Tuesday, December 22, 2009

January - Oh, January 2009 was probably one of the hardest months of my life. In it, I made the decision to quit dance. Here’s something I wrote the day it happened.

“.. Some people think that if I really loved it, none of that would matter.(None of the reasons I’d stated earlier.)

I loved it. I really loved it. I'm so sad that love is gone. Quitting is like getting a divorce or something. Like a part of my heart is being torn out of me every time I remember that that love left. I wanted to enjoy it, I wanted to like it and to be happy in class again. I tried, I tried I tried. But it didn't come back. I had to leave. It was time. 5 months of misery is enough to make anyone quit.

All of these thoughts are killing me. Ballet Tyler has been my life for the past fours years. If I wrote a list of all the performances I've done.. well, it would be really long. I have to turn Ballet Tyler into a wonderful phase of my life that has now ended. All good things have to come to an end sometime, only God will last forever.”

February - Here I started dancing at YWAM three days a week. YAGP, the competition I had been planning on competing in, happened the first weekend of February, and I was NOT happy those two or three days. It was hard for me to imagine my friends there dancing and watching, and I wasn’t. Still, the fact that I could enjoy life without Ballet Tyler was amazing me. I think I re-found my identity in this month. In my mind, dance defined who I was as a person, which is why such tragedy was caused in my heart when I quit. But here I began to find my identity fully in God, and being His daughter. I now know, that more than anything else, that fact defines me.

March - I’m thinking, as I look back through my journal, that March was the month of friendship. Clara and I were only able to hang out once every two weeks, which was extremely hard.. but that restriction just made every moment of our time spent together sweeter. I also began getting to know Bethany and Alisha Pratt, two God-sent friends who I love dearly. Entries about riding motorcycles with Daddy, reading books, drinking tea, and other such happenings, show how much I began to value the little things.

April - David Karp Piano Festival and YWAM dance recital, Rayleigh’s birthday party, True Love by Phil Wickham, Kathrine’s birthday weekend in Dallas, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and Captivating by John and Stasi Eldrege, and the LACK of Ballet Tyler shaped the month.

May - Nothing too exciting happened, but Ballet Tyler was entering back into my life. I went to their school recital, and took a ballet class from Ms. Kym. It was also the ending of school, which brought much joy. :)

June - The Roquemores moved. I was very, very sad. Especially while at... Rockin’ C! Oh, Rockin C’ was such a good thing for me and this summer. The people I met, the things I learned, and the memories I gained are cherished greatly. Extreme Camps! This was a hard week, but so good also. I was sick nearly the entire time, which immediately put a damper on things, but I grew a lot. Ben Ambler and I climbed a telephone pole and jumped of it, only to grab onto a trapeze bar. I had many good talks with good friends, and... I’m smiling now. :)

July - I began to dance at TJC with Mrs. Thereza, I think it was twice a week. Life was hard this month.. mom was gone for a long time, in Guatemala and Colorado. I felt as though I was holding the house together. I missed my mom a lot.

Yay! My dear sister Abigail graduated from Teen Mania and came home!
Everything went crazy this month! I had my whole school schedule and stuff worked out, when I last minute signed up for two TJC classes! This greatly effected my whole semester. On Monday, August 30th, I went to my first academic class in my entire life.

September - During this month I was schooling, dancing, singing in the youth group worship band, working towards my license, and making new friends. September was an interesting month.

October - Here, I and many other people from youth group learned, practiced, and performed a drama called Freedom. It was a good enough experience that I wrote an essay about it. Clara was the lead character and in it her character was hurt and pulled around by the Devil. Even watching Clara play this role hurt me.. because the idea was so disgusting. From being in this drama things were put into perspective for me, and I was shown how much God’s heart breaks over his people who are hurt.

November - Dance, dance, dance! I had an increasing amount of rehearsals for The Christmas Ballet and The Nutcracker as well as finals coming up, which caused me to be extraordinarily busy. Mrs. Shurrell asked to choreograph a contemporary for me for YAGP! She said she was really impressed with my hard work and dancing.

December - There is so much I can say about this month, I don’t know what to pick.. Dance was a very significant part of this month. Oh my gosh.. I danced almost non-stop for two weeks. With four roles in the Nutcracker, I was ridiculously busy during rehearsals.. running back and forth between the dressing room and auditorium, barely stopping for breath. I was also able to play the Sugar Plum Fairy for the school shows which was an awesome opportunity. The Nutcracker was a wonderful performance for me, where I got to enjoy dance more than usual, and show that joy onstage.

Now my thoughts are directed towards Christmas, New Years, Onething, YAGP, and much much more.

I originally meant this to be the main things learned each month.. it kind of turned into my life for the past year. But this year's life has been good. I also had pictures positioned perfectly and other such things.. but this is too long anyway. Writing this is a way to look back on everything that has happened.

I hope you enjoy reading this... though there is no guarantee. Mine isn't the most interesting of lives. :)

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Week of Thanksgiving

Today is Monday. The only things I have to do today are history homework, geometry, and dance class. Everything else is optional! That is such a blessing. This week is the week of Thanksgiving.


I’m thankful because I still have more than a week left until history finals, that I don’t have to go to TJC class, and that today will be my last dance class for a week. Two weeks, actually. I won’t be taking classes next week, I will be rehearsing!


I can’t believe it is already time for Thanksgiving and Nutcracker! Christmas is only a month away. I’ve been so excited about this season approaching and now it is finally here. We have had many fires in the fireplace already, and I’ve enjoyed them greatly. I have Anne of Windy Poplars to read, but I haven’t really gotten into it yet. I’m sure I will, right at the height of the holidays and that will only add to my pleasure. :D


In addition to all of that, Mom callled Mrs. Shurrell today and said that I can do a solo for YAGP! I’m so excited! It is such an encouragement to have Shurrell ask me to do it. She said people normally come to her to ask for choreography, so it is an honor. We are going to start next week after Thanksgiving! :)



Here are some of my recent readings. The Lord keeps revealing more and more to me, and I keep learning more, every time I read the Bible.

Proverbs 23:15 - 25


My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.

My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.

Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.

Sure there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.


Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in they way,

Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat,

for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them in rags.


Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.


Romans 6: 3-4


Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life.


Ephesians 5:1, 7-14


Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us, and himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.


Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,


“Awake, Oh sleeper, and arise from the dead; and Christ will shine on you.”



Every week I do the childcare for the Tuesday-night prayer meetings. I’ve really been enjoying it. The children that come routinely are Ashley, Jonathan, Cole, and Nicki Hasz. Joseph and Becky Packard have started coming as well. Tonight we had ten kids! Clara was there to help me, which was a very good thing because it was crazy! Ashley and Jonathan, who are regularly the biggest of helps were very rowdy and only added to the craziness. Even with that I still enjoyed a lot.

I’m thankful that I have a job, and one that I enjoy. Even though it is only two hours a week, it is nice to have some regular money coming in. :)


Today, Wednesday, I went to Clara’s house and cooked and ate a Thanksgiving meal with her, her dad, Keeley, Kirk, and a few of his friends from Teen Mania. It was a lot of fun, and my first Thanksgiving to meal to actually prepare myself, so that was interesting. After eating and cleaning up, Clara, Keeley, and I went out to one of their back fields and ran around, climbed trees. It was wonderful!


THANKSGIVING DAY!

Ah yes, today is the day. I’m so thankful to have been able to spend the holiday with my wonderful family. The Babcocks and Andrew came over this afternoon for thanksgiving meal, and then we all went over there for dessert and some hang time. I played Wii for the first time in my life! The Forney and Babcock cousins don’t get to spend much time together, so today was a lot of fun.