Elevensies Tag!

Rules:
- If you are tagged/nominated, you must post eleven facts about yourself.
- Then, you must answer the eleven questions the tagger has given you and make eleven questions for the people you are going to tag.
- Next, tag eleven more bloggers.
- Tell the people you tagged that you have tagged them.
- No tagging back.

 

Eleven Random Facts About Moi

 

1. I'm weird.  Plain and simple.  I'll watch Master and Commander or The Avengers one day and love it, then I'll go and watch something like You've Got Mail or Children On Their Birthdays or even Les Miserables the next day and love that just as much.  I have Pies and Prejudice (book 3 of The Mother-Daughter Book Club Series) on my bookshelf beside my bed, right under Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, right beside The Choice (by Robert Whitlow – check it out if you ever get the chance!).  Yikes.  : D

 

2. I'm a HUGE Faramir fan – as in, he's my favorite character in the entire LOTR trilogy.  (As if you didn't already know.....)  I like him more than Aragorn and Sam combined.  And I really don't like Frodo, but partially because of Elijah Wood's portrayal of him in the movie.

 

3. I'm getting my degree through CollegePlus, and planning on taking my first test (worth 6 credits!) today or tomorrow.  (I'm also planning on being the girl version of Blake Cadwell, who got 80 credits in 8 months – no joke.  Thus is my goal.  Graduate high school in '13, graduate college in '14.  *nods*)

 

4. I have two piano students.  And they've taught me more than I've taught them!!

 

5. I collect stamps.  (And used to organize them while listening to the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast of Les Miz.  "Yes... this is true.")

 

6. I'm a huge fan of Indie films.  October Baby is my favorite.  Seriously.  If you haven't seen it, go rent it now.  Go ahead – I'll wait for you.  Done?  Okay.  Moving on.  (You can thank me after you watch it in the comments section.)

 

7. I really like Josh Groban's voice and am planning on going to see him in August!  YAY!!!!

 

8. I'm not very picky with my food, but there are just some things I can't eat.  Like asparagus.  And steamed tomatoes that my mom so loves to put in soup.  And eggplant lasagna.  And grapefruit (and grapefruit juice).  Yuck.

 

9. Up until about a year ago, I didn't like dark chocolate.  (Horrible, I know.)  I still could do without white chocolate, and I think people who don't like chocolate are crazy.

 

10. I'm a hopeless Disney fan.  I love all of the old classics!  The Fox and The Hound was the first movie I ever cried in.  Ever.  And Aladdin's dad (in Aladdin and the King of Thieves) was my first childhood crush.  I recommended Tom and Huck to someone the other day and I've been really wanting to watch Newsies again.  I also like all of the 'forgotten' Disney films, such as The Iron Giant and The Adventures of Huck Finn (The '93 version with Elijah Wood – SO CUTE!!!).

 

11. I don't like rollercoasters.  Period.  Exclamation mark.

 

Eleven Questions for Me!

 

1. Have you ever ridden in a tractor? Or driven one?

I don't think so....  Oh, wait!  I think I've ridden in the bucket scooper thing (I don't know what its official name is....).  That was fun.  : )

2. Have you ridden a motorcycle?

No, but I've ridden on a dirt bike!  All by me onesies!  That was better than the tractor.  : D

3. What is your favorite national park?

Well, considering the fact I've only been to a very few, I'd have to say Blue Ridge.  The views are simply gorgeous!  When I publish my novel and become rich and famous, I'm going to have a summer home there.  (Hey....  Let a girl dream.)

4. Who is your favorite Contemporary Christian Music artist?

Tenth Avenue North, hands down.  I love their album Over and Underneath, but I also really like The Struggle.  Their lyrics are so deep!

5. Mexican, Italian or Chinese food?

Hmmmm.....  That's a hard one!  I really don't like Mexican, though (I just don't get spicy food – who wants to be in pain while they eat?), so that narrows it down.....  I can't really have Italian or Chinese food anymore, but I think, if I could have it....  I'd pick Italian.  (My family is part of a small church – nine families on a full Sunday – and whenever we vote for the theme for our next fellowship meal, it's always between Mexican and Italian.  And I'm always the only one who votes for Italian.  So, yeah....  We have Mexican a lot.)

6. Favorite type of cookie?

I don't really care!  Anything with chocolate!!!

7. Favorite fast food place to eat?

Anything fried!  If I were allowed to pick from anything – including stuff I'm not allowed to have anymore – I'd pick Chick-fil-A.  Yuuuummmmm.....

8. Do you have a green thumb?

Haha, I don't think so.  I tend to kill indoor plants, but my square of our garden outside is always the tidiest (even if it doesn't produce as much).  No idea how that happens....  : D

9. Do you prefer to write or type in a chair or at a desk?

It depends.  If I'm writing something like a letter or journal entry, I'll prefer to sit at a desk.  (I need something to bear down on.)  If I'm typing at my laptop, I can do it anywhere.  Literally.  I climbed up in a tree the other day and worked on my novel.  It was amazing!  (Although... it didn't last very long....  The branches hurt and I couldn't break them off because the tree was on my piano teacher's property.)

10. How many states have you visited?

Oh, wow.....  Ummm....  North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, D.C. (Yeah, it's not a state... whatever), Mississippi, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland....  I think that's it.  14 states.  (Wow.)  Although, I've been hearing rumors of a big cross-country road trip coming up, so that number will probably change.  : D

11. What international capital city would you most like to see?

EDINBURGH!!!!  My DREAM is to visit Scotland.  Probably for my honeymoon.  (Second place honeymoon destination is Disney World.  *nods*  Yup.)  I'd also like to visit London and Dublin and maybe even Paris, but those aren't quite as important.  : )

 

As for people I tag.....

 

Haley

Amy

Belle, Addy, and Emma

Bella

 

And that's it.  I'm a little scatterbrained today, so that's all I can think of.  : D

 

Your questions are.....

 

1. What was the most recent movie you've seen and what did you think of it?

2. Would you rather live on the beach or in the mountains?
3. What's your favorite Disney Princess and why?
4. What's your favorite book?  (Or, if you can't decide, what are your three top favorite books?)

