Happy 21st Birthday To Jay!

Happy 21st Birthday Jared Fisher! 
Thank you for being...
  • my very best friend, 
  • my constant rock, 
  • my prayer warrior, 
  • the arms that catch me when I fall, 
  • my source of joy, 
  • my laughter, 
  • my love, 
  • my source of uncovered nerdvana 
  • and one of the biggest and BEST parts of my life! 
  • Oh, and so many more things too! ;-)


May HE bless you in the coming days as you continue to walk with HIM. I hope that I may always be counted blessed enough to walk alongside you both to the end of my days!
Love, Red

a little of this, and a little of that


     I'm back! It's been a great, albeit a very busy week, but nevertheless a great one so far. I have really been enjoying my new job at the Family Christian Store. I mean it's always a pretty good day when your boss hands you a book that is no longer listed in our system and gives it to you FREE of charge (if it's not in the computer system we have to throw it out....wait, throw out a BOOK? I think not!)  Oh, and I get to talk to people about Jesus and sniff books all day long while listening to NEEDTOBREATHE over the stereo, and I even get the chance to pray for the customers which is an amazing thing in this day and age! It's wonderful.




     I had Thursday off this week from work so I decided to go spend some time up in Asheville visiting with Jared and his family (who were up visiting from Rocky Mount for a few days). On Thursday we went to Best Buy and picked up a few dvds (because I had a $25 gift certificate), and then we went out for lunch at Taco Bell. After lunch Jay decided to take me to the Western North Carolina Nature Center for the day...oh, and did we ever have a blast! The coolest animals at the Nature Center (for me) were the Otters, Snakes and the Hellbender. The wolves were pretty cool too, but I must say that the Otters had this gal's heart! hehe The chickens and goats however totally frightened me! I think Jared was just excited to see that I was SO INTO learning and checking out all of the animals just like him, big zoology and crypto nerd that he is! ;-)



    After seeing loads of adorable, and quite kooky I must say, animals at the Nature Center Jay and I decided to head to the downtown area of Asheville so that I could capture the sites with Lila, and so we could peruse through some of the best bookstores ever together! I am absolutely in LOVE with the downtown area! The smells of Patchuli and Seared Steak...the noises of Dobro's and birds melodious chirping filling the crisp breezy air...the myriads of lovely used and new book shops...local art sculptures displayed alongside the streets...all of the beautifully different people...artists wielding coloured canvases for sale on the side of the pavement...beauty and unexpected adventure at every turn. Sigh. One day I will live there, I assure you!


   After our busy day we had dinner with Mammaw and Pappaw Fisher and then Jared's parents and brother stopped by to visit for a while. We talked and laughed a bunch while catching up with one another. We watched a Youtube video that made me and the rest of the family (okay, well only the guys and myself thought it was funny) laugh so hard we all nearly fell over and died laughing!! (See video above PLEASE.)

Casey Abrams - {image via: blog.babble.com}

After laughing ourselves silly we all sat down to watch the American Idol results, which I was totally displeased with I must say!! I will miss you being on the show, Casey Abrams! Really, I was upset and couldn't help but saying (ahem, slightly screaming) aloud "NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" when I heard that Casey was to leave the show. Jacob should have left. That's all I have to say about that!


     Yesterday we celebrated Jared's 21st birthday (a day early) by going out to a wonderful little Greek and Italian restaurant called Bellagio's. After eating a scrumptious Chicken Parmesan Sub and laughing some more while talking at the table with Jay and his family we headed over to Jay's other set of Grandparents' house to have cake and watch Jay open up his birthday presents, which consisted of the new TRON: LEGACY dvd and a KINDLE! Jay was excited about his gifts, as was I! Shortly after all of the cake cargo-ed-ness hit Jared, Seth and I headed out in the back yard so I could take some photos of the silly brothers! Then I had to drive back towards home to get ready for work last night, but only after giving Seth a piano lesson and spending a little more time with my love.


    And, yep, that's pretty much my week in a nutshell. I am so thankful that I was able to spend some time out in the beautiful nature with the young man I love dearly, and that we were able to celebrate his birth alongside his family! God is so good! Oh, and after I got home last night after work I checked my e-mail and found out that I had won the Garbaje Eco-Friendly Bracelet on Shannon's Below The Plateau blog! How cool is that?

