My Life in Pictures

So much has been going on in the past few weeks, so I just decided to highlight everything we've been doing!

Passion for Jesus Girls' Retreat


The place where we stayed for the retreat was a lot of fun to photograph (when I had time!) and the leaves were changing, which was absolutely beautiful!

Arwen having a blast on the swing - and no, she didn't jump off, though a few other girls did!

Everyone wanted to get their hair done! Isn't it gorgeous?! I thought it looked like Rapunzel from Tangled when she gets her hair all braided up.

Isn't this a beautiful bridge?

MovieGuide Banquet

We had a lot of fun getting dressed up and eating good food while hearing about the MovieGuide ministry. (http://www.movieguide.org/) I'm pretty sure they recorded it. (I think they got the back of my head on camera. My hairdo is compliments of Arwen!)

"We never really got a good picture of your hairdo," Arwen says. "It was gorgemous." (She should know - she did it!) We spent a while curling it with the flat iron - yes, you can do that! - and then we switched outfits. : )

Baby's 'Big Boy Bed!'

Isn't he so strong?!

"Be cawit," he whispered. "I twying to sweep."

I tell people he's my boyfriend. He doesn't mind much.

Movie Review - Courageous

I've been known to rave about a lot of different movies. I've also been known to say that every movie I see was "Really good!" In fact, one of my friends recently said, "Is there a movie you've seen and haven't liked?!" There are a lot of movies I've seen that I haven't liked – such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I think is overrated – so when I see a good film, I like to give it a little publicity. Admit it – there aren't many good movies these days. Most of my favorite movies are old classics starring nearly-forgotten actors such as James Stewart, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Debbie Reynolds, and Mickey Rooney. The last few "clean" movies I've seen have been few and far between and mostly animated movies for kids, such as Toy Story 3 and Cars 2. I can't remember the last live-action, action/adventure movie that I really and truly liked that didn't have at least one scene in it that didn't need to be there.

Courageous, on the other hand, was a different story.

I think I can safely say that Courageous was the best movie I've seen this year – and I've watched a lot of movies this year.

Here's the synopsis:

Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, they are confident and focused, standing up to the worst the streets have to offer. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood. When tragedy strikes home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to their children? Protecting the streets is second nature. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That's courageous.

My entire family went to see Courageous yesterday and everyone enjoyed it, even my younger siblings! The only part I didn't like was in the beginning, which before the movie even started. Knowing this was a PG-13 movie and there would most likely be some trailers for other, worse movies, my parents sent me and my siblings out of the theater to wait out the commercials. The trailers ended up being okay, but I agreed that we shouldn't risk it. When the movie finally started, I was on the edge of my seat. I hoped it would be as good as the other movies Sherwood Pictures has done, and I wasn't disappointed.

Everything you could want in a movie was there. There were some very exciting, intense parts that I absolutely loved. The comic relief was so funny, and I actually started crying in one part because I was laughing so hard! Even intrigue and mystery had a place towards the end, and that part nearly made me cry. (Actually, I almost cried a few times in sweet or sad parts, which is something I haven't really done in movies before! I had a tissue ready, but I think my mom needed it more than I did at one especially sad part.)

The main issue that Sherwood Pictures and the Kendrick brothers were trying to talk about was fatherhood, and they showed every single scenario possible – a father in jail, no father, you name it. They also covered a lot of other things too, such as courtship and dating (I loved that scene!), child training, and gangs. My sister said, "You could literally make a seminar out of the whole movie!"

One of the things my family was a little wary of was the rating. PG-13 for "action violence and drug content." This was the first PG-13 movie I've seen without my dad previewing it. Personally, I think it could have gotten a PG rating. True, it was a little intense in a few scenes, but significantly less bloody and intense than, say, Pirates of the Caribbean or Star Wars Episode III. The "drug content" was shown truthfully, laying out exactly what happens when people get mixed up with that sort of thing. (Also, I think I need to mention that there were absolutely no 'bad words' in this movie. At all.)

I don't think I have a favorite character or scene, but I definitely liked the Snake Kings gang scene – my whole family thinks it was the funniest part in the movie! I also liked the last action scene. It was very intense and riveting, which is just what I like.

