"campaign speeches"

In a world and society that places so much emphasis on doing what feels good in the moment, that rewards people for their sexuality - never thinking about what consequences (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) it will have - there are few pro-Waiting voices to be heard above the noise. And if a voice does manage to be heard, all too often it is ridiculed and mocked.

One voice, however, actually earned attention and even respect for publicly declaring they were waiting until marriage. That voice belongs to Tim Tebow, senior starting Quarterback for the Florida Gators. On and off the field, Tebow is a role model for all ages - demonstrating character and class, dedication and passion. Including his public answering of the question - that YES, he IS saving himself for marriage. That's rare, and that is special.

Let's have our collective voice heard through the voice that the media seems to adore: lets support Tim Tebow. Nissan, as a primary sponsor of the Heisman Award, is given a vote. And they are using their vote to let the People speak - they have set up a website where people can vote DAILY for their Heisman candidate. The winner will receive Nissan's vote. In a contest where every vote/point counts, this has enormous ramifications.

http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/theheismanvote/2009/index

and

Okay, so we all know that the media is not always a big fan of homeschooling, and frequently presents us in a not-so-positive light ... BUT, there is one homeschooler in particular that is in the media a lot - in a POSITIVE and EFFECTIVE and INFLUENTIAL manner. Who? Tim Tebow, senior starting QB of the Florida Gators. Homeschooled by his missionary parents, everyone was absolutely shocked when he appeared on the football field and was not only able to play - but played WELL. His off-field presence has been an amazing testimony to the fact that homeschoolers ARE socially adjusted and capable of functioning in the "real world" ... He's done good things for homeschoolers. Especially in Louisianna where they created the "Tim Tebow Bill" that allows homeschoolers to play sports at the high schools nearest their home. Awesome, right? :o)

Now, it's our turn to help him ... Nissan, as a primary sponsor of the Heisman award, is given a vote. And they in turn want to give the American people a say in determing the greatest football player in the country. So, they have a website where people can vote - and the player who earns the most will get Nissan's vote. In a contest where every single vote/point counts, this could be monumental!

Fellow Homeschoolers, lets unite behind Tim Tebow!
Visit the site: http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/theheismanvote/2009/index
And remember: Vote DAILY!!!

My Life: The Movie Soundtrack

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every section of the movie, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...

Opening Credits: "1,000 Miles"
Mark Schultz

Waking Up: "Lord You Are"
Mark Schultz

First Day At School: "Give it Away"
Michael W Smith

Falling In Love: "Find Our Way Home"
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (I love that guy's voice ...)

Shower Scene: "My Confession"
Josh Groban

Fight Song: "Shouldn't Have Done That"
Josh Thompson (lol ...)

Breaking Up: "Magical Lasso"
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera)

Prom: "The Chase"
Man from Snowy River

Life's OK: "No One Believes in Me Anymore"
Keith Green (lol!)

Mental Breakdown: "Step by Step"
Rich Mullins

Driving: "Africa"
Toccatatones

Flashback: "The Princess Diaries Waltz"
John Debney

Getting Back Together: "Why Have You Brought Me Here/Raoul I've Been There"
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera)

Wedding: "Here am I, Send Me"
Keith Green

Sex Scene: "The Wonderful Cross"
Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman (ahm ... ?)

Birth of Child: "I am Sure"
JAKE

Final Battle: "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
Steven Curtis Chapman

Funeral Song: "Adonai"
Avalon

End Credits: "Princess Lessons"
John Debney

**the first time I did it, I couldn't figure out why everything was coming back 'the Afters', since I only have 1 of their CDs on the iPod ... then I remembered I'd taken it off shuffle when I was listening to Phantom and never switched it back (I normally keep it shuffling)**

the Bard said it best

if these shadows have offended
think but this, and all is mended
that you have but slumbered here
while these visions did appear

-midsummer night's dream, Puck

something for Megs

So I've had this sitting in my inbox for ages, like at least 2 years and counting, and have finally decided to just post it here ... I thought of you, love, enjoy. :o)

FOOTPRINTS...A New Version

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends!

