Endangered World

Hello all!

So for those of you who don't know, I am a bit of a story writer. I never finish them but boy do I enjoy writing them... until I get bored that is and hence the reason why I have never finished one. I just can't seem to get passed writing those boring scenes that turn out to be Oh so important to finishing a book. Most of my stories are in the fantasy realm, some having to do with vampires, others with the elements, elves, princesses and queens.

I usually quit after writing between 5 - 10 pages. There is one exception though. One of my best friends and I started a story called "Endangered World". We started it when I moved here to Sacramento as a fun way of keeping in touch with each other. Well six years later we are now 145 pages into the story. It has taken so long because one of us would write then we would lose contact with each other and then one of us would text or call out of the blue and then we would start it up again and so on.

Well after a year or so of lying dormant and untouched, it has now been brought back to life. I am so excited to be writing again and to be writing with such a great friend. So how it works is I write for as long as I can (which is usually about 2 pages) until I can't write anymore either due to boredom or lack of inspiration. Then I copy what I've written onto an e-mail and send it to my friend, who in turn write until she can't write anymore and them emails it back. What's awesome is that our writing style are very different from each other. Where she prefers writing conversations and interactions between two or more characters I prefer to write descriptions and the inner monologues/feelings of a single character.

I must say, that for having been started and written more than halfway through without a plot or clear ending figured out between the two of us, that it is actually quite an interesting story and is coming together nicely. What is even more fascinating is to look at my writing from six years ago and then compare it to my writing now... things that I could only guess at while writing about certain topics and situations I can now write with ease thanks to experiences that I have since had.

I figured that since I have talked about it for so long I may as well share a snippet of the story. So without further ado I present for your reading pleasure "Endangered World":



Melissa writing:

The world had long forgotten about elves, dwarfs, and the magical creatures that had once ruled it. Now they only live in the story books of children. Their deeds confined to ink on pages and their beauty subject to the artists' insufficient hand. Or at least, that's what we thought...

It was one of those days in Tehachapi. The first morning after a violent storm where everything seems crisp and fresh. The kind of day where your eyes seem to see better, see sharper color, and see more than you ever thought capable of human eyes. Everything was still, almost as time could not find this place, like in this valley surrounded by mountains was a place untouched by the world.
"Look out little squirrel!" Melissa shouted in concern as the squirrel ran out of the way of her car. The 4-runner sped on down the steep hill going way past the speed limit that was posted on the side of the road. Cheryl laughed at her friend's silliness as she gently fed the CD, she had burnt and presented to Melissa as a present, into the CD player.
"We can't end our trip without singing our song now can we?" She said smiling.

Melissa's smile was replaced with mock arrogance as she replied, "Of course not. It's tradition." She skipped through the other songs on the disk till it came to number 5. The music started, a simple tune played on the piano, soft and gentle with a hidden sadness. Melissa turned it up and Cheryl smiled in approval. Neither thought themselves to be good vocalists and the louder the music, the louder they could sing with confidence they could not be heard too well.

They both inhaled at the same time as the music signaled the lyrics were coming. "I can't stand to fly. I'm not that naive. I'm just out to find.... the better part of me. I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane, I'm more than some pretty face beside the train and it's not easy to be-he ME!" They emphasized the last word with added drama and both laughed at how they had both had the same idea. On they sang, two best friends, unaware a great adventure lay before them.



Cheryl writing: (the friend lol)

After they stopped laughing, Cheryl, with a smile still on her face, asked "So what are we supposed to be doing today? Besides enjoying the fact we're out of school and all that."

Melissa thought for a moment (Cheryl commented she thought there was smoke coming from her friend's ears) and said "Well......I actually do have some chores and stuff. But, you know, it doesn't have to be done right now. Just by today."

Cheryl nodded. "Ditto." Grinning evilly at each other, they had to stop at the red light. Someone in the next car saw them, and suddenly feared for his life. When the light turned green ("My turn!"), the man eased slowly away from them so they could continue scheming. Turning onto the freeway, he was seriously frightened now, because they were on the freeway as well. Poor soul-he didn't realize that they were only going to Barnes and Noble, completely opposite his own destination.