     Well, I hope everyone is having a GREAT SATURDAY! I'll be heading off to the good ol' FCS here in a little while...here's to hoping that I don't find any more books in the Clearance room to spend more of my paycheck on today! Haha! Seriously though, I did manage to snag some great deals last night. I got three novels and two folders for $4.50. All I have to say is this: If you go to your local FCS PLEASE make sure to check out the Clearance room before you leave! There are treasures in there just longingly waiting to be found by YOU! =D

Happy Saturday Blogger Lovelies!!
P.S. -I'll have more photos up on my photography blog soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for more photos!

a Good Friday prayer

"Lord, I want my life to be a love letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Not on tablets of stone but on the tablet of my heart. Holy Spirit, remind me that I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

{{Renee Swope from her book 'A Confident Heart'}}

     It's a very grey day outside, as I sit here and write this post. While thinking about living as Christ I remembered that I am so very thankful for grey days. So many wonderful things have come out of grey days for me. Jared first came to visit me on an extremely grey day, and because he came to see me on that grey day our lives have never been the same. 

     I also think of the day my Saviour, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for me, and it was a very grey day indeed (or so it seemed.) There in that grey day of death was also much joy and hope to be found. The grey had gone on the 3rd day and the light of the world once again shone brightly. He was made alive in His resurrection. That beautifully rolled back stone and cold empty tomb could be seen...and it was then known... My King was and IS ALIVE! 

     When you or I are going through a "grey day" in our every day life perhaps we will both begin to see it quite a bit differently now. Through the greyest of days so long ago, that very grey day has granted you and I eternal life and the opportunity to be crucified alongside Christ. Now we live as the redeemed; Christ within us for the world to see.


Happy Blessed Good Friday To You,




Beauty {free blog designs} - Giveaway



     Hannah Rose is having a Spring Giveaway at her blog Beauty {free blog designs}. She is giving away two blog design packages on her blog and I am really excited....and hoping that I might just win...because her blog is beautiful and the packages which she is giving away are of EPIC proportions! To enter: visit Hannah Rose's  blog and answer the questionnaire that she has posted. Have fun entering! =)

le questionnaire:

  1. Do you like being outdoors or indoors? I love being indoors while reading, playing piano, writing, scrapbooking, quilting and watching movies. However, I also equally love to be outdoors taking photos, gardening, running through the grass barefoot (in Spring and Summer of course), going white water rafting (I need to go again very soon!) and taking long walks.
  2. Hot or cold weather? I love the milder seasons. My favorite being Autumn, closely followed by Spring. I am a Spring baby, so naturally I love spring-time! =)
  3. Favorite color? Purple. It is rich, deep, emotive and the color of a dusky sky intermingled with a glimmer of orange before Summer twilight comes upon us. My name means "Princess" and royalty and purple go hand in hand, or is that robe in robe? 
  4. Favorite song, and why? Are you asking what my favorite song ever is? Yeah, I could never just pick one. Right now though my favorite song is "Patience" by And By Love. It's a really beautiful song about a young woman finding the Lord in her moment of brokenness through patience and crying out to God. A close second would have to be Flyleaf's song "Okay" from their newest album "Remember To Live."
  5. One word that describes you. Eclectic. 
  6. One song that describes you. "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
  7. What’s your biggest goal in life? To be a Proverbs 31 Woman, inside and out. I want to be the best daughter, woman, wife and mother that I can be for God and myself.
  8. Sweet or sour foods? Pickles are the bomb! Then there's this awesome thing called CHOCOLATE. Now, do you see my dilemma? 
  9. Favorite movie, and why? "Howl's Moving Castle" It's a lovely story, brilliantly animated, the score is amazing, and did I mention that it has this whole steam-punk neo-victorian vibe going on? Yeah, it's awesome. Also you must know that for the past few years my answer would have been "The Phantom of the Opera" but over the years it's seemed like I will only rarely change my mind and decide upon another fave movie that will dethrone the current long time running fave. So there you have it, my dethroned old fave and my newest fave movie!
  10. Greatest accomplishment so far? Choosing to live as Christ, as a Daughter of the most high King!

amazon Kindle freebies {{april}}


I was super excited to find this on the Amzon Kindle FREE list! I just bought a New Testament Message Bible last week at work for $5, but I am super stoked to have an eBook copy on my Kindle too.


I think it will be fun to dig into this one...with the notes!


In the past I've always opted not to read these types of books, but the older I get the more it seems that I am drawn to these types of stories more and more.


