Little Miss Woods Comma Elle

Everyone: *trying to guess Sam's middle name*
Sam: My middle name's not a verb...

Ashley: What is it then?

Sam: An interjection.

Ashley: What's an interjection?

Rachel: It's something you shout to show emotion. Like "oh!"

Ashley: Oh I get it! Okay... *begins googling middle names that are also interjections*

Everyone: *starts laughing*

Ashley: What? *suddenly gets it and gives Sam an evil look* What color is my hair, Sam?

Sam: Um... I forget.

Ashley: It's blonde. That means that whatever you say, I will take literally.

I love Ashley. I've told many people before, if you haven't met Ashley, you haven't met a real blonde. She's so ridiculous. She made cookies once, and they were stuck. In her outrage, she shouted, "But I sprayed the pan with Spam!" And then later we were talking about altars, and Ashley goes, "What's an altar? Is it like, what Mufasa dies on? In Narnia?"

That should pretty much tell you everything you need to know about her blondeness. ;) But in addition to being blonde, she is also very sweet and understanding. Doing anything with her is always so much fun.

Speaking of blondes, guess what my most recent obsession is; Legally Blonde the Musical. What's that, you say? Legally Blonde is a musical? Yes, it is. The whole thing is on Youtube. It's fabulous, and I recommend you watch it. (be wary of a little language, though)

The best part of it is this right here:

(on the left)

Who's this you say? This is Christian Borle (hugging Laura Bell Bundy). He happens to play Emmett Forrest in the aforementioned musical. Not only is he the perfect mix of nerdy and cool, he's also ambitious, cute, awesome, attractive, smart, and has a wicked singing voice. Could he get any better? He's number 26 on my list of celebrity/fictional crushes.

Watch the musical, and fall in love with Emmett with me. ;)

Today was a fairy tale

Who misses Sisters Grimm?

I DO!!! Quotes from my favorite character? Yes please. :)

"Don't 'duh' me! Trying to figure out what you're thinking from one day to the next takes more brains than I have."

"Keep your paws off my fiancèe, you flea-ridden stray!"

"I mean, if you could have a wizard grant a wish, would you waste it on going to Kansas?"

"I don't know why everyone is celebrating. Opening a new school should be cause for a national day of mourning."

Oh Puck, how you do amuse me... Who knew fairies had a sense of humor?

Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley, people. Read it. I guarantee you will be entertained.

P.S. BOOK 9, if you can hear me, please release yourself soon!

[Edit: Apparently the third quote I listed is not from Puck. Oh well, it's still funny.]

There Ain't No Fightin' Fate!

I went to a Tom Sawyer reunion last weekend. I had a lot of fun with the people who really do still feel like family to me, even though it's been a while since we saw each other. We're all so different in age, interests, personalities, appearance, goals, thoughts... but somehow we come together and make a family.

When I first told my mom that we were having this reunion, her reaction was something along the lines of "Nina. It's been like, a year since that show ended. Can't you let it go?" (And then I told my friend, and her reaction was EXACTLY the same... Funny. :D)

And while we were watching the DVD of our performance, it seemed as though everyone had forgotten the lyrics to all the songs... except for me. (but then again, I was the only one who forgot ALL the choreography...) They all kept looking at me in amazement, asking "how do you still know this?! It's been like, a year!"

But I just can't let it go. I can't forget. Even though it's been a year, even though I've been in another show since then. And I've been wondering about that. Why can't I let it go? Why do I still know all the songs? Why is it that I won't let myself forget all the things we talked and joked about, all the things we did?

Why?

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Tom Sawyer changed my life. No, it didn't just change my life, it changed me. I'm a different person now. I'm more mature, I think. I handle pressure better. I'm sure as heck more confident about my singing and dancing. I'm more loving, more accepting. I'm a much better friend, and a better daughter. I'm less afraid.

And like I said before, my cast is my family. We stick by each other and love each other. We laugh so hard with each other, but we can cry with each other, too. We hug and we tease. We complain, in strictest confidence, about things that bother us. We teach each other things. We encourage each other, and want each other to do the best they can. We help each other, because we love each other.

And if that doesn't sound like a family, I don't know what does!

After thinking about WHY a little bit more, I remembered something that our director, Michael, told us almost "a year" ago that I still remember. I don't remember it exactly, but it was something like this, and it made all of my TS family cry;

"You guys have made this the most special experience, not only for me, but for each other. You've grown so close as a cast, and now we're a family. You don't realize how special these friendships are. But hold onto them. Never let them go. Because these relationships? They're something that will stay with you. Never let go, friends..."

And now I know why I can't let go:

I'm just doing what my director told me. :)

Take a bite of my heart tonight!

I MISS BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!!!!!

These photo's were, obviously, taken at Halloween.

Me and Leia

We totally look like a mother and daughter, don't we?

