The Best Photos EVER!

On October 8th, my dreams came true! I saw Derek and Sandra in concert in Marietta, GA. It was a great show...and a great meeting afterwards. The following are some of my favorite shots from the show:

I am very excited...can you tell?? 

singing something 

sandra 

the best 

Singing THE HIGH COUNTIRES 

Look how sweet they look laughing at each other 

I love this picture  

Saffie spends all day laying on my bed and staring out at Henry, my gnome. Usually there is a lizard on the gnome that keeps little Saffie alert. 

A little Steven Curtis Chapman and CS Lewis

Thoughts from Wednesday's planning period...

I think a source of frustration for humans is that we're not really created for this world. To quote Steven Curtis Chapman (man, I can't believe I'm about to quote the Mullet King of CCM! How come a Dylan or Derek lyric couldn't pop into my mind at this very crucial, introspective moment?):

To all the travelers, pilgrims longing for a home. From one who walks with you on the journey called life's road, it is a long and winding road. From one who's seen the view and dreams of staying on the mountain high and one who's cried like you wanting too much just to lay down and die, I offer this, we must remember this: We are not home yet. So let us not grow weary or too content to stay 'cause we are not home yet.

To quote another rather trite sounding song (DC Talk's "Things of this World" -- from their stellar hit Nu Thang): Things of this world are passing away, here tomorrow but they're sure not here to stay. Things of this world are passing away, so lay your treasure above and start to live for Him today. I just had a thought, instead of citing song lyrics, I could just cite the Bible verses that the songs are based on (however...the sad truth is, I have memorized far more lyrics than I have Bible verses...sad). Anyhow, I have known the truths that SCC and DCT have sung about for quite some time now. I know it doesn't matter at all if my jeans come from the Gap or Walmart. It really doesn't make me any less of a person that my car has a semi-broken tape player (that's right, folks, no CD player for me) or that there are no power windows or locks and that most 16 year olds drive a better car than I do to school. It really doesn't bother me, really. (I do get bothered, however, when my muffler falls off or the check engine light comes on or the tire is flat again). I'm actually quite sorry for pressuring my mom when I was 9 to buy me Keds instead of just basic white canvas shoes. (The only difference was the $15 blue tag on the back of the shoe.) So, I don't think I have ever really had a problem (except for my stupid desire for Keds) to have the most expensive material possessions. I know that these things don't matter and will certainly pass away. However, it's becoming increasingly clear to me that some other things don't matter either.

I have always been a person who craves relationship (and I'm not referring to a dating relationship). I've always wanted a personal relationship with every single teacher I've ever had (which became increasingly difficult to accomplish once I entered high school and met some pretty scary math and science teachers). I've always longed for relationships with best friends. Because of my desire for friendship, I've made some pretty poor choices (not necessarily that I've chosen the wrong friends, but I have chosen to stay friends with people who have hurt or disappointed me over and over). My mom used to always tell me, "When someone shows you his/her true colors, believe it!" I would never believe it; I would always say, "Well, I'm sure that will never happen again." The fact that it takes me a long time to give up on a friendship has been something I've actually always liked about me (however, the older I get, the easier it becomes for me to walk away from a friendship). I think this craving for relationship stems from my desire to know others well and also to be known well by others. I don't think that many people have known me well, and I also think that could be a good thing :-). I think that I have lots of friends who know me pretty well, but not nearly as well as I would like to be known. (On a completely side note: Upon thinking about this, it's become clear to me that sometimes those who know me best are not the ones who I would necessarily choose to be the ones who know me best. And the opposite is kind of true, too. Those who I would like to know me the best, well, they sometimes end up not knowing me at all.)

And now I will begin to attempt to tie it all together...

I don't really care about all of the material stuff. Yes, I'm glad I have my Taylor guitar and even though I don't care, my jeans do come from the Gap (mainly because those are the ones that fit the best), and as long as my car runs, it's really not the end of the world if I have to listen to the radio instead of enjoying a CD. Instead, I have been focused on establishing meaningful relationships with those around me. I value my relationships with others greatly and have noticed that at times I still feel lonely.

I've also never been driven or motivated to choose a career/job in order to make a lot of money. I was always the one in college who told others, "It doesn't matter what you major in, or what you choose to do, just make sure you're happy." I will admit it definitely got on my nerves by my senior year to hear people say, "English? What are you going to do with that? Just teach?" Most people don't think before they open their stupid mouths. So, I am a girl who loves her Creator. I love His creation. I love reading about His grace. I love reading about His love. I love reading about His judgement. And even still, there are times when I'm lonely and left wanting more.

I think that I'll always have this bit that's unfulfilled and it's because I wasn't created for this world. I am not home yet and instead of trying to fix that void, I should delight in it. Praise God that I am not fulfilled by material items, frienships or relationships with others, and even my relationship with God, Himself, as it exists here on earth.

I really enjoy reading C.S. Lewis and have recently stumbled upon these quotes (the Till We Have Faces quote was actually stumbled upon back in February when I decided to read it again upon hearing that it was one of my good friend's, Jed, favorite books. I'm so glad I did reread and the following quote is just one that touched me).

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. *Mere Christianity

It was when I was happiest that I longed the most...The sweetest thing in all my life had been the longing to find the place where all the beauty came from. *Till We Have Faces

I guess I'll always be longing and craving something...the place where all beauty comes from, God's home. I'm ok with that. One day.

Mother India

One out of six Indians are born into the country's "Untouchable" caste.

"In many towns in India, Dalits are not allowed to draw water from a well. They must go to the well and beg for a higher caste person to share, and often no one does. Hinduism tells them they are worthless, with no hope for change, and the caste system only reinforces these lies. So, when they hear the truth about God - that He loves them, He made them in His image, and that Jesus came to die so they could be with Him - they are overcome. In John 4, Jesus breaks social taboos and drinks after the Samaritan woman at the well and then he offers her the Living Water. A well of water springing up into everlasting life. Af first this may seem like a call for social justice and as followers of Christ we are commanded to look after the poor and weak, but in the end it's a call to evagelism. We are bearers of the well that will never run dry...will we share the well?" -- Caedmon's Call (in the liner notes of their new CD, Share the Well)

When I saw Caedmon's Call about a month and a half ago, Andy Osenga (the Derek replacement) remained on the stage alone and sang this unbelievably, heart-wrenching song, "Mother India." I couldn't wait until the CD was released. I knew that "Mother India" was something special and it would most likely be my favorite track. Can you imagine my surprise when I got the CD yesterday and discovered that Danielle sang it. It's so totally breath-taking, if you heard it, you'd probably be moved to tears. Anyway, the following is a quote from the liner notes about the song:

"After the first few days in India, seeing a couple different cities, and all the poverty but all the beauty there, I wanted to write something that would hopefully sound as huge as thee xperience felt to me. I think that the greatest joy comes from the greatest sadness, and I love how joyful the end of the song became because of the dirt and the tears in the beginning."

