fabulous news!

As this is my 100th blog post, I thought it appropriate that I should include some WONDERFUL news.....


I now know that I will be moving to the west coast of FLORIDA!


My dad accepted a job offer last night, and so we will be moving there next month, the weekend of the 13th. Yay!

I just thought you all might like to know!

Also, my blog might be undergoing a name change as I am no longer living in nor leaving Europe. ;)

Love, Lena

under the clear american sky

I just thought I'd update you all about what is going on and my brief leave of absence.
My family and I arrived in Indiana last night, and I got to sleep over at CC's house! We had a blast and stayed up until 1:00 in the morning, even though I had 6 hours of jetlag (it was 7:00 in the morning in Europe). I will post periodically, but definitely not regularly as I am on vacation and without a computer. Also, posting pictures will be quite impossible as I have to use a hotel computer and I don't have any of my pictures on it. :(

As for news of where I will be moving, my parents are closer to making a decision, but not quite! I will be sure to let you all know as soon as I can.

Have a great summer everyone!

Love,
Lena

goodbye, violin

I had to turn in my rental violin this week. I'm really going to miss playing! I certainly can't wait until I can get a new one at my new place (currently unknown). Anyway, here is some photography that I did last night. Enjoy!

Also, I saw a lovely quote today... "Generosity enhances natural beauty." ~Gao Xingjian

Love,
Lena

empty house and other news

Hello, everyone! Goodness, this week has been so stressful, and is going to be even more stressful until I leave on Saturday! We are now staying with friends, so there are no worries about living in an empty house

So right before the house was totally packed up, my dad and I had a little office going with what chairs and "tables" we had. (my computer is on the far right)

Then, here are pictures of my room before it was emptied. I miss it already. :'(

As for news, I will be without a computer for a long... long... long... time. I have to give this laptop back to the school (because it belongs to my school), so I won't have a proper computer until I move to my new house. Posting will be very limited this summer, and most likely without pictures. :(

Also, I have an algebra exam first thing tomorrow morning, so prayers are most welcome! ;)

I can't remember if I told you all or not, but I'm participating in season 8 of the American Girl Contest! If you want to see all my pictures from this season so far (and more in the future), go to my Picasa Web Albums. I can't say I'm super proud of all my photos so far, but I'm doing my best with what I can!

See you all later,
Lena

packing, packing, packing!

Yes, the title says it all. Ever since I came home from church this afternoon, all I have done is packing, packing, packing!

My doll room was already packed up, but I had to take all the clothes out of the bins so I could collapse the bins. Last time we moved they were all distorted because I forgot to collapse them. :P Most of the clothes are in those four 1 gallon Ziploc bags and in the purple hatbox.

Then I fixed my dolls and their hair up all nice, because I'm paranoid that the movers are going to destroy them (Even though 4 of them have moved twice already. Kirsten never.). I braided Kirsten, Sara, and Josefina's hair and wrapped them in scarves. I did a fancy twisty hairstyle on Felicity because I don't want her permanent texture to be braidy. I like her waves! So anyway, the dolls are all ready.

And, of course, I needed clothes for the next 3 months, approximately, so I loaded my entire summer wardrobe into a suitcase. I don't have very many clothes. It comes in handy sometimes! I also had to get Emily and her clothes ready for summer, since she is also coming with me.

Then I have a box that I will get a little earlier than the rest of our shipment, so I put my fashion designing set, knitting stuff, a folding bed for Emily, and Emily's winter clothes in it. I still have a little space. Do you have any ideas of what else I could put in there? No sewing machines, unfortunately!

Yeah, so that's it! Sorry this is an ultimately boring post, but I just wanted you all to see why I might be absent from the Internet for a while. This whole moving thing is so exhausting!

Prayers are most welcome. :)

Love, Lena

PS: Sorry the pictures are so bad, I was using my old camera because I was too lazy to go downstairs and get the proper camera. :P

normady, france

Hello, everyone! It's good to talk to you again!

I went to Normandy, France, for 4 days for an extended field trip with school. It was super awesome!

We left on Monday morning, and stopped at a WW1 French/British monument and graveyard.

Then we drove for a bit and saw an Irish tower. I can't remember what it was for because we didn't stay for long. I just thought it was pretty.

