Merry Belated Christmas!

Merry belated Christmas, everyone! Sorry I didn't post earlier, I've been really tired and enjoying my new gifts.

To start: From AG I got Julie's calico dress for Sara and Cécile's Christmas dress for Kirsten. I also got a handmade outfit from my grandmother. The biggest surprise of all for my AGs was a replica of Kirsten's trunk from my mom and sister. It's beautiful! I hope to get pictures up on Picasa soon.

Other than accessories for my AGs, I got "Cooking Mama" and "Just Dance 3" for the Wii, the last two Harry Potter movies, "Rio" and "Zookeeper". My grandmother and my aunt also sent fabric for me since I can't get fabric easily or cheaply where I live. In my stocking I got colored pencils (because mine break all the time) and a really pretty blue scarf.

My MOST FAVORITE gift of all is a Nook and eBook gift card! I'm so excited to get it activated.

I hope to post pictures of the doll stuff soon!

Merry Christmas to all,
Lena

Picasa Photo Stories

Harry Christmas! (If you watch the TV show "So Random", you'll know what I'm talking about. If not just ignore it.)

I just made a HUGE mess in the kitchen. I was putting a container of leftovers in the fridge when the container caught on the shelf and exploded all over the floor and the inside of the fridge. Luckily, my mom was nice enough to help me clean everything up. :)

On a happier (and cleaner) note, I just made a couple of doll scarves! I posted the video for how to make them on my Picasa page. Please look at the video and try the craft. It's really fun and easy.

Speaking of my Picasa, I have a couple of photo stories planned since I'm on break, so make sure you check up on it regularly if you don't already follow me on Picasa.

Enjoy your break, everyone!
~Lena~

Harry Potter Tag

Happy Harry Potter post! I recieved a Harry Potter tag from Claire at Claire's Curiosity, so I'm going to post it here for all of you! Here we go:

1. Who is your favorite character? Hermione
2. Which is your favorite book? Um, is ALL OF THEM an option? No? Okay, fine: I love Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

3. Which is your favorite movie? Hm.... The Goblet of Fire or The Chamber of Secrets. IDK why.

4. What is one of your favorite quotes? "...Now, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled." (Hermione) I quote this all the time!

5. What is your favorite place? The Great Hall

6. Which is your favorite Hogwarts house? Ravenclaw

7. Which House would you belong in (not just which house you like)? Ravenclaw. :P

8. What position do you want to play in Quidditch? Chaser. I can't keep the goal to save my life and I have bad eyesight.

9. Who is your favorite professor? McGonagall, FTW

10. What is your favorite class? Charms

I tag Jeneca and anyone else who love Harry Potter as much as I do!

Harry Potter-ness,
Lena

Good News, Bad News

Hey gals!

So, I have some good news and some bad news. Which one first? ;)

Bad news: I didn't make it into the school play. :( I'm not disappointed or anything, I didn't really think I would make it. Although, I'm quite frustrated. The same people get into all the school plays every year, and no one else does. I'm not saying they aren't talented, they are VERY good at what they do. It's just a shame that no one else gets a chance. Oh well, life isn't fair!

Good news: I'm almost finished with my last outfit for that girl, Emilia! Once I finish with that dress I'll be able to start on the coverlet and pillow. Phew, I'm not agreeing to so many pieces next time!

Until later,
Lena

Theater and Sewing

Lo and behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people that read this post! ;)

First of all, I can finally say this: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Because December is half-way through and you can say stuff like that, even if it isn't Christmas yet.

Second, my Thanksgiving photo story and another EXTREMELY funny (at least, I think so) photo story have been posted on my Picasa. So be sure to check those out!

Now, for the title. I tried out for my school play "The Ash Girl" this afternoon! I think I did pretty well, but I won't know if I was cast until Thursday at lunch my time. Which means you will know on this blog sometime around breakfast your time. If you want to know more about the plot of the play, you should visit this link .

As for the sewing part of the title, I have been sewing quite a lot this past week! A girl at my church was really impressed with my skills, and designed three outfits for me to sew for her for Christmas. Two down, one to go!

 

The outfit on the left is a pair of PJs and the one on the right is what it looks like: a skirt outfit. The next outfit is an off the shoulder dress. I'll be sure to post better pictures of everything when the dress is done. So what do you think? Am I an okay seamstress?

As always, feel free to comment and follow.

Merry Christmas!

~Lena

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while; there just wasn't really anything to post about.

Thanksgiving here is kind of weird. Because I live in Europe and go to an international school, we don't get Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving. Instead, we're going to have Thanksgiving on Saturday and have some Americans over. A student friend of ours is coming from England tomorrow night, so there are several things that still need to be done so that our house is worthy of having company. XD

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Feel free to comment, follow, and look at my doll blog "The Diary of Traveling Dolls" I really wish more people would follow that blog!

No pictures today because I'm planning on making a Thanksgiving photo story for my dolls, so be sure to check up on my Picasa Web Albums !

