tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75693869659215881262024-03-05T09:40:27.217-06:00goatgirlya bored yet fabulous bloggerAudrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-18009710432032106062016-10-23T01:03:00.003-05:002017-01-03T17:46:28.466-06:00New BlogA while ago I created a new blog entitled <a href="http://ll-bp.weebly.com/">Love Letters and Blog Posts</a>. I realize now that with the amount of people who know about the existence of goatgirly (and the number of links to it from other people's blogs), I should perhaps inform this blog about that blog.<br />
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Essentially, this blog is good and dead (perhaps to one day be resurrected, but for now just a memorial to my younger youth), and LLBP is lovely and active and will eventually feature some of my own lovely HTML formatting. So, if you want to hear my ramblings (which are inarguably better than those featured on goatgirly, in every way), go to my new blog.<br />
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That is all. Have a nice day.<br />
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EDIT: Love Letters and Blog Posts is no more. You can now find those posts under a new title: <a href="http://glitterbonfire.weebly.com/">The Glitter Bonfire</a>. Welcome.Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-84414392941920644462014-07-16T16:19:00.000-05:002014-07-16T17:14:43.738-05:00SUMMER!… and The Fourth of JulySo. Summer. June 14th was my first REAL day of summer, and I spent the next week packing, the next week at Girl's Camp (a summer camp put on by my church), and the days since on a ROAD TRIP!!<div><br><div>
So. Summer.</div><div><br></div><div>
I would highly suggest to all travelers and holiday fanatics to spend your Fourth of Julys in Idaho Falls, ID. My mother's hometown, my family and I spend at least a few days there most summers, so I've spent my fair share of Fourths in IF, and have every right to say that they have the best fireworks. Like, ever.</div><div><br>
Anyway, a summary: The day starts off at 9 AM, with a fantastic parade complete with candy, free stuff, and awesome floats. Several high schools and even some junior highs have their marching bands in attendance, there are several groups of cheerleaders and dance students, along with pageant winners, fire departments, and this year, even a float from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After the parade, many families flock to local parks for a picnic or barbecue. Then, that evening, is the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration. Also known as, the fireworks.</div><div><br>
Oh, gosh. The fireworks. A computer controls every blast to make sure they go off at the right time, and the display is amazing - easily 20x better than the fireworks in my hometown in South Central Pennsylvania. To help convince you, here are some photographs:</div><div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bMVKV8gLYVm7rASHNvb_x-cLMuiHyXuOb-3ZArPb3zOL7d5OMPWBApe5zrfugKT8Xmq-oqG5Roa9-vNYpeBm_4C1RwuBbVohCQpn5r_m7oDmf4dKdb2FRpHjbW5YhHzrHk-PZhWmq7-R/s640/blogger-image--2051823793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bMVKV8gLYVm7rASHNvb_x-cLMuiHyXuOb-3ZArPb3zOL7d5OMPWBApe5zrfugKT8Xmq-oqG5Roa9-vNYpeBm_4C1RwuBbVohCQpn5r_m7oDmf4dKdb2FRpHjbW5YhHzrHk-PZhWmq7-R/s640/blogger-image--2051823793.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrynQ5G3syrUt2RXR6PwG1Yldszaa8FapxiWSd5D8CzLlgQWqEWNQEgEMeSYxJ_nGWyM_5RjaKzz7NrYXenzyrUzefeqfJZFKCK5P4Crc7ECKgzIdbj1bK4_aDSm-fmmRD3pNWiG4iDc2/s640/blogger-image--1448731366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrynQ5G3syrUt2RXR6PwG1Yldszaa8FapxiWSd5D8CzLlgQWqEWNQEgEMeSYxJ_nGWyM_5RjaKzz7NrYXenzyrUzefeqfJZFKCK5P4Crc7ECKgzIdbj1bK4_aDSm-fmmRD3pNWiG4iDc2/s640/blogger-image--1448731366.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuhRhC_DmXeje21c1LZMxCIU2oCCxF2N7bHFNuFx_1YeRWpC21Dva-_2QJHpGN02kxOqqveEUlT8uoY7iyUZCseyVocShdUX-iSq8INhb3fgpUFCwn3S9V6uLH5zv2AcnR7yBWjaUA773/s640/blogger-image-1097977909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuhRhC_DmXeje21c1LZMxCIU2oCCxF2N7bHFNuFx_1YeRWpC21Dva-_2QJHpGN02kxOqqveEUlT8uoY7iyUZCseyVocShdUX-iSq8INhb3fgpUFCwn3S9V6uLH5zv2AcnR7yBWjaUA773/s640/blogger-image-1097977909.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix176iP-sVcXHBxuzn-8wNy7fw2aIujWVIkX16qHkwzRzuPltmJ-9uYBaGPrDiBeCa2QKz2l09Z5YLIL7CsuLri5AUt96r4BQjWydS4woSRgdr0bltS8VoKm1lvvGzhEGC_2MvFIxAFS0R/s640/blogger-image-1912546911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix176iP-sVcXHBxuzn-8wNy7fw2aIujWVIkX16qHkwzRzuPltmJ-9uYBaGPrDiBeCa2QKz2l09Z5YLIL7CsuLri5AUt96r4BQjWydS4woSRgdr0bltS8VoKm1lvvGzhEGC_2MvFIxAFS0R/s640/blogger-image-1912546911.jpg"></a></div><br>
This is only a sampling. I have more. And, of course, there's always more every July Fourth in Idaho Falls. I suggest you check it out. </div><div><br></div><div>I'll be home by Saturday of this week. It's been long, it's been fun, and currently I just want to stay here in Summit County, Colorado at post- family reunion celebrations. Sadly, I do have to get home at some point to, like, turn in (and do!) my AP US History summer work. Ugh. </div></div></div><div><br></div><div>Happy Summer, everyone!</div>Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-37342192453147852292013-12-12T18:33:00.001-06:002013-12-12T18:33:43.527-06:00Disney's Frozen I'm going to briefly assume that you're all well versed in your Disney movie culture, especially the somewhat recent ones. Or, more specifically, that you've seen Disney's brand-new movie Frozen.<br />
