All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Seven

Hey Soul Sister

     I have four sisters and I'm right in the middle of them, as well as in the middle of four boys and the middle of nine children. So basically, this is how my family goes:  

Girl, Girl, Boy, Boy, Girl (me), Boy, Boy, Girl, Girl

     Crazy? Pretty much. Everyone in my family has always had their own little buddy system going on since they came into the world. I'm seven years younger than the sister before me and seven years older than the sister after me, even crazier sometimes. I'm close to my sisters, but we have never been like really super tight with one another. We all definitely need our personal space!

     As I've said before, I don't really have a lot of friends. Friends came in and out of my life like the changing seasons. We would have great times together and then they would always go off and find someone else; it would hurt sometimes, but I got use to it. That's probably why I'm such a private person, because I've never really had anyone to share my personal feelings to.

     Even though I enjoyed my teenage years, high school was very difficult for me. I was homeschooled and so I had little to no social interaction outside of my own household. All the interaction I got was at my church. Between the ages of about 13 to 15 was my hardest time, because I was just entering into high school and therefore I would be attending youth group. My church youth group wasn't bad, but it wasn't easy to break into either, because almost every teenager in the church went to the same Christian school. Oh yeah, this was also when the minority of homeschooling was at 1% and me being that part of that one. So, I was literally the only homeschooled kid in youth group whereas all the other kids knew each other from school.

    It really was a difficult time for me, but then we went to another church and it got slightly better. Notice, I used the word slightly. By that time I accepted the fact that I probably never have a real best friend. Then I saw "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" in December 2004 and everything changed for me.

     In 2006, I was watching TLLW on DVD when I had the idea to write a fan-fiction about Edmund. It was as simple as that. So I sat down at the computer and I began to write. I wanted other people to read it, so in November, I got a Xanga account (by that time Facebook was just becoming popular) and started to post my story there.

     At the time I was taking an art class for homeschoolers and it was one of the most enjoyable classes I have ever had. I had so much fun there! (sorry I'm a little reminiscent). Anyway, we had started talking about writing and I had mentioned that I was writing a Narnia fan-fiction. One of the girls there (who bore a striking resemblance to Anna Popplewell) was curious about them and so I gave her the link to my site.

       On Monday, February 26, 2007 I received this in my comment feed:

     

Hi! Sarah Hartung told me about your xanga...she said we have a lot in common and I would agree from reading your profile. By the way, I know Sarah because she is my cousin's cousin, if that makes any sense. Anyway you can ask her exactly how we know each other. God Bless!

Posted 2/26/2007 9:56 PM by Whereforeartthouromeo 

     That was posted by Celeste White who was a fourteen year old from Lothian, Maryland. I replied back to her comment and I was never the same again. In less than a couple of weeks it will be six years since I read that comment. Six years that Celeste and I have been friends. Here's the twist, she and I have never met face to face, not once. Over the years we have tried to meet, but it never worked out. As a matter of fact when we first met online, I wasn't holding out much hope, but then we started to write letters and then talk on the phone. Our relationship just grew and grew.

     Celeste and I are very similar and we are also very different. I like to say that we are different enough to find each other interesting, but similar enough to understand one another. I'm a Protestant and she's a Catholic. She is surrounded by her extended family and I only have my immediate family. She's a dancer and I'm a writer. Where I can be melancholy and a introvert, she is very outgoing. Oh yeah, and we tend to have very different taste in men too.

Examples:

I say Sherlock, she says Watson (Sherlock BBC series)

I say Capt. Kirk, she says Dr. McCoy (Star Trek 2009)

I say King Caspian, she says King Edmund (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader 2011)

     And somehow she believes that her choices are so superior to mine. The only two men she and I have ever agreed on are Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Which is all right with me.

     Celeste has been a constant and unwavering support in my life. She came to me in a time where I desperately needed someone to rely on, to talk to, and to just generally care. When I talk to Celeste, I have complete faith in the fact that she is generally interested in me and my life (which has always been a rarity with me) and I don't have to feign interest to know about her.

     Both of us are huge "Anne of Green Gables" lovers and so we often like to say that we are kindred spirits and I honestly believe that to be true.

