30 Songs: 16-20 (and Happy Birthday Molly!)

   Hello, dear readers! : )

      I was going to post Part 4 of the 30 Songs Challenge yesterday, but I ran out of time, so here we are. But first....

       On January 27th my sister Molly turned 18! Molly is a very special sister and we've had many wonderful times together (and a few not-so-wonderful. ;-P) She loves playing the piano and flute, selling produce, working with little ones and helping others.



Molly and I celebrating our birthdays in 2009



   Molly's and my birthdays are only six days apart, so we've often celebrated them together. She is a very kind sister and I'm so blessed! Happy birthday, Molly! I love you! :-)

   So now for Part 4 of the song challenge:

Day 16: A Song That You Used To Love But Now Hate

 Never Alone by BarlowGirl. I used to really like BarlowGirl and Never Alone was among my top favorite songs for a long time. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that I hate it now, it doesn't really do anything for me. :-P The same goes for most all of BarlowGirl's music.

 

Day 17: A Song That You Hear Often On the Radio

   Oh, there are so many of these. Usually when a radio station starts to exhaust a certain song by playing it over and over, I inevitably start to dislike it. :-P I remember last year this song was played over and over on one of our local stations.

    I really like this song, but after hearing it over and over and over, I got pretty tired of it for a while. :-)

 

Day 18: A Song That You Wish You Heard On the Radio

   I generally don't like to listen to the radio because I can't pick the song. :-P I sound so selfish, right? I guess I'm going to give another of my "random answers" for this question. One of my very favorite groups is Celtic Woman, so how about this:

     I just recently discovered this song while researching old Irish music for a school project, and I just LOVE it! Doesn't it just make you want to dance? I also love their dresses in this video.

Day 19: A Song From Your Favorite Album

   I don't really have a favorite album: it changes from time to time. Most of my favorite albums are movie soundtracks, and riight now I'm really loving the Legends of the Fall soundtrack. Here's one of my favorites, Off to War:

Day 20: A Song That You Listen To When You're Angry

   Hmmmm....I don't really listen to music when I'm angry. I usually just sing, or I play the piano. (There is nothing like pounding out The Point of No Return to vent one's frustration!) If I'm angry or frustrated or just out of sorts, I love to sing Irish ballads. I love Irish music (which you may have picked up on by now ; ), and it's so calming when I'm in a bad mood. One of my favorites is Far Away In Australia. I love this version by Dolores Keane:

     

         

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20 Random Facts About Me

 Hey everyone!

  Today I've decided to answer these questions from a fun tag that Belle did on her blog, since I'd like to get back in the habit of posting a few times a week, even if it's only random things.


1. What are three of your hobbies?

    Only three? Well, okay. Music (singing, playing the piano), reading, and dancing.
  
2. What is your favorite season?

   I used to always say fall, but now I think spring might be my favorite. I love when the snow melts and the trees start budding, and I love spring flowers. There's something so inspiring about springtime! I love all the seasons, though, and my answer kind of depends on what season it is at the time. :-)




"Oh, to be in England now that April's there!"   ~Robert Browning

 
3. Heels or sneakers?

  I hardly ever wear sneakers, unless I'm working in the garden or something, and several of the shoes I wear have a bit of a heel so I'd say in general I wear heels more.

4. Casual or fancy?

  Both! It really depends on what I'm doing or where I'm going, or just on what mood I'm in. I love dressing up, but I also like to dress casually and comfortably.

5. What do you prefer, a birthday party or a girls' sleepover party?

  Hmmm, not sure, both sound fun! 'Twould depend upon the birthday party and the group I was with, I suppose. I think I would probably pick a girls' sleepover party, though.

6. What do you enjoy posting about?

    My interests, mostly: books, music, movies, literature and writing....you know, things like that.
  
7. How old are you?

  Fourteen, going on fifteen. : )  


8. When is your birthday?

  February 2nd. Only 8 days away! : )


9. Do you like the thrill of a roller coaster?

  Um, no thank you! I've always been terrified on roller coasters; or any amusement park ride, for that matter. I'm not usually a very cautious person, but when it comes to roller coasters I generally try to avoid them.