-- Andrew Osenga

MOTHER INDIA

Father God, you have shed your tears for Mother India

They have fallen to water ancient seeds

That will grow into hands that touch the untouchable

How blessed are the poor, the sick, the weak.

Father, forgive me, for I have not believed

Like Mother India, I have groaned and grieved.

Father, forgive me, I forgot your grace

Your spirit falls on India and captured me in Your embrace

The serpent spoke and the world believed its venom

Now we're ten to a room or compared to magazines.

There's a land where our shackles turn to diamonds

Where we trade in our rags for a royal crown

In that place, our oppressors hold no power

And the foors of the King are thrown wide.

Andy O., you did write a song as huge as your experience must have been. I love it.

THE RAIN IN BOMBAY!!

On any other Sunday, instead of finding me in front of my computer, you'd probably find me in the midst of worship at church. I woke up too late to make it this morning. I would just go to the late service, but I have lunch plans (which doesn't happen often) :-). So, I'm just going to hang out and enjoy a lazy Sunday morning and I'll fill you in on some things that happened yesterday. I will go in reverse order of my day (that way if you get bored reading, you'll have at least read the most exciting part of my day which occurred last).

Andrew Peterson Concert

The last time I say Andy P. was on Sept. 11, 2001. I remember the evening quite well. My mom and I were going to make the trek to Florida Christian College as soon as we both got off work. I got off early due to the traumatic events of Sept. 11 (I was working in the coffee/tea shop and we didn't have one customer after about 9:30) and headed over to Best Buy to purchase Bob Dylan's new relase Love and Theft. In the parking lot there were some people selling special edition newspaper inserts of the events of Sept. 11. I picked one of those up, too, and then headed to get my mom. We both thought it might not be the best thing to spend the evening at CD release party...but our love for music urged to go ahead with our plans. That was a great concert. Andy P.'s dad was there and he's a minister, so there was a pretty somber part of the concert where his dad came up and we prayed. So that was 3 years ago and Andy P. has shaken things up a bit: his guitarist, Gabe Scott, has left for the call of Bebo (crazy, I know), and his wife, Jamie P., has taken to staying at home with their three small children. This go around, Andy P. took two of his musician friends on the road. I'm so glad he did; they were amazing.

Apparently, this concert was very last minute. The tickets were WAY cheap ($5), it was at Florida Christian College (which is where Andy P. and Jamie P. went to school) and there were probably about 30 people there. I of course snagged front row seats (wasn't a hard feat this time around). While the massive crowd was gathering, Andy P. walked out to get something off the stage. I took this as an opportunity to go up to him and casually request a couple of songs. We talked a bit and seriously, he might be the nicest guy in the world!

He sang my requested songs and tons of others. The show began at 7 and I finally was getting out of the uncomfortable chair around 10!! I was pleased to get his newest CD, a Christmas concept album (with Derek singing one of the tracks...such a surprise). I would go into great detail about the stories that he told and the songs that he sang, but I think only about 2 of my regular readers know Andy P., and I'll fill them in on the concert later (and Jed, he played your song, "Mary Picked the Roses", and told a hilarious story about the song...I can't wait to send you the tape for you to hear it! You will crack up!).

Share the Well

The newest Caedmon's Call CD, which dropped on Oct. 12, is finally mine. I'm actually listening to it now as I write this post. It's wonderful! It's so completely different from any other project they've ever put out. I have a feeling that a lot of people who would never call themselves Caedmon's fans would actually really love this CD. I am SO freaking pleased that Danielle has SUCH a presence on this album. Let me give you a history of Danielle's voice (which has been completely underused):

My Calm//Your Storm -- she sings 2 tracks
Self-Titled -- 1 song
40 Acres -- 2 songs
Long Line of Leavers -- 2 songs
In the Company of Angels -- 2 songs
Back Home -- 3 songs

I am happy that I will be needing to make a new Danielle mixed CD now with the edition of 4 more songs (she's even more present in the BGV's on this album). Let me tell you how much I love Danielle! I love her a lot. When my mom and I drove up to Atlanta for my grandmother's birthday (and also that phat Derek/Sandra concert), my mom paid me the greatest compliment EVER as I was singing along to some song. She said, "You know, your voice really matches Danielle's!" Thankyouverymuch! I was thrilled with the comparisson! (Now of course, she is my mom and moms tend to be bias.)

So the new CD is mine!

Saving Christmas

Oh Ben Affleck, what happened to you? I just don't think that he's getting any good guidance in picking movies. I saw his new movie, which by the previews looked really cute and fun. In reality, you can miss this movie this holiday season. I was hoping to see a Christmas movie to jumpstart the holidays (it's never too early to get into the Christmas spirit!). Although the movie was a Christmas one, it was also a bad one. Oh well. I think it's only a matter of 2 and a half weeks until the pure magic of Finding Neverland hits theaters.

Forces of Nature

I began yesterday morning by watching Forces of Nature on TBS. Ok, I love this movie and could NEVER tire of watching it. This hit the theaters in 1999, right in the hight of my fascination with Ben Affleck (yes, I used to think he was cute...used to). If you haven't seen this movie, you pretty much should. Go to the video store and rent it (or wait for it to come on TBS again). The movie is visually beautiful. I also love the ending and find it so totally unbelievable how some people who shall remain nameless had wished for a different ending. I won't say any more about the ending of the movie because I do realize that some people don't like to know the endings of movies before they see them (I am not one of those people; I enjoy knowing what is going to happen). But, if you've seen it, you know what I mean.

That's all for now. Happy Sunday, everyone.

What is Good Art?

So, a couple weekends ago I saw Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken in concert. I've been meaning to write about the concert even since my return, and I think I'll start with this little tid bit. The Mix family, being huge Bob Dylan fans, naturally requested "Every Grain of Sand" when Derek opened the floor up for requests. He was happy to oblige our request and said the following before he began playing: (I taped the concert!)

