A Pirates of Penzance Wedding

On the way home from church, my sisters and I had a brilliant idea.

A Pirates of Penzance themed wedding.

I know.

It's pure genius.

So we then planned my wedding.

All females in the wedding party will be dressed as the Stanley sisters.

The groomsman will be dressed as pirates.

The ushers will be dressed as policemen.

The bride (me) and groom will be dressed as Mabel and Frederic.

I want the song "Dirait-on" played as a processional. "Dirait-on" is a choir piece that I sang at Harding Honor Choir two years ago. It's an absolutely beautiful song.....when done correctly. Don't bother to look it up on youtube. I've spent hours looking for good recordings, but in every single video I watched, there were one or more of the following problems.
1. Incorrect French pronunciation....this really bugs me.
2. They sang it super, super slow....it's supposed to be slow, but not THAT slow.
3. The choir was really bad....like, they just didn't sound good.
4. The recording was really low quality and you couldn't even hear that well.

It was a disappointment. If you are set on hearing this song (which I recommend, if you like French songs sung by choirs, like I do), maybe you'd have some luck on iTunes.

So anyway. I kind of want the song "Don't Stop Believing" played at my reception, but I'm not sure how people would react to a secular song:) At least Dirait-on is in French and sounds like a wedding song.

So there's my Pirates wedding.

I'm not getting married any time soon....I promise.
And this is just for fun. I don't actually expect my wedding to be like this, although I DO want "Dirait-on"....and "Don't Stop Believing":)

I want a kitten.
Or some baby bunnies.
Or a little beagle puppy.
Or some little ducklings.

I really don't care. I just want a baby something that I can cuddle with.

Probably a kitten. I'd really like a kitten. A little orange one.

My cats ran away/died when we moved to out new house.

Maybe I'll get a kitten for Christmas:)

Pioneer Woman photography

I've been reading the Pioneer Woman's blog/website/whatever you want to call it for a little while now, and I love when she posts about photography. The Photography section of her site is actually a collaboration of a couple very gifted photographers. It makes me want a camera so I can take awesome photos, too!:)

I love this one of her daughter. I wish that I was as photogenic as her children. Either that, or I wish my mother knew how to use photoshop.

This one was taken by one of the other contributors. It's my favorite.

This one is very photoshopped. I still love it.

I love these two. A lot.

It makes me think, "I could do that, too, if I had an expensive camera, all the right equipment, hardcore photoshop knowledge, a couple of horse models, a couple photogenic children, and extra time."

I doubt any of that will happen in the near future.

Unexpected Song

I have never felt like this

For once I'm lost for words

Your smile has really thrown me

This is not like me at all

I never thought I'd know

The kind of love you've shown me

Now, no matter where I am

No matter what I do

I see your face appearing

Like an unexpected song

An unexpected song

That only we are hearing

I don't know what's going on

Can't work it out at all

Whatever made you choose me?

I just can't believe my eyes

You look at me as though

You couldn't bear to loose me

Now, no matter where I am
No matter what I do
I see your face appearing
Like an unexpected song
An unexpected song
That only we are hearing

I have never felt like this
For once I'm lost for words
Your smile has really thrown me
This is not like me at all
I never thought I'd know
The kind of love you've shown me

Now, no matter where I am
No matter what I do
I see your face appearing
Like an unexpected song
An unexpected song
That only we are hearing

Like an unexpected song

An unexpected song

That only we are hearing

I'm singing this song for Scrooge auditions tomorrow...the first verse, anyway. I hope it'll sound good:)

New blog!!

I have started a new blog! www.escapeartistjenna.blogspot.com

I'm going to use it to blog about knitting, sewing, drawing and such.

The Wisdom Teeth Chronicles: Pizza and Steak

I'm not numb anymore! This is a comfort, because when Dr. Esquibel said yesterday morning, "You're going to be numb for 10-14 hours," I didn't actually realize that he actually meant that until I had been numb about 9 hours and was sick of dribbling whatever I was trying to eat/drink down my chin because I couldn't feel it. Example: the ice pack that wraps around my head has ice cream stains on the place that goes under my chin. How embarrassing:) lol

I have to wear the ice pack this morning, but I can take it off this afternoon and only need to wear it if I start to swell, which might actually be pretty comical. I haven't really had much swelling...

I just realized how boring this is. Who cares if I'm swelling, except that it looks funny.

I promise, if I start to swell and I look really ridiculous, I'll take a picture and (if it isn't tooooooo embarrassing) I'll post it.

I can eat whatever I want to today! Dr. told me yesterday that if I felt like I could eat pizza and steak, I could eat pizza and steak. I really wish he wouldn't have put it that way, because yesterday, as I ate my yogurt and drank the apple juice that was my lunch, I was absolutely yearning for pizza. I don't think I'll be eating pizza today, unless we pick up some pizza baby food.

