Things I love, and other stuff.

I love it when the grass is dewy and the air is soft.

I love summer so freaking much.

I love it when I make muffins and the come out soft and yummy.

They even had chocolate chips in them

I love it when I get up in the morning, and the sun is shining, and the air is cool.

I want adorable lil' animal friends that help me with setting out flowers, and other household chores.

I love it when I spend the afternoon writing and I actually get stuff done. Not just editing but REAL WRITING! *ecstatic*

rewarding myself on a job well done.

I love it when my adopted brother brings over ice cream because he knows we've all had a long week, and we watch Leverage and forget about our problems.

Elliot

I love it when I go swimming and all my troubles float away with the waves. All that matters is the water, and the wind. I feel so light when I go swimming. Its great.

"Darling it's better down where it's wetter, take it from meeeeee!"

I love it when I go to the library and bring home a books that are good.

#Ingo

I love having tea at night.

This gif might be from Beyond the Boundary, (EW) but it's still very accurate.

I love it when I listen to beautiful music which makes the world better.

You are loved more than you know....though your heart is far too young
to realize the unimaginable light you hold inside.

I love it when I find a new musical and it hits an emotional achy place in my heart.

I'm not actually obsessed with this musical, it was just nice to finally
find a musical that was clean and touching, and actually, you know, good.

Speaking of new musicals, I recently watched Dear Evan Hansen, and I now have Waving through a Window feels.

I try to speak but nobody can hear....

Update: I need to not listen to Waving Through a Window within the same hour I listen to I can't Recall. THINGS happen.

Carton gives me sads.

Update number two: I'm such a A Tale of Two Cities fangirl I made a blog just for that story/musical. Yep. I'm a nerd.

Update number three: It's really annoying when you have something like 200 songs to choose from on your music player, but somehow none of them are the one you want to listen to right now.

no... no... skip. skip.skipskipskipskipskipskipskipskipskip... 

I Can't Recall!!!..... MmmmmYes. No argument here.

Update number four: I ACCIDENTALLY PUT A TALE OF TWO CITIES ON SHUFFLE AND IT PLAYED I CAN'T RECALL, IF DREAMS CAME TRUE AND LET HER BE A CHILD RIGHT IN A ROW. AND THAT WAS FAIRLY TRAUMATIZING.

Basically Carton's whole story in three songs.

I would say that gives "Hamilton's" Helpless-Burn-It's Quiet Uptown-Shuffle a run for it's money

Update number five: I should do a Shuffle Tag for all my musical. Just put each one on shuffle and post the first three songs that play on each. Interesting idea. Hmmmmmmmm.

Update number six: I started a timeline for my Let's be Brave musical. I will probably start posting about it soon. (?????) The outline is three pages long and I'm afraid. Lol.

Update number seven: Guys. Spiderman, Homecoming was fabulously great and I will own that greatness. Tom Holland was great. Peter was great. Michelle was great. Tony was great. Tony and Peter bonding and that adorable father/son relationship!! Yas. Ned in general. The villain. The *GAAAAAAAASP* scene! The "NO BEBE PETER!" scene. And of course, THAT SCENE. 


Kudos if you can guess what THAT SCENE is.


*squints at the top of my page* This post started out so deep. I got excited about Carton and forgot my list. *siiiiiigh* What a mess. Thanks for sticking with me guys! I better sign off before this mess becomes a message!

Yeah, that was lame.

A Dear Evan Hansen Review/Talk is on it's way.  Back soon. Love you all!

*Swings around cape and leaps off stage*'

Bella

PS: Should I start doing vlogs? I think I might.

Spazz Update

I promised y'all an update, so I am here to up the date.

It has been a crazy 2017 so far. And I have felt like Stitch for most of it. I've barely had time to take a breather. So much has been going on, it's insane. One minute I'm up past midnight visit with my cousin, and the next minute I'm at a CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT having the time of my freaking life.