5. Would you rather live in Narnia, Middle-Earth, or 1860's England?
6. Who is your favorite movie or book character?

7. Have you ever heard of Focus on the Family's Father Gilbert Mysteries?  If so, what do you think of them?
8. If you could pick anywhere in the world, where would you want to live when you get married?

9. What's your favorite musical?
10. Cake or ice cream?

11. How many times have you been to Disney World?

 

One more thing....  I don't care if you tag me back.  : D

 

~Eowyn~

The Saddest News of the Day....

It has just been announced via press release that the third movie in the Hobbit trilogy, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again," has been moved to a December 17, 2014 release date.  Originally planned as a summer film, the move now mirrors the three Peter Jackson directed Hobbit films with is also-directed "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy.  The second movie, "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug," is scheduled for a Dec. 13 release this year.

The shift makes the release consistent with the pre-holiday releases of the previous films pitting it in competition with two family friendly films, one a spinoff of "Despicable Me," and the other from Pixar's Brad Bird titled "Tomorrowland."

The bulk of all three films has already been shot with planned "pick ups" set for May which are expected to last for several weeks or even months. The first film, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," has grossed nearly $1 billion world wide at the box office and $300 million in the U.S. The three movies are based on the book "The Hobbit," by J.R.R. Tolkien, released 75 years ago.

Found here on The One Ring.

No, I didn't cry....  I just sighed.

~Eowyn~

Happy 121st Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!

Without you, we wouldn't know what hobbits are.

Without you, we'd have no reason to spontaneously shout, "Get off the road!"

Without you, we'd think that gold rings were normal.

Without you, there'd be no reason to dress up and watch extended editions of movies with friends.

Without you, we wouldn't sound cool when we say like Captain Obvious, "A diversion."

Without you, we would have no good standards for great literature.

Without you, I know I'd be without one of my top favorite movie heroes.  (FARAMIR!!!)

Without you, I wouldn't be interested in literature at all.

Without you, I wouldn't have a reason to have a cake made house in a hill.

Without you, well... I would be completely fangirlish over The Scarlet Pimpernel.
(It's good to have balance in my passions.)

Thank you.

~Eowyn~

Twenty-Five Things I'm Thankful For

• God, Who saved me and continues to mold me into who He wants me to be every single day
• My wonderful family, who loves me even when I make idiotic mistakes
• My sweetie-pie little brother, who never ceases to make me laugh!
• My church body, without whom I know I wouldn't be who I am today
• My loving friends, who accept me the way I am - with all of my faults and quirks  : )
• My awesome pen pal, Elinor  (Love ya, girly!!)
• All of my amazing bloggy friends - you guys are awesome!
• Sir Percy... just cuz.  (And, yes, I did just say that!)
• The makers of the Lord of the Rings LEGO video game who decided to keep Faramir in it.  Cuz he is amazing.  Nuff said.
• All of the authors whose works I read frequently - Wayne Thomas Batson, Robert Whitlow, J.R.R. Tolkien, Louisa May Alcott, and C.S. Lewis, to name a very few.  You worked hard to create something worth reading and you have done it!!
• The BBC for making such wonderful productions and for providing half of the quotes that I use on a regular basis, from "Easy peesy, squeeze the lemon," to "Sparker, be quiet!" to "No lace!" to "In vain I have struggled - my feelings will not be repressed.  You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you!" to "Really, Emma, it is better to be without wit at all then to apply it as you do!"  (And that's only half of the half!)
• Peter Jackson for making Lord of the Rings and sticking to The Hobbit
• To the Bored Shorts TV people, who provide the other half of the quotes I use on a regular basis!  ("Don't punch........our car." and "I am a Snackyvore.  It is liiiiike... a dinosoah that likes... snacks and treats!" are two of my bo-fuh... my bo-fa, my bo-faaaai....  Yeah.)
• Tenth Avenue North - your music makes me feel like I'm in church.  And I love it.  : )
• Alec and Nikki, who are two of my best friends even though they're only in my head  : )
• The old Hollywood, who made such awesome Christmas movies like Holiday Inn, Christmas in Connecticut, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, and the two that share the rank of my top favorite Christmas movie of all time, The Shop Around the Corner and It's a Wonderful Life!
• My piano and violin teachers, who inspire me to play more than they know!
• My good friend who inspired me to start writing again.  That was a good six years ago and, good gracious, I haven't gotten over it yet!
• The makers of all of the musicals I love - Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Little Women, and The Little Mermaid.  Most of my go-to songs are from those four musicals and I love them dearly!
• Mitt Romney, for sticking to it and running for president and defying the odds.  You would have been a great president!
• Milton Hershey for perfecting the modern version of chocolate - you are in my debt!
• The next-door neighbors and their adorable twins who I got to babysit all day today.  Not finishing my school was completely worth it!
• The NaNo people for inspiring so many writers to actually write and finish a goal and push them!
• The makers of all of the indie films that I love - October Baby, What If..., Fireproof, and To Save a Life being some of my favorites.  When you work hard to make a good movie, the story and character development make up for all of the acting slips!
• You guys, the readers of my blog.  You make my day whenever you read a post or comment or follow!  Thank you so much!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

~Eowyn~

"These babies are FANTABULOUS! Absolutely indispensary."

I don't normally do my nails, but in this case, that's right.  They're absolutely indispensary.  Check 'em out!!

First, for your viewing pleasure, my The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings inspired nails.

               They're

just practice nails, by the way.  I think they turned out pretty well for a first time!


And my Les Miz-themed nails.  I'm especially proud of my '4'.  : )

That's what my hands look like right now, by the way....  Seriously.  One hand is for The Hobbit and the other is for Les Miserables, the awesome movies that are coming out in December (which is the best month of the year).  I did them while listening to the completely awesome and very creepy, yet still awesome three part Adventures in Odyssey episodes, "The Labyrinth."

And it just so happened that the things I've been wanting to post about are Hobbit and Les Miz-themed, too!  How's that for spontaneous planning?  : )

I'll start with Les Miz.

Check this out!!  I nearly flipped when I saw it on Ally's blog.  Remain calm - and don't watch it more than three times in a row.  It's not pretty.  (I may or may not be speaking from experience....)

