super cute!! :) You should have seen me and my friend Kellie and her sister Anna, after he got his muscles - hahaha - Dakota (the young fella that was with us) was laughing at us. :)
Kellie, Anna, Dakota and myself are all staff at the summer camp I've been doing. Anna was actually a counselor in training... but still staff - lol - Dakota is 15 and has kinda a hard home life - we won't go into it. Here is a picture I took with my awesome new iPhone 4:

Yes - He has a Mohawk - but it's actually pretty cool - Kellie and I put those 3D glasses bags on his hair because it was hilarious. His hair is great entertainment. hahhaa.

But yes, Captain American was an excellent movie - I will see it again and then will own it when it comes to DVD. That's all I will say about the movie - Don't wanna ruin it for you too much :)

So I just started my last week of camp - I'm so excited that it's almost over - I've been sun baked for too long - haha

- I might have another job along with the photography job - we are going to give it a try before saying yes or no to it - but I'm almost hoping it works out so I can leave the bookstore and not deal with them again! :)

And now I'm off to sleep - got another long day of camp and then work ahead of me!

G'night!

Macro and Damsel's Daybook

2011-07-25T16:06:00.000-04:00

I decided to join in both Autumn's Daybook and Lisa's Macro Monday!

Here is my Macro picture:

And here is my Damsel's Daybook!

Outside my window... It's storming. Thunder, lightening, rain. Fun fun. But maybe it will help cool down this heat wave!

I'm thinking about... Taking pictures after it quits raining, sewing and cupcakes. I blame Jocee! ;)

From the kitchen... not much.

I am creating... Lyssa's skirt - I haven't been brave enough to pick it back up since I tangled with that needle. And I just found out I have to restart my secret project! Grrrr!

I am reading... Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

I am hearing... Momma in the sewing room, siblings chatting, the tv and thunder.

I am hoping... That I'll be able to go out later this week in my bathing suit and get drenched in water. I'm so sick of the heat and if it's going to be that hot I'm going to use the water hose to cool down.

I am planning... On watching Downton Abbey, Monarch of the Glen, Doctor Who or Bleak House tonight. Hopefully Downton Abbey.

I am wearing... Blue jean skirt, cream cami, an over sized purple shirt tied at the waist, my engagement ring, a "I<3U" silly band T. Lynn gave me, an anklet and a heart with a key necklace.

Around the house... Nail polish and laundry.

My wish of the week... That I'll be able to catch up with my project. I'm not sure I'll have it done when I want it to be... Ugh!

Thats it!

~ Riah

Surface of the sun... and HI!

2011-07-21T23:57:00.001-04:00

Hey Y'all!
I feel like I am completely out of the loop in blogger world! I miss you! Life has been quite interesting the last few weeks. I'm really excited about most of it. :)
To start... as you know I was doing a Photography internship for a couple of weeks at a Sunflower field - it was AMAZING! I don't think I have had that much fun in a long time (except at Ri's house of course :D). I learned so much from the photographer; more than I thought I could in such a short amount of time. She taught me about the camera settings, lighting, framing...ect. I even got to shoot along side of her some (look at previous posts to see some of the pictures). I know I still have so much to learn, but I am on the fast track to improvement!
At the end of the internship Julie (the photographer) told me that she has loved working with me and that I have been a great help. She then proceeded to tell me that the internship was really like one big job interview and that if I wanted the job she would love to hire me! So, I'm sure you know what i said! YES! I have been praying for a job in photography come the end of Summer and here I have one! God is so good! We still have to talk about all the details, but it's basically locked in. :) YAY!
If I can get enough hours/pay with her then I can leave my current job! I hope that is how it will work because I am so DONE working where I am. (I have some snotty co-workers) Ehem... moving on. lol

Life has really kept me on the move this summer - on top of interning there has been camp all day/ working at the bookstore at night. The only time I'm home is to sleep and then several hours on Saturday and Sunday. Ask Ri - I've not even had time to talk to her much. I don't wanna think about it though because I miss her something awful and I might cry if I keep on... **Sniff**

So today it was SO HOT outside - one of the campers actually got sick (as in sick sick) in the barn - she got too hot, didn't drink enough water and just threw up right there on the floor. I couldn't handle it - i turned around and walked into a stall so I didn't hafta see it. (I don't handle throw up very well...). No worries though, Jill (the owner) took care of it! YAY! And moving right along back to weather.... the heat index was about 105 degrees I believe. When I walked outside it felt like a was slapped by a warm, and damp towel - gross! Humidity in the south is super high - but hey, at least we don't get bad snow storms in the winter! To every negative there is a positive! lol.

I'm going to see Hillsong United in concert on the 9th and 19th of August! I'm so excited! Ri was gonna go with me to the one on the 19th but our plan didn't work. **sniff sniff** It makes me sad - but I'm so excited about going! I've waited for this for YEARS!

Moving on to yet another topic....
Riah mentioned to y'all about the friend of my family with cancer.... I don't know much about what's going on. This woman and her daughter used to live in my neighborhood and we went to the same church for years. Our family kept her little girl during the day time while she worked from the time Hailey (little girl) was 10 mos old to 4yrs old. Hailey was just like a little sister! Stuff happened and we stopped keeping her... long story...
We haven't seen them in about 3 or 4 years, maybe less. My sister was online looking at some blogs or something and saw that Lauren (Hailey's mom) posted about the cancer. It's a very big shock. My mom emailed Lauren's mom to find out more - now we can hope and pray for a response!

Well, I'm off to bed - I have a VERY early morning -
YAY for the last day of camp for the next to last week all together! lol
Love and many yawns!

My day...