Have a great weekend, all,
Lena

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I hope you had a great Halloween weekend; I certainly did!

I started out the weekend with trick-or-treating on Thursday night in a neighborhood nearby with friends from school. We went around twice.... >:D Then on Friday night we went to the American base and went trunk-or-treating with American friends from our neighborhood. There was even a trunk decorated like a pirate treasure chest. What a coincidence, considering I was dressed up like a pirate! Here's a picture of my costume:

Sorry, I had to pixelate my face. I'm also wearing floaty pants and boots.

Emily celebrated Halloween as well, her photostory is at THIS LINK 
If you can, please look at my other albums too!

How did you celebrate Halloween? What did you dress up as?

Please comment and follow!

Love,
Lena

Another cool idea....

Hey!

I was thinking 5 seconds ago about AGC (American Girl Contest). I was thinking, "Doesn't it stink that I'm not allowed to use my email address to send in pictures for contests like AGC and The Doll Wardrobe contests?"  Then I thought, "I wonder if there are any other girls like me who want to do something like AGC but aren't allowed to send with their email address?"

Now I know some of you are saying, "Psh, I'm allowed to use my email address over blogs etc. This doesn't matter to me at all."

Well, those of you who AREN'T please give me feedback! Would you like me to hold photo contests on my blog? Would you like to be able to give me a URL to your photo in a comment to be able to join the contest?

Let me know!

Lena

A New Idea

Hey gals (and guys if there are any guys reading)!

I had a new idea for the way that I do my photostories with my dolls, and I started this afternoon. I hope you like the idea! The gist is that Emily is the main character, and my other dolls are her friends and acquaintances. I'm trying it out to see how it goes, so I want to know your opinion! Here's the link: https://picasaweb.google.com/113245174318538718295/CarpoolCatastrophe#5657092328836477682

ENJOY!

As for this postly picture, I took this cute photo of Emily and Sara awhile back. I've been experimenting with a professional background look. Like it?

Love,
Lena

I kept to my resolution!

Like the title says, I've kept to my resolution! I haven't been posting often.... not often enough. Sorry everyone!

I know Leah has, but have you all seen my doll blog? It's The Diary of a Traveling Doll, and it's about the trips my dolls have when they travel. From their point of view, rather than mine. We won't be traveling any time soon, but the dolls will be updating it every so often.

As for my postly picture, do any of you remember this one?

It's from my very first photo story, "Are you serious?" This was before I knew about focus; now I know how I would take that photo.

Until next time!


Love, Lena

Hello?

I don't want to start this post off with a complaint, but........

Does anyone read my blog? Tell me honestly. I know, you're thinking, 'I never read her blog' but you type in the comments 'Yeah! I read it all the time! It's my favorite!'

I have 16 followers (not including my mom and I), and not one of them has commented on the last post. I was gone for a month and I didn't even get a little "Welcome back, Lena!" So please tell me honestly if you read! I just want to know!

Anyway. Pinch, punch, first of the month! It's September 1st! 8 days until two of my friend's birthdays, 15 days until my first day off from school, 41 days until my Disney trip and 60 days until Halloween. Lets see just how fast time flies by!

As for my postly picture, here's a pic of a tiny cake my sister made for her doll's birthday party:

Isn't it adorable? It's made out of 2 Oreos, chocolate icing, and m&ms.

Until next time,
Lena

I'm back!

I'm back, in both senses! I arrived back to Europe a few weeks ago, and I'm back to blogging.

Like I said, we arrived a few weeks ago, and I was having a really hard time getting back into routine. Jetlag really hit me hard this time. Jetlag really stinks. You have no idea how much I hate it.

We started school this Wednesday, and I'm absolutely exhausted. I'm feeling a little melancholy because two of my friends moved and another friend has been hanging out with her friends in a grade younger because she skipped a grade. My locker is on the fourth floor of the school now, and last year it was on the first. It completely messes up my schedule, and it really stinks. Please pray for me to find inner peace!

On another note, I'm going to make a couple of  start-of-school-year resolutions.

1. I will blog less often; only when something of consequence is happening, I will NEVER blog about random nonsense. 

2. There is always be at lease ONE photo on each blog post. 

I have something exciting to tell you, I made an ADORABLE AG doll outfit! Here is a picture of Emily in the summer variation of the outfit: 

 Does she look cute or what?! Lacopolis Coture is a doll clothing company that I have created for myself. There will be no profit at all whatsoever, this will only be for the clothes I make for myself and give to others. Don't ask, please, it isn't possible for the things I make to be sold.

So, I hope reading my post wasn't too tedious!

Love, Lena

PS: I am probably going to delete all my Picasa albums and start afresh. I just need a fresh start.

Hi again!

Hi gals!

Guess what! I'm going to another friend's house for a sleepover tonight! We're going to build a fort and sleep in it. It's going to be sooo cool.

So what have all of you been doing this summer? Have you been traveling a lot?

