"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." – Dr. Seuss

I need to plaster that quote all over my dorm room this year.

So I've come to my last day working in the STEM Center, and I'm kinda feeling sad about it! The two ladies that I've spent most of my time with are just lovely, and I will miss them quite a bit! Here's hoping I can work here next summer :)

I've just about come to the end of my summer at home, as well. Thursday I'll head back to school to train for my new job, just in time to melt in the 110+ degree heat up there, and then class will be starting before I even know it! Honestly, if I could have my perfect world, I'd be able to go to school and live close to home, but alas I can not, so I'll just have to be brave and deal with it. I am excited to see all my friends again, though, it's been far too long and I miss them dreadfully! Sheesh, I feel like all I ever do is miss people :/ that's what I get for going to school in a different state! Tonight, however, is a celebration! Since I won't be home for my birthday next week, we're celebrating tonight. Even my brother is leaving his mission stay (not a trip, they're staying in town) to come, and that's saying something!

Well, this has been an thoroughly sappy post so far :P In other news, last week was our family trip to Florida, and it was magnificent! Four, yes, FOUR days on the beach, including a boat ride, a trip to the Naval Air Museum, and one night camping on the beach with my dad! Not to mention time to spend with extended family that I don't get to see too often. The best news? I only got a very light sunburn, and that's truly impressive for one as white as I am. I'll have to post some pictures of Florida when I get the chance, because I took some very lovely ones; but it may be the weekend before I get around to it, what with moving states and jobs and all.

Now, for your entertainment update: Peter Jackson has officially announced that The Hobbit is now a trilogy!! You have no idea how excited I am for these three movies. Currently I'm re-reading The Hobbit, and then I'm going to start in on the LotR appendixes, and if I get really motivated, I'll read the Unfinished Tales or Book of Lost Tales. I might even make my, ahem...5th...attempt to read the Silmarillion.. I might even finish this time! But regardless, Jackson did such a fine job with the LotR, I'm quite confident that he can muster up 3 more good movies!

College, Spring 2012

Posting every 5 months is an acceptable amount of blogging, right? OK you may not want to hold your breath waiting for the next post, but I'm OK with that. Maybe I should just resign myself to only posting once I finish a semester, that way there's no pressure while all the interesting portions of my life are happening ;)

This last semester really was fun, though! I had a nutty class schedule, though, because I was in 3 studio classes, which means I was in the classroom about 27hrs per week, not counting homework/project time. So without a job or other commitments, I had roughly 50hrs a week used up. But I really liked all my classes, none of them were boring and most of them were pretty easy, provided I did the work on time. Except, of course, for the 1000 level honors seminar that I though would be an easy 3-hr credit full of reading fun books. No no, this one turned out to be the most challenging class I've taken so far, and I almost got my first B because I bombed the first paper (it had been a few days since I'd last slept when I wrote the paper at 3AM the night before :P). But my teacher liked me, and I did fine with the rest of the class so I managed to squeak out an A.

The class was really interesting, though! The subject was Magic Ring Allegories, so basically we read every significant text that had a magic ring involved starting with Plato's Republic right down to the Green Lantern: Secret Origins. Fun, you think? Technically, yes, but the 2hr essay test final covering all 8 texts (assuming you count the whole of Wagner as one and the LotR trilogy as one) almost killed me. But hey, I never would have read a comic book if not for this class, and I actually enjoyed it, so that's a plus!

Overall, my 3D foundations class was my favorite, because we got to solder and build a chair! Basically, we made 3 of the most beastly projects ever, and got college credit for it. I enjoyed it so much and liked the projects I made so much, I think I'll share pictures of what I made! A mask made from baling wire, a plaster  relief sculpture cast from a mold I made, and a chair (I was only allowed 1 2x4, screws, and dowels to make the chair, nothing else).

I'm even more excited for next fall, because I get to take Jewelry and Metals I, so I'll be soldering and hammering the whole semester long! I also have a job at the front desk of my residence hall, so we'll see how my time-management skills measure up to the challenge.


In the meantime, I'm puttering around at home, looking for a job and attempting to launch an Etsy store. It's funny how after living with people my age for 9 months, there aren't really any people my age that I hang out with now; it's just been so long since I lived here that my growing up experiences are too different to just pick up where I left off with my old friends. I still like them, and we're still friends, it's just that we don't have any strong ties to keep us close. Such is life, and I will just have to practice my long distance relationships with the girls from my hall, and wait for next fall!

Vikings, and My Lack of Responsibility

One more day of classes, and then break!!!!! I am so insanely excited to see my family, you have no idea! Initially, I was not going to get to go home for Thanksgiving, but plans have been made (and then re-arranged) so that my sister and I get to go home Tuesday! I've never been away from them for so long (geeze, around 2 months) and I'm doing just fine, but it's not my preference :/ And yes, I do realize it will get longer and longer every time, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!

