/ with candor

Red carpet or princess ball?

Now that it's almost the second month of the second semester of my senior year, I thought it would be a smart idea to begin searching for my perfect prom dress. But, just so we're clear, I'm not one of those girls that jumps up and down with excitement at the thought of prom. Actually, I'm kind of the exact opposite—school dances just aren't my thing. Don't get me wrong, I think they're fun (sort of) and important to attend (you'll never be in high school again), but there's just something about them that doesn't appeal to me.

Maybe it's all of the "grinding" on the dance floor. I mean, seriously... We can definitely do without the constant rubbing up against each other, in my opinion. My ideal prom would only allow tasteful music (can we please get rid of the rap?) and dancing that is classy and graceful (ballroom dancing, anyone?). I wouldn't even mind the fun 1920s-style swing dance! Now, that would be amazing.

Or maybe it's all of the little details and hectic planning that bothers me about prom. Like the transportation, the groups, the restaurant, the formal wear, the pictures, the dates... It goes on and on. Pretty darn stressful, if you ask me. But, I guess it will all be worth it in the end. Which is why I'm getting a head start on that dress shopping. Fifty years from now, when I think back to my senior prom, I want to remember feeling beautiful and confident. I want to remember the dress I wore.

With that said, I've been looking through tons of Prom magazines, and I stopped by two dress shops today to try on a few things. So far, these are my favorites:

This dress was the one that I tried on, and let me tell you, it fit me like a glove. I felt like I was dressed for the red carpet.

I only saw this pink and white number in a magazine, but I am desperately trying to find it in a store. It's more the "Cinderella" princess-type dress, which is a completely different way to go. But hey, it's prom. Why not go all out?

So, there you have it: two contrasting dresses that have caught my eye. Now, I need advice. Which one do you prefer?

friendship

They are everything.

Thank you for listening to all of my deepest stories and secrets, and letting me in on yours.

Thank you for putting up with all of my pesky habits, especially my constant picture-taking.

Thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder after a terrible day, and forgiving me when I get snarkish.

Thank you for always being honest with me, even when the truth hurts.

Thank you for spending your free mornings, afternoons, and evenings by my side, and making me laugh until tears stream down my face.

In a nutshell, thank you for being the sisters I never had.

high school musings

Warm socks and a cup of coffee.

Three-day weekends are so much better than two.

It's amazing how much more I can do when I have one extra day to stay home (Martin Luthor King, Jr. Day is Monday!). I can take that precious time to edit pictures, memorize my lines for theatre, and even catch up on some (unnecessary) homework. I may actually decide to be productive before Tuesday rolls around. And, bonus: I made myself wake up early on Saturday morning to visit one of my least favorite places, the gym. I really hate exercising. Isn't that terrible? I'm just always so busy or tired to work out during the weekdays, and my excuse during the weekends is that I deserve to relax. Lame, right? But I forced myself this time to stop being lazy, and I'm very glad that I did. Especially since last night was my best friend's 18th birthday celebration, and a group of us went to a very nice restaurant (with very sinful indulgences). I ordered a pasta dish, and yes, I ate the whole thing. It was fantastic.

Right now, I'm sitting upstairs in my pajamas as I type this, and contemplating what to do next. I could do my homework, but that's what tomorrow is for. Hmm...maybe I will continue reading The Shack? Watch an episode of Gilmore Girls? Edit the photographs from last night? So many choices. This freedom is beautiful.

Oh! I almost forgot! I saw The Lovely Bones on Friday, just like I said I would. And let me tell you, it was brilliant. The movie definitely did the book justice, and that is pretty rare. I loved it so much that I can't wait to see it again! If you've seen it, I'd love to know your opinion... Apparently, the critics didn't think it was so great. But what do they know?

Photo by Haley Powers.

high school

Why not?

Even though I'm about five days off, I decided to jot down a few of my resolutions for the upcoming year.

1. Strengthen my relationship with Jesus Christ. All relationships take work, and this one isn't an exception. I'd like to say that He is my number one priority, but sometimes my actions don't follow through with that statement. I really hope to begin spending more time with my Savior, as well as reading my Bible every morning before school.

2. Exercise at least three times a week. Yoga, pilates, jogging, dancing. Whatever. I just need to do something!

3. Read at least one book a month. I love to read, but I am incredibly slow, especially when I have a ton of things on my plate. But I've been keeping up with my books recently, and all of this reading is quite refreshing. I'm going to try to stick with it.

