Thursday Tidbits

Just a few things to note.

1. Incase anyone was wondering, I got contacts this week. Apparently, the glasses aren't doing their job, which is rather a let down.

[I thought they were rather awesome, in my humble opinion.]

But as Dr. Bestwinna let me know, my right eye is 4 times worse than before. Yeah. Shocked me too. Didn't think I would get my parents' eyes so early. :P

[Love you mom and dad!]

And now I am no longer a cyclops. My left eye needs them now too. Great. Oh, and to top it all off the right one has astigmatism. Lovely. SO. I have contacts. And since I had them for a short time before, [in the right eye only, since the left one was fine two years ago] the right eye's contact fits fine, and I don't notice. The left however....oh dear. I can't seem to get used to it. I'm beginning to wonder if I have it in wrong. >_> It hurts and my eye is leaking like Niagara Falls. Which, believe me, isn't pleasant.

At all.

[See? It's red. Like MY EYE.]

But the contacts look nice on me. :D And I don't have black rims around everything anymore!

2. Numéro deux.

[That's French for Number two.]

The Rebelution tour is coming to Nashvegas! Huzzah! If you've never heard of the Rebelution, check this out:

Wanna come? Sign up here!

I'll be at the door, registering people. So..I guess if you want to see me too, sign up. :P Cause I'm such an amazing draw.

[Sarcasm, anyone?]

3. Update on my reading list.

Currently reading:

-Twelfth Night by The Lovely Shakespeare

and

-Radical by David Platt

Twelth Night is almost finished [after which, I have to write a few papers and answer questions. Good times. :D], and I'm entering the fourth chapter in Radical. Radical is slower to read, but much more challenging, mentally and spiritually. And also more rewarding.

[Twelfth Night is just fun.]

I noticed something. No one is joining me in reading even one of the books on my list.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!

I know, I know. I'm some freak who LOVES to read. Get over it. You should too. It's fun. And rewarding. And ... learn-i-ish. I love made up words. :D

But seriously. Huckleberry Finn is not hard to read. For that matter, neither is Shakespeare. Despite what your 8th grade English Class taught you years ago. You CAN love Shakespeare. Trust me. I'm not the only one who does. :P

[I'm pointing to you, you writers I know that follow my blog. You traitors of all things bookish.]

[Can you see my lovely sense of the dramatic here?]

So. GO. READ. JOIN ME. PLEASE. Do you think I enjoy explaining all of Shakespeare puns with Mumsie Dearest? I thought not.

I leave you with this. Simply cause I find it horridly ironic and it's one of my favorite verses to quote. Especially when Dad starts egging on me to study for the ACT. Again.

[Which is rather a smart thing to do, but don't tell anyone I admitted to it.

I mean, I can trust the World Wide Web, right?]

Here it is:

{But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There's no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you're no good for anything else.}

-Ecclesiastes 12:12 MSG

Monday, Monday, Monday.....(said with a deep voice that rumbles)

So yes, I have a long post comin' your way today, cause it's Monday. :D Which happens to include pics. Huzzah!

1. KA trip.

Which was awesome. Here's some stuff from it.

Me, trying to get some last minute editing done! I like this pic. It's funny and cute. And my hair looks awesome. :P In case you were wondering, yes I cut it. Again. I can't help it! I love it short!

Lunch on Saturday, I have the grey hat on. Oh, how I miss you guys!

Some of us goofing of as Pirates vs. Ninjas. XD I was a Pirate!

Samii, StoryGirl and me! *Sorry SG! I forgot your name! Eyi!

2. A new book.

Yup. And you have to buy it. It's just too amazing. Here's a vid on what it's all about.

This book has changed my life, and I'm only in the third chapter. Here's a tid bit for ya.

It's easy for American Christians to forget how jesus said his followers would actually live, what thier new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the sake of the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily....

But who do you know that lives like that? Do you?

