My Story--Part 2

Two weeks later, Lisbeth was the one fussing while Danny ran around the house whooping and riding an imaginary bronco. “Why do we have to go to Aunt Jo’s? I want to ride roller coasters and swim in the pool all day, not look at cows and chickens,” she mumbled while foraging in the back of her closet. “I’d rather stay home.” Even as she said it, she knew she was being unfair. Danny was thrilled about driving out to the farm in Ohio and, since their parents couldn’t get off work for a long vacation, they had called her dad’s sister Jo to see if she could keep the kids at her place for a few weeks. Lisbeth knew how badly her parents felt about canceling their Disney vacation, so she knew that if they heard her complaining they’d be hurt. She’d just have to survive a few weeks. She could do that…Couldn’t she?

Lisbeth’s spent the whole car ride to Columbus reading—she finished The Secret Garden and was almost to the part in Prince Caspian where Lucy finds Aslan when Danny announced he was bored and her mom suggested they play the ABC game. By the time the car turned onto Aunt Jo’s gravel lane in West Liberty they had exhausted all the letters in the alphabet and Danny’s ability of sitting in a seat. Glancing out the window at the dull white farmhouse and the bright red barn, Lisbeth reminded herself she intended to be miserable. The three travelers had just climbed out into the sunshine when Aunt Jo called to them from the wide front porch.

“Oh you’re just in time! Your uncle is in the barn. Chloe just had kittens and he went to see where she’s hid them. You two run along and see if you can help him. Anne dearie, you just come up and sit in this rocker and I’ll bring you some lemonade.”

Danny whooped and took off running towards the barn and after a moment’s hesitation Lisbeth jogged after him. Glancing back to see her mom take a tall glass from her aunt, she smiled slightly before turning back towards the pitch black barn entrance. Kittens! I wonder if Mom will let us keep one? She stopped just inside the door while her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She heard Danny’s excited squeal, then her uncle’s deep murmur reminding him to move softly. Tiptoeing over to where they stood in one of the stalls, she peaked around Danny’s shoulder to get a glimpse of the little mamma and the new arrivals. Chloe, a tan and white striped tabby, lay on her side licking the head of one of her kittens. The others lay in the straw nuzzling up against her soft fur. One looked like a miniature of his mother, two were pure white, and the fourth—the one getting the bath—was gray with a white-tipped tail. Maybe this won’t be such a bad vacation after all, she thought, as a grin crept across her face.

The End.

Crazy Love--A Review

In this CD, Michael does a lot of covers with a completely different flair and--from what I can tell--2 original songs. Listed below is each track with a sentence or 2 with my opinion. :)

1. Cry Me a River--Classic break-up song. This is an interesting one because 1. I am used to girls singing this, which gives it a different flavor, and 2. it sounds like a James Bond theme. Seriously. Both Jeremy and I were thinking this on the way to school and laughed when we both admitted it.

2. All of Me--The way I've heard this done by other singers is how I would have expected Michael to do it, so I can understand why he took it in a completely different direction. I like it, but I wouldn't say its my favorite version.

3. Georgia on My Mind--I actually skipped over this song on the way to work this morning. I really can't stand it, even when Ray (or Michael) sings it. :P

4. Crazy Love--Title track. Love it. A very sweet love song, classic Buble.

5. Haven't Met You Yet--The video for this is just too darn cute for words, in a borderline silly way. This is one of the originals on the CD and another one of my favorites.

6. All I Do Is Dream of You--Seen Singin' in the Rain lately? Cause even though that's where this is from, ya wouldn't know it to hear him sing it. Though I can still hear sweet Debbie Reynolds in my head. :)

7. Hold On--The other original on the CD. This song is for couples in a serious relationship/marriage. It's all about holding on to each other and love and not letting the tough times break you apart.

Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones?
I guess that we were once
Babe, we were once
But luck will leave you cause
It is a faithless friend
And in the end when life has got you down
You've got someone here that you can wrap your arms around
So hold on to me tight
Hold on to me tonight
We are stronger here together
Than we could ever be alone
So hold on to me
Don't you ever let me go

8. Heartache Tonight--Catchy, but I still don't know if I like it or not.

9. You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You--What can I say? I love Michael, I love this song, but no matter how much I may like them both, nobody can sing this song like Dino.

10. Baby (You've Got What It Takes)--I like this song, but it was just misfortunate that I watched Two Weeks Notice last week and this song is the intro. Almost ruined it for me. Almost.

