A trip to the big city

My mom and I decided to go for a trip in the city just to have some away time together and to maybe find some nice clothes for me- better yet; find my style of clothes. We don’t have much opportunity to do that way out here in the boonies…
Anyhow, we took a friend along so she could have some away time too and help us with my clothes and whatnot.
Now before we get into the actual adventure I would like to point out something that I noticed: women go through great pains to look pretty on occasions like this.
I am totally serious.
(I am mostly referring to my mom)
They cake their face in their most special makeup, have to make sure that their clothes look flattering, fitting and nice- not one wrinkle, crease, bubble or bend- and they have to make themselves look thin and trim.
That is when the real pain comes in.
(The big intro)
FIRST it was stays and corsets, to trim a woman’s waste, THEN it was the girdle, NOW…SHAPERS!! The only difference? LYCRA!
Ok, back to the point; they put themselves through tremendous amounts of unnecessary pain and smothering, just to look like they used to when they were younger: they put on shapers.
“Oh as long as I go to the bathroom before hand and don’t eat very much, I’m alright.” Is the common excuse.
Ok, whatever you think. Not my body, but I think it’s kind of silly to go through that just to look good. My thought is: Who cares if you look good? If they don’t like it, then they can stop looking at you. If you don’t like your figure…step away from the mirror and you’ll feel better or throw the mirror away so you don’t have to see.
Ahem, anyway.
Now, onto the general purpose of this post: the actual adventure.
Well, the 4 hour trip over there is like- well- usual, except that I like looking out the window now better than I did when I was a kid. I like to observe the land for future reference (like drawing or details in my book and whatnot) and I like to read the stupid signs as we go through towns: might make a good joke later with my dad or I could see some new names for new companies and come up with weird names for book characters and stuff by taking them apart and putting them together like a quilt.
Anyway, when we got into the city and to the mall, we walk in and the first store we stop at is a baby store.
I enjoyed playing with the baby toys, while the two moms groaned over prices and cried over the cute baby outfits and cribs.
The next store we go to was the nightmare- an underwear store.
Yes, it was nothing but underwear and some makeup with pictures of strippers all over the walls wearing the company’s underwear.
Our friend was really excited because they had a new bra out that she wanted to try and was, undoubtedly, most likely comfortable.
We walk in and I think my stomach went into my throat and my eyes were wide and my body tense ready to run or kill.
This really sweet gingerbread girl (black woman if you would prefer it that way) came up and asked our names and told us hers and asked if there was anything in the store we wanted to try on.
“Oh yeah, anything you wanna try, you can.” She said real enthusiastic like with a big and pretty smile.
My mom then asked about some nighties (that are basically fit to be underwear as well) that she saw at the front of the store and she wanted to try on one or two of them.
The girl said that was great and she got on her little ear intercom/ walky talky thingy and started to give this girl on the other end a detailed description of what my mom wanted.
As I listened to the description, I believe my eyes grew three sizes larger and I lost all feeling of my stomach and held my breath.
I looked at my mom like she was insane (oh forgot- she kind of already is..hehe) and she said
“Oh you will understand when you get married.” And walked off with this other girl to go try these ‘nighties’.
I turned on my heel beside our friend and said
“Ok, I will be running up the down escalator when you guys are ready to come out.”
But sadly, before I could move one muscle to walk out of the place, our friend grabbed me by the shoulders, turned me back around and with excitement in her voice said
“Oh, no! You HAVE to try this new bra!” And I was suddenly in the clutches of that nice gingerbread girl’s hands.
She took my measurements and referred to me as a ‘busty girl’ then enthusiastically pulled out two draws full of bras for me to try and showed me herself how they should fit.
Well, I gulped down my- well whatever emotion was running through me at that moment- I think possibly a sort of fear and urge to scream and run- and stepped into the dressing room and tried things on, found out that I really only liked one and they didn’t have my proper size, then I stepped out to find that our friend was not quite done and my mom standing around with a bag googling over the ‘cute lacy underwear and poke-a-dots’.
She then walked out with me... trotted after me… and we went to look at the mini shops out in the open.
We found one that had all sorts of neat shiny objects and wigs and stuff, but the lady treated us like we were on warrant posters or had the word ‘thief’ written on us and she stayed within an inch of us, dusting off anything we touched and being rood and snappy.
We finally gave up on trying to be nice and started to walk back to the accursed underwear store to see if our friend was done yet.
I had relaxed by this time and was feeling much better and comfortable and I was just following my mom when I realized I was about half way into the underwear store.
I promptly turned on my heel, without a word to my mother and walked right back out and stood at the door until the two goofy women came out.
“Yeah I noticed that I lost her.” My mom teased as the two came out.
Our friend asked me why I didn’t like it…beats me! There is just something wrong with a store being only underwear and with pictures of strippers and really friendly girls and- don’t ask me, but that is not a store to have fun and play in.
Well, that was the only nightmare, except at the Cheesecake Factory, where we went for lunch, but that was a good nightmare (that is an oxymoron, I know). The nightmare in in the Cheesecake Factory was not being able to eat all of the cheesecake and the food, but what made it a good nightmare was the wonderful, lovable, useful gift of doggie bags!
Oh, wow! The Cheesecake Factory was just wonderful! You MUST try it sometime!
Anyway, we went to plenty of stores and found my clothing style.
I look good in swing- dress type dresses and wrapped tops all with a slight V- neck. They are very flattering and comfortable.
Unfortunately, most all of them were expensive too… $80 for one top- that is a little extreme.
But we did find one store that was having a sale and we got a whole bunch of things for me there: None of the wrapped tops or anything, but some tops that looked nice on me.
Anyway, I also finally got to try my first REAL Starbucks coffee and my verdict is…um, sorry to disappoint you Starbuck lovers, but…I can make better with just a can of Arabian coffee. It was good, but…honestly, I can make better coffee for cheaper, but it was nice to try it!
Well, that was the extent of the trip between lots of laughs and talking and looking and more talking and whatnot.
It was fun except for the underwear store…perhaps one day I will understand this strange liking of underwear, but not likely. You don’t buy underwear for everyone to see, sorry, and I think I’ll stick with sports bras.
All in all, it was fun and enjoyable and relaxing and mom and I did not come home too tired, which of course is always a GOOD thing!

Oh yeah! The answer to the riddle is---FIRE! Yay!!! Somebody got it right again! I figured it would be pretty easy. Keep it up!

A new riddle

I am so glad that someone guessed the last riddle! Here is the next one for you bonnie folk to try again:
I don’t have lungs or a chest, but I need air;
I am not alive, but I grow;
I don’t have a mouth and I am allergic to water.
What am I?
This is a fun one and just to give you a litle hint before hand: someone made a guess to another riddle that is the answer to this one...
Like before, just give it your bestest of best shot (not proper grammer, I know) and if you know the answer go ahead and put it on there as a guess! Have fun!
Sweetpea

Reply to the commenters on the Prince Caspian Post

To those who left the comments on my thoughts about Disney's Prince Caspian (The ones who think Prince Caspian the movie Needs to Die):

I did notice that Aslan was sort of a side character in the film; however, he was that way in the book too. He, and the girls, were all sort of side characters in the book, but him mostly. It was focusing on the boys learning.
Also, Aslan was still credited the true King of Narnia in the movie and was the only one who could make things properly right. He was the only one who restored Narnia and saved the day even though he did not ‘come roaring in like last time’ as Lucy quoted. ;)

Peter (in the movie) learned while he was in Narnia that he was stupid for being so stupid. That defiantly showed at the end of the film. He figured out that it was a stupid idea to not wait on Aslan and he and Caspian did quite bickering once Peter realized that Caspian was more in the right, and that he was the one making things worse. I saw regret, remorse and an effort to make things right, from Peter and I also saw that he did learn something.

He did make up with Caspian in his own way when he gave Caspian the sword- twice: when he allowed Caspian to decide the fate of Miraz and in the end before he left Narnia.

At the beginning of the movie, he was not fighting with the other school boys because he was being haughty; it was because he was tired of being treated like garbage by them. Not that that makes it right to fight, but he did not start it. (And knowing me, I would have fought too) Caspian also was not being haughty at all in the movie. Both young men were willing to sacrifice their lives in the movie in case you did not notice.
Also, Peter’s actions and repentance in the movie has more meaning today than it did when C.S. Lewis was alive. Hopefully it will help some kids see the right and wrong and go the right way like Peter did.

I would like to remind you also that Peter and Susan both did mess up in the book too when they would not listen to Lucy about Aslan and a few other places. They weren’t any more perfect in the book than they were in the movie.
Also, they brought up another point that I don’t think that they really meant too in the movie…Caspian, Susan, Peter, Edmond; they were all young people fighting to defend their country and those within it…how many young people in our country today feel like they could defend and lead those defending their homeland?...interesting to think about.
I do also have to point out that they could have made Susan a lot worse. They showed the proper way that a woman should fight (as long range as is possible and not arm to arm). This does not justify her being a 'warrior woman' unlike in the book, but it was another topic of discussion brought up when we watched the movie. I totally did not like the romance; that was stupid and unnecessary and didn’t even spice it up any; it was the battles that made it interesting.
I think that they put the romance in there because of the book between the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian: the Horse and His Boy.

The Horse and His Boy had Susan and a prince in love not to mention the two main characters though it did not work out for Susan and the crabby prince 'Rabidash the Ridicules'.
So, to sum it up; if you compare it to the book, yeah, it’s messed up, but if you look at it from another perspective, away from the book, they had some really good points. And if you think about it, they really did not stray from the real meaning in the book and added some other meaning into it as well for this generation.
And finally, just comparing it to a lot of other movies I have seen recently: It was very well put together.
It could have been a lot worse and you can at least say that they did not loose the meaning.
And just as a reminder: they messed up The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe too. I would suggest that you reread the book of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and watch the Disney movie and see what I mean. But again, they did not change the meaning. So I am not really seeing why Prince Caspian is such a big deal with you guys.
As a conclusion, I would like to point out that the old movie that was made years ago of Prince Caspian was a total bore and still is. That is our least favorite in the books and old movies though C.S. Lewis was an excelant writer and did very well on the book. But, that is just personal opinion…

By the way:... The answer to the riddle is--- Yes! Charcoal! (applause, cheering, and more applause) I am so glad that someone finally got the answer!!!! Hurray! And thanks to the ones who made very good guesses! Keep it up!