I love novels with a strong female lead (and NO this does not mean I support Feminism in any way shape or form.)


Supposedly Karen Kingsbury is a really great and popular authoress right now. We sell a lot of her books at the Family Christian Store where I work at; but I am not sure if I'll like this story or not. I guess we'll see!


This one looks like a super easy and quite adventuresome read. Perfect for the Summertime.


I have to be honest, the only reason I really even got this book is because the cover photography was so pretty...and because it is by a Christian author. I hope it's good.


Now this is a book that I am REALLY excited about reading. This one is a new release (2011). It's a story of two sisters who take very different life paths...one staying on the Ranch and the other becoming a seller of antique books. Antique books...sisters...redemption...prodigal daughter story...enough said, really.


Brit Lit. Good stuff.


A young woman starts renovating an old Victorian home, and then mysterious things start happening. Mystery, a Victorian house, yes please do tell me that story! 


13 Little Blue Envelopes. Doesn't that just sound dreamy? It does to me. A romance filled European adventure. Sigh. Just what the Doctor ordered.


A Faerie story. Oh, how I love me some Fantasy books to read! I actually found out about this book on the blog Concrete & Grace this morning. Thanks for telling us about this Kindle freebie, Siriana! 
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Well, blogger lovelies, you can find these books on Amazon.com for FREE for use on your Amazon Kindle, iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone. If you don't have a Kindle like I do then know that there is an APP for you to download these books. Happy searching...and reading...
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{{Note}}

 I am not getting any kind of payment from the authors or publishers for talking about their works or for discussing these particular books on my blog. I simply found these eBooks for FREE on Amazon and wanted to share with you about these titles. Also, I have not read any of these books as of yet, so I cannot endorse them or their contents (their appropriateness) fully as of yet. 



of television & of books

Listening To: Tron: Legacy (soundtrack)
Currently Reading: 'Breath of Angel' by: Karyn Henley
Quote Love: "There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are." {Ernst Haas}


{image via: therecycledlibrary.blogspot.com}

     I must say that my new work schedule (at the Family Christian Store) has been an awesome change for me. I am now working in the afternoons into late in the evening, which totally works for me, seeing as how I am not an early morning person at all and rather am instead a cutsie little night owl. ::hoot hoot:: The only thing that has changed for me really with my new work schedule is that I don't get to watch my television programs (as Jay would say) anymore like I used to because I am at work when they come on late in the evenings.

    At first I was kind of like "Darn, I am gonna miss watching American Idol and Survivor!" Now though I am really excited that there isn't that much room in my life for television. I think going through my day without tv as a distraction is a beautifully brilliant awesome thing for me!

     I mean if you think about it, what do we really watch tv for anyway? For me it was for a false connection with tv character "friends", filler of time to be wasted, and a way to totally veg out and escape from life for a bit. Now I am not bashing tv shows in their entirety, honestly. I just think that for me I really could use my time more wisely by doing things that fill me up and make me a better and far much wiser young woman.

Things like: reading my Bible more, reading tons of books to expand my ever growing mind, spending more time with my family, playing piano, writing poetry, blogging, going for a long walk, taking photographs, editing photographs on my laptop, etc. The list goes on...

     I absolutely love watching films, still, and for me I don't see that ever changing. In fact, even though I have not been able to watch tv lately I have taken the time to indulge myself in my love affair of BBC films and other films as well by spending time watching them with my love (Jared) and my family. I watched "Daniel Deronda" with Jay this past weekend, and I absolutely LOVE it and I think Jay really liked it too. I also watched "Arthur & The Invisibles" for the first time the other night with my family, and surprisingly it was a really good movie, and it was a lot of fun to watch with my whole family. All this said, I will not stop watching movies...ever. However tv and I seem like we have been departing from one another, and for me, well, that is quite alright.

     So if I may dare ask, has anyone been reading anything really smashingly great and exciting lately that you'd love to share with me and the readers of Daughter of the King? What about YOU suggesting my next movie marathon line up for me? I'm game and all ears for now...

Here's what's coming next...
In my next post I'll share with you a few of the awesome new books that I just scored on Amazon.com for my sweetly-fantasticly-amazing Kindle...for FREE. Don't worry! If you don't have a Kindle,well, there's an App for that! ;-)

when visions and dreams come to life...