"So any books you've read lately that you liked?" Melissa asked her bookworm friend. Cheryl frowned, as if trying to go through a file cabinet of the books she's read and enjoyed. Melissa now commented that Cheryl looked like she was going to give herself a hernia.

Sticking her tongue out, Cheryl said "Nope, not lately. More reason to browse though, right?"

Melissa nodded. "And Starbucks."

Nodding her head vehemently, Cheryl also said "And mall? Is the mall good?" Melissa seemed to be considering the suggestion. Cheryl added "We like the mall, remember? Girl's day out and all that. And if your chores are anything like mine, that's where we get 'em done. Shopping, right? There's a grocery store next to the mall too, if we need it." Melissa merely turned up the music again, leaving Cheryl glaring at her before turning to the window. "I knew I shouldn't have come," she muttered just loud enough for Melissa to hear.

Melissa grinned. "I heard that. You didn't have to. I gave you the option of staying home. My car, my rules." Before Cheryl could answer, Melissa swerved slightly to avoid an onrushing car that had cut into the lane. "Stupid person! There's rules, you know!" Melissa yelled indignantly.

Cheryl raised an eyebrow. "Says the person going...73 in a 65 mph zone?"

Melissa harrumphed. "Be quiet. Or no Barnes and Noble."

"Yes ma'am."

Little did they know that Barnes and Noble was going to be as far as they got. No-one knew that the characters that lived in books were still there. Alive, breathing, living. They just existed in on a different plane from the rest of us though. But what would happen if there was a bridge, a single bridge, wide enough for two people to cross between the planes? Oh, what tangled webs we weave.....

Charles Dickens

Hello All! What a day it has been. So I'm sure you all have been to or at least know what a Renaissance Fair is, but how many of you have heard of the Charles Dickens Fair? Instead of focusing on the renaissance era during the reign of such as Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) and the time of William Shakespeare this one focus' on the era during the reign of queens such as Victoria (1837-1901) and men such as Charles Dickens whom the Fair is named for.

An old and dear friend texted me out of the blue on Friday saying her and her family had been invited to the Charles Dickens Fair in Daly City (by San Francisco) and they had a pair of extra tickets. Two thoughts ran through my mind at the invitation. "OMGoodness I'd love to go!" and "Oh crud that's two hours away." Those of you who know me know that I have a slight phobia of driving distances of more than an hour... two at the very most and only when I'm well rested. This trip would involve me driving two hours there (no problem) but then have a full day and then driving back another two hours, and there the worry starts to creep in.

So my solution, invite someone to drive with me and one of could take the way there and the other the way back, that I could do. So right away I texted 5 of my friends who lived nearby and might like to go. I got a two "No" answers fairly quickly and through a few more texts the rest were eliminated. Then I had a stroke of brilliance. My sister Amber, she went to my mom's for Thanksgiving and she might just still be there. I sent the text hoping that I wouldn't get an answer back, meaning that she was still at mom's where there is no reception.

I got an answer right away that she was at home and two hours away... but she would love to go. I was excited because despite being really weird and sometimes a little embarrassing my sister is actually really fun to hang out with. But that still left me with my original problem of getting there and back. We texted back and forth solutions including her coming to Sacramento on the train and her or me driving all the way to the others house late that night. After a couple fake starts and a starbucks we decided to meet half way (In Stockton) and then we would leave her car there go to the Fair then go back to her house, spend the night then drop me off in Stockton the next morning and I would drive back to Sacramento.

It started out like we had planned... except I woke up 45 min late. Yeah, its so like me. My sister took it well though and I only ended up being a half hour late, giving her and a couple of friends that she brought enough time to stop and have breakfast at a local diner in Stockton.

We finally arrived at the Fair around noon. My sister's friends dropped us off at The Cow Palace (I know right lol) and then they went on to enjoy their day in San Francisco while we were at the fair. Once there we met my friend Cheryl, got our tickets and went inside.