It's true that the message of this movie doesn't exactly apply to me, being a 16-year-old girl who will remain single until she's married, but I appreciated what the Kendrick brothers were saying to fathers. I hope and pray that fathers (and fathers-to-be, however distant that future may be) will watch this movie and be challenged and inspired to take responsibility for their families. It's what this country needs to hear.

Bottom line: A VERY good movie! This will probably be the first movie I've ever gone to see multiple times in a theater. I'm going to have to pay for my own ticket, though, but that isn't stopping me from wanting to see it again! Please go see Courageous – it's well worth your time! You'll be inspired and challenged.

10 out of 10 (another first for me!)

~Eowyn~

one of my favorite Tolkien quotes...

The Road goes ever on and on

    Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

    And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

    Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

    And whither then? I cannot say...

~ J. R. R. Tolkien

Wedding Pictures

Here are some pictures of the wedding we went to back in early August. It was so beautiful! We also had a really good time at our friends' house.


The bride and groom and the sand ceremony


My mom, the bride and the groom


My adorable little brother and 'Donny'!

~Eowyn~

Florida Beach Trip - Days Three, Four, Five, and Six

Is today REALLY the sixth day of our summer vacation?! Seriously, this week has flown by SO fast, I can hardly believe it!! We've done so many things. It's been such a blast, and the following pictures can just barely scratch the surface of what all we did and how much fun it was. (These are also just a few of the pictures I've gotten... I didn't think anyone would want to sit through all the pictures I've taken!)

WEDNESDAY - BOAT DAY!!!
We started out the day trying to get some donuts from a local hole-in-the-wall place, but they were closed on Wednesdays! Bummer.... The donuts at the local grocery store didn't look nearly as good, so we went to the nearest donut store, 'The Donut Hole.' Our friends were going with us and we got the overflow from their car! : ) Our ship, the 'Nathaniel Bowditch,' was almost an hour away, so we had a fun, long ride. We really didn't know what to expect before we got there, but we were in for a real treat!


This is the only picture I got of the outside of the ship. I wish I could have gotten the whole thing, but, as I was on the ship, that was impossible. I attempted a few shots of the sails as my siblings and friends 'raised the sails,' though.


Waiting to head off!


Happy to be off!!


We passed by some beautiful shores and boats as we were first leaving the dock, but it was mostly just water and on occasional boat!


They let my siblings and our friends 'hoist the sails!' I would have loved to try, but I had already taken my position as official photographer, which suited me just fine.


I can't begin to tell you how high up the sails went! It was impossible to get the people pulling the sails up, plus the sails when they were at their full height. Again, it made me wish I could see it from the dock, with all the sail up!


One of the best things about the ship was all of these cool knots! (Another was that we weren't allowed to have our shoes on at all during the entire ride. Totally fun!)


Another cool thing was this bowsprit thing. (I think that's what it was called...) Anyway, everyone loved seeing the view and getting their picture taken on it!


A pretty rock island we passed by twice.


My younger sister and someone else I've gotten to be good friends with!


Giving my younger brother some pointers after he passed on the job. The captain let four people try their hand at the helm, including my adorable little brother!


Seeing the view!


Halfway through our three-hour tour (scary, huh?), we saw about five dolphins! I took about three or four dozen pictures, but thought you wouldn't want to see the same shot of the dolphin fin over and over again, so I just picked the best two.


A dolphin went under the ship! Fun!


My adorable little brother just after trying his hand at the wheel. Isn't he cute?!


He just loved saying "Hannel Bowditch!" over and over and over!


Thus ended three hours of pure awesomeness! (The ship's first mate took this picture for us, even though I'd rather be on the other side of the lens....)

We drove about a half a mile and looked for sea shells for a few minutes, which was fun and calmed us down a bit. (Well, maybe just me!) The ride home passed by quickly with funny childhood stories and talk about different movies we'd seen. That night, my family went out on the beach for a few minutes, then hit the sack.