We went to the Reenactment at the end of June and it was so much fun though. I have to thank my dear friend Jim for dragging me along. I joined her, my sister Kat, and our friend Eric for some of the best days of the summer. Yes, it was 107 one of the days, and  yes I was hot and tired and afraid of bug bites, but the experience was still a blast. I enjoyed it immensely. We were able to go into the Union and Confederate camps and talk with the different soldiers. While in reality I am very glad the Union one, since that's why we have The United States, during the Reenactment I found myself voting for the Confederates more often than not. (Actually, I understand both sides of that bitter war. Most people think it was just about slavery, but it was about so much more. State rights, and citizens rights, and government rights, and the fight for America's ideals. Most Confederates were fighting for the very beliefs the Founding Fathers set down in writing during the Revolutionary War.) ANYWAY. We made friends on the Confederate side while exploring the camps, and during one of the battles I caught glimpse of this spirited soldier in a green shirt that was full of attitude. I really wanted him to survive that battle. He was so in the game, full of insults for the enemy, and plenty of lip. (Like saying "SHOOT THE ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE YOUR SISTER!!! I'm pretty sure that was him.) He was shot down during the third battle and I was like, "No, little green man! Don't die!" I actually shouted really loud too. "You in the green shirt! DON'T GIVE UP!" He died at the fence though. I was into it to, I guess, cause I was like, "YOU'RE MEMORY WILL LIVE ON! YOU WON'T BE FORGOTTEN!" I was a little extreme. But hey, it was so much freaking fun.

Unfortunately I was having so much fun I didn't have much time for pictures, but here are a few.

Old-Time Singers!

 I was like, "Those microphones are not quite historically accurate." lol

Such Canons. Wow Explosions.

When the Canons went off my whole body shook. It was exhilarating.

Guys, the Confederate Flag was cool.

Aaaaand the Union flag. AMERICA!

RUN UNION GUYS! RUN!

When the Confederates charged the Union,  it was actually kind of scary.

If it hadn't been 106 outside I might have actually dressed up. 8-P

LINE UP!!!!

I was such a nerd on this trip, lol. I even bought a fife and a tiny canon from where of their historical shops. They had all sorts of cool odds and ends in there, like wax and a candle for envelopes, old fans, bonnets, and handbooks on guns at that time. It was interesting to just poke around and look at all their stuff. I had to leave quickly so as not to buy too much. We bought a peppermint stick as a ceremonial. By the end of the second day, most of the Reenactment people knew us. They thought we were great for sticking through the heat. They'd wave and grin because we were so into it. I think it made their day. We hung around tents, talked to soldiers, asked lots of questions... I think they were happy to have people so thrilled about history.

I can't go into detail because there was so much we did... like the camping, and driving an hour to find a place to swim at the end of the first day. Or trying to find wood in 100+ degree weather so we could have s'mores.

After this great experience, I'd love to go to a Revolutionary War reenactment somehow. That would be so epic!

Anywhere, there's a fun adventure update. I hope I'll see all you again real soon, as long as no big life events happen between now and then. God Bless!

PEACE OUT Y'ALL!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

Oh, Hey Guys. *coughs*

It's uh... it's been a while. Yeah. It's been a while.

I wish I had a great excuse for my absence. Unfortunately I have none except that I am an exhausted pigeon with no time on my hands.

Heh.

I had thought of doing a LIFE UPDATE, but that would take way too much time tonight. So instead I'll do a quick post on the big important thing that happened all June! My fabulous sister Laura, and her family came to visit at the beginning of this month. I hadn't see any of them in years so it was great to visit with them even though it was only for a few days.

My poor sister always chooses the coldest weekend of the month to come visit my family. I don't think she's every come out when it was actually warm. She has the worst luck. It had been in the 70's for the last few weeks, but Laura managed to come up the one weekend in June that dropped into the 30/40's. With a chance of snow. Despite the random winter weather, we had a lovely time, with lots of visiting and laughter.

All Laura's kids talk sloooowly. Not as slowly as they used to, granted, but they're still slower than my sisters and I (But we talk like the conversation is a race and the first one to the finish line gets ice-cream. So....)

We were up late every night they were here, taking pictures and catching up.

Le me with adorable nephew, Charlie:

Le Tall Bro. (And and a niece Jane.)

"Auntie Bellaaaaa, whaaat are you dooooin?"

"Memories, Lilly. Precious, Precious Memories!!"

Ah yis, my fabulous family.

HEY LOOK THIS SEFLIE IS ACTUALLY GOOD! Cause Treskie took it....

Justin told us about Kentucky, where people apparently still believe the world is flat. For real. It's not a joke. And there's the whole North/South divide still. And they probably still think asbestos is rad.

It was funny to hear him talk about it. 8-D

Le Mom be like, "THE EARTH IS ROUND!"

Nieces kept asking me to take pictures with them, even though my selfies look like a walrus got a hold of my camera.