2011-07-21T18:40:00.000-04:00

Has not been fun. Our AC upstairs died yesterday (we have two AC units- one for upstairs and one for down). I woke up this morning completely sweaty. By 10am it was already 84 degrees upstairs. I went to take a shower, but Bree was in it, so I went downstairs and stole Kay's shower (Kay is the only one of us children with a room downstairs and we have three bathrooms; one upstairs and two downstairs). I then went and rescued my camera, ring, glasses and book from upstairs. I've barely been up there since. I started sewing later just to find out that my sewing machine hates Lyssa's teal fabric. It tunnels horribly and then it wouldn't grab the fabric and kept stitching in the same place over and over. Mom fixed it... So I also realized that I forgot to change the tension on the machine and had to stitch over what I had already done and I left the denim needle in and ended up having to change it to a universal needle half way through sewing the teal underskirt. So I finally finished stitching the side seems on the teal underskirt and had finished a little over half of the eyelet overskirt when I jammed a pin into my ring finger (right hand). It was in there good. I originally thought I had just pricked it, but when I looked down it was stuck. I tried to pull it with my left hand, but I couldn't get it out, so I took a deep breath to steady myself and gripped it between my teeth and pulled. It started to bleed instantly. It bled all over three of my fingers and onto my other hand and between those fingers (I was cupping my finger in my other hand to keep blood from getting on the while eyelet) by the time Bree grabbed a tissue from the bathroom down the hall and handed it too me. It couldn't have been more then 10 seconds. It's bruised now, but at least it doesn't hurt as bad anymore! After that I gave up sewing and haven't even picked up my hand stitching. I think I should stay away from pins and needles for the rest of the day!

-Ri

Some of my favorites - But first...

2011-07-20T22:48:00.006-04:00

...may I ask for y'all to pray for a friend of Lyssa's family. Lys just found out that the lady has stage four liver cancer. From what I understand, she's had it for a little while, but Lyssa's family didn't know about it until now. I'm sorry if I have some facts wrong here... Lys was a little rushed when she called me to let me know. She will probably either update this later or inform me of what's going on and I can update it. Please pray!

Here are some of my favorite bloggers, in no particular order by the way. Oh and no offense intended to anyone. I follow a lot of blogs, so if you aren't in my list, I apologize.

Mary or Sue Sue from Sue Sue's Stories!

She never fails to amuse me with stories about her family and I love to just read the day-to-day goings-on at her house. She seems to love vintage-y pink and flowers... I love that she is willing to answer what must seem like endless questions about Mennonites and her beliefs. Thanks bunches Mary!

Hannah from Banana Blog. So she is from Canada, extremely fun! She used to live in Nova Scotia - which is on my bucket list! I love to read about her adventures in house living, boating, writing, cross stitching and so much more. I miss her posts a lot when she isn't able to post... I'm not going to let you get on another boat Hannah! I miss your posts too much when you're gone!

My very dear, dear friend Amber from Joy of Dawn. She is so unbelievably sweet. Besides being an amazing writer - both in letters and books - she is also a extremely loving and giving person. I value her opinion when we're talking about scripture or books or life in general. I enjoy getting her emails and letters and I love reading what she has written! I love you so much Amber!!

Bleah from The Daydreamer's Reverie. She is funny, loves Owl City and Ted Dekker and doesn't like Taylor Swift. She loves camp and photography. She stands up for what she believes in and isn't afriad to. I love reading her posts! Thanks for being so interesting Bleah! :)

Autumn from Storygirl. Well for starters she lives in AUSTRALIA! I know, that is so amazing! She has very cool posts, I love her "A Damsel's Daybook" posts. She comments the most and her comments always brighten my day, whether she knows it or not. Thank you for always giving me a smile!

And last, but certainly not least: Jocee from The Cupcake Dictionary. She loves all sorts of music and is possibly the biggest Narnia fan ever. And she IS the biggest William Moseley ever. She has what sounds like a very interesting little sister and she has very sweetly offered to teach me how to swim - sadly she lives way too far away, states away in fact :) She likes to come up with new trends and yes Jocee TYPING LIKE THIS DOES LOOK LOUD!

-Ri Chelle
*note: I can't figure out why it's spaced so much! Agh!!!
**2nd note: I tried to pick pictures that somehow fit the blog or blogger.
*** 3rd note: Thank you Jocee, I realized I worded that part about the cancer badly. Sorry!!!!! I fixed it!

Just a random post!

2011-07-19T23:58:00.000-04:00

I am... Watching Monarch of the Glen with Momma, Kay and Bree.
I am... Eating a Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's bar.
I am... Dying to have this journal or this one!
I have... Just finished reading Catching Fire and I can't quite decide my feelings on the matter.
I am... Going to buy an iPhone just to get this case!
I am... IMing with Lys, sending each other links about Aussie.
I am... Now wanting this mug!
I am... Thinking that maybe I'm a bit obsessed with Australia...
I am... Mad at my book. I know it's not it's fault I can't get anywhere, but its annoying!
I am... Eventually going to post about characters and bridal shoes and other fun stuff, but right now I'm too tired to think about it and I need pictures of the shoes anyway!

Goodnight!
Riah

A Damsel's Daybook!

2011-07-18T13:37:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd do Autumn's daybook. I can't think of anything to post right now and it looks like fun. So without further ado here is my daybook!

Outside my window... Gray skies. I wish it'd go ahead and rain!

I'm thinking about... My book! I just can't seem to get it right. I'll have to post about it later, so y'all understand my problems.

From the kitchen... Dishes that I need to wash and I am currently ignoring them.

I am creating... A skirt for Lyssa and a surprise project. Bree is trying to talk me into going and working on her blog design. I'll do that eventually too... right after dishes, maybe ;)

I am reading... Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

I am hearing... Siblings talking about Bree winning a trivia challenge, the tv, someone banging around in the kitchen (I think it's Kay and Mom).

I am hoping... That T. Lynn will share the Fig Newtons with me. Oh yay, she did!

I am planning... My wedding, very, very slowly!

