The Night Before Sophomore Year

Pretty sure my second year of college starts tomorrow.

Say WHAT?!

But we'll skip the part where I go on and on about how fast time flies, how I can't believe I'm already a sophomore, how excited I am to be back at college, how I'm looking forward to seeing what God does in the next year--

Oops I guess I didn't skip that part.

Aaaanyway -- let's see if I can wrap up the happenings of the past few weeks a bit more succinctly... ;)

So, summer in Washington state ended up being really great, and I made lots of memories while my family and I were out there. There was also some serious sister-bonding time (I'm lookin' at you, Dani), which was so great. Lots of laughs, too -- but that's a given with me, right?

Sorry not sorry guys, I laugh too much. Get over it and laugh with me. It's good for you.

Tonight, the last day before my self-imposed deadline, I am about to complete my ridiculous 50-movie summer watchlist, with the 1939 classic Stagecoach (which looks great I'm psyched). Honestly, I still can't decide if the 50 movies was a good or a bad idea, but regardless, I've had seriously so much fun glutting myself on films over the past three months. ;)

No, but seriously -- I feel so much more knowledgeable about filmmaking and films in general, after finally having seen the ultimate classics like Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind. It's been great, guys. Not sure if I'll do it again (maybe on a smaller scale), but it was great.

Oh, and if you're at all interested in seeing what films the list comprised of... here it is. I must give the disclaimer that not all of them were good, per say -- you can see my ratings on the list there. ;) Sometime in the coming weeks, I plan to do an extensive post concerning all the movies that I DO recommend off the list, which is gonna be way fun.

Let's see, what else has been going on.... oh! Just this week, I helped out with the New Student Seminar (and other events of freshman orientation) at my university, to fulfill the required 20 hours of Christian/community service hours for the semester -- and let me tell you, it was amazing.

We stuffed and handed out tons and tons of bags and brochures and T-shirts to the dear freshmen, helped them find their way around the campus buildings, and I think all 35 of us helpers went home with heatstroke -- BUT, I also think we'd all say that it was totally worth it, just to be able to be a part of welcoming the 4,000ish new students. I know I do, anyway!

So, to wrap up this post, and for my final bit of news from the summer...

Drumroll please.

so enthusiastic

A new cosplay is iiiiin the works!!!

can you guess what it's gonna be can you can you

More on that at a later date -- for now, I gotta go pick out my outfit for my second first day of college... ;)

A Long-Gestating Sewing Project

Once upon a time, several years ago, in a department store far, far away... I spied a black shirt dress. I loved the style, the color, the fabric... everything except the fact that it was about 12 inches too short.  And, because I am not one to just put up with that, I snapped a picture, hung it back up on the rack, and made a mental note to make one someday just like it that fit me properly.

And a couple months ago, that project, which I hinted about all last semester, finally came to fruition!

(Photo credits go to my fantastic sister, Danielle)

I highly recommend the pattern that I used, Simplicity 8014! It was a moderately difficult build; not too confusing, just rather time consuming. I made it one size smaller than the envelope suggested, and it fit perfectly without any other modifications or alterations. I'm considering making a second dress from the pattern, perhaps with the mandarin collar and shorter sleeves, out of a more summer-y fabric? We'll see. :)

As for the fabric I used, the black "peach skin" polyester I got from Joann is probably the most comfortable and beautiful fabric I've ever worn.  It literally feels like peach skin, and flows like a nice quality silk.  Literally amazing... buuuut kinda a pain to work with, as with pretty much any silky-style fabric. :P

Oh, and with this project, I mastered buttonholes! Good thing, too, since I had to make something like twenty for this dress... ;D  My oldie sewing machine doesn't have the cool buttonhole setting like some of the newer models, but I figured out how to do them manually easily enough.  It was actually kind of fun, now that I think of it... ;)

So, that's the project I worked on all Spring semester long, finally completed! I hope you all are enjoying your summer (I am!) -- and happy almost August! ^_^

Life Lately in the Summer Months

- Where I Am -

Currently breathing in the crisp air of the great North West.

- What I'm Wearing -

The shirt dress I made over the course of the last semester.
(Blog post on that coming soon!)

i'm no model but i try really hard

- What I'm Reading -
(from the Bible)

Daniel. God will have the glory due Him.