11. At This Moment--Hmm, I think I have to listen to this one again, I have no memory of it.

12. Stardust--Love this song, love Michael, but sorry--the other versions (from Sleepless in Seattle and Nat King Cole's) are still FAR superior.

13.Whatever It Takes--Michael said on the back that "I loved this one so much that I sneaked it onto the CD as a little bonus for you!" Thanks. Not sure I would have missed it, but it's always nice to have a bonus track, even when you know deep down its really not a bonus and they always intended to have 13 tracks. LOL.


Anyway, its a great CD. You should get it. And thank you thank you thank you to my dearest darling husband for getting it for me for Christmas!!! :)

The Young Victoria

I want to see this movie very very very very much, but I don't even know if its showing near here. :P I think it looks amazing, like a Jane Austen novel that really happened. :) Queen Victoria has always been a favorite of mine and I agree with the scriptwriter that its nice to see a movie portraying her as young and in love verses the old fat widow in mourning.

Here's the three trailers if you're interested. Emily Blunt plays Victoria.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1040843545/

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2554462745/

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3175810329/

And some trivia...the guy who plays Albert also plays Wickham in the 05 Pride & Prejudice and a hat Victoria wears in one of the scenes is the same hat worn by Jane in the same movie.

I'd invite you all to join me at the theater, but I think this will be a Date Night movie if it shows @ Regal. :)

And this is my shortest blog ever!

3 Rules for Princesses

For some reason, on my way home tonight from "Night of God", I started thinking about princesses. Now for those of you who know me best, you know this is not an uncommon thing. I'm rather taken with princesses. I have a pair of purple socks with crowns on them that say "Certified Princess Instructor". My favorite books, for the most part, have princesses--or little girls who ACT like them--as the heroine. One of my everlasting frustrations with the world today is the bad reputation of princesses. According to many people, princesses are either defined solely by Disney (which is only right some of the time), or they are defined as pink-loving, bling-wearing, spoiled rotten daddy's girls. Now I love pink, I'm quite fond of diamonds, and I'm definitely daddy's little girl...But that in and of itself doesn't make me a princess. So let me tell you what I was thinking on my way home...

These are the 3 Rules for Princesses.

1. A princess is the daughter of the King. Not just A King, but The King. So just as Victoria, Elizabeth, and Margaret were princesses because their fathers were British monarchs, so every girl on the planet can be a princess if she realizes and accepts that she is the daughter of The King of the Universe.

2. With great power comes great responsibility. Princesses should be known for their kindness, loyalty, bravery, and generous heart. A princess knows her place, therefore she does not need to demand. A selfish whiner who expects everything to be handed to her and who treats those who are around her as second-class is not acting like a princess. As I said in #1, a princess is a princess not because of who SHE is, but because of who her FATHER is. She has authority because He gives her authority. Everything she has is from Him. He is what makes her--and who teaches her to be--extraordinary. Excellent examples of princesses like this include Sara, from The Little Princess, and Irene from The Princess and the Goblin. In fact, if you really want to know why I love princesses and why I believe every girl is one, you will understand if you read both those books. Oh, and The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye as well.

3. I had a third one in my head, but I lost it. So I will use this space to explain why I think Disney only gets it right sometimes. The Brothers Grimm (IMHO), knew what a princess was. So did Hans Christian Andersen, though I often get the two mixed up as to who wrote what and where everything originated. :P Snow White, Cinderella, and Princess Aurora were Real Princesses. Belle from B&TB was a Real Princess. Jasmine and Ariel are princesses, but I would hesitate to call them REAL Princesses. That one could be argued. And the whole IDEA of "the Disney Princesses" with their bikes, sleeping bags, and cheesy marketing is NOT the idea of princesses that I plan to pass on to my daughters. I plan to pass on the Princessness of Esther, Abigail, Hannah, Deborah, and the Marys. And the Princessness of Irene, Sara, Amy (Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne), Luthien, and Arwen.

Oh yes, I remembered #3! A princess ALWAYS marries a prince. I know I did. :) And if we have a son we will raise him to be a strong, dragon-slaying, adventurous, noble man who will one day win the hand of a Real Princess who will share in his adventures.

So let's all stay in the castle, wear our crowns with grace, and live as the daughters that we are...The daughters of The King of the Universe.

First Story Part 1-revised

TITLE

“How will we tell the kids, Tommy?”

Silence. Lisbeth’s hand gripped the door handle and she eased it open a few more inches, breathing a prayer that it wouldn’t creak. Sinking down to the floor, she slid forward and motioned her brother to join her in the doorway. Sitting beside her, back to the wall, Danny pulled out his notebook and began scribbling before sticking it in her face.

