Wow, Long Time No See...

hi guys. i'd like to begin this post by laying blame. there's a darn good reason as to why i've been mysteriously absent. (oh the horror!)
First, i'd like to blame Jesus Christ Superstar. it went so well, guys. really. i was so proud. for those of you that saw it, or were in it, you know what i'm talking about, yo. due to my costume, our poor mic guy had a hard time finding a place for my mic and, more importantly, a place that didn't make weird noises every time i moved. (i have hips, ladies and gentleman, and unfortunately they hit my mic antenna, which was suspended upside down from my waist.) but David, who is the techie god of Brownsburg, no lies, managed to fix it, and the last night i had absolutely no static! (night two i had static every time i moved for the entire first act. David was really, really upset, poor guy, but there was nothing he could have done. and he fixed the whole thing, proving once and for all that he is the coolest guy i know.) on the last day, one of the Roman guards stepped on my skirt and then pushed me away from Jesus during the flogging scene. Unfortunate. my skirt slid down, but i was wearing a slip and, fortunately, a shawl, which i immediately wrapped around my body. i don't think people really noticed. Joey didn't mean to or anything, it just happened. Joey, by the way, was freaking amazing. he scared the crap out of me the whole time he was a soldier. it was all epic glares and slightly sadistic things, and i was frightened. (he shoved me. i was scared. he's amazing. =]) anyway, if you didn't see it, you're a big loser, sucks to be you. just teasing. i still love you. but it is a bummer, because we were amazing. (i miss everyone. D:)
secondly, i'd like to blame Kansas. no, not the band, the state. my best friend in the whole wide world, that's Joelle for those of you who missed it, she invited me to go with her and her mommy to see her aunt Jodi in St. George, that's right outside Manhattan, Kansas, and then to Wichita to see her cousin, Jodi's daughter, and then to Tulsa, Oklahoma to see Alison's other sister. it was super fun! lots of driving. they drove back, a ten hour trip, in one day so that i could see my family on my birthday. they're really, really amazing, huh? it was so nice of them. we went out to eat and played with adorable children, and i had so much fun. i love them. although... this conversation happened. Joelle doesn't remember it at all. now, keep in mind that she is THE LEAST racist person i have ever met. that's why this is hilarious. we were almost asleep, and she was like...
Jo: Taitie...
Me: Yeah, Dodo?
Jo: Taitie, don't ever get an afro.
Me: Uhm... kay... i can do that.
Jo: But i'd still love you if you were black. -rolls over-
Me: Good to know, Jo.
Jo: -rolls back over, intensely serious look- but not if you were Asian.
Me: O_O
i laughed. a lot. a whole lot. and then i told everyone.
(Side note. she calls me Taitie and i call her Dodo because that's what small children call us. small children like to ignore the C in my name, and Joelle made the unfortunate mistake of telling children they can call her Jojo. oh boy. but Joelle and Caitlin are hard to say, so i understand why.)

lastly, i would like to blame my apartment. Yes, my apartment. I'M MOVING OUT, GUYS! Paige Marie and i are getting a cat, moving into an apartment near Marion College, and spending our first year at college, at least, in a cute little two bedroom townhouse. with a cat. YAY CAT! i've never had a cat, guys! anyway, i've been ignoring my computer in favor of packing. unless i'm playing Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge or watching Bones with Ray. or Buffy. i'm recently on a Buffy kick. (love Angel.)

so yeah. that's about caught up. i got a car. a cute little purple '01 PT Cruiser (Limited Edition!) it's great. that was my birthday present. then Joelle gave me fake flowers that match the colors Paige and i chose for our living room, and fake flowers that match my room colors. i got a pillow that says "Someone At Purdue Loves Me" from David. it's going on my bed. =] and flowers from my wonderful boyfriend. (And chocolate!) he's pretty awesome. =] and then, today, with my birthday money from my grandparents, i bought books. (YAY BOOKS!) and Slumdog Millionaire. super exciting. going to the movies today, pretty pumped to see Despicable Me. yay! later, gators! gotta go find food.

Jesus Christ Superstar

is amazing amazing amazing. we're doing so well.
A certain alto decided to sing tenor and threw the rest of us, me and two band kids who are AMAZING, but quiet, and a middle school girl who is adorable and knows all the notes but is also super quiet, under a bus. (just saying. -mildly irritated-)
anyway.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR TICKETS ARE NOW ON SAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE! YAAAAAAAAAY!
buy them. come see me. do it.
please?
i'm really excited.
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really excited!
we sound really good, guys. we really, really do.
we're all working really hard.
Bryce is amazing.
the soul girls... mm, girl, have they got soul. -realizes she's been spending too much time with Alison, who is also working her tail off.
Logan... i just... he's just... GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
anyway. tickets are $7. and you know you want one. i'll have them at church this Sunday, or you can give me the money and i'll get you one, or you can get it through Calvary. JUST COME!

Me
(P.S. today, Micah told me that i should respect him because he is bigger than me and could hurt me. thinking immediately of what Ray, Dad, Josh, and Joelle would do if the boy so much as laid a finger on me, i laughed in his face. he pushed me into a wall, but it was totally. worth. it. i kind of almost hope he does hit me. i don't think he'd ever recover from the beating he'd get, but he would never threaten me again. =])

Do You Always Have To Critique Me?

I'm in a rather bad mood today. and it's... 8:33 in the morning.
Gah, i hate that.
But Mom does this thing where she constantly critiques me. CONSTANTLY. and it's driving me crazy.
she hates my hair, she hates the way i stand, she hates the way i look, the way i eat, does she like anything at all about me?
i'm sorry i'm not a model.
but it's really, really, really hard to even try to have good self esteem when the person in my life who should be the most proud of me, the most supportive, the one who should tell me i'm beautiful and all that instead tells me i look fat, or she hates the color i have to dye my hair, or i shouldn't slouch because it makes me look fat, or i shouldn't roll my shoulders forward, or i shouldn't dress like that because i'm showing too much skin. (You guys have met me. you know how i dress. do i look like a whore to you?)
anyway, i'm really rather upset. i'm not even really mad, i'm just... upset. it makes me feel sick to my stomach when she does this all the time. and then, if i look in the mirror, i immediately start judging myself too.
"You're not even good enough for your own mother."
that's all i hear when she starts in like that.
and it really, really hurts my feelings.
especially since i felt pretty today.
well, so much for that.
sorry this is depressing. but, seriously, if i don't talk about it, i'll explode. no, i won't. but i will cry, or tell someone who will tell mom. (I know you guys won't.)
well, i'm late to VBS. later, kids. i'll blog something happy tonight. i just really, really needed to get this off my chest, because i finally feel like i'm not going to burst into tears. (even if you guys aren't really listening. =])
later, gators.

Me

Busy To The Extreme

Want to know what i've been up to lately?
i'll give you a hint.
it starts with Jesus, and ends with Christ Superstar.
If you said Jesus Christ Superstar, or thought it, i don't know how many of you talk back to me, then you're RIGHT ON THE MONEY! (good for you!)
yeah. i've either been at JCS practice, or listening to the music, or looking at the music, or something (talking about it, thinking about it, that stuff.).
it's. consuming. my. life.
(i love it. =])
interesting things lately.
Logan went to London. do you know how freaking jealous i am? REALLY FREAKING JEALOUS. yeah. i wish i could go to London. but, before he left, we went and bought those... silly bands? i don't know. they're, like, rubber bands, but... shaped like animals? yeah, you totally know what i'm talking about. anyway, i've made lots of friends with them. granted, all these friends are under the age of nine, but i've immediately gone up in coolness points in the eyes of Mike and Max. (i babysit for them and their little sister, Macie, and they're my favorite kids. we have lightsaber fights and play football and baseball and video games and eat chicken nuggets and soon we're GOING TO THE ZOO OMG THE ZOO I FREAKING LOVE THE ZOOOOOO! i'm calm.) also, he took a journal, and he's been writing in it. (that's important to me! i can't wait to read it!)
he's coming back late tonight, so i'll get to see him tomorrow. also coming back are two of my altos for JCS. which is good.
see, currently there are four of us. (and one of them is singing the part of Simon. so she constantly decides that she'd rather go sing with the tenors. P.S. her boyfriend is in the tenor section. so every time she goes to sing with the tenors, really she's sitting by her boyfriend. but, just saying, WE NEED HER! i'm the loudest alto. it's not that the other altos are bad, they're wonderful! they're just quiet. so we NEED ALTOS. and there are lots of tenors. and ONE OF THEM IS JUDAS! AND ONE OF THEM IS HEROD! (he played Jesus last year, too, so he's OBVIOUSLY good (and loud)!) so we need her. end tangent. =])
other things that are up.
uhm....
hanging out with Ray a lot.
started watching Bones.
VBS this week.
DID I MENTION THAT I'M GOING TO THE ZOO? yeah, i am.
Cleaning lots of stuff.
you know, the usual.
writing. things like that.

