'when I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes'

What better way to spend your Saturday afternoon than surrounded by so many good books you can't possibly choose just one? :sigh: I'm having a love affair with books. I could live in Barnes and Noble; or at the very least, visit everyday and get a book per visit. Saturday, I went in to get the Great Gatsby, and I emerged with it, along with The Guardian (Dee Henderson), Vivian: The "V" Spot (Sherrie Krantz), and a book from the biography section all about Henry VIII and his six wives. I'm so excited! Unfortunately, I must read the Great Gatsby first, but I'm hoping to fly through that so I can get started on my new collection. :)

Books are so amazing. They can bring such inspiration, or they can completely bring you down. I really enjoy reading in school, because its most likely the only time you are going to read the classic books. When there are so many other riveting books from new authors on the "New Release" shelf, why would you go and pick up The Crucible? However, it has really taught me to appreciate the classics and to observe how writing has changed throughout the years. (Allow me to quote Mark Twain: " 'Classic' A book which people praise but don't read." Haha. Couldn't have said it better myself.)

Honestly, literature is not what it used to be. I mean, who's to say that in 100 years people will still be reading the popular books today? Somehow, The DaVinci Code being read in schools doesn't sound right. But, who knows. Wouldn't it be cool if after we died we could observe the world and how it changes? I think that would be quite fascinating.

Anyway...I just had to share about my beloved books...school is going well. The year started off very awkwardly, and I wasn't sure what to make of it except that the year was going to be pretty bad. But, God has a sense of humor and everything I thought of as a bad thing He has showed me how its good. Now I am really looking forward to this year and everything that its going to bring. I don't have a teacher that I really dislike, although, I have a couple of teachers who think the best way of teaching is to stick notes on an overhead and read them as your student copies them. Sorry-not learning much. : blink: Whatever. As long as I pass the class, I could care less. ;)

I start dance classes today. I honestly hate taking a break from them during the summer. It's dreadful! Every year its the same routine. By May, I'm ready for a break. After about two weeks, I'm ready to go back to dance. I usually dance for two weeks during the summer and I'm ready for a break again, and then, by the time classes roll around again, I'm out of shape, out of touch, and thirsty for a ballet class. So, that time has come, and I'm quite excited...except for the way my ick body is going to look in tights and a leotard. Honestly, if I didn't dance, I would be a fat cow. Thank goodness I only stop dancing for two months! :-p

Before I go, I want to thank Melanie for her latest blog entry. It really spoke to me...silly I know, but it did. :hugs: Love you girl. :)

Oh, and, one more note: Due to my love of books, I began writing a story about a girl who...loves books. :sigh: It's a work in progress, but I'm really excited about it. Just wanted to share. ^_^

Love you all!

God bless,
lv

Title quote: Desiderius Erasmus

'lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire thee above all things. farewell'

I have taken an obsessive fascination to Henry VIII, his wives, his reign and all that that implies. It is, of course, with thanks to the book I told you about previously...The Other Boleyn Girl. It's funny, because I had always heard and thought of Henry VIII as this evil King who killed all his wives. But, it is much more complicated than that. Henry, like any king, longed for a legitimate son to take over his kingdom and a happy marraige. The problem was, he wanted them both. His first wife, Catherine (Catarina as some say) of Aragon, the Spanish Princess, was married to him for nearly twenty years and was with child six times. Unfortunately, only two of the children lived to be born, and only one lived past infancy. The prince borne to Henry and Catherine died when he was 53 days old. Princess Mary was their only child to live into adulthood. After years of no sons, Henry was anxious for an heir. He became infatuated with the Boleyns, first Mary who was his mistress and bore him two children (a son and a daughter) and then with her older sister, Anne, who he married after getting his marraige to Catherine anulled. He threw Catherine out of his life, banishing her to the coldest palaces in the country and separating her from her daughter. As a barren woman who had already reached menopause, Catherine was no good to him anymore. He took Anne as his wife, and three years later had her beheaded for adultery with her brother, among other men of his court. Anne Boleyn gave the King one daughter, Elizabeth, she gave birth to a still born son and miscarried two other children. Just as he did with Catherine, he threw Anne out of his life, only much quicker this time and with assurance that she was gone for good. He took Jane Seymour as his next wife, who brought him a son. However, she did not recover from childbirth and died several days after the birth of the Prince Edward. She is said to be the only wife who Henry truly loved, and probably greatly due to her gift of a healthy, living son. The next three wives he took were divorced (Anne of Cleves), beheaded (Kathryn Howard) and then he died shortly after his marraige to his third wife, Katharine Parr. After Edward, the King had no more children. He was fairly content after having a son, but he still longed for the perfect Queen. He died knowing that it was impossible.

