Pre-req to a Real Post.

Dante, St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, and Lew Wallace. The end.

The Lady of Shalott

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.

Royal Family Kids Camp

We're back from RFKC! Oh my Guinness, it was a long week! Despite being long, tiring, and down right difficult, it was absolutely incredible! Those kids broke my heart... *sigh* They each had so many problems and at such a young age! The youngest children there were 6 years old... one of those little ones had to be sent home on the first day... He had a fit and began to bang his head against the corner of the bed. The poor thing had to be restrained for an hour or two, just so he wouldn't hurt himself further...

I'm really not one to cry at the drop of a pin, but the very thought of all of those children makes my eyes prick. It was tragic, having to see them go home to who knows what. Especially my little boys of cabin 5! Fortunately, Ryan and his sister Emerald are in the process of being adopted, but Axel and Angel just want to go back to their real moms. And Kyler had nothing more to look forward to than returning to a group home... Ms. Micaela and all the counselors were such a blessing in these kids' lives! Thank you all!

I tried to start this post as soon as I got home, but I couldn't write anymore, and now I find it just as difficult. If any of you wants to know more about camp, let me know. And please don't worry. The good far outweighed the bad and there were many ridiculous, funny stories I *could* tell. Maybe later.

Yes, that is my eye.

Music to Grow Up On

Some of you may notice the new playlist of music. I thought I might educate y'all on the songs that I grew up on. Some of my earliest memories are of listening to these songs. It's a pretty fun playlist if you're into that sort of thing. Here's a list of what's there at the moment:

Immigrant Song- Led Zepplin
Come Together- Aerosmith
People Are Strange- The Doors
Heartbeat City- The Cars
Rock the Casbah- The Clash
Walk This Way- Aerosmith
San Francisco- Scott McKenzie
Uneasy Rider- The Charlie Daniels Band*
Life's Been Good- Joe Walsh*
Hotel California- The Eagles*
Jack and Diane- John Mellencamp*
Don't Take the Girl- Tim McGraw*
One Tin Soldier- Coven*
The 59th Street Bridge Song- Simon and Garfunkel*
Piano Man- Billy Joel
California Dreamin'- The Mammas and the Pappas*
I'm Blue (remix)- DJ-Axe
Land Down Under- Men at Work
Eye of the Tiger- Survivor
The Final Countdown- Europe*
The Crocodile Rock- Sir Elton John*
Dream On- Aerosmith*

Note: Songs with *asterisks are the very oldest listening.

Sooo Vogue!

The Inspiration






The Recreation





Mandy and I were very, very bored. After laughing over the insanely inpractical hair-stylings in TeenVogue, we decided to recreate them for ourselves. Naturely, Mandy got to be the model. hehe There were about four curlers and ten million bobby pins in her hair. (okay, maybe not that many) And yes, her eyebrows were extended, thickened, and darkened with eyeliner. (eyebrow pencil comes off too easy) Thank you Mandy for letting me post these!! *muah*

The Wind in the Joshua Trees

The June trip to Lake Mohave is almost always a terribly windy trip. For those of you who have never been to a lake, I should probably clarify what this means. You see, most water sports require relatively flat water to be properly enjoyed. With the interference of wind, inter-tubing becomes even more nerve-wracking, water skiing and wake boarding is all but hateful, and even simple boat rides are bone-rattling, white knuckle experiences. Clearly, anything beyond a gentle breeze is most unwelcome to even the least seasoned of boaters.

This year turned out no better than predicted. Friday through Sunday were absolutely gusty, with Thursday and Monday being the days when most everyone but us was not yet there or had already left. On those windy days we weren't even able to venture out onto the water... Lets just say that we all played far too much poker and read far too much for our own good. I got through a novelty read just Friday and through most of 'Surprised by Joy' by C.S. Lewis (a highly worth while read, by the bye). However, the entire time did not go to waste.

My dear Uncle Gregory and Aunt Julie McGinity (the fantastically politically minded and beautifully conservative ones) and their two charming little girls (adjective overload!!!) joined us for the weekend. Whenever we get to spend time with them, it means a great deal of heavy discussion (with the whole family getting heatedly involved)will be going on. Over dinner we debated my future college plans and current academic and extracurricular choices. ("Is it time to rag on Kait again?!" -Uncle Greg (Don't worry, entirely sarcastically)) While on a boat ride we argued about the founding of America, whether or not Israel is a theocracy (which it most certainly is not!!), and whether or not we should have God's name on our money and in our pledge. You know, light, frivolous topics. Oh my Guinness, I truly love my family!

Fortunately for the sake of that family I so dearly love (Grandmum was getting a little exasperated with all the Republicans...), Monday was beautiful! Erin and Nora both got up on the Skimmer board and, though there were a few tears involved, "it was fun because Uncle Bob went reaaaly reaaaly slow for [them]". We even got Uncle Gregory to ski despite his "delicate tastes" when it comes to water temperature and ideal weather conditions. I still don't think he really figured out "what the heck [was] up with those frickin' crocodiles!". Greg, Julie, Grandpa, Dad, and I all skied but Mum could not be rallied into joining. We'll get her next time! And Jess and Zach both wake boarded. The weekend in entirety ended quite well, now on to Royal Family Kids Camp!

I Promise...

to post as soon as I have time and it won't turn out incoherent from my lack of sleep!