But nonetheless, college is still fun! I am done with most serious homework till finals, so now I can relax a little. Although today I may have relaxed a little too much, seeing as I slept super late, didn't clean my room, didn't work on my drawing project, didn't start my math, and definitely didn't do laundry. What did I do, you ask? I may have spent an obscene amount of time on Pinterest, if you must know. But hey, now I have even more things to think about trying! That is, when I stop procrastinating......and re-pinning stuff......and trying all the worthless things I find..

However, the day was not a total loss! Tonight I went to Viking Feast hosted by my residence hall (the honors hall, because we're all nerds), and it was quite fun! There was a whole (gigantic!) roast pig that was delicious, fighting demonstrations, a stew competition, door prizes, I think dancing, and some people even dressed up (myself included, because I never say no to wearing a costume)! On the whole, it was a happy event! Except when the frat house across the street launched a water balloon at the fighting.....ring? I guess? Anyway, it hit a girl in the face and our hall's RD went over to talk to them (followed by several angry vikings) and I think the police were called too. But other than that, it was a fun event :)

And to top off this extremely unproductive (but fun) day, I ended by watching the Fellowship of the Ring (extended, of course) with some friends :) So I guess I don't have any reason to put off doing what I need to do, because I don't have any large, pressing homework assignments, I don't need any more sleep (I got 10 hours last night. Yes, be jealous.), I have had my time to relax and catch up on e-mails, fb, and pinterest, I've got in my social time, and I'm not sick (at least not too sick). So I guess this means I'll have to be responsible and do laundry and work on my drawing assignment tomorrow, and start in on math Monday. Cause we all know that's what I want to do between classes Monday :p

I realize, some of you may think I have fallen off the face of the earth, as I am not usually this inconsistent, but rest assured, I am fine. Just very busy (and I have a facebook now, so that takes some of my time too). School is taking so much of my life, I have the PSAT and the ACT to study for (PSAT is next Wednesday), and I am working on two math programs and two science programs. One each of the math and sciences will be done soon, so I will have more time next month (hopefully).

Right now, we have my grandparents and two cousins visiting, in honor of it being 1 year since my grandpa's heart attack. He is doing fantastic! Since we have family in town, Jc also came to stay for the weekend. I hadn't seen her in several weeks, so I was glad she finally came home yesterday. She had to work today, so she drove all the way back to Norman, and she will be coming back here tonight. That is a lot of driving.

So, I am going to have another jewelry booth next month! Our church has a craft fair every year, and I get to go this year! I am very excited about it. I am going to have to work hard to get it all ready though. I need to get a State Tax ID Number, so that I can be really official (and order from wholesalers). I am not looking forward to the paperwork, but since this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, I should probably get some experience.

Today, I went to a class meeting. There are enough homeschoolers in the metro to have several graduation ceremonies, one of which usually has upwards of 30 or 40 kids from around the state, which is the one I am planning on graduating with, and it's the one Jc graduated with. It is strange to start thinking about graduating already. I am signed up to be on the yearbook committee and the activities committee. Now, I will finally be able to use my amazing yearbook skills again ;) I almost ran for an office (treasurer), but I decided that it would probably be too much for me to do, so maybe I can be chairman of one of the committees I'm on.

~Ellentia

Back to normal?

I have always thought that there isn't any "normal," but I am more convinced now then I ever was. I have done all sorts of things that don't fit into this category, from spontaneous outings with friends to simply having a different schedule every day. It wears me out so much that sometimes I wish there was a normal to return to.

Anywho, after we got home Sunday night (our trip was great, by the way), I have felt like I have had a million things to do, but I never can remember them all. Choir starts next Tuesday, as does my babysitting job, so I will have more to adjust to. The following Monday, the all consuming and imposing history class starts again. I am excited though, to be back to seeing people regularly again.

I really have so much to do this year, but it should be fun. I will enjoy babysitting, and my jewelry business is always fun (if time consuming). I am hoping to get a webpage for it this fall sometime. I will also get my license in a month or so, which will be cool. I don't have a car, but I will be saving every possible penny so I can maybe get one next year.

Last night I was at a small group sleepover, and we made a late-night run to Taco Bueno (not that terrific). Anyway, I jammed my finger getting out of the car (climbing over a seat), and it hurts dreadfully now. I iced it last night, but it is still swollen and a little purple in one spot, and I am starting to wonder if there is something I need to do about it.

I need to go do other things now, so I will go. Have a happy, un-normal day!

~Ellentia

There is no good title for this post

It's been longer than I thought it had since I last posted. Today, being the 5th of February, I could get my drivers permit. However, since I haven't studied at all for the test, it will not be happening today. Hopefully by next week, though, I will get my permit.

