Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts

Monday, May 16, 2011

An explanation..


A while back ago, I posted a poem/song that I've now come to find out was rather depressing and frightening to some people close to me.

Know this: I am not suicidal nor depressed, and never have been.

But I am a girl. Who struggles with the way people view her, with loneliness, with feelings of unworthiness.

I often write championing the cause of waiting and letting God be the one to fill the void in our lives. But the thing is, I can write all I want, and still not believe it myself.

I struggle! I'm human! I'm not perfect.

And the devil knows this. He knows my weaknesses. Those feelings of unworthiness, the fear of being alone. And he knows exactly how to play them.

I purposely was vague in that post, not wanting to offend or cause guilt to some friends of mine. You see, I spoke of prom.

Prom.

Oh the feelings of dread and joy associated with that word. An American tradition gone horribly awry.

You see, no one had asked me to go to the prom.

Now, many people might say "Just go with your friends as a group!" And many people did say that. But to me, and perhaps I was seeing a little too deeply into this, prom wasn't about the party. It wasn't about the limos, the dresses, the music.

It was about being asked. Asked to dance. Considered worthy enough to be asked.

And I wasn't asked. I didn't go. And I didn't dance.

That night I sat at home listening to depressing music, watching pictures of prom go up on facebook, and all I could think was, "Why didn't they ask...? What kept them from asking me...? Am I so undesirable to have as a date?"

And I forgot what mattered the most. I forgot how I had encouraged so many young girls to wait through highschool to date. I forgot my own commitment to wait. I forgot about the one God has waiting for me. I forgot about the ONE above who was quietly whispering, "I already asked."

And instead, I wrote that song. I vented my grief and despair over never having another prom (for I graduate this week) to go to, never being asked to dance. I let Satan have his way with my weaknesses. I let him manipulate those feelings of loneliness and unworthiness and that seeped in through the pictures on facebook, my friends innocent comments, their unconscious actions.

How could they have known? But I blamed them. And wallowed that night.

Yet the song has two lines at the end that "go up". Maybe. But they weren't heartfelt. They were done out of obligation to keep up the profile, the image people had known me for.

So why do I write this?

I write this to show that even those who proclaim to be strong and untouchable, those who seem perfect and we put on a pedastool... we're not immune.

That night God brought several girls online to talk to me. Each one had been touched by what I wrote and I was able to be ministered by them! and to them. I saw, and they saw, that we are not alone. And by that, one lie was conquered. Loneliness.

I went to my writers forum, and in the midst of my tears, God brought out a batch of "thank yous". Fellow brothers in Christ thanked me for being an example of a heart for the Lord and for the love God had given me for them. And with that, another lie was conquered. Unworthiness.

What Satan meant for evil, God meant for His glory.

Amen and Amen.





Monday, August 23, 2010

On poetry, and the common expression of disinterest delivered unto it.

The other day at church I was involved in a conversation about Poetry. Now, I love poetry and think it's beautiful when done right. And understandable.

However, some people don't think so. Several of my friends, [and no offense to you. don't worry, I don't say names. ;)] think poetry is impossible to understand or interpret. Or that you have to be brilliant to do so.

I beg to differ.

While some poems are very much like that. Confusing, having opposite underlying meanings, but poetry can be a wonderful expression of art. So, this week I will be posting a few of my favorites and please see if you can just enjoy the beauty of them, as they are.

Day One

When I Have Fears
by
John Keats

WHEN I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charact’ry,
Hold like rich garners the full-ripen’d grain;
When I behold, upon the night’s starr’d face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love! - then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

On another note:

I have finished Twelfth Night, I Would Die for You, and am onto As You Like It, Radical, and Song of Roland. And still no one has joined me. *sigh* You puny non-bookworms.

WHERE IS MY BROTHER?
[I know you read this Josh!!! :P]

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Changes, changes...

Some of you may have noticed the changes on my blog. Well, a lot is happening to do so.