The whole fair was indoors and the Cow Palace seemed like hardly that as we drove up and walked around the building. So I had little hopes for the Fair and its ability to hold my interest as we went in. The first section that we went into was a pretty decent size room with a stage where some people were performing... something (me and my great memory right). From what we could see the inside was completely set up like to be the streets of Victorian London. Stalls were set up on the sides with fake windows and doorways to simulate as much as possible old time shops. The first couple shops we went into were an old time bookshop filled with the oldest looking books I've ever seen. I know a couple friends who would have loved that shop. I wasnt much into the books but the shop didn't only have books like I thought... it had teacups.

I have a few weaknesses...anything shiny, expensive, pretty... (normal girl stuff) but one of my biggest weaknesses are teacups. I collect them. So while everyone else was looking at the books I was looking at the pretty cups, and I found one that was very pretty... almost Scottish looking in its design but still very feminine and delicate looking. I would've gotten it but I didn't want to pay the money they were asking for it. After that we went and looked at a stall that was selling crowns and headgear. We tried them on until our hearts content. There was one that looked like a giant sun, it was pretty cool.

Much to our surprise there was not just one room full of stalls but 5 rooms of equal size filled with stores and stalls of wondrous things all horrifically overpriced. A corset ranged from $660 for a plain one to just over $1100 for a more decorative one. There were a couple hat stalls that were amazingly fun. We tried on as many hats as we could and some were so cute! We also tried on masks, scarves, fur collars, head and hair jewelry and gloves. It was all tons of fun and we had a great time laughing at eachother.

My favorite stall however was one of the first ones that we went into. It was a coat stall. OMGoodness it was incredible! It had all the old styles of coats for men and women and they were all so beautiful! I only found one picture that even comes close to doing any of them justice. Unfortunately like everything there the coats were all very expensive ranging from $275 to over $1000.



The one pictured is one of the over $1,000 ones and it looks amazing on. A couple more promotions at work and I'll be placing an order. Most of the people at the Fair were dressed up in the outfits of the Victorian era. I cant really say enough about how fun it was or all the great outfits that we saw there.

We spent four hours there until we looked at all the stalls and had lunch. We met with Amber's friends and left San Fran. I guess they decided to pick up my car from Stockton and drive with me to my sister's house so they didn't have to make the trip the next day. At first I was a little dissapointed because that just meant that I had to drive two hours the next day instead of just one but as it turns out it was a really good thing we went to get my car. Turns out that I had left my keys in my car... and not only did I lock then in my car but I left them in the ignition and the car was running. Seven hours my car had been just sitting there running.

Luckily my sister has AAA and we got a guy to come out and unlock it for us. He said I was very lucky because no one stole my car. He guessed it was because the cops had been setting up alot of bate cars around the area where we had left it. Plus, my car still had enough gas to make it to my sisters house. God is good!

Who's up for coming with me to the fair next?!

My Japan-Man

As you all know I am somewhat obsessed with Japan. I am still planning to go next March but until then I am just gonna have to make due with Japansese tv shows, food, and a special visist from my only friend in Japan. I am so excited! How we met can only be by God cus it was just a total case of "random happenstance".

So I was coming home from work one day last February and I had a present for one of my friends in my car. I decided last minute that I just couldn't wait to give it to him so I called and asked him to meet me at the church so I could give it to him. (He wouldn't let me near his house for some unknown reason) Anyway, I pull up into the church parking lot and see my Pastor (who lives on the church property) out by his trailer a good ways away from where I had parked. I waved to him when I got out and then stood patiently waiting for my friend to come. To my suprise the pastor comes walking over and asks what in the world I'm doing there. So I tell him and he smiles and says "Oh, well we just got back from picking up our old foreign exchange student from the airport." Apparently, the family had once had a foreign exchange student from Japan stay with them for a year and he had just arrived for a couple weeks to visit.

