Pin

How 'bout Pinterest?

I just like looking at everyone else's.

I kinda want one; not going to lie.

As this is turning into a list post in my mind, I think I will make it as such.

Ah!

I'll pin.

Pin my ideas here, like on Pinterest!

See, I tied that in quite nicely.

So:

• 
  
  The house currently smells like meat. Good meat. Meat that will soon be consumed. By me.

• 
  
  I am learning to make flowers out of tissue paper.

• 
  
  Tutoring fifth graders has made the phrase, "Their eyes lit up," a reality. They really do light up.

• 
  
  Captain America is going to be in another movie. I. Love. Captain. America.

• 
  
  Pirate Pete: Talk Like a Pirate is my new storybook for storytelling this year. I get to...well...talk like a pirate.

• 
  
  I enjoyed blog-surfing for about an hour tonight. So nice to poke around, after having been away for awhile!

au revoir.

Nonsense

I'm in a decopage mood.

You know, when your mind is kind of helter-skelter and filling in the cracks of the day.

I feel very much like writing a nonsensical what-am-I-thinking-about-right-now post.

So that's what I'm going to do, whether you like it or not. At least, I hope you like it.

P.S. Not neccessarily in order of importance.

1. Water for Elephants. Charming movie. I actually liked Robert Pattinson.

2. I want a camera. I want to take pictures of what I'm thinking about.

3. Forrest Gump. Saw it for the first time and cried, cried, cried.

4. A house we toured while hunting for the grandparents. I want to be their friend. However, it would be kind of odd to say, "Hi there! I saw the inside of your home, looked at the books on your shelves, and analyzed your family pictures! And your decor made me want to babysit your children!"

5. I have athlete's foot. But no one really wants to know that.

6. I do believe that my oratory this year is going to be about history. Hm...wonder where that idea came from?

7. I collect bookmarks. Did you know that? I now have bookmarks from every major attraction in Washington, D.C.

8. Since the beginning of time (aka kindergarten), I have been a horrible notebook-hogger. When someone asks me for a piece of paper and all I have are my spectacular notebooks with very attractive design work on the front, I feel real anger at the person for being irresponsible as I rip out a precious page of paper.

9. I have found a country band that I like. Go ahead and gasp. The Band Perry.

10. And to top off this list of nonsense, let me just say that I'm glad it's almost September. I dream about fall all year long.

Happy Being!

Elyse

The picture is there simply because I love ancient photography. I don't know what it is. Hopefully it isn't a cult or war party. What else is necessary for a post titled "Nonsense"?

Buckets Part Two

Eleven through twenty.

Here goes.

11. Sing a duet.

12. Tour Edwalani.

13. Be in a reenactment.

14. Ride an ostrich like Mom.

15. Have breakfast at Tiffany's.

16. Go behind the scenes at Disney.

17. Buy (and WEAR) an adorable fedora.

18. Decorate a room turquoise and white.

19. Wander around an Italian city and get lost.

20. Waste a little money in a Vegas slot machine.

Buckets Part One

Polka Dot was quite inspirational, and I created my own bucket list.

I'm not sure why I didn't do this years ago.

I've got forty-five things so far.

With more to come.

Here's ten.

1. 
   
   Serve tea.





2. 
   
   Be a bridesmaid.





3. 
   
   Plant windowboxes.





4. 
   
   Read by candlelight.





5. 
   
   Make an appointment.





6. 
   
   Ride a horse in Ireland.





7. 
   
   Yell from a mountaintop.





8. 
   
   Stay the night in a castle.





9. 
   
   Make someone believe I got a tattoo.





10. 
    
    Watch every movie the Academy has credited with Best Picture.

{photo credit}

Ten things I am in love with:

1. Grinding lemons in the garbage disposal.

2. Boys who wear Buddy Holly glasses.

3. Little kids with missing teeth.

4. Friends who bring you pizza.

5. The Secret Life of Bees.

6. Superman haircuts.

7. Re-reading books.

8. Lenny Kravitz.

9. Tennis fuzz.

10. Buttons.

Now then, here's why:

1. It's the original fresh scent. And it's strangely stress-relieving.

2. Because they're adorable. And they usually have a personality that matches their cool glasses.

3. Mostly because my little cousin has this condition right now. And he makes up stories about robots and projectors at age six, so of course I love him.

4. She showed up today with pictures of Chicago, a souvenir for me, and a cheese pizza. What's not to love?

5. One of my favorite lines: "How you have to breathe out and let the human heart be the puzzle it is." This is summer.

6. Because Superman is undoubtedly the best superhero ever. And the only one I'd want to save me if I were in dire trouble.