I said all that to point out that King Henry VIII was not an evil man. He was merely a king with an empty soul, longing for a son to fill it and a loving wife. Who he really needed was the Lord, but I don't think anyone in that time period really understood that.

Due to my fascination with Henry, I found one of those stupid quizzes to find out which of Henry's wives I was most like...

Congratulations! You are Catarina of Aragon.
I am Catarina of Aragon. Loyal, loving and incurably romantic. I press flowers in romance novels and love unconditionally.
Catarina was Henry's first wife and was probably the only one of his six wives to truly love him. He tired of her, and she spent the last decade of her life in lonely exile. Yet when she was dying, alone and unloved, she wrote: "Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire thee above all things. Farewell."

I believe that Catherine truly loved the King, and if he had stayed married to her, he would have found the happiness he longed for. Even after he had casted her out of his life and country, she still proclaimed her love for him and found the strength to forgive him. She was a strong woman, and the Queen with the single most character of them all. King Henry did long for a son and a loving wife, and he was a fool to let the latter go.

I have learned a lesson from the story of Catherine of Aragon. When everything went bad for her, after she had given birth to dead children and sometimes not given birth at all, she persevered and tried again until her body wouldn't allow it anymore. She watched her husband flirt and bed the ladies of her court and still she did not waver. She continued to greet him with a smile on her face and be the loving wife that she was. She did not correct him; he was king, he could do as he pleased. For Catherine to ask him to stop his sinful ways would be to ask the king to lower himself to her position, and that could not happen. The point I'm trying to make is that although Catherine had a very unhappy life, she was never bitter and she never wearied. She died alone in a cold, small palace, banished from her home and ripped of her title as Queen. Yet, she was still the Queen in every sense of the word. She may have died with no one at her side, but she had happiness, joy and peace waiting for her in heaven. No other Queen was a queen like Catherine. She had no hidden agenda (i.e. Anne Boleyn). She loved and simply longed to be loved back.

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return. It's a shame she never learned this lesson...

God bless,
lv

'I was born to be your rival...we're sisters aren't we?'

"I thought for a moment and went straight to the anxiety of my childhood. 'But what if he comes to like you best?'

Anne's smile was as sweet as poison. 'What matter? So long as it is a Boleyn girl?'

'Uncle Howard thinks this? Does he think nothing of me, in childbed, while my sister is set on to flirt with the father of my child?'

Anne nodded. 'Yes, exactly. He thinks nothing of you at all.'

'I didn't want you to come back to court to be my rival,' I said sulkily.

'I was born to be your rival,' she said simply. 'And you mine. We're sisters, aren't we?' "

:shivers: Anne Bolyen was a wicked girl. I'm reading this book by Philippa Gregory (Author of The Queen's Fool) called The Other Boleyn Girl, and its about Anne Boleyn's (Second wife of Henry VIII) sister Mary and her love affair with the king. It's quite interesting. Gregory has a way of making history very fascinating. She writes historical fiction, of course, so its not entirely true, but it makes me very interested in the different time periods and what the world was like during Henry VIII's reign. It's too bad our history books don't read like Gregory's books. ^_^

Speaking of history, school was quite dreadful today. Little things kept happening, like my binders not fitting in my locker, not having the lunch that all of my friends have, not having my leotard in my dance bag...I felt like crying. Certain times of the month have that affect. :sigh: But, I hope the school year doesn't remain this disheartening. I'm sure it won't. I just have to get used to the new routine, the new teachers and how to manipulate them (:-p), and the new kids (and the new/old kids). I'm ready for it to be the middle of the school year so I can be used to everything. I guess I'll just have to wait it out patiently. Although, I do miss some of my old teachers. Ninth grade was so fun. <_<

I asked my mom if I could go to Night of Joy and Rock the Universe with the greatest youth group ever. Without hesitation my mom says no. I was crushed. I would pay for it if I had some sort of an income. I have never been, and Casting Crowns will be there-I was not planning on missing it. I wish I hadn't gotten my expectations raised up so high. Now I have no chance of going, and frankly, for a valid reason. I completely understand my parents. But, I want to go so badly with every ache in my body. I can hardly bear the fact that I am going to miss it. I'm not entirely sure why. I have never gone before, so I have no attachment to it. I just really, really, really want to go. Something about a Christian concert at Universal with Casting Crowns singing their amazing praises out to my amazing God sounds like something I couldn't miss. Yet I am going to. Excuse me a moment while I cry a river of tears ... :'(

I feel as if the best way to leave you today is with the most spectacular Casting Crowns song, ever. :)

-- Who Am I --

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

--

God bless,
lv

'we take our bug juice very seriously'

And, boy, they weren't kidding.