I am wearing... a tan skirt (made by yours truly), blue and tan plaid shirt, white cami, my engagement ring and a necklace. I didn't feel like wearing earrings.

Around the house... Not much going on.

My wish of the week... That I'll finish reading two books. That I'll finish Lyssa's skirt. That I'll get further along with my project. That I'll at least start Bree's design. That I'll get a letter from Amber. That I'll get somewhere with my book... so on and so forth.

That's about it!!!

Much Love,
Miah

My bucket list

2011-07-16T22:16:00.001-04:00

Everybody has been doing bucket lists recently since someone is hosting a giveaway based on bucket lists. I don't want to enter, but I'm going to write out my bucket list! I think it'll be fun.

1. Go to Australia with Lyssa!
2. Go listen to the Sydney Opera house.
3. Be on the Webb Bridge in Melbourne, Australia.
4. Go to the Hillsong Church in Australia.
5. Travel all over Australia with my camera taking tons of pictures!
6. Go to Maine.
7. Go to France.
8. Go to Nova Scotia.
9. Go to Colorado.
10. Go to Germany.
11. Go to England.
12. Go to Spain.
13. Go to Prince Edward Island.
14. Go to Egypt.
15. Go practically everywhere except South America and Africa.
16. Read 100 books in one year (I've only read 28 since February).
17. Get a second ear piercing right above my first.
18. Go to a Hillsong concert.
19. Make a Caramel Pecan Cheesecake.
20. Finish my sewing projects.
21. Finish a book.
22. Publish a book.
23. Sell at least one of my pictures.
24. Become an amazing photographer.
26. Get married (I'm almost there).
27. Make my bed every day for a week (ha!).

28. Co-write, finish and publish a book with Lyssa.

29. Meet Amber in person.

30. Bake a Creme Brulee.

31. Watch every Fred Astaire movie with Lyssa.

32. Learn how to dance.

33. Finish my surprise project in time.

34. See the movie Hunger Games in theaters.

35. Grow my nails out and not file them down.

36. Stay strong and not cut my hair before the wedding - Lys would kill me.

37. Get my skin clear.

38. Have 5 or more kids.

39. Learn to play His Glory Appears without having to look at the music.

40. Play piano beautifully.

41. Learn guitar.

I think that's about it for now. BTW: Lys, I'm still attached to your skirt!

- Ri Bell

Try not to...

2011-07-15T23:32:00.000-04:00

Be anywhere near your Mom when she decides to caulk the kitchen. If you are near your Mom when she decides to caulk the kitchen then you may end up like me; laying on a kitchen counter cleaning excess caulk off of the tile and counter. Turns out I am very good at cleaning up excess caulk. Don't laugh Lyssa... I can hear you laughing - Mom don't laugh with her. Oh never mind.

So onto more business... I need to cut out and sew Lyssa's skirt together by Sunday. Yes THIS Sunday... Yes I am aware that I have one day to do that in, y'all aren't really telling me anything I don't already know. I bet you I know more then you do... I can prove it. It's a blue skirt with a white over skirt - so its almost like making two skirts in one day. Ha! Told you I knew more.
I'm also working on another -topic secret - project. Y'all will hear about it eventually.
I have about a million more books to read before I reach my "read 100 books in one year". Wow, y'all are back talking today. Yes, I know a million is more then a hundred. I am currently reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, second book in the Hunger Games trilogy.

So now I am going to do something very Jocee-ish.

I want to be here...

...wearing this!

Yep, I want to be walking around in Australia, near the Sydney Opera house at sunset in this beautiful vintage lace dress! Blame Jocee for this idea... but it totally works.

-Miah

My trip

2011-07-13T17:22:00.000-04:00

Tuesday evening we went to eat at Hams and rented movies from Blockbuster then headed home. Wednesday we ate breakfast, got ready for the day, watched some tv, went to eat lunch with out at Tex and Sherley's with our Aunt (and Grandma was there too :), then we went to see Monte Carlo.

It's a cute movie for kids, if you don't mind them hearing (I think) one cuss word. They didn't have to put it in there, so I'm not sure why they did. Maybe they thought they'd get a bigger audience with a PG rating rather then a G rating. It had a thin plot line and wasn't overly stimulating, but it was alright. FYI: there was a cute Aussie guy in it, which was just about the best part :) The actresses were pretty good. Selena Gomez did a very good job playing her two characters and it seemed well cast. Over all it was alright.

After we saw the movie we went to get ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery and then went to the grocery store. Thursday we went to Blockbuster again and the Bicentennial Gardens and I took tons of pictures.

This was a favorite! The moths weren't a bit shy. If you follow our photography blog you've probably already seen it.

Friday spent the morning at home and then we went to see Kung Foo Panda 2 after we ate at Applebees.

I wasn't exactly thrilled with this movie. I'd rate it under Monte Carlo, but I didn't really like the first Kung Foo Panda movie either. I wouldn't recomend it.

Saturday we went out to eat breakfast at Ihop with another Aunt. Then she came to the house to visit for a bit, we packed and ate a very light lunch, watched the rest of our movies. After that we headed home, but we stopped to eat at Kimono, a japanese restaurant near our house. Then we were home!

Almost every night we played Wii and watched movies with Grandma. She loves movies. We watched the newer Star Trek movie on the blue ray player and it made the effects really stand out. I love Star Trek anyway (we all do, including Grandma), so we would use any excuse to watch it, never having seen the blue ray version before seemed like excuse enough for me! We also watched Tangled, Megamind, and Confessions of Shopaholic. Oh, just so you know, only Bree, Kay, Grandma and I watched Star Trek and Confessions of a Shopaholic, the littler girls didn't.