7. I'm reading Beauty again. And it's great.

8. My favorite song is "You Were In My Heart". And no one but the best uses lines like, "I know not what to do".

9. There's a whole bunch of it stuck to my tennis racket. And it's cute.

10. I bought a canvas purse with yellow birds on it. And then I decided to make it even better by pinning buttons on it. "Jazz It Up at the Dallas Art Museum", ruby slippers, and Phi Kappa Delta, whatever that is.

D.C.

Fifteen things I saw in Washington, D.C., that made me smile on the inside.

bow ties

panty hose

hipster puppets

small black children

small asian children

old men smoking pipes

Catwoman's supercool outfit

dancing in front of the Smithsonian

a lot of frantic interns clutching Starbucks

grown (rather old) men in polka-dot shorts

thirty-year-old men learning how to use Twitter

people who you can tell feel like they are lookin' good

the second after a picture is taken when everyone relaxes

tears of happiness with, "I made it, Mom!"s rippling across a ballroom

watching all the people slowly nod off in their business attire on the train after a long day

{photo credit}

five revelations from spring break

1. 207 pages of John Grisham's The Summons were read in Arkansas. Never knew I was a fan.

-

2. Far too much cranberry jello was eaten. Once again, in Arkansas.

-

3. It was realized that my brother will grow up to be either a sports photographer or a card shark.

-

4. A future subscription to both "Reminisce" and "Country Living" would be fantastic.

-

5. I am in deep like with The Great Gatsby.

-

Any new revelations?

slowing

Busy, busy, busy.

Far too busy.

Even now, when I'm trying to slow down, there's the persistent canned cheering of NBA 2K9 in the background, which somehow makes me feel rushed.

Yes, the Celtics are beating the Magic in Jake's simulated basketball world.

Anyhow, I intentionally tried to slow down today.

I took my time getting ready for church.

I folded clothes.

I played the oboe. That sound isn't necessarily calming, per se, but that's not the point.

I wore sweats all afternoon, for crying out loud.

And yet here I am, still feeling rushed.

You see, it's been a very, very cram-packed weekend.

I'm headed to State with two of my speaking events (one of which is my original oratory).

So that's wonderful! And I'm excited.

But I was running around so much this weekend trying to get there.

And that has made me incredibly tired.

So, slowing down is necessary.

As a result, let's think about calm things, shall we?

Here are five things I believe best demonstrate what I've been doing throughout my absence here in the blogosphere:

• I discovered Etsy. Oh. My. I think I'm in love. Here's one cute artist who inspires me to get a job, just so I can have money to buy her stuff.

• Have you ever seen The Romantics? If you haven't, don't. If you have, I feel your pain. Incredibly unsatisfying and strange, not to mention it sported the worst character development I've ever seen.

• As stated earlier, I competed in speech and debate districts. And also, as stated earlier, they went extremely well. If you happen to be looking for a wonderful children's story, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach is the best. It's treated me very well in storytelling this year.

• My high school had Homecoming. And I *sigh* went to the actual dance after the game. I sigh because I spent the entire evening selling soda in the concession stand. It might sound pathetic, but truthfully, I had a far better time bobbing my head with those folks rather than "dancing" out there.

• Rehearsals for the spring play are headed into high gear. Ever heard of Faith County? Neither had I. But it's funny, I get to be sarcastic the whole time, and there's a Porta Potty on the stage, so all is well.

• Emily Dickinson, I discovered, is great. This is coming from me. The poetry rebel. I checked out the 50-pound book of her entire collection of poetry. Though I was supposed to be writing an essay about her, I started losing track of time in that book. Those spastic dashes and lack of capitalization fascinate me. A Dickinson post is in order, I believe.

Yes, it seems that things are a bit less hectic now. Slowing down a tad.

Please don't forget to stop every once in awhile. Please.

Ah! My laundry is clean! Something else to do that's calming.

So, see you for the Dickinson post later this week?

Sounds fabulous. It's a date.

snow day - summer night

Yes, it's a snow day. The second one this week, as a matter of fact. Personally, I'm tired of it. Two days in a row, stuck in a house, coughing up lungs, and warming my toes and fingers are not my ideal day off.

Isn't it strange that so often, when winter sets upon us, that we're usually ready for summer again? And when summer's here, there's a desire for winter, or at least something a little cooler?

Maybe it's not that way for you. Maybe others are simply content in ice storms and chronic colds. But I, unfortunately, am not like that and cannot get out of winter without a complaint or two.

So, to cheer myself and any other winter-drudgery-sick individual, how 'bout a dose of late summer evening?

night.

fireflies.

shorts.

cicadas.

sweat.

lemonade.

maybe tea.

running.

cut grass.

giggles from kids.

growing dark.

lights in the trees.

lawn chairs.

burgers.

ice cream.

talking 'til ten.

under stars.

nerf guns.

more cicadas.

grimy hands.

leaving.

then staying a little longer.

too dark to see.

but still talking.

still laughing.

looking for the dippers.

smelling the grill.

smiling.

time to go inside.

maybe.