Love you, Emily <3

Baby Peter loved his little brother, So much. It was adorable. If you could smother someone with love, Peter would smother. (And Peter is ADORABLE. FYI) 

WE ACTUALLY GOT A FAMILY PICTURE. I'm prolly going to print this out for meeeeeee.

Yet another disgusting Selfie. How does Treskie do it? (Love you, my nieces. Who cares if it's a bad picture? At least it's a picture. Right? Right.)

BEBE CHARLES IS SO CUTE.

LONG GAVIE HOLDING BEBE CHARLES IS ALSO SO CUTE. D'AAAAW.

Gavie interacting with kids in general is adorable. ( all the nieces and nephews got into his nature talks. It was adorable.)

"EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeew! Sliiiiiime. Thaaat's Dis-gus-ting."

Look. A leaf! Oh my gosh!

(We had this nature walk down to this river, and Jane found these massive leaves, and she finally tore one off and did a full-on victory cry, and went charging off with it. Like, YAS, I AM CONQUEROR.)

Oooooooooh. Fish! (The one is the left. Do you see her? Do you see that girl? Do you see her? She's not mine. Not even related.)

Daddy Justin. <3

Cute Gavie. (AAAAACK.)

More selfies. Geeze.

FAMILY TREE PHOTO. BLESS.

So, that's my big story! This is a short post. SORRY!!! I'll try to do an "Update" post as soon as I have some down time. Many apologies to all my followers who watched me drop from the planet. 

God Bless!

Bella 

T-Swift Book Tag!

A few months back I was looking for a Book Tag and found this awesome Taylor Swift one on Another Blog. It's taken me awhile but I've decided to do it!

The Taylor Swift Book Tag!

1. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

(Pick a book or series that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with)

The Raven Boys was beautifully written and intriguing. The plot was solid, the characters were great, and there were some incredible friendships. I was pretty sure I loved it. 

However, I decided to never read the series again when an awesome character who was Catholic, a boxer, and one of the most aggressive, protective people you'll ever meet, ended up being gay. It was so out of character. Especially because his "significant other" was in love with a girl for the first three books. I was so upset. Ronan wasn't. He wouldn't. It would not have happened. That twist was obviously just the Writer deciding to go with a popular trend. It makes me mad.

2. Red

(pick a book with a RED cover)

War is coming...

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer Neilson. This book is the last of three so I can't say too much about it without giving anything away. Just go read the Ascendants Trilogy! The characters are well done, the plot is good, and there are some great friendships/romances. Remember, it is Middle Grade so it could have been a little more mature/serious, but ya' know. It's still a good series though! 8-)

3. The Best Day

(pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic)

I'm not sure if this means the book itself makes you feel nostalgic, or whether it's a book that makes you feel nostalgic because it means something to you personally. 

If it's the first option then I would go with The Penderwicks In Spring, which made me feel both very nostalgic and very emotional. Wow. Poor Batty. Poor Ben. Poor Jeffrey. Poor Mr. Penderwick. Poor everyone.

All The Sads!

The other option is probably Winnie The Pooh. (The originals, obviously.) Pooh brings back good memories an a warm achy feeling in my chest. I love the stories and the characters. Even if it's a bad day Pooh can make me feel better. 

Winnie the Pooh has a nostalgia all it's own. It leaves you with the same achy feeling you get after watching Pixar's Inside Out. You rediscover your childhood and then you have to let go of it again. It's sad, but not in a bad way. And it makes you remember important things and reconnect with that childlike wonder and excitement.

4. Love Story

(pick a book with forbidden love)

I don't know if Jane Eyre is necessarily forbidden but it's all that came to mind. I don't read too much romance. Usually because it's dull.

Jane is a young governess in the 1800's who tutors a little girl, Adele, in the country. She falls in love with Adele's guardian, Mr. Rochester and he in turn falls for her. This story has a Forbidden Love angle because Jane had no social standing and worth, whereas Rochester had very high social standing and is a well-known and respected. In that time frame such a thing was strongly frowned upon in disapproval. Their relationship and potential marriage goes against custom, code, and tradition. Besides that, there is Rochester's secret...

5. I Knew You Were Trouble

(pick a book with a bad character you couldn’t help but love)

D. Grayman, Katsura Hoshino

Tyki Mikk

"My Black and White selves - the real fun lies in having both."