  1. If you want to keep up with my re-enactments, go to it's own specialized page, newly made for your convenience!
  2. I am a writer, so my blog might be a little more literary minded this school year. Including my study of Shakespeare's works for my Brit Lit cred. :D
  3. The new name. Don't worry, the url is still the same. But I've come to a realization this summer. God has equipped me with a talent for words, and I intend to use it to tell stories of grace, hope, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Some times that means I have to dip into the real world for examples of sin, despair, cruelty, and deprivation. Understand that this is real writing. Not some fairy tale. Not a lovey-dovey story that makes you feel good and your innards warm. As a friend of mine once said, "I want to be God's frying pan and go around whacking heads. People have got to wake up." Wake up indeed.
  4. Pictures.....ah yes. Those lovely things. Weeel, the laptop crashed, so posting pictures is difficult now and editing them is near impossible. I'm working on that. ;) Re-enactments are hard to come by in the summer (when it's 99 degrees for a week straight). But trips aren't! :D And I have plenty of those coming.
  5. Sewing Projects!!!! I have yet to update that page (or develop it for that matter. ;) ) I have several projects done, and finished, that I would love to post and talk about! Check out that page soon for some awesome stitching!
To keep you all up to date, here's a look at what this year is bringing:

  • NC trip (#3 of this year) and trip to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.
  • Several re-enactments. Including the Fall Encampment, Red River, Yule Fest, Daniel Smith Days, and possibly Fort Loudon, which I am especially excited about.
  • The usual Thanksgiving Trip to NC.
  • A "talked of" Christmas trip to....Texas? O_o
And in addition to:

  • School!
  • Novel deadline (August 15th at midnight)
  • New novel!
  • Graduation! O_O There's a shocker for ya. ;)
Some updates on my life:

  1. The Kansas trip went great and I had a blast! Learned so much from the people there and can't wait to go back next year.
  2. Contacts?
  3. A new impersonation for re-enacting. Drumroll please!!! : It's a young widow. Hoohoo! There's gonna be some fun with that. :D
  4. This is a little more serious. I have felt God leading me into the mission field after (and during) college. For quite a while he has placed the people of Europe on my heart, where religion there is a culture, not a relationship with God Almighty. Please pray for me as I find out what God has planned for my life and prepare for His calling.
So, anyways. Lotsa going on. And more to come. ;) (Don't worry, patience isn't a virtue I possess either. XD )




Monday, April 19, 2010

Updates galore! Part 2

Oh for the love of butter! Well, Spring Encampment was a blast and my main employment was in the making (and cleaning) of butter. Sam and her sister Marci were my main helpers. Here's how it works.
I churned the butter for about an hour. Depending on the temperature outside, it takes anywhere from 15 minutes to and hour and a half (from my own experience) to make the butter separate from the butter milk.
Luckily, I had plenty of friends to keep me company while I churned. The giant apron I'm wearing was made with the sole purpose of making butter with it. It's wide skirt completely covers my petticoats and the bib keeps the butter cream from splashing up on my jacket front. Making butter isn't the cleanest occupation. ;)

When we finished, I scooped the butter out and ran water over it in the colander, until the water drained out clear. We then filled the bigger mold (in the background) and began to fill the smaller mold which Sam is holding. The bigger one can be seen in the background. The bowl in front is an 18th century pottery colander. We used it to wash the butter.

Pushing it out!

Popping the larger butter cake out of the mold. Marci was such a good helper!

Releasing the first mold. This one was kinda messy as the larger mold wasn't as good quality as the smaller one.
Getting the second layer out of the mold. This one was trickier because the suction was better. Sam's other sister, Vanessa is in the foreground.
Putting the two layers together...
Molding the butter.
Rubbing the two butter cakes together...
Picking up left over pieces of butter to fill in the cracks...
Here Sam explains to Marci how the butter mold works.
Smoothing extra butter around the edges...
Marci learned a lot about churning that day..