After the Irish tower. We went to the Newfoundland (Canada) battle ground where they beat the Germans.

Then we drove to the hostel and went to bed (it was like a 4 hour trip on a bus with a bunch of crazy kids. GAH!).

The next day we went to the Omaha Beach American cemetery. It was really depressing, knowing that all these American men (and a couple of women) sacrificed themselves for others.

There  was a really lovely poem with the American flag flower offering:

The Veterans

They ask us why we do it

Why we still parade

Now that we're getting older and just a little frayed.

It's not for the sake of glory,

Or the medals on our chests,

It's simply that we are comrades

Who stood the final test.

On the 6th of June that fateful day 

A day we will never forget, 

Many a lad laid down his life

And paid the final debt.

So when you see a veteran

Give the man your hand

For the medals on his chest

Were won in foreign lands.

And when God asks the question:

"Who are you, my man?"

I will proudly answer,

"Sir, I'm a veteran."

After the cemetery, we went nearer to Omaha beach and picnicked near a Nazi bunker. It was really fun to explore in, even if it was used for horrible things.

After that, we went to the Point du Hoc, were there were enormous craters from the bombs. It was so fun climbing around in them. Except for the fact that there was a torrential downpour and I slipped all the way down a crater and got muddy and nearly destroyed my camera. No worries, it's okay! This photo is of me in the biggest crater that I saw that day.

We also went to a little town called Saint-Mère-Eglise and went to a WW2 museum. There were relics donated by veterans and there families. Look at these adorable vintage food containers!

The next day was D Day, and first we went to Bayeux, and saw an amazing tapestry. It was made around 1087, is 216 feet long, and depicts the Battle of Hastings. It's said to be the first comic strip ever (though it's not funny, it depicts a battle)! I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but here are some from the Internet.

We also saw another German bunker, that was cooler than the other. This one still had arms in it. 

The afternoon we went to a tiny and adorable seaside town called Arromanches. There was a lady there with a veteran wearing an amazing vintage outfit!

I also sat on a sea wall, and it was amazing!

And then I got caught in another torrential downpour with nowhere to go, and I was soaked all the way through to my t-shirt. :( These next two pictures are after the storm. I had dried a little bit by then, thank goodness! A couple of soldiers let my friend Tiffany and I get in their jeep (they didn't take us anywhere, no worries!), and we also met a veteran from Illinois.

Yesterday I did an obstacle course in the forest up high in the trees and got caught in YET ANOTHER torrential downpour while climbing on slippery wood. It was super-duper fun, but not the getting wet part. Luckily my friend Austin came inside before the downpour, so I got to use his sweatshirt. Now I have to go buy the same one for me, because I love it! Then we had to go home, and I bought M&Ms at a rest stop. I always eat them in rainbow order. This time, though, there were NO REDS. AT ALL. It was horrible! I had to start with the oranges! :( Oh well, they still tasted good. It's just a mentality thing. 

See? NO REDS! What color M&Ms do you eat first? Or do you just not care?

Sorry, I realize that this post was really really long........ Hope you weren't bored!

Love, Lena

happy birthday, kirsten!

Happy Birthday (tomorrow), Kirsten!

I will be gone starting tomorrow until Friday, so don't miss me! I'll be on my extended field trip to Normandy... Pictures WILL be posted!

Love, Lena

surprise!

My friends are the most amazing peoples EVAH. They threw me a surprise farewell party, and it was the most surprising surprise party ever! I've never had a surprise party before.... They gave me wonderful cards, gifts, and photo posters that I will cherish for ever. I'm going to put them all on my "stalker wall".... a VERY long story. Don't worry, I'm not a stalker! My friends are just a little fruity in the loops.

They made and signed a wonderful card for me:

I also got several individual cards, and the most awesome wrapping ever!

Yeah, this is a card envelope. YOU SHOULD BE JELLY! (Jelly is another long story...)

A couple of my gifts were extremely Harry Potter related...

For my violin... WICKED!

Front... we share Harry Potter. FYI, we like each other as FRIENDS. Like, BFFs.

Back

 

 

I had an amazing time, and was so surprised. I would love to post photos and videos on here but 1. I don't have them... my friends do and 2. They have people and names and faces. :(

Have you ever been surprised at a surprise party?

Love, Lena