Week 13&14, Thanksgiving Break

I dunno if you noticed, but I skipped posting last Sunday.  See, Thanksgiving break had just begun and I figured I deserved a break, and knew you wouldn't mind not hearing from me for an extra week. ;)

But now that I'm all rested up and more than ready for the final 3 weeks of my first semester of college at Liberty University, I'm also ready to tell you all about the past 2 weeks.  So let's get this post on the road.  Hehe.

Week Thirteen is a bit of a blur as I look back on it now, but I do remember buying more fabric for my Rey cosplay (beige linen for the pants)... a presentation on the problem of evil for my philosophy class... the 3rd exam in my History of Life class... and packing up for the seven hour drive back to my old home in Tennessee.

Which leads me to Thanksgiving break -- 9 whole glorious days of no classes, spent with my family and friends.  And how wonderful it was to see my dear friends from highschool again, just like old times, feeling like an eternity and yet only yesterday since I last saw them.  We just fell back into friendship as if I'd never left.  Oh, and two of them surprised me with dozens of these glorious pictures and little sticky notes pasted all over our house when I got home:

Again, a bajillion thanks to you girls for making my life. ;D

The rest of the week was just homework, youtube videos, reading, hanging with friends, finally introducing myself to twenty one pilots' first album (and now i'm just obsessed with it duh BUT NO NEW [TO ME] MUSIC UNTIL THEY RELEASE A NEW ALBUM TEARS), Thanksgiving with the fam (which was so lovely), a wonderful drive back to school, some major progress on my Rey costume...

Makin' pants out of that gawgeous, and might I add perfect, linen I bought last week...

progress progress

bad fitting pants feat. my fab modelling skillz and doctor who regalia
["keep calm and don't blink" tee and dalek socks]

and lastly, a little tease at the costume put together just for fun,
and meh awesome Rey boots.

AND FINALLY that trailer for Captain America: Civil War...

Oh guys.  Oh guys.  OH GUYS.  Let me tell ya, I won't be getting over this anytime soon.  Not at least until the movie comes out 6 months from now.  And even then, I won't get over it.  So basically... I shall be in a perpetual state of "can't even" in regard to this movie for a very long time, beginning last wednesday and heading off into eternity.  Basically.

#BECAUSEBUCKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Until next week, dear.

P.S. feel free to post any fangirl-y comments, because you know i'm right there with ya. obviously. ;D

"On the Twelfth Week of College..."

This week I have been so busy.  Or at least it's felt like I've been busy.  With cosplay and snowboarding and things... ;)

I had an exam in History of Life the same day as my very first snowboarding competition, that Trails 2 Rails thing I keep talking about.  It was such a good time, even though I didn't do any tricks worthy of note and our team didn't win.  Honestly, it was just fun to get together and snowboard.

Warm ups before the comp.

The competitors (the winning team with new snowboards!)

Tired and happy to be at the end of my very short pro snowboarding career. ;D

So, I also mentioned cosplay has been happening this week... if you saw my last post, you know that I'm working on a new costume.  For Star Wars: The Force Awakens. :D

The idea of cosplaying for the premiere really started to stew in my brain during the past several months, but it's been there ever since the first trailer was released last November (has that really been a year ago now???).  I mean, c'mon.  This movie is basically the event of the decade.  How could I not cosplay for the premiere?! ;D

As far as costume ideas went, they ranged from jedi to stormtrooper and everything in between.  I mean, with a universe as expansive as Star Wars, how does a girl choose just one??  But, in the end, the obvious choice won out:

I initially pushed against this costume, because I knew so many people would be making it.  But, in the end, I decided this wasn't such a bad thing, and Rey was actually a really good choice.  See, I'm a hipster at heart.  I love to be different, unique.  But, I realized, as long as I make this cosplay high quality, screen accurate, and, most importantly, gorgeous, it'll be worth creating, no matter how many other people cosplay Rey. :)

Now that that exposition is over, I'll tell ya all about my progress on this costume so far, with one month left to complete it. :D

Cotton, knit, and cotton gauze.