and with all the happy stuff out of the way...
Primrose died yesterday. she'd been sick for a while, so i expected it. but i'm still sad. and Cat is sad too. you can tell with animals. and she's sad, and that makes me sad, too. my room is depressing now.

so yeah. now i feel like i should say something humorous, because now my blog is depressing! stars, my blog can't be depressing!
oh, i'll think of something.
OH SNAP! i watched The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and it was so freaking awesome. i love Heath Ledger. (WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO IT? it's not fair. Totally horrible. i miss you. -cries-(BTW, Ray has decided that -cries- is not strong enough. he apparently prefers -has a conniption fit- i just think he doesn't understand how AMAZING Heath Ledger was. -sobs-)) Cole and Danielle watched it before we did, and they were all like, "OMG WE DON'T UNDERSTAAAAAAAAAAAAND" and apparently hated it. and Ray and i watched it, and we were like "OMG THAT'S SO AAAAAAAAAAWESOME!"
it's pretty intense. a mi me gusta. =]

well, later, gators. go watch The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. and if you don't like it, i understand. (just don't ever speak to me again.) KIDDING! i'll still love you. (but you'll be dead.) just teasing. later, kids.
wish me luck at VBS. (8 kids tomorrow, under the age of two. one is a tiny, tiny infant who still takes a bottle and needs her head supported. two. workers. (OH STARS!))

Do You Know What's Really Annoying?

People being mad at you, when you have no idea what you've done. (same person as always hates my guts with a firey burning passion for no glaring or apparent reason except that my personality is grating? who knew... =] whatevs. actually, that sentence isn't about me.) Micah is mad at Garrett but won't tell him why. and i was just thinking... "That's incredibly annoying."
see, if you legitimately don't know what you've done, you totally can't fix it. which is why i make a point of telling people EXACTLY why they're pissing me off and should leave me alone for a while. in the long run, it's nicer.
Graduation. yay, you're a graduate! sit through 2+ hours of people droning ooon and oooooooooooooon and ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon about how, GOOD JOB! YOU'VE SURVIVED! (What? no way. news to me!) even worse, graduation practice. i kid you not, this was said."All right. then, we'll say, will the graduating seniors please stand. and that's when you all should stand."-slaps forehead- duh uuuh. we should, uh, stand? duuuuuhh..... i don't know if i can do that...
there was something else, the thing i ACTUALLY started my blog being annoyed about, but... i forget. =]
i was distracted by Cat and Prim. (Schrodinger's Cat and Primrose are my guinea pigs.) Prim was lying down, totally still. i was like, oh no... she's sick... and then Cat tiptoed over to her, and stretch out next to her, kind of at a right angle. and then Cat stuck her nose out, really close to Prim's side. it was really sweet, reminded me a little bit of me and Joelle (yeah, whatever.). and then Cat pulled her nose back, scooted a little closer, and inched her nose forward juuuuuuuuuust enough to touch the veeeeeeeeery side of Prim...who promptly jumped at her, scaring Kitty half to death, before prancing happily around the cage to the other side, where she laid down again. it. was. hilarious.oh, i remember the thing that was annoying me. FLOPPY DISKS. i was cleaning out my closet, and i found a floppy disk. A FLOPPY DISK. now, i'm a packrat, but... but... a floppy disk? what could i have POSSIBLY thought was important enough to keep even though it was on a floppy disk? i... i... i don't even know, and it's SUPER annoying. just saying.
oh, hey! i bought this cute little... cabinet? i don't know. it wasn't cute, actually. it was wooden, painted white but worn out and chipped and yet... i liked it. it's... okay. i'll start from the middle. three shelves in a glass front box thing. on either side of that are three shelves, level with the ones inside the box. top and bottom extend over the front and the sides. two knobs that look kind of like... bishop hats... on the top, as well as one that looks like a pawn in chess (except that one was really, really, really chipped.) two decorative pieces on the front that look kind of like badly drawn waves, going towards the pawn. on the bottom, four more bishops hats. (the bishops hats and the pawn held the whole thing together, i found. inventive.)
anyway, i saw it at my cousin's garage sale. bought it for, like, $1. totally thought it was, while dirty and worn and in bad shape and obviously hadn't been used for quite a while, a piece that would have some sort of... potential.so i bought it, took it home. (hello, new project.)
i took it apart. sanded it down. painted everything that was OUTSIDE the glass front box white. nobs, shelves, little wave things, black. sanded the pawn down so the back was flat, painted that black, too. then i painted a big tiger lily on the top... it was actually... really good. not trying to be narcissistic. i mean, i'm a terrible, terrible artist, but i'm pretty proud of how the tiger lily turned out. i used a weird green, kind of dark and greyish, to swirl out leaves, added a few tiger lily buds here and there. painted the backs of the shelves, the ones outside the glass front box, the same green as the top. the inside of the box i left the original, and might i add, gorgeous, wood. i put it all back together, and initialed on the back of the pawn. (in silver sharpie, woot woot!)
pictures, you ask? happy to oblige.

and the kicker... (in my opinion)
sorry, but i'm really, really, reaaaaaaaaaaaally proud of myself.
now. problems with it.
as you can see in the above picture, the handle is tilted. i tried to make it close better, the pull handle thing, but it broke a little bit. it doesn't seem to be totally, entirely broken. i mean, it works. it's just cockeyed. it bothers me.
the "thingy that looks like a wave." the one on the right, as you're looking at the picture above. the peg that held it in place was broken. (there are two, the one closest to the pawn was the one that was broken.) i pushed it in as well as i could, but it can move. gotta fix that.
the person who painted it white before left the inside the wood. i loved it, so i left it. but if you look closely, you realize they did a bad job of painting the outside--some of the white paint got on the inside. it bothers me.

so, that's my little cabinet. it think it's perty.
-giggles- yeah, i really love that tiger lily. i'm... pretty proud of myself. =]

okay... anything else before i go...
i need a new project.

OH!
so, i've been watching Dead Like Me. (love.)
first, they introduced a character named Ray, and he was a total douche. it made me chuckle. and then he tried to kill Daisy (who is already dead, she's a Reaper), and it stopped being funny, i just hated him.
anyway, after that i watched the series finale. (just finished it, it was TOTALLY awesome. i wish they'd made another season. but the only one after season 2 doesn't have Rube in it. no good. and it's not instant on Netflix, so it's not gonna happen.)
BACKGROUND!!!
okay, so, i associate certain things with people. (sometimes specific, like tigers with Joelle, or vague, like red hair with anyone named Garrett. which is silly--the Garretts i've known the longest don't have red hair...)
well, i associate white Chucks with Ray, okay? so i see people wearing white Chucks, and i'm like, RAY!
well, i was watching the series finale, and they showed JUST THE FEET (just the feet! (sinks into Strongbad lapse) of this person. (FOR THE WHOLE FINALE! like, you never saw his face at all. it wasn't like, THIS IS A MURDER MYSTERY! it was... like... you just need to know that it's a guy who's murdering people, you don't even need to know who it is, it's not important. what is important is that these people are going to die--they're lives are ending. it was a really cool move.) anyway, he was wearing white Chucks. and i was like OOH YAY PERSON WITH WHITE CHUCKS LIKE RAY!
until he started murdering everyone. and then i was like, wow, that sucks. first Ray's just a douche, and then his shoes are killing everyone! which made me laugh, which broke the mood, until the White Chucks murderer killed a little boy. he couldn't go trick-or-treating because he had a cold, and his daddy had just left to get him cold medicine. so he was home alone, wearing Devil costume. and it BROKE MY LITTLE HEART. i cried. not as much as when the cute little girl who was Mary in Kingdom Hospital died, but a lot.

uhm...
OH! Matt decided that i looked like this person, so he sent me her music video.
and that, my dear children, is how i discovered La Roux.
he doesn't like her, but i find myself strangely drawn to her. (can't even say why, i just like it.) but i've been listening to her A LOT. a lot a lot.
a mi me gusta. i'm going to go buy her CD so that i can stop playing her Youtube videos 80 bajillion times. =]

gotta go eat so i can graduate. later, kids!