Okay, so I'll be honest here: I love Disney movies. I love animated films. The good ones. Some of my favorites: Tangled, The Lorax, Wreck-It Ralph… and now, Frozen. All four of these are pretty new, and I guess a large part of that is due to the fact that I am pretty newly at the stage in my life where I'm beginning to be able to really enjoy a movie and all its parts. Or maybe I'm just getting to the stage where I'm not ashamed of being a teenager who watches kid movies.<br />
Anyway, I am fully and completely enraptured in the world of Frozen. As I said before, I'm just gonna assume you've already seen the movie, because that makes my job way easier (read: spoilers).<br />
So, okay. Where to begin? Well, before I'd even seen the movie I bought and downloaded the Demi Lovato version of Let It Go, and my little brother and sister were constantly asking to watch the trailer. This was back before Halloween, which I know because EVERYBODY thought I was dressing up as Elsa for this fantastic holiday, even though I was just a simple ice princess (well, not simple exactly - I refuse to be simple) and had the idea waaaay before I found out about Elsa's existence. It was a really great costume though and suited me fantastically.<br />
Okay, back to the topic at hand - Frozen. I saw this movie at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, November 27, 2013, my local theater's first showing. I saw it with my dad, sister, aunt, and uncle. The four girls in the row behind me kept fangirling the entire time, shouting for a kiss and giggling and generally doing whatever it is we fangirls do. I, of course, was very proud of them. My family… well, they were a little annoyed. But.<br />
The movie itself was kind of fantastic, regardless. The plot was intricate, the characters were detailed, the songs magnificent. Yes, there were flaws. Yes, some of the characters could've been more believable. Yes, yes, yes. Yes, everybody makes mistakes, and nobody's perfect. So let's leave that all behind! No hate on the important snowman, no hate on the white ice queen, no hate on the white Norwegians, no hate on the powerful girls, no hate on the guy who decided to help, no hate on the pretty stinkin' awesome rock trolls, no hate on the really good songs. Okay? Okay. So now that we've covered our bases…<br />
The biggest thing about this movie for me was Elsa and Anna. Not just them individually, but them <i>together</i>. How they act around each other, and their relationship, and… ahh. When they were little, they played and had fun and were best friends, but then something happened - some big, powerful, sorta out of their hands thing - and they didn't really talk anymore. The younger of the two still wanted to play, and didn't get it, and the older one didn't really get it either, but she <i>knew</i>, and she didn't seek out the companionship of her sister anymore. Like, at all. The older one drew back from the world, shut herself inside of herself, and when she eventually tries to talk to her sister, being friendly for the first time in, well, <i>forever</i>,<i> </i>it didn't really work out. One push, and she fell. She broke. And then when she had the chance to flee, she <i>fled</i>. She built herself a palace of self-worth/thought/consciousness (whatever you want to call it), and didn't look back. But her sister, <i>who still didn't get it</i> (mainly because they aren't the same person, and even if you know factually what someone else is going through, you can't possibly <i>know</i> what they're going through. And that's okay! At least Anna tried.) came for her, and tried to get her to come back, and it was so so so so so so so <i>so</i> hard for her. She fled from her problems, and when they came back… she couldn't pretend anymore. But in the end, she just really had to care for her sister, because even though she never talked to her sister, she still loved her. She just didn't know <i>how </i>to love her until that moment. (You can see this continual love in Olaf, <i>which is why he's totally important to the story</i>, because he's the snowman they made at the very beginning, that was destroyed, and how at the same time that was destroyed Elsa thought her relationship with Anna was destroyed, and when Elsa subconsciously creates him again - that same snowman - it shows that she really is always thinking of how sorry she is that she destroyed everything they could've known.)<br />
So although on the outside Frozen is a movie with a nice plot about some sisters and a curse and a power-seeking prince, it has another layer - the massive inner conflict going on inside Elsa, that you can only see if you really pay attention.<br />
I paid attention. I really, really did. And I'm not saying that's the <i>only</i> under layer - Anna has her own inner conflicts too - but It's the layer that I liked the most, that meant the most to me. Why? Because I relate to that. Like, a <i>lot</i>.<br />