TADA! Butter! Here we are draining excess water off the plate before replacing the butter cake.
Getting all the butter off our hands...
Cleaning the butter molds. That's Lee in the background.
Washing the dishes...and ourselves! :D
Drying off our hands on my huge butter churning apron...

Mumsie had made several loaves of bread in the bake oven and between my butter and her bread, we fed plenty of people that weekend! By Sunday, the butter was entirely gone!

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed that little instruction as to 18th century butter making!


Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Steampunk anyone...?

Recently I've become fascinated by a type of fantasy costuming called steampunk. I thoght I'd give a try at it, and came up with this. It's a mannequin, as a friend of mine calls my drawings (since they are usually minus a head and hands). I'm hoping to actually make the costume to wear for a thing I'm hoping to go to this summer. Hoever, the jacket and blouse can easily be worn with modern clothing. Enjoy, and hopefully I might have posts soon of the construction!


Forgive the funky whiteness in the background...my attempt at compter erasers didn't turn out as planned. ;)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

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.













Sunday, November 15, 2009

Books, don't ya love 'em?

*Sighs* Oh how I love books. If you were to come to my house and meet me, you would be sure of this fact. And some of you have, and are. To me, to read is to breathe. There is no difference. Life without books wouldn't be life at all.
Arnold Lobel said,
"Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them."

And Charles Elliot,
"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers."

So why this random post on books, you ask? Well, I am reading a lot currently, and I have recieved a new book today.
#1. Crazy Love by Francis Chan http://crazylovebook.com/


This book is and most likely will change my view on how God's love is, has, and will be demonstated to his people.
This is one must read. Check out it's back cover:
"GOD IS LOVE.
Have you ever wondered if we're missing it? It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe--The Creater of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor--loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you've verbalized it yet or not...we all know something's wrong.
Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical solutins? God is calling you to a passionate love reationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't in working harder at a list of do's and don'ts--it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, you will never be the same.
Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything."


#2. The Life Book by The Gideon's International https://www.thelifebook.com/index.php

There are 17.5 million high school students in the U.S. Studies say that only 4% of students are Bible-believing Christians, that means over 16 million high school students are missing God's gift of grace in Jesus Christ. Do you wish you could have a greater impact on the next generation? Getting involved with The Life Book Project allows you to help Christian students all over the U.S. saturate their schools with God's Word as they give The Life Book to their friends and classmates. How can you be involved? Go to the above link, or view, download, send a free copy of The Life Book here: https://www.thelifebook.com/get-the-lifebook.php


The life book is for students to hand out in their schools, organizations, sports clubs, and oher places where they can develope a relationship with those they give the book too. Find out more info at the website.


#3. By the Sword by Richard Cohen


Well, after the above two, I feel kinda out of place talking about this one. It's a boo about the history of swords. And it is entirely fascinating. Never had I known there was so much to a long piece of steel. Cohen tells his tale in a quirky, narritive way that captures and keeps hold of your attention. I picked this up becuase I needed to know about swords for my story, but I didn't plan on getting a history lesson. This book will definately inhabit my shelves for a long time after.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this little book critique and gave you some interesting books to pick up soon. More to come from Fall Retreat soon, and Red River pics, and Dancing pics on their way this week!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Florida 2009

Well, I've finally found a lull in my day (or month as it were) to put some stuff up. So, here is the trip to Florida I took with Allison in September after my birthday.




Me and Lissie.



This is the dinner I made for us. Each of us cooked either lunch or dinner while we were down there. Lissi and I did dinner and the boys did lunch. I made chicken pot pie and fried apples. I have to admit, it was pretty good....especially the apples!

