Night Castle

Today and tomorrow only you can download the mp3 version of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's newest album, Night Castle, WITH a bonus track from amazon for only $3.99. You can get it after tomorrow too, but it will cost you $4 more.

And, I realize you still have to buy the actual physical cd so that you can read the lovely booklet, but $3.99 isn't bad at all so I can listen to it right this second. :) Remember, Franklin has limited resources.

IT'S ME! IT'S ME!

Hi everyone!!! How are ya doing??? I'm great!

Life has been wonderful and busy, hence the 4 months of silence. Plus I've discovered facebook and spend what little time I have there.

But yesterday I decided to start making food for work in the crock pot, at least during the next few weeks when we practically live there. And while I was searching online for a good crock pot lasagna recipe, I stumbled across this blog that I think is fabulous! I've already picked out the next recipe I want to try, "Jamaican Pumpkin Soup."

So the ingredients are in the pot, and tomorrow when I get up I'll plug it in and we'll see what we get!

I love the whole idea of doing a recipe a day. Not that I would attempt it. That's way to ambitious for me lifestyle right now. I went and saw Julie and Julia a few weeks ago...or maybe a month (it's had to keep track of time right now) and absolutely loved it! If you haven't seen it, you must rent it when it comes out on video. Must. I said so. :) And if you haven't seen it you may not know the connection between those two thoughts. The movie is about this lady who decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering The Art of French Cooking, in one year. Everyday she blogs about her experience. And this slow cooking blog is along those same lines, except I think that this woman wrote a cook book herself.

Enough about cooking. I don't have time to anyway. :)

I was very fortunate to get to see Laura and Michael in Charlotte earlier this week. They are doing so well and my visits with them always seem too short.

April had her baby - Gabriel Vinko Ostojic. He is adorable and so interesting for a newborn. He wiggles around and holds his arms up and sometimes even will lift his head for a few seconds.

Thursday will mark 6 months of officially dating Mr. Robert Jessup and things are going along quite well. It has been an adventure, for sure, and I have learned many many things about myself and relationships in general along the way. He is the first man I've ever dated and it has been a wonderful experience.

Well I must sleep, so that will be all for this time. Hope to write again - sooner that 4 months this time. ;)

an update

So I've been 2 weeks at my new job and I am loving it! The days fly by and there are so many exciting and fun things to do each day. The first week I helped Effie a lot with set construction, and I went home each night exhausted and sore. This week has been more costumes and training and setting things up at the performing arts center. (We have a Yamaha PM5D mixing console that is totally sweet! Not that I'll ever really get to use it.) These have been very full, happy weeks and I am looking forward to what the next months and years hold for me. (By the by, having a wonderful, kind, sweet man for a boyfriend isn't too bad either ;)

endings

I coached my last team practice today.  Not sure what I think about that.  I am so very happy and excited about what next week holds and I think the timing is perfect for moving on, but at some point I think I'm going to have to feel a sort of sadness over leaving something that has been so wonderful during these past nearly 10 years.  

A Sunday School Lesson

This year I've been volunteering once a month or so in the 2&3 year old's room on Sunday mornings at church.  For the past several months we have been learning about the Fruits of the Spirit.  A great thing to learn about...one you never outgrow.  God has reminded me a lot recently to be patient and trust Him...it keeps coming up in little ways that I could overlook if I wanted to, but I know that He is encouraging me in this.  

This evening I was chillin with Laura and Michael and talking and I told Laura, "I've been patient my whole life...I don't want to be patient anymore!"  She laughed and said, "As long as you have the other fruits you should be able to make it without patience.  Although,"  she continued, "once you loose patience, self-control will also be gone."  To which I added, "and if you loose patience then you've already lost peace."  

And the more I think about it the more I see how the fruits are linked together in such a way that you really can't loose one without the rest becoming less potent or obsolete.  And conversely the others help strengthen each other.  

So while I may be struggling with patience, if I continue to let God work those other fruits in my life by loving those around me, allowing the joy of the Lord to be my strength, resting in His peace, showing His kindness and goodness to others, remembering faithfulness and gentleness and excersing self-control, it will be that much easier to be patient no matter what is going on around me.  It's really an all-or-none.  I can't pick and choose which fruits I'm going to like today and ignore the rest.  :)  Thank God I don't have that option!  

My first wrestling match experience :)

a goodbye

So today was Scotty's last day at the high school.  We had a great party with yummy food (tator tots, mac'n cheese, chocolate chip cake, cupcakes, Dr. Pepper and other junk food) and a hilarious song, "Bye, bye, Scotty!" created by a few of the kids under the direction of Mrs. Lansford.  

It was great, lots of kids came by to say their farewells and a few teachers  and the principle also.  

After we all left, I was just a little bit sad.  Not because I'm going to miss the building, it's just that so many fabulous memories were made in that place.  So much of my life has been lived inside of those walls.  So many hours spent with special people working together and learning how to do new things.  Feeling so happy when we everyone's hard work and dedication creates a wonderful show that people really enjoy.  

And I'll miss getting to hang out with third period...you guys rock!  ;)

But I'll still see everyone during shows, and there is so much exciting stuff to look forward to, so I will only spare one tear and this post to look back on and appreciate where we've been.  

Life has been so exciting and fast these past 2 months.  

• I only have 5 more weeks until I start my new job at the Smokey Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.  
• Exhibition at the gym is coming up fast and I have routines to choreograph.  
• I have been spending time with this really great guy named Robert and loving every minute of it.  
• I got to see Anneke and Andrew and Marcail and Donovan and had such a blast!  I really wish they lived closer to me.  :)
• I coached my last gymnastics meet last weekend.
  
• Had Easter with Ben and Keri in Knoxville which was tons of fun!
• Had a lock-in this weekend and stayed up all night...also tons of fun but I am still recovering from it.  