This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one. This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints they have become one. This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints. You are amazed and shocked.

Your dream ends. Now you pray:
"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."
"That is correct."
"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps , following You very closely."
"Very good.. You have understood everything so far."
"When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way."
"Precisely."
"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."
There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice."You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, a time to laugh, A time to mourn, and a time to dance.Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

my new fav lovesong

When Did You Fall
Chris Rice
From the album Amusing

You’re all smiles and silly conversation
As if this sunny day came just for you
You twist your hair, you smile and you turn your eyes away
C’mon, tell me what’s right with you
Now it dawns on me probably everybody’s talkin’
And there’s something here I’m supposed to realize
‘Cause your secret’s out, and the universe laughs at it’s joke on me
I just caught it in your eyes, it’s a beautiful surprise

Chorus:
When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
‘Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?

Make your way over here, sit down by this fool, and let’s rewind
C’mon, let’s go back and replay all our scenes
You can point out the hints, the clues, the twists and the smiles this time
All the ones that slipped by me
I bet my face is red, and you can hear my heart poundin’
Well I guess it don’t matter now that I realize
‘Cause baby I missed it then, but I can surely see you now
Right there before my eyes
You’re my beautiful surprise

When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
‘Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?

Was it at the coffee shop
Or that morning at the bus stop
When you almost slipped, and I caught your hand
Or the time we built the snowman
The day at the beach, sandy and warm
Or the night with the scary thunderstorm
I never saw the signs
Now we’ve got to make up for lost time
And I can tell now by the way that you’re looking at me
I’d better finish this song so my lips will be free

Have you been waiting long, when did you fall in love
I kept you waiting so long, when did you fall
Have you been waiting long
When did you fall in love with me
When did you fall in love?

YAYness!

So I was browsing some back entries, and skimming the review of "Truth About Forever" since it's been on my mind lately ... Seeing the link, I go to Sarah Dessen's homepage and find out the long-awaited new novel comes out in April!!!!! Huzzah! AND, on that same day, "Forever" hits the shelves in paperback form. Oh yes, in April, we're going to B&N. :-D

Sisterhood: The Movie

Ok, so we all know I love Brashare's "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" novels, and am on the edge of my seat waiting on Number Four to hit the shelves. And we also all know a movie was made, and came out last summer ... this movie, I got for Christmas, and have just watched - For the First Time - this evening.
Amazing.
When movies cling to the lines drawn by books, it makes me happy. Immensely happy. When those movies take it a step farther and eclipse the book, I get shivers up and down my spine and a goofy grin on my face - even when tears are turning my eyes turquoise and glossing my freckles with some natural shellac. lol ... Sisterhood is one of those movies.
Watch it!

i love this passage ...

Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc / Mark Twain
Part III, Chapter VI

And her eyes--ah, you should have seen them and broken your hearts. Have you seen that veiled deep glow, that pathetic hurt dignity, that unsubdued and unsubduable spirit that burns and smolders in the eye of a caged eagle and makes you feel mean and shabby under the burden of its mute reproach? Her eyes were like that. How capable they were, and how wonderful! Yes, at all times and in all circumstances they could express as by print every shade of the wide range of her moods. In them were hidden floods of gay sunshine, the softest and peacefulest twilights, and devastating storms and lightnings. Not in this world have there been others that were comparable to them. Such is my opinion, and none that had the privilege to see them would say otherwise than this which I have said concerning them.

I absolutely love this book ... Read it summer 2004, at Living Waters, and sooooo lived it. I'm giving serious consideration to doing it for my English senior sem. Whaddaya think?

Thank you, Building 429

This song keeps coming on the radio, and it's my heartcry these days ...