So, I've got three different fabrics, one of which (the far left in the pic above) I decided actually won't work for the costume.  It's some 100% cotton I got at Walmart that I initially thought would work well for the pants, before I had done much research, but after doing all the research I knew it wouldn't do.  But no matter; I only spent 5 bucks on it. ;)

The other two fabrics I bought at Joann on Monday.  They're so perfect I literally cannot even.  The middle one is for the under shirt/tunic, and is a beautiful and luxuriously soft knit blend.  The last is some absolutely gorgeous cotton gauze fabric (also known as bubble cotton), for the wrap.  It's so light and airy and natural feeling, and is an almost exact match to the fabric used in the real costume.  In case you can't tell, I'm kinda super pleased with it.. ;D

I haven't started sewing yet, since I still have to buy fabric for the pants, and matching thread.  But I have been doing some cutting and pinning.  I've cut out the tunic, using a well fitted shirt as a guide, and pinned it so it fits well.  So now I just have to sew that up to be finished with it.  The wrap is almost done as well, it just needs one seam to connect the two lengths of fabric.  See, the cotton gauze was 45" wide, so I just bought 3 yards and cut it in half lengthwise, and I just have to sew the pieces together width wise to have the proper 6yd wrap which loops at one side.

I always cut too big. xD

Welp guys, it's time for me to go to bed (yes I wrote this the night before I posted ;D).  Hey, leave me a comment telling if you've got plans for the new Star Wars movie, what you think of my next cosplay idea, and if you're looking forward to Thanksgiving? :D

Love you guys!  Until next week! :)

Eleventy: Spring Classes and My Next Cosplay

Bonjour, my dears, and welcome to a brief summation of Week 11 of Beth's First Semester at Liberty University.  Let's jump right in. :)

Last week, I completely forgot to tell you that... I've signed up for next semester's classes!

FACS 322 - Design & Construction II for Apparel

CINE 201 - Intro to Screenwriting

INFT 110 - Computer Concepts and Application

BUSI 223 - Personal Finance (Honors)

COMS 101 - Speech Communications (Honors)

BWVW 102 - Biblical Worldview II

I'm pretty happy with the schedule - it's a nice mix of "fun" classes (fashion design and film) and gen eds... and the only drawback is that I've got an 8:15 class, 3x a week.

*runs away in tears*

Nah, it'll be okay.  It was inevitable and inescapable.  On the plus side, it's a class for my fashion design minor: 2 hours of sewing goodness, bright and early. ;D  I'm trying really hard to convince myself that I'll be fine...

Next, guess what's happening this thursday???  My first snowboarding competition.  2 months after I started.

Fun fun, right? :P

The judges will count a contestant's 3 best tricks, out of 5 runs, and so far I've only got one "trick" (it's not really even a trick) under my belt.  Speaking of which, I've got practice tonight (the plan is to attempt a new trick!) so I better wrap this post up.

Lastly, I've officially started my next cosplay:

More info on that is to come. :D

10: #Trails2Rails, Cosplaying, Sewing, & Wisdom

The tenth week of college has come and gone, and what a wonderful week it has been...

A few drop outs, a text, a squeal, and next thing I know, I'm a member of the official Trails 2 Rails off-campus snowboarding team, and set to compete November 12th in the games.  Can I just say, I am beyond stoked about this turn of events???  I'm literally so psyched.  But now it's time to up my game and start getting some tricks down before show time in 2 weeks... :D

I cosplayed all day at school on Friday.  As gender-bent Captain America.  And it rocked.  I got tons of awkward stares of disbelief / confusion / fear, but also so many comments and compliments, plus a few lengthy conversations.  All the geeks come out of the woodwork when Captain America walks by, obviously. ;D

This wasn't from today; you can actually go here to see the other
pics from this photoshoot. :)

Things are finally starting to amp up in FACS 222, sewing class!  We're all set to begin our apparel project on Monday: pajama pants.  I went to Joann yesterday with a classmate, and we had a fun time sorting out confusing pattern notions and laughing over odd prints.  In the end, I came home with McCall's 4244, some 1-inch wide elastic, and 2.75 yds of an ADORABLE flannel print:

And lastly, I want to share with you a little gift God gave me.