So, yeah.  Pretty awesome, right?!  Amy did a second-by-second rundown of it, which I heartily enjoyed reading.

Aaaaaand... there are some pretty awesome posters floating around the Internet!  I found a few more the other day, available here and here.  Javert looks a little weird, but that's okay because the red 'Javert' below him totally makes up for it.  This one has to be my favorite, though.  Uber cool.

On to The Hobbit!!

This video came out today and I've already watched it a few times.  Sure, it's only thirty-three seconds long, but the dialogue between Bilbo and Thorin is sooooo awesome.  (And I can't see Thorin without saying, "It's Thornton!  Look back at me....")

I knew there was a place where you could watch the trailer with alternate endings, but we were never able to get them to load.  And I just found them!  Huzzah!



But the thing about The Hobbit that I'm most excited about is the music!!  I just listened to the entire soundtrack today.  In it's entirety.  The whole thing.  All. Of. It.  And It. Was. Ah.Mazing.  Here is the link for you.  It's an hour and forty-five minutes long and the pause button doesn't work, so I'd suggest you find something good and looooong to do - like math and chemistry and Greek - and listen to it.  A few times, if you want to.  And let your school take even longer because you're thinking about what the track titles mean.  ('My Dear Frodo'?  Wassup with that, PJ?)  My personal favorite songs are all of them, with an emphasis on all of them, but especially 'My Dear Frodo' (First the Hobbiton theme, then it's creepy!  Whaaaaaa?), 'The Adventure Begins' (It's so fast-paced and hobbit-y!  "I'm going on an adventure!"), 'An Ancient Enemy' (Whoooooooaaaaa....  Deep and ominous - that's how I like it!), 'RADAGAST THE BROWN'!!! (This one is SO COOL!  The electric violin takes the stage and it equals awesomeness.  If you don't want to wait to listen through all the other songs, just click here.  It's awesome.  And amazing.  And awesomeness sauce.  All rolled into one.), 'Roast Mutton' (Again, so hobbit-y, but with a dash of foreboding), 'The Hill of Sorcery' (Looks like I need to read the book again...  And the Radagast the Brown theme is in here a little - awesome!), 'Warg-Scouts' (There's a great John Williams-esque brass part in here, with another pretty awesome cello/bass/timpani solo.  So cool!), 'Riddles in the Dark' (Which I can't wait to actually see!!  Anyway.  This song captures Gollum to a 'T'!  All those tremolos in the string section totally add to the creepiness!  And the really long, gradual crescendo at the end - chills, y'all.), 'Brass Buttons' (The Warg-Scouts theme in the middle is awesome!  I'm dying to see the footage and dialogue during this one!  Plus, the end is so awesome. All those grand pauses, then the continuation of awesomeness....  Golly Pete.), 'Out of the Frying-Pan' (Golly, jeepers!), 'A Good Omen' (Great song!  And a really creepy ending - here's hoping we'll see Smaug!), then the extended scene song, 'Dreaming of Bag End' (The pennywhistle did a little bit of the Hobbiton theme, but a lot of it was new, which I loved!), which was right after 'Song of the Lonely Mountain,' the credits song.  (And boy, is it worthy of some kind of award!!  It totally embodies dwarves and Thorin and The Company.  I loved it!!  I won't tell you how many times I listened to it....)  You can listen to 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' here, by the way.  It's got to be one of my favorite songs on the album.  That and 'Radagast the Brown.'  If you only have time for a few songs, go listen to those.

Wow, that was a lot.  I hope you guys take the time to listen to that music, though - it's totally worth it!!  If you've already listened to some of the songs, whatd'ya think?!

And all this news about Les Miz!!  Goodness gracious.  The month of December is already awesome enough (what with Christmas and parties and concerts and recitals and *cough*my birthday!!*cough*) and now it's going to be even greater.  Wow.  I can't wait.  I'm going to be reading The Hobbit and probably (hopefully) Les Miserables during my month-long Christmas break (I'll shout it from the rooftops, I don't care - I love homeschooling!), so that'll keep me busy until all these awesome movies come out.  Sighhhhh.....

What about you guys?  Are you as excited as me?  Or is it just me...?

Hoping I'm not the only one REALLY EXCITED about this December....

~Eowyn~

(Oh, yeah....  Bonus Awesome Points if you can correctly guess where the lyrics in the blog post title come from.)

Things I'll be doing...

Watching this movie tonight - and probably bawling my head off.... I can't even tell you guys how good it is. Story-wise, better than any indie flim I've ever seen (and, yes, that includes Fireproof and Courageous and maybe even To Save a Life because adoption hits very close to home with me!). Sure, there are a few moments where you're like, "Oh, yeah... this is an indie film!" - but they were few and far between!








Reading this book in the near future... after I read the first two to refresh my memory. (It came in the mail today after I ordered it Wednesday from Amazon. I nearly shrieked and said, "Amazon Prime is so handy!!!")

Majorly excited!!!! I can't wait to tell you guys all about it!!!







And I'll be going to this next week! I can't wait for everything - fellowshipping with friends, fasting, having alone-time with God, and getting to know Him better!!!

Oh, and here's a shout-out to Arwen, the second half of this blog (that never posts... ahem!), whose birthday is Sunday! Happy Birthday, girl! : )

See you guys in a week or so!
~Eowyn~

Florida!!! (Day One)

Here we are in Florida for our annual "Summer" beach trip! We've only been here for about a day, but we've already had a bit of an adventure!! The adventure, however, started way back on Saturday - only two days ago, but it already feels like two weeks ago!