THURSDAY - Shopping day!
Now, nearly everyone that knows me knows that I don't like shopping. At all. Unless it's a book, I won't buy it, I won't even be out shopping for it! However, when Mom suggested a shopping day with our friends, I knew it'd be a fun thing to do. The shopping mall where we were going even had a Barnes and Noble, if I remembered correctly from last year. We had a BLAST! Arwen got the most stuff - a shirt from J.C.Penny and two CDs from Borders (not Barnes and Noble). Borders was my favorite stop in our little shopping excursion, but also the saddest because Borders was going out of business. I recalled all of the things I'd gotten from Borders in the past - my Door Within books, for instance - and it made me almost not want to shop there! I knew it wasn't the end of the world, though, and took advantage of the going-out-of-business sales. (I got a book that was originally $8.99, but because of all the sales, it was only $1.79!! Yay!)

We shopped 'til we dropped, which, for us, was about three hours. (We were tired!) We all went back to our respective houses and rested for a while, then our families got together for a dessert and games night. We met at the beach and watched the sun set, which was absolutely gorgeous!


Sadly, the clouds blocked our view of the sun until just before it hit the water. It still made for a really beautiful sunset, though!


My family at the beach right after the sun went down!


I put this picture up just to show you my adorable little brother's personality. I said, "Smile, baby!!" and he struck this pose. Don't know where he got that from.... Isn't he cute, though?!


Isn't this beautiful?! I still can't believe I took this picture.... It's totally not all me, though, it's my awesome camera!

We went back to our house and I think 'us kids' talked and played 'Detective' more than we ate dessert, though we did have our fair share of the cookies and watermelon and popcorn! I think we'll all have quite a few memories we'll never forget from that night, starting with the popcorn taste test and ending with the 'Detective' game! (Yes, we'll have memories, both funny and extremely weird ones!) I had a good time getting to know this family better, but hope they don't stay away from us now because they think we're weird! Our friends left at about eleven and I fell asleep laughing about what we'd made our characters say and do while we were playing 'Detective.'

FRIDAY
We started off the day working on the puzzle. Our friends helped us out the night before, and I think I almost got addicted to it! Arwen and I put on one of her CDs she'd gotten the day before and worked until we finished it! (I still have 'A Lovely Night' from 'Cinderella' stuck in my head!!) Mid-morning, we hit the beach with our friends. It was their last day at the beach, and we wanted to make the most of the last few hours we had. We tried playing 'Detective' in the water, but that didn't really work, so we just looked for hermit crabs, went into the 'blue water,' and swam out as far as we dared! Too soon, our friends had to go. It was a sad goodbye! My family walked back to our house, showered, and just hung out, waiting for my uncle and aunt to come. They only live about two hours away, and we hadn't seen them for a while, so we decided to get together.

While we were waiting for my aunt and uncle to arrive, I started another short story. I know, I know - I'm crazy, right? I already have to write an entire NOVEL for school, and I'm in the middle of a series of histoical short stories (no, I haven't forgotten about the latest one, it's coming!!), plus another book I've been working on for a while, PLUS all of the other things I've started - WHY AM I STARTING SOMETHING NEW?! Because I wanted to, I'm on vacation, and I wasn't in the mood for anything else, that's why. I'm excited about it, though.

When my aunt and uncle got here, we went down to the beach and watched the sun set. It was so pretty!


I love this picture! (This is my aunt and uncle, by the way.)

We worked on the puzzle late into the night and went to sleep really late, this time annoyed that the puzzle wasn't going as we'd planned. Too hard!

SATURDAY
I think this was one of the slowest, yet relaxed days we've had this far. We basically just hung around the entire day, starting with the beach. I floated for a few minutes, but then decided it was too cold and too seaweedy for me. I got out and cracked open 'Eight Cousins' for the first time in about five months, which is too long for such a good book! I read about half of it and got a little sunburned, but had a great time!

We had delicious pizza for lunch, then napped for about an hour, and then my other aunt visited for about an hour. After she left, my aunt and uncle decided it was time they left, too. Sad!

