Just One

If I see one more light that's fading
Hear about one more broken dream
Pray for just one more faith that's dying
It's one too many
And if I see one more child walking
Just one more mile for water
If I wait one more minute longer
It's one too many


When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around
And if we're living history
How will they think of you and me
If it takes just one, just one
What if, what if, what if I'm the one


If I hear one more widow crying
'Cause there's no one by her side
If I see one more family breaking
It's one too many
If there's one thing that I'm sure of
If there's one thing that I know
You could be one in a sea of faces
Or you could be one more chance for hope


I see a nation without any walls
A beautiful haven for one and for all
I see a day when people are free
When shackles are broken and fall to the street
A voice, a cry, call out from on high
The first one of many go lay down your life


When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around
And if we're living history
How will they think of you and me
If it takes just one, just one
What if, what if, what if I'm the one
What if you're the one?
What if I'm the one?
What if you're the one?
~ Just One, Brandon Heath

Summer... Summer... Fall?

Glancing outside today, I imagined Fall dancing across the grass, her bright red curls trailing behind her like streamers.  Clad in a plain brown dress and slippers, she doesn't seem like much more than a child, but green eyes filled with mischief tell otherwise as they peek behind her little figure.  In her hand she holds five ribbons, each colored the deepest blue, and as she dances forward, they stain the pale, chalky sky, the same color.

Fall is obviously one of my favorite seasons.

In Florida, though, it takes a little more effort to see any signs of the glorious season, because almost always feels--and looks--like summer.  My theory is that this state missed God's memo on the whole seasonal color change.  Very few trees here do change, and when they do, it's normally months late...  Think Christmas.  Not only that, but even the weather stays warm through October most years.  Which to me, who is an avid snow lover, is sad.

One way I can tell that fall is here, though, is when the sky begins to change from that ugly, summer blue, to the dark cerulean blue of fall.  It's wonderful.

Thank God for the seasons. :] 

There's a blog for everyone...

It's amazing all the things people blog about.  There are people that blog about anything and everything, there are people who blog about life in general--me--and then there are people who blog about random stuff.  And when I say random, I mean random.  There are people who blog about fruit, for heaven's sake!  It's amazing!

It's a fact that I went out yesterday and today on a blog hunt during a spout of boredom between homework times, and I have to say my results were pretty interesting.  As I said before, people blog about fruit--more health than just, you know...  blogging about fruit for no reason other than that they like fruit--and I have several blogs on crocheting and knitting that I have saved in my favorites.  Then there are the business blogs.  I found one that deals with steam showers and another that had something to do with computers...

Can you tell I was amused?
Yeswell, this is how I spend my spare time...

So well all know what today is, right?
Of course we do!  The two people I know read this are as American as I am, and love every second of it!

But that's not really what I wanted to say...
What I wanted to say is a little bit different.

You know, I really don't remember what my feelings were like when the two towers crashed.  I was a six year old for heavens sake!  I was young, oblivious, and, though I was sad for a moment about the things that flashed across our tv screen, I didn't care that much about what had happened.  Looking back, I see things a little differently--a little, mind you, not much--but to this day, I can't tell you much about what happened that day.  All I really remember is that I was playing an old Nintendo 64 game called Banjo Kazooie, I was enjoying myself...  and it was my birthday.

I feel a little ashamed now when I think back to that day, but not much.  You see, I always thought having to share my birthday with the 9/11 sorrows while I was growing up was a bad thing.  Every year, at the same time, my birthday would roll around, carrying along with it the baggage of a country's sorrows of that day--good and bad.  They were posted in the news, on the tv, and all over the internet.  They were inescapable, and, quite frankly, depressing.  Time changes opinions, though...  slowly, but surely.


Today I woke up in my nice bed, with the sun streaming inside, and smiled up at the sky.  I walked downstairs a little grumpy, dressed in my nice brown cargos and a black tanktop, and nodded/grunted greetings to my family's proclamations of "happy birthday, Chloe!"  and "good morning!"  As always, I walked to get coffee.  When I saw the paper, however, I stopped for a moment.

There, taking up two pages of the Daily News, was full-color article with pictures that was written about 9/11.  My first reaction?  'Oh joy...  More depressing stories...'
...  You'd think I'd learn, wouldn't you?
-whispers-  Don't tell anyone, but I'm still a sinner. ;]

But anyways.
I was thinking earlier today and I realized that I'm not sharing my birthday with the sorrows of a nation.  I'm sharing my birthday with the memories of a nation, good and bad. 

So it's with great pleasure that I share this day with all the people who lived and served--and continue to serve--our country on 9/11.
And happy birthday to others like me who were born today.

You know that little thrill you used to get when you did some little naughty thing and got away with it?  Or, in my case, years later, what you thought you got away with.  Well I totally re-lived one of those moments last night.  Though perhaps it wasn't as sneaky as I thought it was...
It was just one of those thrill-of-the-moment-type...  things I decided to try.