On Saturday, my family went to a surprise 50th wedding anniversary party. The lady got married on her 15th birthday to a young man ten years older than herself. Imagine that!! (That was pretty much it for Saturday, but I thought it was worth mentioning how old the lady was... : P)

Yesterday was one of the busiest, longest, yet most interesting days of my life! Me, Arwen, and my dad went to a NASCAR race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway to help sell Frosty Towels, something a good friend of ours invented. I can't even begin to describe how much fun it was! True, it was quite an experience - people smoking and drinking and all that, but it was such a fun day even though all that was going on. : )

We started off the day getting up super early. I didn't sleep well the night before (I was too excited, heehee...), so it took more than a little effort to get out of bed. We were driving out of our friends' driveway in their big 15-passenger van by 7:45. When we got to the Speedway at nine, it took us a few minutes to get the tent set up, but I think I was out selling towels with a friend by ten. It took me about an hour or two to pop out of my shell and talk to people.... Nothing like mobs of people walking by and asking about the product you're attempting to sell to them to make you feel in need of a bubble.... : P

My friend and I stood there selling Frosty Towels for about two hours and had quite a few interesting conversations with customers. A lot of people were skeptical about the towels, but once they had the chance to try them out, they were sold! It was so much fun watching people's reactions when they realized that they actually worked! And if I had a dollar for every time someone said, "How much are your waters?" (the ones specifically for us that we ended up having to hide so that people would stop asking!), "Can I buy some of your ice?" (answer: we're not supposed to, but my other friend sold four handfuls for $10!), or "It stays cold all day?!" (yes, for the eightieth time...), I'd be a millionaire. : ) (Also, "Twist and Shout" was played over the loudspeakers and my friend and I were this close to swing dancing to it, but we didn't have anyone we knew nearby to watch the towels. I did get to swing dance later, though, while we were putting the tent away. It was in the dark, so I didn't care! And a guy walked by and said, "That's awesome!" Ha!)

After that, I worked in the tent for a few hours and sold about thirty towels in thirty minutes! It was crazy! : ) After making two mistakes with the money, though, I lost my confidence and became the errand girl. I took drinks (that I promptly hid) and towels and ice to the workers and had a great time time ranking them by sales. : )

After that, another friend and I went inside the stadium and started selling towels. I think that was the most fun - even though it was later in the day and more people were drunk. : P Very interesting conversations, though.... *wink, wink*

By then, it was 6:30 and my dad wanted Arwen and I to sit in the stands. I was more than happy to rest my aching feet, but within seconds I became bored by all of the pre-race stuff. (And I felt guilty that my friend was out there selling by himself.) I found him again and walked around the stadium selling towels with him for about an hour. He did most of the talking and I nearly froze my hands trying to get the packages of towels out of the barrel of half-melted ice we were pushing around. It was such a good feeling when we passed a hundred! (Well, technically, they were mostly his sales because he'd been counting since the morning, when he was out on his own and I was with another friend outside the stadium.)

At 7:30, we went back to the stands and sat down again. We had some pretty good seats, too - right before the first turn! Here's a picture I got from my phone.
I wanted to get the full NASCAR experience (minus being hot - I was tired and sore and my feet hurt really bad, but I wasn't hot, thanks to the Frosty Towel I'd had around my neck!!), so I opened up my earplugs but didn't put them in, saying that I'd do it after the cars went off. (For future reference to all y'all - there I go again! - it's an interesting thought... in theory.) When the cars first turned on their engines, I was like, 'Okay, this isn't too loud. All of their engines are on, so it can't get much louder, right?' Wrong. They started going around the track a few times - really slowly at first, then the checkered flag was waved and they went off. Like I said, we were sitting right before the curve, so by the time the cars drove in front of us, it was literally pedal to the metal. It got louder and louder and louder and I finally had to slap my hands over my ears. My jaw dropped and I looked at my friend standing beside me, who'd been to quite a few NASCAR races before. I tried yelling over the cars, "It's so loud!" but I doubt he heard me. (I could barely hear myself!) I put my earplugs in while the cars were on the other side of the track and sat down after the first few laps.

Fifteen minutes later, I was completely bored. Nothing had happened except a bunch of left turns. I couldn't talk to anyone and signing with letters took too long. (It sounds really awful of me to say all that, but you'll understand if you ever go to a NASCAR race!) I whipped out my phone, tapped the Memos button on my menu and started typing, then handed it over to Arwen, then to my friend sitting beside me. Some of our conversation is below, for your enjoyment. (But I won't put all of it - you'll never read my blog again!) : )

Well, this has been fun... Meeting new friends, getting to know old ones a little better... Staring at cars drive by... and by... and by.... And not being able to talk to anyone! LOADS of fun. : P

[I handed my phone to Arwen, who was sitting next to me. She read it, smiled, and handed it back to me.]

Please text back. This is our only way of communicating....

I agree...this looks like the makings of a blogpost...esp since you got to meet an Olympian! [Arwen]

[Oops... forgot to tell you guys about that! Here's the picture to prove it.
Best part about the day. : D (Fyi, DeeDee Trotter is very nice! That, and I just found out that she shares a birthday with me. How cool is that?!)]

Ikr?!?!?! Major blog post. What do you think, J3? [Me]

Haha yep that's why I don't like nascar... It's cool for the first few mins and then it's like... Um...

[...]

Yup, nice and cool! And now we have our fire symbol! And look... Is it just me, or have they made that turn before? Am I going crazy?! I'll start yelling, "FROSTY TOWEL!!!!!!" while I'm passed out in the car tomorrow...[Me]

Oh yes a fine night for a race...and a nice way to end a very long day at the track... Oh look another LEFT TURN! Won't be the last time we see one of those...will it?...J3

[...]

Well...um..."cough"... At least the air is nice... I wonder what we shall eat for dinner?... J3

Idk... Probably CFA. [Me]

IT'S SUNDAY...J3

NO...VARSITY!!! [Arwen]

[And to skip a little and show you how tired we were...]

Ha! Idk what to do, I get so FLUSTERED!!!! C : [Me]

Oh! I'm sooo Hungry! I WANT TO GO TO BRIGHTON!!!! [Arwen]

[And the grand finale, when we decided to leave early because we were tired and hungry and bored and sore...]

I'm not saying that she was silly... I'm saying that one of us was... And it wasn't me... J3

Basically sums up our entire conversation, eh, J3? [Me]

Oh yes ... [Arwen]? ... J3

I quite agree. [Arwen]

The End. [Me]

(Wow.... Looking back, we seriously do sound crazy!)