This is a song by my favorite song writer of all time and is arguably one of the best song writers certainly of my generation. Bob Dylan...(here my mom said, "Thank you, Derek," to which he responded, "You're welcome, ma'm."). It's a tremendous song that comes off a tremendous record called Shot of Love which came out, I don't know when it was, but it was in the early 80's. It's such a great song. I recorded a version of it on my latest record. it's just such a great song. The reason that this song's so important to me is because it does what Christian art is supposed to do. Dylan himself came to the faith in the late 70's. It's just a great model for Christian artists: music, theater, film, print, writing, painting, sculpting, whatever it is, whatever kind of art that you do, there's something we can learn from the example of a guy like Bob Dylan who engages culture with his faith not with his mediocre buy explicit art, which is the vast majority of the art in the church now a days -- mediocre at best, but really explicit. But rather, he makes this really good art, just this excellent art and fuses his faith into it in ways that are sometimes more subtle than others, but all of it's good. I think that it would be a great thing if
the church would learn how to discern, if we could tell the difference between good art and explicit art (because we don't know the difference). We think if it's explicit and if it talks about Jesus then that's good stuff. Maybe, it might be a good song, but it might be a terrible song. It might be terrible, awful art. We can't settle in this area. The church is putting out terrible art. Even your local Christian radio stations. It might be encouraging and uplifting, a lot of it is, but
it's terrible art. I'm not saying that it can't be preferential. On the whole, the church is known for picking bad art. That's one of the main ways the church has engaged culture throughout history, is through the artist and we're failing miserably to fo that now a days...

I think it's time that we, as music listeners and art appreciators, stop holding artists to this unbelievable double standard that we don't impose on any other set of gifts, only artists. If your music is not explicit, then it's of no worth and you're wasting your talents. It's a lie! For those of you who are artists here, be encouraged. If you play guitar and you don't want to go and join a
worship band although everyone tells you that you need to be playing worship music, it's a lie! The excellent use of your gift glorifies the Lord thoroughly. Don't feel pressured by a subculture who loves to categorize and market everything to the point where there's no room for anything that's not explicitly Christian. The best art is the stuff that never even makes it into the shelves of a Christian bookstore. If Thomas Kincaid is the best art that we've got in the church, then we're really in trouble. I'm not saying that's not good, I'm just saying that's not the whole point. What about abstract art? We're just so under the weight of Christian categories here in this country. Where are our artists engaged in culture? You want to talk about ruining our witness? We're just engaging with each other. We're the only people who have enough patience to deal with our terrible art. Christian art has nothing to do with content. Think about this: There's no such thing as a Christian painting or a Christian song. There are Christian and secular people; there's not Christian and secular music. We've invented it. It makes it easier for us to draw our battle lines and categorize our stores. It's all about the heart of the creator of the art itself. If you're a believer and you want to paint a painting that's not of Jesus but of some other bit of creation, there are some who are called to write, paint, and sing about the light and there are some who are call to write, paint, and sing about what they see illuminated by the light. The church needs all of those people. It's ok if you want to be in a praise and worship band. Amen to that. But if your neighbor doesn't want to, don't criticize him. The church needs all our diversity. No one is a perfect expression of a church. We're a community and we need each other. We need our stronger brothers and sisters who don't do things the way that we understand.

Bob Dylan, man, he just gives us a great road map for what this looks like. He makes great, great art and that's why he's still relevant. The church is scared to death to claim him because they can't control him. that's why the church didn't put their name on Johnny Cash until he was dead, because he was too dangerous. If the church said, "Yeah, Johnny Cash is one of us," and then he held up his middle finger to the country music industry, the church would then have to say, "No he's not, take him back." Bob Dylan is a believer and he makes great art. He can show us how to blow our framework apart to prove that we actually have room for all of this. There's a lot of art out there for us to enjoy. Just because it isn't labeled Christian, doesn't mean it's dangerous. And just because it is Christian, doesn't mean it's good. Here's Bob Dylan's "EveryGrain of Sand."

It took me nearly an hour to listen to the tape and write all of that down. Amen to what he said. Please forgive any spelling/grammar/format errors...this has taken forever to get up and I just don't feel like proofreading before I hit publish post. :-)

Hmmmm.

So, I'm kind of stuck at school until about 5. It's not so bad to be stuck somewhere, especially in a place where you need to be stuck since grades have to turned in by 1 pm on Friday. 3 out of 5 classes are 100% complete! Way to go me!! Had a really rough 6th period today complete with disrespect, disruption, and (trying to think of another word beginning with dis to complete the alliteration) stuff. 2 students went to the dean (pretty much the first time I've had to send anyone out this whole year...I actually just finished writing up the referrals), 1 student had to sit outside to complete his assignment, and a bunch of students kept talking! I'm beginning to become increasingly frustrated with each assignment I give. It doesn't matter if I tell the kids to MAKE SURE to include the author and story title in their theme paragraphs. They don't listen. And for the ones who do listen, they can't quite remember to include the story title in quotation marks (even though I have told them that SO MANY times since the beginning of the year). I really could go on and on about how frustrated I am feeling right now, but it's probably really boring. But, before I quit complaining...one more complaint...how come it is entirely impossible for students to stack their grammar workbooks in one neat pile!? GOSH!

It just finished pouring. I love when it starts to pour, especially if the sky has been heavy and grey all day. When the rain finally falls, I feel satisfied and relieved. I wish it was still raining. Oh well. I'm pretty hungry right about now. My peanutbutter and jelly sandwich, string cheese, pudding cup, granola bar, and minican of Dr. Pepper has totally worn off. Fortunately, in my purse, there was a lone piece of gum...just waiting to refresh me :-).

So now I'm pretty much killing time by writing this post. Let me try to concentrate on the positive things that happened today:

• a student brought me his white shoe polish because he noticed that the white part of my saddle shoes was getting rather worn
• several student were very appreciative of the curve I gave their 9 weeks grade, kids who I haven't seen smile AT ALL, smiled at me! :-)
• gosh, there has to be something else...hmmmm....not so much.

Oh well, at least 2 positive things happened today. I guess that's all. It's now nearly 4:50...10 more minutes.

OH GUESS WHAT?! The season premiere of West Wing comes on tonight. That's positive.

Are you kidding me??

So, tonight was crappy. It didn't start off that way, but it sure did end up crappy. Dinner was had at one of my favorite spots, Pizza Gallery (Where food becomes art.). The hostess had the greatest skirt in the history of skirts. After dinner, we walked a few storefronts down where I was treated to ice cream at the Marble Slab. Hello, pumpkin ice cream! And then my night went down hill...I began feeling sick (and I'm still not feeling up to par). So I'm about a mile away from home and what the heck is that noise I just heard? Oh right, I recognize it. It's my freaking muffler, or something, falling off my car and being dragged behind me! Sure enough, once the car is stopped, I can see the piece of whatever that should be tacked up to the underneath of my car. I am down right angry. I pull out all the papers/receipts which prove just how much money I've had to spend to fix my car (we're talking thousands) and I find the Meineke paperwork. I kind of feel like I just went through replacing the entire exhaust system, but it was actually 5 years ago that I did that. It was way back in Miami, August of 1999, and of course it took $433! Seriously, I'm angry. Seriously.

