Hello again!

Don’t worry everyone, I am fine. Just taking a bit of a break from this blog. For those who are interested, I started a new one here. It’s less of a religious blog and more of a personal thing, but basically the same concept. I guess I just wanted a fresh start after taking such a long break- boy, have I been busy! I probbaly won’t be updating this one anymore, so if you want to keep up with me, check out the new site. Thank you all!

Movies and the beach!

Well, I haven’t written in a while. We’ve been at the beach for my dad’s conference! We’re leaving tomorrow, but hey, at least we come back in a couple of weeks with the rest of my family. This was only a business trip for Daddy-O. Anyways, I don’t think I’m quite ready to leave! I’ve had quite a fun time catching fish in the ocean and eating out at those fancy seafood restaurants.

Anyways, today’s topic is about movies. I’m quite a movie buff. I’ll watch anything you throw at me, as long as it’s not too offensive (when I say offensive I mean overly gory or sexual). Well, most of the time. I was reading the plot for a movie called “Saved!”, which you can read for yourself here. I’ve heard of it before, but I’ve never really read much about it. I guess you could say I was nothing short of offended after reading about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never seen it, but after reading spoilers I got the gist of it. Apparently the plot revolves around Mary, a teenage girl attending a Christian school who gets pregnant while trying to “de-gayify” her boyfriend (smooth move, Mary). Over the course of the movie, she loses her faith and falls in with the misfits at her school. The antagonist is Hilary Faye and her friends, several Christian girls who are downright jerks. I mean, from what I’ve read, those girls are horrible! And they’re the only Christians in the film! In fact, every Christian in the film is either a hypocrite, or just downright mean.

I’m sorry, but that just irks me. What is this film trying to tell us? All Christians are complete snobs? Sure, I know that a lot of Christians do behave like Hilary Faye, but not all of them. In fact, true Christians are very loving and kind and forgiving. We accept you for who you are. Movies where the only decent people are the non-Christians upset me. If people actually embrace these movies, what is Hollywood coming to?

 

Sorry, guys!

After re-reading my gay post and its comments, I realized I did come off a little judgy. Sorry to all those I offended! I didn’t intend to sound like that at all. God bless you guys! I love you all!

-STG

There’s no business like show business…

Well,  I haven’t written an entry recently. Why? Becacse I’ve been so busy with my show! It’s finally over… which is, in a way, bittersweet. I’m not too crazy about the fact that drama’s over for the year (although we do have summer drama in July), but then again, I’m awfully glad to be free! Yesterday was quite the long day- I spent about eight or nine hours on set. Got there at one to help with the drama 1 run-through (drama 1 is the class I assistant teach), and then the show. I was SO proud of my kids! Their ages range from 5 to 7, so you wouldn’t imagine that they could perform a 15-minute show perfectly, but they did. I was beaming for an hour afterwards. Also, the drama 2 shows, and the first performance (not mine- I did the evening show) of the advanced drama show, Death By Chocolate went great!

And, as for the Death By Chocolate show I was in, guess what? I didn’t suck, according to the rest of the cast! Which was a good thing, because, being the leading lady, I got a bit nervous before the show- and I never get nervous! Although my wig flew off during one of the scenes where I’m “undercover”, the rest of the show went off without a hitch, including the kissing scenes. I was elated.

However, what happened between the first show and my show wasn’t so great. There’s a guy in my drama class named Andrew who plays the leading male role in the show (he’s also one of the guys I have to kiss onstage) who’s been being quite awful to me. He’ll come up to me and insult me for no particular reason- just because he can- and he’ll just go out of his way to hurt my feelings. So last night, about an hour and a half before my show, I was sitting onstage talking to a friend when Andrew comes up, rolls his eyes at me, and tells me to “just leave”. By that time I was sick of the way he was treating me. I was upset beyond belief. This had been going on for several weeks now, and without a reason. What had I done wrong? I ran away to a private place and started sobbing.

Eventually I went up to see my drama teacher, Mr. Kevin, still crying and hoping nobody would notice. Mr. Kevin always makes me feel better, even when I’m really upset. And I’m glad to say we had a great talk. He gave me some advice I certainly need to keep in mind- don’t worry about the people who don’t care about you. They aren’t worth your time, and don’t worry about what they say. Focus on the ones who love you, because they’re the ones who’ll stay with you forever.

I think that’s the best advice I’ve heard in a while, and I really need to take it to heart. I do get hurt easily, but next time somebody treats me like dirt I’ll remember what Mr. Kevin said. Those people aren’t worth your time, so don’t worry about what they say. So next time Andrew bullies me I won’t get as upset. Remember how the old saying goes- sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never heart me? I’m finally learing that’s true.

I guess everything happens for a reason. And maybe the whole Andrew thing happened to teach me a lesson. So, Mr. Kevin, if you’re reading this, thanks for the advice. You helped a bunch.