3. Discussion

Last night Mom, Dad, Janessa and I had some powerful discussion on what we (as a family) believe as Baptists. It was challenging, encouraging, and heartening to be fed the truth. Time after time, we pulled out our copies of God's Word and checked what we believe to what we know the Bible says. How amazing is it to know that God has an answer to everything? Whether or not he decides to make it known to us...

Here's a bit that was especially powerful for me.

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.

Romans 8:28-30

I don't know how to keep going on miscellaneous things today. Today is just too thoughtful to fill with random musings. Last night's talk left too big an imprint on me to be spouting off about Sharpies and shopping sprees....and after that video..I don't know if I want to. God has a bigger calling on our lives than the best deals at the grocery store. Are we responding to it? And I leave you with this. A video that did more than change my life...it's changed my future.

Miscellany Monday

I found this amazing blog the other day.

Actually, I take that back. I've been following it for weeks and absolutely love it!

So I decided to link up and do their Miscellany Mondays for fun. Who knows? Maybe I'll get more followers. ;)

So here we go.

1. Have I ever mentioned how awesome my dad is? Well he is.

Saturday evening, I was bored (how in the world I have no idea, since I had a good book to read, a book to write and plenty of friends to chat with) and wanted to see the movie, Prince of Persia. So did Ness. And Mumsie. But they were seeing it on Monday (today) with some friends. Who aren't my age. Bummer. Daddy was exhausted from work and decided to see it Monday.

Well, typical me, I had a pity party for myself (yes, the good 'ol fashioned Janae pity party). I wanted a date THAT night with Daddy and at NIGHT. Not during the day like everyone else on Monday. Why? Cause it doesn't seem like a date, that's why! I got over it eventurally.

But guess what? Daddy surprised me today. Instead of going with everyone else, he's taking me to the showing at 9:35 pm. A Date. At Night.

Isn't he awesome? I love you Daddy.

2. I have to find raisins. I promised my friend Jared I'd make him oatmeal raisin cookies (seriously) in return for reading one of his novels early. And we don't have raisins. Kroger here I come.

3. My lavender plant finally has roots! YES! I've been working on a cutting of it and the poor thing would not root! Well, today I was commenting on how pitiful it looked and low and behold, there was a root. Herb garden, thou shalt be complete!

4. Sweet Tea is the nectar of the gods. I'm dead serious. I live off of that stuff. I think I went through a gallon and a half today. And no, I wasn't doing anything strenuous to deserve so much liquid. I was reading.

What!? It makes me thirsty!

5. Happy Memorial Day. Even with my extensive vocabulary and penchant for words (yes, yes I know, please don't applaud), nothing I could say could sum it up quite as perfectly for me as the song they sang in church yesterday.

"...this is the land of the Free, because of the Brave..."

My name is Janae....NOT JanEa.

Anyone who knows me knows that my name is almost ALWAYS mispronounced. And this is rather grating. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier to have a common name like "Sarah" or "Emma".

But then I remember what my name means and why it was given to me.

You see, I was a surprise. That's right. Big 'ol surprise baby commin' right up! Highfives to all you surprise babies out there.

But you know what? Mom and Dad thought that was the coolest thing to have a little girl ten years after two boys. And what did they name me? Janae. Which means "God's Gracious Gift".

So my name is both a pleasing and a curse. Why? Because no one gets it right. There is a poor child named JanEa who refuses to answer to roll call for her Stanford Achievement Tests. Poor her. So are Janie, Janna, Jenna, and Jeannie.

But Janae is sitting there waiting. And when I think about how much my parents loved me to give me a name so rare and beautiful, I'm glad I'm not a Sarah. Or an Emma. I'm glad I'm Janae.

And one day, if God decides to bless me with a beautiful surprise baby girl, I'll name her Janae.

I'll just spell it differently. ;)

Spring!

Sorry guys about all the background changes. I've been messing around with some different themes and tidbits. I finally decided on this one, it's nice and fresh and I love the color. A Few things to check out:

I have pages now! YAY! I'll posting all my sewing projects and statuses in "Under the Needle".

