January 1, 2011 !!

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

I dunno, I like the classic poets and we have snow right now (yaaay!) so I thought it the most appropriate quote. I was thinking about getting on to post last night at midnight but I knew I might say something stupid so I decided not to! Plus I was way too tired!

Every year on New Year's Eve we get together with some of our oldest, best family friends and go bowling then to our house for pizza. We all stay up until midnight to watch the ball drop in NYC on the television. Usually in years past all of us kids have had lots of energy. But last night we were all so tired we just lounged around. We are getting so old!!

To tell the truth, I think 2011 is going to be one of the most eventful yet scary years of my life! Going to Africa, packing up everything in my room (tears), going to college...I mean all that will need to happen to make it the craziest year ever is for me to get married! And if my mom had superpowers she would snag Tim Tebow for me so he could pay for my college!

I saw Tangled yesterday with a friend. It was SO cute! Not just cute but just...good all around. As everyone has been saying. One of the best, if not the best, animated film I have seen ALL YEAR! (2010 year, mind you).



As to New Year resolutions, I don't really make any. I can't remember ever doing so in the past...and if I did it just goes to so how quickly I forget them. But what I do pray for is that this year I can accept change with more grace and peace while retaining the joy of the Lord.

The Voyage

So last night was The Night! I got to go see Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. If I didn't make so much money babysitting on Fridays I would have gone Thursday midnight with some friends to see it, but alas...I am a poor kid who needs money for Africa. ;) So I called a friend to see if she wanted to go on Saturday night. As is so her, she invited everyone else she knew...anywho, I was only going for the movie so I didn't care who came.

My thoughts on the movie are as follows:
It doesn't really follow the book to a T. I mean, it follows the story, but they add in a really major element that is not in the book. And they leave some key parts out of the movie that are in the book. For example, Caspian and the star princess!! GRRR! Let's just say, no development of that relationship at all.
There was a bit of cheesiness...mostly in the screenplay, some, "No duh, Lucy. Thanks for stating the obvious" moments.
Eustace was actually one of my favorite characters. The boy who played him did a terrific job and I really do wish they'd continue the series with him (and Jill).
Despite all the little (or big) glitches and "Whaaaaa?!" moments I am a sucker for the epic endings. I cry every time at the end of Prince Caspian. And I cried at the end of this one...when you see it, right at the part before the kids go back to the real world. I just cried and cried. I almost cry thinking about it.
All in all, I love the stories. I love Narnia.
Oh, P.S., Aslan had some dialogue that made me VERY proud of Fox for putting it in there. You'll know what I mean when you hear it.

Fairytale?

So it has come to my attention that perhaps a new craze is beginning. With the dawn of the ever popular Twilight frenzy, a fairytale-esque series, trailers for remakings of classic fairytales are emerging. A friend introduced me to the trailer for Beastly (starring Vanessa Hudgens and hitting theatres in July) and just today another friend posted on my facebook the trailer for Red Riding Hood (starring Amanda Seyfried and coming March 2011). Needless to say, being a die-hard classic Disney girl and loving the actuall classic fairytale stories themselves, neither of these trailers made a good impression on me. Nevertheless, the films will be meeting the world next year and I am curious to see which movie YOU are more excited for. So leave a comment below and tell me which one you would see first and why. Feel free to tell me any other thoughts you have!

Beastly


Red Riding Hood

List of movies to watch before I leave for Africa:

Anne of Green Gables 1, 2, 3
Pocahontas
Wives and Daughters
Pride and Prejudice
Mulan
North and South
Sense and Sensibility
Phantom of the Opera
Beauty and the Beast
Cinderella
Lion King
Singin in the Rain
Miss Potter
Voyage of the Dawn Treader