You see, I saw myself in Elsa. And not just in the way that I saw myself in Rapunzel, but in the way that I <i>am </i>Elsa. My sister and I, on the outside, look a freakishly lot like Anna and Elsa. But not only do we look just like them, we <i>act</i> just like them. And our relationship… just like theirs. The first thing my aunt said when we got in the car after the movie was how much my sister and I are like them. There's the grasping at straws stuff - when our hair is in braids, she has two and I have one, her hair is brown and different from how it used to be because of me (long story, which also includes the "some big, powerful, sorta out of their hands thing" that happened) and mine is an incredibly light blonde (though not quite as light as Elsa's; I happen to not have ice powers), she's an outgoing optimist and I'm an introverted realist. But that's not all - that entire story - that <i>entire story</i> - up there, that entire thing that I wrote about Elsa and Anna, that's <i>us</i>. With the obvious differences aside, it's like somebody took my sister and I and Disney-fied us. That's what that movie felt like to me. It was so brilliant.<br />
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Obviously, I have a crap load of other opinions and insights into and on this movie, but that'll just have to wait for later. It has taken me entirely too long to post this.<br />
<br />Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-47541570305454803352013-12-02T12:10:00.002-06:002013-12-02T12:10:48.930-06:00thoughts on mourning, and how the internet has it wrong.A couple weeks ago it was revealed to the public via a new episode that Brian, the dog from Family Guy, had died.<br />
A couple days ago it was revealed to the public that Paul Walker, an actor in the Fast and Furious films, had died.<br />
I have never watched either of those multimedia masterpieces, and I'm not really too depressed about either death -- they really don't affect my life in any way -- and I found it funny that people were mad that a talking dog was dead (oh what a shame) and that an actor from a movie about race cars died in a car crash (it's hilarious, honest), and so I'm not really one to talk. In a way, though, I guess that makes me totally unbiased in the department, right? Right. Obviously.<br />
Anyway, I happen to be very involved in the world of social media, and so I found out about both these deaths almost as soon as they happened, both through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a> and the wild and wonderful <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/dashboard">tumblr.</a> It was interesting to me, of course, that people would mourn the death of two such similar yet incredibly different personages, in such a similar way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgX_Nyhv4eQi4_JdHw7Jd3oGiIxzCfjeMfeF_MGED5K5-5zVBO4QYcRepyckO3B_dlm2ZzbWHSA0pLlzTAdt4JFgPjm-ibv5tMRFiN6NTnbKMhliyYuNXWQzz0ujvEAXsXrglLm34c4w9/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgX_Nyhv4eQi4_JdHw7Jd3oGiIxzCfjeMfeF_MGED5K5-5zVBO4QYcRepyckO3B_dlm2ZzbWHSA0pLlzTAdt4JFgPjm-ibv5tMRFiN6NTnbKMhliyYuNXWQzz0ujvEAXsXrglLm34c4w9/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
One of my "friends" uploaded this to Facebook the other day (yes, I have my language set to English (Pirate) and I know I suck at editing), and I very much find it to be true. He was mostly saying that a dog from Family Guy really has no importance in the real world so stop freaking out. I am guilty of freaking out over the death of a fictional character on Facebook, but it's really kind of different. You see, I didn't mourn the death of either of these, and unless a real-life person was an actor from Harry Potter, I'm not mourning on the internet. Sorry.<br />
I think I may have successfully proved my cold-heartedness (oops), but this really is true. There have been other people that have died, and we don't mourn them. My grandpa died this summer but did the internet care? No. And anyone who really has lost someone knows that the entire internet freaking out over the fact that they're dead really doesn't help anything. It's kind of a sweet thought, but you really don't care. If they could bring the person back, then that's cool. I could bring in so many other references to books and stuff now, but I think you get the gist. It kind of doesn't matter.<br />
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That's all for today. Please just be considerate, and really think about what you should be mourning. Yes, it's sad when people die in shootings. Yes, it's sad when planes crash into skyscrapers and kill millions of people and it's dubbed a terrorist attack, but there are other things out there that are just as sad, or even more. There are other people dying themselves over the fact that somebody died of disease or peacefully in their sleep, and there are cyclists being hit by cars. Does the internet freak out over them? Not usually. So, please. Give them some thought this holiday season. That'd be cool.Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-38349469850796210732013-10-12T15:21:00.001-05:002013-10-12T21:37:53.963-05:00The House of Hades Review... WITH SPOILERSSo, I finished <i>The House of Hades </i>last night, the fourth installment of Rick Riordan's <i>Heroes of Olympus </i>series. I have to say, it was my favorite book by him, and probably his best book (okay, <i>definitely</i> his best book). This is high praise, seeing as he's not quite done with writing yet. <div>The main reason this book was so good was because there was <i>so much </i>character development! Percy and Annabeth developed together, Frank became worthy of himself, we finally figured Jason out, Hazel and Piper finally figured <i>themselves</i> out, and Leo and Nico... Well, I'm getting to that next. </div><div>This is where the spoilers kick in, so don't read on if you haven't read the book, <i>please. </i></div><div>The halfway point of the book may just be one of the best scenes in YA literature. It's Nico's scene, and it lets us discover him, and Jason as well. This is the Cupid scene, the scene in which everything about Nico finally clicks into place: he has (or had, if you believe Nico, which I most certainly do not) a crush on Percy. Every single thing Nico has ever done or said - especially around Percy - finally makes sense. It all takes on a new meaning, and you understand him so much more. I loved this scene too because it shows us something we needed to see: even in books written for middle schoolers, gay people are okay. Rick took a character we all knew and sort of loved, and gave him new depth, in the form of a controversial topic in the world today, and I'm so proud of him for it. He may lose some fans. He was totally reading our fan fiction. But it was the best thing I have ever read. </div><div>The second scene that just made the book for me was Leo's time with Calypso. I'll admit that I used to kind of ship them, but then I decided they'd never meet and that they probably wouldn't like each other anyway. But ohhh man… I was soooo wrong. Leo and Calypso is my new OTP, and it is the most beautiful thing of all - they hated each other at first, and it seemed like a major setback, then a tragic love story. I think we all know what the <i>oath to keep with a final breath </i>is now: <i>"I'm coming back for you, Calypso," he said to the night wind. "I swear it on the River Styx." </i></div><div>I don't care what the rest of you think, but Leo NEEDS to get back to Ogygia. </div>Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-9559411325041156292013-06-01T17:36:00.000-05:002013-06-01T17:36:12.159-05:00books = drugs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkBon7eG471aoc3n15v_jYhObziVS1UiXBqqudicd3wxg532Klf6a6TXk6lwGtDVI6QZzfML_102_B0dKQnnegoU1nhVh3_GMeSeBSe35QgteenuqFrDarB-260CA_VUhjBHy3T9X1zwC/s1600/books+are+drugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkBon7eG471aoc3n15v_jYhObziVS1UiXBqqudicd3wxg532Klf6a6TXk6lwGtDVI6QZzfML_102_B0dKQnnegoU1nhVh3_GMeSeBSe35QgteenuqFrDarB-260CA_VUhjBHy3T9X1zwC/s320/books+are+drugs.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo puts it simply. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am of the strongest opinion that there is nothing better than a good book. <div>
I am of the strongest opinion that everyone likes to read.</div>
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I am of the strongest opinion that the photo pictured is the most accurate representation of everything.</div>
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I am of the strongest opinion that I came up with that idea first.</div>
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Books are a magical, beautiful thing, but they are addictive.</div>
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Very.</div>
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And they have the most awful <a href="http://youtu.be/EHHgWtGHiFw" rel="nofollow">side effects</a>, too. </div>
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I am also fairly certain that withdrawal is deadly.</div>
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So... watch out.</div>
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<i>Health class is wrong. They think they know the most dangerous drug. They think they know what drugs you can die from. But they're wrong.</i></div>
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<i>They forgot about books.</i></div>
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Now don't get me wrong; there are a million-and-one positives to reading, too. Books are a gateway to a new world, a way to help you get better grades and new friends. They can help you, help you, help you and they only take you higher. But once you get to the stage where you don't just read books, you <i>devour</i> them, you don't just love a book, you <i>fangirl</i> over it, you don't just talk about a book, you <i>smother <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/dashboard" rel="nofollow">Tumblr</a></i> with it. </div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" rel="nofollow">“So many books, so little time.” ― Frank Zappa</a></blockquote>
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Books. </div>
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They are addictive.</div>
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They are empowering.</div>
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They are everything.</div>
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Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-70790660944029319622013-02-17T17:40:00.001-06:002013-02-17T17:53:56.890-06:00Legend by Marie LuI find myself in this position all too often: I find a book that has received great reviews, and when I am finally able to read it, I sit down and engulf it all in a minimal amount of sittings. When I'm done, I have to try very hard to pull myself out of that cocoon I have been enveloped in for the last hour or so. It tends to be a difficult thing to do, and sometimes I feel as if I'll wander around aimlessly for days. Luckily, I usually have another book waiting for it's chance on the floor beside my bed, and the tiresome cycle starts itself again.<br />