Uuuungggggggg. My relationship with this character is "Tyki, Why?" and Tyki is like "TYKI EVIL."

Seriously though. Tyki is a horrible person. I should hate him. I do hate him. But I also I like him. I don't know why I like him. He does terrible things and enjoys them. And I'm just over there, "Why aren't you good? You could be good, if you just gave up your dark side."

Maybe he'll have a giant character arc. The series isn't over yet.

6. Innocent

(pick a book that someone ruined the ending for.)

My sister's are really good about not spoiling book endings. 8-) Sometimes they'll spoil TV shows or movies but with books my family is tight-lipped. The end of Oblivion (the last book of the Gatekeeper series) was spoiled through my own fault. I had a bad feeling about that stupid book, especially in regard to some of my favorite characters, so I asked my sister to please tell me what happened. And my feelings were correct. I'm not reading that book for a while. A long while.


7. Everything Has Changed

(pick a character from a book who goes through extensive character development)

Extensive, hm? Extensive.

Xerxes Break from the Pandora Hearts series.*

"No matter how you suffer, you must go on living anyway."

*Yes, it's a manga. A manga I need to review.

Xerxes Break is one of those manga characters that blew me away. He was such an odd, untrustworthy person at the beginning. I didn't like him. But as I continued to read the series, Break's character arc got me good. He turned into one of my favorite characters. His development was intense, emotional, and beautifully done.

I can't finish this question without taking time for Paul Grey too. Paul Grey from The Last Crescendo goes through an incredible arc. He comes from the lowest of the low, sunk in depression and hatred, and slowly comes back to life and... God. It's like, wow Paul. Look at all the good that is in you. You're so, heroically good. I love that about The Last Crescendo. I love that about Paul. His personal growth as a character, and his growth in regard to religion and Catholicism are both beautiful, realistic, and pure. If you're looking for a good "Christian Fiction" book, Owen Francis Dudley writes fantastic ones. They're all about a Catholic Monk named brother Anselm and the different people he meets and helps.

8. You Belong With Me

(pick your most anticipated book release)

Book Five.

I need this book so badly! I own the first four books and have been desperately waiting for a new one to come out for ages. Really. Book four came on in 2010! And here we are seven years later, Finally getting another book!

Don't be that Writer. 😩

I mean, Megan Whalen Turner is great but geeze. That's a long wait.

The Queen's Thief series is my absolute favorite fantasy series ever. I love how Turner handles character development and growth, and I LOVE her third book! Besides the great stories and individual arcs of characters and plots, Eugenides is the most epic little thief you'll ever read about so....

I NEED BOOK FIVE!

I've pre-ordered but I have fears about betrayal. Please don't betray me Megan! Don't do it!

9. Forever and Always

(pick your favorite book couple)

I don't read romances! 8-( Up there at the top is a book couple I can't give names to without revealing a spoiler, but it's from the Attolia series. Besides that one, my favorite couple is probably Ann and Paul from The Last Crescendo,

BONUS QUESTIONS! (Added by Bella)

10. Never Grow Up
(A book you read when you're feeling sad/emotional)

When I am in need of a comfort book I tend to read Howl's Moving Castle, or one of the many Chrestomanci books. There is something very heart-warming about Diana Wynne Jones' books.

11. Begin Again

A book you've read multiple times but always go back to it because it's that good.

The Queen's Thief series and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

"Steal me peace."

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."

12. Starlight
(A book you hid in bed with/fell asleep reading)

I've fallen asleep reading plenty of times in my life, but some books that stand out in my mind for this, Half Magic, Edward Eager, The Masterful Monk, Owen Francis Dudley, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, and Mariel of Redwall, Brian Jacques. I don't remember which Harry Potter book. I think it was The Prisoner of Azkaban. Of those books, Half Magic is a big one. I remember waking up and finishing it later that night. The joys of a bookworm. 😊 Things like that happened to me fairly often actually.

13. I Know Places
The number one book you would take on a long trip away from home.

The Queen's Thief, or The Hobbit.

14.) Change

(A book you've never read but want and plan to)

This series. Dragonsong, Dragonsingers, Dragondrums. It sounds good and I'm slightly appalled that I've never read it.

This was fun! I think I'll do one for my TV shows/movies next! 8-D

I tag:

Jack

Christine

Treskie

Kat

Amy

And anyone else who wants to give it a whirl! No worries if you can't do the tag either. Fufufu.

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella