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?