So, I've been struggling with the honors philosophy class I'm taking.  And one assignment in particular has completely stumped me: a paper due Wednesday.  I read and re-read the section we were supposed to discuss, and still couldn't figure out what the "central issue" was.  I emailed my professor a few times, but he wasn't helpful, and was quite explicit that I needed to figure it out on my own.

I was stressing.  My mental capacity was just not good enough to figure this out.

And then it hit me: pray.  So, I did just that.  I put into words the fact that I needed His help, that I couldn't do this without Him, and asked Him for wisdom.  Then, after working on the paper a bit, I decided to formulate one last email to send to my professor, presenting a final idea that I thought might be that "central issue."  As I thought through the email,  I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me: the question of what justice, rights, and laws are grounded in.

Oh YES, of course! That makes sense!

Buuuuut, how could I be 100% sure this was the elusive central issue?  I was still unsure.  So, I sent the e-mail, shoved the paper from my mind, and went shopping. Came home, and there was the moment of truth, sitting in my inbox.  I spoke a last-minute prayer, and opened the message: "Yes, in my opinion that is the most important point of the chapter, and in a philosophical sense, I think it is the central point. Well done!"

I could do nothing but thank God for His provision.

What I lacked in intelligence, He more than made up for.  He gifted me with the wisdom I needed, at the moment I needed it, for the project I needed it for.  It was such an amazing moment.  You know that verse, Philippians 4:19?  "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  Let me tell you this: God wants you to come to Him for help, because He wants you to succeed in your efforts.

Don't be satisfied with your own mediocre attempts.  Let God infuse you with His power, and then show the world what GOD can do!

9th - A Revelaton Concerning Revelation

This week, I'd simply like to share with you a huge revelation that my dad and I had Friday night.  It began as just a family gathering to read a passage of the Bible, but my dad chose 1st Thessalonians 4, which set off an intensive study sesh to get to the bottom of the question: "When will Christians be raptured in relation to the great tribulation?"

Go grab your Bible, and come figure out this question with me through the Holy Spirit's power.  Please, please, please spend the time to read these passages thoroughly so you can really understand what I'm getting at -- don't just blindly accept what I'm saying, or discredit it because you believe something else. :)

First, read 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Continue on through chapter 5, verses 1-3.

Next, we need to read Matthew 24:3-21 and 29-33.

And lastly, we get to the connective tissue, the meat of the issue: Revelation 6:12-17, 7:9, 13-17.

Now let's dig into what these passages mean.

Take another look at the second passage we read, Matthew 24:29, the "key clue":

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

Now look at the passage in Revelation 6:12-13a:

"I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth..."

The sun darkened, moon darkened in a different way, and stars falling to earth -- the passages match up exactly!!!  The events are even listed in the same order.  And there are so many other similarities which I don't have time to discuss (but you should look into!).  From these explicit similarities, we can know that Jesus is speaking of the same event as that 6th seal.

Now GET THIS.  The SIXTH SEAL.  That is part way into the tribulation!  Why do you think people have different views regarding when Christians will be raptured?  Because there is evidence for both sides, pre-trib and post-trib.  The funny thing is, I firmly believe the truth is neither.

We will be raptured after the 6th seal and before the 7th (when God pours out his full wrath on the earth).

Look again at what happens in Revelation 7:9,13-17:

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count...standing before the throne and before the Lamb... And [one of the elders] said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation..."