  
     This morning I wanted to purpose myself to spend some time with God, in prayer and in reading His Word. Let me interrupt myself and tell you that purposing myself to be still and quiet is a HUGE struggle of mine because my mind wanders so stinkin' freely most of the time while I am awake, and also because I do not like to sit still for very long, unless of course there are snuggly blankets, a mug of tea (yes, I do not use tea cup) and a slew of BBC movies to be watched, I do not like to sit very still for very long.

    Whew, okay, ranting aside for now...

     I didn't know what to read in my Bible at all this morning so I decided to grab my Bible anyway (I ended up reading Psalm 42...as the deer etc...), a journal, a pen, a devotional book and see where the Lord would lead me after prayer with Him. The hardest task this morning was finding a journal...the right journal. For whatever reason I have like 1,000 7 journals to write in. They house many random notes from cute little romantic things Jared has said to me, to Bible verses sloppily jotted down. I finally found one that hadn't really been written in all that much yet, and as I read the 3 filled pages of the journal a smile began to spread across my face. The first page in my journal said "The Vision Page" and the 2nd and 3rd pages contained "The Perfect Man" pages. Those pages held my dreams from way back when; all my hopes and desires at the time.

     I've never been huge into journaling, mainly because my handwriting isn't that pretty. After having read through my vision page and my perfect man vision pages this morning I really didn't care all that much that my handwriting was just only sub par, nope, I was glad that I had written those visions of my dreams out for myself to revisit and read through for such a time...well, as today. I think I may start journaling more frequently. I believe that seeing my faith stirred on paper, and then later on to see prayers and dreams answered would be such an awesome experience...just to look back at how greatly God moved in my life and on my behalf you know? Anyway, below is my vision page...

On my vision page was written 
(in no particular order): 

A job selling books

Friends

Leading a Bible study for Teen girls

Teaching Piano

My own car

A boyfriend

A wife...someday

A mother...someday

     Today as I sat there and read through the lists in my journal...all about my "visions" and my "perfect man"...I rejoiced in the Lord for taking my dreams that I had way back in 2008 and turning them into a beautiful reality in 2011. I am so very blessed! 

  • I just started my new job on April 9th...selling books...at the Family Christian Store in my town. 
  • I have lovely friends. Blogger friends and friends who I see face to face alike. 
  • I have worked in youth ministry with young women before and I hope to do so again in the future. I guess this blog of mine is a way to reach out and minister to young women (and young men too?) 
  • I am still teaching piano after having been doing so for the last few years, and even though I only have one (super-fab) piano student (alaythea c.) currently I trust that if it is the Lord's will for me to gain more students then He alone will open the doors for me to do so. 
  • I got a (fairly new {2007}) car a while back and just paid it off last year. PRAISE THE LORD!
  • I have a wonderfully handsome and very loving boyfriend who is the best friend I have ever had, and who means more than anything in the world to me!!


     ...and I guess the last two things on my vision list will have to wait until a later date I suppose, but I can rest assured that the Lord will hold those dreams in His hands until He is ready to release them into my life in His sweet time. Isn't it so great that not only does He hold us, but He also holds everything...the WHOLE WORLD...in His mighty hands? That gives me such comfort, hope and joy! It really does. How about you?

     As far as my "Perfect Man" page, well, that list is kinda silly, so I'm not all that sure I should post it or about it on my blog (unless you all MUST know or something). I will tell you that I am, emphatically and ardently so, in love with my perfect man, who may not seem to be the perfect man to everyone, or to the eyes of the world, but he who is my love is indeed the perfect man for me! I love you so very much, Jared! 

     I encourage you to go grab a Bible, a journal, a pen and to begin to release your dreams to God. It is so freeing when you do. When you look back on those days (through the eyes of your journal pages, or your memories) when you didn't know where to turn to next, the days when you tightly held onto "your" dreams, and after you have released them and returned to find them once again you will begin to see how amazing and loving our Father is who orchestrated your life in His impeccable timing. So, why don't we get to dreaming, grabbing, writing and going...?



life update - many blessings

    
     Hi there blogger dears! It's been such a long while since I've been on here, hasn't it? I've missed talking to you all so much! Anyway... I've been away from my blog because God's just been moving like {{CrAzY}} in my life, and that is what has been keeping me super busy and away from all of you. I also recently got a doosy of a computer virus on my laptop the other day, that sadly took it out of commission for the time being, so I am hoping that the Geek Squad can get it fixed as soon as possible! Hopefully I'll get my laptop back this week sometime, but until then my posts will just have to remain short and sweet and picture-less, sorry girls and boys!