Do you think it’s about Disney?

Swatting the paper away, Lisbeth leaned forward to hear what her dad would reply, but her mother spoke again. “They’ll be so disappointed. We’ve been planning this trip so long.” Still her dad didn’t speak. Lisbeth peeked around the corner, trying to see where her parents sat in the kitchen. Her mom was sitting with her back to the doorway so her dad was easy to spot, elbows on the table and head in his hands. Lisbeth bit her lip. Why are they canceling vacation? The last time they canceled a trip was when Danny had chicken pox. The news report she had seen the last evening flashed through her mind, something about people traveling less because of the economy. Lisbeth wasn’t sure what the “economy” was, but she figured it must have to do with money, something she had heard her parents whisper about before when they thought she was watching TV. Rolling over and sitting up, she glanced over at Danny and swallowed a giggle. At nine—just a year younger than her--Danny had the attention span of a gnat. In fact, he acted very much like a gnat—flying around everywhere, barely sitting still, and buzzing in everyone’s ears. At the moment he was laying on his back with his feet propped up on the wall flying a paper airplane. She recognized the plane as what was left of the note shoved in her face just minutes before. His notebook lay next to him, so she reached over and found a clean page.

No Disney this year. Maybe we’re going someplace else. No fussing when Mom tells us, OK?

Expertly folding the page into a jet, she let it fly across the room and it came to rest on the laundry hamper. Lisbeth pulled the door open and stepped on the creaky board before leaving the room. She knew her parents had heard and Danny poked his head up in surprise. She pointed to the hamper so he could see the airplane before heading out the door to the kitchen.

Two weeks later, Lisbeth was the one fussing while Danny ran around the house whooping and riding an imaginary bronco. “Why do we have to go to Aunt Jo’s? I want to ride roller coasters and swim in the pool all day, not look at cows and chickens,” she mumbled while foraging in the back of her closet. “I’d rather stay home.” Even as she said it, she knew she was being unfair. Danny was thrilled about driving out to the farm in Ohio and, since their parents couldn’t get off work for a long vacation, they had called her dad’s sister Jo to see if she could keep the kids at her place for a few weeks. Lisbeth knew how badly her parents felt about canceling their Disney vacation, so she knew that if they heard her complaining they’d be hurt. She’d just have to survive a few weeks. She could do that…Couldn’t she?

Control Issues

I had a revelation over break. It seems like something I have realized before, but when you see the issue in different situations, sometimes it can seem completely new. Its the difference between being organized and prepared and being a control freak. Which can also be the difference between obedience and sin. Surprised? Let me show you what I mean...

When I first thought I was expecting, Maria commented on my Facebook about how this would be THE most planned baby ever. It was spoken in love and obviously meant as a joke, but those words haunted me ever since...Especially when we learned we were not expecting at all.

I consider myself a highly organized person. Even when I am not organized, I feel guilty about my lack of organization. I enjoy planning ahead. I had my wedding mostly planned at age 5, remember? :) I never saw it as a problem. Its not really, but the issue I'm speaking of is when the planning becomes The Plan and the control of The Plan becomes something we hold onto.

Planning for a rainy day is being a wise steward. Preparing for guests and family is part of being "a Proverbs 31 woman". Making goals for the future helps us see how our actions today affect our lives down the road. TELLING GOD "this is my timeline", "this would be the ideal time", "I can't do that then"...That's essentially telling God that you know what's best for you regardless of what He has planned and if He would work with your plan your world will be rosy because you have it all planned out.

I know. It doesn't sound half bad. We all like knowing what's coming. We can think of "ideal" times for such things as marriage, babies, college, a job change, etc. I look back on my life just a few years ago and it looks "ideal". I went to college right after high school, got engaged right before my senior year, got married right after graduation, bought a house, and settled down to live happily ever after. And while I HAVE the happily ever after when it comes to my MARRIAGE, it certainly doesn't seem to be going the way I thought it would! For one thing, I expected a job that I still do not have 2 1/2 years later. I used to cry and ask God "Why? Why can't I have a classroom and students of my own?" Now I know the answer. God said "Not now, there's something you need to know first". Jeremy and I can both attest to what we have learned through it. Dependence. On God especially and also on each other. We would not make it without God's provision. We are not self-reliant. We look back now and say "Wow, if you had had a job when we first got married we probably would have the new car, the new computer, the dining room set, etc...But we would have done it all on OUR OWN. We wouldn't be spending our time praying and thanking God for providing what we need. Sure we might thank Him, but it wouldn't be nearly the same. It would be like a child thanking a parent for a Christmas gift they expected versus thanking someone for a check in the mail that was completely unexpected and just at the right time.