All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Six

The Hope Chest of Dreams

     I wanted a hope chest when I was little, but then I realized in a family as big as mine and a house as small as ours, a hope chest was just too big a commodity. Anyway, my family considered them a little too old-fashioned; so it wasn't too big of a loss. Still...a girl can dream.

     As for dreams about my future, isn't ironic that I was posting about that in yesterdays link-up post? Well, alright, I do have dreams about my future married life, granted a guy ever comes for me. I try not to get to dreamy about it, because we all know how life can be sooo unpredictable and nothing ever turns out the way you dreamedit to be.

     I would love to get married! In a small private ceremony, no fuss or drama. Likely chance of that happening; my family is drawn to drama like bees to honey. Anyway...I'll admit, I do love looking at wedding gowns, you can see my favorites here >>>Wedding Gowns<<<

     What do you think? Pretty?

     And have children...lots and lots of children! At least seven! Actually, I would love more than anything in the world to have a baby, my own baby. I feel that I want a child more than I want marriage. Is that wrong to think that way? I hope it's not, but my desperation to have a child is fueled by the prospect that I may have a difficult carrying a child to begin with. I have epilepsy and the medication that I'm on is a mild birth control, meaning that if I take it, while I'm pregnant, then it could cause physical deformation with the baby. That thought terrifies me. So that's why I want to have a child, at least one child, more than anything.

     So, I guess that is my hope chest dream. To have a child; and I would want a girl so badly!!! If I had a boy, I would be happy too. It just seems that boys (even in this day and age) are still more preference than girls. I do better with girls, but either way I want a child, boy or girl.

Sybil and Tom Branson with their newborn daughter

All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Five

Silly Love Songs

     I love silly love songs! It's just feel good music : ) I have so many songs tht I want to play at my wedding, but I'm not sure what my wedding song may be...Here are a few.

 ~ ~ ~

"At The Beginning" by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx

I have loved this song ever since I saw Anastasia! The lyrics are perfect and I love the music and the beat...and it's just perfect!

~ ~ ~

"I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena

Similar to the song above, this has been a favorite of mine since I saw The Mask of Zorro (Great movie!!!). I love the slight Spanish influence that they put into the music and the lyrics almost sound more like lines you would hear from a romance novel instead of a love song.

~ ~ ~

"Angel By My Side" by Do

I don't know if anyone is familiar with this song, because you can't find it here in America. It's beautiful, though and something you would probably play at anniversary party.

~ ~ ~

"Heaven" by Do

The same as Bryan Adam's "Heaven" only sung by Do. It had a softer more feminine sound to it, making it much more romantic.

~ ~ ~

"Inspiration" by Chicago

I'm not an 80s girl, but even I love this song. I use to sing it around the house all the time!

~ ~ ~

"Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera

I know, you're thinking, "The song from The Karate Kid 2?? Why??" and I say. "Why not?" It's a great song!

~ ~ ~

"I'm Alive" by Celine Dion

Being a Celine Dion fan since I was eight or nine, I knew I have to have her music at my wedding and this song is just perfect!

~ ~ ~

"I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by Elvis Presley

Although, I've never been a big Elvis fan, when I heard this song playing in the background of the movie Fools Rush In, I fell in love with it!

~ ~ ~

     That's the beginning to my wedding playlist, but I'm sure more will be added eventually.

     Do you think it's unhealthy to make expectations about your wedding when you've never even had a boyfriend? I mean, I know girls who spend most of their young teenage life pouring over bridal magazines, picking out their favorite gowns or ring or making exact detail plans of what their wedding day is going to be like. I think it may be considered odd, maybe it's just part of our inherent feminine nature that makes us want to get married in the first place.

     Anyway, I leave this post with a special treat! This is my newest Donwton Abbey video! I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it!

All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Four

   

The Ultimate Pursuit 

   For quite a while I've felt far away from God. I don't normally say it, because I know people will start preaching to me about how I can get closer. That's all well and good, but growing up in church, reading the Bible and knowing every single story, and giving all the right answers since you were five years old, eventually becomes monotonous.

     That being said, I feel that maybe I've been moved in the right direction by him, by attending college. I really can't explain why, but it feels so right for me to in college right now, that I'm meant to be there. I am happy, actually happier than I've been in a long time, to be honest.