Later on, when they were announcing to us who'd gotten the most sales, I wasn't on the list because I didn't have my own set of money and I'd lost count of how many I'd personally sold. I just laughed and said, "But I was the errand girl! I made all y'all's sales possible-" all the Southern accents must have finally gotten to me, lol- "so that counts for something, right?" A new friend said, "Yeah, you can say you have 15% of everyone's sales." Works for me! (That's when a friend and I started spontaneously swing dancing in the dark. SO much fun!)

Then we went to the Varsity (Arwen was right!). I finally crashed at about 1:30 Monday morning and woke up six hours later, extremely sore and totally ready for a vacation!!! But, like I said at the beginning of this already really long post, our vacation started off with a bang and quite the adventure.

(I can't put pictures up right now, by the way, but I'll see if I can do some later today or tomorrow.)

The car ride was pretty uneventful - we just drove and drove, then stopped for a second, then we drove some more. We watched the new Winnie the Pooh (I love that movie!!), then I read all of Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham. (Sorry, J3, it wasn't Scarlet.... But, like J2 said, I didn't specify if I'd read it on the way going or back! Haha.... Thanks, J2....)

When we got here at 6-ish, we were hungry and ready to crash. We got to the house we're renting and were really shocked to find that the front door was unlocked! (Scary!) Mom and Dad went inside to see if anyone was inside while us kids stayed outside. (I watched the balconies to see if some Bad Guy would jump down like they do in the movies.... Disappointed when it didn't happen.... Heehee....) When they'd looked through the house and realized the previous people had left but the cleaning lady hadn't come, we walked through it, then called the lady that was going to rent it to us. She gave us the address of a place we could spend the night or a few hours while someone cleaned it. We drove in circles for about fifteen minutes, trying to find the condo. When we finally found the complex, entered the code for the gate, and pulled in, we were really ready to relax. We walked over to the condo, glanced into the windows, and found out that someone was in it! (How frustrating is that?!) She gave us another option, and it was clean and unoccupied and, better yet, had a TV so we could watch the Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech football game - WAHOO!! : ) (GA Tech lost, but it was a good game and a lot of fun to watch!)

We walked out to the beach during halftime, which was a lot of fun even though it was really dark and we could only see the lights from Panama City and Destin and the crests of the waves and the stars. All of my siblings and I (minus my littlest brother) started singing "The Seaside" from Emma09 and then Celtic Woman's version of "Beyond the Sea." We talked about going early in the morning and my younger sister said, "A little sea-bathing would set me up forever." Just goes to show what a dorky homeschool family we are! HA!

There was no getting up early this morning for me, though. I was really tired, so I slept in a little. When I woke up, it was cloudy outside. By the time breakfast was out of the oven, it was pouring rain. We've been relaxing inside all morning - listening to and watching the rain. An aunt of ours who lives down here might stop by after a while, but I plan to pass the time before then reading a book. Scarlet sounds good.... : )

Enjoying my time of relaxation....
~Eowyn~

On The Three Hobbit Movies...

So. Peter Jackson just dropped a bombshell - The Hobbit, first two movies, is now being split up into three movies. Think of the changes that have to be made! First all of the publicity stuff, then the movie novels, then the wait for all of the fans... the list goes on and on.

However, my only problem with The Hobbit being split up into three movies now is....

I don't know if I can handle the awesomeness!!

SQUEEEEEE!!! SO happy over here!!

Here's a great article that any Hobbit fan should read. Enjoy and think about three awesome movies in three years. (Argh - the suspense!! *evil laugh*)

~Eowyn~

A Teenage Model... Infatuated with A Guy! (Part Two)

And here's part two: My advice to this Teenage Model At Home who's infatuated with Justin, taken word-for-word from the second part of It's (Not That) Complicated by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin.

"When fantasies about Tom, Dick, or Harry start to set up house in our minds, all we have to do is to stop – but first, we have to want to stop. And that's the hard part. At heart, usually what we want is for the problem to go away, for the crush to stop bothering us and causing us pain. We hate the pain, but we don't hate the sin. And left to itself... it usually doesn't just go away. It often takes something shattering, like his marrying someone else, to end the fantasy.

"If you really want it to stop, you have to stop it yourself, right where it started – one thought, one fantasy, one feeling at a time. Intercepting each renegade emotion or imagination at the door. Every time temptation knocks, we are faced with a decision: to indulge in a few visions of a romantic movement with Brandon [or Justin], or to pray for Brandon's wife? To ruminate over every syllable of our last conversation with him, or to meditate on the Scripture passage we are memorizing (how's that coming, by the way)? To start dreaming up our perfect wedding dress, or to focus on learning a new skill that will actually make us a better wife?

"The purity of our thoughts and heart is something that we generate on a moment-by-moment, thought-by-thought basis. "Keep your heart with all vigilance," says Proverbs 4:23, "for from it flow the springs of life." The Webster's 1828 dictionary [my personal favorite!]'s definition of vigilance is, "Watchfully; with the attention to danger and the means of safety." [Can you tell why?]"

It's (Not That) Complicated by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin

The Botkin sisters end the section with a very good piece of advice:

Our hearts need to have their brains turned on."

What about you guys? I'm not trying to pry or say that you're so sinful if you've had thoughts like that – I have, too! It revolutionized my thinking when I read this section in the chapter titled "The Heart: Victim or Perpetrator? Getting Your Heart to Follow YOU." (No pun intended... heehee....) It was one of those "Well, duh!!" moments in my life – if I don't want my thoughts to dwell on this guy, I've got to stop them. So simple, it's almost complicated. But in the Botkin sisters' book, they take it from being That Complicated to being Not That Complicated. (That's why I looooove this book! I'm going to review it on here someday, too....)

I think that this Teenage Model At Home needs to have her heart's brain turned on, too.

Again - your thoughts?

Eowyn~

PS: Happy Birthday, Daddy!! I just realized that in the video I'm adding has Tom Bosley in it! : P

A Teenage Model... Infatuated with A Guy! (Part One)

If you've ever moved, you'll know what it feels like – the packing, the saying goodbye, the leaving. My family's done it thirteen times, seven that I can remember.