I just spent 4 days in Little St. Simons Island with my good friend Kristin and her parents. It was a wonderful vacation, in which you are completely cut off from the rest of the world. No television, no radio, no computer, no media whatsoever. The only committment you'll have is to sign in and out for activities, and that's just so that they can expect you to be in or out for lunch. It's so laid back, it's crazy. I didn't know a place like that existed. The staff is available whenever you need them, and you never ever go hungry. In fact, you hardly go un-stuffed.

There were endless activities, and we must have done almost all of them. We rode bikes (usually 2 miles to the beach), we walked (2 miles to the beach), we went horseback riding, kayaking, swimming, we played board games and card games, we did our summer reading on a wooden swing...It was paradise. You certainly never go bored, and you don't even realize that there aren't televisions in the rooms.

When we first got there, we went on a sort of indroductory tour that took us around parts of the island and showed us differnet wild life and nature elements of the island. We met this really nice family who had been there nearly a week, but were just going on the Northend Tour for the first time. It was a married couple with three kids: Lauren was 18 and completely hysterical, Phillip was 15 and although his family lives in Rome, Georgia, he is at school in New York at the New York Military Academy - by choice, and Richard (Who we fondly called Charlie) was 13 and apparently much quieter than he is at home. We hung out with them the whole time, and they proved to be very fascinating people. Their parents were actually both born in Switzerland, and all three of the kids have duel citizenship. They don't think it's such a cool thing, because they fear being drafted in the army and such, but I found it super cool. They lived in Zurich for 9 1/2 years, so they all speak fluent German, although they claim to be out of practice. :rolleyes: Whatever. They're certainly more in practice than I am.

When Phil left, Kristin and I found ourselves at a loss of activities, but it gave us plenty of time to do summer reading. Of course, we ended up talking most of that time, which was so amazing. This girl, Kristin, is just a phenominal person. She never ceases to amaze me with her daily life. And, it was so cool talking to her, because I honestly feel that God has brought us together at the perfect time...we are dealing with some of the exact same issues, and there's nothing more important than having someone to talk to who really understands. Spending four days together really bonded Kristin and me, and it was an awesome experience, and I have a feeling it wasn't the last.

As I embark on my sophomore year of highschool, I am entering it with great anticipation. After a busy traveling summer, I'm ready to be back on my own two feet and in a routine, and I'm even looking forward to the stress of finishing 5 hours of homework. :sigh: I saw one of my school friends today at the uniform store for the first time since the end of school, and it made my day. I am excited about not being the "fresh-man" anymore, and meeting new people, and sticking with old people. School brings such exciting adventures to my door step, and I will gladly greet them with an open heart. So, all I can say to my '04-'05 Sophomore year of high school is Bring It On! :D

God bless,
lv

psalm 149:3 . psalm 30:11

"Let them praise His name with dancing..." ~ "You turned my wailing into dancing..."

Most of us have a way of escape, where we can go or do something to forget about what's on our mind. Some of us escape through music, some of us escape through the beach...My escape is dance.

On Sunday, I was kind of distressed. I couldn't even tell you exactly what it was that was disturbing me, but it was a build up of situations that wasn't putting me in a very good mood. Monday morning, I had a choreography workshop at my school. It is amazing the way dance heals me. Whatever it was that was disturbing me was gone the instant I started warming up. While I'm dancing, I don't have to think about all the crap that's going on in the world, in my life, or in any body else's life. It's a moment that belongs completely to me and to God. No one else. And I was just so happy to be dancing again. The summer is the worst for me, because my dance schedule is very unregular, and I end up hardly dancing at all. Why I can't picture myself ever dancing professionally, I will always dance. To stop would be to take half of my life away. I am just so thankful for the gift of dancing. I cannot imagine my life without it.

On that same note, I'm very thankful that I am dancing this week. My friend Tim, who I am incredibly close to, was away in Kansas City, Missouri for 3 1/2 weeks. He was originally coming home on Sunday and leaving again to go to North Carolina and then Europe on Thursday. But, plans changed, and he left today. Which meant that I only got to spent a sliver of time with him on Monday. I found myself a bit upset, quite surprisingly. I even told him that while he was in KC, I didn't really miss him, per se, but I could already tell that I would be missing him while he was gone this time. I am just so happy that I will be dancing this week, and I will be able to get my mind away from missing him. And hopefully once school starts I will too busy to think about it. But, its just odd the way things happen in life and I the best way out for me is through dance...

My friend Amanda recommended I listen to a song, Broken, by Amy Lee (of Evanescence) and Seether. I did, and I immediately pictured a dance in my head...with Tim, nonetheless (he dances with me at my studio). So, in a lot of ways, dance reminds me of certain things, and takes me places I don't want to go, but it always will be a place where I can go and relax and enjoy the grace of God.

God Bless,
lv