10. Do you like watching movies in a theater?

   Ehhh...not particularly. I'd rather watch a movie in my own cozy living room, and when a movie comes out that I want to see I'm usually content to wait until it's released on DVD. Occasionally, though, I enjoy the theater experience. :-)

11. What would be your ideal job in the future?

   Working at Colonial Williamsburg! I love history and I'd love dressing up in period clothing and being able to work in the "revolutionary city". The only thing is, it's so far away, so I'd be away from my family. I'd also like to work at Gettysburg, and that's a bit closer. : ) Basically any big history museum or reenactment center. Also I think it would be fun to work in a bookstore or a library.


The Raleigh Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg


12. Are you into sports? If so, which ones?

  I'm not really into sports, no. Nor am I any good at them. ; P

13. At a football party, which are you, the one who jumps while shouting if your team almost scored? Or the one who isn't that interested in the game, and prefers to eat the snacks while talking to friends?

  Considering the fact that I don't care a fig about football, I'd definitely be one of those not interested in the game and would just sit and talk to friends and eat snacks.

14. Did you play with Playdough as a child?

   Yes! We made our own playdough when my sisters and I were little, and so we got to pick what color we wanted it to be and we each had our own container with our own special playdough in it. Eventually it got all hard and crusty, though. : P
  
15. What are your favorite clothing stores to shop at?

  Maurices, Bon-Ton, Gypsy Moon, and other consignment shops.

16. Are you a bookworm?

  Yep. I am quite proud to say that I am. : )

17. Which do you spend more time on, a book, or the internet?

   Normally I do spend more time reading books than on the internet, but some days I probably do spend more time on the internet than I do reading. Generally, though, I'd say a book, especially if it's a good book.

18. When did you decide to start blogging?

    Around this time last year, actually. Up until then I only had a faint idea of what a blog was, but last fall I discovered Old-Fashioned Charm and my sister and I began reading it and "following" it, so to speak. Shortly thereafter I began reading other blogs, most of them period drama-themed, and I thought it would be such fun to have my own! So, in February of 2013 I created this blog, and I'm so glad I did. :-)

19. On your honeymoon, which would you rather go to, a rustic lodge in the mountains or a sunny beach in Florida?

  Ooohhh, a rustic lodge in the mountains! Definitely.

20. What are five of your favorite movies?

  Okay, this is good. Five of your favorite movies, not your top five favorite movies. I can do this. ;-)

    I have a lot of favorite movies. And I mean, a lot. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to list five favorites that I don't normally mention on this blog, alright? So here they are, in no particular order:

- Because of Winn-Dixie
- The Conspirator
- The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain
- Hidalgo
- The Other Side of Heaven


  Thanks, Belle! That was fun! I'm hoping to get back into posting regularly, and of course I will still finish the 30 Songs Challenge. I also have a few movie reviews planned and some other posts I hope to do, so hopefully those will be coming in the near future.

   I am really super excited today because....

  TOMORROW I AM GOING TO SEE WICKED!!!!! :-) Only one short day!

  "One more dawn, one more day.....One day more!"

  Hope you all have a great day! :-)

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30 Songs: 11-15

Day 11: A Song From Your Favorite Band

   I'm really not that into 'bands' anymore, although I used to like several Christian bands in my younger days. I used to be a huge fan of the band BarlowGirl when I was around eleven, but then I kind of grew out of that and lost interest in most contemporary Christian music (although there are still a few Christian artists I still really like.) Now I don't really listen to any bands. However, I suppose Mark Knopfler can count as a band, so here is his beautiful song A Night In Summer Long Ago.

Day 12: A Song From a Band You Hate

    It's hard to name a specific song or band that I hate, mostly because I just don't listen to many bands and I'm not really into that sort of music. Soooo......I don't think I'm going to answer this one. Sorry! :-P


Day 13: A Song That Is a Guilty Pleasure

  I don't really have any musical guilty pleasures.... But there is one, come to think of it, that could apply: The Point of No Return from The Phantom of the Opera. It has a few lines in it that are.....borderline inappropriate, shall we say, but minus that I think the music is beautiful and I love it. :-P

Day 14: A Song That No One Would Expect You to Love

   I grew up listening to a lot of my Daddy's favorite artists, and a lot of them have become some of my favorites as well. One of my favorite singers is Van Morrison, who isn't really someone you might expect a fourteen-year-old girl like me to listen to! Here's one of my favorite songs, called Steal My Heart Away.