After they left, we got dressed up and took about five dozen pictures at the beach. (I kept saying, "I hope these aren't our Christmas pictures!" because I'm really hoping we'll adopt again before then!!!) We talked with a family that's staying near us for a few minutes, then Mom and Dad left for a date night and we watched Food Network. Food's not the best thing to watch while you're eating food, especially yours or your mom's. (We started critisizing Mom's food after we got hooked on that channel... not the best thing in the world!) But when we watched one chef after another get chopped because their food wasn't seasoned enough or overcooked, I was eating my Chicken Pockets and overcooked rice I'd thrown together for our dinner and laughing the whole time, wondering what they'd say about my food!

Until next time...
~Eowyn~

Belated Summer Vacation - Days One and Two

Well, here we are in Florida, finally having our summer vacation! It's been really fun so far, and we've already made some great memories!

Yesterday, we woke up early at our grandparents' house in Georgia. (After church on Sunday, we had eaten out with a family from church, visited a friend, and stayed at our grandparents' house for dinner and the night.) We had a big breakfast, but I didn't eat much - I was too excited to start on our vacation! : ) Anyway, after a minute of packing all of our stuff back in the car and adjusting the bike rack (it's the first time we've been able to bring bikes on a trip!), we started off. I think it was one of the shortest rides we've been on in a long time because we only stopped once! Mom read 'Carry On, Mr. Bowditch' for the first few hours of the ride for a reason I'll explain in a minute. She got about halfway done before we all agreed we wanted to be done and read on our own for a little while. I started reading 'Eight Cousins' for the umpteenth time, then my little brother said he wanted to watch "the Woody movie" our grandparents were letting us borrow. I put 'Toy Story 3' in the laptop and had to let Rose stay with her cousins. We drove through really windy weather for a while and finally got to the place we're staying.


My younger brother describing the weather - WINDY! I could hardly keep my eyes open or walk right, the wind was blowing so hard! We all went down to the water and watched the waves crash onto the shore.

It was a double-red flag on the beach, which basically means it's illegal to get in the water, so we just went back to our little house and read more of 'Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.' I fell asleep while Mom was reading... whoops!

This morning, I was still on Eastern Standard Time, so I looked at my phone and hopped up, thinking we were late for our free breakfast at Chick-fil-A, but it was only seven o'clock. : ( I don't like getting up early, especially on vacations...


We ate breakfast with some friends and their grandparents, which was a lot of fun!

After we ate, we were planning on going on a ship for a few hours (a Three-Hour Tour... makes me a little nervous...), but the tide was too high, so we've rescheduled until tomorrow morning. The ship is called the Nathaniel Bowditch, and that's the reason we've been re-reading the book! We were very fortunate to be able to get a reservation at all because they normally don't let anyone under 18 on, but that's a long story.

We changed our plans and Mom and Arwen stopped at the Dollar Store for a few things while Dad, me, and my younger siblings tried to find a few Geocaches that were in the area. We found two and it was a lot of fun! (See our family blog for pictures) After we stopped at our little house, we went to the beach and hung out for the afternoon with our friends. We had BLAST!!!


Playing volleyball.... Well, THEY were playing. Me and my siblings were watching the ball fly over our heads, then running to get it. (We aren't very good, but I'd like to get better!)


Finishing up Peanut Butter the Jellyfish!


One of our totally awesome sandcastles! (The best, in my opinion!!)


One of our friends and my adorable little brother!


The finished product of our sandcastle! The one in the back was done by about four people, while the one in the front was me and someone else. We couldn't decide if they were rival fortresses or not.


Love this picture! They were trying to block the sun so you could see the FL '11 in the picture, but you can still see them! HA!


Us and The FlipFlop!


All us kids in front of the 2011 we made! (Yeah, we made a lot of different sand sculptures because we weren't allowed in the water! Loads of fun!)


A better picture of Peanut Butter the Jellyfish. (How'd that hat get on there?!)

After reluctantly leaving our friends' condo, we went back to our little house and had a really good dinner.


Dinner... YUM!

Tomorrow, we'll go on the Nathaniel Bowditch and I'll have LOTS of pictures. Hopefully we won't get sunburned!

Until the next few minutes of down-time,
~Eowyn~