As you may have guessed by now, I recently (as in 10 minutes ago) pulled myself out of bed with two new names on my mind: Day and June. Day, the ruthless criminal who "failed" his Trial. June, the faithful agent of the Republic, the one person to have ever gotten a perfect score on her test. I can guarantee you now that their story will be ricocheting around in my head for the rest of the day, maybe longer. This book is going to stick in my mind for days to come, and may I just say, I ship Jay. Or Dune. Or however the fandom has decided to spell it.<br />
Anyway, I love the book, and the characters, and the plot. It was intensely fascinating to me, constantly finding me on the edge of my seat. (Not literally of course. I was on a bed.) I love it when you discover secrets about a somewhat okay government that make it all seem so backwards. I guess the rest of the world does too, because distopian novels have seemingly overthrown undead romances in the fictional scheme lately. (Although the recent release-- and popularity-- of the film <i>Warm Bodies </i>leads me to believe otherwise.) In book series like <i>Divergent </i>and <i>Matched</i>, the government seems fine-- at first. Not to give away any major spoilers, but in <i>Reached</i> when you find out about the plague... delicious. I guess that's how it is in <i>Legend</i>, too, with the secrets about the plague spilling out through certain genius characters' "mad searching skills" and supreme amounts of logic (two things I myself have, by the way). The whole thing drips of girl genius and daring escapades, two things I <span style="color: #4c1130;"><i>LOVE</i>. </span>If a book has those, it's a good one. It might not be a favorite one, and they aren't the only qualities I would enjoy, but it's a good one.<br />
Overall, <i>Legend</i> is definitely a new personal favorite, and I will be reserving <i>Prodigy </i>ASAP, mark my words.<br />
<br />Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-28016617339151270432013-01-28T17:40:00.000-06:002013-01-28T17:55:03.435-06:00The Rule of the OddsWho here reads? I know I do. I write, too: check out my other blog <a href="http://goatgirlyinks.blogspot.com/">here</a>. When someone reads, they typically plot in their heads what they want to happen and who their favorites are and what they ship, and so they get these dramatic FEELS. But thats not really what I'm talking about right now. But in reading, <u>favorites</u> are always evident... so let's talk about favorite books.<br />
But more specifically, I want to talk about favorites within a series. For instance, my favorite Harry Potter book was Order of the Phoenix... and my favorite Percy Jackson book? Oh my! It's The Last Olympian! Why is this so amazing? <i>They are both the fifth book in their series.</i> And in all honesty, I don't think that is a coincidence.<br />
So now we get to the title of this post: The Rule of the Odds. The Rule of the Odds states that the best books in a series are always the odd-numbered ones. Don't agree? Well, listen to this logic before you go out and whine about me.<br />
Okay. The first book is always phenomenal, right? Right. Maybe it's actually a pretty suckish book compared to the rest, but it has to be good enough to get you to read the next one. Then comes the second book, which might be a little better written, but was mostly just written for the sake of having a sequel, and it's never quite as great. So, if at all possible for the author, a third book is written. Now, this third book is a little more well rounded than the others. By now, the author really does want to write these, and he or she has gotten to know the characters a lot better, and everything is just a little more <u>right</u>, and sometimes the author feels a little more free to do something stupid and crazy and it gives the book more depth. But sometimes that stupid and crazy thing <b>really, really SUCKS.</b> A case can be made with Mark of Athena, the third installment in Rick Riordan's latest project, the Heroes of Olympus series. Now, I don't wanna give out any spoilers, but... it has a TERRIBLE cliffhanger. Or, <u>Rickhanger</u> as some fans have renamed it. That was one stupid and crazy thing that didn't turn out <u>right</u>, and so Rick (I mean <i>the author) </i>has to write a fourth book (right, Uncle Rick?) So, a fourth book is written. Now, this book feeds the same purpose as book two, except by now the characters are a lot more developed... and a lot more things have gone wrong, i.e. the stupid Rickhanger in MoA that tore apart the hearts of millions of fans all over the world. Thus, the fourth book is either phenomenally better than the second, or tremendously worse. But then we get to the fifth book, and by now the author has already written four extremely successful books (or successful enough to want to write and publish another), so he or she has learned what works and what doesn't, and unless they want to be extremely amazing like J.K. Rowling or Lemony Snicket (or are writing a trilogy in which case they are done, bye, later skater dude, or tried to write a trilogy and just couldn't stop so they wrote a fourth too in the case of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series), this is their last book with this set of characters and back stories and this world (unless they take the Warriors route and write a bunch of sequel series, which is a concept no one except maybe Rick Riordan has seemed to be able to grasp). So, of course they want to make this great and end with a big bang. Whatever the case, the fifth is gonna be amazing. It's inevitable.<br />
