Saturday, January 19, 2008

Pictures


Allise and I had been goofing off in the park playing on the equipment. This was the result of a rather interusting moment caught by my digital camera.





This picture occured during my friends Christmas party. We were outside playing in the snow for quite a while. We had just come inside, and had decided to take off our pants to put them in the drier. You can clearly see the coat around this friend.





This one came on July 1rst when a friend of mine and I decided to have our own fourth of July celebration together since I would be out of town on the fourth. This particular firework was great, until it tipped over on it's own. After the firework was done going off, this is what we found!
Hopefully this next year will bring some new and interusting pictures for me to post. Hopefully there aren't any more fireworks that tip over to scorch the grass and sand in the park. I do hope that I can find some time to take a few more pictures this year to post here. These pictures might bring some interusting insites to what is going on in my life and as to what it is like to only be 4 foot eleven inches tall.


Friday, January 18, 2008

Wicked Trailer

That was something I made about two days ago during a quiet moment. I love the quiet moments around here when no one is making any nosie, and nobody is getting in anybody elses way. I don't get these moments too often. I somehow managed to find one on Wensday. Hopefully I will find a few more of these quiet moments during which to blog and make more videos for youtube.

The quiet moments around here are the moments when I really am able to hear myself think and have some of my best ideas. Over the next two days, while everyone is home (its the weekend.) I won't blog, and I wont make videos until everyone is in bed except me. But even that is unlikley. I am SO much more likley to be sitting in my room watching a movie. Or doing homework. Or writing a little.

It's going to be a long weekend with the family that doesn't know when to get off of my case. Hopefully they stay away so I can concentrate on my school work this weekend. They aren't a bad family, they just get on my nerves more often than they help me. For example, my brother will burst in on me and start asking questions about this that and the other thing. As soo as he leaves, my mom or dad will enter and start asking me questions. Maybe this weekend they will back off a little.

Love ya all!
Erin

"Complete Peace" Update

A new blog-Yipee!

I don't have the deleted scenes here at home. Currently those scenes are with a friend. I will get them back in a couple of days, so I'll post that then. I am currently working on the MASSIVE project of completley renovating "Complete Peace". I have decided that I am going to write a second version of "Complete Peace". I am keeping the third draft. I'm doing a complete re-write for a reason- I wanted to have two different versions of the same screenplay to choose from. I might find things from both versions I like and do anouther complete re-write again to get what I wanted to end with. I never know what will work the best until I have tried it all.

The first version I wrote (which is in it's third draft) starts before Jennifer is even born. I like this version because you see everything that happens in chronilogical order.

My newer version (the one I working on writing now) starts at the end of the story and goes backwards. I like this version because of the fact that you see where everyone ends up. It has also forced me to question the questions more about what happens to them later in life, which I never really got into before. I also like this version because of the fact that I have been able to find a few new things that I already knew, but just didn't think about before.

This re-written version will (HOPEFULLY) help me to find moments that are important to the story that I never really thought about it. When I first started writing this re-written version, I decided to go to the time shortley after Jennifer dies. Yes my main character dies. Thankfully she doesn't die until she is 85. I love the fact Jennifer dies at an old age. I had to start with the moment that Jennifer's family scatters Jennifer's ashes to the wind the day before the fourth of July.

You might be asking why I choose the third of July. I choose the third of July because Jennifer loves the fourth of July and fireworks. Jennifer always went to see the fireworks in Wisconsin. She always loved the colors, the sounds, the sights, and the smells of fireworks. Not only did she love the fireworks on the fourth of July, but she also loved spending that time with her family. To completley understand the reason behind scattering Jennifer's ashes on the third of July, you have to know a story of mine. Every year around the fourth of July my family goes to Wisconsin for the Fourth of July. On the Third of July we will all go down to the dock to watch the boat parade (people light up their boats- one year there was a volcano that actually erupted). That always happens at dusk. Within minutes after the parade, other people on the lake that have been on their docks watching the parade start to set off fireworks from their docks. This has always been a highlight for us. We enjoy setting off a few fireworks, and we get to watch other people's fireworks. It's almost like having our own private (ameture) fireworks show. I decided on having Jennifer's family scatter her ashes on the Third Of July on a Wisconsin Lake that her family spent every fourth of July at because Jennifer also loved the fireworks that were set off by the average person.

The first scene brought out a couple of relationships between characters that I never really thought about before. I never really thought about the fact that Rachel and they young Kristen are very close friends (not to mention that they are sisters). Both Rachel and Kristen went to school together and shared a lot of the same likes and dislikes. They both reminded me of a friendship that I have with one of my friends. I also never thought about the fact that Julia and Sarah are able to share the loss of a loved one in a way that they can't share with anybody else. Sarah lost her mom at young age, and Julia also lost her parents at a young age. Now Sarah and Julia have lost their wife, friend, and mother.