I can't wait for school to start. I love school, and I miss my friends in Europe. I love fall, all the sweaters, the orangy colors, and the crisp air. And the brand new school supplies. XD

I have a fortune I want to share with you that I got yesterday. It says: "Accept what you cannot change, and you will feel better." That helped me so much. I've been missing my friends that moved, and I just couldn't get over it that they weren't going to be with me when school started. So when you're upset about something you can't control, remember that.

See you soon!

Lena

A warning and some updates

So, bad news, then the good news.

I know most of you (my followers and readers) are on Picasa, so I want to warn you: there is a creeper going around our pages and commenting inappropriately named "Peter (insert cuss word here)". He says inappropriate things and has inappropriate photos on his page. Please block him and delete his comments when you can. This might be the most important thing that you do. I know you hear about Internet stalkers and everyone says, "It might happen to you!" but you always say, "Psh, it won't happen to me." Well, if we don't get this guy off Picasa, it might be you. So please, let's everyone work together to get this guy out of our lives. He doesn't deserve the privilege of the Internet.

Now, on a happier note.

I GOT TO SEE THE FINALE OF HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so epic. I got to see it with CC on Monday at the AMC. It was a total surprise, and we were so hyped! We had a great time together. We were all crying through the movie, and this one lady turned around and told us to shut up. The NERVE! Although I must say, my sister was whispering random things that didn't need to be said. But STILL! She even had her feet up on the seat in front of her. Ugh.

Speaking of rude people, we went to a water park today, and these two boys cut in front of my cousin, my sister, and I. They then proceeded to tell us that it wasn't technically cutting. Then, a whole group of boys came up and joined them! UGH!!!!

Gosh, sorry for all the complaining, but it must be rude people day.

Oh, and I also got some new AG stuff! Well, it's handmade clothes for AG, not technically AG. I got some cute daisy print PJs, jean shorts, blue tennis shoes, and an adorable apron. I'll try to get some pics of Emily in them and post them.

I don't know what we're doing tomorrow, but I'll update as soon as I can!

Love, Lena

Oops........

Wow, I feel really bad right now. I haven't blogged in forever. I have an excuse, though. We've been really busy visiting friends and family.

I have some major news for you all! I GOT A NEW DOLL!!!!!!!

Psych! Not really.the real major news is that I got both of the Britt Nicole CDs! Isn't that great!? I also designed an outfit for AG dolls and I'm going to start making it today out of the fabric I bought last week.
I also saw one of my friends that I haven't seen in two an a half years. It's crazy.

I'll try to update more often!

Lena

4th of July

Hey all! Here are some updates of what we've been doing the last couple of days.

So, on the 4th my grandparents came to the hotel and we cooked burgers, sausages, and corn on the cob. I'm telling you, you can't get good corn on the cob better anywhere than Indiana! My mom also made pink lemonade. After eating, we put on suits and swam in the hotel pool for a while. After swimming, we got dressed up and went out for dinner at PF Changs. Then we all piled in the car and drove downtown to see the fireworks. While we were in the car, my grandmother asked my dad, 'Do you know where we're going?' My dad said, 'No, but I can find out!' I think it was probably funnier in the moment. We stopped in a parking lot near my dad's old work with a bunch of other people. Then the fireworks went off! Oh, how I missed those fireworks!

Tuesday evening, my mom and I went to the mall to get new clothes, because I've grown 7 inches since last summer! I got a bunch of stuff from Aeropostale.

Yesterday we went to Bisa's house with my cousins and my grandparents to go swimming. Bisa is the grandmother of my uncle, and she is really nice!

Today we are going to a BBQ with friends of my mom's. We'll have to see how that goes!

See you soon,
LENA

Our trip so far

So, here is an overview of our trip so far:

Sunday: We left Europe and arrived in Atlanta in the evening. We went swimming and ate dinner at the hotel. Then there was this HUGE storm knocking down tables and everything. We don't get storms like that where I live!
Monday: We went back to the airport and left for St. Thomas. When we got there, we went swimming (again).

Our first view of St. Thomas

Tuesday: We just went between the beach and the pool all day. It was a ton of fun!

Wednesday: We took a boating/fishing trip! I felt a little sick on the trip, and I don't know why. I've always done really well on boats! I fell asleep for a while. We caught several barracudas, but nothing edible. Then we went near the airport and we caught a little Yellowtail Snapper! The captain said, "You'll be set for dinner if you can catch 2 or 3 more of those!" We didn't catch anything else, but the captain knew of one more place. Then my dad felt a big tug on his line, and we caught a huge 20 pound Red Snapper! We ate it for dinner that night, and it was REALLY good.

Our Red Snapper

Thursday: We took the ferry into town, to Charlotte Amalie. There I got a new bathing suit and a dress, because it's tax free on the island and I've grown a TON since last summer! When I mean a ton, I mean 7 inches! It's crazy!

Friday: Friday I met a girl on the beach named Rachel, and she helped me overcome my fear of the water! I've always been a little afraid of getting knocked over by the waves, and that happened several times that day! Now I feel more comfortable swimming in the ocean.