Causes and projects I support are in "Do Something About It". And lastly, all the people and blogs I love are in "From Their Fingertips".

And now for some fun! Despite the rain from the past few days, I've managed to plant my herb garden for the year and I'm so excited about it. Everything's so green! I've got some pics, and I hope you enjoy!

Herbs I planted: Basil, Chamomile, Cilantro, Fennel, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Taragon, and Thyme! Not all are planted, as some I have to do seedlings, and others I have as cuttings in mason jars in the kitchen window sill. :D But, here are the few I did this afternoon.

Back view of it. Daddy built me a bed alongside the fence with all these lovely flowers behind it!
Frontal view. That's Dad in the background with the straw hat. XD
Sage!
Mint!

Note: I apologize for the sad state of the photos. Due to my camera not allowing me to load pictures to the comp, I've had to use the camcorder. I'm working on saving for a much better one. But until then, well, deal with it. :P ;)

Catch Up Part 1

Okay here we go. I'm gonna dive head long into this, because we have a lot of ground to cover. Starting with: Red RiverAwesome pic by Lissi. me in the background.

Another by Lissi.

Dadio. Our cook for the weekend.

Me and Sam, serving at the resturaunt.

Me, Sam, Evan, Janessa, and Lissi.

So much for keeping on track...

Sorry guys,......again. Things keep going way too fast for me too keep up with stuff. So, some more updates.

1. My Dad had surgery this past Wednesday on his back. Two of his lower vetebrae were sqeezing around his spinal cord, cutting off the circulation to his legs. As a result, his legs were falling asleep when he stood up for a while. Luckily the surgery went wonderful and he is alreay home and on his feet. Please continue to pray that his incessions don't become infected. The incession is causing him some minor pain, but his back is feeling better already.
2. My trip to Florida with Allison's family was soooo much fun! I have pictures and as soon as I can remeber where I placed my hard drive stick, they will be on here! ;)
3. My book is going good, however I will not be posting my book on here for copyright precautions. But, I will be posting snipits.
4. We went to Red River last weekend and had an amazing time. As soon as I get some pictures from Allison, you can be sure I will update extensively.
5. My cousin is now married and both Andrew and Kendall looked wonderful! My other cousin, Nathan will be marrying his fiancee, Robin, in January.
6. Upcoming events include the annual Thanksgiving trip to NC, Yule Fest in December, and Nathan's wedding in NC.


Stay tuned for more details. ;)

July 4th Celebration

Well, my family decided to celebrate the 4th of July in a little different than the normal American family. Especially in the fact that we do re-enactments. So, last Saturday, we went down to Mansker's Station for the day and "par-tehd". :)

This is the official Mansker's Station jam band. Minus Daddy (dead center) who picked up the guitar, sa down and started playing with them. Ms. Laura is on the extreme right. There were guitars, dulcimers, madolins, and a violin.

The Lovely Daddy. Pardon the Sprite cans. The site fed the volunteers lunch. :)
Here is Janessa (in the blue jacket, dead center) dancing a dance called the Whipporwill. This is one of our favorite dances and it has a lot of twirls. Sam is in the background in the blur dress.

Here I am (in the red jacket) and so is Sam. By the way, that jacket is brand new and I love it! It's a long gown that I made from a linen tablecloth. It has two pleats in the back and tripled pleats at the side. Very fashionable. ;)

Me and Sam again.

Me in the background with my partner. Now you can see me from the front.
This is one little pic I like to call:

Clash of the Centuries

We have an Abraham Lincoln impersinator new here and they had him come and speak. He was very good and we all love him. He is very funny and sweet. At the dances, he tried to get partners for the standing girls left. One time he has come out and borrowed 18th century clothes and fought in an Indian Skirmish we had. It was a lot of fun and he claimed to be representing Abe's grandfather. ;)

Hope you all had a safe and wonderful 4th of July.

God Bless.