I really don't know how I am going to end the re-written version yet. I'm still deciding what I want to end with. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

I know this next section doesn't really fit in this blog, but I'll do it anyway. I hope all of you have had a good week and have an even better weekend! I probobly won't have a ton of time to write a blog this weekend because of the fact that my dad's birthday is this weekend, and the Packers play the Giants on Sunday night. GO PACKERS! IF any of the players happen to be reading this (but you probobly aren't), please win the game Sunday for all your fans (especially for those of us in Michigan, and those who have their birthdays on Sunday). We really want to see you guys go back to the super bowl again (especailly Farve!). Who says old guys can't play football? We WILL still love you guys if you don't win Sunday. Hopefully this next summer I can get some time off of work to go to Green Bay to see their training camp again.

I need to get back to my homework now.

Love ya all!
Erin

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Slow Down

I have gotten into a routine now. I will still blog here, but not as often as I have when I first started this blog.

Early this week we got some new snow. Not a whole lot, but just enough to make me happy. I would like some more snow, but it's highly unlikley I will get any more until tomarrow.

Right now I am sitting here writing this while I eat my breakfast and begin to re-write "Complete Peace". I do have classes today, but my homework is DONE!

My next blog (which should be up on Friday) will include a few of the deleted scenes from "Complete Peace".

In other news, I have found a new job at my church assisting with the children's chimes choir and the teen bell choir. Today is my first day doing that job. I can't wait to see how that goes. On Tuesday during my adult bell choir rehersal we found that the "big" bells have the melody. We got so excited about that we were jumping up and down even before we heard what it sounded like. The people that I share tables with and I have gotten to know each other very well over the past few months, which has made some peices that otherwise would have been hard much eaisier. We know each others limits much better. In one of our peices for Easter, Becky and I trade one bell to make it eaisier for her to play, and also get all of the notes in.

I should go now and water a few plants around the house and get dressed before I go to class instead of just sitting here blogging.

Love ya all!
Erin

Monday, January 14, 2008

After class

I've been home for about 45 minutes now. I thought I would write anouther blog. Why write anouther blog? I don't know why. I just like writing blogs. I am sitting here watch my brother do some homework. I really should be studying right now, but I'm not. I spent about three hours studying this morning, and I'm planning on doing about anouther couple of hours this evening.

I hate it when my brother or dad takes over the table leaving me almost no room to use for homework.

Tomarrow is going to be a longer day for me. Tuesdays I have Anatomy and Physiology and Psychology with a five minute break between them. I then get home at about 4:30, and leave again at 6:45 for my bell choir rehersal. The bell rehersal runs from 7:00 until 8:30. I'll come home and do some homework before heading to bed.

It's stopped snowing for the most part, but there is some snow on the ground. I love having snow on the ground.

Here's something I wrote about two months ago. It isn't perfect, but it captured what I wanted.

Standing together
up here with these bells
just the four of us
all four of us together
we're all here together
and we're all happy
we're so happy
we're all friends

[chorus]
What a momentstanding here with you
playing these bells
just standing here
feeling so usefull
One sits down
the other three stay standing
the second plays three notes
the third plays five
then points at the forth
who plays one note
in the whole peicebut their all happy

[chorus]

Afterwordsyou take a step closer
wrap your arms around me
and lean into me
but that's why I love you
we can hug
we can laugh
and we can be ourselves
in public
or on our own.

I wrote that after one of my many bell rehersals. During that particular rehersal, Becky and I found something that we hadnt seen before. Neither of us are gay, and Becky is married. That night we discovered a connection that we had never noticed before. We discovered that we both share a lot of the same interests, but we also feel a lot like sisters. I don't have a sister (from the same parents), but I do have a lot of sisters that are my friends. Becky and I have developed a friendship over the past couple of months that I don't think I'll ever forget. I have shared a stand with Devon for some time now, and we have developed a friendship because of it. During our last rehersal, there was a section where Devon and I shared the melody (we play the BIG, well not the biggest, bells.). After we finished the song, our director (Dave) turned to us and said that we had a perfect balance during the melody. You know that you have a good matchup if you can get that, especially if we aren't really thinking about it.

I need to get going and do some homework now, change cloths, and take care of the cat.

Love ya all!
Erin

Snow!

It's snowing out now, and whenever that happens I get very happy. Over the weekend it was warm enough that all of our snow melted. Now that we are getting some new snow, I am quite happy. I really have wanted new snow for a while now. The flakes are nice big fluffy ones that are so much to look at. Right now I am sitting here writing this while I watch the snow fall. I love watching snow fall.