Saturday: Rachel was there again, but only for a few hours. She and her brother had bought boogie-boards on the trip but they couldn't bring them home on the plane that afternoon. They were really nice, and gave them to us! I boogie-boarded all day, and by the end of the day I felt like I was still rocking from the waves! It was a little dizzying.

My sister and I boogie-boarding (I'm on the left)

Sunday: We packed all morning and left that afternoon. We were lucky and caught an earlier flight to Indiana! Unfortunately, our bags couldn't make it on the early flight, so we had no clothes last night! It was a little weird.

This morning both my parents left to go to the airport to pick up our bags, so we will get clean clothes. Now I'm just awaiting plans! We're probably going to spend the day with my grandparents.

I'm still alive!

Hi guys! I'm alive and well and we are leaving tomorrow! I don't have much time, so I'll try to be brief.

We arrived in St. Thomas Monday afternoon, and ever since then we have been swimming in the ocean, playing on the beach, and hanging out at the pool. The weather has been lovely: not too hot, but not too cold either. Just right! This one picture pretty much sums up our whole visit:

I would add more photos, but my dad's stinking computer will only let me add one photo at a time and it takes forever, so I'll try adding them to my Picasa.

I have TONS of sand in my hair, and my dad says it'll probably take about 3 days for it to all come out. Ick. I also feel like I'm swaying all the time because I've been in the ocean waves for so long. It's a little maddening!!!

I promise to post as soon as I can.

Love, Lena

In Atlanta

Hey guys! We're in Atlanta right now, we arrived last night and now we are going to leave for St Thomas! I'm on my dad's iPad, so it's a little hard to type.

I got the travel blog up, the URL is www.lenastravelingdolls.blogspot.com
Unfortunately I can't post pictures yet, but I will when I get the chance.

See ya!

Love Lena

We are leaving!

So, we are all packed and ready to go! We leave for the airport at 8:00 am tomorrow morning, and I'm so excited! We'll be staying in Atlanta tomorrow night, but, unfortunately, we won't be able to go to the AG B&B. :(

Thanks to Leanna for your comment! It made me sniffle too. ;)

I don't really have the chance to make a blog for Emily's trip right now, but I promise it'll be up by the time we get to Indiana. We are having some computer problems right now, so I'm not sure if I'll have as much time for posting updates as I did last summer.

Well, see you soon!!!

Love, Lena

School's out for the summer!

So today was my last half-day of school before summer break. I should be jumping up and down, rejoicing, and celebrating, right?

WRONG.

I'm feeling sad and depressed. Remember those mysterious Robert and Racheal friends of mine? Well, they are gone. Robert is moving back to Ottawa, Canada, which makes me sad. He was an awesome guy friend. Even though he gave me a scar on my face and I tripped over his face...... We have issues with each other's faces, as I'm sure you've figured out....... I hugged him goodbye and then I sobbed and made a lame joke about the afore said issue with faces.

Now Racheal...... Oh my word, there aren't any words to describe Racheal. She was hilarious, caring, and obsessed with Star Wars. I was bawling by the time I got to saying goodbye to her. We all were. I even hugged one of my least favorite people I was so sad. Trust me, Patrick is going to hate me for saying this. :P

In a little while I'll have to start packing because we leave SUNDAY!!! EEP! I haven't been to St. Thomas since I was 5 years old, and that was a long time ago. The only thing my sister remembers is
'Santa' giving her mints at the hotel. :P  On the other hand, I remember an amazing beach and an awesome restaurant called "Blackbeard's". The food was really yummy.

Speaking of going on vacation, Emily (my doll) is coming with me this summer, so I'm going to make an online travel journal blog for her this summer. I'll make a post when I have it up!

Oh, and my signature was lost. It was on my school computer that had to be handed in earlier this week, so I'll have to make a new one. :(

See you soon!

~Lena~

Exams and a Gentle Reminder

Hello friends!

As of yesterday afternoon, my exams are FINITO!!! I've gotten an A- in the first part of my exam, so I've got my fingers crossed for the second part. I think I did pretty well!

Now, for the gentle reminder.
As many of you may know, I am a Christian, and I don't want to offend anyone in any way if this comes across as offensive to you.
I saw a slightly disturbing comment on another blog that insulted a group of Christians, and I just wanted to remind everyone that we need to remember to "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Remember that when you are commenting on blog posts, it's okay to have an opinion, and every opinion matters.

I don't mean to sound morbid and depressing, so thanks for reading, everyone.

Post Number 2

I know this is my second post in about 10 minutes, but I just HAD to show you my first blog signature. How do you like it?

Happy Birthday CC!

Happy birthday bestie! Sorry, this post is a few days overdue, I've been a little busy. Make sure you visit her Picasaweb Albums HERE. They are some of the best I've ever seen!

