Harry Potter Premire Recap (Emily)

Hey y'all!
So, the recap pf my trip will just have to wait because now i have to recap on the harry potter part 2 premiere (Man, i've a lot of recapping... if only i could access this blog on the spot!)!!! i know i'm two days late, but dressing up and playing the part of Bellatrix Lestrange is exhausting and i needed sleep! :D

But yes! 2 of my friends and i dressed up like Bellatrix for the premiere. We went with my sister and 2 other friends; my sister and one friend chose not to dress up but the other went as Hermione! when we got there, the place was PACKED, but for some reason, the 3-D tickets were being accepted already, so we got to go in and take our seats HOURS before everyone else: awesome right? So to pass the time, the bellatrixes and i went out to the lobby to "hang out" : We dueled our hearts out and everybody standing in line still enjoyed the "battles to the deaths." It's actually pretty difficult to act out since the wands don't do anything (painted twigs from the oak that had been knocked down by that tornado) and we could barely hear each other over the din. So i didn't know if i was actually being "Avada Kedavra-ed" or just "Petrificus Totallus-ed" (i apologize for spelling errors :P ).

My Bellatrix costume was pretty amazing: A lacey black dress with leggings and my hair standing up on end. Because of my coloring and type of hair, i looked almost identical to Helena Bonham Carter (I will upload pictures when i get them from the other Bellatrixes!) !! And with my running around with the other 'trixes and shouting "Mudblood" at every Hermione and "Filthy Halfblood" at ever Harry, I'd say we gave a few small children a scare! But all the "Harry Potter extremists" adored us! People kept coming up and asking for pictures of us! Our costumes were just about, if not exactly, as terrific as the Voldemort we met right before the show. There were also a few death eaters too and people wanted us to all get together for an incursion or something, bu the Dark Lord was sort of anti-social and hurried off to his theater: i guess he wanted to get his death over with so that he could figure out if his final will was fulfilled or whatever. The 'trixes on the other hand, lingered until just about showing time. We got into some trouble with the security though ;) (nothing major!); when we were "blocking the way" of people trying to get to their theaters (actually they were trying to get pictures of us) although i'm sure they weren't happy with the stirring we cause when one of the 'trixes ran up the hallway screaming "i killed Sirius Black!" The death eaters got a kick out of that one!
The movie turned out to be fabulous!! The best performance i have yet to see of Alan Rickman. While some things were left out that could've been added (but seriously, this happens to EVERY movie, so i don't know why anyone's complaining) but the movie was still fantastic and my favorite of all 8! The best lines were put in: "Not my daughter you b*tch" (mrs. Weasley) and "I've always wanted to use that spell" (professor McGonagall) were my favorites.
The movie is definitely a movie i would go see again and again and would definitely recommend this series to anyone. J.K. Rowling is a genius and created a story that would touch the hearts and lives of millions! I hope you take my advice and see (what i believe is) the greatest event of our generation.
Have a great summer!
                      -Emily

"Carmel. California" (emily)

Hey y'all!
I apologize for this being short, but i am exhausted from my fabulous day, and need my sleep! I am now visiting my relatives in Aptos, CA and we went to Carmel today!! We went hiking near the cove, and i found a bunch of whale ribs that were taller than me (and i KNOW i'm easy to pass when it comes to heights, but these things were HUGE!) !! We then traveled to downtown Carmel, where we ate at this delicious italian restraunt named Cafe Nico's and walked down to the beach (yes, the beach is in less than a mile's walking distance :D ). Unfortunately, i spent the whole walk carrying a toddler on my back that i was exhausted!! but, since NO ONE can refuse the adorable red hair and big eyes of my baby cousin, i got a BUNCH of people coming up and talking to me, including some very cute boys! ;D there were dogs EVERYWHERE and priuses EVERYWHERE, which was cool!! we stopped at a coffee place before we left and i got an iced carmel machiatto, which i fell in LOVE w/ (watch out starbucks! ;D )!! all in all, carmel is a great place and i hope we get to go back soon before i have to leave next week!
Hoping a good summer is at hand! ;)
                        -Emily

The Grand Canyon (emily)

Hey y'all!
So today I got to see the fabulous Grand Canyon! It was a very nice day, even though the weather reports all said to be prepared for a high heat index of 88 degrees (apparently no one has been to alabama...) but that was no problem for me (normal heat index of 105 degrees... HA!). My grandfather and i decided to go hike part of the Bright Angel Trail, which is the only trail that goes down into the canyon and out the opposite side. Unfortunately, we didn't know how far away the trail was, so we ended up hiking 2 miles to get to the actual trail (we had planned to hike 3 miles, but there's over 18 miles total)! we ended up going 1/2 of a mile down the trail then coming back. This trail is the same trail the mules use to get to Phantom Ranch down at the base pf the canyon, and the smells of the "presents" they'd left us was pretty unbearable! :P
So we ended up hiking a total of 5 miles, plus whatever we'd covered walking around before. I thought it was a decent workout, but i can't wait to get back to a breatheable altitude so that i can get back to my cross country training!
Hope y'all are having a great summer!
                         -Emily

Road trip! (emily)

Sorry it's been so long (again) but i've been slightly out of range. Out of range, meaning Colorado country side, where it doesn't matter if you use Verison or AT&T... you STILL won't have service!
The reason i'm way out West, rather than in my Southeastern hometown, is that the grandparents decided that my sister and i haven't seen enough of the world... or... the U.S. So they are driving us out to as many national parks as we can fit in a month time period. So far we've been through Kansas (not much out there, not even a flying house), Denver (runs in this altitude are NOT good for a flat-lander like me), and Gunnison, Colorado (a small-town camping site at the base of like fifty million bluffs). it's "fun" getting to get altitude sickness (my sister) and fall down the side of a hill (me) but the views were worth it!
Hopefully i'll be uploading pictures soon, but with service and my lack of knowledge of uploading pictures to a card then to the comuter... it could be a while.
Hoping your summer is sky-rocketing! :)
                       -Emily

"Sorry it's been so long"... (Emily)

Happy Summer!
I'm sorry it's been so long, but after the tornaedo, everything went hectic!
The first week after i was helping out with supplies at a few churches and training for the State Championships in high school soccer! While we didn't make it all the way, we were proud to be part of the Elite Eight. We'd gotten farther than any of the other varsity sports at my school!
After soccer ended, i threw myself to the books in preparation for exams. Has anyone ever felt as if they didn't know what to do when it came time for studying for exams, even though they'd done it for about 3 years?? Well, i definitely felt that, as with my friends. My friend Katie was one of my study buddies during these trying times, and at one point while i was trying to find the chart for cunjugating passive and active subjunctives (Latin is NOT for the faint hearted) Katie was lying on the floor making pitiful moaning and strange mewing noises. I seriously thought she'd swallowed a cat.
Needless to say, I survived, and actually thought I did quite well on my history and geometry exams! I can't say likewise for my latin exam, and i am so glad I had exempted because I highly doubt that I would be alive right now if otherwise. I wasn't the only one... out of about the 20 honor class kids (there are 28 total in my grade) only 2 took the exam.
In celebration, I went to the movies with Katie and another of my friends, Lindsey, and saw the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The best part was probably when a couple Spanish soldiers were killed by being clonked in the head by coconuts. Leave it to Jack to be creative when it comes to running for his life!
Other than the movie, I've done little else so far this week. Mostly because I've been studying for the SAT, which I take Saturday, but also because there are roofers working on my house and I haven't been sleeping well! Course, NO ONE would be sleeping well if they were woken up around 6:00 in the morning for 4 days straight. But next week, I promise to be more active; going to parties, sticking to my XC training schedule (you're NEVER on break when it comes to running), actually putting on the dreaded swimsuit (I usually stick to my running shorts), and being the usually overrated, jaded teen. :)

P.S. I also promise to be more dedicated to this blog... just to let y'all know that I'm still alive or that I don't hate y'all or anything. ;) ROLL TIDE <3

April 27, 2011... Remembered (Emily)

Yesterday afternoon families and friends were seperated as a F5 tornado ripped through my hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Buildings were reduced to nothing more than splinters of wood scattered across the now leveled ground. Dozens were killed and hundreds more were injured. The niece of a family friend of mine was found dead in a field next to her dogs. She was a senior and the University and should have graduated in less than a month. The picture below is one of 15th street, a street i used to know like the back of my hand but now i can no longer recognize it. I can't even tell which building is which. Almost nothing is left in any of the three malls in Tuscaloosa.
My whole life (16 years) revolved around a city that was ripped apart withing minutes. The tornado stayed on the ground for 90 miles, a state record. Many people know what it's like to lose something, but not many can understand the feeling of looking at your home and not even recognizing it, only seeing the distraught faces of the wounded, homeless, and lost.

As you read this, think of your children, your sisters, your brothers, your mother and father. People i know have lost these. Thank the Lord for your blessings and embrace them, for one never knows how much time you have with them.

A time of daisies and cleats...(Emily)

Easter is today, horray!
It's now a time for laughter and play.