As soon a s he said "Japan" and "He" in the same sentance I got really excited, but I figured I would have to wait until Sunday to meet him. Not! I'm not sure why but Pastor continued on saying that they were just cooking dinner and did I want to join them and meet this boy (Yuma). The offer came out of nowhere and though I was nervous about having dinner with the Pastor and his family I accepted and went in. He introduced me to Yuma and we ate dinner. I barely said two words to him but he seemed like he was a really nice guy, quiet and reserved. Then after dinner I was invited to a concert with the Pastor, Yuma, and the guy who I was supposed to give the present too. We went and when we got there I had a chance to run some of my very limited Japanese by Yuma. It was alot of fun but a very late night.

The concert ended and I actually had the nerve to ask if I could take Yuma out the next day to get to know him better and show him around Sacramento. Pastor Mike asked Yuma and he said he would love to go but that he wanted the Pastor to go with us (Don't blame him, a scary new girl asking if she could steal him for a day lol) but it ended up that Pastor Mike couldn't go. I told Yuma we wouldn't be alone as my roomate/bestfriend would be coming too. He agreed.


So the next day we pick up Yuma early in the evening. Pastor Mike asked us how long we would be out because Yuma was a little tired from the jetlag and going to San Francisco that day. We told him we wouldn't be long and then took off for Scandia. Scandia is a miniture golf/arcade/batting cages/go-cart fun center. It was so much fun, we did everything that Scandia had to offer and I think he beat me at mini golf too. We also got him to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Japanese which was really neat. I thought we got him home at a decent hour but all the missed calls on my cell from Pastor Mike and the relieved look on his face when we got back to his house said otherwise psh old people lol. Apparently, there had been a horrific car accident somewhere near us and Pastor Mike had called the police asking if my Toyota or 2 girls and a Japanese guy had been involved. I really did feel bad once I heard that.

Anyway, we exchanged e-mails and have kept in contact since then. We even mailed eachother presents. I sent him a wooden box that I had painted and some candy, he mailed me a cd he'd made of his favorite songs and a red pillow lol. Well I talked about him so much and got so excited when he e-mailed me that all my friends started teasing me and calling him my Japan-Man.

He's coming to visit soon and I just can't wait! But it's only gonna be for three days so I don't know how much time I'll actually get to spend with him.

Artists

So... where to begin?

Every once in awhile I get a bug. Not a bad bug but a bug none the less and once I get one I love and I mean LOVE spreading it around to all my friends and just whoever I happen to come into contact with, including random strangers. So what is this bug that I have caught? It is the ARTSY BUG!

I first caught it in my late teen years when I figured out that I could draw any anime character as long as I had a picture to sight-copy it from. I have a couple sketchbooks to prove I could actually do it.


Then that faded and a couple years later came back but as drawing the characters and then taking it one step further and painting them. I have a couple canvas' to prove that lol


The next bought came when I was in the Hospital and one of the therapists did an art therapy class where she brought in mandalas and colored pencils also there was a puzzle that someone's family member had brought in and rather than listen to the insane rantings and get caught up in all the wards drama I would sit and quietly put together the puzzle with whoever wanted to join me.

This latest outbreak has been just recently in the last week or so. Nicole talked me into going to a restaurant called Fresh Coice and after we had dinner I wasn't feeling to good. I started feeling anxious and like I wanted to just cry. So we went on a walk through Joanne's Fabric store. I had no idea that they were a craft store and sold more than just fabric. Anyway, we were looking through the painting section to try to fin some little boxes to paint when we came upon the puzzle section. The puzzle all fairies and butterflies but it looked awesome so I picked it up. Then we came across a section that had all the painting supplies.


Isn't it pretty? But before you say or think that I did it all on my own I have to let you know that the picture is a paint by number set. lol Yes I know it seemed very kid-like to me to when I fist picked it up but now I love it. It lets me be artsy without having to be really creative, kinda an oxymoron I know. What's even better is that I got one of my really great friends to buy one to do when we are together.