Photo taken by my debate partner and friend Melissa. She's quite talented, don't you think? Tennis courts and a sky. That's all she needs.

In a Beautiful Way

I know I'm just one more person talking about seizing the new year.

Or saying goodbye and mourning 2010.

One more person in the blogosphere telling you what I think.

So I won't.

I'll let someone else do the dirty work.

I'll let you look at their creative brains and let you do the thinking.

It'll be far more thought-provoking and interesting than plodding through my emotions with me.

Here are the shining stars...

The year in quirky photographs

Well-spoken teenagers

Taking stock of the year...last year...

Know what? I like this system.

They're smart people.

And now for a brief message from our sponsor...

...that would be me...

...I thank you.

For being here.

For completing another wonderful year of being.

I wanted to finish in a beautiful way.

gratitude

Boy, was I mad the other day. Some little thing someone said, somewhere...I honestly forget what it was...I just felt like punching them. HARD. It threw me off. I let it get to me. And I went through the rest of my day like that. Not really listening in class, taking zero notes, playing tennis horribly at practice, snapping at my teammates, ignoring my brother's Fantasy Football woes, failing to work on my homework. And yes, what that person said probably wasn't that big of a deal. In the moment, it sure seemed that way.

But as I lay in bed that night, my blood cooling, I thought of something. It hit me. HARD.

What's the problem?

I'm forgetting what I already have, not whatever it was one ignorant person thought I didn't.

So I counted my blessings.

1. I can go downstairs for a glass of water. (And so I did.)


2. I can walk downstairs for a glass of water. No wheelchair or braces or crutches. (This I did as well.)


3. I can pull out my Medieval History textbook and learn as much as I want. (Which I did. I wasn't in the best learning mood, so it didn't last long, but I did.)


4. I can whip out my cell phone and play a game on it. (I did. Apparently just owning a cell phone puts me in the top percent of the richest young people in the world. Gratitude...)


5. I have my vision. (I looked at one of my favorite fairy tale books with beautiful illustrations, and greatly enjoyed it.)


6. I have my innocence. (Which speaks for itself.)

So, as you can see, I have much to be thankful for. I just forget sometimes.

i want us to know...

...that we're all pretty fascinating, when you think about it.

...people who want you to learn are not (fill in the blank).

...someone who's a little different is still worth our time.

...that femininity is not found in playing dumb.

...that manliness is not found in ignorance.

...that breaking rules isn't what true fun is.

...someone will be thinking about us.

...that books are not just for geeks.

..."smart" is a good thing.

...something beautiful.

Sometimes I need to remind myself of these things, too. I tend to see everyone else's issues, point them out, and harp on them in my thoughts. I was the little girl in kindergarten telling the other kids what not to do. Funny, I've befriended those same troublemakers here in high school. But enough about me...that's not what it's about, right? We've all got issues.

At least we get to have them together.

Something Glorious

Some things I want to experience at some point...

• Some weddings...my brother's, a wonderful friend's, and, maybe someday, my own.
• An outdoor concert...and I won't care who's playing...as long as it's a symphony.
• Receiving an acceptance letter to that great college I'll find one of these days.
• Find a love letter written by a long-ago family member.
• See this band perform "Something Glorious" again.
• Taking pictures of my children someday.
• Casually bump into someone famous.
• Read my journal in thirty years.
• Glimpse a real movie premiere.
• My 25-year class reunion.
• A tailored outfit.
• A great prom.
• See Italy.

"happy birthday, dear elyse..."

I was born on the day of my baby shower. I apparently wanted to be at the party. It's also Angelina Jolie's birthday, and exactly one month before the fourth of July. However, these things don't really matter as much as the others that have happened over the years on June 4th. Here's some thoughts (well, really mostly my parents'...) on birthdays past.

• I hiccupped in the womb. It was a great event for my mother's coworkers.
• I didn't cry loudly when I was born, like my brother did. (Let me just say, the "loud" aspect hasn't changed much since then.) I whimpered, like a little lamb.
• On my first birthday, I downed an entire Twinkie when my parents' backs were turned.
• The sound of the shrieking peacocks mystified me when I went to the zoo at three years old. I guess the goats' tongues, did, too.
• I had a cake with a Barbie stuck in the middle for a ballerina party. I loved that cake.
• At one birthday, I made a movie with my friends. There were tater tots, photo booths, and guest appearances. Man, that was fun.
• There have been tons of wonderful themes my mother is fantastic at planning for. Let's see...sunflowers, carousels, princesses, ballerinas, American Girl, the Wizard of Oz, a tea party, butterflies...

I so love my memories. Happy birthday to me.