The absolute worst part about moving, in my opinion, is the unpacking of the boxes. (Leaving friends is more emotionally taxing, while unpacking boxes is physically and emotionally and even sometimes spiritually taxing. [Just kidding about the spiritually taxing part.... : P]) It's even worse if you move somewhere far, far away from your friends who'd love to help. Talk about sad! Hour after hour, unpacking belongings that remind you of the life you just left....

(You guys are probably saying right now, "This post is so much different than your others, Eowyn. What's up, girly?!" It is going to be different. This is a subject that is not to be taken lightly, so please don't expect this post to be light and funny. Sorry. It's just not that kind of day for me... after everything else that's been going on recently. Moving on....)

We "just" moved – a few years ago – and, like in The Incredibles, we're just finishing unpacking the boxes. ("We are now officially moved in." "And the last three years don't count because...?" "Because I just unpacked the last box. Now it's official! Ha, ha, ha! Why do we have so much junk?" My thoughts exactly....) Anyway, it's because we moved into a house with an unfinished basement. My uncle is finishing it, and lucky-ducky Arwen (whoops – I mean 'blessed') is going to move in down there whenever it's finished.

The other day, we were down there cleaning out the boxes and moving stuff so my uncle could work and I walked towards the stairs to get a drink. Then I froze and turned around. A coloring book was laying on a box. I walked closer and stared at the cover – a young blonde with sparkles in her hair holding a puppy. The thing that made me freeze and give it more than just a glance was the fact that it had my name on it. Not Eowyn, but my real name. "Cool!" I picked it up, grinning. I flipped through it and Mom came around the corner. "I found that while we were unpacking stuff." I looked through it some more. 'Wow!' I thought. 'This girl is into everything!'

The cover said that this girl was a Teenage Model At Home – a very evident fact upon perusal. Not only were there a few pictures (uncolored... guess I forgot about it even when I had it...) of her posing under big lights, but there were also pictures of her posing in a car, holding a cat, stretching before a run, playing basketball, eating cotton candy, playing piano, calling someone on the phone, eating sushi (eww... she must take after her dad...), ice skating, posing with two friends in swimsuits, surfing, going to a masquerade, bowling, playing the violin, and eating a hamburger. And I only scratched the surface – this book is 176 pages long! While I was flipping through this coloring book, I was thinking, 'Wow, she's kind of like me! Bowling, violin, piano, riding horses, reading a book.... She's pretty neat.'

Then, I turned the page and saw it. Page twelve. A guy. He wore a sports jacket with a big J on it and was holding a football. 'Okaaay....' A few pages later, there was a picture of this girl's desk. On the desk was a cute jar of pencils and pens, and a book and a heart-shaped clock sat beside it. A mirror was in the back, and on it were two pictures of this Teenage Model At Home and Her Guy. Two hearts were above the pictures and below, a sticky-note on the mirror that said, "Call Justin at 8pm" with a heart above it.

I just laughed and looked through the coloring book some more. Apparently, this girl was infatuated with this guy named Justin. There was one of those pictures that you attempt to copy in the grid of him, one of him in a swimsuit at the beach, then on the very next page, one of him in a tux with his hair flattened down very nicely with stars behind him, one of him giving The Cool Face to the 'camera', another of him running his fingers through his hair and the words COOL TEEN above him, one of him and this girl in front of an elephant at the zoo, and one of him smiling innocently at the camera while writing a note to this girl – who else?! (My personal favorites are one of him in a tux with the words Justin Is Dreamy! beneath it and one that says "Justin gave [this girl] a box of candy!" with his smiling face and a heart-shaped box of candy. [To which I say, "I prefer chocolate."])

While I was looking through this coloring book, numerous things came to my mind, mainly the fact that I don't personally know any Justins. I would be mortified if I did – and it would not be a pretty sight the next time I see him. (Okay, maybe one Justin, but he's younger than me and I've scarcely said three words together to him that don't have something to do with Airsoft guns. : P lol, Haley...)

But the thing that struck me while I read is the fact that this girl is simply infatuated with this guy named Justin. I know I just said that, but it's true! I kept saying it to myself as I looked through the book: "Wow, she's got issues! Oh, look – another picture of them with a million hearts around it. Girl, you need to find something else to do with your time besides thinking of this guy. But apparently skating and playing instruments and eating sushi isn't enough." It was as if this book was encouraging girls to think about guys they like – while they're still in the coloring stage!

For example, near the end was a picture of Justin smiling innocently into the colorer's face. Above, the words "What do you know about Justin?" with his name in bold letters on the bottom. Beside his face were questions with blocks under them for you to answer – probably either from a boy you know or making something up. Height, birthday, eye color, hair color, favorite color, favorite food, and favorite book were all on the list. I read this and just shook my head. Then, on one of the last pages was a picture of this girl, sitting on her bed in her pajamas with a dreamy look on her face, resting the side of her face on her palm. She'd been looking at a scrapbook – the picture it was open to was one of her posing in a dress at prom, and I said, "But where's Justin?!" – but she'd apparently gotten bored of that and was thinking of something else with a yearning look in her eyes and a slight smile. Above it was a huge thought bubble and below it were the words, "What is [this girl] dreaming about? Draw her thoughts in the bubble above." The first thing that popped into my mind was, "Probably Justin!"

I couldn't get the coloring book out of my mind for the rest of the day. I kept thinking, "This is not something to encourage! Girls should be thinking about guys less – not more!!" I kept remembering something I'd read in It's (Not That) Complicated by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin about our thoughts concerning guys. Instead of murdering the passage and trying to summarize what they said, I'll just tell you exactly what they said.


"If we want to make these feelings [for guys] stop, then we need to trace our emotional footsteps back to where they started. Infatuation begins when we let a thought take root in our imaginations, and then feed and water those fantasies until our minds are overgrown. Love or infatuation is not a force of nature, swirling around us, breaking in from the outside. It's something that we are actually creating within ourselves, a seed we germinate with our own minds and hearts. We sometimes feel like the feelings are attacking us, but in fact, we are generating them within ourselves – one thought, one fantasy, one feeling at a time.


