OH, THE OPEN ROAD!

Toad sat straight down in the middle of the dusty road, his legs stretched out before him, and stared fixedly in the direction of the disappearing motor-car. 
He breathed short, his face wore a placid satisfied expression, and at intervals he faintly murmured 'Poop poop!'. . . 
"Glorious, stirring sight!" murmured Toad, never offering to move. 
"The poetry of motion! The REAL way to travel! The ONLY way to travel!
Here to-day, in next week tomorrow! Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped - 
always somebody else's horizon! 
O bliss! O poop-poop! O my! O my! . . . 
"And to think I never knew," went on Toad in a dreamy monotone.
"All those wasted years that lie behind me, I never knew, never even dreamt!
But now - but now that I know, now that I fully realize! O what a flowery track lies spread before me, henceforth! What dust-clouds shall spring up behind me as I speed on my reckless way! What carts I shall fling into the ditch in the wake of my magnificent onset!"
                          Toad, the Magnificent, from The Wind In The Willows.


After an afternoon of complete torture, I.HAVE.PASSED.
My permit test.
My "instructor" was a man of . . . shall we say, unsubtleness?
I was sitting there in my chair, sweat pouring off of my face, hands shaking.
Might I point out that my dear brother said that it was "easy", and that I would maybe only have 25 questions.
There were 40.
I got into the chair, after being asked whether I'm dependent on alcohol or drugs, or whether I have a mental disorder, and began.
I had ten wrong, out of the eleven questions that I could get wrong, and still had about 5 questions remaining.
BUT I PASSED.
And then. 
I shakily stood up, and went to the counter after he called my name, and after mother came, he proceeded to tell everyone in the building that I JUST passed with a "wing and a prayer."
I don't exactly know what that's supposed to mean, but it makes pretty much sums it all up.
He also proceeded to announce that I would kill myself on the intersections.
Thanks, I'll have fun on them now that you said that.
And mother won't let me forget that little fact.
Might I also mention that I only had about one evening and morning to study?
Yeah, well I did.
BUT I PASSED.
And never once did I squeal my brakes, or make mother scream!
Okay, that wasn't true.


And yes, for all of you people who are wondering, I can reach the steering wheel, AND the gas and brake.
And the seat.
Thank you.



above picture from the internet.

Just Like My Sister.

WARNING:
This is a birthday post about my sister, Cherie.
If you do not know Cherie (poor you), you are not forced to read.

Cherie.
Happy-happy-happy-happy birthday! (i suddenly feel like the goose on Charlotte's Web.)
I can't believe that you are 18. 
Was it really that long ago that we were playing "bro and sis" on the GIGANTIC hill by our house? or luring the poor innocent cows to come smell our sticks, and then nearly piercing their nose all the way through when they did? or fighting over sweeping our lilac bush playhouse with the broken broom? or listening to you make up fascinating new rules in games like,
"Hey, Zach and Christy, (my two wonderfully gullible siblings) let's say that whenever we play CandyLand, when I, not you, land on a green square, and then I win. Oh, and if you land on a green square, you get to go all the way back to the start!" "Good plan, oh wise older sister!"


 or sneaking popcorn into our bed before we went to sleep, and waking up to suspiciously salty sheets? or when we blared classical music out the window at innocent Amish people? (oh yeah, that was a couple days ago.)


Cherie, you have been one of the most influential people in my life, and I am SO GLAD.
You have inspired me in countless ways.
Your heart for the Lord is a challenge and a joy to see; you search things out, you make it personal for yourself, you really and truly love your heavenly Father, Lover, and Savior, and there is absolutely nothing that will move you from His side, You have been given an incredible gift in music; anyone enjoys sitting down and listening to you play, you are also immensely gifted with your stories, and your drawings; children love you, you get on their level; get interested with them in what they love: you are going to go places, Cherie.
Do you have any idea how intimidating it is to be related to you?
But still, sometimes I try to be immeasurably cool, like my sister.
The Lord has been using you already in powerful ways right here, in Sandusky Dr. Beach City. 
He will continue to use you in ways that you and I (see Cherie? see? I use "I" instead of "me" even when you're not here to tell me!) can't even imagine.


You're the peach in my tea, you're the Beach in my City, you're the happy in my thoughts, you're the Jack in my Sparrow, you're the "bonnet in my movie", you're the British in my accent, you're the Roasted Cherry Hazelnut in my Wallhouse, you're the par- in my -fai,
you're pretty much amazing.


There's so many things that I wouldn't even know about if it wouldn't be for you. Like, how cops are allowed to drive on the yellow lines in the middle of the road if they want to. And how we can always solve mysteries if we come up with a couple of explanations, and then just pick one.  Mystery solved!


We've had some really good times, haven't we?
And our lives have only just begun! 
you're going to travel around the world, you globetrotter, and i'll stay at home and knit, and watch the calender.


I really and truly have no idea where I would be without you.
I love you so much.


Hey Cherie!
Yeah, you know what I was thinking.
:)
♥


I shall now proceed to show the traditional embarrassing pictures that come with having birthdays in the double digits.

You really just can't get a picture alone, you're just too popular, and they really aren't that embarrassing.

I really really really looooooove you.

May there be many more embarrassing memories.

Someday, when I grow up, I want to be like you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHERIE!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

(that was 18 hearts, Cherie.)

(cause you're 18.)

(♥)

(that one's for next year.)

-Me

Blissful Things.