I hate cars. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has known me while I've had to deal with car problems. I feel like there should be a limit to the amount of car problems one person should have to deal with in a lifetime. I have well exceeded that limit, between the two cars that I've owned and my mom's cars. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

I don't really like the way I get when I feel sorry for myself, so even now as I'm writing this, I'm trying to think of things that I can do to calm myself. One thing keeps popping up. I love love love the song called "High Countries" (written by Sandra McCracken and sung by Danielle of Caedmon's Call...based on The Great Divorce). I think after a refreshing shower, I will settle down in bed to listen to "High Countries" on repeat while I read The Great Divorce.

The good thing is this: I have really lost all desire to watch television. I gladly gave up 7th Heaven and Everwood last night. Tonight I'm really not caring about Gilmore Girls or One Tree Hill. This is really good news. (However, I would like to continue watching Sunday night's Jack and Bobby and will of course resume watching Alias whenever it decides to come back on.)

Also, I just thought of something else that might serve to calm me. This past Sunday I was sitting in church thinking about some dear friends, Patrick and Aubrey. I was mainly thinking about their amazing wedding which was a year ago this past July. Both are very musical and so was their wedding. I was even thinking that I wanted to call them up and ask for a copy of their wedding on DVD (seriously, this wedding DVD that they had made is unbelievable! I was able to watch this summer when I visited them...so totally amazing!) just so that I could have the music. Well, driving home from church, I decided to change the radio station (something I try not to do since my crap car radio doesn't work very well). GUESS WHAT?! I heard a song playing that I recognized from Pat and Aubrey's wedding! I hadn't heard it in forever (since their wedding), but I loved it! So, I came home, got online, found the words/chords, and have intended on playing/singing it ... but have yet to do so. So, I will do that now (after my shower, of course). For those who might be interested in what the song was, it was "How Deep the Father's Love for Us." Here are the words:

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyong all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross
My guilt upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no powr's, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gan from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

So, it's nice to think of the Father's deep love for me...even in the middle of car problems.

Shoes I Won't be Wearing:

Reasons why I like these shoes include:

The presence of bright yellow makes me happy.

That kangaroo is hilarious.

Hello! Shoes with zippers? Fun.

The orange suede-like material is old school awesome.

Reasons why I won't be getting these shoes include:

Briana gets nervous when she sees them.

Briana hears a circus tune whenever she sees them.

Briana sees chaos when she sees them.
Shoes I'm NOT getting

Meet Hannah - hannaH

The three smiley students who knew their picture was being taken are (from left to right):

Kevin, Hannah-hannaH, and Jennifer. This is my second year as Kevin and Jennifer's teacher (which I'm very glad for because they're quite fun), but this is the first with Hannah-hannaH. (Ok, I'm writing her name as Hannah-hannaH to illustrate that her name is a palindrome. Ok, so how much fun would it be to have a palindrome for a name? SO MUCH FUN! Hannah's name gets better though, folks, her surname is...Moon!)

Here are a few things about Kevin: he loves Back to the Future, he has a periodic table t-shirt, Mr. Pekich is his hero (the scary chemistry teacher), he's musical, and he has a way of sitting in the back of the class and distracting me with crazy hand motions.

Here are a few things about Jennifer: she's on the golf team which translates to she gets to skip my class like every other day!, she's the mastermind behind naming our after school Bible study the C.I.A. (Christians In Action), and we totally are simpatico when it comes to the relationship of her older brother :-).

Now to Hannah-hannaH, the inspiration behind the post. Here are a few things about her: I met her before the first day of school. She came in my classroom with her mom during registration. I remember thinking, "Wow, Hannah, that's a nice name! You don't hear that name too often." (The only other Hannah I know (although I didn't really know her) was when Jennifer Garner guest starred on Felicity as Noel's girlfriend. Her name was Hannah and I remember it was hilarious when Felicity found out her name. She started freaking out saying, "Hannah!? What kind of name is Hannah!?" But, I like the name Hannah.) So, I was pleased to meet a student before the first day of class. Then I got my rosters and saw that her last name was...Moon! Oh, she was totally cool in my book simply based on the name alone. Some other things about Hannah are: she misses Ohio, her hair flips out perfectly, and it's natural (I have a great admiration for hair that does anything naturally like curl or flip), she has unusually neat handwriting (but not in the overly girlie big handwriting kind of way), and she always wears that grey sweatshirt.

There's more to Hannah, though. Sadly, HELLO (this picture posting program) allows me to post one picture at a time. So now it's time to move down to the next post.

Hannah made me this:

Isn't it beautiful? She even made sure my favorite colors were in the picture, yellow and purple. Hannah said that my name deserved to be special too! I told you she was sweet! So, she has perfect flippy hair, neat handwriting, and she loves to draw and write! She even fashioned her own AIM icon! How cool is that? Well, I was so touched that she made that pretty name picture for me that I just had to tell the world about it (ok, so maybe not the world, but at least all my blog readers). So, thanks Hannah-hannaH! I'm so glad you moved from Ohio and landed in my 6th period.

Well, it turns out that Hannah isn't as fond of her name as I am. Go figure! Seriously, I think it's a beautiful name and if I got another cat tomorrow, I'd SO name her Hannah. Anyway, I found this name picture of Hannah online and thought it was incredibly neat. Since I like sweet little Hannah's name so much, I made sure to save it and send it along to her (which I did yesterday).

I commented on how cool I thought this picture was and how irritating a name like Alisa Beth or even just Alisa was when it comes to personalized things like: pens, pencils, stickers, keychains, and any other thing you can get with your name on it. Sure, you can find plenty of things with: Alisha, Alicia, Alyssa, Elizabeth, and even Elisabeth. Nothing with Alisa or Alisa Beth. And guess what sweet little Hannah did?? (time for the next post)

My Saturday

Ok, this is the second time that I've tried posting about my day today, which actually wasn't exciting enough to warrant all the time that I've been spending. Stupid Blogger.