My world is closing in
On the inside
But I’m not showing it
When all I am is crying out
I hold it in and fake a smile
Still I’m brokenI’m broken
Only one can understand
And only one can hold the hand
Of the broken
Of the broken

When no one else knows how I feel
Your love for me is proven real
When no one else cares where I’ve been
You run to me with outstretched hands
And You hold me in your arms
Again

Girls in Pants

Well, if you haven't read the first 2 books in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares, then go out and read them before trying to decipher this. lol...
Following the trend of the previous two (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Second Summer of the Sisterhood), Girls in Pants traces the summer adventures of Bee, Lena, Tibby, and Carmen. The storyline is really good, and I especially love watching each girl conquer her personal demons... I really like tracing Tibby and Lena's struggles. Howevers, I felt it was a bit rushed. There were a couple places that seemed unfinished, and there were several typo's in the quotes that preface the "chapters" as well as within the text itself. (That's another cool thing: lots and lots of quotes). I found myself subconsciously reviewing and examining the mechanics of the writing as I was reading the story... kinda weird, huh? But yeah, its good. I love these books... they remind me of the relationship I have with my girls. When Girls in Pants hits trade paperbacks, it'll be joining my copies of the first two. ;-)

Truth About Forever

As a lover of all children's lit and a fan of YA novels, I enjoy reading Sarah Dessen's work. My most recent read was The Truth About Forever. Wow. What can I say? All of Dessen's novels (I think there's 5?) revolve around teenage girls in various parts of North Carolina. Several characters appear in other books, overlapping storylines, oh-so-wonderful! I've read a total of 3 of her books (Someone Like You and This Lullaby being the other 2) and totally enjoy every word of all of them. There's something very real about the girls... as well as the various people they run into during the course of the novel. This is no different in Truth About Forever. In fact, I would venture to say this - the most recent - is the best. Maybe this is because I am able to see much of myself in Macy. Maybe because it's just, so... so... *thinking* Well, it's just so real. I know, that is a rather insufficeint phrase to use in a "review" .... but something about this book touched me, deep. And I'm not exactly sure what all to do or say to tell y'all exactly how great it was... Just go out and read it, ok? I made HPU buy it. *mischevious grin*
Again, I'll give ya an URL... http://sarahdessen.com
If anyone wants to buy me a book for my 20th... This would be a good one, LOL!!! J/K... I think, hehe...

Pledged

Ok, here at last is the review of Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins ... Yeah, I'm a slacker sometimes. Really, I've been meaning to do it, but ... *shrug* You know, sometimes things just get pushed behind other things. :-)

Robbins went undercover for a year to write the book. She was there, experiencing and witnessing it first-hand, making it a very informative read. (Note: I soooo do not regret not joining a sorority!) With a frank, unapologetic style Robbins presents her findings... Even done to the parts she regrets to say confirm stereotypical images of sororities and sorority girls.
She goes deeper than just recounting her observations, she makes it real - involved relationally with the 4 girls who are spotlighted/"shadowed" for a year, Robbins tries to understand what drives them to put up with all they do.
I found the book to be an amazing and revealing read... But it made my heart ache. I'd recommend it to anyone curious, or to anyone who will be willing to read it as I did: reading to learn.

Check out http://alexandrarobbins.com to learn more.

the nicest apology

"I know you don't like it, and I didn't intend for it to happen, but... I still love you though. Do you love me?"
"Yeah... I do."

There is still honesty in the world... it just hides in unlikely places and comes out at strange times. Ah, but what strange times.
It is a nice apology though, isn't it? I s'pose it's not necessarily an "apology" so much as an admission of one person's acting in a way that displeased the other... I like it though.

Cowboy quotes

"Cowboys are like outhouses... the good ones are taken the rest are full of crap."
- A fella from ABTech I've never met, but he just earned a few points.

"Coffee, Chocolate, Cowboys ... Some things are just better rich."
- A shirt I saw once in a horse catalog.

"GayCowboyWannabe."
- Originally from a fiercely Conservative Scotchman, now the cause of hyseria.

"Si, su computadora es el cowboy"
- The one and only Megs.

Some Sat.Night Cowboy Commentary

"Round to the nearest whole number - the next interger. In-ter-ger... that's a big word!"