I have been in a weird mood lately. I guess part of it is that I have had 20,000 things running through my brain all at the same time. It does things to you to have too many things to think about. Mostly, the things have no immediate effect, and won't have any effect for several months, so a lot of it is not necessary. I guess I will have to try to calm my thoughts down a bit.

I'm excited for tomorrow, one of the girls in my history class is having a Gone with the Wind watch party. I did watch it last week (for the first time) but hey, who wants to miss a party? It will be the first time that I've seen any of the people outside of class, so it might be a little strange, but it should be lots of fun.

School is going to drive me crazy. I am sick of algebra. I am sort of behind too, so I have to do as much as possible. My biggest problem is that sometimes I don't understand what they are trying to tell me. I then miss a lot of the problems and my grade goes down. Sometimes it takes me a week of working on it to finally understand what they are talking about. Biology is frustrating too, but I'm just tired of doing it. Thankfully I understand it.

I am going to be so sad when Jc graduates. She has been visiting collages and applying for scholarships and filling out applications. Thankfully, all the collages she's looked at are within an hour and a half driving time, so she will get to visit often.

~Ellentia

Hello. So, back into the normal routine. It's nice to be back though, I missed people over the break. Class has started, choir has started. However, because I am working on some things with my voice, I am switching to Alto for a while. It is very different to sing harmony than melody. I was trying to pick out the melody and so I had to really work to sing the harmony. It is a good challenge though, I will hopefully get better at reading music.

Today is Dad's birthday. Happy birthday Dad!


Quote/Passage of the Day, from Oliver Twist

"I never heard of such a thing!" exclaimed the fat gentleman. "My dear Mrs. Maylie- bless my soul- in the silence of night, too- I (r)never¯ heard of such a thing!"

With these expressions of condolence, the fat gentleman shook hands with both ladies, and drawing up a chair, inquired how they found themselves.

"You ought to be dead; positively dead with the fright," said the fat gentleman. "Why didn't you send? Bless me, my man should have come in a minute; and so would I; and my assistant would have been delighted; or anybody, I'm sure, under such circumstances. Dear, dear! So unexpected! In the silence of night, too!"

The doctor seemed especially troubled by the fact of the robbery having been unexpected, and attempted in the nighttime; as if it were the established custom of gentlemen in the housebreaking way to transact business at noon, and to make an appointment, by post, a day or two previous.


I have enjoyed Oliver Twist a lot more than I expected. I like the writing style of Charles Dickens, sarcastic but not overly so.

~Ellentia

Bits and Pieces

So, it has been a while since I actually wrote a post. I guess it is just easier to use something that is already written. I feel like I have been terribly busy with school, but it's also possible that I am just suffering from bad time-management. Monday I had to turn in my big poster project for history. I was so glad I had it finished last Saturday so I didn't have to do anything on Sunday. I then had to complete another project and study for and take the 9 weeks test that isn't given at the 9 weeks point.

I also babysat all Wednesday night. The people had tickets to the first official Oklahoma City Thunder game. I had a good time though, the kids are the age of Libba and Phil so I was used to that age of kids. After Zander and Zella were asleep I watched tv (I know, but I was told I could). Have you ever watched the show Prototype This on Discovery? It is a cool show! On the one I watched in two weeks they built a car that could move directly sideways, park over other cars (completely automatically) and drive over other cars to escape traffic jams. The Trafficbuster. The wheels they found were the coolest part though. They are Airtrax wheels, I would suggest looking them up.

Last night we went to the Pops Oklahoma Philharmonic symphony. It was called Hitchkock and they showed clips from four Hitchkock movies, To Catch a Thief, Dial M for Murder, Strangers on a train and North by Northwest. However, the symphony played all the music. It was a really fun concert.

This afternoon we are going to another OU game to take tickets. The game doesn't even start till 7pm so it will be extremely late before we get home.

~Ellentia

So, since I last posted, nothing really exciting has happened (maybe that's why I have taken so long to post again!). I am loaded down with school this year and to be honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to get it all done! Each subject by itself (except Chemistry) isn't a problem; but putting them together is going to be tough.

Okay, enough school. This year I am planning to enter into the state fair competitions. The deadline for entry forms is Friday. I need to hurry up and get my entries settled. Thankfully I don't have to have the actual piece finished, I just have to have the forms mailed in. Surprisingly (ha ha) there are a ton more categories then there were in Nac, and it is difficult to know which ones I'm looking for.

Dad has finally re-started the girls ensemble at church. I love the song he picked! I hope that we can learn it fast so we can spend more time on the fine-tuning. I am a little worried that the middle part will have some trouble because the girls in it, as far as I know, have not done a lot of singing, and the song is syncopated. But, I am not too worried, because Dad is an excellent teacher and the girls will probably do fine.

~Ellentia