I went over to her house to spend the night and after dinner I brought out my butterfly and paint and cup of water and brush and started in on the painting. As soon as she watched me mix two of the paints together she announced, "OK I have to get me one of those." There were no art stores open as it was eight o'clock on a Sunday so we got in the car and headed to Walmart. On the car ride over she talked about the many arts and craft projects that she used to do, everything from pillow making to drawing. She talked about how much she missed doing them and how she was so excited to be getting back into it, even just a little.

Then she said something that I have found to be true in my own life. She told me how important it was to keep being myself even when in a relationship and eventually in marriage. She (Caterina) was telling me how she used to love and be very much into arts and crafts but her husband is not so she slowly stopped buying them and working on her many projects. I found that very sad but unfortunately very common. I started thinking back on my last relationship and saw myself doing the same thing. Although my boyfriend had encouraged me to be artsy and creative there were other areas where I didn't recieve the same encouragement and understanding. At first I stood up for my individuality and pressed on despite his oposition, but eventually it just became too hard and I slowly started conforming and limiting myself to the "together" or "mutual" activities.

At first it wasn't even that bad and I enjoyed most of the time I spent with him but as time went on I began to feel more and more stiffled. The closeness became entrapment and I honestly began to miss myself. Even now I'm not quite sure how to be in a relationship and maintain yourself wholey or even if you are supposed to, but learning is half the fun right.

A Couple Months in Review

No, I'm not dead lol First I want to appologize to all of my avid readers out there who have no doubt been and I quote "waiting with baited breath" for my next post. So much has been going on I hardly know where to start.

Lets see... My last post was in July so we'll just go from there. Well first it was the 4th of July and I went to Placerville to visit my mom and step-dad. We got together with my step-sisters and their families to enjoy the fireworks. May I just say that all my little nephews are super-duper cute! There is one missing from the below picture but unfortunately I don't have a pic with him in it. Wah!


So that was pretty much it for July, pretty sad eh?

August! The greatest month of the year! The month where genius' are born and dreams are made!

Yes, it was my birthday in August and yikes I turned 25! Wow a quarter of a century old, can you believe it? For my birthday I had 3 parties. It was awesome! My roomate called it my birthday week cus it revolved all around me, and rightly so lol j/k I also got to go see the play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamCoat. It was amazing and I tried my very hardest not to sing along with the cast and not to compare the guy who played Joseph to Donny Osmond and his version.

I also got two shopping sprees for my birthday and boy did I need it! Everyone practically demanded that I get a new wardrobe and thanks to them its coming along nicely.

A couple weekends ago was a long and was one of the most emotional I've had in a long time. One of my best friends, a friend from my childhood got married this weekend in my hometown of Tehachapi. Nicole and I were one of the four friends that were invited to the wedding. It was a small wedding but it was beautiful. The ceremony itself was very short, lasting no more than 10 min. Sarah, the bride was gorgeous in her wedding dress and the groom was cute if not unorthodox in his flip flops.



Today I went fishing! Wait let me start from the beginning, Thursday night I drove up to my mom's house to spend the weekend. I had Friday off because of a lovely thing called furloughs. They are awesome trust me. Though money is nice I would rather have three three-day weekends a month. So, anyway, I spent the night at my mom's house on thursday night. Roy (my step dad) had told me that they were going fishing on Friday morning and if I wanted to come I needed to stop by Walmart and get a one day fishing license. I did and I also bought SuperSmash Bros for Wii. After clobbering Roy in a couple games we went to bed, at a decent hour of 9:00pm.

I actually had a dream about fishing that night which was really weird but also really fun because I caught two huge fish in my dream. Hopefully it was a sign for the next morning. I also had a dream where I was in a musical... don't ask. Anyway, I was told that I would have to get up at 4:00 am but there is a difference between hearing it the night before when you are all hyper and awake and actually getting up that early in the morning.

Actually, perhaps because of the anticipation and the left over adrenaline from belting out a saucy song atop a barroom table in my last dream... I told you not to ask, but getting up wasnt as hard as I had thought it would be. I got up, layered myself with two pairs of pants and 3 shirts and piled into Roy's truck. It was still dark when we left and dark when we arrived at the lake an hour later. The eastern skyline had only the slightest hint of the comming dawn. Not wanting to fish in the dark we waited a half an hour in the truck until the sky was a couple shades lighter a blue then the inky black blue it had been when we arrived.