"These things" being the events of the 6th seal -- so where do you think that great multitude who came out of the great tribulation came from???  Just where Jesus says in Matthew 24:31:

"And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."

Are you comprehending this?  It's so hard to explain it accurately.  I hope at least this makes sense to you: that the rapture will occur DIRECTLY AFTER THE 6TH SEAL OF REVELATION IS OPENED.  This means we will endure the first 6 seals, if we are alive then.  Yes, we will go through part of the tribulation, HOWEVER, we won't go through ALL of it, or any of the Great Tribulation.  This is because God does not pour out his wrath on His children.  Just as He showed when He dealt with Sodom and Gomorrah, He won't destroy a city containing even one righteous person.  We will deal with tribulation, but we WILL NOT FACE GOD'S WRATH.

So, what does this mean for us Christians, as we look towards the impending great tribulation?

We will face the first 6 seals (read Revelation 6 to look at these in detail): the reveal of the antichrist, war, famine, death, persecution of Christians, and natural terrors.  After these things, and only after these things, will we Christians be caught up to the Lord in the air.  But our rapture isn't the same event as the 2nd coming of Christ!  Christ's second coming doesn't occur until the Battle of Armageddon, which you can read about in Revelation 19:11 onward.

I'll just end with 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17.  Take heart in these words, and look forward to the day when we are united with Christ -- it is close!

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."

VIDEO - Week Eight Update

This is my first time doing a video like this, so don't judge me too harshly. ;D I hope you enjoy hearing about my life "in person." ;)

After 7 Weeks... Fall Break & Cosplay

This week, almost halfway through the semester, us Liberty peeps got to enjoy a 4-day fall break, which was quite pleasant.

My favorite part of the break was sleeping in for a few extra hours each morning.  And being able to linger over breakfast -- that always feels so luxurious to me.  Did I ever tell you breakfast is my favorite meal of the day?  It is.  It really is.  Whenever I can take the time for a big ol', 500+ calorie breakfast, I just feel amazing the whole day.  No coffee necessary.

That's another thing -- did I ever tell you I don't do coffee?  Partly because it's not recommended for us Paleo people, but mostly because I just hate the idea of it.  Fake energy that you have to drink every day in order to feel alive is not my idea of a good thing.  Oh, and don't even get me started on our country's obsession with Starbucks...

loki's pretentious-teenager eyeroll

So, basically, I'm so "hipster" that I'm above the whole coffee thing. ;)

Back to fall break.  Besides sleeping in and eating big breakfasts, I went on a marvelous thrifting adventure.  I came home with a pair of adorable, nicely used Vera Wang booties for $3 (so much win), and...........*drumroll*........... a pant suit.  Yes, a suit.  Why?

yes i know i use this gif too much but it's perf

THAT'S RIGHT, GUYS.  Fem 10th doctor cosplay, coming up.  Someday.  Not sure when.  Possibly halloween..?  Not sure yet.  BUT I have the suit (which just needs some slight fitting alterations done to the coat), I have the screwdriver (eheheh), so now I just need a pair of white Converse, the flowery tie, and possibly an awesome tan trench (if I can ever find one for a decent price). ;D

Awwhhh all this talk is making me remember how much I miss cosplay... agonizing over accuracy and designs and accessories and all that good stuff.  See, if I had the time, I'd love to make a costume more like this, but, like I said, TIME and motivation, so I don't think I'll be able to pull that off.  Which makes me sad.

OH I JUST REMEMBERED STAR WARS.  What am I going to do for The Force Awakens premiere???????  I need to get started on a costume... I've only got 2 months.  And those 2 months are going to be busy with college shtuff.  I don't even know what I want to make yet.  Either a sweet jedi costume, or maybe Rey's costume... I'd love to make Kylo Ren's outfit, but I don't think I'm quite up to it... aghhhhh too many options! ;D

So, looks like it's time to do some costume planning... see y'all next week. ;)

Snowflex (where I snowboard) at sunset.