Actually, since we have a week off for teacher meetings, or whatever teachers do when they aren't grading our tests or hanging upside down in their closets, I could be spending my time playing or hanging with friends. But, since being part of a high school soccer team means "commitment", i am spending my week instead by practicing in the morning and games in the afternoon, everyday until friday! out of ten days, i have three days off. How that is considered a break is beyond me.
But at least i get to go out and play in the grass and smell the flowers... and to break out into hives and sneeze my head off. :P But getting a chance to work on my tan is great!

hoping y'all have a happy easter and more days off than me :)
                          Emily

geisha pictures

here's a some of the pictures i recently took of my sister

Those dreaded school days... (Emily)

So yesterday was the first day back from Spring Break. I can tell you that we were all "very excited" to be going back. Actually we were dreading it, or at least, I was dreading it.
We got a bunch of grades back yesterday, and i felt pretty good about most of them. Sure, I got a B- on my chemistry test, and that probably won't pull up my grade to make the all A Honor Roll for the third time this year, but i did make quite a few A+ on my English assignments, and i've always considered English more important than mixing chemicals, at least in my case. I'll never be an engineer or any kind of chemist, and i usually set things on fire instead of creating some color change or bubbles that we are supposed to get.
The only good thing about yesterday was seeing all my friends, but once i turn 16 (in a week!) i'd be able to drive and go see them if i felt like it, so i'm indiffrent about that concept.
Hope y'all had a "happy" beginning of school too!
       Lots of Love,
                     Emily

My Reggae Epiphany

so, my dad an i were walking the dog and somehow we got onto the topic of bob marley. my dad told me that he was pretty into reggae during his highschool years, and told me that everyone needs to go through a reggae phase. at first i was pretty skeptical about reggae because i've just always stereotyped reggae into hippie wannabes and dreadlocks, but my dad and i's talk got me curious so when i got home i looked up a few songs by bob marley. and one thought came into my head, "why on earth haven't i listened to this before?" and before long i was dancing in my socks and singing along to "buffalo soldier." and until now that's the only music i've been listening to since i got home. i can't get that sound out of my head. so, i challenge our followers (follower) to listen to some reggae, it can be good for you.

marie.

Sarah's date (Emily)

So, the movie yesterday wasn't actually just a movie, as you may have heard from Marie. Sarah, my little sister, was on a date! It went well i guess, but i wasn't in any position to tell. They sat together and laughed at all the silly little kids giggling and screaming in the dark room. They laughed at the movie, but otherwise i didn't see any romantics going on. No hand holding, no arm over the should, nothing. I personally consider the "date" a fail, but knowing my sister, she enjoyed it immensely and will probably go out and do another "date" sometime soon.

The movie was a hilarious plot twist from the classic Romeo and Juliet, and we all knew it. There was even at one point a statue of Shakespear himself, telling Gnomeo that his love affair sounded very familiar to a story he had written "just recently." Gnomeo refused to believe that any love story that resembles his could end tragically though, so he told off Shakespear and set out to prove him wrong. Except that at one point something exploded, seemingly killing Gnomeo and Juliet, and when Shakespear saw the plume of smoke, he chuckled and said, "I told you!" For some reason this was my favorite line of the play, and i was nearly rolling in my seat with laughter. Guess that proves how much of a book worm i am!

Either way, i still recommend going to see the movie. Even if you are on a date, going by youself, or going by yourself as a third wheel to a date, you will enjoy the movie immensely. it's cute, adorable, funny, and extremely odd, which makes it all the better!
      Lots of Love!
                  Emily

spring break: sarah's date

so emily i'm really counting on you to describe in detail everything that goes on on this date. i mean spilling the beans.

i'm expecting a post right after the movie theatre.

the date's going on between sarah (emily's sister) and donny (a friend of sarah's).

here's a picture of donny (on the right) for future reference:

marie.

(Emily)

Marie, sweetheart, i don't call you a cheater, although i am a little disappointed you didn't tell me. But oh well! i shall be either a follower or a lurker of your new project.

Today i am going to see Gnomeo and Juliet. Even though it's going to be a totally messed up movie (no one dies!), i plan to enjoy wasting on my money on it very much. I guess because it's so messed up i think it's going to be a good laugh. The reason i'm going though is because a boy asked my sister to the movie (FINALLY!) and i just wanted to tag along, so my friend Lluvia and i are going to stalk my sister and her "non-date"  all throughout the movie. Should be some good fun! I will write later today and tell you how it turned out.
Lots of Love!!!
    Emily

so i have this other blog too.

so i have this other blog too, sorry emily, i'm cheating on you. but the other blog hasn't been created yet and needs a name, it's dedicated to my photography, and i really need some input because i have no idea what to call it.