Oh, and if you’re wondering whatever happened to Andrew, I’ll go ahead and tell you. I was talking to Brian, Karen, and Jack, two of my good friends, when Andrew comes running up with a look of sheer terror across his face. He’s closely followed by one of my best friends, Amy, who looks awfully mad. Andrew looks at me and makes a comment about how Amy’s really scary when she’s angry. I ask her what’s up, and she just looks at Andrew and points to me, and I realize Amy’s mad at Andrew for the way he’s been treating me. I go up to hug her, but she steps back and says that Andrew has to apologize first. So I finally get my heartfelt apology from Andrew, and I got several good laughs from Amy. I’ve never seen her so mad- and I’ve never seen Andrew so scared. Oh, if only I had a camera.

How NOT to treat your grandparents!

I really should be in bed right now. But oh well- I feel like staying up so I can write (and watch the rest of this George Lopez episode… heh). Anyways, I to my granparents’ house yesterday (the ones on my dad’s side). They just came home last month, I think. During the winter, they make like birds and fly to Texas. I haven’t really spent time with them since they’ve been home.

Anyways, when I was younger (11 and 12), I used to treat them really rotten. Mostly because they treat me like I was around the age of seven, and maybe I thought that actually being nice to your grandparents wasn’t cool. But yesterday I made more of an effort to actually be sweet. After all, they’re both in their late seventies- they’re not going to be around much longer.

I started feeling pretty guilty about the way I treated them in the past, because they’ve done so much for me. The amount of stuff they’ve bought me is insane, and they love toting me around and hanging out with me. After all, I am the only young girl they have to do thing for! So, from now on, I think I’ll try and be a little bit nicer to them, which may not come easy, but I’ll try my hardest!

Anyways, we went to two pet stores yesterday. The first one was the nicest pet store I’ve seen in my area. It was a little Mom and Pop store, and you could tell they really cared about their animals. They have the cutest little hamsters there- I held two, and they were both really, really sweet. Apparently they don’t sell hamsteres that bite, which I found cool (I think I know where I’ll be getting my next hamster!). But that’s not all they had- they had baby rabbits (I held one of those, too), lizards, frogs, turtles, snakes, tarantulas… everything, really. It was a pretty neat place!

The second one we went to was the local Petco. I was really dissapointed in that place. The animals’ cages were dirty, and all of the animals seemed to be really upset. The sales lady refused to let me hold any because she thought they’d either a. run away or b. bite me. But she got them out so I could pet them. They did run- and bite- and they made really distressed squeaking sounds. And the way the woman held them was awful! She’d pick them up by the scruff of their necks, and the hamsters would squeal and squeal. It was relaly sad to watch. All of the Petcos in our area are like that- the employees don’t really seem to care, and the quality of the animals is subpar.

I think I did more than my fair share of ranting to my dearest Nana on the car ride home. She actually made an effort to listen to my rants, too. I’m so thankful to have somebody that will actually listen to me go on and on about my family and pets and life in general, because most people really aren’t interested! So, like I said, I’m gonna try and stop being so awful towards my grandparents. Because what did they ever do to deserve THAT?

Those little insecurities

Went to the YMCA for kickboxing and swimming again today. I wore my favorite swimsuit- this one-piece I got in March. I think it’s pretty nifty, although it does show off the fact that I really don’t have many curves. I know they’ll come in time, but being an impatient, bratty teenager, I’m kind of wishing I had them now. I guess you could say I’m just a late bloomer.

I guess you could say my lack of womanliness would be my self-concious area. It’s been like that since sometime when I was twelve, when my friends stopped looking like little kids and more like teenagers. Okay, so I’m not COMPLETELY flat- I have a little bit of shape. But not that much. And you know what else? I haven’t hit my period quite yet, which is also embarrassing.

You know how people say that they’re completely comfortable in their skin? That bugs me. I don’t think ANYBODY is completely comfortable with their appearance. Even the most confident person most likely has one tiny insecurity, although he or she may not admit it. However, I don’t think we should let these little insecurities control our lives. We should live with them the best we can, even though they may bug us (and they will).

I’ve met people who are constantly ranting and raving about their looks. They hate their hair, or they hate their eyes, or they hate their nose, and it’s all they ever talk about! I’m not saying that they have to learn their nose or hair or eyes or whatever may be bugging them, because that’s a very hard thing to do. You can’t really expect that out of the average person. But you should put up with them the best you can and try and make due with them. That certain little thing about you shouldn’t be the only thing you see when you look in the mirror. Try to focus on the good stuff instead of the bad.

Like I said, you can’t really become truly comfortable in your own skin. Nobody is. Everybody has those little insecurities. Everybody. But, like I said, don’t let them run your life, and focus on the positives. So how about you? Any stories you want to share?  What are your insecurities? I love hearing from you all.

Summertime, church, and theater!