...  I made an e-mail!
Yes, I realize Katie will be looking at the screen right about now and rolling her eyes.  But since she's my audience of one, I figure I can do and say whatever I please anyways.   'Cuz I'm cool like that.

Well if you actually knew me, I suppose this happy moment in life would make more sense.  You see, being the lazy and stubborn person that I am, I'm not particularly prone to change.  'Old habits die hard,' and all that jazz.  For the longest time in my life, for example, I was positive I would wear my shirts tucked in to my raggedy shorts...  forever...  and dolphins?  They were fictional characters--think unicorns--before I moved to the South.  Don't judge me.  I was a kid.

Okay, I'm ranting again. 
What I was trying to say before I distracted myself, was that I don't like being wrong.  And when it comes to the whole e-mail thing, I convinced myself--and tried to convince certain other people who will remain unnamed--that Embarq/Centurylink and Yahoomail were the best things on earth.  In my defense, I had never had my own G-mail account and Yahoomail is getting better as time goes on...  Sort of.

Well last night I finally stepped over to the dark side and got a g-mail.
:"D
I was so proud of myself!

Andyeah...  I'm done ranting for the day.
Love you, Katie~

Will Wonders Never Cease?

Good gracious, sakes alive...  She's back!
Again?

Of course I'm back.  I always come back, eventually. 
It seems that I lose myself to life more often than not, and I find myself too busy doing something or other to bother checking my blog--to say nothing of actually posting on the thing.  Today, though, I decided it was high time to float back in here and clean out the cobwebs.  It's been too long since I've written something, and I'm getting tired of writing to myself.  So I decided I would do something even /better!/  I'll write something that's public, but that no-one will ever bother reading!
What a thought...

Anyways.
Since I'm taking the time to actually post on this lovely rainy sort of night, I figured I would write about the renewal of an old passion;  crocheting.  Well actually, it's the renewal of two old passions if you count knitting.  In all honesty, my new work is what drove me to post tonight. 

Sitting beside me, wound up into nice, not-so-uniform, balls, are several colors of yarn.  Ivory, slate, multicolored, painterly, pink/purple sparkly...  You name it, I probably have it.  My aunt left me a giant bag stuffed full of brand new knitting needles and crochet hooks, and with it came several balls of shockingly colored yarns.  That combined with my latest yarn shopping has given me quiet a bit of color to work with.

In my lap, settled partially atop my little laptop is my newest project, which doubles as a christmas present for my littlest sister, Cecelia.  It's a little ivory colored bag that I'm planning on loading with bunches of sparkly pink and purple flowers, because I'm so nice...  -coughs-
Where was I?
Ohyes. 
Meanwhile, a pair of scissors, a miniscule ball of yarn--the best yarn ball ever, which I fondly nicknamed my 'learning ball'--and several hooks and knitting needles sit at my feet.  And my phone, of course, is sitting in the midst of all this, beside two little flowers.  Hey, what can I say.  I can knit and crochet, but the fact that I'm a teenager still remains. 

And now that I'm done ranting, I'll let my invisible audience go for the night.

Good night, God~

Gotta Know

Life is like an elevator, a lot of ups and downs
People pushin' your buttons and gettin' jerked around
I used to lurk around town tryin' to work around
Workin' so that I could hit the ground with the perfect sound
Even perfect sound sounds like work
When you spend your time flirtin' with the crown in the perp
I was bound for Berzerk with a layover in Crazy,
A lazy Jay-Z hopin' rock-a-fellas paid me
Or rockin' ladies were caught me a Mercedes
But that whole dream was in '80's baby
Missed that shot like the cop that's crooked
TV goes off, third eye still lookin'
Mom still cookin', I can always go home
Even though I'm five years past grown (five years past grown)
Here I go again, I'm still chasin' the wind, I can't win
When it gets hot, it boils down to sin
If Heaven ain't a gift, then I ain't getting' in (man)

I can't even find the words for the way I feel
So I paint a picture, I paint a picture
I've been goin' down this road, seen some crazy things
So I paint a picture, you gots to see it

You just gotta know
You just gotta know
You just gotta know
You just gotta know

(Yeah) I sit and hear the guitars play,
Wonder if they could, what would stars say or Venus and Mars say
Or say that we want it our way,
Stars so desperate to shine that they go on livin' the hard way
The intellect to travel to Mars but so blind,
We worship Venus but she don't even know who we are
And she never cared why, cause she wasn't there
When I was tryin' to drown my sorrows in a pool of despair
I ain't perfect, sometimes I feel worthless,
Worth less than that is the image that I'da purchased
Man, from the shades to the shirt to the shoes,
Just another fool tryin' to cover he's confused, that ain't cool
Sometimes I hate the man in the mirror
Cause I know he's a liar and a cheater and a killer
People say they love him but they love what he can give 'em,
But deep inside he knows that there's a reason for him livin'

I can't even find the words for the way I feel
So I paint a picture, I paint a picture
I've been goin' down this road, seen some crazy things
So I paint a picture, you gots to see it