I have been looking forward to this week all weekend. On thrusday I start working part time for my church helping out with the teen hanbell chior and the childrens chimes chior. I can hardley wait for it! I am hoping that over the spring while Dow Gardens has it's butterflies in bloom festival, I will get a chance to work part time.

I have been looking for a full time summer job. I haven't gotten an interview yet, but am expecting one soon. Hopefully I will get a great summer job this year. I don't know if my brother will have a summer job anywhere. He hasn't had any summer job before, and so I know it will be harder for him to find a summer job.

I need to get going and do some homework now.

Love ya all!
Erin

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Back in the living room

I finished dinner some time ago, but just got around to sitting back down to writing after doing the dishes. I hate washing dishes.



This morning I was at church working in the nursery from 8Am until 12:30. I've always enjoyed working in there. I have seen so many kids grow from babies to elementary school students. What an experience that is on it's own. Over the years that I have worked in the nursery, there have been so many kids that have come throught, but since high school I have seen so many of them grow up so much. I'm not going to use their actual names on here when I talk about them.

Nick has grown so much. He went from the little kid with no meat on his body to being big for his age. Not only has he physically grown, but he has also grown in a lot of other ways. Last year Nick would run around the nursery like a mad man. It was hard to get him to sit still for for more than one minute. Just two weeks ago he was in the nursery again during a church service because he didn't want to sit in the service. Nick wanted to play. So, Nick came into the nursery where he sat for at least five to ten minutes reading his magazines. Not only was he sitting still while reading, but he was also being quiet. What a change! He still likes to make noise and run around a lot, but he controls that much better. He doesn't yell inside anymore and he doesnt run out of control.

Joey is a little one year old that I have gotten to know in the past year. This little guy is probobly the cutest kid I have met in the nursery. This little red head already has more hair than I did in first grade. This cute kid learned to walk over the summer, which was so much fun to watch. One day he's walking with help from me. A week later Joey is taking a few steps on his own. A week later he's walking on his own. He really has grown on me. His parents know my whole family, so they are very comfortable with me. Not only is Joey's family comfortable with me, but Joey is too. He will walk over to me and sit down on my lap without even asking if I'm sitting on the floor. He knows if I build a tower of blocks that he can knock it down. Best of all Joey will run up to me just to give me a big hug and fall asleep in my arms waiting for his parents.

Then there's the blond bomb, Evan. Evan has also gotten used to me. He used to need me to help in do the puzzles. Now he's doing them on his own without any problems. When I first met him he was SO shy. He still is quiet, but also knows a lot. If you were to ask him what his favorite toy is he might not answer, but he woul go get it and bring it too you, then show you how to work it.

Claire is also a blond bomb who just LOVES games. It's near impossible to find a game of hers that doesn't have to do with princesses. Not only that, she also loves to color and play with play dough. This little one adores her mom, but also will love anybody who will play a game with her or help her do something she isn't good at. Over the past year I have babysat for her countless times. On one of those evenings I spent watching her, we played Hi-Ho-Cherry-O for three or four hours straight. It was interusting throughout those hours of the game-we never stopped talking about things like school or movies or books.

All of these kids have changed my life in some way. Nick taught me how to look at the simple things in a different way. Joey taught me so much about a smile and what a friend means to even the smallest person who can't even talk yet. Claire taught me so much about unconditional love- not only has she told me that she looks up to me and thinks of me as a sister, but I consider her one of the people who is the closest thing I have to a sister.

I'm sorry about all the stops and starts! I FINNALLY finished what I first started out to write about on this Sunday night. I hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Love ya all!
Erin

Sitting in the living room

I'm sitting in the living room thinking about tomarrow. Tomarrow is Monday, it's also the first day of my second week of classes. Tomarrow is a lot of different things. Why do we hate Mondays so much? It's the start of a new week, its a new day, but best of all I get rid of my parents for the majority of time that I spend at home Monday through Friday. I love Mondays. I used to hate Mondays, but now I love them. I guess you change you mind over time. That's what I did.

I can't study right now. I'm not in the right mind set. So I'm writing this instead. Is this normal? I sure hope it is. If it isn't that's okay. I have an idea for a video I want to make for youtube, but I really can't sing. I really need to be able to sing to pull of that video. In the mean time I have a few ideas for a possible video that I am going to attempt to make tomarrow.

I've been thinking a lot about pshych latley since I am currently taking a pysch class. I really have enjoyed psych a lot this semester, and I really don't know why. I just have enjoyed it so much more than I did when I took it my senior year of high school. Well I've got to go set the table for dinner.

Love ya all!
Erin