Day 15: A Song That Describes You

    One song that describes me? Hmmmm. How about this:

    The title describes me, at least. :-P

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30 Songs: 6-10

Random pretty picture

Hello my dearies! Now for part two of the song challenge, as promised.


Day 6: A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere

   Alright, I have rather a silly answer for this one. :-P The song Dumb Ways to Die will always remind me of being in the dressing room at the theater during Nutcracker week, because some of the younger girls kept playing it and singing it over and over. I'm not going to include a video for this one because as the title suggests, it's kind of a dumb song, but nevertheless, whenever I hear it I will smile and remember those days. :-)  
  
Day 7: A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event

    Hmmm. There are lots of songs that remind me of certain times in the past. Francesca Battistelli's Hundred More Years reminds me of my cousin's wedding....but I already listed that. This Mark Knopfler song reminds me of one year on Independence Day when we went mini-golfing (we go every year) and we listened to this one the way there. :-)

  It also reminds me of that summer in general, since we listened to this CD a lot.


Day 8: A Song That You Know All the Words to

    Um...really? Hehee. :-) I am a songcatcher, which means that basically whenever I hear a song I really like, I have to-- er, I mean want to-- know all the words to it. Also if I listen to a song enough times I just pick up the words. So, consequently I know all the words to a lot of songs! I just recently learned the old English ballad Barbara Allen, but since for some reason blogger won't let me upload the video, I'm giving you a link to this version by Emmylou Harris. Emmylou Harris is one of my favorite singers and I really love her version of this beautiful song.

Day 9: A Song That You Can Dance To

     Well, that would be a rather lot, considering I am a dancer and all! Also my sisters and I recently started English Country Dancing, which is such fun and a lot of dances have very pretty music. However I am going to take the liberty to be random here and give you a video of a song that I wish I could dance to. :-P

  I know most period drama fans detest this movie, but I can't help it-- I love this scene! And James McAvoy's face when he appears at Jane's side....*sigh*. This song is also used in Wives and Daughters, but I don't know what it's called. If you know, I'd be quite obliged if you'd tell me in the comments! :-)

Day 10: A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

   Well, there aren't really any songs that make me fall asleep, and I really don't listen to music while I'm going to sleep anymore. When my sisters and I were little we used to sometimes listen to lullaby tapes, which, sadly, are all long gone now. Back in the brief time that I had an iPod (it came to a tragic end shortly after I got it.....it's a long story), I sometimes would listen to music before bed, but I don't anymore because 1) my iPod is gone, and 2) there isn't a CD player in our room. : P However, when I was younger I used to like to listen to this song in the evenings before going to bed.

  This song brings back soooo many memories. Also I used to have a black and white dress almost exaclty like the one JJ is wearing in this video. :-)

  That's all for now! Hope you all have a great weekend!

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30 Day Song Challenge: 1-5

 Hey everyone! I know I haven't been posting much lately and, truth be told, I've kind of been at a loss for interesting things to post. Well, it's not that I haven't had any ideas, but lately I haven't had much time to do the things I want to (but I am still hoping to get to them, eventually!) I've seen a few people do this 30 Day Song Challenge, and I thought it looked like such fun so I've decided I'm going to give it a try. Plus, since it's mostly about the songs I won't have to do much writing, which won't take very much time so it's just perfect for me right now. Besides, I think it will be fun! :-)

 
     However, I'm going to do what I've seen others do before and not actually post one song each day-- instead, I'm going to do five a day. So, without further ado!

Day 1: Your Favorite Song

     I don't have a favorite song: I have lots of favorite songs. : ) I love so many different kinds of music, so to pick one single favorite song is pretty much impossible! However, here are a few of my all-time favorites:

     I told you I have a lot of favorites. : ) And those are just a few of them!