In this post, i am going to post things that make me feel all glowy inside.
Things that make me feel like everything is RIGHT.
Like, a smile from a stranger, an anonymous note, a good quote, a little girl telling me she likes my glasses, taking a picture that turns out right, staying so long in a coffee shop that we get a parking ticket, an upside down rainbow, sun flare, lots of things.
Even little things.
Here are some more, only more interesting. :)



My uncles. They NEVER fail to make me laugh.
NEVER. Even when they argue about corn flakes.
Even when they say the same stories OVER and OVER, they
always manage to have us all rolling on the floor, as they exaggerate
and stretch the stories until there's barely any fact left, and it's all fiction.
I love them so much.
I hope I can be like them when I grow up. :)



Classical music.
oh my goodness.
There are some songs that just leave you breathless.
And being in an orchestra.
That's pretty awesome, in my opinion.


Things arranged by color.
I don't know why.
It's so preeeetty.
And books. Books that make me cry one second, and laugh the next.
Books pretty much fill my life.

Slow shutter speeds.
And glowy things that work with slow shutter speeds.













Trying to make book covers with my aunts.
There's story that goes well with this picture, we're thinking of
writing an Amish romance novel entitled, Homer's Heart Finds a Home.
That's a joke.
We have as much intention of writing an Amish romance novel as we do
flying to the moon and back before teatime tomorrow.



Speaking of books,
the style L.M. Montgomery writes,
is pretty spanking awesome.
"Mrs. William Morrison was one of those people who always
speak decisively. If they merely announce that they are going to peel the potatoes for dinner, 
their hearers realize that there is no possible escape for the potatoes."
That's just an example, but if I would ever take a shine to writing books,
that's how I would want to write.



Sunsets. And stars.
You know that whenever you see a sunset or  a night sky filled with stars, you can take a deep breath,
stand stock still, and realize how small you're problems are, and that EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT.


The last song on this soundtrack . . .
*chills*



Letters,
My lands, how I love letters.
My dear friend Monica and I have been sending each other letters since we were knee high
to a grasshopper.
I LOVE Monica.
I LOVE MONICA'S LETTERS.
I also love most any other kind of letter, too.
If you're ever wanting to send a letter to someone, and you can't think of who to send it to . . .
PICK ME!


 Boys this age.
I don't know why, but they really crack me up.
They try to act all manly and masculine, but inside they're a bunch of teddy bears. :)


Reading through the Bible, and finding verses to underline.
Realizing how privileged I am to own more than one.


Flower arranging.
Someday, I want to work with flowers.


Early morning questions and answers with these people.
(photo credit: Damselnolongerdistressed.blogspot.com)
This was last year, and we just got together last week for another one, with
some new additions to the conversation.
grand times.

Brothers.

For being them.

Toady.

You will not understand unless you have read the Wind In the Willows.

He's quite hilarious.

(I told you books pretty much fill my life.:)

Macro lenses.

Tee hee.

And knowing that, someday, I could go and be with children like this.

Somewhere, someday, somehow.

That's my dream.

signing off, 

Chrisitna Celise.

P.S. 

I got a whole lot

of these pictures

off of the internet.

Big fan of Google. :)

An OLD journal entry.

One of my friends did an old entry from her journal, and I just think that that is a goooood idea.
Of course, the journal entry cannot, by any means, be embarrassing.
(um, Christy, since when are your old journal entries NOT embarrassing?)


Before you continue, to giggle and snort and make ghastly noises while reading, you must first imagine a ten year old's handwriting, of un-readability and full of scribbles.


Now, are you ready to delve into my diary of DEEP, PHILOSOPHER type thoughts?


Ready?:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/11/'06


Dear Diary, 
Hi! Howdy! Hello! How are you?(that's a funny question to ask a diary)
I'm sorry for not writing for sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo LONG!
The last time I wrote was.... .. 
let me see.....JUNE!
(Reader must understand that sprinkled all throughout my diaries are apologies for not writing in a long time)
that's Horrible! 
How could I!
How cruel of me!


Cherie and me are out in the woods.It's terribly windy and it was raining this morning. 
Hopefully you haven't forgot my family! O.k. let me refresh your memory, my dad, Gaylord, my mom, Celesta, three brothers, Zachary (enter something that even I  can't decipher!),Trevor 8, Michael 5, Chloe 1, Cherie 13, and me, 10. 
it is very cold. 
oohh, in like, 7 more days we are allowed to drink POP!
We weren't gonna for a Whole YEAR!
Guess what! WE Got A PIG!!!
okay I'll go onto other talk.
[I think this means that i'll move on to other even MORE interesting topics. But this topic is TOO interesting, you say? ;)]
well, actually not it's starting to drip alot on here by!
----------------------------------------------------------------


well, I hope you enjoyed that.
(now would be the point where you all stop snickering)
Thank you.


HAVE A SMAAAAAAAAAASHING DAY!

"The Lord is my portion, therefore I HOPE IN HIM."

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions FAIL NOT.
They are new every morning.
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
 It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.


(not when he is old, and is more wise. In his youth, he should bear a yoke. we should wait patiently and silently for Him. not waiting until we are older, and seemingly more close to God. 
now is the time for Him to lay a burden on you. a burden for the lost, a burden for the homeless, a burden for the orphans, a burden for the unreached, a burden for the widows, a burden for the hopeless. don't wait until you're older, ask God to lay a burden on you now, no matter how useless you may feel to Him.)

Let him sit alone and keep silent, 
Because God has laid it on him;
Let him put his mouth in the dust-
There may yet be hope.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
let him be full of reproach.


(FULL of reproach. not just sad: reproachful. not proud: reproachful. )

For the Lord will not cast off forever, though He causes grief.
Yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.
For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

(what a God we serve. no matter how many times we cast Him off. no matter how many times we err, we sin, we mess up. no matter how many times we turn from Him, no matter how many times we go our own way. 
GOD IS GOOD.)

O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul;
             You have REDEEMED MY LIFE.


Lamentations 3: 22-33, 3:58