Anyway, after sleeping in until 10 am (yay! usually when I try to sleep in, I'm up by 7:15), I donned my awesome striped hot pink long sleeve tee (we're in the midst of a cold front, at 11:30 it was 71 degrees and the high was only 80!) and went to the movies to see this:

Why did I spend money on another Hilary Duff movie you might ask? Well, I've seen them all, so why not another one? Actually, I went with Emily Sue (for any new readers, or old readers who just don't remember who Emily Sue is, she's my favorite 8 year old who is a former first grader of mine). The time spent with Emily today was of course priceless, but Hilary, COME ON! Since when are your movies supposed to make people CRY? I don't mean to spoil anything for any of you who are planning on seeing it (so Philip, you might not want to read any further...I'm going to give something away), but there's an unexpected car crash that takes her beloved brother away from her. Oh the tears I shed (there were several). Raise Your Voice was definitely not as fun as A Cinderella Story, Cheaper by the Dozen, or The Lizzie McGuire Movie. It certainly wasn't pure magic and it won't be getting any Oscar nods. However, it was better than Bubba Ho-Tep.

My Pleading Heart

Colonel Brandon gave Marian Dashwood a pianoforte in Sense and Sensibility. She ended up marrying him (I can't quite blame her).

In Vanity Fair (at least the movie version as I have not read the novel), when Amelia's family becomes poor and destitute, Dobbin buys Amelia's piano for her and has it delivered to her. Of course this action illustrates his true love for her, but stupid Amelia thinks that George Osbourne has done this grand gesture. It isn't until much later in the movie that she learns the truth and eventually comes to love Dobbin.

AND, just this week on Tuesday's episode of One Tree Hill, Nathan surprised Hayley with a nice keyboard that he bought with the money he was supposed to use to buy himself a car. Oh how sweet and terribly unselfish he was. (By the way, they are married...and I think they're just juniors in high school. Come on now, it's the WB.)

So, true love in the form of piano delivery is no stranger to fiction. But what about fact? GET THIS. Before Sandra and Derek were even officially a couple/dating/whatever, he had an upright piano delivered to her home! After the concert, I heard her tell the story. When the piano came, she said she fell on the floor. (I can't quite blame her.) She ended up marrying him.

The moral: If a guy buys and sends you a piano, he totally and utterly loves you! So, I'm hoping that some boy will buy and send me a piano one day (because in case you didn't know, I foolishly got rid of my piano earlier this year...too long of a stupid story to get in to at this point).

After hearing the Derek/Sandra true life piano story, I have hope that something like that (which only can be characterized as pure magic) can happen to me too. I'm sitting here this evening totally wishing that I had a piano. I usually have the urge to sit down on my old piano bench when a hymn is running through my mind. I used to really enjoy playing: hymns, Christmas carols, and Michael W. Smith songs (come on, he may need to retire, but he's a good pianist). I will now tell you why I wish I had a piano.

My great-grandfather, Grady Smith Blackwell, was a musician. I didn't know this until I was hurricaned in over Labor day at my grandmother's house in Atlanta (I was up for a family funeral and since Hurricane Frances came storming through FL, I stayed about 5 extra days). I went down the way to my Great Aunt Anne's house which is the old Blackwell Farm (where my great grandparents raised their 8 children). Aunt Anne is the last living Blackwell child and my mom's dad, Bob, was her brother. So, seizing the opportunity to talk to the last living Blackwell, I asked a zillion questions. (Also, my grandfather, Bob Blackwell, died before I was born, so I never knew him. I wanted to get as much information as I could from his sister.)

During my inquiry, I learned a lot about my great grandparents too. Annie Blackwell, who the children called Mamere (the french word for grandmother pronounced mah-may), kept a candy dish by her chair filled with Hershey's chocolate. She was a Methodist and received a service award. She was also beautiful. Grandpop was a musician. He played several instruments and...wrote his bride a song! I flipped out when I learned this bit of information. Aunt Anne told me that when I came back for a visit in October (which happened just last weekend), she would have gotten it out of the safe for me to see.

So, last weekend I went to visit Aunt Anne. As promised, Grandpop's song was waiting for me. It was tattered, but very beautiful! He had gone through the pains to actually get it published as sheet music with a very fancy design on the cover. It is entitled "My Pleading Heart." The copyright is MCMVII (and being the Roman Numeral Queen of the Sixth Grade that I was, I instantly recognized the numbers to mean 1907). Aunt Anne told me that the date is significant because that is the year that Mamere and Grandpop married.

Here are the lyrics:

Oh! Annie, take thou my poor heart:
'Tis all I can offer thee.
It is bound so fast with earthly ties
It cannot rest with me.
Close love is like a clinging vine.
Oh! keep it, love, with thee.
How can I make it eternal thine?
I'll keep it every for thee.

Chorus:
Let other tempting voices cry,
"Come back, love, ne'er to part."
My darling, do not let it go,
Or you will break my heart.

It never has been offered yet
To any one but thee,
And if you cast it from your side
A sorrowful man I'll be.
I wish, I long for better things;
At night I kneel and pray.
In pity, love, I beg of you,
Cast not my heart away.

Another may guard your life and cherish,
And claim you all his own;
But my love for you will never perish,
Like the sungod on his throne.
It will blaze thro' all the seasons vernal,
It shall be my rod and staff.
His love my fade, mine will be eternal,
'Tho I may but see your photograph.

Ok, how sweet is Grandpop? I wish I knew him. I wish I knew Mamere. I wish I knew their son, my mom's dad, Bob Blackwell. I wonder what I would have called him? Maybe I would have called him Grandpop just like his children called his dad. I have decided that my children will call my mom Mamere (even though my brother's kids already call her Grandma...it doesn't matter because by the time I get around to having children, his kids will be really old!).

So, I wish I could take this sheet music and sit at my piano and play. But, I will have to wait until some lovely boy sends a piano to my door.

Happy Birthday, Karen Jane!

Happy Birthday to one of my BFFL (best friends for life), Karen Jane. (Technically, her birthday is on the 14th, tomorrow. BUT, it's already tomorrow over in Scotland, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

Pictured here are two lovely ladies. The one on the right, Karen Jane, is one of my best friends. The one on the left, Sandra McCracken, is someone who I want to be best friends with :-). Anyhow, this photo was taken back in January when Karen and Philip went to see Derek and Sandra at an Edinburgh show. (Note: Karen is about 7 months pregnant in this picture.)