Jack's A Moron (But I Still Love Him)

Oh boy, kids.

so, i was downstairs, happily texting Joelle and loading the dishwasher when...
Micah walks in.
holding Jack. (for those of you that don't know, that's one of my Jack Russell Terriers. The other one is Ruffi An. Jack, i know. i wanted to name him Captain, for the record. Dad wanted Jack. we settled for Captain Jack. that was when i was 11, so don't get any ideas about my mega crush on Johnny Depp. which i may or may not have. -shifty eyes- anyway...
that's Jack. yes, i take Christmas pictures of my dogs. ISN'T HE CUTE?!)
so, he walks in holding Jack, and Jackie is BLEEDING FROM THE SIDE.
you have to understand, my dogs are my babies. i take them outside, i play with them, i give them treats, i train them, i wash them, i cuddle them. when i'm sick, they curl up with me and give me kisses and are generally my bestest friends. i love my dogs.
so the fact that Jack was BLEEDING FROM THE SIDE set me a little on edge.
Me: WHAT HAPPENED?
Micah: Jack ran away.
Me: yeah, i knew he ran away, i knew you guys were out looking for him, but what did you DO?!
Micah: Jack got attacked by a Rottweiler.
Me: WHAT?
Micah: either go get a towel or hold him.
Me: -takes dog and cuddles-so i took him into the living room, and Micah brought me a washcloth, so i wiped him off. he had three cuts, one on the top of his butt, on on his lower side, and one right under his eye. so i washed them all of. now, the one under his eye looked fine. the one on his side was bleeding (all over me, thank you very much), but it looked okay, but the one on his butt looked bad... and wasn't bleeding.
so i called my Daddy.
and he was like, "i'm not sure. go bathe him, and be careful, he might bite."
so i took him upstairs and got him in the tub and washed him and soaped him up really good. now, normally, Jack is all over the place when he has to take a bath. (i have to wear a bathing suit.) but he was really quiet and subdued, which worried me. anyway, i toweled him off and took him to Dad, who was like, "Yeah, this one got down into the fatty tissue. so... keep it clean." and i was like, CAN DO!my poor puppy!
AH!
poor little guy. i love him bunches.
anyway, he got upset when Daddy was checking him over. and Mom was like,
"It's your own stupid fault, you moron! that Rottweiler was right where he belonged, in his own yard. TAKE NOTE!"
he's an idiot. dumb dog, worries me to death.
-sigh-
here's a picture of Ruffi An, because she's adorable. =]


yes, i take Halloween pictures of my dogs, too. i'm a sick, sick person. BUTTHEY'READORABLE LOOK AT HER SHE'S A LADYBUG! :D

And All The Rest

So, Sunday, i was at Calvary. we've been doing this dancing skit thing, and it's pretty cool.
it's called Behold, The Dreamer Cometh.

http://vimeo.com/5521830

it's pretty cool.
anyway, i managed to cut my hand on a board that was sitting on the ladder. (annoying!) now my thumb hurts. it's a more exciting story in person, so stop me and ask me if you see me. =]

I'M DONE WITH SCHOOL! NO MORE SCHOOL! YESTERDAY WAS MY LAST DAY!

i'll miss all my friends. i'm sure i will. BUT I'M DONE WITH SCHOOL!
and Sunday, JCS starts. i'm. playing. Mary. Magdalene.
you guys have NO IDEA how excited i am.
(okay, maybe you do...)

in other news.
Okay, so, recently, i acquired a copy of our Mooresville (show choir) competition (which did not zoom in! yay! i can watch the WHOLE show, instead of various random and boring faces, unable to see the feet!) and, possibly more importantly, a copy of our Pike (Concert Choir finals) competition...

so, essentially, i got a copy of Spring.
-cries-
i'm listening to it. we didn't do too bad. (and by that i mean i think it's beautiful, stupendous, marvelous, wonderful, the whole shebang.) Mr. Shank is such a fabulous composer, and Mrs. Prather is such a stellar director...

i'm going to miss her. i don't think i'll like not have a choir like that. i'm going to miss being one of the Madrigals. (3RD IN STATE, KIDS, 3RD IN STATE! i mean, wait what?)
from now on, i'm just a singer. On my own. (pretending he's beside me. all alone, i walk with him till morning. [don't judge.])

anyway. JCS is next. (SO. EXCITED. YOU ALL HAVE TO COME. JUST SAYING. IT. IS. NECESSARY. I'M SINGING. LOUDLY. AND ALL BY MYSELF. DO EEEET!)

i feel like there was something else i wanted to say... hmm...
ooh. John the Revelator. -shudder shudder-
scary stuff. (it was kinda shaky. but you all knew that. =] that high soprano note after the clapping part is... scary. bad scary. eww scary. i think, at least. but we still did well. and Spring... Spring was amazing.)

Katelyn and Maggie and Tom and i went out to China's Best today for lunch. since we all sat together in lunch, we decided we needed a final hurrah, as it were. it was so super fun. i love them soooooo much.

oh, right. i remember what i wanted to tell you all.
i'm feeling gutsy.
do you guys remember that i'm writing a book? it'll be my third. and i really like it. it's about Greek Gods. well, i've been working on it. and Joelle has been reading it. and... i want an outside opinion. it's not done yet. but i have a good 86 pages right now, and i'm going on a writing spree tomorrow. (Dad will be at work, Mom will be at work, i'll be home. ALONE. hello, glasses, hello, pigtails, hello, sweatpants, hello, story.) and if you want what i have, remember, it's not done, but if you want what i have...
i'll e-mail it to you.
(I thought about just offering everyone i saw my story, but i figured i would chicken out. i really, really, really hate the idea of people reading my stories. yeah, i know, i'm a terrible author, but live with it.)

DawnofWednesday@gmail.com

i'm putting it up on my Skype, too. hopefully i'll forget it's up there.
i know it sounds silly, but seriously. i need people to read it and TELL ME WHAT THEY THINK. if they're like, "wow, you suck." then i can keep my writing happily to myself. if they're like, "Hey, this is good!" maybe i'll actually look into getting it published. so while i'm afraid of it, i have to do it. it's time. (i'm not ready!)

so, shoot me an e-mail. and please, please tell me what you think. THANKS! you guys are the best. i think. hopefully. =]

Tom. Has. Never. Seen. Mulan.

i might have already told you that. but i was in such a state of shock when i discovered it, that i can't remember.
HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE SEEN MULAN?
oh well. i'm fixing it. Tom and Ray and i got ice cream, and we're watching it.
except that, see...
my curfew is 10. (Well, it's really more their curfew than mine. it's my parents rule that on school nights everyone is out by 10.)
that's twenty minutes from now, kids.
and Ben has this idea that he's my father, or something, because i've been listening to him upstairs, telling my mother that he's going to come down and throw the boys out.
(he's really pissing me off. =])
anywaay... i sent my book to Paige. (the one i'm working on right now.) i don't know if she's even started it yet, but it's really a step in the right direction for me, you know? i mean... i only let, like, Joelle read my books. (although Jo's college friends apparently borrowed her copy of Confession of Pain to read. i don't remember if i asked what they thought, i think i was too scared. hehe.)
it's about Greek gods. (i've always had kind of a thing for Greek gods. they're pretty cool.)
i went shopping yesterday, and i got new shoes. they're the tallest shoes i own now. they're black and white striped wedges. (but it's okay that they're super, super tall, because i'm still not taller than Ray. i hate being taller than, like, Ben, and Dad, and Ray. Micah's okay, he's supposed to be shorter than me. but depending on who i'm going somewhere with, like, if i go hang out with Jacob, or Jaa, or people like that, i adjust my shoes accordingly.)
speaking of Jacob, he's in basic or whatnot. i miss him already. -super sad face- i think i'll write to him--not that he'll write back. but my aunt gave me his address down there, so i figure i might as well write. =]
Ashley Z. and i went shopping for her wedding dress. (i forgot to get a picture of it on my phone. i meant to get a picture and put it up, but it slipped my mind when i saw her in the dress. she looked gorgeous.) she didn't go traditional wedding dress, since she's just having a super super tiny wedding, like, justice of the peace style wedding. (although, they're getting married at the church now. yay!) anyway, the dress she chose was purple with flowers all over it, and really light. a nice summer dress. she looked splendid. i completely adore her. :)
other exciting events? hold on, silly, i'm thinking.
Finale. did i tell you about that? oh well, doesn't matter. it went really well. especially since we had barely worked on our music, you know? oh well. it was fun. i cried, but only because Ashley Shuff... and Mrs. Stainbrook were crying, and they were RIGHT NEXT TO ME. -grumbles-
Jo's in Kansas. she'll be back, soon, though.
uhm...
two more days of school left!
my grandparents are back from Georgia. (celebrate!)
OH OH OH!
my mommy broke her leg.
(someone is on crutches in our house and IT'S NOT ME!)
although, it's not really very happy. see, she hurt herself, and then she decided to jog on her injured leg. (hello, stress fracture!) poor mommy. she really, really despises her crutches, too. she has big bruises on her arms, like, the insides, from where the crutches rub against it. it pretty much sucks.
Calvary had their youth sunday, i'll tell you about that tomorrow. i managed to attempt knocking a ladder on my head and i cut my thumb. (now that's talent, ladies and gents.)
Lissa's bridal shower was today. i hung out with Max. (he's so stinking cute!)
oh, yeah. Tuesday is our LAST PRACTICE. -super sad face- (soccer, btw.)
and Saturday is our last game. i'm going to miss these kids so much!
(also, Brock got 1) thrown to the ground by one of my players, 2) tripped, and 3) smashed his head against the ground. it was not a good game for him. but he was a real trooper, for a 5 year old, and kept playing. i think he might be my favorite on the team. well... Max might be first. but that's required.)
can't think of anything else i've done lately that's interesting. and i'm starting to have trouble typing, so it's time to sleep. night!