   I hope you all won't mind if I quickly share with you a few of the crazy awesome blessings that have been happening to me over the last week and a half? Okay, here goes...

{1}
I am going to the She Speaks Conference 2011 because of a very special and generous gift given to me by someone. I promise you that I am the most excited young woman alive! I was so blessed by this extravagant gift, that after I read the e-mail saying that I'd be able to go I burst out into tears of pure joy. I am ready for July 22nd to get here already!!

{2}
After God shut some doors in my boyfriend's life he began to open up some windows for Jared. I am so excited...like I am seriously bursting at the seams (if I had seams that is) excited...to say that Jared is no longer 5 hours away from me! Yep, you heard right. Jared moved only just yesterday up to Asheville, and he will be settling into his new hometown which is only an hour away from me while going to a new college and finding a job. Please pray for God to open doors for Jared to find a job very soon, if you all don't mind.

{3}
My back is doing so much better. Thank you so much for your prayers everyone, it really meant a lot! I was in so much pain, but after going to the chiropractor for a few weeks now I am no longer in pain every-day-all-day-long and my headaches have slowly been easing off and going away almost completely too. Before I started going to the chiropractor's I had a headache to accompany my super bad back pains every single day, and I am now happy to report that I've only had 3 headaches since I started getting treatment and adjustments done on my back. I only just finished round 1 of my chiropractic treatment and I start round 2...the corrective part of my chiropractic treatment...next week.

{4}
I had been praying that the Lord would use me in some sort of ministry over the last few months, and I had also been praying that I would find a new job where my God-given talents would be made of better use...and where I could get more hours at than the hours I was currently getting working at the Preschool. Well, God has answered those prayers! Everything happened so fast that I simply blinked my eyes and I had a new job that is immersed in ministry in just one week. To make a long story short I now work with Family Christian Stores, and I couldn't be happier! 

{5}
I get to go spend all day Saturday with Jared in Asheville! I haven't seen him in 3 weeks and I am missing him like crazy! Come on Saturday...

Well, I guess that's all for now. I hope you all are having a wondyful Thursday! 

{liQuid sunshine blog party}

Liquid Sunshine @ HorseFeathers


Favorite season, and why?
I think that this quote pretty much sums up this question with my answer in tow: "Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." {George Eliot} I love the crisp air, crunching leaves underneath my leather boots, sipping hot wassail, hiking, photographing the mountains that I call Home, the smell of fresh office/school supplies, wearing my AE jeans, making fires in the back yard, watching the stars of an October sky while "camping out" in the yard, toasting s'mores, wearing cardigans that make me look preppy and casual all at the same time....ah, le sigh, autumn my very soul is wedded to it! 


How would you describe your personal style? 
I guess you could say that my style is casual, neo-victorian, earthy-boho-wanna-be. I'm not really sure, but I love to mix and match totally different artsy/earthy pieces together with some more casual classic pieces, add an interesting necklace and a cool pair of earrings and call it a day! Some may call me a "Plain Jane" type of a girl, but that is quite alright with me. I kinda believe, like Diana Barry said in Anne of Green Gable's "...being smart was better than being good looking." I'd much rather be smart than good looking. Heart and brain come before vanity in my world. I still like to look nice, and dress well, but my personal style is not what defines me. What defines me is My King and my heart and mind.




What's one weird thing you can do? (The stranger the better!)
I morph my voice. I can turn off my normal speaking voice and turn my voice on into the voices of Gollum/Smeagol, Jar Jar Binks, a weird little girl and a retarded reindeer (don't ask about this one, okay?) I can also speak with an British and Russian accent quite well. I love to randomly start speaking with a Russian accent in the middle of a conversation because it really throws people for a loop!



Rain or shine?
It really depends....my first response would be to say rain-shine! ;-) I love grey rainy days because they usually make great days for working on the stack of books that is laying beside my bed. However, the rain is not always my dearest friend, because I do love to get out there and go hiking and I love taking photographs, and well, the sunshiney days usually work best for those things.



Confession time... what's a flaw of yours?
Are we talking personal or physical here? Hmmm... If we are talking personal then I'd have to say my lack of patience. I am not a very patient person at all, and I struggle with my hard-headedness. If we are talking physical then I would have to say my thumbs. They are very different from anyone else's thumbs that I have ever seen...and anyone who notices them usually just "loves" to point it out to me that "they" are "extremely weird!" If you can't tell I am uber self conscious about my thumbs, and I usually hide them whenever people are around me, or when any photograph of me is being taken.




