Summer Bucket List 2014

Hello all! It's been too long. But I hope that this will change. I've decided to challenge myself this summer to get out with friends more often, so I've compiled a list, with their help, of fun things to do before the summer is over. And I'm going to write a blog post for each and every one of the items on my list that I complete. 

 

My list~~ 

1) Share Jesus

2) Go to a concert

3) Mini road trip with friends 

4) Collect change all summer, and cash it before school starts again

5) Go to the beach and build a giant sandcastle

6) Go to a water park

7) Make a music video

8) Eat outdoors, on August 31st (National Eat Outside Day)

9) Sleep under the stars

10) Visit a photo booth with a friend

11) Visit the pirate's treehouse (a local attraction)

12) Attempt to break a world record

13) Go to the outdoor theater

14) Fly a kite

15) Play in the water fountain (with my niece and nephew?)

16) Have a bonfire

17) Run a 5k

18) Pick flowers from a 'u-pick flower patch'

What are your plans for the summer? Is there anything you would add or take away from my list?

~~ Stephanie 

Fear of Water

Heart pounding in my throat, my palms feel clammy as I look down past my feet. The water ripples and sloshes against the dock. 

I can't believe I'm doing this. Why am I doing this? 

Time has run out and I know I'm being watched as I toe the edge. 

There is no turning back. 

I jump and life around me is moving in slow motion. Voices rise and fall but the rush of blood through my veins impairs my ability to distinguish any words. My toe pierces the water and one word flashes to my brain.

Cold.

Before another word can replace it time snaps back into place and my whole body plunges into the depths. 

The water covers my head. Water is at my eyes, nose and lips. I kick my feet. My hands move over my head. I can't feel the air. 

I'm too deep.

Don't panic. Swim. Don't Panic. Swim.

I break the surface and take a gulp of fresh air. 

I feel the smile on my face. 

I did it.

(I took the cold water challenge, though the thought of submerging my head in frigid water nearly induces a panic attack. However, I won't be sharing the video as I have tagged friends in it, using their full names. But I wanted to take this opportunity to do some writing, hope you find it...interesting.)

Everything is new in the spring....

Springs themselves are always so new, too.  No spring is ever just like any other spring.  It always has something of its own to be its own peculiar sweetness.

Anne Shirley - Anne of the Island

If you couldn't tell by the picture, I'm reading Anne of Windy Poplars. But the only satisfactory quote I could find about spring was in the previous tome of the Anne series.

I took this picture on my break at work today. It was around two thirty in the afternoon and as I was diapering wee lads and lasses (an unromantic occupation, I know. There it is folks, my career choice in all its smelly glory) I looked out the window in front of me and it being slightly opened to freshen the air indoors, I caught a delicious whiff of green grass freshened by yesterdays downpour (And would you believe it? Sunday's snow!) I saw the sun beating down on the baseball field on the other side of the parking lot, I imagined it's warmth on my arms and face and I knew I had to spend my break out in the glorious sunshine. Well, when it came time I garbed myself with my jacket and betook myself to that field with my coworker's warning "Don't get wet", still ringing in my ear.

I walked across the concrete and felt the slight breeze mix with the warm rays of sunlight. As I reached the fence surrounding the field I opened my book and quickly lost myself in Anne's letters to Gilbert.

For the record, Windy Poplars is one of my favorite in this series. Because we have already moved past Anne's struggle to admit feelings for Gil, and we get to see the delightfulness of a real love based on friendship.

Anyway I lost myself in it.... aaaannnnd, stepped right into marshy grass. You see, while it may look  like spring, even feel like spring at times, it is not quiet arrived yet. So, for the next fifteen minutes of my day I paced a short amount of ground in my soggy shoes and imagined I had the toasty-est toes I'd ever walked on and pretended this cold winter was over.

 So I came to earth with a thud and walked into work again with my cold, wet feet. Feeling happier for the few minutes of warm, sunny, imagination I was blessed with today

How is the weather where you are? What are you currently reading? What is your favorite season?

Mrs. Harris: A Character Study

I listened to this while writing this post, so I thought you may want to listen while reading.

She's the one on the right ;)

Mrs. Harris was played by Dame Wendy Miller and appeared in Anne of Avonlea in 1987

I'm not even going to get into the character from the books named Mrs. Harris...oh wait, even if I wanted to it would be impossible. Because she doesn't even exist.

 Now, I'm going to try to keep the ranting down to a minimum. I know that strictly speaking Mrs. Harris isn't in the books, but her character is the compilation of several characters. And while I don't appreciate that people can't seem to stick to a book whenever they make a movie, I do want this post to be full of positive things rather then negative. So I'm just going to move on now....

At first glance Mrs. Harris is an invalid old lady, who, while not being outright cruel, is seemingly unkind to her family at times. Upon further inspection we find that she is extremely manipulative and self centered.

 It is only when we reach the third layer that we discover her seeming cruelty is an act. We have on or hands a mother trying to inspire her daughter to grow a backbone. She is mistaken in the way to go about it (there is hardly a contradictory or disrespectful bone in her body). But because this method of reverse psychology (because yes, that is all it is folks)  worked with her son, she refuses to admit that she is wrong about her daughter and is too stubborn to change her ways at this point.

 I think she is relieved when Anne comes along and sees through what she is doing. Especially when Anne doesn't call her out on it, but instead plays along, helping Polly (for those of you who aren't aware, Polly is Mrs. Harris's daughter) finally stand up to her mother where she should.

What are your thoughts on Mrs. Harris? are you able to look past the fact that she is a character completely made up for the movie adaptation? Do you love to hate or hate to love her? Or somewhere in between?

A little question...

 Hey, just thought I'd pop by to ask you all something. What is your favorite literary character?
  Please answer in detail, with their name, what book they are from, what your favorite traits are that the character possesses. Anything else you can think of.  I'm not going to tell you just yet what this is for, but you will soon find out.  Thanks!