Then it was time to fish! We got out of the truck... well Roy did, when he opened the door and we felt the icy wind mom and I stayed behind for a couple minutes to put on a couple more layers of clothes; but we eventually waddled out of the truck and grabbed our fishing poles. Now I don't know if it was because of the altitude, the 5 layers of shirts and jackets I had on or just my complete lack of physical excellence but we had to walk up this small hill in order to get to the lake and I was dying! Not as bad as my mom who had to pace herself on the way up hehe but I was gasping for air by the time I got to the top and seriously thinking that I needed to stop and fill my lungs a couple dozen times. Roy just kept on, not phazed at all telling us it was the elevation as I wondered why he seemed to be ammune to the altitude change.


We got to a spot that seemed like it would be a good place to cast in our lines, baited our hooks with orange powerbait, and threw our lines into the water... some farther and straighter than others lol A few seconds after my line hit the water the rod started jumping. After a brief fishing lesson from Roy I reeled in a very small, very cute trout. I thought we were going to throw it back but Roy removed the hook (I wouldn't do it eww) and fastened the trout to the stringer. Yay I had caught the first fish of the day! I was secretly so proud of myself.


Well, the rest of the day consisted of Roy catching 6 (but mom reeled in three of them so she thinks those three count as hers lol)and I only caught one more. 8 was really good, especially when we looked at how many all the other people were catching... none of which had gotten there as early as we had mind you. Just to clarify, the reason Roy caught so many was because mom and I took a little nap in our chairs towards the end of our trip.

By the time we piled back in the truck at 1:30 pm we were all had sunburnt faces and we all had shed several layers of clothing. All in all it was a really good day... although we would have come home with 9 fish but Roy *cough* tried putting a fish on the stringer while it was in the water and the fish slipped through his hands and back into the lake... it was my fish too! So technically I caught 3 lol

Never Alone

Do you ever notice how people who feel the most alone or that when you feel the most alone that instead of seeking human companionship and grabbing gleefully at the oppertunity when people are present that you instead slink further out of their reach? I came here to my mother's house to find companionship and to escape loniliness. My sister and her husband have come over and instead of going down to join them I find myself upstairs typing this blog. "Melissa," you say, "go down and join them, be with them. If you are lonely it is your fault for secluding yourself from them." I would have to agree with you. The loneliness I feel is most likely prolonged by my own doing, but have you ever found that sitting amidst people who are laughing and talking when you feel like neither of those makes you feel even more alone than when you are by yourself? When the happiness of others so sharply contrasts your feelings that they make your sadness even more evident. That is how I feel tonight.

I have always struggled with loneliness, well ever since I can remember, except for one time in my life, when I felt that I finally always had someone to call or talk to and who I could see whenever I wanted and he would be happy to see me. I let my fiance filled that gap for me and I never realized how much I had come to rely on his presence until now, when it is gone.

When I was in my seat at the movie theater with none of my friends next to me I realized the pain had returned sharp and new and I cried out in my mind and in my heart, "I miss Rossam! If he were here I would not be alone!" Tears came to my eyes and my breath caught in my throat. I missed his arms around me and the feel of him by my side.

It was only after I left my seat to cry in the bathroom did I finally cry out to God and did my strength return to me. Tonight God showed me that it was Him that I should've cried out to first! It was tonight He told me that He wants to be the one that my heart thinks of when I'm feeling this way and He wants to fill the gap that has been left in my life. During my engagement I had become too dependant on my fiance, I had come to accept him as my cure for the loneliness that I felt. I had grabbed onto something of this earth and believed it would save me. But God being the gracious and loving Father that He is saw that I had latched onto this man in my desperation for fullness. So God gently pried my fingers away, all the while whispering in my ear, "Let go my child, it is only I who can satisfy you, who can heal you, who will save you. Hold on to me, my child. I will never leave you nor forsake you."