- What I'm Reading -
(from the library)

Re-reading Dragon Slippers, and about to embark in the next two
adventures in the series for the first time.

- What I'm Laughing At -

The Russian Hacker.

- What I'm Watching -

Classics of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s... such as, Citizen Kane, Psycho, and The Maltese Falcon.

- What I'm Listening To -

Heathenssssssssssss. And hymns, weirdly?

- What I'm Cooking -

- What I'm Doing -

Riding Icelandic ponies.

- What I'm Not Doing -

Pokemon GO.

- What I'm Writing -

He steps forward.

HAYES

Now see here, sir -- Sirs! What is  

the meaning of this, here, see here 

...? I mean, if I may ... good sir? 

Sirs ... I mean ... you there ...   

here ...                            

Sylvie pats Hayes’ arm.

SYLVIE

Well done, dear.                    

(to the large men)           

You heard ‘im! What exactly do you  

think you’re doing, blocking our    

way in this manner? Do you even     

know who I am?! I’m your princess!  

So you had better have a good       

reason for this outrage, or -- or --

Well, I’ll do something, and I can  
assure you it will not be pleasant. 

The large men’s faces betray their amusement at the odd pair.

LARGE MAN 1

Ah, we’re here to kidnap you,       

Princess.                   

- What I'm Looking Forward To -

Getting back to my university in the fall. ^_^


- What I'm Learning -

Joy is a choice. Choose it every day.

The Joy and Movie Night of the Fourteenth Week

Friends, I could just cry.

My cup of joy has continued to overflow this week, just as it did last week.  And, again, I have no reason except God.  I mean, for goodness sake, it's the end of the semester!  Final projects and assignments are all coming up next week, finals are the week after and fast approaching -- AND there is absolutely no way I can get it all done, and do well, and not die.  That is, without God.

I think this is a good place to be.

Being physically and mentally unable to do everything that needs to get done, means that you're going to be running on Supernatural Power during that time, if you surrender.  In those moments, you can know that God is working with you, and in you, and through you, because, otherwise, you would fail miserably -- just crash and burn.  And it wouldn't be pretty.

But when God steps in... it all works out, better than you could ever do on your own.

So, that's what I'm holding to right now.  That, and the residual happiness from the movie night I hosted for the wonderful people in my Screenwriting class yesterday.  God laid the idea on my heart, and He brought it to fruition and to success.  He also brought the guests: 10 of my classmates, out of the 30, came -- and even our awesome professor showed up!!

We really had such a great group.

As for what we watched: 2001: A Space Odyssey -- and I haven't the slightest idea of where to start with that.  It was, in all: bizarre, suspenseful, incredible, mesmerizing, confusing, beautiful, and boring as all get out.  And I'm so glad I didn't know that before I picked it for the night -- or else I wouldn't have, and would've missed out on a fabulous experience full of hilarity and craziness. ;)

So, in conclusion to this post, I honestly don't know if it's possible that anyone got more joy out of the little movie night than I did... it was a perfect end to a wonderful (and hectic) week. :)

Ten. Easter. Etc.

Yo.

If I told you that I forgot about blogging until 20 minutes before midnight on Monday because I put it off on Sunday, would you believe me?  Well, you should, because I did.  Oops.

Anyway, this week was fairly routine, except for the celebration of just THE GREATEST ACT IN ALL OF HISTORY.  Last Friday, Good Friday, is the best Friday out of every Friday of the year, because on that day, many, many years ago, Christ died so that we might live.

But, you know, the story did not end there.  Three days later, Christ rose from the stinkin' DEAD and the greatest act history has ever known was completed.  There has never been such a beautiful display of love, nor will there ever be.  That's why Easter is awesome.  And don't you forget it. :)

Between the Easter celebrations, I did lotsa homework -- the most fun of which, was finally getting to start work on my short film script for screenwriting class!!  Oh my word was it fun, to finally see the idea that I've been developing for sooo long FINALLY become words on a page, actually looking like a real script (because it IS a real script)... yes, such a marvelous feeling. ^_^

After this class, and realizing how much I truly do love script writing, and not failing too terribly at it, I don't think I'd mind becoming a screenwriter.  Stories are so powerful, guys, and to be the person who gets to create that story in the first place?  That's an awesome thing.  But, you know, costumes are also a thing so I probably won't ever become a screenwriter.  But, you never know! ;)

Speaking of stories, as we all know, Batman v. Superman came out this weekend... and naw, I didn't go see it, simply because I knew I wouldn't enjoy it -- or at least not enough to warrant the $9.  I might see it when it's at Redbox, but with Civil War coming up, I know there's just no reason for me to bother with sub-par superheroes-becoming-enemies stories.  So, yeah.  I just thought I should address that before moving on, since it's a wee bit of a big deal in the fangirl world. ;)

And now speaking of Civil War, I will leave you with this masterfully edited video entitled, "The Road to Civil War," showing beautifully the history behind this movie.  The feels are strong with this one, so prepare yourself...

the 9th Week Break, in Spring

First of all, happy first day of Spring and Palm Sunday.  This marks the end of an absolutely wonderful spring break.

w/ Emily behind the camera

At the beginning of the break, those three friends I mentioned last week came to visit, and what a wonderful time we had.  Catching up on all the crazy life happenings... touring Liberty... giggling uncontrollably over Bad Lip Reading songs (such as this classic)... watching both Star Trek movies (sorry, Karis, but Star Wars still has my heart)... going ice skating... coloring our hair pink and blue with hair chalk... handling real human lungs (thanks, Crystal, my sister and science nerd)... singing some very bad karaoke... well, you get the gist of it. ;)

Needless to say, their visit was such a fun way to start off the break.

The rest of the week wasn't nearly as eventful as those first three days, but it was still amazing and relaxing and fun.  The fam and I watched some good oldies (The Sound of Music truly is a masterpiece)... I did plenty of sewing on that shirt dress I'm making (it's almost done!)... I went shopping for fabric and clothes (both trips were quite successful)... I got to read for PLEASURE for the first time since Christmas break... and, of course, I did get some homework done. ;)

But, alas, school and work begin again tomorrow.  I'm okay with that though.

I'm ready to finish freshman year out strong.  I'm ready to finish working on the costumes for Beauty and the Beast and see the final result.  I'm ready to make the apparel project in sewing class (I'm making a winter coat which I'm SO excited about because I've been wanting to make on for ages).  I'm ready to give some more speeches.  I'm ready to continue learning about personal finance, worldview, and technology.  I'm ready to write the script for my short film.  I'm ready to work hard in school and my job, as something done unto the Lord, and not for men.

Mhmm, I'm so ready for this next half of the semester.

How was your spring break though?  Or have you had it yet?  Happy it's Spring? (I AM) :)

Week 6 (x3) Equals 18 Years

Hello once again, my friends.

This week was special, because Wednesday was my 18th birthday.

thank you tom, thanks

And it was absolutely wonderful.  I had sewing and screenwriting class, in between which I read Nehemiah (one of my favorite books of the Old Testament because Nehemiah was an awesome guy) and had lunch by myself.  Then I had work until 6, and when I got home, my family threw me a mini party with just us. We had Paleo hotdogs, sweet potato chips, and roasted brussels sprouts for dinner (ah it was amazing - don't judge me please), and then my older sister Alissa, for dessert, arranged a fruit platter like Cap's shield.  It was nothing less than beautiful, and made me very happy, needless to say.

Then I got to open my presentssss (always fun hehehe), one of which was a gorgeous daffodil plant (a tradition for my birthday, because they always bloomed during it when we lived in GA).  My second older sister Crystal gave me the game "Catch Phrase" - Star Wars edition!!  So, it's all words and phrases relating to the Star Wars universe, and the game itself is shaped as the Millennium Falcon.  Yes, it was way too awesome, and I might have fangirled in a very un-adult way when I saw it... ;)  So we played that for quite a while, and it was so much fun.

Then we all settled down and watched Jurassic World, for the first time for everyone in the fam except me.  The second viewing made me realize just how much I really love that movie.  Epic dinosaurs, cool Chris Pratt, dear Blue running to save everyone, the absolute presh ending... ahh it is just such a crazy, stressful, fun experience to watch and makes me so happy.  I just love it.  I really do. #whosaysgirlscantlikeactionfilms

You know, I hate to end this post so soon, but I've got a speech outline to write that's due day after next, and I really need to get crackin'.  Hey, if you think of it, would you mind praying for me?  For that speech, but also for my health - I'm in a flare with my crohn's currently which I just can't seem to get out of, aaaand I think I'm coming down with a cold, to top it all off.  Thank you so much, I so appreciate it.  I've told you before how blessed I feel that you're in my life, right?  Well, if not, I'm saying it now.  I feel so blessed that you're in my life.

In the words of Bilbo, "Alas, [eighteen] years is far too short a time to spend among such excellent and admirable people."

♡ you all. 

4th Week - Deep in Work and Snow

Dear friends,

This week was host to a rather large milestone in my little life: the start of my first job -- my first costuming job. And it has been incredible so far. Not only is the work fun (literally just sewing for hours!!), I get to work with some wonderful people, on super cool projects. We're currently working on the final costume alterations for the production of Brigadoon that the theater department is putting on this coming weekend, which has made for a good intro for me into their workshop -- it's not too overwhelming, so I can get a feel of the workshop without too much pressure at first.

Oh guys, it's just wonderful. I think this job is the perfect introduction for me into the workforce: a fairly simple job position, in a very safe and comfortable environment. I'm so looking forward to my future in this position and the experiences I'll have. :)

Now, I'm sure I'll be telling you plenty more about my position in my university's theater department's costume shop, but, because I'm writing this post late (and I've got no good reason -- shhh), I'm going to keep it short. However, I have some pictures I'd like to share with you of today: another beautiful snow day, enjoyed with new friends, going sledding, snowboarding, and adventuring.

Until next week, my peeps.

P.S. Photo creds of the last two pics go to Russel, who borrowed my camera for a bit. ;)

In a New Year and a New Home

You might have noticed, I’ve kind of been MIA from the internet for the past few days. Well, I’ve got good reason: my family and I have moved (and thus I didn't have wi-fi for the past five days).

All the details are uninteresting and inconsequential -- the gist of it is that now Alissa, Crystal, and I don’t have to live in a townhouse any longer, and can now again live with the fam while we attend college/grad school. Some people might see it as an odd arrangement, but it makes sense in so many ways for us. So, according to the Lord’s will, we finally have a beautiful little house of our own five minutes from my university. I’m excited to turn my pretty attic bedroom into a little oasis of inspirational space.

The past five days, I’ve been at this new house by myself, while the rest of my family went back to TN to retrieve the last of our boxes. It was an interesting experience. I had a whole lot of time on my hands, needless to say, with no access at all to internet, as we couldn’t get it set up until just this afternoon. I’m glad to say, however, that I spent my time fairly productively and profitably. I did lots of unpacking, and some cleaning – made more fun by having the LOTR trilogy playing nearby on my laptop while I scrubbed. ;)

A major blessing that came with all this free time, was that Jesus and I had plenty of unrushed time to catch up. I’ve never had much trouble talking to God, but listening can be hard, and it was wonderful to actually slow down and do just that these past few days. Besides my regular quiet times with God (which were luxuriously extensive), I started reading “Jesus Calling,” which ended up being the perfect addition to my quiet times, as well as a fascinating little book entitled “Soul Cravings” by Erwin McManus.

As you can tell, I’ve had plenty of activities in the absence of wi-fi to keep me busy in my hermitude (that’s most definitely not a word), and I ended up rather enjoying my unplanned “internet detox.” ;) I suppose that is a pretty good way to start off a new year, 2016. And speaking of 2016… well, to me, it still feels like 2015, and it will for the next few weeks/months -- but I am so thrilled that 2016 has arrived. I’m sure this year holds many grand adventures, and I’m so excited to be swept off into yet another year on Earth.

At this time of year, everyone's looking back over the last year... well, I don't want to look back. There was good, bad, and everything in between last year, but at this point, I only have eyes for the future. Not that I don't want to think about all the wonderful times I had last year, but, in my mind, to get bogged down in either the good or the bad of the past is detrimental to the soul. Nostalgia and regret can both hurt, in their own ways. And as I heard one person put it, "Anticipation is one of the great gifts of the human experience."

In this new year, I plan to only look forward. I'm anticipating the good, the bad, and everything in between that I will get to experience in 2016. My second semester of college (the classes, people, and experiences that come with), further spiritual growth (God helping me), hopefully being used by God in mighty and not-so-mighty ways, and the release of a plethora of new movies (please don't judge me). And, who knows -- maybe 2016 will be the year Jesus returns... now that is something to anticipate.

So let's get this party started, shall we? ;)