Good Senses

• Smell: My darling father's aftershave. It lingers, and yet it isn't overbearing. It seems to make the whole house smell amazing. I never get tired of it, and I tell him so constantly. He definitely smells good.
  
• Sight: My calendar, when I cross off the 26th of every month. It means that the next day, the 27th, my texting bill starts over. Yes, this makes me ridiculously happy. It shouldn't, but it does.
  
• Sound: The crunch and swoosh of my beautiful formal dress. All these poofs and layers. Occasionally I just put it on and swirl around my room. I feel like a Disney princess - completely beautiful.
  
• Taste: One of those giant orange sodas from the cookie kiosk at the mall. I love those things.
  
• Touch: The genuine squeeze of a genuine person who's genuinely glad to see me. Every time I see someone like this, I don't know whether to grin in cheesy joy just to be near them, or stand paralized in awe of their awesomeness. Do I make sense? Probably not. I'm good at that. :)

I'm A Geek

Have you ever seen those people who get excited about certain things that don't seem to matter in the long run? That aren't even true, but love the stuff anyway? Like Trekkies. And Twilighters. Those "Mrs. Cullen"s. Whatever, I say. I smirk at their obsessions like everyone else. But I'm also human, and I'm a geek, too, so I know people smirk at me sometimes, too. Feel free to do so as you read this. :) But what am I geek about, you may ask?

• The Lightning Thief series. If you've never heard of these books or don't know what they're about, this will fill you in. If I lived in New York City, I would have been at the premier in a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.

• Jane Austen. This may not apply to me in full because I (don't hit me) haven't read the books. I know. Very bad. But I like the movies...does that count at all? My mother says I can't buy the shirt that says, "I randomly quote Jane Austen," (which I do) until I've actually read the books. I'm getting around to it...:)

• The Rebelution. I check the website every time I'm online for their latest blog post. It's so incredibly refreshing to read anything by the Harris brothers. This is a good geek-thing.

• Chuck. The TV show about that be-Conversed, bumbling, adorable spy who loves his partner agent (but won't admit it) and works at an electronics store in the Nerd Herd as his cover. I love it. My family will testify to the fact that every time it hits eight o'clock on Monday night, I can be found shrieking, "Chuck is on! Chuck is on! I love you, Chuck!" to the screen.

Yes, I can be very pathetic when these things are anywhere near me. Like I said, I'm human, too. But I gotta admit, I love life even more when Chuck is on, or when I'm reading about Percy and Annabeth and Grover, or having a bi-weekly P&P movie night with my mom, or checking in with other rebelutionaries, so I guess it's worth it. :)

The Tunes

How 'bout the songs I listen to? I've got so many I love and then wear out, but some just keep coming back for special occasions.

1. Pumpin' up tunes - Bring 'em Out by Hawk Nelson, It's All About You by PureNRG, and Jump by Van Halen (of course).
2. Sleepy-time tune - Silent Night by Celtic Woman (yes, Christmas song, but it's in the most beautiful language ever...it's the old language of Ireland, I think?).
3. Pre-band competition tune - August's Rhapsody (see playlist!) and Bari Improv by Mark Mancina.
4. "Why am I here?" moment tunes - Lost Get Found by Britt Nicole and Tears of the Saints by Leeland (the first song that made me cry in a concert).
5. When I just want to be a teenager tune - Because You Live by...(yes, I like him)...Jesse McCartney. (Smite me.) Oh, and Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade, and Apologize by OneRepublic. Wow, didn't realize just how much of a teenage girl I am.
6. Good ol' tunes - Monday, Monday by the Mamas and the Papas, Day O by Harry Belafonte, and The Way You Look Tonight by Steve Tyrell.

Can you relate to any of them? Any suggestions for other categories?

Thoughts

So, what am I thinking about today? This...

• How much I want a Christa Taylor dress.
• This analogy.
• Affirmative Action. I must write a four-minute speech about it before Friday.
• How discrimination is so cruelly unfair.
• How wonderful it would be if everyone knew Jesus.
• How nice it would be to get a blog makeover done by this person.
• Why I can't write poetry.
• How incredible Jane Austen's world of communication was.
• What it would be like to live in Hungary, where our church's missionaries are headed.
• Why I'm so terrible at photography.
• Why I didn't take art this year.
• How pointless I believe high school dances can be.
• Why it's so terrible to have to eat a meal with a plastic spoon, as some people seem to think it is.
• How lovely it would be to have someone come and do my laundry for me...and fold everything...and clean my room...
• How totally cool I'd be if I could sword fight.
• How blessed I am to have been born into this, my family.
• How neat it is to have five followers, compared to last week's two. :)
• Why songs get stuck in our heads and refuse to move out.
• How much pure fun it is to be in a play.

This picture was taken by my friend Melissa. Hence my thought today about being a terrible photographer, which I am. Melissa, however, is obviously not.