Here are some things you should know about Karen:

• She loves pink (and that is why I'm writing in the pinkest font color I could find here on blogger)
• She is very clean and organized
• Apparently, she is funnier than me and Philip (she is very funny)
• She can teach you how to play the guitar in one hour
• She is a great whisperer
• She is a great correspondant (probably the best EVER...I got TWO letters this very week from her!)
• She's super creative
• She's a great listener
• She's a great encourager
• She's incredibly giving
• She laid back, easy going, and spontaneous (especially compared to me)
• She's super thoughtful
• She can sew...well
• She's adventurous and has encouraged me when I lit my first match and tasted my first drop of alcohol
• She sings beutifully
• She doesn't like Felicity and I don't hold that against her
• She never Shhh's me and puts up with my enthusiasm (thanks, Karen)
• She (and Philip) had the most fun wedding ever (and she has had the most attendants ever)
• She remembers things I tell/write her (which is greatly appreciated)
• She used to tape Dawson's Creek each week so that she could watch it without commericial interruptions
• She made me the best mixed tape EVER
• She's more fun than most everyone put together!
• She's 28 today!

Karen is the kind of friend you want a million of, but the truth is, she's one in a million! Her friendship has blessed me so much. There really aren't words to tell you what her friendship has meant to me over these last 10 years. My heart is full. I'm lucky.

Some Amusing Stuff

So, with this traffic tracker that I have on my site, I'm not only able to keep track of how many hits my site gets each day but I'm also able to see from where people link to my site. For instance, I'm able to see if people link to my site from another blog or from a search on yahoo or google. The yahoo and google ones are pretty amusing. Here is a list of things that people have typed into yahoo or google over the last day or two and have thus found my site:

• Tony Danza Show
• Reasons Vartan and Garner Split
• Sacreligious Mandy Moore
• Tea Party Desserts
• "I love technology" wedding song
• Diaper Wearing in Palm Bay

Pretty darn amusing, huh? Who would have thought that by typing in "Tony Danza Show", my website would pop up?

Ode to Jenny No Longer Reider but Hoskins

Happy Anniversay wishes go out to Jenny and Sam Hoskins! A year ago today we were celebrating the beginning of their lives together out by a lake with some scary swans in Amish country Pennsylvania. If yo'ud like to join me, we'll begin our stroll down memory lane during my freshman year of college, circa 1997.

My first memory of Jenny comes from a coffeehouse during one of the first weeks of my freshman year. I was feeling a little overwhelmed, as I imagine many freshman do. I was sitting on one of the sofas in the drawing room at Wesley, and Jenny came over and sat next to me. I began telling her how I hated one of my professors and it was really upsetting because it was the one class I was looking forward to the most: The History of Christianity. When Jenny found out the professor was Dr. Kling, she was shocked! (I would come to discover later that Jenny really loved Dr. Kling.) I had a very good reason for disliking him though! He struggled to get my name right. Alisa Beth. Yes, I realize that it's an unusual name, but come on, it's not terribly difficult. After he dertermined that it was not Elizabeth, he made a face, looked at me, and said, "Did you make that up or something?" (Anyway, I got over my dislike of Dr. Kling pretty quickly and soon found myself signing up for more religion classes so long as HE was the teacher!) That's how I first met Jenny.

Here are some things about Jenny:

• she was a great prayer partner!
• she has really thick hair and her ponytail would be as thick as your fist!
• she giggles more than me!
• she has GREAT taste in music (hello screaming Derek! and what about Smalltown Poets and Rainchildren)!
• not only did she LOVE my jokes, she told me very silly ones too
• she enjoyed speaking in coulets with me
• she was GREAT fun to stay up late studying with
• we loved sitting together by the Christmas tree
• we liked meeting each other in the hallway (our rooms were the greatest because they joined together in a hallway that led to our bathroom)
• she's the most selfless person in the world!
• we have ALMOST the same birthday, but just a year apart!
• she likes sheep too!
• her dog, I swear, is a miniature llama!

One of the saddest moments EVER was when Jenny graduated and moved out (which happened a year and a half before I graduated). I will always remember the night that Jenny left. No longer was she just a bathroom or hallway away from me, but hundreds of miles. One of the reasons why I'm so thankful to God for providing for me to go to UM was because of my friendship with Jenny! Oh, how I've missed her!

BUT...the most glorious thing happened! A little over a year ago, I was returning home from a very wonderful trip to Patrick and Aubrey's wedding and I had a message on my answering machine from...JENNY! She had just gotten engaged and was calling to ask me to be in her wedding. WELL, OF COURSE I SAID YES WHILE I JUMPED UP AND DOWN!

Here are some great things about the time I spent with Jenny last October:

• we had a bridesmaid tea party at the coolest cafe EVER complete with camels!
• we stayed up late and laughed and laughed at her llama-like dog, Rusty! (seriously you guys, he's the spitting image of a llama)
• we went makeup shopping at Walmart and saw Amish buggies (quite the novelty for me)
• we made fun, fun, fun mixed CDs for the wedding reception (quite possibly the best job I have EVER had)
• we stayed up late putting together the coolest gifts EVER, individualized charm bracelets (mine included a christmas tree, camel, and guitar)
• we hopped a fence into a sheep pasture the morning of her wedding! (oh, WHAT FUN!)
• we went jogging (but Jenny was the one who persevered...in my defence, it was very hilly and very cold...two things a Floridian who runs is not used to)

Anyway, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY my beloved friend and sister, Jenny! I miss you bunches!

The Remarkable Internet

I've returned for quite a journey (when I fell silent for quite a few days, did you wonder where I had gone?). I will very soon write of my adventures (which will include a recount of the best concert in the entire world). But now I will turn my focus upon the remarkable internet.

If you're a faithful reader of mine, you might recall the fairly recent post about my beloved Radio Flyer. In that post I recalled some fond memories of my very first best friend, Selina Lugtu. WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT AFTER 16 YEARS, WE ARE NOW BACK IN TOUCH?! Apparently, a co-worker of hers stumbled upon my blog, caught sight of her name, emailed her the link, and voila...we've been reunited.

And yet the remarkableness of the internet continutes...

Sitting in a church on Friday evening (I was in the front row awaiting the Derek/Sandra concert to begin) I overheard some talk about college football. Being the UM alum that I am, I couldn't resist turning around and announcing that UM pretty much rules. Well, the people who were talking directed my attention to an FSU alum (UM and FSU are pretty much rivals...not as bad as UF and FSU though). I instantly recognized this FSU grad and asked her name. She replied, "Carla." To which I responded, "Oh my gosh! I go to your blog!" Now, this is kind of crazy...but I had linked to her blog from someone else's blog and it turns out that Carla's former roomie is the Alisa that I have linked in my sidebar. HOW STRANGE IS THIS?! (and, the reason I recognized Carla is because recently on her blog she photo-documented the dying of her hair)

Here's to you, Oh Great and Remarkable Internet!