So, I have been studying today, ever since we got home from church. French is so aggravating! There are so many conjugations, rules, and irregular verbs; it's just crazy! Oh well, if I want to pass my exam, studying is essential.

When I was taking these pictures a minute ago, my mom asked, "Lena, what are you doing? Why are you taking pictures of your homework?" She gave me a weird look. I replied, "Oh, just interesting photography. I'm not doing anything weird!" She still gave me a weird look. She probably does think it's weird to take pictures of study notes for your French exam. LOL

See you soon!

<^> Lena <^>

The countdown begins......

4 1/2 days of school left.

1 exam down, 1 to go.

WOW. Time just flies by so fast, doesn't it? I mean, it seems like I just got back from Florida and everyone was clamoring at me to finish my photo story about what I did, and now I have my very own blog and I'm getting ready for summer. I mean, counting down the days and listening to the Beach Boys just makes it, right? Talk about fun summer music. The Beach Boys just speak to me, especially around this time of year. XD Here are some really cool pics of them:

My most favorite song by them is Surfin' Safari  on their album "Endless Safari". Their songs are AWESOME. Don't deny it. :P

What music puts you in the mood for summer? Feel free to give me a comment and a link!

Lena

PS: a signature should be coming soon! ^.^

A crazy dream....

I was inspired by Rachel , actually. I had this crazy dream last night.......

So, my school was on this week-long field trip, and we were all alone in this tiny town. All the girls owned grocery stores, and all the boys were playing with fireworks. (????) Then, Robert and Gavin jumped off the top of the cathedral and landed on their heads. Gavin jumped right back up and said, "I'm okay!", but Robert was deathly white and just laying there. I was coming to his rescue, and then he woke up and reassured me that he was fine, he wasn't dead.

Then I woke up. Pretty crazy, right?

So, I have a violin concert tomorrow night, so hopefully I can get a video up of that on Friday (because I'm going to be at school tomorrow for like 11 or 12 hours).

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Lena

Homesickness

I'm feeling a little homesick. I just finished talking to my friend Faith:

 on Skype a few minutes ago. She was talking about the new school that was being built, what she was doing for the summer, the invitation she got to our other friend's party, and how she couldn't wait to see me when I came home in July. It made me feel so homesick! Then she had to go, and I saw that CC was online and I tried to call her, but she went offline. :( I just can't wait for this summer! I miss the both of them so much! I don't think 13 days can pass fast enough. <-- That's counting weekends. 

Do you live far away from your hometown? Do you get homesick often? 

Love,

Lena

EEEP!!!

I just realized this, but: I HAVE 12 FOLLOWERS! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!! Thanks so much to all 12 of you!

So, I don't really know what to write about.

Well, I just got back from a birthday party of one of my little sister's friends. She invited me and another girl in my grade was there, so we hit it off pretty well. We don't really talk much at school because we both have separate groups of friends, but I like her. She's really nice.

Right now my sisters are bathing and are being mad at each other for some reason and my dad is yelling up the stairs at them to have patience. Yeah, like that's going to work.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in my own little world. Like now. In fact, we are all in our own little worlds. My dad is on his iPad, my mom is on her iTouch, and my sisters are arguing upstairs. Me? I'm staying out of it and I'm typing this right now. Yay. Exciting.

I probably sound depressing. There are only 6 exclamation points in my whole post. Fail. Here are some more. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be happy,
Lena

School's (almost) out for the summer!

Wow. It just registered with me, but I leave in TWO WEEKS for St. Thomas, one of my favorite places in the whole world. Two weeks left with my friends. Two weeks left to pack. Two weeks left until I have the best time of my life.

Now, here is the picture you have all been waiting for:

Is this epic or what? I'm probably going to edit it (because the stuff in the background is distracting), but other than that, isn't this PERFECT?! That's me, BTW

I just can't tell you how much I cannot believe that the school year is almost finished. It's kind of devastating. I mean, this has been one of the best years of my life (if not THE best), and two of my friends are moving. :( Though I'm sure you've heard that before. :P

So, anyway, have a good Saturday!

Love,
Lena

How's life?

"Soooo.....How's life?" A quotation by one of my best friends, Ipek. It comes up a lot. Hence, when there is an awkward silence. Like now. Actually in this case, it would be an absence of text.

Anyways. I have 8 and a half school contact days left. WOW. It seems so real now that we are making goodbye books for my friends. It's funny business, actually. Friends were at a table writing pages for the books while two friends and I are were on "Robert duty". Racheal wasn't as crazy and stayed away, but Robert is a fighter. Literally. He was trying to push past me while Thomas tried to pull him away. I yelled out, "Why does he have to be so BIG!" and then he finally got past me. Don't get me wrong, he isn't fat, he's just bigger than I am. Like most people. XD

So, enough about my wacky friends. Even though I love them.

My friend Ayana took an AMAZING picture of me jumping today in digital photography class it is SO AWESOME!!! It doesn't even have my face in it! I would show it here but...........  I left in in the school folder. So I'll share it tomorrow.