I'm going to stop now with my in-depth explanations, but you get the idea. This pattern repeats itself through out the whole series. Of course, series with a plethora of stories, such as the Nancy Drew mysteries or Magic Treehouse (maybe even A Series of Unfortunate Events if you want a more grown-up example) don't exactly follow this pattern, but the idea could still be there, especially if only one author is working on it (case in point: The 39 Clues).<br />
Now I've explained this to you to the best of my ability. And maybe you still don't agree, maybe the second Harry Potter book was your favorite, and maybe you absolutely despised the fifth Leven Thumps book. Not my problem. But you have to agree that the logic is all there, and that even though The Rule of the Odds maybe isn't a die-fast rule, the concept of it is almost always there. Just some food for thought.<br />
I still have other book patterns and unspoken rules I've noticed through the years (such as book color), and I bet you do too. So here's my question:<b> </b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">What do you think?</span><br />
<br />Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-80831152976493353702012-12-08T14:33:00.002-06:002013-01-28T17:55:10.428-06:00December Has BegunWell, December's finally here (and has been for a week) and I'm still not ready for Christmas! Even though I'm freezing my fingers off, it doesn't seem like winter, and so I don't feel like we should put our decorations up! Okay, maybe putting them up will put me in a little more of a Christmasy mood, but until then I'll be stuck with trying to listen to Christmas songs that make me feel all tired and drowsy. Now, don't get me wrong-- I love Christmas music, but some of the CD's we have are just... bleh.<br />
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I learned the other day that our High School's musical this year will be Footloose, which is awesome! I've been thinking A LOT about try outs now, which is hard because I'm not entirely sure what I have to do to get ready, so I'm kind of lost. I have, however, listened to about a hundred show tunes, and have decided that my favorite to sing is Matchmaker from Fiddler on the roof. What are yours?<br />
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I'll leave you all with a nice little present... my latest YouTube video, a lyrics vid of Strangely Beautiful by Shealeigh!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-2499815586909591222012-10-18T18:45:00.001-05:002012-10-19T14:32:44.399-05:00Thursday EveningsMy silly daddy says I need to do something "productive" because I've spent all afternoon on the computer and watching TV. So i figured, a good old blogpost could do... Oh, and by the way... how do you delete a blog? (not this one, mind you!!!)<br />
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News news news... I'm super digging the <i>Matched</i> Trilogy right now! After reading the first book, I was like "Oh, crud. This is gonna be just like <i>The Hunger Games</i>. Are you kidding me???" But then I went and read <i>Crossed</i>, and I was like "YES!!! It's NOT just like <i>The Hunger Games</i>!!" Not to hate on <i>The Hunger Games</i>, of course, but I didn't like them as much as the rest of the world seemed to, you know? So I wasn't excited for another love triangle where the new guy totally took over and he wasn't my favorite... But even though Cassia seems so dedicated... Well, I shouldn't be going and giving away spoilers, now should I? Read them, guys!!! Can't wait for <i>Reached</i>!! Anyway.<br />
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Anybody read <i>Mark of Athena</i>?? Good stuff... Luke Lyman still has my book, even though he's been done for over a week (silly silly 12-year-old!), but, hey, I can live without it :) . So, how'd you guys like it? I think I read it too fast to fully catch the impact of that cliffhanger. I didn't really understand quite what had happened until the third re-read of that last bit (not the whole book, Luke wanted it too much!), and then after I closed it and everything, I realized "Hey. Wait a sec. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!" and then the shock set in. But you have to read it to find out!<br />
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Okay, guys. Favorite songs? Music thoughts in general? Here's some fun... Both Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen both have new CDs coming out soon!! Yay!! RED by Taylor Swift, featuring the songs "Red," "Begin Again," "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," and "I Knew You Were Trouble." Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen, featuring "Good Time," "This Kiss," and my all-time fave (except not really)... "Call Me Maybe!" Good stuff guys... Right now I'm really liking the song "Mean Girls" by Rachel Crow. It's pretty good! I heard it for the first time today... I also heard "Crazy 4 U" by R5... That's good too. I like "I'd Lie" by Taylor Swift and "Sail" by Awolnation, and "Take A Walk" by Passion Pit... And then there's my (REAL) all-time fave... "Strangely Beautiful" by Shealeigh!
I hope you all had a great Thursday evening... and a good day today, too!
Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-85796884971070706322012-06-04T20:07:00.001-05:002012-06-04T20:07:46.696-05:00Bucket ListsWell, I'm pretty sure you all know what a bucket list is, but in case you've forgotten, a bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die. <br />
I was bored the other day and looking up stuff online (mainly bucket lists) and thought- hey! I should make a bucket list! <br />
So here we are, making bucket lists together! It's never too late to start thinking about bucket lists. When you are young, you've got tons of time to develop and check off your BL, but the older you get the less time you have. I think a great thing to do at times like those is to make a list of things you wanted to do when you were a kid and see what you've done! Or, look at other people's BLs and check stuff off. Either way, it's a fun way to feel accomplished!<br />
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So let's take some time now to work on our own personal bucket lists and share! Write in the comments section your bucket list and what you've done!<br />
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One great way to get ideas is to look up myperfectbucketlist on Tumblr. Some of the ideas are pretty funky, like be a runway model, but some of them are really good, like move to Tennessee (<3) and own a Boston Terrier. This would also be a great way to check off what you've done from another bucket list.<br />
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Well, so here's my bucket list:<br />
• go to all 50 states<br />
• go to Singapore <br />
• go to 10 countries other than the US<br />
• go to all the zoos in every state that I've lived in that were there at the time that I moved there<br />
• speak French<br />
• speak enough Catalan to get by<br />
• learn some funny random-ish Gallican words (like Conquistar!)<br />
• take my dad to the Tour de France<br />
• meet a Disney star (preferably a Phineas and Ferb one)<br />
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So that's my bucket list. What's yours?<br />
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Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-4361597602477354832012-06-04T16:56:00.003-05:002012-06-04T16:56:55.566-05:00HerStory: Anne FrankHey, guess what? I have a radio show! Well, not officially, but, using software on the new iMac my mom got for her birthday, I created a radio show/ podcast, and I'm hoping it will become a regular thing. It's called HerStory. Enjoy!
*watch it on my YouTube Channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWu3VTAis_4">here</a>!*
It's in a video format so I can share it more easily, but it doesn't have any pictures or anything to watch along with it. Just so you know.Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-12151956463303886362012-06-04T16:41:00.001-05:002012-06-04T16:41:20.013-05:00The Changing Face of BloggingWell, you may have noticed the updated blog; new stuff, new topics, new descriptions, new backgrounds, and just maybe possibly waaay more posts. you know, possibly.Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-61038064524297254812011-12-19T14:47:00.000-06:002011-12-19T14:55:32.365-06:00The Wonders of the WiiMany of you probably have some kind of video game console or other obscure object of strange technology. The things these things can do continue to amaze me (but not that much). One wonderful thing I discovered the other day is the ability to surf the web on the Wii. C'est magnufique (please excuse spelling). I'm using it now as we speak.Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-33632839160637715162011-05-09T18:24:00.002-05:002011-05-09T18:35:01.850-05:0013 at lastAs most of you know, Saturday was a very historic day for me. It is probably on the top 5 list of most historic days in my life (world and US historic not included). It was my birthday! I am now officially a teenager! (Oh, yeah!)<br /><br />My theme was movie, and my invitations were shaped like tickets, and my cake was cupcakes that looked like bags of popcorn. We watched <span style="font-style: italic;">The Voyage of The Dawn Treader</span>, the newest Narnia movie. It was so fun!<br /><br />But anyways, I'm now thirteen. Official Teenagerdom, here I come!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-11928453566543921932009-12-06T09:19:00.002-06:002009-12-06T09:22:42.703-06:00introducing... goatgirly inks!Once apon a time...<br />I made a new blog!<br />Filled with stories,poems, and writings galore!<br />Check out <a href="http://goatgirlyinks.blogspot.com/">goatgirly inks here</a>!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-13030680572856504662009-07-29T18:09:00.002-05:002009-07-29T18:19:42.513-05:00/i//u//b/ moving! /b//u//i/Who here has moved? Is moving? How many houses have you lived in, including your current house? Do you like your house? What is your dream house? Tell me anything you want about houses, moving, and how it relates to you.<br /><br />By the way, I just moved.Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-83878465379456808842009-02-18T15:20:00.000-06:002009-02-18T15:26:32.137-06:00My Favorites<div style="text-align: center;"> Here are a few of my favorite things:<br /><br /> <!-- <p>What do you think is hot? And what's not? Make your Selects and let the world see the real you.</p> --> <ul class="clearfix"><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/a_pinks.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/b_cat.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/e_chocolate.jpg####Cookies$$$$e_cookie.jpg####Ice%20Cream$$$$e_ice_cream.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/f_snickerdoodles.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/g_bubblegum.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/c_running.jpg####Skiing$$$$c_skiing.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/d_favorite_book.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><li class="selectImg"><img src="http://kids.scholastic.com/community/images/myselects/h_foreign_language.jpg" alt="" width="40" border="0" height="40" /></li><!