Favorite music?
Goodness, where to begin? I love anything from Classical to Hard Rock to Indie, and etc. Seriously, my musical tastes are all over the board. I can tell you what I've really been into listening currently though, I guess? Lately Shiloh's Mantra, And By Love, Thrice, Eisley, Paper Tongues, Red and the Tron: Legacy Soundtrack have all been stuck in my head and gracing my ears with their joyous sound infused ruckus as of late.



Have you ever made a decision you instantly regretted? What was it?
Black Friday. Biggest mistake ever! I don't care how many 'sales' are going on. This girl will NEVER be going to another Black Friday event ever! It was horrible. I mean almost getting run over by a mob of angry people wielding Gameboy's and flat screen tv's is not my idea of worth-while savings, or fun for that matter.



Who do you admire/look up to?

Family and dear friends aside...? Well, I'd have to say that Madeleine L'Engle (the brilliant authoress who has now gone "Home") has been the biggest influence on me as a person, and a writer. The way that she seemingly wove together the threads of my life within her characters (even before I was born!!) unknowingly and taught me valuable lessons about love and friendship through them...and good writing too...is what has most shaped me as a person. As a middle school aged girl I pretty much embodied Meg Murray. We were one in the same girl, Meg Murray and I. L'Engle's novel, A Wrinkle In Time, is and always will be my favorite book. I'd always been searching to know just who I was as an adolescent, and so did Meg. Madeleine taught both Meg and I to let go, to let love pour in and to find ourselves in the midst of any trials that we were both up against.


You've just won an unlimited lifetime supply of... what?
BOOKS. Having a whole library full of my own books would be fab! I'd probably cry if I ever got the chance to own and receive every book that's ever been on my wish list! This bookworm believes that knowledge is indeed power...so more knowledge in infinite amounts is what I'd want to possess for a lifetime.



If you were an animal, what would you be?
I'd be a Barred Owl. I am nocturnal. They supposedly have BIG brown eyes, pale faces and dark rings around their eyes and they're from the eastern United States, just like me! Haha! My brunette curls are crazy, frenzied and feathery just like an owl's wings are. Owl's are just so mysterious, as am I, as a person until you get to know the real me. I would love to soar over the mountains and oceans as they do!



If you knew you were going to die in a year, what would you do with your time?
I'd want to go travel through Europe with a journal and a pen by my side (or ::ahem:: in my backpack) to document EVERYTHING I experienced, stacks of books to read and to proverbially "take me away", my beloved camera to capture what I see and my loved ones by my side to share it ALL with.



You're now a gazillionaire...where do you go to spend your money?
First, I'd buy myself a beautiful mountain Home in Asheville NC with a large library and music room in it. Secondly, I'd be headed to the nearest piano distributor to buy a Steinway & Sons full length Grand Piano!!! Thirdly, I'd buy the best camera and lenses that money could buy and start photographing the WORLD for everyone to see! Fourthly, I'd start a Christian book publishing company. (I'd do a lot more too...perhaps I should post more about this at a later date?) =)




Classical music: love it or hate it?
I love Classical music! Gershwin, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Joplin (well, okay he is more Rag-Timey), Chopin, Camille Saint Saens...they are all brilliant composers and they are indeed worth having a listen to!



Phobias?
Fish (this is the BIGGEST one!!!) Elevators (I get vertigo really easily...and they are uberously cramped and enclosed usually!) Clowns (still don't like 'em!) Too many people surrounding me and my personal space bubble (talk about being claustrophobic! Phew!) Chickens (which is hilarious because my family and I will be getting some chicks in the very near future! Ha, guess I'll have to get over this one!) Mayonnaise touching my body or my tongue....Y-U-C-K!



Hop on a plane and go live somewhere for a year... where is it, and why?

I'd have to say.................Scotland. It is sparsely populated in the countryside, surrounded by lovely emerald green hills as far as the eye can see and not to mention some seriously mysterious lochs. I could definitely picture myself on the shores of Loch Ness with my camera, a quilt to lay out on, a picnic basket, a stack of books to read through, notebooks and pens to let my imagination drift away on whilst writing.....and it would be quiet! Hey, maybe I'd run into Gerard Butler ::swoon:: while there, or Nessie? I think Nessie and I could be great friends! (Man, now I want to go watch "The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep!")


Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
Well, my personality is an INFJ if that tells you anything!? I am a very personable and huggable person, though I am definitely an INTROVERT! I am a shy young woman who loves taking long walks out in the middle of no-where-ville where there is just silence and next to no people out and about around me, and reading books and getting lost in them while cuddled up on my bed wrapped tightly up in one my quilt's, etc. Meeting new people kind of wracks my nerves a bit, but once I warm up to you and befriend you you'll probably wish that I had stayed silent and the wallflower that I normally am because I can, and will, talk your ears off once you're allowed inside my "Personal-Sarah-Bubble!"



Would you/do you perform on stage?
One year I got a small role in a Christmas play at the Church we were attending at at the time. My role was that of the Wiseman...yeppers...the one with the bag of gold! Let's just say that that "Christmas Play" memory is a pretty bad one, seeing as how I only had one line and I completely forgot it during our production. I am not an actor by any means whatsoever! This is known and very clear to me! ::disappointed sigh:: I've been in a few different choirs over the years though, and I have even been the keyboardist and lead female vocalist for a Worship band before (which I LOVED doing!)



If you'd like to join on in with the LiQuid Sunshine Giveaway + Blog Party and answer the fab questions above too please head on over to Olivia's blog: OfHorseFeathers!


a movie review: the secrets of jonathan sperry

{image via - educatorsathome.com}

About The Story (please view the movie trailer):


Meet The Main Cast of Characters:
{all images via: images.google.com}

Dustin played by Jansen Panettiere
The young man who has much to learn about faith, and who also has the two bestest of buddies by his side.

Mr. Jonathan Sperry played by Gavin MacLeod
A man with a heart for the Lord and wisdom to share...readily.

Albert played by Frankie Ryan Manriquez
Comic relief ring a bell?

Mark (far left) played by Allen Isaacson
The  truest of friends who has serious smarts.

Tanya (far right) played by Bailey Garno
Dustin's "love interest."

Mr. Barnes played by Robert Guillaume
The elderly "wandering" neighbor of Mr. Sperry. 

Nick played by Taylor Boggan
The Bully with something hidden deep down inside.

Negative Elements:
Absolutely n/a.

Positive Elements:
Where to begin? This movie was full of faith, life, friendship and love. I cried. I laughed. This movie was set in the 70's! Oh yes, this girl loves watching movies that are set in the 70's! The music was simply done and lovely. The cinematography was not shaky or crazily done in the least...which made my tummy and I very happy! Haha! Overall this movie is just a win-win, and a new favorite of mine!

Religious Aspects:
Christian ( and strongly so at that!) Mr. Sperry brings Biblical truths to light for the boys in this film in ways that I never would've thought of teaching them in that brilliant way myself...and to think it all started in this movie with a young man mowing an elderly mans lawn! Oh how clever God is when working in the seemingly most mundane tasks of our lives, while all the time HE is teaching us valuable lessons through our daily life, our friends and EVEN our elders!

My Thoughts:
Okay, so my mother got this movie from Netflix. She demanded that I watch it before she sent it back in the mail (because the rest of my family had already watched it), and after nearly two weeks I finally caved in and sat down to watch it. Starting out watching this movie I thought to myself "It's probably just another cheesy low budget feel-good film, right?" Oh, how I was wrong! I haven't watched a movie this wholesome and faith-filled in such a very long time. Not only was this film full of the Christian Faith and JESUS, but it was also very enjoyable to watch too (not to say that I usually assume that "Christian" movies are a bore!) I was glued to my seat as I watched Dustin, Mark and Albert (among others) try to get Dustin a "girlfriend," and also learn so many valuable lessons from Mr. Sperry etc. 

The lessons that Mr. Sperry taught the boys were so very important...timeless...and even "ageless," as in they were lessons that all ages need to hear and take to heart. I only hope and pray that the generation of young people with which I live among right now will start to also take to heart the teachings of every older and much wiser person that enters into their life just like the three boys did in this film with the teachings of Mr. Sperry. 

In Closing:
I hope you will all take the time to buy, rent or borrow a copy of this great little film so that you all will be able to learn a thing or two from Dustin, Mr. Sperry and the "rest of the gang!" Please, let me know if you watch this movie...or if you've already seen it...and what you thought of it!?