I feel a strong desire to post some photos. My blog seems so bland compared to others, because of my lack of photos. So, here are a couple from the zoo in April (because I want some people pictures):

A swinging bridge course above the zoo (I'm the one with the bushy ponytail and the Red Cross pack)

Looking inside a giant tree

Being silly and pulling a Dudley..... At an iguana (If you've seen the first Harry Potter movie, you know what I mean)

So, that's just about it.

Cheerios,
Lena

A Story

Sorry about yesterday, I was a little nutty. Maybe it was the cornbread. In that case, I would have been corny. XD Okay, I guess we can say it wasn't the cornbread!

Down to business: I've been writing a story and I just wanted to share it with you. Here it is:
____________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 1

The Arrival of Trouble

A girl with short, light-red hair stepped up to the door of a big red-brick house. She had a small duffel bag in one hand; the other hand lay protectively on the strap of her blue backpack. She slowly raised her hand to knock on the green and white striped door. These people must be nutters. The girl thought.

A somewhat large man stood behind her, holding a trunk on wheels, keeping it off the ground. “Rapide, sil vous plait, j’ai autres clients,” he said in French.

“Sorry, but I don’t speak French,” The girl said. The cab driver sighed, but said nothing.

The girl raised her hand again, straightened her shoulders, and knocked on the door.

~

If the girl on the doorstep had been looking closely and carefully, she would have noticed six girls around her age crowded around a small window, which happened to be on the stairs.

“Approximately how long has she been standing there?” A girl with blue eyes and caramel brown hair asked. The freckles on her nose danced as she squinted, trying to get a better look over another girl’s head. The girl below her, with silky black hair and dark brown eyes, replied, “Sara, you have to be patient. Don’t you remember your first day here?” Sara said nothing, and rolled her eyes at a girl beside her. The girl had kind hazel eyes that rolled in response.

I will now take a moment to describe the girls, because if I tried while telling the story, it would never work. Josefina Maria Montoya was a girl who originated from Mexico, and had light brown skin, silky black hair, and dancing brown eyes.

Felicity Margaret Merriman went by Lissie or Lis. She had auburn hair and sparkling green eyes.

Kirsten Anne Larson, who was from Sweden, had long blond hair and sky blue eyes.

Emilia Rose Bennett went by Emily. Emily had short red hair and blue eyes. She had a slight English accent that had diminished after a while from living with American girls.

Sara Caroline Pedersen was the first modern girl. She had caramel brown hair, light blue eyes, and freckles that seemed to jump and dance when she smiled.

Mia Racheal St. Clair was also from the present day; she had long light red hair, sparkling hazel eyes and freckles.

~

After the girl on the front step knocked, the door was opened by a young woman with long brown hair and hazel eyes. She smiled, her eyes squinting merrily.

“You must be Ginger!” the woman said. “Hi, I’m Lena!” Lena stuck out her hand.

Ginger smiled and said, “I would shake your hand, Miss Lena, but my arms are full!” to emphasize she lifted her backpack and duffel bag.

“Please, simply Lena would suffice, none of that ‘miss’ nonsense. Come in and drop your bags wherever!” Lena said kindly. She stepped aside and Ginger came through the door.

Lena turned to the cab driver and said in French, “Merci, messieur, pour ton assistance. J’ai l’argent juste la . . .” Lena turned around and took a small stack of European money from the chest in the hallway.

“Merci,” The cab driver said. He gave the handle of Ginger’s trunk to Lena who headed inside after Ginger.

~

As Lena showed Ginger her room (that Ginger got all to herself!), Sara spied on them from across the hall. She pretended she was reading, but, truthfully, was peering over the top of the cover. Sara couldn’t hear much, but she observed Ginger’s demeanor.

Ginger had light red hair that was bleached from the early summer sun. Her warm chocolate brown eyes seemed to make Lena’s smile wider, and captured Lena’s gaze and attention. Ginger’s only facial flaw was her freckles, which completely covered her face, complimenting her busy attitude.

Sara frowned, thinking Ginger would take her own place as favorite.

If only Sara knew how wrong she was.

~

As Sara was spying, Ginger was unpacking her backpack and duffel bag, while Lena put things in the closet and listened to Ginger talk.

When the duffel bag was laying in the bottom of Ginger’s closet and her backpack was hanging empty over the back of the chair, Lena reached for the heavy trunk and went to unlock it.

“DON’T!” Ginger exclaimed suddenly. Lena shrank back in surprise. Ginger felt bad about her outburst. “I mean, please don’t open that, it, um, has some of my-- I mean, my parent’s things in it. I err; don’t like to open the trunk. It sort of, like, um, err, preserves their memory . . .”

Lena, having fostered now 7 young girls, understood privacy of parentage. Most all 7 of the girls now had brought a bag of things that had belonged to her parents. Lena couldn’t, however, understand why such a big trunk and why Ginger stuttered so much. She decided to let the matter be for the time being, knowing things would work out in the end.