-- <li class="selectImg last"><img src="images/myselects/" alt="" height="40" width="40" border="0" /></li> --></ul> <table><tbody><tr class="row"> <th scope="row">Favorite Color:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Pinks</td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">The Best Sports:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Running, Skiing</td> </tr> <tr class="row"> <th scope="row">Done That:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Been on a hayride, Built a fort, Gotten straight A's on a report card, Made s'mores over a campfire, Moved from where I lived, Pretended I had superpowers, Read a chapter book in less than one day, Sang karaoke, Swam in the ocean </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">My Future Job:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Actor</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">My Hobbies Include:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Reading, Acting, Playing imaginary games, Surfing the net, Riding my bike, Riding my scooter </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">I never leave home without:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Calculator, Favorite book </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Favorite Class:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Foreign Languages</td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">Class I'm Not So Crazy About:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Gym</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">I Like To Read:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Adventure books, Fantasy books </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">TV I tune into:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Game Shows </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Movies I like to watch:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Action, National Treasure </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">Music I like to listen to:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Pop, Country </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">I Can:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Do long-division, Draw a picture of a dog, Fold a paper fortune-teller, Rub my belly and pat my head at the same time, Snap my fingers, Speak more than one language, Speak pig latin, Stand on one foot for a really long time, Whistle, Wink, Write in cursive, Write with both my left and right hands </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">My Favorite Animal:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Cats</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">My Time Capsule:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">My favorite book</td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">My Favorite Snack:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Chocolates, Cookies, Ice Cream</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">My Favorite Cookie:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Snickerdoodle</td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">My Favorite Ice Cream:</th> <td colspan="3" class="freetext">Bubble Gum</td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <th scope="row">If I were stranded on a desert island, I'd want to have:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> A backpack, A blanket, My favorite book, A leatherman pocketknife </td> </tr> <tr class="row"> <th scope="row">I'd like to go on vacation and:</th> <td class="freetext" colspan="3"> Hike in the mountains </td></tr></tbody></table></div>Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-47654506360285092532008-12-24T12:47:00.001-06:002008-12-24T12:50:25.334-06:00Merry ChristmasIt's Christmas Eve! I'm so excited to find out what presents I'm getting this year!Merry Christmas!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-13476832406655812762008-07-20T16:19:00.000-05:002008-07-20T16:33:53.789-05:00A Tribute to our Readers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.everypicture.com/shop/books/89249b8cd9465f49268aae8f68190a09/many-reasons-why-we-pray.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 241px;" src="http://www.everypicture.com/shop/books/89249b8cd9465f49268aae8f68190a09/many-reasons-why-we-pray.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I would like to thank everyone who commented to my last two blogposts, <span style="font-style: italic;">Aloha! </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Hee-Hee!</span><br /><br /><br />I would also like to thank those that are reading this, my mom, and my dad.<br /><br /><br />I want everyone to know that perserverance and determination can get you anywhere. Thank You.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Accidents and inspiration lead you to your destination"</span> -The pottery studio<br /></div></div>Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-20048622435510824832008-05-03T15:13:00.000-05:002008-05-03T15:19:06.278-05:00!Birthday!Hello!<br /> As most of you know, Wednesday is my birthday! i am very excited, for then I'll be ten and I very much want to be ten! Bye-bye!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-1507941589427342852008-04-20T18:44:00.000-05:002008-04-20T18:49:09.120-05:00EnglandHave you been to England? Do you want to go there? What is it like? When did you go? Why did you? If you could go, when would you?<br /> I would like to know these things because I am wondering if I should go there some day.Bye!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-67288688126841723902008-03-23T15:18:00.000-05:002008-03-23T15:25:59.017-05:00Lambs!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBY4qJHvCzQ7WHmI1ilz6vmwA_9BgVacjGCN1rgqAXIsXLbr8Nnx5BFam_vL2-jjlenNpLxCppmAaU1X2yWv4qgyh4iUXFjbPfP4Bs6wBDhqCXF4aZcU0AHuOdq4pf1IbG9SvwN-nYweT/s1600-h/IMG_0226.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBY4qJHvCzQ7WHmI1ilz6vmwA_9BgVacjGCN1rgqAXIsXLbr8Nnx5BFam_vL2-jjlenNpLxCppmAaU1X2yWv4qgyh4iUXFjbPfP4Bs6wBDhqCXF4aZcU0AHuOdq4pf1IbG9SvwN-nYweT/s400/IMG_0226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181034334593246482" border="0" /></a> Hi. On the 5th (i think) we went to Ella's grandma's farm. There was baby lambs! I got to name one. There was 5 lambs.When we got there, only 2 of them were named. Their names were daisy and Leoni. That's all. Bye!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-85548226690938160402008-03-15T09:03:00.000-05:002008-03-15T09:11:02.860-05:00Aloha!Aloha! That's exactly what the topic is-Aloha! I'm just here to ask if you have been to Hawaii, if you would like to go there, when, and why. Next time, I'll have another place. Aloha!<span style="font-family: webdings;"></span>Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569386965921588126.post-90193242394101952202007-12-24T12:17:00.000-06:002007-12-24T12:31:41.053-06:00Christmas!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mobilewaiter.net/images/Christmas_Tree_Delivery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.mobilewaiter.net/images/Christmas_Tree_Delivery.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Up on the housetop reindeer pause. Out jumps good old Santa Clause.<br /><br /><br /></span>Yay! Christmas is coming round the Mountain! But our house isn't filled with that holiday bustle of cookies and cheer, it's filled with kids trapped upstairs while mom works on presents! Can't she do it in her Room? Who cares. I getta play computer! More tonight! Good bye!Audrey Annette http://www.blogger.com/profile/13139525256871527913noreply@blogger.com2