since we have no followers it's kind of a waste of time asking but if we magically get like a million followers please email me your ideas.

marie.

spring break: the day of photography

so today i'm taking pictures at lake lurleen http://www.alapark.com/lakelurleen/, with cristina (she was in the previous post), mary, and allison. the reason why we're taking pictures is that mary and amanda (she couldn't come because she's in orlando right now) needed pictures for a pageant they're going to be in and allison liked my pictures so she's tagging along. this will be cristina's first photoshoot, and i'm pretty excited.

don't worry, followers (well, follower since we have only one), i'll post some of the pictures we take tonight.

marie.

spring break: the night of no sleep.

this is my first post, so here goes nothing!

i spent the night last night with some of the craziest kids, my friends, i've ever met:
emily, and her sister sarah, kellie, maggie, lisa, lluvia, and cristina.

cristina had asked me a couple days before to help show her how to work her camera, and i offered to show her how photoshop worked as well. so we spent a good four hours photoshopping and picture taking down on kellie's dock.

kellie had made these delicious miniature cupcakes, in which the whole group devoured in a matter of minutes.

after eating the cupcakes we all decided to play reverse hide n' seek. it's not a tame kids game, and i suggest if you're a timid person you shouldn't play this game at dark. in a closet (the closet had two bedrooms, a study, and two huge closets). with crazy people who scream at the smallest of sounds. sarah being sarah, found a broom and would whack at any area that looked like a possible hiding spot. the point of this game is not to get caught by the person hiding and the whole group goes looking for the person, but when the person jumps out we all go running to base. it's a fun game to play at a sleepover.

after playing reverse hide n' go seek we decided to watch cabaret, which is a classic and one of my favorite musicals of all time. after that we watched chicago which i sang every song, very terribly and loudly. i sang until the group hushed me up.

after watching the musicals we played a quick game of truth or dare, where kellie had to snuggle up to sarah (who was already asleep) and whisper the lyrics to one of the songs from cabaret.

the group began to get tired around 3:30am, but lluvia, cristina, and i got the bright idea that we should stay up all night. we'll we did. we didn't sleep one bit, not once. we walked upstairs to much on frosted flakes and fruit loops. then we watched lion king 1 1/2, but while cristina eventually fell asleep, lluvia and i did not. after watching the movie we tiredly stumbled down the four bajillion stairs kellie has leading down to her dock and watched the sun rise. then we walked up those stairs and to the beginning of kellie's driveway which is like a mile long. it was still really early and everyone else was still passed out downstairs in kellie's basement, but lluvia and i got to see a whole family of deer lope across the road and into the forest. after that lluvia and i got changed into our bathing suits and relaxed in kellie's hot tub.

so last night i didn't get one bit of sleep, and i feel disgusting now. i'm never doing that again.

the people in the pictures are lluvia, cristina, kellie, maggie, emily, me, and sarah. most were taken and processed yesterday.

marie.

In The Beginning... of Spring Break (Emily)

As school ended and Spring Break began, our fellow classmates took up an anthem: "It's the weekend, finally!" We all took pleasure in watching all the teachers correct us. They were just as ready as we were for the vacation!
In celebration, five of my best friends, plus my dear sister and me, gathered together for a musical sleepover. And I don't mean sitting in a circle singing "Kum ba yah"; I mean sitting in a circle watching broadway musicals. We decided to start off slow, and so decided to pop in Cabaret. Don't ask me why we thought cross-dressers and bisexual guys have to do with slow, or chill, or easy. Of course, we're not really the most chill group of friends either. I've been to sleepovers where twe all sit around and talk about guys and gossip. But at this party, we ended up playing a version of Backwards Hide-and-Seek in my friend's closet, which is bigger than her entire room, with the lights off. We had to stop though, after waking up the neighborhood with our screams of bloody murder and after giving the dog a few heart attacks. So that's when we decided to embrace the hystericaly, corrupt musicals that no one should ever take life lessons from, unless it's a "Don't Do That" lesson.
We ended the musical marathon with a group favorite: Chicago. Our favorite scene is when all the jail girls are singing about who they killed and dancing a tango. That's a very "subtle" way to tell a new girl that you killed your sister and your boyfriend.
We also threw Dirty Dancing into the mix, because no one can throw a musical watching party without having Patrick Swayze doing his thing, even though it's not technically a musical.
It was a fabulous way to begin the break, but I don't believe that I'll be doing much today, since I only got around three hours of sleep. At least I can catch Pretty Little Liars tonight and give my dog some love tonight. I hope that y'all's Spring Break began on a high note as well. Lots of Love!
                      -Emily