“Sorry Lena, but I’m a bit tired, do you think I could . . .?” Ginger asked, her sentence trailing off.

“Yes, of course!” Lena jumped up quickly and closed the door behind her.

Looking through the keyhole to make sure nobody was watching, Ginger dragged the trunk to the middle of the room and unlocked it from a key hidden in a secret pocket of her backpack.

Slowly she lifted the trunk lid . . .

~

Soon when Lena closed the door to Ginger’s room, Sara moved to the door and spied on her new inmate. Sara soon gasped at what she saw, and couldn’t believe her eyes. She rushed down the hall to the bedroom she shared with Mia, to tell her best friend . . .

Chapter 2

Secrets Told, Secrets Dismissed

When Ginger woke up the next morning, she got dressed and went to the bathroom that all 7 girls now shared and was surprised to find it completely empty. She shrugged and brushed her hair and teeth, not really thinking about it.

When she walked downstairs, the dining room was full of girls – All with messy hair and wearing their pajamas. “Oh.” said Ginger, embarrassed. They all looked up at her, spoons hanging in mid air above cereal bowls. “S-sorry, at the orphanage we were required to be ready for the day before breakfast.”

“Oh, that’s all right, Ginger, don’t worry about it.” Lena said, and she guided Ginger to an empty char. Lena waved her hand and the other 6 girls continued eating.

“So,” said Lena as she sat down to eat. “What do you want to do today? Hang out? Go to the park?” A mixture of exclamations arose in the room, as well as a loud “DISNEY WORLD!” from Sara. Josefina said kindly, “Ginger, would you like to decide?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know…” she faltered. “Why don’t we just stay home? I have some, err, preparations to make for school and owls – I, I mean letters to send, so I’ll be in my room a while.” Ginger hastily drained her juice glass and hurried upstairs.

“Mia!” Sara exclaimed suddenly. “I have something to tell you – it’s quite important. Meet me upstairs – 5 minutes.” She tapped her wrist as if tapping a non-existent watch. 

Six minutes later, Mia arrived in the room she shared with Sara. “You’re late.” Sara said seriously. Mia began to protest, but Sara held up her hand and frowned seriously.

“We have business to discuss,” Sara began. “I have some interesting news that has brought me to the conclusion that Ginger is--”

“SARA!” Mia exclaimed. “Just tell me and quit with all the froofra!” “Jeez, Mia, just chillax.” Sara sighed again. “I have come to the conclusion that Ginger is a witch.”

“BWAHAHAHAH!”Mia exploded in laughter. “A witch? Psh, like, what kind, a witch of quietness?” Sara looked a little hurt. “No, I mean a witch as in Harry Potter. Hermione? Ginny? Et cetera?”

“Sara, no one is going to believe you, so you may as well come off it,” and Mia stalked out of the room.

“We’ll see about that, Mia Racheal St. Clair,” Sara said, and crossed her arms indignantly.

__________________________________________________________________________________

So, what do you think? Should I continue writing it?

Love,
Lena

Dinner

It was so good. Dinner, I mean. I know, I know, you are confused with the title.

No, seriously, does my dinner look good or what!? The top pic is cornbread. It was so heavenly. We haven't made cornbread since Alabama, which was TWO YEARS AGO!!! The second is a pasta-ground meat-carrot-black bean dish. It was SO YUMMY. Compliments to the chef, Mom.

So, after all that jabberiness you are thinking, "Lena is out of her mind. Someone please send her to the loony bin!" I'm not crazy, but I get like this when the end of the year is near. TEN AND A HALF DAYS, PEOPLE! Yes, Fetnat, if you're reading this we have TEN AND A HALF DAYS TO SPEND WITH ROBERT AND RACHEAL!!! You know who you are.

I have a lot of nicknames. Lena, Lena Lou, Charlie, Cyclops, and Strawberry/Grapefruit (I'm not really sure which it is. Liam has yet to decide.). And guess what? All these (other than Lena and Lena Lou, given to me by my mom) were given to me this year!

I really need to stop this babbling. I'm going crazy someone save me!

*Ahem*

Do you like the NEW new look I gave to my blog? It just fits me SO WELL. It will stay like this until another Shabby Blog background catches my eye. *sigh*  I think I'm addicted to that website.

Anyway, stay random and please forgive my craziness!

Cheerios,
Lena

Violin recital, exams, and school days countdown

Hey! As some of you know, I had a violin recital yesterday. Well, here's a video:

Sorry, I had to blur the video because it would show my face and the logo of my school, which is a big no-no. And I apologize for the terrible sound quality, my camera isn't all that great. :P

Exams have officially started. Yes, today I had my first exam in my entire life. French oral, blech. And it continues until tomorrow! Double blech! Oh well, I have no choice. XD

More school news! 11 1/2 days of school left! YAY and OH NO! YAY because Indiana, here I come! OH NO! because two of my friends are moving. :( I will miss Robert and Racheal!

Hope you liked the video!