"We'll only win this battle if we recognize two things: first, that we are weak; and second, that we are not powerless. We sometimes cry, "He stole my heart!" as if he's a quarterback intercepting a pass. We like this illusion because it absolves us of personal responsibility and makes us feel like tragic, wronged, romantic heroines. Since when did he have access to our inner control panel? This isn't voodoo! What are we thinking – that he has a little model of our heart which he's sticking pins into?

"First, the bad news: your heart was under your own control. Now the good news: you heart is under your own control! Outside forces (e.g. Tom, Dick, Harry) are out of our control, but the controls to our own minds and hearts are built squarely into our own minds and hearts."

- It's (Not That) Complicated by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin

(Isn't that great? I love that book....)

My advice for this Teenage Model Infatuated with A Guy will be in Part Two... including an application for all of my dear readers.

What are your thoughts on this subject? I'd love to know!

~Eowyn~

Only a Novel Giveaway

Miss Amy Dashwood over at Yet Another Period Drama Blog, a blog that I frequently frequent, has published her book, Only a Novel! Paperback and on Amazon and everything! I've read excerpts from it and I can't wait to read more - definitely one I'd love to own.

All that to say, she's having a giveaway at her blog - the winner will get an autographed copy of her novel! I've entered and I'd encourage you all to, also! Just click on the flower to go to her blog and enter for yourself. (Even if I don't win, I'll buy it and review it on my blog - it looks that good!)

Congratulations, Amy!

~Eowyn~

I Am Excessively Diverted!

This will be the one post that has nothing to do with camp. Everyone is in nap time (or movie time!), so I decided to seize the opportunity to post this now.

Anyway, Amy over at Sink Me! is having a contest. Sink Me! is a blog devoted solely to pictures of historical dramas with, heehee, quotes from other movies that work perfectly with the pictures. I've laughed really hard over some of the pictures, and decided a few weeks ago to make my own. I've had a little too much fun, as you can probably tell. Then, lo and behold, Amy decided to do a contest! I wanted to enter all of my pictures... because they're all really funny... but she said only three. Below are my three, plus a few more that I couldn't help but post.

You may notice that *ahem* all of the pictures are from The Scarlet Pimpernel. Teehee... Well, that's the only movie I've 'screencapped,' so that's all the pictures I had. : P

Enjoy!

My Three Entries...

Photo credit: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote credit: Robin Hood (1973)

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: The Princess Bride (paraphrased)

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: Treasure Planet

And The Others...
Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: Pride and Prejudice

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: Pride and Prejudice

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: Mary Poppins

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: The Fellowship of the Ring... sort of. : )

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: Pride and Prejudice

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: The Best Nest (by P.D. Eastman)... sort of. : )

~Eowyn~

My Favorite Literary Heroes

Wow, what a post name!  : )

Okay, so it's Hero Week over at Anne-girl's blog, Scribblings of My Pen and Tappings of My Keyboard.  (Love that blog name!)  She's challenged us (and, boy, was it a challenge!) to make a list of our ten favorite literary heroes.  Coming up with ten took me all of five minutes.  Making the list?  An hour.

Why did it take me so long?  Well, to add my two cents to Anne-girl's amazing post, being The Hero in a novel does not make a guy character a hero.  Even if his name is George Knightley or Fitzwilliam Darcy or (dare I say it?) Percy Blakeney.  It's what a hero does that makes him a true hero.  We love a hero because of what he does, what he is, and what he believes - not because the author or director deemed him The Hero.  We love Sir Percy because he rescued innocent aristocrats from a terrible fate.  We love Mr. Knightley because he wasn't afraid of telling Emma what he thought.  We love... well, I'll leave that for my list.  (For more reasons why a hero needs to be a hero, read Anne-girl's post.)

Now, for my list....  I decided to be fair and put different heroes in each rank.  If I had my way, it'd just be Sir Percy in the entire thing as #1, #2, #3, and so on.  But... for the sake of... well, something, I decided to chose different heroes.  : )

Number One...

Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy


I mean, seriously - if a guy's got that great of a cravat and cape (and HAT!), he's got to be a great hero.  (Just kidding...)


Need I even put a quote or describe him?  Everyone who's anyone should know Sir Percy and how amazing he is.  Oh, well.  For those few that don't know how awesome he is, I'll put a quote.  (And for those who do know how awesome he is... the quote will make you know how awesome he is.)  : )


The Scarlet Pimpernel did not take it upon himself to punish the guilty; his care was solely of the helpless and of the innocent.  For this aim he risked his life every time that he set foot on French soil, for it he sacrificed his fortune, and even his personal happiness, and to it he devoted his entire existence. [...]  The Scarlet Pimpernel was a personality of whom an entire nation might be justly proud.
- El Dorado


"I am in a tight corner - tighter than ever I have been before; but I am not dead yet!"
- Sir Percy, El Dorado


"Percy was not the man to leave a comrade in the lurch!  He would not be the man whom we all love and admire, whose word we all obey, for whose sake we would gladly all of us give our life - he would not be that man if he did not brave even certain dangers in order to be of help to those who call on him."
- Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, El Dorado


If that doesn't give you even a glimpse of how awesome Sir Percy is (and why he's my number one), go read El Dorado.  (Well, go read The Scarlet Pimpernel, then read El Dorado.)


Number Two...

HA!  Just kidding.  Scared you, didn't I?!


My, ahem, REAL Number Two...

George Knightley from Emma by Jane Austen


Seriously, people, Mr. Knightley is one of the sweetest, kindest, most considerate heroes you'll ever come across.  He was not afraid to tell Emma what he thought.  He was one of her best friends and stayed by her for her entire life, through thick and thin.


Two of my favorite quotes from him:


"Really, Emma - it is better to have no wit at all then to apply it as you do!"


"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more!"


Two very different quotes... yet, that's why I like him so much!


Mr. Knightley is, in my opinion, the best Jane Austen hero.  Just sayin'.


Moving on.


Number Three...

Edward Ferrars from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen


Now, this Edward is a hero.  (Not that other Edward out there...)  Spoiler Alert!  After he promised to marry Lucy Steele, then found out that he was in love with Elinor Dashwood, he kept his promise to Lucy.  Even though he really loved Elinor.  Now, I'm sure that wouldn't have worked out for them, and it's really great (in a terrible way) that Lucy decided to be a total jerk and marry his older brother.  End Spoiler Alert


He's a true hero.