"What's wrong with you?"
"I dunno, my momma's been asking that question for 37 years!"

"If he [a bull] acted like that in public school they'd give him something to calm him down."

"Admirations: it means she thinks they're coming over to admire her, but they're really laughing."

"Ouch... that cowboy got hurted. Where'd the horsie go?"

"There're 2 bullfighters in the ring - if another one goes down, you know who goes in next?"
"The photographer! He goes next!"

"This is the P-B-R!!!"

Under the Influence of Fever

I find these quotes amusing and hysterical... All of them "seen" under the influence of a "low-grade" fever. Enjoy....

'Did I ever tell you you've got a warped sense of humor?'
--Barney Fife

'Don't matter so much for fat people, but Barney ought not to worry.'
--Gomer Pyle

So.... I found tonight's "Andy Griffith" hysterical tonight. %) Laughed uncontrolably the whole time... hehe......

Happy New Year!

Welcome sweet 2005!

A Walk to Remember is sad... wrenchingly sad! Wendylyn said it'd make me cry, but she didn't tell me *why*... :-)

Life of Pi is a happy surprise. Required reading for World Lit - but happily, I am enjoying it! Yay!!

"We drink eggnag -- it's made from horse's milk"

"Salamander Clause!"

Princess Diaries II: The Royal Engagement totally rocks!!!

Movies to see in the New Year:
Racing Stripes
Merchant of Venice
Because of Winn-Dixie
The Pacifier

There's only one...

There's only one... first kiss
There's only one... [something I can't remember all of a sudden]
There's only one... honeybaked ham

the commerical of the evening. I just can't remember the second thing right now... it was something stupid I think. lol... whatever...

Bear with me...

Ok, so I found a passage in Anne of the Island that sums up my philosophy. Or rather, what I was trying to say one day in JCQ and didnt quite succeed to my ambitions...
(And for what it's worth -- there's going to be a ton of Anne-quotes at various points when I feel they are needed, hehe...)

"I hope no great sorrow ever will come to you, Anne," said Gilbert, who could not connect the idea of sorrow with the vivid, joyous creature beside him, unwitting that those who can soar to the highest heights can also plunge to the deepest depths, and that the natures which enjoy most keenly are those which also suffer most sharply.
"But there must -- sometime," mused Anne. "Life seems like a cup of glory held to my lips just now. But there must be some bitterness in it -- there is in every cup. I shall taste mine one day. Well, I hope I shall be strong and brave to meet it. And I hope it won't be through my own fault that it will come. Do you remember what Dr. Davis said last Sunday evening -- that the sorrows God sent us brought comfort and strength with them, while the sorrows we brought on ourselves, through folly or wickedness, were by far the hardest to bear? But we musn't talk of sorrow on an afternoon like this. It's meant for the sheer joy of living, isn't it?"
"If I had my way I'd shut everything out of your life but happiness and pleasure, Anne," said Gilbert in the tone that meant 'danger ahead.'
"Then you'd be very unwise," rejoined Anne hastily. "I'm sure no life can be properly developed and rounded out without some trial and sorrow -- though I suppose it is only when we are pretty comfortable that we admit it. ... "

*happy sigh*

I dont care what anyone says -- the Anne books are the world's best comfort read!

"Isn't it beautiful to think how everything has turned out ... how they have come together again after all the years of separation and misunderstanding?"
"Yes, it's beautiful," said Gilbert, looking steadily down into Anne's uplifted face, "but wouldn't it have been more beautiful still, Anne, if there had been no separation or misunderstanding ... if they had come hand in hand all the way through life, with no memories behind them but those which belonged to each other?"
For a moment Anne's heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert's gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her a view of a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music; perhaps ... perhaps ... love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.
Then the veil dropped again; but the Anne who walked up the dark lane was not quite the same Anne who had driven gaily down it the evening before. The page of girlhood had been turned, as by an unseen finger, and the page of womanhood was before her with all its charm and mystery, its pain and gladness.
Anne of Avonlea
L.M. Montgomery