Did you know?

Oh guess what?! I have stumbled upon my new favorite website: www.hookedonfacts.com. How I love random, but interesting, facts. Did you know that Americans eat nearly 100 acres of pizza every day - that's approximately 350 slices per second!? I really wish that I could get a job with some sort of fact company. I think it would be WAY fun to go out and research crazy things like how much pizza Americans consume on a daily basis (especially if it meant that I could consume some pizza!). Ok, this is a disturbing fact: In Florida, it is illegal to sing in public while attired in a swimsuit. I guess that means I really need to stop singing Annie show tunes while being decked out in my bathing suit while in public. (Yeah right I would ever do that! I am just kidding.)

Ok, so if you haven't heard of the best new show to hit TV this season, allow me to fill you in. Each Sunday evening, instead of watching Alias on ABC at 9 pm (since it's not coming back until January), you can fill that time slot instead with the WB's very own Jack and Bobby. It's an amazing show. Here's the premise: In the year 2041, Bobby McAllister becomes the president. Each episode interviews people like his Chief of Staff and the First Lady and they'll say something about the kind of person Bobby was and then BAM, it cuts to a flashback, which would actually be our present day. Jack is Bobby's older brother. It's a great new show. This past week's episode blew me away. Bobby's mother is a history professor, a very liberal feminist one, who is against organized religion. When the show first began I thought, "Oh no, here we go, another avenue to talk badly about religion/faith." However, by the first commerical break, I was amazed. The point was to show how Bobby began his search for religion which eventually led him to becoming an ordained pastor before he ran for office. In this make believe adminstration, Bobby took out the White House's bowling ally and replaced it with a nondenominational chapel where he would preach every Sunday. My goodness, how awesome would that be?! Anyway, I am glad that I have discovered this show. I am glad that my good friend, Clark Kent :-) (ok, his real name isn't Clark Kent, but that's what I've called him since about the 11th grade), watches the show too because this past Sunday we began the tradition of calling each other on every commercial break! Tune in next Sunday, WB, 9 pm...you won't be disappointed (trust me, I know I've said the same about shows like Dawson's Creek and Felicity, but this is different).

Church Today

Today I was late getting up and consequently, I wore jeans and flip flops to church. I know that God doesn't care what I look like when I show up to worship him. Certainly there is a trend in modern churches not to wear "Sunday Best" to church on Sunday. I remember when I was growing up, I was always irritated that I was the only youth at church whose mom wouldn't let her wear jeans to church. I was always dressed in a dress, slip, pantyhose, and "church shoes". I went through a phase in college where I would wear pretty much whatever was clean to church (except when I was on staff at Silver Palm UMC as a youth director, of course I wore Sunday Best to church then). Also, in college was when I was introduced to Saturday night services. The Saturday night service at UBC (University Baptist Church) was the way hip, modern, college age service, so naturally some friends and I would go. I loved Saturday night service because of the aforementioned reasons, but also because I could sleep in on Sunday mornings (something that I never really could do). Well, I would say that a year or so ago, I really began to think on the concept of Saturday night service and the wearing of jeans to church. I realize that some churches have started Saturday night services to accomodate a growing congregation, but I used to go out of selfish convenience. I also wore jeans to church out of convenience: I didn't want to get out the iron to iron my Sunday Best. I decided that I wanted to dress up for God and I wanted to make an effort to go to an early morning service. I wanted to go through the process of planning to go to a service. I decided that the service I picked and the clothes I picked to wear could definitely bring honor to God. However, today I was wearing jeans and flip flops (and my toe nails are in dire need of a fresh paint job).

Anyway, I got to church a little late. Worship was crazy today (crazy in a good way). I missed the first song, but quickly got into the groove of things with the help of the kids who were surrounding me. To my left were a brother and sister without parents (a sight you don't see EVER at Calvary Chapel). They were dancing and clapping and singing along. Just watching them put a smile on my face. Then, the family in front of me was absolutely precious. The family consisted of a mom, dad, and 2 boys (one looked about 11ish and the other about 14ish). The younger boy was clapping and dancing and praising the Lord and so were his parents and brother. It was great! We sang 3 songs with special meaning today: 1. Lord I Give You My Heart (this was pretty much the first song that I busted out and sang harmony on when I was on the worship team at the Wesley Foundation), 2. My Redeemer Lives (I remember when I first learned how to play this song, I was happy! It was a fast and rhymically challenging song to play at first.), and 3. Potter's Hands (this was the first song I ever sang solo on when I was on the worship team at the Baptist Student Union). While I sang those songs this morning, I had all these wonderful memories of my time on the worship teams at both Wesley and the BSU and the great friendships that were born through the worship teams, and I just gave thanks for that time in my life.

Remember that precious family I mentioned? Well, they got even cuter once the teaching began. Both boys were writing down notes like crazy and I watched as the mom and dad kept making eye contact and smiling. It was just the sweetest thing.

Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to say about church today.

Nice Surprises

Here it is folks. Check out Kelly's hand. She's holding the very pink mascara that I've been raving about. BUT CHECK OUT MY HANDS! This is an amazing story. Kelly came into my room on Friday morning and we both said in unison, "GUESS WHAT?! I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU!" So, of course I presented her with the beautiful "wild orchid" mascara. She presented me with the best purse/bag I've ever had in my whole entire 25 years...SHE MADE IT FOR ME! The side that you can't see has my name on it and a beautiful palm tree, sun, and ocean scene that she painted. The side that you're looking at says, "If you're my dream please come true." That is a line from my very favorite Relient K song called "Overthinking." I pretty much love this bag and I was so touched that she made it for me! Thank you, KEH! I love you!

My Sweet Kind of Little Sisters

This picture was taken in my classroom Friday morning when two of my favorite girls in the whole wide world came by for an early morning visit! Kristin, the lovely girl on the right, has pretty much the coolest shoe collection in the world which include hot pink kangaroo shoes and bright green Converse. I've dared her to wear her bright green Converse on a game day when she's wearing her cheerleading uniform, but I doubt she'll do it :-). Kelly, Kristin, and I all saw Napoleon Dynamite together on opening night. We enjoy quoting the movie to each other. Kristin and I have both seen it 4 times. Kelly has got us beat though. She's seen it 5. Kristin does THE BEST Kip impersonation on this side of the Mississippi. You think you know, but you have NO idea. Anyway, I love these girls. They're like the little sisters who I've always wanted. Sadly, Kelly has moved on to a different high school. BUT, this is the second year in a row that I have Kristin...yay! She's got practically my same exact schedule that I had when I was in 10th grade (except she has a FAR cooler English teacher than I had!). ;) I enjoy hearing all the tales of Mr. Pekich (the mean chemistry machine), Mrs. Graham (only the best history teacher who ever lived), and Mrs. Dayton (a teacher who enjoys cornflakes!). I would also like to mention that Kristin made me the best picture EVER with me and a certain chemistry teacher! Too funny for words! If only I had a scanner, I'd scan it in.