You all must dislike me immensely. I ramble on about ice packs and pizza and I wasn't considerate enough to post any pictures:)

The Wisdom Teeth Chronicles: Numb and Goofy

I feel as if I lived on the sea all my life and now I'm trying to get land legs. My jaw, tongue, lips, roof of my mouth, and chin are all completely numb. If there is one thing Dr. Esquibel wanted me to understand, it was.......ICE. IT'S YOUR BEST FRIEND! He told me that a million times, because ice stops the swelling which in turn stops the pain and speeds up recovery!!! Thanks all for you prayers!!

The worst part was the anticipation.

I am completely terrified of NEEDLES.

I did awesome when they put in the IV. I squeezed Mom's hand and kept saying to myself "I am with you always, even unto the end of the age," which of course is what Jesus told his disciples when he was leaving them. After the needle was in me, Dr. gave me some painkillers. Then, after prepping me for it, he put the stuff that knocks you out in the IV. Almost immediately I started giggling quietly. I remember saying, "Oh my goodness, this is weird, oh my goodness..." Then the next thing I remember is waking up and the really nice nurse lady telling me she was going to take the oxygen things out of my nose. Then she helped me to the car.

I took the picture of me at the top of the post a couple of minutes ago. Imagine my mouth open in a big cheesy smile:) I feel like I could give you a big cheesy smile, but I can't open my mouth very wide.

I just now tried to take an open mouth smiling picture, but it was really creepy. And gross. And you would probably laugh at me because I look ridiculous:)

The Wisdom Teeth Chronicals: Under the Knife

Sooo...I'm going to the oral surgeon in less than an hour. I can hardly contain my excitment and joy.

Bleh.

I forgot to post about Katie yesterday!

Not a very flattering picture of either of us. Ignore that.
This is Katie and me in Texas! Katie one of my best friends and my officially unofficial "guardian" when my mother/father are not present. She is starting her 2nd year of college.

Harding University, where Katie goes, my mom went, and I intend to go to college, is located in Searcy, Arkansas, but they have study abroad oppurtunities and this semester Katie is going to Zambia! She's going to be there for three whole months and I'm not really sure what I'm going to do without her. Yesterday was significant because yesterday...she left. Flew to Africa. It's crazy:)

I say "crazy" because there are black mambas in Africa.

The Wisdom Teeth Chronicles

I am having my four wisdom teeth removed Friday morning. This includes:

1. An IV...
2. ...and other needles
3. Eating ice cream.
4. Being in pain.

I am not particularly looking forward to this adventure, but at this point (it's two days away) I just want to get it over with. My recovery schedule is as follows:

1. return home, sleep
2. sleep
3. wake up, take ibuprofen
4. eat ice cream/yogurt
5. check facebook, texts, email, update blog, etc.
6. repeat steps 2-5 until I'm feeling well enough to take a shower and begin normal life again (I'm aiming for Tuesday morning)

Sounds like oodles of fun, eh?

Pride and Prejudice love triangles, Clarissa Edition

Clarissa got a little carried away drawing love triangles. I decided to ask her to explain them to me. Try to keep it all straight as she skips around to different people. Can you imagine how confusing the book would be if all this was true?:)

"Mary likes Collins, but Charlotte is married to Collins, so Charlotte and Mary are fighting over Collins. Mary also like Colonel Forster, and Mrs. Forster and Mary are fighting over him. Charlotte and Elizabeth both 'admire' Colonel Forster, so they are fighting over him. Actually, Collins can't decide between Charlotte and Elizabeth. He loves them both. Okay, Elizabeth and Ms. King are fighting over Colonel Forster. He's just the man to be fighting over; it's because he looks so good in his red coat. Alright, now, Darcy and Wickham both love Elizabeth. Ms. King and Georgiana both love Wickham. Wickham can't decide between Lydia and Georgiana. Um, Ms. de Bourge and Elizabeth are fighting over Mr. Darcy. Ms. de Bourge also loves Fitzwilliam. Miss Bingley loves Darcy and Bingley. Georgiana and Jane are fighting over Bingley. Lydia and Georgiana are fighting over Bingley. Now let's go back to Miss Bingley for a second so we can get the random guy at the dance in. Okay, Miss Bingley is in love with Captain Carter and the random guy at the dance. The Random Guy at the dance and Bingley are, like, secretly in loooove with Hill in their hearts because she's just so good at her job. Oh, Bingley and Jane are fighting over Hill because they both want her as their personal servant or something. Collins is secretly in love with Miss de Bourge as well as Elizabeth. Jane and Hill love Bingley's servant. Even though Jane is married to Bingley. She loves his servant too, also. (grammar? must be a homeschooler:) Okay, then, um, Bingley's servant and Hill love Mr. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet and Bingley's servant both love Mr. Bennet. We don't know if Bingley's servant is a man or a woman. Captain Carter and Denny both love Kitty. Denny and the Random Guy at the dance both love Hill. Ok, um.......Wickham and Denny also both love Kitty. All the redcoats love Kitty, Lydia just doesn't know it. (annoying laughter) Um, Denny - no, wait, Lydia can't decide between Wickham and Denny. Oh, Mrs. Bennet loves Denny and Wickham. Elizabeth loves the Random Guy and the dance and Bingley. I'll marry Mr. Darcy!!"