So that was my trip!
Riah

A Character Interview

2011-07-11T16:18:00.003-04:00

This looked like such fun that I just had to do it! I know I was supposed to post about my trip, but I haven't uploaded pictures yet, so that will just have to wait. I found this tag on Abigail's blog and she in turn found it on Marian's blog. I'm going to sorta follow Marian's format, but with my characters, who knows how it will go. I am going to use more than three characters though.

Catherine Jane Alexander - Originally named Jane Alexander, but that is now her mom's name, plus Catherine only had that name for about one page, then I changed it. She is from the first book I ever attempted to really write. The book is now in about it's 4th re-write and it has yet to ever be finished.

Grayson Lee - His named was originally spelled Greyson with an "e" rather than an "a", but it looks more sinister with an "e" so I changed it. He isn't supposed to be sinister, he is just a tad too stupid sometimes. He is from the same book that Catherine is from.

Dillon Clark - I bet you'll all be surprised, but his name was not only always Dillon Clark, but it was always spelled like that too! I bet you are about to pass out, right? He is from the same book too!

Echo Abbiss - a newer character and I reverted to my old bad habits. Her name was originally Cassia, but Echo sounded more mysterious and Cassia sounded bubbly. Hint: Echo is supposed to be mysterious :) She does not belong to the other book, she has her own. Lucky Echo!

Lander - I eventually chose this name for him. The options were Kalden, Lander and Taavi. I ended up chosing Lander because Kalden sounded like a tall, dark and handsome guy's name and Lander is not that and Taavi sounded like a little, quiet guy and Lander isn't that either. He is in Echo's book. Oh, he doesn't have a last name yet.

Alright, now to start the interview!

Interviewer: Hi everyone! Welcome to the In Your Author's Brain show. It's so nice to have you here. Please introduce yourself, starting with you on the left.

Lander - Hey, I'm Lander.
Catherine - Just Lander?
Lander - Yeah, what's it to ya?! Our author decided that my last name isn't important right now, take it up with her if you got a problem **crosses arms**
Echo - Lander, be nice. She was just asking a question, you need to quit being so easily frustrated.

Interviewer: Let's get back to the introductions...

Lander - Like I said, I'm Lander **cuts Catherine a look**
Echo - **glares at Lander** I'm Echo Abbiss
Lander - Oh, she get's a last name!
Echo - Oh, move on Lander! It's this guy's turn to talk **gestures to the guy beside her on the sofa**
Lander: **crosses arms and sighs**
Grayson - I'm Grayson Lee **smiles at the interviewer**
**Lander mumbling something that sound's suspiciously like a complaint in the background**
**Echo elbows Lander rather hard in his ribs**
Catherine - Hey everyone, I'm Catherine Alexander! **waves**
Dillon - **smiles a little at Catherine** I'm Dillon Clark
**another mumble from Lander's general direction followed by a grunt**

Interviewer: Now that we all know each other now **sharp look at Lander**, do you want a hug?

Grayson - Depends, who do I get to hug? **quick look at Catherine**
Catherine - **looks between both Dillon and Grayson and blushes** Um... not really
Echo - No!!
Lander - Absolutely not!
Dillion - I feel like this should be a no response question.

Interviewer: Do you have any children?

Echo - Certainly not. I just got my first assignment from **breaks off abruptly and clamps lips shut**
Lander - No, absolutely not.
Dillon - **looks and Catherine and chuckles** not yet.
Catherine - **blushes again** I will, eventually.
Lander - Ok, what is up with Miss Blushes and her two suitors?
Echo - isn't it obvious? They both like her and she likes them both.
Lander - Well, pick one and be done with it.
Catherine - **turns red from anger** I did - or will - but he picks his family over me.
Lander - Then quit sending eyes that guy's direction and stick with the other
Dillon - She does, but then I die!! She can't help that.
Grayson - How is this any of Mr. No-Last-Name's business?
Echo - It isn't. Just ignore him, he has serious problems.
Catherine - Wait, you die Dillon? **starts to tear up** How do you know?
Dillon - take my word for it and don't go backstage after the show. Our author has some ideas that are none to kind **sends Lander a smug look**
Echo - can we please move on?
Grayson - Wait one minute! Catherine gets married to him?! You have got to be kidding me!
Catherine - You didn't want to marry me, remember?
Grayson - That was my parent's idea!
Dillon - You had the chance to have her and gave her up, so you have no right to get mad.
Echo - Interviewer, do you have anymore questions? Please?!

Interviewer: Have you ever killed anyone?

Catherine - Absolutely not!
Grayson - Never!
Dillon - Certainly not!
Lander - I might eventually, our dear author doesn't know yet. She needs to make up her mind.
Echo - Same here **says casually**
**Catherine, Dillon and Grayson look at Lander and Echo in horror**
Lander - Don't look at us like that. You live in a fantasy world with an evil king and a missing leader and then cast judgement!
Echo - I'd have to agree with Lander this time.

Interviewer: **looks a little scared as she reads the question** Um, do you love anyone?

Catherine - I love several people. My mama, my poor dead father, my soon-to-be step-father, my little sister who will be born after Mama remarries, Dillon, our son that will be born and named after his father, Grayson, Victoria Lee -
Lander - Are you through? **huffs**
Echo - Lander that was rude.
Lander - Oh really, Miss Manners?
Echo - You don't have any manners, that is for sure and certain **angerly**
Lander - Aren't you supposed to know how to control your temper?
Echo - All the training in the world couldn't keep anyone from getting irritated with you!
Lander - Or maybe your training wasn't thorough enough!
Echo - How dare you? Mistress - **clamps mouth shut again**
Dillon - Does anybody get the idea that Miss Abbiss has a secret? **says smilingly**
Lander - Get used to it, she doesn't finish half of what she is saying.
Catherine - Should we get back to the question at hand?
Lander - Sure. Well all know you have quite a list, so shall we move onto who Echo is in love with?
Echo - I'm quite sure you know I am not in love with anyone
Dillon - Why not?
Echo - Oh, our dear author hasn't decided if I'll even be in love.
Lander - That is a lie.
Catherine - **looks around worriedly** Do you think you should be talking about our author that way? We're in her brain you know, she can probably hear us.
Echo - **ignores Catherine** That is not a lie.
Lander - Well even if that isn't a lie, you secretly want her to make you fall in love with Kalden.
Echo - That is not SO!