And here is Allison's. She made shrimp scampi (which was delicious by the way), green beans, salad, and garlic bread.
One day at the beach we had the idea to make Allison into a mermaid. So we did. And here is the finished project. We put seaweed around her for decoration, and on her head for a crown. It was tons of fun, but unfortunatly, the seaweed itched Lissi like crazy and her arm was really acky after laying like that for so long while we covered her in sand. A lot of people who walked by really liked it and took pictures!

The place where we stayed also had a neighborhood pool and we would go there when the beach got really windy and the currents became dangerous. Right to left: Elijah, me Lissi, and Lee.

The second day at the beach, Elijah and I decided to make a sand castle, which then turned into a contest between me and him, and Allison and Lee.

And the finished project: We won the "Best Aslan's How Look-a-like Award". Course, we were the only ones to build an Aslan's How Look-a-like. :) Oh well, it was fun and it really did look quite like it.

I had a great time and am so thankful to Lissi and her family for allowing me to go with them. Lissi teased me that I took the place of her guitar. ;) Hopefully some time this weekend or next week I'll have more pics up of Red River!!! Stay tuned.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Happenings Number 2

Okay, I am officially ashamed of my lack of attention to my blog! I'm becoming like some people I know who only post once a month!!!! ;) You know who you are!!!

Well, to begin with announcments:

1. I am having my birthday next week! YAY!!!

2. I am leaving for Florida next week with my dearest Lisi!!!!!! YAY!

3. I am writing a novel!!! That is probably the main reason why I haven't been posting as much. Every avaiable second I have on the laptop is consumed in writing my novel. Thankfully, I enjoy it and it is a lot of fun! When I start finishing chapters, I'll post them so you can read and critique!!!

4. I haven't even started making my Robe de l'angliese. A fact of which I am terribly ashamed. :( But I have recieved my silk from Sam, and it as absolutely lovely!!!!!

5. Last, but not least, I'M GONNA BE AN AUNT!!!!!!!! You heard me! God is blessing Josh and Lori with a precious bundle of joy due in March. So far, we have heard that the darling is four inches long, and has already been dubbed Waldo Kirby by the dearest's adoring parents!!! ;)

Now for upcoming projects:

1. Well, the Robe de l'angliese.

2. My silk neckerchief.

3. An embroidery floss holder. (Quite creative actually and I am very proud of it!)

Things to check out in the upcoming months:

1. More things to come on my political blog, Politically Incorrect on Purpose.

2. Another blog for my embroidery work. I will also have a way for you to contact me if you would like to have me do some for you. I will have more information on that soon.

3. Upcoming re-enactments and trips. Red River is around the bend and my second trip to Ohio this year is also coming up. November will also bring the annual Thanksgiving trip to NC.

4. And finally, pics from Florida!!!! Hope fully you will be entertained, but I can't promise anything! ;)

So, hopefully this will all hold you guys over for a few week while I catch my breath from all that is going on. Keep and eye out for what's to come!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

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.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Change

Happy April!!! I love April. It's such a nice name and everything is so pretty. You probably have noticed that I changed the blog background again. Sorry, but the other one just wasn't workin' for me. I like changing things up allthe time anyways. Ask anyone of my friends and they will confirm that I re-arnage my room about every other month (or oftener) and every once in a while, I change my handwriting. I am constantly changing my hairstyle too! :) I just like to be *unpredictable*. :) Pics of Spring Encampment are coming up. Stay tuned!!!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

More pics

Well, I dug through some sources and I finally found some pictures from Yule Fest back in December. Here you go.

This is Me with a group of my re-enacting friends down at Mansker's. From left to right:

Jordan, Rebecca, Sarah, Sammantha, Jessica, Josh, Mrs. Joy, Me, Janessa, and Natalie. My dress was caught up on something and so it looks funny here. ;)

This is the Bowen house, which is right next to Mansker's. They are a site together. Ms. Laura is shown here in the dining/parlor of the house. It is surprisingly well lit for just candles.


And this is me dancing with the visitors and friends. I am in the orange dress and my partner is my friend Gerald.