I'm losing my focus, so here's the main thing I learned. In August I TOLD God "Looking at my calendar, a summer baby would be best. August and September wouldn't be great, especially if I'm starting a job..." And I started planning ahead accordingly. Last week I told God "Who am I to tell You what to do? You know the desires of my heart--of our hearts. I trust You and YOUR TIMING with my job situation and with our family. If You say "Yes", I say "yes, Lord". If you say "Not right now", I'll say "yes, Lord" (though I know it will be hard). "YOU are God, I am not, and that's how it SHOULD be. Put me back in my place."

So now I am working hard to truly live in the PRESENT and not keep planning a future I have limited control over. It's very freeing actually. It can be quite stressful to plan for something you really have no control over. :P

And that's what I have learned about control. Hope its an encouragement!

Princesses and Pixies

I met a pixie today. Somehow she escaped from Faerieland and is living in Linville. She was tiny and serious with a brown ponytail that looks like it should be crowned with silver flowers. "Ma petite fée" did not have pointed ears, but they looked like they could be without much effort. She walked in a dreamland all her own, where mortals cannot tread, and spoke with an air of royalty. True to form, she floated around the room--when the other children were busy building with Legos and K-Nex and playing on the computers--with a wand of blue topped with a white snowflake (as seen by those with faerie sight...to others it looked like a blue stick with a white K-Nex piece on top) and asked me quite seriously if I could find a princess in the room (how did she know that's what I love to do best?!) "I am a fairy godmother," she said, "looking for a princess but I cannot find one." (This surprised me not a little considering I knew for a fact that an Elven princess was at the computer that very minute. Apparently I am not the only woman in this area who thinks the name Arwen is quite lovely, but that is a matter for another day.)

You may wonder how I knew this little one was from Faerie. It is easy to recognize them actually, if you know what to look for. This one gave herself away in the library when she told the librarian with a completely straight face, and no forewarning or reason: "I was made to sing and dance" then walked away without a backward glance. (That rhyme was unintentional. Glance is just such a better word than look.) And then there was the comment by the other teacher at recess, something about her living in her own world and being so incredibly happy in it she made others (the adults) wish they knew what went on in her mind. I think I understand.

"There is such a place as fairyland - but only children can find the way to it. And they do not know that it is fairyland until they have grown so old that they forget the way. One bitter day, when they seek it and cannot find it, they realize what they have lost; and that is the tragedy of life. On that day the gates of Eden are shut behind them and the age of gold is over. Henceforth they must dwell in the common light of common day. Only a few, who remain children at heart, can ever find that fair, lost path again; and blessed are they above mortals. They, and only they, can bring us tidings from that dear country where we once sojourned and from which we must evermore be exiles. The world calls them its singers and poets and artists and story-tellers; but they are just people who have never forgotten the way to fairyland."
— L.M. Montgomery (The Story Girl)

"Faerie is a perilous land, and in it are pitfalls for the unwary and dungeons for the overbold...While he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gates should be shut and the keys be lost."--JRR Tolkien

"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world."
-- C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Musings on Plum Puffs

Like yesterday, inspiration came from L. M. Montgomery. I can hear Anne in my head again...only this time her words are from the movies. Anne seems to have the incredible knack for coming up with the best lines for when you are at your worst:

Anne Shirley: My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes. That's a sentence I read once and I say it over to comfort myself in these times that try the soul.

---

Anne Shirley: This is the most tragical thing that has ever happened to me.

Anne Shirley: Can't you even IMAGINE you're in the depths of despair?

Anne Shirley: Tears don't hurt like the ache does.

Marilla Cuthbert: You set your heart too much on frivolous things and then crash down into despair when you don't get them.
Anne Shirley: I know. I can't help flying up on the wings of anticipation. It's as glorious as soaring through a sunset... almost pays for the thud.
Marilla Cuthbert: Well, maybe it does. But I'd rather walk calmly along and do without flying AND thud.

And my personal favorite...

Anne Shirley: Plum puffs won't minister to a mind diseased in a world that's crumbled into pieces.

I had a real discussion with myself today. It is a habit of mine to be far more dramatic in my thoughts than what is probably called for in any given situation, and I called myself on it. I was upstairs crying and the line about plum puffs suddenly came to mind. And it caused me to think. "...a mind diseased in a world that's crumbled into pieces." I may be sad, I may be confused, my heart may be hurt...but my mind is not a mind diseased. I have a promise from God that I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a SOUND mind. And is my world crumbled to pieces? Hardly. Oh oh! Another line just hit me... "all it does is delay it for awhile". WHERE is that from??!?! But that's the truth. I may not be a mother now, but to throw in another dramatic woman's line, "tomorrow is another day!"

Ah, its from The Princess Bride. "Death cannot stop true love, all it does is delay it for awhile." A perfect thought isn't it?

So I can make no promises that I will not continue to fly up on the wings of anticipation, since it is quite glorious and DOES almost pay for the thud. Besides, I do not agree with Marilla that "I'd rather walk calmly along and do without flying and thud"...That's frightfully boring. But I believe there is a place to fall that is higher than despair and, while it still results in a thud, it is a place of peace and safety...The arms of God. So like a little bird just learning to use her wings, I will continue to fly in anticipation and when I face "times that try the soul" I will choose to believe that I am in the hands of a loving Father and He knows the plans He has for me...Plans not to harm me, but to give me a future and a hope. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

"It was three o'clock in the morning – the wisest and most accursed hour of the clock. But sometimes it sets us free."
— L.M. Montgomery (The Blue Castle)

The Tomorow Road

"The Today Road is by the brook and we call it that because it is lovely now. The Yesterday Road is out in the stumps where Lofty John cut some trees down and we call it that because it used to be lovely. The Tomorrow Road is just a tiny path in the maple clearing and we call it that because it is going to be lovely some day..."
L.M Montgomery (Emily of New Moon)

I actually spent over a week just thinking of a name for this blog. I wanted something interesting, something faerie, and something bookish that was only 3 or 4 words long, which believe me is harder than it may seem! I was working on my first writing assignment for my Institute of Children's Literature course and my brainstorming sent me to my bookshelf for some good old-fashioned fairy stories and some L.M Montgomery, who--though she did not write about faerie--knew how to get there. So I was reading Emily of New Moon last night and the quote about her roads jumped out at me. One thing I love about Anne Shirley and Emily Starr is their ability to name places and things. Anne has her Lake of Shining Waters and Lover's Lane, but Emily has some of the best names: the Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Roads, the Disappointed House, the Wind Woman, and The Three Princesses (trees). So I chose the name The Tomorrow Road for this blog because while we are walking the Today Road and living in the present, TOMORROW is such a lovely word and the choices we make and the way we live today help create our tomorrow. Its kind of like one of my favorite movie quotes: "What we do in life echoes in eternity." I want my day-to-day life to make good echoes. I want to think and write about what is meaningful, important, and lasting. So I really don't know what all I will write in this blog...Sometimes musings on my writing course, sometimes about the baby (my darling munchkin: MDM), occasionally I may post my favorite quotes or thoughts on the book(s) I am reading. That's how I am going to start. But I hope that whatever I post is uplifting, encouraging, and smells of roses and not of skunk cabbage! I am in a L.M Montgomery mood tonight, so I found some of my favorite quotes--thank goodness for Google or I'd be up all night trying to find them in my books! A baby post will probably come tomorrow!

"There is such a place as fairyland - but only children can find the way to it. And they do not know that it is fairyland until they have grown so old that they forget the way. One bitter day, when they seek it and cannot find it, they realize what they have lost; and that is the tragedy of life. On that day the gates of Eden are shut behind them and the age of gold is over. Henceforth they must dwell in the common light of common day. Only a few, who remain children at heart, can ever find that fair, lost path again; and blessed are they above mortals. They, and only they, can bring us tidings from that dear country where we once sojourned and from which we must evermore be exiles. The world calls them its singers and poets and artists and story-tellers; but they are just people who have never forgotten the way to fairyland."
— L.M. Montgomery (The Story Girl)

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"
— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

"Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds."
— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

"she was richer in those dreams than in realities; for things seen pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Windy Poplars)

"And people make fun of me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?"
— L.M. Montgomery

"I can't help flying up on the wings of anticipation. It's as glorious as soaring through a sunset... almost pays for the thud."
— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Avonlea)

"It will come sometime. Some beautiful morning she will just wake up and find it is Tomorrow. Not Today but Tomorrow. And then things will happen ... wonderful things."
— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of the Island)



Sweet dreams dear world! Goodnight!