The pool by my house opens quite soon, it’s getting awfully outside, and Target’s started selling swimwear (okay, they started selling swimwear back in February, but you get the picture). You know what that means? It’s summertime!
For me, school gets out in about two weeks, and then summertime! I wish summer was longer, though… I really dread going back to school. Why? I’ll be a freshman in high school, and I’m nervous beyond belief. I’ve already heard enough horror stories about my biology teacher to send me heading for the hills, thank you very much (even though I’m home-schooled, I do take a bunch of my courses outside of the home). Being home-schooled, I can work at my own pace, and I’m taking numerous advanced classes. I’m just hoping I won’t get in over my head next year. Any words of advice?
In other news, we joined a church last weekend! It’s a Baptist church near my house, and I really like it. This is the first church we’ve visited I feel like I really belong in. And you know what else? I’d really like to be baptised here. Believe it or not, I actually haven’t been baptised. I was dedicated as a little kid, but never baptised. No, I’m not one of those people who believe that you have to be baptised to go to Heaven. I think the only thing you have to do to get to Heaven is to accept Jesus into your heart. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get baptised, so I plan on talking to my pastor about it.
Anyways, I think it’s time for another rehearsal update. Our show is on May 24th. The lead actor is struggling on his lines beyond belief. Frankly, I’m getting rather nervous. Please pray that everything comes together! Thanks, guys!

Well, it’s been a while!

So sorry I haven’t posted in a while! I’ve kind of neglected the blog- whoops! Promise I’ll keep updating it every day or two again. I’ve just been quite busy with school, and my show. Only about fifteen days left until the performance.

Anyways, thanks a bunch for your kind words on my hamster! I’m proud to say he’s a lot better. I think moving him out of his old cage was stressful, so I put him back in the old Habitrail Ovo and he’s fine now. He’s still drinking a lot (and soaking his cage), but otherwise he doesn’t appear to be very ill.

In other hamster-related news, I got another little companion! He’s a black Syrian, and I named him Max. He’s very cute, and enjoys falling asleep in my hand. And licking my fingernails. Maybe nail polish tastes good to him…?

Anyways, I’ve got a story I want to share with you guys. I’ve been meaning to post it for a while now, but like I said, I’ve been busy and I kept forgetting! I was at rehearsal last week when two of my good friends, Jayna and Andrew, had a quite serious talk about religion. Andrew is a devoted Christian, but Jayna is an atheist. She finds the whole religious thing a bit hard to understand, so she and Andrew got into a big discussion about it. At first Jayna was just asking simple questions about God and Jesus and the Bible, and Andrew answered them, but after a while Andrew went into full-fledged lecture mode. When it was time to go back in and rehearse our scenes, Jayna started to cry. She told me she felt like she was being judged and prosecuted for something, and she felt really awful.

I think that would be a good example of somebody shoving their religion down another’s throat when they don’t really want you to. I think preaching about God is a really wonderful thing, but when you do so, choose your words wisely, or else you may come off too strong, like Andrew did to Jayna. Anybody else have a story like this? Any opinions? I love hearing from you guys.

Hamster Emergency

Well, I haven’t posted in a while. Why? I’ve been sick. SPRING IS EVIL, I TELL YOU! I came down with a sinus infection, and the fact that pollen’s everywhere these days didn’t really ease my suffering. However, I’m a lot better now, for the most part.
Anyways, today I woke up to find something rather odd. My Campbell’s dwarf hamster, Binky, was shaking like crazy and could barely walk. We did some research, called the vet, and observed him more, and we’ve concluded he’s got diabetes. He does drink and urinate a lot, and shaking is a symptom, and his breed of hamster is commonly effected. I was crying my eyes out- he was in awful shape. He’s doing better now, though. He’s walking around, not shaking as much, and is getting back to his normal self. But we’re not out of the woods yet.
I’m really attached to the little guy, if you haven’t noticed (I’m a huge hamster fanatic). So please send your thoughts and prayers his way- I hate seeing him suffer. Thanks a bunch, everyone. Binky’s my baby, and I’d hate to lose him.

Teens and their mothers

I went to Target today again, after babysitting for a girl down my street. Going down there has become a regular thing for me, I s’pose. Of course, I took my babysitting money. I got Mom a boquet of flowers. They were cheap ($5.30), but I think she really appreciated them. Right now they’re sitting in a nice little glass vase in the kitchen.

If you haven’t guessed already, my mom and I have an INCREDIBLY close relationship. Most girls my age think their mother is the worst thing that’s ever happened to them. I know better. My mother is my best friend. But one of my close friends, Amy, doesn’t feel that way about her mom. She basically considers her her mortal enemy, which I think is sad. The poor woman is a single parent, and she’s trying so hard to please Amy. But Amy doesn’t want anything to do with her mom. Sure, her mom can be a bit annoying and embarrassing, but Amy should still treat her with respect instead of yelling “MOM, GET OUT!” whenever she comes near her.

The way I see it, mother-daughter relationships are a two way street, and most of the time, the mother is more than willing to give her part. However, the daughter pulls away. In the typical family, the mother would like noting more than her daughter to pay attention to her, but her daughter doesn’t give her the time of day because she finds her mother “embarrassing”. Which is really sad. I’m not saying it’s always like this- sometimes the daughter wants to have a relationship with her mother, but her mother is too busy to notice her kid. But a lot of the time it’s the other way around.

So girls, next time you get the chance, maybe do something sweet for your mother. Buy her a card, make her something meaningful, or just sit down and talk with her. She’ll appreciate it. Y’know, your mother really isn’t that bad. Bear in mind that I’m not saying every kid should have the relationship I have with my mom. I’m just saying not to completely shut them out and treat them like dirt. At least make an effort to show your mom you care.