 Day 2: Your Least Favorite Song

   Um....really? I'm not sure if I actually have a least favorite song. Sure, there are a lot of songs I don't like, but I don't really focus on the ones I don't like so how am I supposed to know what my least favorite song is? : P

 Day 3: A Song That Makes You Happy

   Goodness, there are so many songs that make me happy! I think these questions are going to be trickier than I thought. : ) As you probably know, I love Irish/Scottish music, and the song "Loch Lomond" always makes me smile. Also there are so many of my favorite soundtracks that make me very happy. However, this is not supposed to be the song that makes me the happiest, it just says "a song". So with that in mind I am simply going to pick this song from the delightful movie The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. :-)

   Yes, I like soundtracks a lot. In fact most of my favorite music are soundtracks, so they will probably be a re-occuring theme in this challenge. : P

  Day 4: A Song That Makes You Sad

    All the songs from the Atonement soundtrack are pretty mournful, as well as the Jane Eyre soundtrack. However, there are few songs less mournful than this:

   I cannot LISTEN to this without feeling like I'm about to cry. ;P

   Here's another sad song sung by the mournful Iris DeMent in the movie Songcatcher. I've just recently learned this song and I absolutely love it. (The movie was pretty awful though-- while it did have a lot of beautiful music in it, I don't recommend it.)

Day 5: A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

   Hmmm. There are a lot of songs that I associate with books that I've read and remind me of characters in books, but as for real people-- I sang this song at my cousin's wedding two years ago, so it always reminds me of him and his wife and their wedding.

 
   It also reminds me of Horatio Hornblower, since we got the CD around the same time we watched the series for the first time... :-)

  That's all for now, folks!
 

  

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Happy Birthday to my Dear Sister Sadie!

 Today is my sister Sadie's 13th birthday! :-)

    Sadie is my best friend, confidant, sidekick, fellow mischeif-maker, associate and partner in crime. She is a sweet and caring sister (well, most of the time : P), she loves to laugh and we have so much fun together!



Sadie on her 7th birthday



    Sadie loves playing the violin, baking, reading books, watching movies, English country dancing, laughing, and lots of other things. :-) She is an amazing musician, an amateur figure skater and occaionally dabbles in dermotologoy. : P

Sadie on her 11th birthday



Sadie and I picking blueberries in.....2005, maybe? : )

   We're only two years apart in age and as close as two sisters can be. We share a lot of the same fandoms and loves (such as Horatio Hornblower and Dr. Quinn and Linda Byler books), and Sadie has remarkable taste in music and literature. (By remarkable I mean remarkably similar to my own....kidding! :-) Although we occasionally disagree on things and get on each other's nerves, most of the time we get along marvellously and she is the best sister anyone could ever hope to have. I love you, Sadie! Happy birthday!                                                                                               

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New Years' Tag....and Happy New Year!

   Hey everyone! Christmas has come and gone, and the the new year is here! Wow, it doesn't seem like so very long ago that it was 2012, and now here it is 2014. What?! Where has the time gone? 2013 has been a  very eventful and special year for me and I'm rather sad to see it go, but I'm also excited about what the Lord has in store for 2014!
   Since this is my first "New Year" having a blog,  I've decided to do this fun New Years' tag to kind of reflect upon the year. So here goes!

What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?

    - I started writing a blog
    - I was in the Snow, Flower and Merlaton corps in The Nutcracker
    - I helped with a three and four-year-olds' Sunday school class :-)
    - I sang at a memorial service
    - I started singing in a college choir
    - My sister and I hosted a tea party for our friends
    - I auditioned for a summer intensive (but didn't get accepted)
    - I went to a summer dance intensive (of a much smaller and less grand scale than the one I auditioned for :-P)
    - I found out that I'm gluten-sensitive

Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make one this year?

   I've never been in the habit of making resolutions and I didn't make any last year (or the year before or the year before.) I probably won't make any this year either-- it's just not something I do. : P

Did anyone close to you give birth?

   No, I don't think so.

Did anyone close to you die?

   No one in my immediate family, but some close friends experienced loss this year, yes.

What countries/states did you visit?