Interviewer: Ok, that is plenty of answers for that question! Let's move onto a safer topic. What is your job?

Lander - I am just a traveler. I do odd jobs when I need the money.
Echo - And now you lie. You work for a secret underground group. You are trying to find the missing leader so he can over-throw the King.
Lander - **slaps hand over Echo's mouth** Hush up, dont you know that they could be lurking anywhere in our author's brain and they could over hear you.
Echo - **Laughs** You really think our author would let them roam over her brain with free will? She isn't stupid.
Lander - She let Dillon backstage...
Echo - He snuck back there, I saw him.
Lander - And you think they can't sneak around?
Grayson - Are you two incapable of staying on topic? I work with my Dad with our family business which is import. We have our own ships and we import valuable goods to the states.
Lander - How boring **yawn**
Grayson - we don't all live in imaginary worlds!
Echo - It isn't imaginary!
Grayson - Oh yes it is!
Catherine - Stop! **coughs** my job is stay-at-home daughter then stay-at-home wife.
Dillon - Mine hasn't been decided yet. Our author is thinking either Military or Law.
Echo - I'm not supposed to mention mine.
Lander - You mentioned mine!
Echo - I am currently a student
**Lander snickers**

Interviewer: Favorite season?

Lander - Fall.
Catherine - Spring.
Echo - Spring.
Grayson - I really don't have a favorite. **shrugs**
Dillon - Neither do I. What is with girls and spring?
Echo - Springs in our world are absolutely beautiful. More colorful than yours.
Catherine - Not so! **offended** But everything is very lovely and coming back to life.
Grayson - Catherine has death issues since her Father died.
Echo - Doesn't everyone have issues with death?
Grayson - well, yeah I guess so.

Interviewer: **interrupts before the conversation can go further** Who is your best friend?

Lander - I don't have one currently. One day it will be Echo **smirks**
Echo - Shoot me now! **raises hands in surrender** Mine is **fake gags** going to be Lander. But my other best friend, currently, is Marlon. She attends the same school I do. We stay close friends.
Grayson - Catherine and Taylor Price. He does end up mad at me when I give up Catherine **glances at Catherine and coughs** but he always tells the truth.
Catherine - Lucy Tibet, Mercy Price and Victoria Lee, although eventually Victoria gives up our friendship for a time as she wants Grayson to marry a rich girl from England.
Dillon - Catherine and my cousin Sylvia.

Interviewer - **sighs in relief that it didn't break in another argument** Hobbies?

Dillon - Um, not sure.
Echo - Does archery, sword fighting and horseback riding count?
Catherine - Embroidery and reading
Lander - **chuckles** Wow, you two girls are way different. I don't know that I have a hobby. I like to hunt.
Grayson - Reading, riding, fishing.

Interviewer: **looking more and more relieved** What color are your eyes?

Lander - what a silly question. Cant you see them?
Echo - Not really, you don't have a color yet. **laughingly**
Lander - She, our author, is thinking green, but I'm pulling for brown.
Echo - Mine are deep, indigo blue.
Catherine - Emerald green.
Grayson - Gray.
Echo - Oh, so original. **dryly**
**Grayson laughs**
Dillon - Green!
Lander - Miss Author, if your listening, you have plenty of green eyed characters, mine should be brown!
Author - Your request is duly noted and is being processed **from somewhere above, behind, in front or below them**
Grayson - Whoa! Where'd that come from?
Catherine - I told you she was listening!
Lander - Oh no.

Interviewer: **laughs** Are you good or bad?

Lander - Good in some people's eyes, bad in others.
Echo - And annoying in others! I'm good.
Catherine - I try to be good.
Grayson - Same.
Dillon - You failed at being good Gray. You are the "villain" of the story. **smiles smugly**
Grayson - I'm not the villain, am I?
Catherine - Well, you sorta are.
**Grayson hinds his face in his hands**
Lander - **laughs** You are a sad little villain Grayson. Our villain's kill and rule ruthlessly. You just break a girl's heart.
Catherine - Hey, that's me we're talking about here! **crosses arms**
Lander - Oh, I know. In fact, I bet he breaks Miss Rich's heart too, right? The girl his parent's want him to marry.
Grayson - It doesn't break her heart. She didn't care about me.
Lander - How do you know?
Echo - That is quite enough!

Interviewer: What is your greatest fear?

Lander - I don't know... That I'll be alone.
Echo - That I'll fail those who put their trust in me. **blinks eyes as if to blink away possible tears**
Catherine - That more of the people I love will die.
Grayson - That I'll lose Catherine completely.
Dillon - My-oh-my, we all got suddenly serious. **not quite jokingly**
Lander - Answer the question man.
Dillon - That I will hurt Catherine worse then Gray did when I die.
Catherine - Oh, Dillon **hugs Dillon** I know you wont die on purpose.
**Dillon's eyes get moist**
Echo - Miss Interviewer, lets move on if you please.

Interviewer: **eyes moist also** What do you think of your parents?

Catherine - They are the best, even my step-father! **smiles brightly**
Grayson - **sighs** They try to do their best, but they don't care much beyond their own wants.
Dillon - They are the most wonderful people I know.
Echo - I don't know who my parents are. **looks away embarrassed**
Lander - Mine were wonderful, or so I'm told. I don't remember them.
Catherine - I'm so sorry for you two.
Dillon - Is that a running theme in your world? **raises eyebrow**
Echo - Most of the people are missing family members, yes.
Catherine - Remind me not to visit.
Lander - We hope to put an end to it.
Grayson - Good!