Part IV: The Creation Science Museum

Okay, this place was absolutly amazing!!! If you have never been, you have to go! We went the week after the camping trip on our way to Ohio. Here are some pics.


This is Daddy and Janessa at the Garden of Eden part. (Adam and Eve are in the background.)
Here is the exhibit of the Ark. This was pretty cool! The men are supposed to be building the ark but their voice over hears them complaining about the work and saying that it's never gonna rain. :)

Here are some of the most important figures in the Old Testament: Abraham, Moses, and King David.
Dear Reader,
We are terribly sorry to say that soona fter this picture was taken, my dear sister, Janessa, was unfortunately, consumed by the terrible beast shown in the above picture. We feel this lose deeply as we ourselves only barely escaped with our lives. Funeral Services will be held some time in the near future and donations can be made in place of flowers, at the Foundation for Better Safety Against Pre-historic Animals or the F.B.S.A.P.A.

Part III: The Big Incident

So often I get in a rut. bad things happen or things don't go the way I would like, too many frustrating things happen in one day. I've learned to cope with it thouh. I call it my sour attitude. (those of you who know me well, know what I'm talking about :))Literally, it is a very sour attitude. I get frustrated and let it out on my family. From the little things like, none of my organic peanut butter being left, to mom not buying me a pair of adorable blue suede pumps even though the price was a steal. Though none of these things will affect my life, both spiritually and physically in the long run, they make my day sour. Or rather my attitude. These are the days that satan (yes, a little "s". Mwahahah!!) likes to push my buttons. I let the little things bother me and in the end, I ruin my witness for Christ.

So recently, with Least of These and other events that have the run of my life, I feel like I'm caught in a battle amist what is commonly (amongst Christians) known as Spiritual Warfare. Now, I know that somethings that happen are purely human choice and reaction. (like me not needing those pumps or someone unknowingly eating my peanut butter) But when we went camping, too many things went wrong in one day for it to be anyting other than spiritual warfare.

On our last day of camping, we decided to go for a bike ride and then a hike before heading home. The bike ride was beautiful! The trail was well kept and flowers were blooming all along th way. Mountain Laurel and Flaming Azaelias were everywhere. The air was a nice, cool, refreshing 65* F. The trail went around a lake and the sun finally decided to come out after being cloudy for the last two days. The experience was only slightly hindered by my bruised coxix. :) But overall I had a wonderful time.

So your thinking, "This sounds all lovey dovey! Where's the warfare?!?!?" Don't worry it's coming!

After the ride, we went back to where we were staying and I put on some jeans to prevent ticks for the hike. Ready to go, we set out for the Cable Trail, the shortest, and most strenuous trail in the park. Steep cliffs, boulders, and abundant tree roots made up the trail that was more of a drop than anything else. A thick steel cable ran from top to bottom to serve as a rail, or a repelling rope depending on which part of the trial you were on.

The initial hike down, while difficult, wasn't that bad. When we got to the bottom, (Which ended at a large creek fueled by a waterfall on you left) Daddy, adventurous as always, decided to wade across to the other side.

First of all, there are several things wrong with this idea:

1. The creek had a very strong current and is two to five feet deep depending on where you step.


2. The creek is filled with rocks, covered in moss which the park ranger assured me was over 2 million years old ;). ie, very slippery.


3. We're all wearing tennis shoes.


4. I'm still wearing my jeans, remember!!!!

But Daddy, who could care less, (love you Dad! :)) decided we were all going across anyways. Taking off their shoes and socks, Janessa and Daddy got right in and slowly waded across the haphazard rocks to the other side, taking my little backpack (containing my camera) with them. Daddy also took my shoes (hanging across his neck) with him. I had decided to just dip my feet in the water from the side I was already on. But Dad thought it would be fun if we were all over there.

