Last Rehearsal Before the Theatre!

Monday the 20th was our last Little Mermaid rehearsal day before tech week next week. We got there before 10 so we could have time to get into our costumes and all that. Mrs. Beasley didn't bring the big sea anemone costumes because they are so big, so Sabrina and I went out in the costume pieces we wear under the large part. I got to wear my entire princess costume for the first time, with my wig and feather and gloves and everything. My wig looks like my hair when I was about 2 or 3, and it's so floppy and fun. We ran through the entire play three times, and I got really good at my costume changes so I think I'm set for next week. Everyone's costumes are so cool, and I feel sorry for those who aren't able to come to any of the performances, because it's going to be such a fun production! It will be performed at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, Missouri. There are still tickets available, so get them while you can, at lifelightyouththeatre.com!

Spring Choir Concert

This past Tuesday was the SCCHE Choir Concert. Josh and I went to class at the regular class time from 1-2:30 at the church we were having the concert at, then we went to Walmart to get some things. We hung out in the Walmart parking lot in the car and ate dinner and did some school. At about 5:30 we went back to the church to get ready, and at 6:00 the choir had pictures taken. Then all three choirs went to the prayer room to pray.

The choir concert went up to the balcony and we watched the Young Singers choir and the Bel Canto choir sing, which was really good. Then we went down and performed our pieces. We sang "Ye Shall Be Witnesses" by Jerry Kirk, "He Watching Over Israel" by Felix Mendelssohn, "'Cross the Wide Missouri," "Give Me Jesus: by Larry Fleming, "Let There Be Peace on Earth," and "Battle Hymn of the Republic" by Wilhousky. Then came the introduction of the seniors, and then all the choir alumni came up and we all sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" by P. Lutkin. We went out with some friends afterwards to Steak 'n' Shake, and it was basically a really fun day. I'm sad, though, that we won't be doing choir anymore...

"Cinderella": A Picture of Us

As I said in an earlier post, fairytales are stories depicting a bigger picture, all we have to do is look closely with open eyes to find the analogies. In Cinderella, we can all guess who Cinderella represents. She symbolizes us, with all the obstacles we come across in life, and the stepmother and stepsisters represent our antagonists and trials during our life here on earth. The prince, the supposed "savior" from all Cinderella's hardships, I believe represents God, who is seeking mankind to follow Him.

I like to think of this fairytale as more or less parallel to our lives. At the beginning of the story, Cinderella lives a hard life, seemingly alone while her stepmother and stepsisters burden her with troubles and hardships, and Cinderella struggles to maintain a positive attitude through it all. She has her animal friends, but they can only do so much to help her. In the same way, we are born into a world where there are many antagonists, hardships, and obstacles and we are weighed down by the sin and imperfection that exists here.

In the midst of her troubles, Cinderella is given a hope of something more than the life she is leading. The Prince is inviting all eligible ladies to a ball at which he will choose a bride. Cinderella's stepmother and sisters seem as though they will surely catch the Prince's eye, as they appear so perfect and decked out in their ball gowns. Cinderella is eager to attend the ball, but she is given by her stepmother a whole list of things she must do first in order to be allowed to attend. She feels hopeless, and it seems she will never get to go. But then Cinderella's godmother comes along and shows her that she can go the ball without a bunch of restrictions. Her godmother helps her along and Cinderella attends the ball. She meets the Prince, and the two fall in love. After a wonderful night, Cinderella returns home, fearing what her stepmother would do if she found out Cinderella was at the ball. But the Prince continues to seek her out, and she is reunited with him once more, now to be his bride.

Much like Cinderella, we are also given a glimpse of something greater. God invites us to follow him, and his invitation is found in the Bible. He has given us a whole list of things that he has done so we can be with him. We all are eager for something greater, but at times it seems most difficult to achieve it. Others may appear to have it all together, and the world has provided us with lists of things we must do in order to get to Heaven. We often get bogged down by these "rules" and feel as if we may never find our way. We commit ourselves to being God's followers, and even become close to God, but in many cases, the things of this world get back to us and we are afraid of what our peers and other people will think. So we resume our old lives, while still hoping God loves us. However, God is always seeking us, and wants us to join him in Heaven someday, so we must not lose heart--he wants you, and he will always be ready for you.