Interviewer: Any siblings?

Echo - Not that I know of. I think of the girls I go to school with as sisters.
Lander - One brother, but he is MIA. **says almost calmly, but a slight tremble betrays him**
Catherine - Your world is sad. **with pity**
Lander - You're telling me!
Catherine - I have one sister, or I will. Her name is Lydia.
Grayson - I have one sister, Victoria.
Dillon - I don't have any siblings either, Miss Abbis **gives her a brotherly smile**, but I think of my cousin as a sister since we grew up together, like you and your school mates.
**Echo smiles back**
**Lander coughs awkwardly**

Interviewer: This is quite a sad interview. **Smiles** Maybe we should just go back to arguing? **teasing** Alright, Was it fun to answer all of these questions?

Lander - Not all of them!
Echo - Ditto!
Catherine - Some were fun. **optimistically**
Dillon - Others were uncomfortable.
Grayson - I'm not going to another interview.
Echo - I agree. I might sign other characters up next time!
Lander - I completely, completely, agree! **hands raised in agreement**

Interviewer: Do you have any weaknesses?

Catherine: too trusting!
Echo - Go figure. Mine is losing my temper with Lander.
Grayson - That could be anybodies!
**Lander glares at Grayson and Echo**
Grayson - Not standing up for myself against my parents.
Dillon - **snickers** No kidding!
Lander - Yeah, that could be a problem.
Grayson - Hey. You aren't perfect!
Lander - Nope, but I can stand up for myself.
Grayson - So what is your weakness? **crosses arms**
Lander - Thankfully, our author hasn't come up with one, so I get to skip out on the embarrassment.
Echo - Oh and arrogance can't be a weakness? **sarcastically** And let me guess, lack of manners isn't one either?
**Dillon and Grayson chuckles**
Lander - Knowing when your good is not arrogance **smiles arrogantly**
Echo - Oh, whatever!

Interviewer: Okay.... What is your favorite element?

Echo - Wind. **excitedly**
Catherine - Water.
Lander - Fire.
Grayson - Fire.
Dillon - Fire.
Echo - What is with men and fire?
Lander - It's cool!
Echo - nothing about fire is "cool". **crosses arms**
Grayson - It's useful. You can cook, scare away wild animals and heat yourself with fire.
Catherine - He does have a point.
Echo - True, but wind is wild and free. It goes where ever is pleases, when ever it pleases.
Dillon - You wish to be wild and free?
Echo - Doesn't everyone at some point?
Grayson - I believe so. **smiles sadly**

Interviewer: Do you care what others think of you?

Dillon - Not unless it's someone I care about myself.
Catherine - Only if I believe they are someone who has a valuable opinion.
Lander - **chuckles** Not really, mostly if I believe what I'm doing is right, it doesn't much matter what others feel are right.
Echo - I almost agree with Lander, although there are a few people whose opinion matters to me.
Lander - **gasps and places his hand over his heart** she agrees with me!
Grayson - My problem is caring what others think **sadly**

Interviewer: Do you have a theme song?

Dillon: Faddle Fiddle - song on the soundtrack from Leap Year.
Catherine - Realize by Colbie Caillat
Echo - Realize, really?
Catherine - SO? Why do you care?
Echo - It just seems like a sappy song. **shrugs**
Grayson - I don't have one.
Lander - Can I use the Physc theme song?
Echo - You want that song? **shocked**
Lander - Yes, it's funny!
Echo - Sure, have fun.
**Lander laughs**
Catherine - What's yours, Echo?
Echo - I don't know.
Dillon - Maybe it should be Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas **laughs**
Echo - **laughs** Sure, why not?

Interviewer: What is your species?

Lander - Human
Echo -Go figure, annoying human man.
Dillon - Hey, I'm a human too!
Grayson - So am I!
Catherine - So am I!!!
Echo - *laughs harder** Well, Catherine you should fine, you are just a girl, not a man. I'm an Elf.
Lander - You must be the one with the problem... Not us humans.
Echo - Elf is better than human!

Interviewer: Before you go any father, I must announce that we have fill our time. Next time on the In Your Author's Brain show we are going to interview one surprise guest! Goodnight to all!

Y'all still reading?! Well brovo! Here is a piece of cake!

Isn't that the coolest cake?! But it doesn't look at that nummy, so I'm going to give you another piece.

There you go!

-Ri

note* underlining is in place of italics. I could italisize it because our font is italic.

I'm back

2011-07-11T00:16:00.000-04:00

HI! I'm home. I got back yesterday. I got home, unpacked my things out of the car, took them upstairs (some of the books and a few other things still remain in my bag), talked to Mom and Grandma, searched wildly for my notebook which I found later in my bag, came back down stairs and talked some more then I just read, embroidered and watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest until I went to bed. In case any of you are wondering, the first Pirates movie is better than the second.
Today I got a slight bit frustrated. My wrist has been bothering me worse and worse lately. I guess it got a bit lazy not writing, typing or embroidering for several days, because I had a bit of a time yesterday trying to embroider and today I couldn't get the scissors to hold steady. I swear, if I had been alone on I might have started crying from sheer frustration. Ugh, please ignore my ranting. I'm just a bit upset right now since even now my hand is tired.

Before I go look at these:

These are my new flats! Way adorable, right?

Aren't these the cutest?

Please ignore the scars and scratches on my feet... I'm a bit hard on them.

I'm going to go get a small slice of thin crust pizza, ice tea and settle in with my book Cascade until I go to sleep.

Goodnight,

Sunflower Field pics!

2011-07-03T19:18:00.000-04:00

This week I'm doing an internship with a photographer who has legal access to a privately owned sunflower field. It is amazing how much I've been learning about lighting and camera settings. Today I was able to take my camera and shoot some pictures between family shoots, and then I was able to take a few of this adorable 7 week old baby! I was so excited to be able to put my knew knowledge to the test... and I'm super glad about the results! Please leave me a comment to let me know what ya think.
I didn't do much editing with these shots - three of them I did a few changes but the others just got a water mark.

I am beaming!

2011-07-03T13:35:00.000-04:00

If you could see me right now, you would be almost blinded by my smile. Not that I have super white teeth or anything - I am just super happy! I am doing my photography internship right now and am learning so much (such as my ISO in my shots has been WAAAAAAY too high... lol) - You know that you're doing what you're called to when you come home at the end of the day smiling and excited for whats next!
I was able to shoot with the photographer a little today (with my own camera)!!! I was so excited - I will post my favorite shot in a little bit - Gotta go clean first -
With love and smiles,

Sad, sad, sad!

2011-06-29T20:56:00.000-04:00

I can watch a movie that everyone else is tearing up at and never so much as blink. I can watch a movie that everyone else is sobbing over and never get watery eyes, but books... Books can get me nearly every time if the writer is good enough and I feel attached to the character.

When I was little, I read the Elsie Dinsmore books all the time, over and over again. My copies of the first few books are just about worn out. The part in the first book (or is it second?) where Elsie nearly dies made me cry every time I read it. I knew she was going to live, obviously. There were other books about her, so there was no way, but I cried anyway. I don't anymore, obviously, but I used too.

When Rue died and Katniss sung to her until she died I about started to tear up. It was unbelievably sad. I knew she was going to die, but it was still sooooo sad.

Henri's death is so much more devastating then it was in the movie. Henri was a more loving and father-like character. When he died he told John that he wouldn't have traded a moment of his life on earth with John for anything. He lost his entire life on his planet and his wife that he adored, but he still loved John that much, how sweet was that? And not gushy, romance sweet. It was pure, fatherly love.

When I first read Anne of the Island, I cried and cried when Anne's school friend Ruby Gillis died at about 18. She had what they called consumption, aka: tuberculosis. She was so sad that she wouldn't get married and have little babies. She was scared about that she wouldn't go to heaven and she was scared that even if she did go to heaven that she would be missing life. That she was leaving everything she knew and loved behind. **sob**

It's been a long time since I've cried over a book, but I have teared up a bit recently.

Now onto some pictures I've taken:

This picture was taken at the farm we get milk from. They have these growing all around the fence.

This lady bug was kind of adverse to taking a picture. She (or he) kept crawling away, so Bree scared her (or him) into staying put for about a second. She (or he) started moving right about the time I snapped the picture, hence the blurriness.

The sunset was reflecting beautifully on these clouds that were out front of our house.

Another "cliche" picture. I wanted a good one, but I haven't gotten one yet. I need to do it in the afternoon when natural light in coming in the window. And I need to zoom in more.

-Ri

I turned...

2011-06-28T13:12:00.000-04:00

19 today.

-Ri

Ouch!!!

2011-06-27T23:13:00.000-04:00

So today at lunch time during camp, I was going around the tables filling up cups of water... there was a chair sitting too far back and I didn't see it.... My foot hit it really hard and I heard a crack. My toe next to my pinkie toe hurt soooo bad. I started to laugh hysterically because it hurt so bad. Don't ask me why I laugh when I get hurt but I do!
My toe turns out to be broken, swollen, and black and blue! Yay me... lol
SO I am going to go wrap it and go to bed!
G'night!

Macro Monday

2011-06-27T12:37:00.002-04:00

This will be my first time entering Macro Monday. Here is my picture:

-Riah Friah Me O Miah

Remember me??

2011-06-26T23:45:00.000-04:00

Hello my fellow bloggers...
Long time no talk!
I know it's been a while since I've posted but I have a good reason... I've been working from 7:45am to 5pm and then on some days going straight from the camp job to Lifeway to work until close. Its been a crazy 2 weeks adjusting to my schedule but I'm getting used to it enough to do this post. lol

I've been taking a good amount of pictures when I have some free time - I've missed taking pictures so much!

Riah and I are probably going to see Hillsong United in concert in a couple of months! We are super excited about it - can't wait!!

Well, I'm going to end this choppy post for now and get some sleep! G'night all!
With love and yawns,

Blue toenails, charm bracelets and more.

2011-06-24T21:34:00.000-04:00

Here are the promised pictures:

Here are my toenails - please ignore the ugly feet :) Oh and yes, my pinkie toe does look like that. No it's not broken, nor has it ever been broken.

Doesn't the blue look so cute against the white/ivory? I particularly love that shade!

Here is that charm bracelet I got at an Antique store.

I love this charm!

This is the anklet I got for my birthday. The necklace is identical. Please ignore the cleanliness of the window sill. I haven't dusted it in about a week.

Lyssa, this is where we moved the reading nook to in our room. When you walk in the room our beds are to the right. We rearranged it so it will look cleaner and you'll be able to fit better when you stay next time :)

-Riah

We have a monster in our house

2011-06-24T00:35:00.000-04:00

note: hopefully my next post will have the promised pictures. I just need to take the photos.

We have a monkey pj (pajama) monster in our house. This monster is little, very little in fact. This monster is blond and freckled. This monster is a little, blond, freckled girl who just happens to go by T. Lynn and is known as my littlest sister.

Now you may be wondering why I call her a monster, particularly a pj monster. Well it's simple. She LOVES pj's. Adores them in fact. You know that statistic that says that being in your pj's late into the day makes you sluggish and depressed? She is the opposite. If she isn't in her pj's late into the day she is depressed! She begs to stay in them and in the early evening she begs to get back in them.

I'm sure your next question is "what about the monkeys?" Your answer is her favorite pair of pj's are a green pair with little monkeys all over it. Her newest fascination is monkeys. If it isn't a monkey, frog or bug she probably isn't happy.