3. Treat my family with respect at all times. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, my family members are always the ones to feel my wrath. It's sometimes easy to take my family for granted because I know that they'll always love me no matter what, but there is no excuse for my selfish behavior.

4. Stop complaining about things I can't control. This includes putting myself down because of my looks, talking badly about others (in any degree), or whining about the every-day hardships of life. This one might take some practice, but I'm going to try my hardest.

5. Learn a song or two on my (abandoned) guitar. My acoustic guitar was a gift from Santa last Christmas, and I was SO excited when I saw it under the tree. I only managed to learn half a song before I got tired of the thing and put it down for good. Talk about an epic fail! I think it's time for me and my lonely guitar to bond some more.

6. Turn my old magazines into beautiful collages. It would be a cool little side project, wouldn't it?

7. Finish Gilmore Girls! I can't believe it's taken me more than a year to watch this TV show from start to finish [that's quite an eternity]. I'm finally on the last season (thank God), and I'm ready to move on to something else. Sorry Lorelai, but your witty little one-liners are getting old.

8. Write in my journal. Ever since I began this blog, I kind of deserted my first love that is my Shakespeare hard-cover journal. It's such a lovely diary, and yet it is empty, except for the first few pages. This is upsetting to me, since I've basically kept a number of journals throughout my entire life, and I'm not ready to quit now.

9. Get accepted to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This is more of a wish than a resolution, but it's something that would be a really big accomplishment on my part. The moment of truth will be on January 30th, so wish me luck!

10. Make (a lot) more money and spend (a lot) less. I made a few hundred bucks working at Barnes & Noble over Christmas break, but now that school and theatre is starting back up, I have no extra time. As soon as summer comes around, I hope to begin working again (whether it be at B&N, I'm not sure) so that I can raise some money for college/traveling. Oh, and no more random trips to Target after school. That stupid store is putting a dent in my savings.

Ten seems like a good number. I think I'll stop there. Good night, everyone.

musings

Silent noise.

A night like this one, silent and still, sneaks up on me and plays games with my thoughts.

1:15, 1:16, 1:17.

The clock ticks and the moments pass: empty, daunting, dream-like.

Endless doubts and questions plague my mind, but no answers or certainties can calm them; only darkness and shadows are to be found. A distinct heaviness is placed on my heart, an emotion I can never seem to put my finger on, a dread that fills me to the brim.

A prayer escapes my lips, soft but heard, breaking the painful silence. And just like that, faith is restored. My eyelids now feel the weight that my heart did before, and sweet sleep finally overwhelms the soul, somehow saving me from myself.

Photo by Sander Dewerte.

family

Sweet memories.

My brothers finally arrived yesterday! Lance lives in Nashville and Jason is attending A&M in College Station, so I don't get to see them very often. And since neither of them came home for Thanksgiving this year, I've been awaiting their arrival with anxious anticipation. To celebrate, my dad hooked up the video camera to the big screen TV, and we settled down with homemade gumbo to watch old home videos. I can't even tell you how much fun we had, reminiscing and laughing at all of the sweet memories.

It makes me kind of sad to see how much we've grown up, but I don't think I've ever really appreciated my family as much as I do now. Let me just say, it doesn't get any better than this.

high school

Somebody pinch me.

Okay, so do you remember the blog I posted in November about performing A Piece of My Heart at the Texas Thespian Convention?

Well, it just so happens that... WE HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO PERFORM AT THE INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN CONVENTION!

After Mr. Cottom announced the good news in class today, I couldn't believe my ears. I was shocked! And I could tell by the look of the rest of the cast members' faces that the feeling was mutual. We all thought that this show had been put to rest for good. But I, for one, am so happy/proud/excited that we have the opportunity to bring A Piece of My Heart to life once more. In front of thousands of thespians from all over the world!

The convention will be held in Nebraska (random, I know) from June 21-26. And it has been decided that if we can raise enough money, we are going to attend and perform. This will make Tomball STAGE history!

high school

Snow day!

The most exciting thing happened on Friday... It started snowing in Tomball, TX. Like, actual snow. And tons of it. Okay, not tons. It pretty much melted the moment it touched the ground. But when I was walking out to my car after school, it sure felt like a lot of snow was hitting my face and getting caught in my eyelashes. It was the most I've ever seen here, and it was magical! Having a snow day made me wish that I lived up north where it snows all winter long.

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