   Except for the usual trips across the stateline into Pennsylvania, I didn't visit any other states. I pretty much stayed in the New York/Pennsylvania are the entire year, which is totally fine with me. : P

What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?

    Honestly, there's nothing really that I "lacked" this past year. I have everything I need and much more, but one thing I would like to get sometime this year or the next is a laptop.

What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory?

   The week between Palm Sunday and Easter was pretty memorable: our computer died so we didn't have internet for about two weeks and I read Julie Klassen books and watched Horatio Hornblower and listened to Mark Knopfler-- good times. : ) Also August 19th, our tea party, April 5th, when my cousins and sisters and I did a program for a group at my aunt's church, and April 24th because it was just such a wonderful day.

Our tea party spread

Did you move anywhere?

  Nope, and I'm glad of it too!

What was the best month?

  February, March, April and May were among some of the best and have some very fond memories, but I really don't think I can pick a best month.  

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

   Um, *clears throat* well, I read East of Eden, which I definitely consider to be a big achievement! Hehe. Landing decent parts in The Nutcracker, working more at our family business, starting a blog, making new friends, growing in my relationship with the Lord.

What was your biggest failure?

    Not having matured as much as I'd have wanted since this time last year, not being as socially adept, not always being very tactful.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

   No, not really, unless you count severe allergic reactions as illness.

What was the best thing you bought?

    I bought a very nice bookcase to put all my new books on, which was definitely the biggest thing I bought. The best thing I bought was probably either my Lizzie Searches For Love trilogy or the Gods and Generals soundtrack.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

   My parents, my grandparents, my family.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

    A lot of people, unfortunatley. *Sigh*

Where did most of your money go?

  Christian Book Distributors. Seriously, if I wasn't careful, basically all my life's savings could go to CBD. After that, probably Amazon.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

   I was really excited about going to see Les Mis in the theatre last January. (At the time it wasn't all that I had hoped, but it was still exciting.) I also got really excited when my Atonement piano book came in the mail. Honestly, though, this year hasn't been epic as far as excitment-- it's been a great year and I've been very happy and content, but there hasn't been a whole lot of things I've gotten really excited about.

I'm not sure if I hold this to be true, but I thought the picture was very cute. : )

What was the best concert you've been to this year?

   This summer my mom took us girls to a concert by the Five Browns, five siblings who are all amazingly talented pianists. That was a really great concert (and they played Atonement!), although I'm not sure it was the best. Hmmm. In December my sister Sadie was in a production of The Living Christmas Tree that our community does every year, and that was really wonderful too.

What song/album will always remind you of 2013?

   The Gods and Generals soundtrack will always remind me of the summer mornings when Sadie and I would connect our computer to the stereo and listen to the soundtrack on Youtube while we ate pancakes and played checkers. :-) As for songs, there are so many, but the three I thought of first are In the Sky by Mark Knopfler, Piper to the End by Mark Knopfler and Your Song by Elton John.


Compared to this time last year, are you:
1. happier or sadder? Happier.
2. thinner or fatter?  "Well, I ain't measured it."  -Loren Bray in Dr. Quinn
3. richer or poorer? Considering I was fifty dollars "in the hole" last year after Christmas, I'd say I'm personally richer. Not that I'm really all that rich or anything.

What do you wish you'd done more of?

    Writing. I began writing a novel this summer, but gradually I stopped working on it and nothing really came of it. This year I'm going to try to write more, and I have a new idea for a novel that I'm very excited about.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

    Complaining. *Sigh* It doesn't help anything, and as Lady Grantham says, "it's very middle-class."

What was your greatest musical discovery?

   Definitely Les Miserables. I saw the movie shortly after its release in January, and while I wasn't exactly thrilled with the movie at first, I completely fell in love with the music. (Before you start throwing rotten tomatoes, though, let me say that I AM coming around in regards to the movie. Slowly. I really need to watch it again. ; P) The musical is now one of my top favorites, and I would absolutely love to go see it one day! Also, I discovered Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, who are now some of my favorite musicians.

How did you spend Christmas?

   At home with my family! :-)

How are you spending New Year's?