There you have it:)

Round One: various summer pictures:)

Fun at the Follies! We sang Simple Boy and Modern Major General,

both of which brought back a lot of fond memories

We went to a Cardinal game. It was oodles of fun, but I think we lost.

I don't remember for sure. Isn't that awful?

I just love this picture. I don't remember who that is.....oops.

I hope to post more pictures soon!

Week 1: completed!

We are starting our second week of school today, but I thought I'd give you a little summary of our first week. I'll just list my favorite subjects.

Bible - I'm reading these thick books discussing the old law and every possible subject that relates in any to the old law. Somewhat tedious, quite interesting. I read outside on the porch railing so I can block out the sibling noise.

Chem - Difficult, but I really enjoy it. I'm studying atomic structures; it's fascinating!

Gov't - A lot of numbers (years, dollars, percentages...etc.) which makes it hard to read, which in turn makes it hard to comprehend.

Literature - LOVING it; In the middle of The Scarlet Letter.

The Art of Clothes - http://theartofclothes.blogspot.com
Pemberley Couture - http://pemberleycouture.blogspot.com

This girl has done some pretty cool stuff with a sewing machine. If you are remotly interested in sewing/costumes, check it out.

Bit by Bit

I'm going to have to catch you up on my summer later when I have time to sit and post pictures. For now, I'm going to catch you up on the present.

Today we started school. I'm a junior this year and can't wait to go to college ... "it seems so long!" I'm doing some pretty interesting things, along with some not so interesting things, and I'm reading a bunch of good books this year, a bunch of classics that I haven't read before. I'm going to be in homeschool band, which greatly excites me! A few years ago I was thinking seriously about being in band at the high school, but I wouldn't be able to compete because I wasn't a full time student. I've dropped ballet and jazz, but I'm still doing tap because I love it so much:) Rebecca has moved into my class, so our Tuesdays are a little less vexing. I'm still taking flute and piano, and let me rant a little....I'm to the point in my piano playing that I love it so much I wish I could play much, much harder music....the only problem is, I can make my fingers do it sometimes, but my brain is too slow, and so my fingers move too slow and I get frustrated with myself. I'm going to stick it through, however, regretting every minute that I quit lessons when I was young. Auditions for Scrooge are next month, and I can't decide what to sing.

Watch for summer pictures and stories in the near future....or distant future, whenever I get around to it....

Oh, something I forgot!

My youth group and I recently (last weekend) went to a youth rally in Neosho, MO. We had a jolly old time singing, praising God, listening to great speakers and playing many games of Nertz, ERS and Spoons. We had been on the road back to Rolla for about an hour when suddenly it sounded like we hit something. The whole bus shook (even more than usual) and Mr. Bramlett pulled slowly over to the shoulder. A tire popped, and we were a little ways from a exit. We drove slowly on the side of the road until we took the exit and found a truck stop. Mr. Bramlett started the tire removal process and we all walked across the street to a McDonalds. We sat there for about 45 minutes until the tire was fixed, and we continued our journey home. Fifteen minutes down the road, the bus breaks down. Being a girl and not being interested in vehicle mechanics very much, I'm not exactly sure what the problem was, but it happens a lot to the poor bus and Mr. Bramlett quickly fixed it.

By this time, Mr. Bramlett is a huge hero to us.

But wait!! Fifteen minutes down the road, the bus breaks down again and Mr. Bramlett can't get it to start. About the same time we stopped, an accident happened about a third of a mile down the road. Traffic immediately started to pile up, so even if by some miracle the old church bus did start up again, we wouldn't be able to go anywhere because of the long line of traffic building up a few feet away from our stopped bus. It starts to rain. So we sit, we play Catchphrase, we watch the ambulances weave their way past us and to the accident site, we play mafia, Mr. Bramlett calls a tow, we sweat in the now really humid bus, we got outside in the drizzly rain to cool off and watch the sluggish line of traffic drive by a few feet in front of us. Nearly an hour later, the traffic is moving by at a normal speed and the tow guy comes. He tows us inside the bus for about a mile to the nearest gas station. We sat inside an (air conditioned!) Christian coffee house that was neighbors with the gas station, and we waited until my grandpa and Mrs. McKinney arrived in their minivans to tote us back to Rolla. Thirty minutes later, I'm sitting in my grandpa's minivan listening to the rain-delayed Cardinals game, playing many, many rounds of Mafia, and sighing in relief as we finally reached Rolla. We left Neosho at 11:30, and it's a 2 hour trip. We arrived at the church building at 5:30.......I was sooooo glad to be home:)