The next riddle

Well, are you guys ready for the next riddle??? I hope so, because I’m gonna give it to ya anyway and I hope that at least two of you try to guess it…
Here goes!

What is black when you find it,
red when dragons eat it
and grey when you throw it away?

Can you guess it? I hope that some of you at least try! If you know the answer, go ahead and put it on there, just don’t say that it is the right answer. Try to make it look like a guess!
Anyway, enjoy and good luck!

Animal frenzy

Well, It has been quite the animal craze around here!

Feb. 14th on Valentines day, we had a dog that had a litter of ten puppies! She has only lost three and appears to be a very good mama for a first timer.

Feb. 17th, one of our first time goats had her first kid. Sis had to pull the kid cause it was to big for the nanny, but she and the kid are just fine now.

Feb. 18th, the whether goat gored one of our nanny goats and punctured an artery...at night of all times. We were afraid that we were going to loose her, but flour as blood stop, and pressure on the wound and God's hand kept her alive and she is doing very good now.

Also that same night, because of the chaos going on, sis just put a pregnant nanny and the one who had just had her kid the day before in the same barn together without ropes or anything...bad idea.

Feb. 19th in the morning, the pregnant nanny, who had been beat up badly by the other goat, had twins. She was traumatised from being tortured all night long and having kids for the first time. She had a 6" lump on her belly where most of her wounds were and she was not making a sufficient amount of milk for the kids. We were certain that she was not going to make it.

Feb. 20th the traumatised nanny is showing a 50/50 chance of survival. She is bleating to her kids and walking around more and showing signs of alertness, where she wasn't before.

Today, Feb. 21, all seems honky dory with all the animals, until the Golden Retriever female decided to have her puppies...on the coldest day this month so far...ingenious. Two have already died and one we are keeping in the house, because the mama is still WAY to fat to be able to nurse it. I mean, this girl looks like she is going to have twelve puppies! Anyway, we are still pending on her. She is experienced and has done very good with her puppies in the past, but it is a very cold and windy day to day and she is getting on in years. We will see I guess.

So anyway, what will happen next? We are not expecting any more baby animals until June or July, but who knows what could happen between now and then? One of em could swallow a grenade or we could end up getting a pet lion and tiger...not likely, but ya never know... already had a horse that tried to cut his hoove off in January, and a bobcat that decided to be road kill, and an armadillo that wanted to be a pet, what could happen next? Oh that great unknown....

Why I do not date:

Why do you not date? Why do you not believe in dating?
These are the questions that I am most frequently asked by old and young alike.
The answer is simple: Dating is set up to bring fulfillment into someone’s life… I have Jesus to fill that space, I need no other.

Today’s average dating is: you hang out with someone, you break up… everyone that confronts me on this issue says at some point: ‘dating supposed to prepare you for marriage’, but it sounds like its preparing you for a wreck of a marriage to me.

I prefer courting.
Courting is where the young man comes to the father and asks if he may court his daughter for marriage. The mother and father are supposed to prepare you for marrage.
Dating is ‘Hey, you’re cute, you’re nice, and you’re popular. Let’s hang out’ whether the parents agree or not'…shucks they don’t even have to know!

I like to ask these questions when the issue of dating comes to mind:
1. Am I ready for marriage? Physically? Mentally? Spiritually? Do I know how to take care of a house? Balance a check book? Cook a homemade meal? Take care of children?
2. What kind of person would Jesus want me to hang out with, much less get married to?

Now, if a young man (or vise versa) asks you on a date ask them this and see what happens:
1. Why do you want to date me?
2. Are your priorities straight?
3. Are you ready to commit to marriage? If so, go talk to my dad.

You might be surprised at the answers.

Now, some pointers on me.
1. I am not going to date, or court, or whatever you wanna call it, until I am ready for marriage and God calls me to get married.
2. I am not ready for marriage, so why ‘date’?
3. God will provide a husband for me in His own good time, so why man hunt?
4. I only want God’s best for me. My best is not the best, but close to the worst.
5. I am completely trusting God to do the work for me. I don’t have to raise a finger to try to find a husband.

Well, how do you expect to get married if you don’t date?
I don’t have to. God will bring the perfect man into my life when the time (God’s time) is right. To say different would be saying ‘I don’t trust God, my Heavenly Father, enough to find me a husband’. That is just wrong. I have faith that God will take care of it. It’s silly even to worry about it!
When God decides to send the right man at the right time it will just happen. Don’t ask me how, it just will. Both sides will know that it is God’s will.
God works in mysterious ways, but I don’t think that He likes to work through a man hunt…