  Same as Christmas, at home with my family. We don't usually do anything fancy on New Years', just spend the evening at home and watch a movie and then sometimes we go to visit family on New Years' day.

Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

   I don't really talk on the phone at all, mostly due to the fact that they make me uncomfortable (yes, yes I know, it's silly, but I just don't like them.) Taking messages from hay customers is about the extent of my phone activity. Probably the person I actually talked to the most, though, was my Grandma.

What was the best book you read?

  I've read so many good books this year-- you can't seriously expect me to name just one. : P I read a lot of new books for the first time, but I also read a lot of my favorite books over again for the second or third times. : ) Some of the best books I read for the first time were:

- A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin
-True Grit by Charles Portis
- The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen
- The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich
- Christy by Catherine Marshall

Did you fall in love in 2013?

  No, I didn't. (Excuse me, but I'm 14.) Unless you count Matthew Crawley and other fictional characters. In that case, yes, yes I did. I fell hard. :-)

What was your favorite TV show?

 Dr. Quinn: Medecine Woman. Forever and always. <3

What did you want and get?

    The Atonement score piano book, several wonderful soundtracks and lots of wonderful books. It would seem that this was a year for building my collections. :-)

What did you want and not get?

   There were a few little things I had wanted for Christmas that I didn't get, but nothing really important. :-)

What were your favorite films of this year?

  Well, I have several top-favorites that always remain the same, but I'll just list a few of the best movies that I saw for the first time in 2013.

- North and South (2004)
- Bleak House (2005)
- The Adams Chronicles (1970-something)
- East of Eden (1982)
- Little Dorrit (2008)
- Lonesome Dove (1987)
- Martin Chuzzlewit (1994)


What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

   I turned 14 on February 2nd and had a lovely day with my family. We didn't do anything really special on my actual birthday, but the day after we went to my absolute favorite restaurant which was very nice because it's sort of far away and we don't get to go there very often. I also received a book I'd been wanting, Georgette Heyer's Regency World by Jennifer Kloester, and we watched a couple episodes of Northern Exposure. It was fun. :-)

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?

   Um.... it really depends on my mood, actually! :-) Classic 1930s, '40s and '50s style, sort of vintage. Full skirts, flowered patterns, ruffles, Victorian jewelry. Kind of a mix of several different eras. :-)
  
What kept you sane?

   My family, God's goodness, sunshine and flowers, popcorn, Dr. Quinn.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy most?

   This gentleman, Mr. John Schneider.   

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

  Less stress. Most of which, of course, probably wasn't neccessary.

What political issue stirred you the most?

   Honestly, I didn't pay much attention this year because nothing really big was going on.

Who did you miss?

   Friends who have moved away and the ones I don't see any more.

Who was the best person you met?

  The best person? I've met several lovely people this year and quite a few as a result of starting this blog, but I'm not sure I can say who the best person I met was.  

Tell a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

  Be open-minded-- never assume the worst about someone, and don't think that they're assuming the worst about you either. Don't be afraid to take chances now and then. And just because cleanliness is next to godliness, that doesn't mean dirt is diabolical. :-P

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

  They say there's a place where dreams have all gone,
  They never said where, but I think I know
  It's miles through the night, just over the dawn
  On this road that will take me home.

  Love waits for me 'round the bend
  Leads me endlessly on
  Surley sorrows shall find their end,
  And all of our troubles will be gone.
  And we'll know what we've lost,
  And all that we've won,
  When the road finally takes me home.
  I'm going home, I'm going home.


      ~Going Home by Mary Fahl

Five personally significant events of 2013:

- I went to a big audition in a big city
- I started writing a novel
- I started writing a blog
- I read East of Eden, the biggest book I've read to date and the first real classic.
- I made new friends

Five things I want to do in 2014:

- Go to see Wicked live in January : )
- Write and FINISH a book
- Be in a musical
- Read a Charles Dickens novel
- Make new friends!

Five people I'd like to know better in 2014:

   My readers! Also the girls in my ballet class and some people in my homeschool group whom I don't know very well or haven't met yet.

    Happy New Year, everyone! I'm so grateful for all of you and I hope you  have a happy and blessed 2014!

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