Kaleb, Kylie. Isn't this a really EPIC inflatable ostrich costume? I thought so. :)

Me, Leia and Sam. Sam's face is great. :)

Kylie

Leia and Miriam

Top Row: Cameron, Jackson, Kaleb

Middle Row: Jared, Carter

Bottom: Me, Leia, Phillip

Jared, Leia and Carter.

The one on the right is my husband. ;) Someone please fix his hoodie...

Jacob

AWWWW!!!!

And here's a photo that's NOT from Halloween:

Phillip, Kylie, Tagen, Kaleb, Carter.

The Herdman's are SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!

The one thing I hate about shows is the fact that they end. And I miss them SO BADLY after they do!

!!!!!!!!!!!

(photo's stolen from Leia's Facebook... again)

tell ev'rybody I'm on my way

"Boy are immature, guys are jerks, men are rare."

(Zuko is a man, for the record.)

"Behind every succesul man is a woman doing all of the work"

"Boys are like busses; you wait for one for ages, then suddenly three come at the same time"

"Men are stupid. If you forget, they will remind you."

"There are easier things in life than finding a good man.... nailing Jell-o to a tree for instance."

"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."

"Men are like parking spaces; all the good ones are taken and the rest are handicapped."

"Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."

"God created man before woman because you always need a rough draft."

I appreciate these quotes. I have no idea where they come from, but they make me laugh. Please know that I have nothing against the male population. I just understand other's frustrations with them.

My advice when dealing with boy problems? Cry, read your scriptures, and watch Pride and Prejudice.

Nothing gets your mind off idiots like Mr. Darcy does. ;)

Person of the Week in Every Greek Opinion Poll

This took a large chunk of time, lemme tell ya. It's supposed to be my adorable friend/daughter/niece/sister-in-law (long story), Leia. It ended up not really looking like her at all. :P

She's gorgeous, isn't she? Leia also has an amazing personality, can sing and act like no one else, and is a fantastic friend. There are many times I wish I was as awesome as her.

I'm holding my book slanted in the picture, so everything looks slightly crooked. It's bothering me. The picture's not that bad in real life... :(

Oh, and I did sign my initials on it. I just accidently cut off the bottom inch in the picture. :P

My reference* (in case you were curious):

*from Leia's Facebook.

Interjections! Show excitement! Or emotion!

I'm so disappointed with today's generation's lack of readership. On Facebook, there's a small section that asks you to list your favorite books. Far too many people put "Who reads books anymore?" in this box, or even leave it blank. OR WORSE, only list Twilight as their favorite book. (HOW DARE THEY!?)

It's so sad... :(

I love to read. Below, I have compiled a list of books you need to read before you read anything else. (even before you read Twilight again...)

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

This should go without saying, but a sadly large amount of people haven't read it. If you haven't read this book series, you are an abomination to the world and all those who live on it. GO READ IT NOW!!!

2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Again, this should go without saying. These books start out a little weak, and progress to literary masterpieces. So if you started the series and thought that The Magician's Nephew could've been better, just endure. The Last Battle is SO GOOD it's worth getting through everything else, just to read that book.

3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

This book is funny and heartwarming, and has the most swoon-worthy main love interest. If you, like me, loved this book only for Gilbert then skip the second book in the series, Anne of Avonlea, (which hardly mentions Gilbert) and read the third, Anne of the Island. That one is chocked full of romantic goodies, and you won't miss anything. :)

4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

It's written for a younger crowd, but still very good. Adorable, and the characters are much more endearing than in the movie. They have so many adventures that aren't mentioned in the movie, too. It's a really fun book, very short, and totally worth reading.

5. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

This book is amazing. The Disney version of it stinks. I'm sorry, but once I read this I couldn't see the movie any other way. It's terrible. The book is so whimisical and inspiring. J.M. Barrie's language is amazing. And I HATE movie Wendy, but book Wendy's cool. Read it, it's sooooo much better...

6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Sweetest little story about a sour girl who meets a sour boy, and their adventure's in hiding their new garden from the boy's sour father. Over time, they all lose their sour-ness. Lots of great character development, and it has the cutest ending. ^_^

7. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Absolutely hilarious book, where EVERYTHING is a play on words. Starting in the Land of Expectations (which most journeys never get past), we go through the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping) and on to many other wonderous places with equally clever names and quirky qualities. This book is nothing short of genius, and needs to be read by everyone.

8. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Invisible boy meets blind girl. You can just smell the budding romance, can't you? ;) But seriously, I love this book. Perhaps it's not as classic as everything else I've listed, but it was one of the first books I read on my own. It made me cry, so I feel it necessary to include in my list.