So, he began searching for a way to get across, where the current was less strong and not as deep. After about twenty minutes, I gave up and crossed father down the creek (don't ask me how I did it, because no one should ever do it at home, at least the way I did it) where the current was even stronger and the creek was deeper!!! What was I thinking!?!?!? Well, I got across with out incedent and was making my way with Daddy back up to the bank where Janessa was waiting for us so we could go over to the waterfall. (This was the whole point. Cross the creek and get a picture while under the waterfall.)Helping me across a rather slippery rock, Dad turned his back for one split second to get Janessa, when, to my utter horror, I slipt and fell, backside first into the creek. In the freezing cold water. In my favorite jeans. That were new. (Yes, this actually happened) I was not a happy camper. Just before this, I had recieved a horrid stomach ache and wasn't feeling too good. Now, I was wet, and cold, and tired, and grumpy. Not a Happy camper at all!!! So I resorted to my sour mood.

When we finally made it to a rock where they had left my backpack, I was throroughly soaked. They decided they would go on a see the waterfall up close. I didn't budge from my rock. I was going to sulk in my own self-pity.

After about twenty minutes, I crawled out of the rock, which was sulkiness, that I was under and noticed that Daddy and Janessa had reached the waterfall. It was beautiful!

(That's Daddy-the tiny person on the rock, by the waterfall)
So after lying on the sun for a while, my mood was starting to get better. (I'll hurry up now.) But when we crossed again, I fell once more. Daddy tried to toss my shoes to Janessa, but they too landed in the water. (I hate wet tennis shoes with a fiery passion!!) So, I had to climb all the way back up the trail and walk back to the bathrooms before I could change and we could go. Not the best way to end a good time. But hey, I got some awesome pictures, huh? :)

Part II: The Beauty of It All

This is one of many rope bridges we crossed throughout the park.

This shot is the colored version of the one I shared with you earlier. It is at a place called Buzzard's Bluff. Perched on a craggy cliff, it has a perfect view of all the surrounding area and is simply breathtaking.

This is looking directly straight on Buzzard's Bluff

We used the self timer for this pic! Once again at Buzzard's Bluff.

Another rope bridge. This one walked over the tree tops and the cascades.

More to come!

Okay, here we go....

I'm back!

Yay!!!! Okay, so here is the first installment.

My dad decided to take me and Janessa camping a Fall Creek Falls for three days. We drove in his Jeep Wrangler. Here are some pics. I'll tell about it as they come.

Part 1: The Camping Trip

--------------------------------------------

This is Fall Creek Falls itself. I took this pic from a look out above. After this, we took the trail (which was more like a climb) down to the base.

Along the way, we say come pretty cool trees. Often they were growing right out of the rocks, like this one.

This was awesome! The rocks caved in a formed a half-dome around us. The sedimentary rock there was incredible. All the different layers to view, and to know that they were all layed down by the flood; it was just mind blowing.

This is Janessa and I at the bottom of the falls (and one of the few pics with me in it, I'm afraid. Dad was lucky to figure my camera out enough just to take this one!). Yes, Janessa is slouching. I'm not. That is my normal height. :)

And finally, Janessa, being herself as God created her to be. ;) If you have seen Night at the Museum II, you know what we mean by this pose. :)

Too much to do...

Goodness! It's been a while since I posted last. The pic above is from the Father/Daughter Banquet that was held at our church last Friday night. It was wonderful and we had so much fun. It was Asian themed and we ate with chopsticks! I love being able togo on these dates with my Daddy; it makes me feel so special and pampered. I spent the entire day with my hair in sponge rollers and ended up with a mass of curls (that you can't really see in this picture; good thing too! :)). I wore a dress with white and red flowers and topped it off wiht a big black sash and black jewelry. The dress twirled a lot and I felt like princess. (In case you were wondering, Janae likes things that twirl alot)

Another thing that has happened: I have added a "twitter" gadget to the right. If I don't have post up, check the twitter. It's a way to blog with very little, such as when I'm short on time. Iv'e added a list of quotes, and trust me, it will be getting longer. I hope to be posting more regularly in a few weeks once I get my scheduel re-organized. Until then, enjoy the twittering and occansional posts. Au revior!