I can't find any quotes by this Edward (my personal favorite of the many adaptions), but I do love his first scene.  "Beating carpets?"  HA!


Number Four...


Mac Campbell from Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott


I can't get a picture of him because, well, there hasn't been a movie made yet.  (You guys can all cry now.)


Mac is my favorite of The Campbell Boys (there are seven of them).  From the very beginning of Eight Cousins, I knew he was my favorite... and I was rooting for him the entire time.  Yes, he's a little rough around the edges - at first - but he taught Rose so much about nature and poetry, to name a very few.


"What have you decided to be, Mac?" asked Rose, as they went up the avenue side by side.
"A man first, and a good one if possible; after that, what God pleases."
Something in the tone, as well as the words, made Rose look up quickly into Mac's face, to see a new expression there.  It was indescribable; but she felt as if she had often done when watching the mists part suddenly, giving glimpses of some mountaintop, shining serene and high against the blue.
"I think you will be something splendid; for you really look quite glorified, walking under this arch of yellow leaves with the sunshine on your face," she exclaimed, conscious of a sudden admiration never felt before; for Mac was the plainest of all the cousins.
"I don't know about that; but I have my dreams and aspirations, and some of them are pretty high ones.  Aim at the best, you know, and keep climbing if you want to get on," he said, looking at the asters with an inward sort of smile, as if he and they had some sweet secret between them.
- Rose in Bloom


Another one of my favorite chapters is 'Polishing Mac.'  I absolutely love that part!  "It's very easy to say 'come on;' but what the dickens do I do with my left leg while I'm turning and sliding with my right?"  HA!  Ooh, and after the Hopes' party.  "What did you do then?"  "Do!  I went off like a shot, and never stopped till I reached the Hopes-"  "You didn't walk all that way?" cried Rose.  "Bless you, no; I ran."


Okay, enough.  Before I start quoting entire chapters!


Number Five...

Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery


There really isn't a better example of a true hero!  Others have expounded far more and better than I on how great he is, and you'd better read that in order to get why I like him so much.


"Well, I won't change... that's the least I can promise you."
"'Wilt thou give up thy garter, oh fairest of the fair?' Anne, nobody talks that way!  And look at that sap Percival who sits around mooning the entire time. He never lets a girl get a word in edgewise. In real life she'd have pitched him."


"Anne, I've loved you as long as I can remember. I need you. Please say yes..."


The "Pitching and Mooning Scene" is my personal favorite.  : )


Number Six...

John Chivery from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens


This guy is one of the most heroic guys I know, on the terms of heroines.  Spoiler Alert!  When he found out that Arthur loved Amy, and she loved him, he backed away and let Arthur propose to her, even after his previous attempt when Amy refused as kindly as she knew how.  End Spoiler Alert


"All that time I was breaking my heart over her, she was breaking hers over you."


"I'd throw myself over that precipice if I thought I'd give you a moment's happiness!"  (Or something like that; I can't find the actual quote)


Number Seven...

Arthur Clenam from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens


Yes, he's more of The Hero from Little Dorrit - well, he is The Hero - but this is just where I placed him in my list.  Anywhos, Arthur is such a hero!  He's a great guy because he stood up for the girl he loved in her wedding (to a guy he didn't like and I really didn't like), he was kind to Mr. Dorrit, even after Mr. Dorrit was so mean to him, and he was caring and loving towards his (evil) mother, even when she basically hated him!


"What a blind idiot you must have thought me."
Number Eight...


John Harmon from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens


(I can't find a picture and I'm too tired to try harder.  Look up how he looks yourself!  Hehehe...)


Now, John (slash Julius Hanford slash John Rokesmith) was a little bit of a creeper at first.  Whenever he'd just pop up, I'd be like, "Argh!  Creepy dude!"  When we first watched this movie about, oh, five years ago, I didn't like him.  I thought he was a weird stalker that wasn't very handsome.  By the end of the movie, my thoughts were "quite the opposite," to borrow a quote from one of my favorite literary heroines.  (But we're not talking about heroines!)


"You are wonderfully mistaken!"


"Since Miss Wilfer rejected me, I have never again urged my suit with a spoken syllable or look. But I have never changed in my devotion for her, except that it is deeper than it was and better founded."


And, my personal favorite...


"It's a wonder I don't twist your head off AND THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW!"


Number Nine...

John Thornton from North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell


Wow... Mr. Thornton.  Now, he's another guy that I did not like in the beginning of the movie, but by the end, I thought, 'Hmm.  He's a pretty great guy!'   Mr. Thornton made my list because he taught Margaret Hale about how different life in the North was from where she was from - the South.  (The whole handshake scene...  Bad move, Margaret!)


"Miss Hale, I didn't just come here to thank you. I came... because... I think it... very likely... I know I've never found myself in this position before. It's... difficult to find the words. Miss Hale, my feelings for you... are very strong..."


"I spoke to you about my feelings because I love you; I had no thought for your reputation!"


And, finally...


Number Ten...

Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


Mr. Darcy made my list because he helped Elizabeth overcome her prejudice by having an awesome house.  (Just kidding!)  He did have a beautiful house, though...  : )


"I must tell you how ardently I admire and love you!"


Honorable Mentions (because what's a list without a few awesome runner-ups?!):
Ralph Percy from To Have and To Hold by Mary Johnston
Traverse Rocke and Herbert Grayson from The Hidden Hand by E.D.E.N. Southworth
Ishmael Worth from Ishmael by E.D.E.N. Southworth
Declan Ross from Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson
Laurie from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Professor Bhaer from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Faramir and Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Mr. Bingley from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Wulf and Godwin D'Arcy from The Bretheren by H. Rider Haggard


I could go on... but I won't.  : )


All of these men are awesome heroes that deserve to be loved and looked up to!  They're all from amazing books (that were made into equally amazing movies!) and that is what makes them...


My Favorite Literary Heroes.


The End!
~Eowyn~