Fiction Every Christian Should Read

According to Christianity Today, the following list consists of 10 works of fiction that every Christian should read.

1. The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan (read excerpts of it in history classes, own it, but have no read it in its entirety)
2. Paradise Lost - John Milton (read it twice, the last thing that I ever read in college for a class)
3. The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky (probably the longest book I've ever read...before stupid Oprah picked it for her book club)
4. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky (haven't read it and don't really have plans to)
5. The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (Can you believe that I have not read this series? I've read The Great Divorce, Till We Have Faces, Mere Christianity, A Grief Observed, Surprised by Joy (the first Lewis book that I read), Letters to Malcolm (the last Lewis book that I've read)...but I haven't read the Chronicles)
6. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (I saw the movie and liked it. I know that 2 friends, Karen, and someone I knew in high school, read this very long book.)
7. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (haven't read it)
8. The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne (read it in 11th grade, the same year the movie version with Demi Moore hit the theaters)
9. Uncle Tom's Cabin (read it in AP History...can't remember it at all)
10. The Princess and the Goblin - George MacDonald (secured a copy of this treasure at Greyfriar's Book Shoppe, a wonderful used book store in Colchester, England. Read the book on the 5th floor of the library at the University of Essex. Good book.)

Today I Saw This:

I saw Shark Tale today. I still haven't seen First Daughter (starring my good friend, Joey Potter, oh, I mean Katie Holmes). I still haven't seen Napoleon Dynamite for the 5th time (I'm waiting until it moves over to the $1 theater and then you can count on me going about 5 more times). But, I did see Shark Tale. One of the funniest parts was the incorporation of Katie Couric as "Katie Current." They even captured Katie Couric's gloopy mascara and pink frosted lipstick on Katie Current's fish character. One mystery is: How can "they" let Katie Couric continue to go on air every single morning with gloopy, clumpy mascara and pink frosted lipstick (which surely went out of style in the 60's)?

I Now Own This:

Today I got a new CD. I haven't heard the whole album yet, but evey song I've heard so far has been amazing. If you're fond of Emmylou Harris, Julie Miller, or my personal favorite, Sandra McCracken, Patty Griffin will be a welcome addition to your cd collection. I was torn between purchasing Impossible Dream or 1,000 Kisses. I decided upon Impossible Dream because it has the track "When it Don't Come Easy." That track was one of the four that Matt sent my way and it is what I like to call "heartbreakingly beautiful." For the last couple of days I have listened to that song on repeat. It's absolutely beautiful and worthy of me posting the lyrics. So, here they are.

Red lights are flashing on the highway

I wonder if we are ever gonna get home

I wonder if we're ever gonna get home tonight

Everywhere the water's getting rough

Your best intentions may not be enough

If you break down, I'll drive by and find you

If you forget my love, I'll try to remind you

And stay by you when it don't come easy

When it don't come easy

I don't know nothing except change will come

Year after year what we do is undone

TIme keeps moving from a crawl to a run

I wonder if we're gonna ever get home

You're out there walking down a highway

And all of the signs got blown away

Sometimes you wonder if you're walking in the wrong direction

So many things I had before

That don't matter to me now

Tonight I cry for the love that I've lost

And the love I've never found

When the last bird falls

And the last siren sounds

Someone will say what's been said before

It's only love we were looking for

Come on now, it wasn't THAT complicated, Felicity!

Honesly, who in her right mind would have picked Ben over Noel? Ok, Felicity, sure you followed Ben 3,000 because you were so in love with him (although you didn't even KNOW him), but when you met Noel, how come you couldn't forget about idiotic Ben? Oh, because it was "complicated"? Puh-lease! The decision wouldn't have been that hard for me! First of all, just look at those boys! Of course Noel is the way cuter one (not that looks are everything, I must sound quite vain right now). Second of all, Noel was WAY more reliable, dependable, trustworthy than stupid "I can't get it together" Ben. Third of all, Ben was a cheater! Ok, one might argue that Felicity was a cheater too since she did get together with Noel WHILE she was technically still with Ben (but, Ben was such a jerk to her!). Noel was the smart nerdy one and the sweet sensitive one. Why, Felicity, WHY did you have to go with Ben?! I really should get over this, shouldn't I? They're not even real people. I need to keep reminding myself.

She dropped Foley and Vartan for...Affleck?! What are you thinking, Jennifer?

How cute are they?! I just felt the need to post a picture of Jennifer and Scott (who on Felicity would be Hannah and Noel). Oh how I hated Jennifer Garner when first I met her on Felicity, season 1. You see, Noel was trying to get together with Felicity and THEN the truth came out: he already had a girlfriend, Hannah! "HANNAH!? What kind of name is HANNAH!?" One of the funniest things EVER is when Felicity finds out that the girlfriend's name is Hannah and she freaks out in the middle of the restuarant. Oh how I love the show Felicity! Oh how I eventually got behind the idea of Scott and Jennifer being together...and then...BAM! She dumps him for Michael Vartan! Oh Jennifer, WHY?!

Maybe they were too hot for each other. I hate that they have broken up. (By the way, why is Vartan wearing that silly ring? At least it's not on his pinky!) I have just heard some distrubing gossip/speculation about ALIAS season 4. Some are saying that because the spy split wasn't amicable, Vartan will be leaving after episode 8. COME ON! Why did you guys break up?! At first I was totally against their getting together because come on, she was with one of the cutest guys in the whole entire world, Scott Foley (who of course was Noel Crane on Felicity who I had the biggest crush on for several years). However, I finally got on board the Garner-Vartan love train. AND THEN THEY HAD TO RUIN ALIAS, which will consequently depress me greatly. Oh why!

One of the best ALIAS moments...EVER. It's from second season when SD-6 finally went down. OH, I love this episode! The Sydney and Vaughn theme swells in the background as they make their way to each other from across the smoking rubble to share their first kiss! It doesn't get better than this.

Happy October.