9. An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

My friend Kallie says that everything by Louisa May Alcott is amazing, but this is one of her favorites (and one of MY favorites, too!). And in this one, the right people get together, unlike in Little Women. (I'm still very hurt by that book's ending.) An Old-Fashioned Girl has heart-breakingly perfect romantic moments, amazingly truthful quotes, strong morals, and fantastic characters. I recommend it whole-heartedly. :)

10. A Series of Unfortuate Events by Lemony Snicket

I'm aware that many people *coughLARAcough* do not like these books. My advice? Don't listen to these people. They don't know what they're talking about. (sorry, it's true) These books are hysterical. The author has a unique voice that's hard to ignore, and a super-duper complex plot that will leave you scratching your head for nearly all of the series. It makes me laugh on nearly every page, and left me always wanting more. And if you have any extra time, I recommend reading Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography. A book that, if possible, is even more hilarious and head-scratching than the actual novels, though 10000x more confusing.

11. Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

If you didn't already know about my obsession with this book series, then you didn't know me. I already put too much about these books on my blog, so at this point, just go read it. That's all I'm gonna say. (And please, don't mention the movie. It's an abomination.)

12. Anything by Kate Dicamillo

Including The Tale of Desperoux, The Tiger Rising, The Magician's Elephant, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Asking me to choose my favorite out of these is next to impossible, so just read them all. :) But what I really love about these books are their magical settings. I want to live in each one of them.

I can think of about 20 more, but I think this is a good start. What about you, friends? What novels have you read and loved? Anything you think deserve a mention? Well then comment! :)

uh-wee-muh-way

Reference

Having Manisha here was a blast. I love her, and it was awesome having her back.

But the only setback to having her was that she stole all my drawing time. I didn't wield a pencil for two whole weeks, because I was too busy talking to her. Then I got really sick, and my weak muscles forgot how to hold a pencil and were really shaky, so I couldn't even practice then.

And now, trying to get back into it has proven similar to jumping into a swimming pool and not remembering how to swim. I know I know how to swim (draw), but I lack inspiration, and feel clumsy kicking my feet around. And I'm not getting as much pleasure out of it as I normally do. It's cold in this water. :(

Above is something I forced myself to churn out today. Needless to say, it looks a billion times better in real life. (I need a scanner. These dumb webcam photos'll be the death of me.)

But I could not, for the life of me, get her mouth right. I think it was because I failed to capture her hunch when I first started. She's sitting too erectly, and if I tried to draw the mouth at an angle while the rest of her is sitting up, it looked terrible. So I settled on this, which doesn't look too bad, but I feel bad for settling. I'm better than that...

I've decided to use references a lot more with my drawings. My style is sort of a combination of random artists on deviantArt, and I really want to start developing my own style. So I'm going to be using references more, and using what I learn from that in all my other drawings. Hopefully, it'll help me with my poses and variation. (I tend to draw everyone the same way, and need to change this.)

As you can see, I have ways to go in the accuracy department. There are so many little things I accidently changed in my picture. Her hands, they way they're sitting, their eyes, etc.

Yeah, I'm working on it.

Parisian Beggar Woman by Langston Hughes

Once you were young.
 Now, hunched in the cold,
 Nobody cares 
That you are old.

  Once you were beautiful. 
Now, in the street,
 No one remembers
 Your lips were sweet. 

 Oh, withered old woman
 Of rue Fontaine,
 Nobody but death 
Will kiss you again. 


Thank you, favorite poet, for putting my feelings about turning 16 into a poem. :)

Dreams do come true in New Orleans

You know how I said I was sick in my last post? When I posted that, I thought I was almost better.

Ha. I saw the doctor today. Guess what? I have the flu. But it's not that bad. I'm just really tired and have a constant fever between 100 and 103. And a cough. But I really don't feel that bad.

I had to skip church yesterday because of this. I haven't taken a sick day from church since I was like, 10. Quite devestating. :(

But it's okay. I had fun, sitting on the couch. I watched the following movies:

Great movie. I love Disney. :D

I only got to watch the last half of this on TV. And it's not really that good of a movie, but James McAvoy is so flippin' attractive, I couldn't resist turning to it.

(the movie poster doesn't do his hotness any justice, so here's a REAL picture of him:

Sighhh... Look at that face. ^_^)

(Don't worry. It was edited for TV, AND I skipped the dirty parts.)

First time I watched this movie. Beginning took forever. Who cares about Rose as an old lady? The real movie started about 30 minutes in. And it was pretty good. The whole last 2 hours drove me crazy with stress/worry. It kind of made me never want to go swimming ever again. But I enjoyed it. And no, I didn't cry. But I still liked it. :)

If only I could lay on the couch now, and watch movie after movie, in between my naps and rereading of Battle of the Labyrinth. (Finished Titan's Curse, and fully intend on continuing my rereadings until I finish The Last Olympian for the second time.) Sooooo relaxing...

Instead I am here, avoiding the insane amount of Algebra I have to review before my test on Wednesday. Blah.

My birthday is on Wednesday, too. Worst day to get sick/take a test? I think yes. But hopefully I'll be better by then. And my test is in the morning, so it won't really kill my whole day. I hope.