So lots of fun and exciting things, and not enough time to post about them all.  

I am doing better with Facebook because it's faster to update in that I don't feel like I have to communicate as much at once, I can change my status 20 times a day if I wish.  

But everything is great!  I love my life!  I love the people in my life!  I love where I'm living my life!  It's all great great great!  :)

Me and Pike's Peak
-Amanda

Garden of the Gods

-Amanda

A new movement in the symphony of my life

Well...you never know what God is going to throw your way next!  :)

Something has happened that I wouldn't believe was possible in my wildest dreams (ok, maybe my wildest dreams, but still, it was so far out there that I didn't even consider asking God for it...which is ok, because He knows all my thoughts and desires even better than I do and He gave it to me anyway.) 

On or about June 1st I will begin an exciting new chapter in my life!  I will no longer be a coach at New Vision Gymnastics.  Instead I will get paid to play here everyday!   My very favorite hobby is now going to be my job.  How cool is that?  

So needless to say I am so excited that I hardly know what to do with myself!  I will of course miss all the wonderful people that I have worked with the past 9 years at the gym and all of the great kids I have gotten to coach.  But I think the timing on this is amazing and I am so thankful to the Lord for orchestrating it.  What a Master Director!

One week from tomorrow I'll be flying to Colorado Springs!  I can hardly wait!  :)

Soooo tired of blue....it's spring time!!!!  How about some... pink!  Well, what do you think?   :P

The weekend

Hi!  :D

At first, I thought this weekend was going to be so long and boring because I had 2 gymnastics sessions in Douglasville, 3 hours away.  One on Saturday at 2pm and one on Sunday at 1pm.  And I would either be driving back and forth for 12 hours or have to stay the night somewhere, which wasn't really in the gym expenses  budget.  But, with hitching rides with my kids and some clever finagling, I was able to go down Saturday morning, have a GREAT session (we won) meet up with Camila, have a Jamocha shake and go see Spamalot (Monty Python: Holy Grail + Musical =  Oh so funny!),  go driving all over Atlanta and look at some beautiful houses, drink tons of water at a Sushi restaurant while Cam ate sushi and we watched all the people, sleep in til 1o:30 this morning, have another Jamocha shake, and have another great session, and make it home by 9pm...and I didn't have to drive - EVER!  

So it was a really wonderful weekend (in spite of me getting directions to the wrong building to see the show.  Oops!).  Apart from feeling sleepy, I am ready for tomorrow (yea!) and looking forward to this week when I can (perhaps) finally get my house back in ship shape!  Which having small group here Sunday should be a good motivator.  ;)

3rd meet photo.

-Amanda

It's Spring!

I feel like I just spent the last month or so in a cave (aka the Fine Arts Center) and when I finally came out, everything was warm and beautiful!  It is definitely a wonderful thing to spend the last month of winter so busy you don't even realize it's still Winter and wake up one day to find flowers and sunshine!  

Seussical!

Opening night was great!

You have 3 more chances to come see a great, fun show...

Friday and Saturday at 7:30 or 

Sunday at 2:30

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.  

Oh cr*p

Sometimes things get found out that you wish hadn't...

When the news is all bad, when you're sad or confused, when you find yourself caught you should do what I do...

...tell yourself, how lucky you are...

Opening Night!

Come see SEUSSICAL!!!

It's here!

Come see the most spectacular, colorful, fun musical ever!  (so far)

March 12-15 @ Franklin High Fine Arts Center.

Thursday-Saturday @7:30pm

Sunday Matinee @ 2:30.  

Petition To Keep Our Tax Dollars from Funding Abortion

***From Focus on the Family Action***

A move is under way in Congress right now to force you and me to pay for coercive abortion programs overseas. Congress’ latest spending spree paved the way for U.S. taxpayers to fund China’s forced abortion policy through the U.N. Population Fund.  

And there’s more. The Obama administration has continued its full-scale assault on the sanctity of human life. First, Mr. Obama announced that he will “review” President Bush’s “conscience clause” policy that protects pro-life health care workers from being forced to violate their deeply held beliefs on issues like abortion.

Then, the president announced that he was nominating pro-abortion stalwart, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as secretary of Health and Human Services. Sebelius once threw a party at the governor's mansion in honor of notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller and other pro-abortion friends, and her nomination is widely considered to be payback to Planned Parenthood.

t's clear that President Obama and Congress are determined to press forward with a radical, pro-abortion agenda that forces you and me to fund coercive abortions overseas. Our Focus Action team saw this agenda developing, which is why we initiated our “No Tax Dollars For Abortion” petition. I’m thrilled to report that friends like you have helped us rally more than 180,000 signers.

If you have not yet signed our petition, please go here to sign now.

Finally, I want to thank you so much for standing with Focus Action in defense of life. I believe the Lord will bless our faithfulness in standing for truth no matter what the political situation might be. May God bless you!


Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government & Public Policy

Happy 105th Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Happy March!

Insane happiness

We are down to 2 weeks before opening night.  I love this part of putting on a show!  It's my favorite because everything starts to come together so fast and you practically live in the auditorium and see show people more than anyone else and everyone you know not involved in the show thinks you've dropped off the planet and you work long hours painting the stage late at night and get giddy from the fumes and all sorts of little things pop up and you have to figure it out real quick.   It's just so intense!

I love this part of a show!  It's my favorite!

Although you could argue that whatever stage of production I'm currently involved in is my favorite, I think the last 2 weeks hold a special place in my heart.   What's not to love?  

And she's back!

I woke up this morning and nearly jumped out of bed I was so excited and had so much energy.  Did I mention that it was 6:30 in the morning?  

Amazing Miles

You have to watch this video on Lindsay and Travis' blog...unbelievable!