Lafaera

P.S. Ray used his feet to pick up my mountain dew. feet are gross. i hate feet. why do people have feet. isn't it fortunate that we have cute shoes? isn't it odd that i thoroughly despise feet, and yet i love shoes so much? whatever. i'm going to sleep. night!

Larkwhisper Is Still A Cool Name

Mom had a bad day Sunday.
so we went to Red Lobster, just the two of us, and then to Barnes and Noble. (What's better than crab meat and books? hmm? the answer is pretty much nothing, except cake. maybe.)
okay. soooooooooo...
i bought two things. due to my current obsession with birds, it comes with the territory of writing a story with a main character named Larkwhisper (inspired by yours truly!), i bought myself this cute little notebook.
isn't it cute? i love it. it's blank inside, perfect for writing. =]
anyway, the other thing i bought was a book called Hawksong.
i have this bad habit of not paying attention to the authors, which can sometimes get me into a little trouble. (Like accidentally picking up a book by Stephanie Meyer, for example. oh, fateful day. just teasing, i knew who she was, i just can't not finish a series. but other authors, that i should know are crazy feminists/serial killers/the leader of communist Russia/whatnot. not really to that extreme, but generally just authors that i didn't like something else by them, and wouldn't have picked up their book if i had realized who they were.)
well, i picked up Hawksong. now, i got home, and as i was reading, i thought to myself, "Hey. this writing style feels so familiar. wow... it feels like..." -checks book cover- "Oh, yeah it is. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes."
which i'm totally okay with. i'm rather fond of her, in a big sister/little sister way. (Depending on what thing i'm talking about.) for example, when i read her book, which is, by the way, rather simplistic in writing style, with large, often hard to pronounce fantasy names and things like that, i feel like an incredibly proud older sister. like, i read In The Forests of the Night, and i was like, "Wow. for a 15 year old girl, this is pretty stellar." and now i just keep reading stuff by her, and i'm watching her writing style grow and blossom and she's so much more accomplished now... and yet it still has an almost childlike quality about it. it makes me think of me, kind of. but different. we write differently. but it's the essence that's the same.
anyway. i also feel like a little sister. because, well, i wish i could get my book published. i wish i could be just like her, and have someone read my book and be like, "Hey, isn't that awesome!" and publish it for me. but that's not going to happen.
i'm not forward enough.
also, i think a little of the joy will be taken out of it for me.
Ben's sending his children's book to a publisher.

[this is where i'm going to whine a little bit. (Sorry, guys, i've been in a bad mood.)
i've written two full length novels. (Granted, they're not amazing. but they don't suck, and i like them, and other people like them, and i've worked hard on them.)
Ben wrote a children's novel. yes, it's awesome.
Mom read it and got all excited and helped him find a publisher and won't shut up about it.
she hasn't even read either of mine.
i even offered to let her. i gave her my first one, in a nice, bound copy, and said she should read it.
four months later, i finally asked if she had finished it, because i really needed to get it to the girl who had offered to help me edit it.
she had read, like, a page, and then set it down and hadn't even looked at it again. it was in the bottom of a drawer somewhere. she had to look for it.
that really, really, really hurt my feelings. so i know i'm not going to get any help from her. i'd like to get it published, but i don't think i'd be able to deal if my conversation goes like this.
Me: OMG I'M GETTING MY BOOK PUBLISHED AND AAAAAAH!
Mom: that's nice, sweetie. did you hear what Ben did? he got his children's book published. it was so amazing, and he even drew his own pictures. isn't he awesome?
Me: ... uh... yeah... i guess so...
Mom: Yes, he's perfect.
Me: i'm going to go now.
Mom: okay. oh, yeah, good job.
or this.
Me: i didn't get my book published. they didn't like it.
Mom: i'm sorry, sweetie. Ben got his children's book published. it was so amazing, and he even drew his own pictures. isn't he awesome?
Me: -bursts into tears-
Mom: OMG WHY ARE YOU CRYING? -confused face-

so, yeah. both of those sound pretty sucky. so i figure it'd be better just to not do it. (or not tell my mother, and publish under a different name. MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)]

Anyway. i went to a funeral yesterday. it. was. awkward. see, it was my aunt, so my mother was really, really, really upset. but, see, the last time we'd seen her was when she came to our house to give me a christening gown. (Yes, i'm serious. it's been, like, 17 years.) so i didn't know her. and it was a lot of meeting cousins i didn't know, and an uncle i've never met... not fun. Dad took us out to lunch, and then we came home.

Finale was last night. interestingly enough, Finale is also tomorrow. (who knew you could have more than one Finale? =])

also, Paige and Elliot broke up. Elliot and i have plans to watch Moulin Rouge! and eat ice cream. super fun. =] (Not that they broke up, that we're going to hang out.)

Later, kids. =]

Really Quick...

First order of business! This is a shout out to Josh, who apparently got bored and sat on his couch and read the past, like, sixth months of my blogs. That makes him my very own blog stalker! (apparently, he misses having a class with me. i used to write him short stories about people we knew, like Evan, that were pretty much hilarious. we really got no work done--but we laughed a lot.) JOSH, IF YOU READ THIS, I LOVE YOU! =]

Next order of business--my brother is in band. the middle school band left this morning, all weekend, for St. Louis. by the transitive property, you can see that MY LITTLE BROTHER IS IN ST. LOUIS ALL WEEKEND! PARTAY! (par-taaaaaaaay!) I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM! ALL! WEEKEND! -bursts into giggles-

I did not blog yesterday. (don't roll your eyes at me, i state the obvious often.) anyway, i meant to. but i got home, and went into my room, only to hear a knock on my door. so i jumped off my bed, opened the door, and there was my daddy.
Daddy: oh, hey, you're home, good.
Me: hi, Daddy, how was your day?
Daddy: good, good... i'm going fishing. you can come if you want.
Me: YAAAAAAAAY!
so we went fishing, and had pizza. my daddy is the best.

then i had practice, which was totally awesome. i don't know if i've told you, but i'm dancing at Calvary for their youth Sunday. it's a skit. i'm pretty excited.

i'm gonna go now. later, kids. =]

Prom, State, and Various and Sundry Other Things

Saturday was a rather important day, all around.First off, a soccer game. it was FREEZING. the wind was practically blowing my small children off the field. heck, it caught me and threw me around a few times. it was RIDICULOUS. i ended, like, five, ten minutes early, simply because my children were little soccer playing popsicles, and i couldn't stand the wind anymore. but they were pretty good sports about the whole thing--they played really hard, even though their poor little hands were FREEZING. at half time, they all piled on top of me for warmth. (Oh, so you know. Brock is creeping into my "favorite team member" place. But i still love all my kids. =])
anyway. Saturday was also State and Prom. so i got back from soccer, cleaned my room, grabbed a shower, and started getting ready. i painted my toenails, but not my fingernails, because of State. i live by the hard and fast rule of not having painted nails on stage. but my toes were pretty.anywho. (Hey, look, the corner of The Vile Village! That's what i read while my toes dried.) okay, seriously, moving on. i fixed my hair and went to State. we maybe a little bit were pretty much amazing. Cum Sancto was awfully pretty, Spring was stunning, John the Revelator... well, that one was shaky at best. (whew. it was scary.) but all in all, we did quite well. we placed third. YAY US! i'm really proud of us. Goshen was first, Heritage Christian was second. anyway. i went back home and Danielle and i got dressed for prom.

There we are. yay us. anyway, we put out food and set the table and got drinks and let our parents take pictures and all that, and by the time we were done, our boys had arrived. (Well, Cole was exceptionally late. but i'll still put up a picture of the four of us.)

Aren't we awesome? look how short i am. i'm wearing heels. -frowny face- oh well.
anyway, we went to prom, and had an awesome time, and danced and had fun and whatnot. After that, we all piled into the car. Now, while we were eating, Cole had said that he was a terrible driver. so, Ray was like, all right, "i'll drive down there, since Caitie will need to navigate, but you can drive home, that'll be easy." well, we got out to his truck, and we realized that he wasn't even parked on the curb. he was sort of veered towards the curb. anyway, Ray drove us down without a hitch. but then, when we got in the car on the way back, Cole was going to drive. he handed me his Tomtom, and i asked what i needed to do with it. he said, "hit the screen, then navigate to, then home."
turns out, someone had programmed that thing to take us to Mooresville. but Cole wouldn't believe us that we were going the wrong way. also, he was a terrible driver, and he tried to kill us four times. seriously. like, once, he was messing with the radio, and the road curved, and Cole didn't, and almost hit one of those big concrete dividers when Ray and i yelled at him and punched him. anyway, we got totally lost, and discovered how we all took that. Ray and i got antsy and focused and things weren't funny. we wanted to get home and we immediately made plans to accomplish just that, along with back up plans in case the plan failed.
Cole and Danielle, on the other hand, would have just wandered aimlessly for a ridiculously long time, and thought it was awesome. they kept saying things like "Isn't this a fun adventure?"
NO! NO IT'S NOT! WE'RE LOST! IT'S TIME TO FIX IT!
so, at the end of the drive, it was decided that we were NEVER going to let Cole drive again. Ray is the driver, i am the navigator, and Danielle and Cole need to sit in the back and shut up. all in a Christian loving way, of course. i'd just rather not die.
anyway. we stayed at Cole's house until after four, came home, and then Danielle wanted to chat. she had fallen asleep at Cole's house. anyway, she wanted to chat, so i fell asleep at, like, 5. then i got up early. (Mother's Day.) we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. then i slept. it was a great weekend. =]

I'm A Words Person, Not A Numbers Person

Math or blog?
oh, come on, that's easy. i'm blogging, not doing math.
i hate math. i dislike numbers. which is odd, because i like order, and rules, and a set way to do things. (i love geometry. i hate calculus. don't ask for an explanation, that's all i've got.)
So, Sunday, i was at Calvary, singing. (YAY! i love those guys.)
Well, my dear friend Kelsey came. (i haven't seen her in a while. she's one of the few people that i actually honestly miss when i don't see her for a while. so i was super excited when she showed up and handed me a donut. she's the best.) anyway, since we hadn't seen each other in a while, we decided to go out to lunch. After all, we were both going to the Jesus Christ Superstar script read through. (by read through, i mean movie watch. =] ) that meant that we both needed a dessert, so we decided to go out to Applebee's and then make a cake. it was totally fun. we chatted through lunch, ate dessert, went home and made a cake, practically passed out from too much food, watched My Name is Earl... it was fun. Ray came over at one point and chilled with us. then we went to the movie, which continues to be amazing, just saying, and ate pizza, and then we had youth group.

we played this game called Bigger and Better at youth group. each team started with a paperclip, and then we had to get lots of stuff. we managed to get a broken tv, a large stuffed bear, a chair, a cd, and a bar of soap. it was really fun. my group was Elliot, Kelsey, me, and Ray.

Then, Monday morning, i was woken up by Mr. Braun. see, the engineering club was going to race the Supermileage car. (it's not really a race, it's a competition. but whatever.) and he wanted me to come. so i rolled out of bed, grabbed my keys, and met them at the park. it was freezing! SO COLD! but i hung out with two sophomores and a freshman all day. we did lap count and ate food and checked out cars, and i took pictures. totally awesome.

Tuesday, i had to go to school. (bummer.) then i had soccer, because it was Tuesday. my kids were fun, but rowdy. we practiced throw ins, but i tossed the ball to Jake just as his dad walked up, and i totally smacked him in the face with it. -facepalm-
fortunately, that cracked his dad up, and Jake ran up and gave me a big hug, so we're totally good.

Wednesday... School, then Awana. i help, or rather forced, Garrison do his Bible verses. he's a cute kid--pretty fun. =]

Yesterday... okay, i want you to remember that i love my Mommy. but when i was picking out my prom dress, she was like, "hey! why don't we make one!" and i was like, AWESOME!
so i picked out the fabric--purple satin, and rainbow netting over the skirt. i picked out the pattern--a vintage pattern that kind of looks like Marilyn Monroe's dress in Seven Year Itch, but has a high back. i got home yesterday and found out that she hasn't even started it.
look, it bothers me to not be ready for stuff. Prom is NEXT WEEK, people! so i was freaking out a little. i couldn't say anything to Mom. she said i was "bothering" her. (wow. thanks) anyway, she'd also get all upset about how i "don't trust her" or something.
so i talked to Alison. i went over to her house, and i told her my problem. i was like, "i could wear last year's dress, but it's gold, and Ray already got a purple vest and tie to match me." and she was like, "oh, purple?" so then we went up to Joelle's room, and Alison went in her closet and pulled out her old prom dresses. one of which was gorgeous and TOTALLY. PURPLE. thanks, Jesus. Thanks, Joelle. Thanks, Alison. i love you all.

anyway. today i'm going to see Guys and Dolls at Danielle's school. (yaaaay.) Danville productions are... interesting. but whatever. i'll grit and bear it, as Danielle is ALWAYS AMAZING.
oh! and Tim got the score for JCS, so we worked on that today. i love it. i love it sooooooo much. =]
later, gators. off to math.

Dad's Painting, Which Makes Him Grumpy, So I'm Blogging!

A couple stories, today.
one involves... well... my stories.
so i went out to dinner (Chinese food!) with Maggie and Tom and Stephen. (that's two choir kids, two band kids. we sat on opposite sides of the table and threatened each other for a little while. =])
and we somehow got onto the subject of how i tell stories. and Tom said basically this. keep in mind that he adopted a slightly higher pitched voice, flicked his hair a lot, and was practically jumping all over the place, flailing his hands.

Tom: you always come into study hall with all these adventurous stories to tell. but, if i were telling the same story, i mean... they're not even adventures. i mean, i'd say, "i made a hot dog." you'd say, "OMG, so i decided that i wanted a hot dog, right? and i went to the fridge, and i opened the fridge, and i grabbed the package of hot dogs, but the package was sticky, so then i had to go wash my hands, and then i got the hot dog out and put it in the microwave, and the microwave got all warm inside and the hot dog ALMOST EXPLODED, but it didn't, and then i ALMOST BURNED THE HOUSE DOWN, but i didn't, and then the microwave was done, so i opened the door and grabbed the hot dog, but i SEARED MY HAND and it fell on the floor, and i couldn't eat that, so instead i had to make another hot dog.

i am inclined to agree with him. :D

All right... soccer was this morning. so, i have ten kids(four girls, SIX boys! holyohmystars, boys are crazy. awesome, but wiiiild. :D), right? (quick side note. two of them, Brock and Lane, are identical. Lane just got a haircut. thank you, Jesus.) anyway. i try to make sure that all my kids get a goal, you know? it makes them happy, and i like that. so today, i focused on Anya.
oh my stars, is she adorable. little round face, big eyes, red hair, freckles, the works. so cute. anyway, Anya and Jake and Lucas were all on the field. and when the ball went out right next to our goal, kicked by the other team, i was like, "awesome. chance for Anya to get a goal." so i had Jake get ready to kick the ball, and i put Anya right next to the goal, and Jake kicked it to her...
and one of the other team grabbed it and ran away. well, i'd told Lucas, who is an amazing player, especially for five years old, what i was doing. get this. he takes off down the field, gets the ball, runs it back, waits for Anya to catch up, passes it to her RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE GOAL. she scored. i don't know which made me happier. the fact that Luke is AWESOME, or her big grin. it was the sweetest thing i saw all day. it was ABSOLUTELY adorable.

also in the soccer vein, the kids have all decided they like me. (Except Izzy. she pretends to not like me. i come up and tease her, and she grins, and then i say, "Ah, you're smiling! is that a smile?" and, still grinning, she shakes her head frantically and says, "no!" she's such a cutie.) and at half time, we go and have a devotional. (SonShine Soccer is a non-competitive league out of Hope Community Church, by the way. it's awesome.) so we pretended to cars and raced to the field where we have devotionals. and then i sat down, spreading my rain jacket so there would be a dry space. not that i needed it. as soon as i sat down, all six of my boys were suddenly in my lap, on top of each other. (poor Max, the smallest, had reached me first, and was being crushed.) so i threw them off me, saved Maxie, got piled on top of again, saved myself, and ended up with Brock and Lane on my knees, Jake sitting on my shoe, Max standing behind me with his arms around my neck, Brayden kneeling on my coat, leaning against my side, and Lucas trying to shove the twins apart to sit in my lap. he ended up just kind of hovering over my shoe. all of this happened so fast, that my four girls were just standing there, staring at me, completely confused as to what had just happened. they kind of formed a cluster and hovered over my shoulder, by Max. it was pretty funny.

OH! and at the end of the game, i was trying to get them to line up to give the other team high fives. they all got in line behind me, but when i put up my right hand to get them to hold out their right hands, they all freaked out because my sleeve slipped back and they saw my Batman bracelet. we immediately had to have an intense superhero conversation, and Jake had to show me his Spiderman hat. (That kid also wears gloves with HOCKEY on them, and a penguin with crossed sticks.) it was tons of fun, and it didn't rain! YAY! Dad is painting, which makes him grumpy, and i'm too short to be of much help. -sighs- so i'm staying out of the way. :D

Lost As A Candle Lit At Noon, Lost As A Snowflake In The Sea

Hi, sorry for the second post today. this'll be super quick.
Zennon has decided that some of us need to sing I Am Not Yours, from last year. (Remember in my post about Spring, i said that Mr. Shank (TAKE THAT, GOOGLE ALERTS!) had used Sara Teasdale poetry, and if could you say I Am Not Yours? yeah. we're singing that. epic excitement. it's so pretty. that's all. until later, gators.

Courage and Valor (And All Things Cute)

Information time!The Ray Downey Courage and Valor medal is a medal awarded to fireman who have shown... you guessed it, courage and valor. the firemen (and sometimes their families) do an annual run, the Courage and Valor 5K Walk/Run, to raise money for the fireman who is awarded the medal. (The stories are really neat. http://www.courageandvalor.com/ has the last few years.)
My Daddy is a fireman.

(in case you missed it, at some point.)

So, yesterday, i got home from school and found out that Dad was going to go do the Courage and Valor 5K. and my mother was going too. (She's trying to lose weight, and her Weight Watcher group has decided that they each have to do a 5K within ten weeks.)
so she was like, Caitie, your father won't walk with me. he wants to run it. will you come?
So i did. Dad was disappointed. apparently, he wanted to recruit me to run with him so he'd have someone to run with. this is the part of the story where i inform you of some stuff.
1) Dad's on a new kick, where he wants to train me to run with him, since neither of the boys will.
2) a few years ago, i damaged my knee. if i run too much, my kneecap hits the bone underneath it and bruises it. this is mildly painful, and really annoying. i don't run too much, but i miss it, i'd like to get back to it.
3) i haven't gone running in a while.
4) Dad has decided, now, that i am going to run a 5K with him in June. a night run.
5) i'm always up for a challenge.

Guess who's going running tonight? i'd rather not embarrass myself too badly. Dad's good at keeping me motivated, but still. i'd like to be KIND of in better shape. so i'm going to take a run tonight, just around the neighborhood. i'll take my music. it'll be exciting. also, i got a shirt. it's huge. i'm going to have to figure out what to do with it. (i think i'll wear it with leggings. i have a red belt somewhere, so that'll work nicely. i'm wearing it today with capris, but it's just so big, i'm swimming. Ray's only comment was "You have bad luck with t-shirts", so i tied it up with a hairband. i like it a little better now. but it just looks so darn cool! Here's a pic of the front.) (Nifty, right? i like it a lot. sorry, i took it with my nifty little laptop cam thing, so the picture sucks. =])

back to the Courage and Valor Walk/Run. This is the part of the blog where i shamelessly stroke my ego. sorry, guys. so, on the way there, Dad informs me that he has only one rule for this.
No talking to any of the firemen except him.
Me: -blinks- what?
Mom: you're too cute.
Dad: firemen are bad. (i'm paraphrasing, here)
Me: you guys are ridiculous.
so, we get there and start, and Mom and i are keeping up a nice pace in the back. (By nice pace, i do mean that i didn't sweat too much and desperately wanted to catch up with my Daddy.)
Right behind us were the guys in their turnouts. As we started, one of the guys said, "We better get going." and they started shuffle running. and then one looks at the other and goes, "We get to cut corners, right? we should totally cut corners."
i laughed a lot. firemen are the best. =]
anyway. Dad was up ahead, running with some people. they asked who he was there with, and he goes, "My wife and daughter." and described/pointed us out.
their response? (this is the shameless part, i shouldn't tell you.)
"Wait, the redhead belongs to you? She's cuuuuuuute."
and they weren't kidding. =]
i know, i know, i should stop, but come on, guys. how often am i really narcissistic? not often. and it's my blog. so shh.
i texted Jo and told her.
her response? "Well, duh, you're adorable. But they can't have you, because Ray and I have a hard enough time sharing you just between two of us."
i want to know when they've been having a hard time. she's been in Kentucky.

all right. so, tonight, Maggie and Tom and i are going out. (PARTAY!) actually, China's Best and a movie, i think.
Ray has a game tomorrow, though. at least one. it's away. i might skip the movie to go hang out with him, instead, tonight, since i won't get to see him tomorrow. i'm still deciding.
then, soccer game tomorrow. i'll take pictures of my kids, they're so freaking cute. then... hopefully, i won't have to mow. (HAAAAAAAATE)
Sunday, GLORY is singing, so i won't be at church. correction, i won't be at Hope, i'll be with the crazy Methodists. (i love me some Methodists.)
and then... Jesus Christ Superstar starts. -giggles ridiculously-
I'M SO EXCITED.
sorry, sorry, i'm cool, i'm cool.
We're doing a read through. if you're a music person, you're scratching your head right now. Yes, i know it's a rock opera. Alison is CALLING it a read through. really, we're watching the movie.
and i got my script yesterday. holyohmystars, i'm so happy.
i still honestly can't really believe i'm Mary.
holy. oh. my. stars.
i'm Mary. =]
(Logan is Jesus, by the way. Ray is Peter, which means he and i get to sing a duet. :D)
okay, i'll stop freaking out now. i'm just really excited. I'm Mary Magdalene. holyohmystars.
i'm sorry, i'll stop. really. :D

Health Is Pointless, Blog Instead!

Health seems like a fairly pointless class to me.
Shocker, i know.
Maybe it's because i'm a senior. (i doubt it.)
All it is is... [is that grammatically correct? do you stuff a comma in there? all it is, is? looks better. but i don't think so.] All it is is a bunch of busy work. seriously. we're talking about a smoke free environment. i don't smoke. (cigarette smoke makes me cough, i would never touch one because of that. no point in giving myself an asthma attack.) but whatever. Okay, so, we have a sub today. Our assignment is to read six pages and do... -counts- twenty-six questions. not even good questions. ugh. i could pass these tests without reading the book, by the way. (i've gotten more than one A+ on a test where i had not read the required material. the questions are that dumb and obvious. not doing well in this class means you either REALLY don't care, or have little to no common sense.)

But health is boring, let's not talk about it any more. Let's see... Interesting things today...
Mommy is grumping about my taking Herbert. she says i don't have any room. all of my shelves are taken up by books, it's true. my room is flooded with books. and the rest of my books are out in the hallway. i hate them being out there, i love my books, and Micah takes them and folds the corners and ruins their covers and... don't judge. Anyway. all my Harry Potter books are on one shelf of my desk, but they don't technically need to be there, i guess i can move them. that's just where they ended up when i was painting.
Speaking of painting... i'm a terrible painter. but i like it a lot. it's calming. so i paint.
My desk is coming along nicely. see, it was that fake wood stuff, with a black top. two levels. and i got tired of it. my desk works for me, you see, but it's not going anywhere after me. (it's a little broken in parts. don't worry, i rigged it.) so i painted it. it's too hard to explain, i've done so much to it. so i'll just tell you about my favorite part (so far).
i took one of my shelves and painted it blue. then, in red and yellow and orange, i painted flames all around the sides, so that there was a wide open blue space in the middle. and then, i took the lightest grey i had, mixed in a little more white so that it was very, very light, and painted charter marks all over it.
like in Abhorsen, at the end. when she looks up into the sky, past the last gate...
-sighs-
it turned out well, i like it lots. Joelle was really proud.
i have a tribute to my book, Confession of Pain, on the top, next to my CD player. by the way, i'm working on a sequel to that. it's still in the works... Joelle's already mad about it. i'm killing one of her favorite characters. (i have a problem. i can't let my children be happy for too long... and for what i want to happen, one of my characters has to die. bummer. i'll probably cry.)
anyway, i'm working on my dresser, now, just until i decide what i want to do next on my desk.
i'm going to put this quote on it (my dresser, that is).

The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this. ~Mark Twain

it made me laugh when i read it.
so i'm putting it on my dresser. i've painted the drawers, they look good. colorful. so now it's the doors, but i don't think i'll do the top or the sides. i'm just not sure yet. i love painting. :D

Also, the kids that i work with on Wednesdays were upset that i wasn't at church last night. which made me kinda happy, since i completely adore them.
OH OH OH!
So, soccer season started. (My mother is the coordinator for our church soccer league. it's so great, i love it. i coach four and five year olds, and they're so cute.)
anyway, Saturday, at the game, i grabbed my box and headed outside to my field. (I have a big plastic box thing that i keep extra balls and cones and my clipboard in. i take it out so the kids have someplace to sit. hehe.) anyway, i have... -thinks- just two? just two church kids on my team. (and a set of identical twins. but i think i've got them, i called them by their correct names all Saturday, didn't mix them up once.) anyway. one of the church kids, Lorelei, is my assistant coach's daughter. the other one is Max, and he's KJ's son. (KJ is my friend. we're pals. her daughter is Macie, i'm positive i've told you how cute she is.) anyway, i adore Max, he's adorable. but i got out to the field and started warming my kids up, playing keep away and such, and Max gets there and runs up to me and hands me two tulips, and gives me a big hug. awwwwwwwwwwwwww. it made my day. :D he's just too darn cute. then i went home, mowed, and then i went to see Hello, Dolly! (love. it was awesome) anyway, i'll probably have lots of soccer stories in the near future.

So, Ziplock Bag and a Freezer, or Do You Prefer a Rock?

--Warning: i'm sick today. not throwing up sick, but dizzy, tired, head hurt sick. nothing major, i've just been away from humans all day, and i'm likely to go on ridiculous tangents in what is probably going to be a long post. enjoy. also, i smell like mint from the stuff i put on my shoulders. it's weird.--

Ben has two frogs. (I'm sure i've talked about them.)
their names are Herbert and Little Scholar.
Okay, i'm lying to you. Herbert does not technically have a name. see, Ben doesn't name things right off--it takes him for freaking ever. Little Scholar didn't have a name for MONTHS, and we didn't know what to call him. he was just "the frog" (he's so cute. he's a dumpy tree frog.).
"Make your stupid frog shut up!"
"the frog jumped out of the bowl you had him in, and is happily croaking away in Mom's bathroom."
"I put the frog on Micah's head and he screamed like a little girl."
"Can i hold the frog?"
so we were all kind of surprised when one day, out of the blue, Ben was like, "His name is Little Scholar."
Us: ..............
Ben: i just decided this morning.
Us: you've had him for months.
Ben: Yeah. but i finally decided i like his name.
Us: okay....
so when Ben decided to get Little Scholar a friend, i put my foot down. i refused to wait months for a name for the new frog. so the moment i saw him, i picked him up, stroked his back, and said, "Hello, Herbert!"
Ben: his name is not Herbert.
Me: whatever.
Micah and Mom: we like Herbert.
Ben: HIS NAME IS NOT HERBERT.
Me: Right, whatever.
Guess what name even Ben calls him, even though he insists that it is not his real name?
If you said Herbert, you deserve a cookie. if you said anything else, you deserve a raised eyebrow and a cookie, because you're going nowhere in life (Or possibly everywhere, depending on the amount of sarcasm).
sorry about the tangent.

anyway, Ben has these two frogs, and he just discovered that Herbert is a cannibal.
And he might eat Little Scholar if he gets too hungry (Even though Little Scholar is MUCH bigger than Herbert).
Now, you must understand. Yes, my brother is twenty years old. yes, he has had many pets. but if Herbert eats Little Scholar, while Ben will be impressed, he will cry, and hate Herbert forever and ever. By forever and ever, i mean until he kills Herbert. Ben loves Little Scholar.
Think i'm joking? he researched it. Herbert is a Cuban Tree Frog. His kind are currently invading Florida. (Apparently, some people there are under the impression it's one of the plagues. that made me chuckle. Frogs is number two, by the way. when did the water turn to blood? Next is lice. don't try on any hats at the store, okay?) The people in Florida are taking care of it, though, the humane way. they catch as many frogs as possible, put them in ziplock bags, close the bags, and PUT THE BAGS IN THE FREEZER. (OMG, what?)
that's the humane way?

whatever. Ben says that he would rather be smashed with a rock, as opposed to what sounds like a slow, painful, chilly death. (He doesn't like cold any more than i do.)
also, he has told me that if Herbert eats Little Scholar and doesn't choke in the process, he plans to put Herbert in a ziplock bag and throw him in the freezer. i have offered to take Herbert off his hands. now i have to buy a frog lamp, so that i can remove the threat to Little Scholar (And get my own frog! ADORABLE!)

Now, for my next story. this relates, i swear, wait until the end.
So, yesterday was Shankfest. (YAY!) I think they called it something sensible, like "An Evening with Joshua Shank", but come on, people, how often am i known for being sensible?

anyway, i don't mind going to school for choir stuff. so we wandered inside, and i was immediately assaulted by Logan. (i wish he were my brother. he can act like a jerk, but i really see myself in him. i understand him better than most people, and more importantly, he's got such a great heart. i adore him. it's actually a good thing he's not my brother. i already spoil him. think how much worse it would be if we were blood related... whew.) but he gave me a big hug, and then we wandered into the auditorium. (fun fun fun!)
all the choirs sat in the front. also, we got to use the shell. (love.)

(Quick side note. i'm sorry. i was calling Danielle. do you know how weird it is to hear your voice on other people's answering machines? it's weird. i've recorded fun answering messages for a couple of my friends, and whenever i call them and get the machine, i'm like woah, that's me.)

okay. so, i don't know if you remember from my post way back in December, but Joshua Shank is my hero, and i was pretty darn excited to meet him. Remember the evil plan? yeah, i followed through. (i'm such a sad, sad little person.) i wore my Decemberists shirt. (Y'all know how hard it is for me to talk to ANY new people, let alone people i admire. Joelle, i see you nodding your head in agreement. thank you.) i'm... glad? to say that it worked. he talked to me. i talked back without saying anything completely stupid. (I said completely, i didn't just say stupid.)
well.
he (Joshua Shank) asked me to read the poem he used for Spring, before we sang it. (there was much geeking out at the lunch table. Maggie was giggling like a little girl, and Hannah kept telling me she was jealous. I'm proud to say, truthfully, that i didn't freak out... much. =] (The lack of freaking out may or may not have been due to the fact that there was an intense knot of nervousness growing in my belly. talking in front of people is not my forte.))
otay. so, the Blend sang. (You know how i feel about the Blend. lovelove.) it was gorgeous. simply splendid. and then we, the Madrigals, went up. We sang Go, Tell It On The Mountain. (I talked about how much i love that song in my Evil Plan blog, 'member?) Then we sang David's Lamentation. i don't know if i talked about it, but i adore that one, too. and then it was time for Spring. so i went up, and read, and managed not to shake and stutter and sound like an idiot. (you may clap, if you so choose. i will. -claps-)

and then we sang Spring. :D
and that's all i'll say about that (who needs to talk about a piece that beautiful?). because here's the funny part. (Not at the time. i honestly had no idea my face could be THAT red.)
As we were walking off stage, Bel Canto was up next, Joshua Shank walks up and hands me a folded piece of paper.
Him: this is for you.
Me: -in a state of utter confusion-
so i wandered off stage, opening the tri-folded piece of paper.
...
it was my blog. (this is the part where my Dad burst into laughter when i was telling him the story.)
all my boys in the Blend IMMEDIATELY knew something was up. i'm embarrassed easily, yes, but seriously, my face was so red my ears were burning.
he.
had.
read.
my.
blog.
including, ohmystars,myevilplan.
he knew. he HAD KNOWN. (and still talked to me?)
i knew exactly which post it was, too. the Evil Plan post. i felt like SUCH an idiot (red ears to the max. go ahead, laugh. he KNEW about my plan. DANGIT.). Yeah, i post online, but let's be honest, who reads this? not too many people, mi amigo. it's not even under MY REAL NAME.
so i went and sat on Elliot's lap, and switched pages. (there were two.) on the second page was a handwritten note that did NOT say, as i expected, anything to the effect of,
Caitie.
attached is a copy of the restraining order. i have kindly allowed you to participate in tonight's display, but if you come within fifty feet of me ever again, you stalker, i'll have you arrested. have a nice life,
Joshua Shank.

instead, it said that Google Alert had told him i had posted it. (and now, let's be honest, i'm worried it'll send him this. stupid Google, you traitor.) he read it, and said that he enjoyed the way i expressed myself. no restraining orders, no "you're a freak", he even signed it "with respect".
i'm feeling possessive of it right now.
You have to understand. i'm really not a stalker. really, i'm not. but where other people want to meet celebrities like Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, the only two people i have ever had the strong desire to meet, because i respect and admire them so deeply, are Joshua Shank and Garth Nix. (he's an author. he wrote Sabriel. Sabriel has held the title of my favorite book for a while now, which is hard to do.)
when i showed my friends though, they immediately were like, "HAHAHAHAHA! he thinks you're a FREAK!"
Ashley, God bless her, was like, "no, he said nice things."
I still had a pit in my stomach the size of an elephant. so i immediately went up and apologized, thanking him for not just calling me a freak.
and he thanked me. -read small amounts of confusion and disbelief-
and gave me a hug.
seriously, i'm ecstatic. still. (don't judge.)
Really. for someone as talented as Joshua Shank to tell me that i have "an immense talent"...
i don't even know how to explain it.

but i will say this. i'm still SOOOOOOO embarrassed. i can't believe he knew my plan! -facepalms- i'm such an idiot. :D
but i'm also strangely glad. (i mean, i am running the risk of him seeing this. Google, you traitor, i'll fight you.)
anyway. when i got home and Ben told me his plan for killing Herbert, my immediate response was 1) save him and 2) would you mind smashing ME with a rock?
and that's how this all ties together.

a few things before i go to sleep.
1) I told you all that we're doing Jesus Christ Superstar this summer, right? i suppose i neglected to post when Alison called me and informed me that yours truly will be playing the role of Mary Magdalene. i'm so excited (and nervous and anxious and OMG what if i do terribly? but mostly excited.). tell people. it's in July, i'll update you all, fear not. i mean, seriously, how long was it before i shut up about Godspell? (That's a trick question. i still haven't shut up about Godspell. :D)
2) I get to help put stuff away in the music library. :D
3) They didn't find out why i fainted. -rolls eyes- whatevs.
4) really, i'm sorry this is such a looooooong post. i just haven't been able to tell my stories today, and... yeah. but if you're reading this, you made it to the end. good for you!
5) also, i no longer desire to be smashed. i'm accepting it as good. :D

And Today's Exciting Mishap Award Goes To...

Passing out in 3rd period.
(Yeah, i'm cool.)
So, i had a headache all morning. and i was like, all right, whatever, have headaches a lot. but then in 3rd period, i was sitting there listening to a presentation when suddenly i felt AWFUL. i was like... eww... body... ow... and i felt dizzy and such. so i was like, "Can i go to the bathroom?" and my teacher was like -nods stoically-
so i walked out into the hallway, and the lights hit me, and everything went dim and fuzzy and my head spun and i couldn't focus or walk, and i couldn't see, and i couldn't hear right, and i was trying to hurry to the bathroom and i was wiggling my fingers to keep my mind focused on a part of my body so i wouldn't faint...
and then someone (i couldn't see who) was like, "Are you all right?"
"Uhm... No. no, i don't think so."
"I'll go get the nurse, you sit down..."
"Yeah, good idea." (I'm guessing at what was said. i'm pretty sure this is the general gist of the conversation, though.) so i sat down, and either she walks REALLY FAST or i passed out.
so i went to the nurse's station (in a wheelchair. shoot. me. now.) and laid on a bed and drank water and waited for my mommy. i was pale and sweaty and tired and listless and such.
Mom came, and we got McDonald's. yum.
then i just... slept. and when my chest hurt so that i woke up, i watched SVU. it was really fun. then Mom and i sewed my dress. i think i'll have it, but i'm not sure whether i'll wear it Saturday or Sunday. i really like it. pictures to come when it's done.
also, while a little dizzy and tolerating a slight headache, i'm much better today, thank you. so i am at school.
tonight, i'm going to see Alice in Wonderland. =]
with Mandi...
and maybe Danielle. imma text her.
bye, kids!

Spring Is In My Hands... Autumn Too.

Epic Beginning Tangent - i know, i know, it's supposed to be "spring is in the air."
well, it's not. it's freezing here in Indiana.
freezing. i hate the cold.

--let's get something straight--i like winter okay... winter scenes, really. i have an artist's soul--snow is beautiful, and grey skies are perfect, and bare trees stretching their thin hands to the cloudy heavens... it's poetic.

but i hate the cold. hate. hate. hate. i hate snow. i hate the feel of it in my boots (not under my boots, i like the crunch of fresh snow and the nice smell), i hate the chill it sends down my spine, i hate the feel of it on my skin, on my hands, i hate it i hate it ihateitihateitihateit. i hate when the sky's cheery and blue and pretending to be warm and friendly, only to trick you outside to realize that it's fracking freezing. it really cheeses my cracker.

Winter is mean and spiteful and wicked. mean. spiteful. wicked. i refuse to befriend it.
End tangent.--

You may be wondering why i said Spring AND Autumn are in my hands, as opposed to one or the other being in the air. well, i'll stop your wondering. no, they're not people, mind out of the gutter.
they're songs. Spring and Autumn, by Joshua Shank.
holy cats, guys, i have Spring and Autumn.
back story! -pensive expression-
When i was a freshman, Joshua Shank came to my high school... (i didn't get to meet him. -sobs-) they were preforming Autumn. when i heard it, i cried. I knew Madrigals was the choir i wanted to be in. and Joshua Shank became my hero. (I really love Gabriel's Message. go listen. do it.)
well, this year is my senior year. (How time flies.) and at the beginning of the year, Mrs. Prather informed us that she wanted to commission a piece from Joshua Shank for the Madrigals. i almost cried when i realized it would be next year, since pieces like this take forever and such. but then Joshua Shank was like, "No, i'll have it for you this school year." and i was like OHMYSTARSNOWAYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPY! (i may or may not have cried, but no one can prove it.) not only that, but now i get to meet him. end of back story! hey, that's not a pensive expression on your face, you look bored... or confused. it's okay, we're still friends.
i'm.
so.
excited.
and he wrote us Spring. -cries with joy-
it's beautiful. so beautiful.
it uses text from two of Sara Teasdale's poems. (Can anyone say I Am Not Yours from last year? you can? good. you may pass go, but you may not collect two hundred dollars unless you find me and sing it.)
Twilight and There Will Come Soft Rain...
beautiful beautiful beautiful.
here they are, if you're too lazy to go look them up. i'm going to go swoon. i bolded my favorite lines from each, because i'm just nice like that.

Twilight
Dreamily over the roofs
The cold spring rain is falling;
Out in the lonely tree
A bird is calling, calling.
Slowly over the earth
The wings of night are falling;
My heart like the bird in the tree
Is calling, calling, calling.

There Will Come Soft Rain
There will come soft rain and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;
And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;
Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire.
And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly.
And Spring herself when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

And I Thought I Could Escape It...

the snow, that is. yes, ladies and germs, it's snowing up here. no, i'm serious. yes, i'm rather sad.
BUT I GET TO SEE JOELLE!
and her performance is tonight.
performance is an odd word to spell. i mean, come on. let's be serious. no one says PER-formance. they say PRE-formance.
which is silly, because that means before the formance. which is not a word. is it?
i googled it. apparently, formance is baby formula. so... "Step 1: Pre Formance, make sure you have a baby, as you need something to feed the Formance to. Step 2: feed baby, or he'll eat your feet off."
also, i don't have dance tonight. YAY! :D

OH MY STARS and HOLY CATS!

So.
as i'm sure you know, my best friend, that's Joelle, ladies and gents, is at college this year.
super. sad. face.
and she's in a musical! Beauty and the Beast! she's Mrs. Potts!
SUPER HAPPY FACE!
YAY!
well, Joelle is in Kentucky. four. hours. away. (omg.)
and she asked me to come down and see her.
problems? oh yeah.
1) i don't have a car.
2) my mother is... interesting. yes, she's an interesting person. anyway, she's afraid that if i drive down, i'll get in an accident. or hurt. or lost. or stupid.
3) i'm pretty much broke. i think i have... $50. no, more than that, but less than $60. like, i think the total is $59. :)
4) i have show choir on Saturday. i have to be at the school at 9. in. the. morning. (don't get me wrong-i'm kind of okay with that. i get to spend ALL DAY watching show choirs and hanging out in the cafeteria with the guy i like. -giggles-)
5) school. jeez, i hate school.
so then i was like, well, maybe i can take a college day. i could leave on Thursday, RIGHT after school, book it down there, and see Joelle. then i could stay in her dorm! so, how to get down there? enter Quentin. he was like, "I'm going down Thursday, you can ride with us!" and i was like, OMG YES!
enter more problems.
1) Boyce has not responded. no college day. dang-nabbit.
2) Jo cannot have guests in her room until Friday night.
3) Quentin has a band concert.
the first two were again, super easy to deal with. Mom was going to call me in sick. Alison offered to let me sleep in her hotel room on Thursday night.
number three, though. that was a kicker.
no ride down there? what? that brings back so many problems from part one! Alison said she'd drive me down, but how was i supposed to get back? she wasn't coming back until Saturday, maybe Sunday! holy cats, i can't be gone until Saturday, let alone Sunday! (that's right, i said holy cats.)
So i cried. (Hey, i'm being honest, here.) then Alison called. and we powwowed. it was great. she was like, "I can take you up! and then, i can drive you to Cincinnati, and you can catch the Megabus back to Indy!"
and i was like, "Great!"
so i texted Mommy.
i immediately got a "no." back.
but then Mom and Dad got home, and i talked to Mom about it. then i talked to Dad, about how it wasn't a charter bus, it was an express, Joelle had used it, and such. so they sent me out of the room so they could talk.
a little while later, Mom came out and gave me the thumbs up. i now have my ticket.
SO MUCH TO DO!

So... Tired...

Heavens above. i'm so ridiculously tired.
Now, some people get silly when they're tired. and some people get mad. and some people curl up in a little ball and refuse to even look at you. and some people get very serious.
not me.
i go through very distinct phases.
i start out just feeling sleepy, and maybe i drag my feet a little bit.
then i start almost falling asleep places.
then, once i get passed normal, average tired, i get ridiculously silly.
then i'm practically drunk. seriously, i'm not joking. EVERYTHING is so funny i almost cry, and if i'm not super careful, i'll say dumb things.
and then, dear reader, i suddenly get very, very serious. nothing is funny. i do not joke.
today, i think i'm just tired. but really, really tired. i need to sleep.