Love,
Lena

Stuff

Hello!

So, I've been working on my blog this morning, and I'm LOVING the new look. What about you? I think it just fits my personality: the colors the fonts, everything.

Another thing: I know I'm going to sound whiny and complainy, but what happened to all my comments? I mean, I have 11 followers, and on the last 3 posts I have had 0 comments. Like I said, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but I really want to know that people are reading and enjoying my blog. :)

So, what's everyone up to this weekend? Are you out of school yet? I'm not, I still have 12 1/2 days left. Oh well, I will relinquish them!

Sorry about the rambling, see you later!

Cheerios,
Lena

Happy Birthday!

Hey all!

For me, tomorrow is birthday day! It's my doll Kirsten's birthday and my little cousin's birthday. Happy Birthday, Jaxtyn! I love you little buddy! Plus, I'm going to a birthday party tomorrow! I'm busy, right?

So, nothing much happening here. I also have a violin performance at school Sunday after church. Hopefully I'll get a video and I'll post it here. Sorry it's such a short post, but, like I said, there's nothing much going on here!

Cheerios,
Lena

The Lady of Shalott

Hey! It's my first post on MY blog as myself, so that's exciting!

First, a question to you all: have you seen the movie Anne of Green Gables? Do you remember all the lovely parts where she recites a poem that keeps repeating "The Lady of Shalott"? Well, I've always loved those parts. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click HERE .

Now, after watching that, do you like it? If you do and want to see the whole poem, click HERE .

I would like to do a reading of it, but it needs a lot of practice, so it will be a while. I JUST LOVE THIS POEM!!! Ooh, maybe I should recite this for the talent show next year........

So, what do you all think of my new look? Of the blog, I mean. Of course. Pretty sweet, right?

Cheerios,
Lena

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!

Emily, here. For the last time, officially. Yes, after this, the blog will belong to LENA!!! She has decided from the poll and her own desires. (Yep, can you guess what she 'desires'?)

So, I know I have only been posting for 32 days, and I have only done 2/3 of the posts, but I don't have enough voice. So, until I have more 'voice', I will go on the backburner and Lena is going into the oven (terrible metaphor, I know.).

This will sound really sad, but, farewell, my friends. Until we meet again.

Love,
Emily

PS from Lena: The blog will be undergoing some updates, so bear with me. Oh, and Emily isn't gone forever, she'll still be in my photostories and such. She just won't own this blog. :)

I know, I know...

Hello! 

I know, I know. I haven't been posting. But you know, it's not my fault! It's all Lena's fault! SHE MIGHT BE TAKING OVER MY BLOG! Yes, it's sad. I will miss my blog. I've got my fingers crossed, but from the way the poll --> is going, it looks like I'm losing.

On a happier note, how is everyone? I'm enjoying the warmth and sunlight this afternoon, eating some ice cream and reading a book. Here's a picture:

Is it sunny and warm where you are?

Like I said, I'm really sorry I haven't posted!

Love,
Emily

Which to choose? (A post by Lena)

Bonjour! C'est Lena!

Have you noticed the same thing that I have? That Emily is posting less and less and I am posting more and more? I know this blog has been up-and-running for only 29 days, but it seems like Emily doesn't have enough 'voice' to keep this blog interesting. I've wanted to make a blog for myself, but I think if I had this Professor Poppet and a blog for myself that Prof. Poppet wouldn't get any updates. Having two blogs would get awfully busy.

So, the real question: should I keep this blog as Professor Poppet? Should I turn it into a blog for myself? I will set up a poll on my sidebar, so please vote there. Any comments with suggestions would be incredibly helpful! Remember, having more than one blog isn't an option for me; I'm really sorry.

Thank you for listening to my little rant!

Love,
Lena

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! (A post by Lena)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO LENA AND THE DOLLS! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Wish us a happy 1 year anniversary of belonging to Picasa Web albums! I'm so proud to be a part of this wonderful group of online friends; I don't think I could have asked for better. I wish I could thank you all one by one, but I have too many people to thank. This is going to sound really cheezy and cliché, but you have shaped my character, each and every one of you. I have changed in this last year, and it has been under the influence of so many well-rounded individuals. So, in conclusion.....

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love from

Lena, Josefina, Sara, Felicity, Emily, Kirsten, and Samantha

I'm back! (A post by Lena)

Hello!!! It's me, Lena, and I'm BACK! 

I had an AMAZING time in Strasbourg, France! I took a TON of pics, but here are a few to give you a taste (because most of them are of people): 

Me, on a really fun playground thing

A bridge

How cool is this. Giant foosball.

This was an obstacle course in the trees! It was beyond fun and terrifying!!!

This whole wall is made out of gingerbread!

I hope you liked the pictures! I sure enjoyed taking them!

Unfortunately, I'm SICK. I caught a sore throat from my friend that I was rooming with, and it's getting worse. I'm hoping to start filming today for "Shout it Out", but I'll have to see how I feel.

Cheerios,
Lena