You just gotta know
You just gotta know
You just gotta know
You just gotta know

You know I need you like aqua,
Day without ya got me so nauseous,
If I ain't cautious, I'm gonna self-inflict my sickness
You know it's true, you as my witness
At how you witness my inconsistence
Yes, the ovation when I need your assistance
And I just gotta know that even though I'm a misfit
I'm still worth more than calamity's French kiss
Yes I'm loved, and I'm pursued
And though I can't feel it, still I know that it's true
Somebody woke me up, and yeah, I know it was you
And yet I keep tryin' to steer clear of your view
Cause if you get me, I know that you got me
But I'm so insecure I can't believe that you want me
But then I heard you went on your way to adopt me
Well you can have my all if you swear you won't drop me
Cause I gotta know (yeah)

You just gotta know (gotta know, gotta know)
You just gotta know (gotta know, gotta know that it's real)
You just gotta know (gotta know, gotta know that it's real)
You just gotta know (hey, hey, gotta know that it's real)

You just gotta know (gotta know, gotta know)
You just gotta know (gotta know, gotta know that it's real)
You just gotta know (gotta know, gotta know that it's real)
You just gotta know (hey, hey, gotta know that it's real)

...  Yes, this is rap...  Christian rap, in fact, and I will be the first to say that it's epicly amazing.  This song was written--and sung--by Lecrae, and so all credit goes to him for lyrics, and it features fellow rapper, Benjah.  Honestly, this song, to me, is one of the best he's done in a long time.  He doesn't sugar coat things like some artists do.  He lays all his issues and the issues many modern day Christians face right out on the table.
<3

What I Want to be When I Grow Up

Today we decided to establish what everyone in our family was good at.  Mum was commenting--for the zillionth time--on my supposed 'artistic' talents while we were sitting at the table when Madeline chimes in, "what about me?!  What am I good at?"  Mom stares at her for a moment, pretending to size Maddy up while she stands there looking all cutified, and then tells her that "she's going to be a sporty girl."  Well I'm glad that's taken care of.  That way, I won't be expected to continue on with my new-found love of basketball. 
After that, of course, David has to give his two cents and asks the same question--albeit in a much quieter voice--in the same cutified manner.  Once more, Mum has to think about it.  And her reply was that "you're the imaginative one in the family."

Well there you go.  We have a crazy artist, a red-headed body-builder, and a wild Andy(from Toy-Story, of course).  Our futures are set.

Why one should never scratch moles...

Children make everything interesting.  They have insights on food, exercise, and even eating habits that astonish me and, yes, make me think.  A good example of this happened today, actually.

There I was, sitting in front of our living room window, staring outside at the sunny front yard and praying that the six loads of laundry sitting next to me would fold themselves, when I hear a sudden running around upstairs.  Now.  For those of you who know my house--very few, yes--there has always been this one spot in my bedroom where, if you step on it just right, it will make a very loud boom...  Sort of like a train wreck.  So I hear someone run through the room and into the hallway screeching their head off, and then another person do the same thing.  It was David.  Apparently, he and Madeline had been chasing eachother over a mole.  A mole, you ask?  Why a mole? 
This is what David had to say when he was finally corner.
David: "Don't scratch my mole off!"
Goo:(giggleshystericallylikeagirl)  "Why not?!"
Dave:(in a low, secretive voice) "...  If you pull moles off, you get cancer."

...  Ummmm...  Wow?  Needless to say, I sat there laughing my head off for several minutes afterwards and listening to the rest of their conversation made my folding go a bit faster.

Nothing Much

Well here I am again, still wondering what to write about.  Upstairs, the children--like the angels they are--are calmly getting their jammies on, brushing their teeth, and screaming bloody mur--...  Ahem.  Yes, well, they're trying...  I think.  I love them anyways, insanity and all, if only because I'm no better as I sit here and think about what I want the weather to be like tomorrow and try to write something worthwhile.  But, hey, who doesn't stare off into space when they're typing? 

If I were a smart person, I would write about what I had for dinner tonight--it was pizza, in case anyone's interested, by the way--but since there wasn't much to my one course dinner, I suppose that would be boring.  If I were an interesting person, I would write about what I did today--again, if anyone's interested, I was gone on a six hour shopping spree of death--but, well, I'm not.  Since I'm a brilliant ranter, however, I figured that writing whatever first came to mind till I got bored would be a good way to go.

Let's try this... Again

I can't say that I'm going to try to start a blog because I've already done that.  And I also can't say that I'll try to post more often than I do now that I've started again, because I'm pretty sure I've done that before to.  But hey, since I'm here, why not?  Sure I'll try--if only for you, Katie, my single reader--and then when I get bored with the color and design of the whole thing, I'll drop it for a while and pick it back up some hundred years later.  For now, though, I've re-colored and re-named my blog so it suits my--current--tastes and personality and I suppose I'll try posting more for my invisible audience.