What made me post about our female, blond, freckled, monkey pj's monster, you ask? Well this little monster came in the room while Mom and I were looking at fabric for her flower girl dress. We would pull one up and we'd ask her if she liked it and she'd reply "does it have monkeys? no? then I don't like it". We had to tell her that she was not allowed to wear monkeys to the wedding. Guess what she did?! She blackmailed me! She said she wouldn't be my flower girl if she didn't get to wear monkeys. I came up with the idea to look for a monkey pin to wear on her flower girl dress, but Mom and I didn't really like the ones they had. We looked for charms, necklaces, bracelets and rings. We couldn't find anything we liked. So we started looking for a small stuffed animal she could hold in her basket. We ended up with this:

Yep, this is what T. Lynn is going to have in her flower girl basket along with whatever type of petal we have her scatter. It's sad that I had to bribe my sister to be my flower girl. She is against the wedding anyway, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised :)

You know what? After we let her pick a monkey to carry she told us she did like one of the fabrics? She is such a little twerp!

Your tired (its 12:33am) and amused,

Riah Friah

A birthday tag.

2011-06-22T20:39:00.001-04:00

Stella made a birthday tag for herself and I thought I'd do it simply because it looks fun!

1. If you could be born any day of the year, what day would it be?
Hum, it would be interesting to be born February 29th (leap year). Then you could pick whether to celebrate your birthday either on Feb. 28th or Mar. 1st when it wasn't leap year!

2. What do you want your wedding dress to look like?
Oo Oo! I know this one! I actually have a wedding dress picked out!!! Finally I can answer this question with more than a "I don't know nor do I really care". Wait, I'm not going to answer it. I want y'all to be surprised when you see the pictures! So never mind!

3. (confessions time) What is an odd thing about you that nobody knows?
Uh - well this isn't going to work... Lyssa knows everything. I guess I'll have to settle for something y'all don't know. I do not like fireworks unless they are on tv or REALLY far away from me. I think they look cool and all, but I hate the noise! Plus I've always been afraid I might get burned by the sparks or some such thing.

4. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Character or feature? Either I'd want to be taller (I'm like 5' 3" or 5' 4") or I'd like to be more patient...

5. Random time - tell us anything:
My "Something Blue" at the wedding will be blue toenail polish. Fun, no? We accidentally stumbled upon this when I was trying on wedding dresses and my toes were painted blue. It looked SO cool. I have a picture somewhere...

6. Mac or PC?
Uh, PC? I've never used Mac.

7. What is your favorite song right now?
Probably Cheek to Cheek sung by Fred Astaire. Or maybe I Do by Colbie Caillat or even Make you Feel My Love by ADELE... Hum... yeah Cheek to Cheek wins!

8. Do you get very tan during the summer? Doing what?
Its depends on the year, some years I go out more than others. Mostly gardening, mowing/weed eating and sitting out reading. I got really burnt one year when I hadn't been out much since it was the end of May. I sat out and read almost an entire book all day. I got really red, but after that I go an awesome tan! Rambling over.

9. How long do you consider too long for hair to be?
It depends. Some people look good with longer hair and some with shorter, plus weight/thickness has a lot to do with it. I have really thick hair and I can't have it long unless I keep layers in it.

10. Big earrings or small?
Again, it depends. I like dangles, but only of a certain width or length. I don't like those really big hoops. Plus big jewelry doesn't look good on my because I am small.

11. Do you like lowercase?
In it's acceptable place. I like using proper capitalization. I only use lowercase a lot when I'm IMing Lys.

12. Is there anyone famous that you (or any part of you) looks like?
Um, no? I have been told twice I look like Anne Hathaway, but it was after Ella Enchanted came out and I think it was just the hair or maybe our over all coloring is similar? I don't think I look like her at all, she is prettier!

13.What is the weirdest thing you have ever photographed?
Um, an up close of a chess board, falling puzzle pieces, a shoe, a cellphone. I don't know what all. It depends on what you qualify as weird.

14. What is something you say more than five times a day?
"How am I supposed to know?" - generally to one of my littler sisters who think I should know everything, but sometimes to Kay or my parents.

15. Which do you think is better or worse: Facebook or Twitter?
Oh, a lameness compitition? Um... probably twitter. I seriously think it is ridiculous to "tweet" about every little detail, plus there is the question about how it makes everyone else feel. It becomes a popularity contest, it makes people feel like their life isn't as interesting enough, on and on. But Facebook is pretty silly too..

16. (time for a super typical question) What is your favorite food?
*just a note: I am quoting her questions exactly. Anything bolded are her exact words. I'm not being rude by adding the things in the parenthese.
Chicken n' Dumplings (my mom's only) and maybe stuffed Strawberries

17. Do you like Antique stores or Thrift stores?
Antique for sure! I bought the cutest charm bracelet at an Antique store once!

18. What is something you've always longed to do, but never did?
Most of the time I want to do something I just do it. Dance for sure. Any and all dancing.. well any acceptable dancing. Ballet, tap, swing, ball room.. most any kind.

19. Do you love or loath peace signs?
Can I go with neither? I really don't have much of an opinion on them. T. Lynn loves them though, so when I see a peace sign I think of her. So maybe leaning more towards the "love" side since they make me think of my "baby" sister. (She isn't really a baby - she's ten.)

20. What is a guilty pleasure of yours?
I don't have one. If I like it then I'm not going to bother being guilty about it. Let's just pretend it's Ben and Jerry's Half Baked and be done with it :)

Ok... finished ;) Now a list of things I should post pictures of soon:
1. My blue toe nails
2. My charm bracelet
3. The necklace and anklet I was given yesterday
4. My bedroom since I just rearanged it. This one is mostly for Lyssa's benefit, that way she'll know what the room will look like when she comes to stay in August!

-Riah Chelle