Madrigal Dinner

The SCCHE Concert Choir hosted a Madrigal Dinner this year, and Josh and I were fortunate to be a part of it. I did not sign up for anything extra, because of my already busy schedule and because we live so far, but I did take part in the choral pieces. Joshua played a puppeteer in the Punch and Judy scene, and he had a solo for the Boar's Head Carol, which was sung right before the dinner. All the choir members were servers for the patrons, and it proved to be quite enjoyable, and it made me feel quite useful indeed. I loved all the costumes as well. Most of the guys wore tights :) and the dresses were simply beautiful. Some dresses were rented (like mine), but a lot of the girls made their own dresses. They did such a wonderful job that I could hardly tell which ones were rented and which ones were handmade!

Working Ahead

The week of April 1st, our choir is having a Madrigal Dinner, and we're going to be gone Monday for Lifelight, Tuesday for Learning Center and Choir, plus Thursday evening for a Madrigal dress rehearsal and set up, Friday from noon on for dress rehearsal and the dinner, and Saturday for the second Madrigal Dinner. Because we will be so busy that week, I am working ahead so that I don't have to do much school at all that week and have more time for practicing. And the week after that is the homeschool expo and we have two days set aside for that.

Also, in Grammar, I have gotten behind because I missed several papers I needed to write, seven of them to be exact. On Sunday, I wrote four, and now I have three left, plus a short history research topic I need to write from last week. I have about 2 1/2 weeks left to get all those done, so I think I'm good, but I also need to work ahead in that time, as well as other things.

Happily Ever After?

       What do most people think of when they hear the phrase "happily ever after"? Typically, people picture a life of eternal happiness, usually involving marriage, where nothing ever goes wrong. But really, those people have got it totally wrong. Take fairytales, for example. The main character--the hero or heroine of the story--is usually in distress, and along comes a handsome prince or a savior of some sort and fixes everything, and "they all live happily ever after." But do they really? What happens after happily ever after?
       I think there is a deeper meaning behind this "happily ever after" at the end of many stories. In real life, there is no way we can live a life with no hardships or obstacles, or else we would be as helpless as a wee baby, with nothing to worry about. Happily ever after CAN'T happen in this world, because in order for there to be a happily ever after, everything would have to be perfect, and human beings are far, far from perfect. I'm hoping you've guessed by now where I'm leading. The only place that "happily ever after" could ever happen is in Heaven! It kind of figures, since Heaven is a place where there will be none of the troubles we find on Earth.
       But just as it is in fairytales, in order to reach "happily ever after," there are always hardships first. In Cinderella, a young girl spends years toiling away at the mercy of her stepmother and stepsisters before she is recognized for her true beauty and delivered from her suffering. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle seeks to do what is right and is miserable because of it, but she is rewarded for her kindness in the end. In the same way, we live a life in this world with hardships and obstacles we must face, and we learn from them and grow in the time we spend here on Earth. But despite all our spiritual hardships and trials, we are later rewarded with eternal life, to live ever after with our Father in Heaven.

New Hedgie

       This past Sunday I got an African pygmy hedgehog, and I named her Periwinkle (thought that sounded like a pretty good name for an animal covered in spikes). She's four years old, and right now she still hisses at me in her tiny-motor grumpy sound, but I'm hoping she'll warm up to me soon. She is generally a pretty happy little critter, and whenever I let her out of her cage she's immediately up and running about, sniffing all my stuff, but I have to restrict her a little so she won't get stuck under my dresser or in my closet or anything. Feeding is convenient because she eats dry cat food, and she herself doesn't have any odor or smell like dogs or mice or other pets. Cleaning up after her is pretty easy, except she tracks her bedding (don't worry, it's clean bedding!) on my carpet, which unfortunately is super hard to spot dirt on, so I'll have to vacuum it. Periwinkle doesn't like loud noise, so it's probably best that I keep her in my room, because my room is probably the quietest room in the whole house. I just weighed her today on our little kitchen scale and she is exactly a pound (which is the ideal weight for a hedgehog), so she isn't overweight or anything, and I don't have an obese hedgehog to make diet plans for. In the spring when it gets warmer outside I'm planning on making her a little playpen so that she can get her exercise and be in a more natural habitat. I don't want to have her running around too much in the house because my parents wouldn't be very happy if she pooped or anything on the floor, especially if she went under the couch or the stove. Fortunately her cage is big enough she should be able to get some exercise.