     I usually don't enjoy talking about 'how God said this to me or showed me that or how he's changing my life.'  I usually get annoyed when I hear other people say it, but that's just the way I am and maybe I need to change. Really, I do have a lot to be thankful for, I'm healthy, I come from a great family, I'm attending college and doing very well, I have a job as a private nanny, I attend a fantastic church, all of those are from God and I never try to take that for granted.

     This is probably the most honest I've ever been about my relationship with God. I've been in a Christian environment all my life. I've seen it all, heard it all, read it all and some of it, I really deem unnecessary to the Christian life. So, while I may never be one of these people who believes that 'God spoke to me about this certain issue,' I do humbly thank him for all that he has given me and all that he is continuing to give me.

All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Three

You Know You're Single When

    I don't have any funny stories or anecdotes about being single, because most people know how resilient I am to getting close to people, but I can tell you my feelings on being single.

     Sometimes I enjoy being single. Examples: I don't have to worry about if he's seeing someone else or feeling like he is hounding me every single second. I can escape the constant questions of "How long have you been going out? Are you still together? Are you planning on marriage? Are you pregnant?" And others, thank goodness.

     My parents, despite their good feelings, still don't understand why my older sister and I enjoy being single. Maybe it was because they were married very young or they dated a lot when they were younger, or whatever. Being single gives you a sense of freedom to be yourself, find out who you are, or just enjoy life as it is right now. Don't worry about marriage or family now; they'll all come soon enough!!! And sometimes when you least expect it.

     By the time I was 21, I was devastated at the fact that I had never had a boyfriend. Then I started college and found out, "I have no time for a boyfriend!!!" Eventually he'll come around, whether you still have yet to meet him or you've known him for a while and just made the discovery that "IT'S HIM!!!"

All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Two

It Is a Truth That Is Universally Acknowledged...

     To be honest, I am really picky about my drinks. Like I said in the icebreaker, I don't like coffee or tea or really any drink, except water. Also, I can't drink wine because I have epilepsy and the medication that I'm on can have a negative effect with alcohol. I really don't think I'm missing out on much.

     What I do really enjoy is hot chocolate! Any kind of hot chocolate will do. Normally when I head into Starbucks with my sister, I order hot chocolate instead of a coffee. Of course, I love chocolate as well! Im addicted to it, especially the Hershey drop candy; I could eat those all day! I love just about any brand of chocolate, Hershey, Reeses, M&Ms, Twix, Godiva, Ghirardell, Lindt truffles; yes, just about anything.

     When season 2 of Downton Abbey premiered in America last January, I started going out to the store to buy candy (there was always some kind of chocolate involved) to eat as we watched each episode. When season 3 (FINALLY) premiered this year we continued on with the tradition. Something we'll always remember <3

     Candy + Downton Abbey = Best Sunday nights ever!!!

All The Single Ladies Blog Party & Tag

Hosted by Meghan Gorecki at >>>Just As I Am<<<

This looks really fun!

 

1. White chocolate or milk/dark chocolate? Milk Chocolate!

2. Tea or Coffee? Actually, I really don't care for either. I have tried apricot tea before and I loved it.

3. Movie or book on a night-in? Movie; I'm a really slow reader!

4. Rom-com or a tear-jerker? Romantic comedy. Tear jerker puts me into a really bad depression.

5. Who is the first literary couple to come to your mind? Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe.

6. Who is the first *movie* couple that comes to your mind? Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary Crawley (Downton Abbey)

7. Roses or chocolate? Chocolate

8. Fancy dinner in a 4-star restaurant or a simple picnic? Picnic. I enjoy simplicity.

9. Dream wedding scenario: outdoor family affair, or a formal church wedding & reception at a 5-star hotel? Small wedding party at a church with a reception afterwards, but not at a 5-star hotel. That money is better spent on the honeymoon.

10. What was the last love song you listened to? "My Heart Will Go On" by Michael Ball. I'm using it for a Sybil and Branson (Downton Abbey) video that I'm currently making.

11. Favorite real-life/celebrity couple? Prince William and Princess Catherine.

12. One piece of advice about love: Love is a sacrifice of one's self. It's not on abstract feeling or emotion, but concrete evidence that there is something far greater and more powerful than our own being.