I sat here trying to motivate myself and to "consider it pure joy" that another trial lay before me. I sat here thinking of this trial that I must face and longing for the day when I have come through it, wondering what God has planned for me that He so wants me to learn this lesson. God, He is so good, and he knows my heart. He showed me Japan and the mission field that I want to go in and He whispered to me, "Do you think you will not be alone if you stand for me? Do you not know that the mission field is a lonely place?" Praise God that He loves us, that He knows everything we will face in our futures, and that He loves us enough to prepare us for the work He has planned for us.

I honestly do not know what the future holds for me, whether or not Japan is what God has willed for me. But I do know that when I go, wherever I go I will have learned to cling to God. I will have learned to cry out to Him first and to walk with Him as my companion.

Footprints

One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,
you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

...Mary Stevenson

I also wanted to thank my friend Nicole who when I was sitting alone in the movie theater recognized something was wrong and gave me her seat next to another friend of mine and she sat alone. Also to all my other friends and church family that are doing their best to help me through this tough time I just want to say thank you with all my heart. I love you guys and you are truly a blessing from God!

Eclipse

Twilight fever has once again descended into our city. Am I opposed to it, umm no not really. The books that I have read of the Twilight series were very good. Good story, good plot, and good characters. The movies on the other hand are a little bit different. There are highlights to the movies like Alice, Jasper and the man who plays Mr. Cullen, who are fantastic and I think well worth the ticket price.

I dropped my friends and Twilight fanatics off at the movie theater. The time 7:30pm 4 1/2 hours before the movie started. Now, I'm a fan of Twilight and I'm all for getting good seats but there is no way I was about to spend the equivalent of half a work day in line for said seats.

Waiting for the first movie was awesome, we arrived at 11pm and still got good seats. The wait time for the 2nd movie was pushing it when we arrived at 9pm got just as good of seats for the first movie but waited twice as long. So this year when my friends said be in line by 7pm my first thought was "This is crazy!"

Anyway, I dropped my psychotic friends off at 7:30pm so they could wait in line and then went home to wait it out in comfort. I tried to take a nap so I could be awake for this one but alas it just wasn't going to happen. I actually ended up leaving at 8:45pm so not much was gained by my rebellion.

When I got to the movie theater I stopped by the Taco Bell that was next door, got a crunchwrap supreme and a soda then parked. A couple spaces away from me I noticed a PT Cruiser with a sticker in the window that read "I drive like a Cullen" and they parked like one too. Oh and just a side note, never eat a crunchwrap supreme from the bottom up! It doesn't work and you get melted cheese, meat and sourcream all over your shirt. That being said when I finally left the car to join the others I looked like a Taco Bell bum.

Girls, girls, girls and the occasional but rare male or reluctant boyfriend. That is what filled both lines around the movie theater. It was craziness but I eventually found my friends near the front of the line playing a game of Bullcrud.

After waiting an hour or so in line the one of the ticket takers came and asked what show time we were waiting for. We had 12:05am but they were letting 12:06am into the theater. So we waited anxiously for them to come back and call our time and we waited and waited and still nothing. Finally we sent Nicole to check on our tickets only to be informed that our time had already gone into the theater and apparently we, and when I say we I mean they, had camped out in the wrong line. Hours of waiting for nothing lol

We get into the theater and of course there are no good seats left. The only ones available are in the very front or the sides. The sides win but there are so many of us (6) that we ended up splitting into groups to get better seats.

The movie starts and may I just say that it was AWESOME! The best out of the three by far, tons of humor, action, and character development. I am so glad that the angst and Edward + Bella took a backseat. Disclaimer *I am definitely more of a Bella + Edward fan than a Bella + Jacob fan. Though Jacob did have alot of the best lines in the movie.

Jacob to Charlie: I kissed Bella...and she broke her hand...punching my face...it's just a misunderstanding.



I will post more about the movie when I see it again and hopefully am awake enough to remember most of it.