Great News!!!!!!

Great news! I got a call monday night saying that I was accepted into Douglas Anderson! I was extremely overjoyed! I was so happy, I couldn't believe it. I was accepted in both of my areas-voice and creative writing. You can only chose one, though, so I'm going with voice. It's definately my passion, and voice is something that's hard to be self-taught, unlike writing. I just hope that all my other friends who tried out have gotten their calls, and have been just as happy. When I told my teachers that I got in, they were all so happy for me, and I was grateful for their support. I've support from so many people thorughout the journey, and I want to thank them. And I'd like to thank my parents too, who helped me a TON. Without them, I couldn't have done it. And finally, I want to thank God for the talents he's given me, and letting me be accepted into my heaven on earth.

Secret Sea

Do you remember me telling you about a story I was writing about a ghost and a girl who discovers her? The one that's set in Ireland? I called it, "Secret Sea," after Meav Ni Mhaolchatha's third solo album, which gave me the inspirtation for that story. Now, the title is "Secret Sea," and I've spent a lot of time editing it with my family. Recently, we had it bound at the office store, and I've given it out to several people to read! These people include: Ms. Lindsay Burke, Mrs. Stacy Giangaspro, Mrs. Candy Watson, Mrs. Cheryl O'Conner, Mrs. Amanda Williams, my Virginia family, my Aunt Nancy in Southern California, and my great-grandmother and her caretaker, Mr. Jesse Merrell. I was so excited to get it "pre-published", and so happy that I was really done with my first ever "novella" ( term meaning 'little novel'; thank to Mrs. Candy for letting me know what that is!). I love it and I think it's a wonderful story.

Ireland

Yes, the country, but no, not the country. I'm reading a book called "Ireland" by Frank Delaney. It's a really good book about a storyteller who comes to visit the house of O'Mara. Little Ronan O'Mara knows for sure that the storyteller was sent to him as his own personal wizard, and is enchanted everytime a story is told unto him, and all the neighbors who come in the house to hear as well. They are wonderful stories, because the book tells the stories as the man is telling them, as well as what happens after and in between stories. So far, I've heard four stories from the storyteller; one about the architect of Newgrange (if you're even a small fan of Ireland, you know what this is), King Conner of Ulster (the northern province), Saint Patrick and how he banished snakes and the devil out of his country, and about Saint Brendan and his travels on the sea. It's an amazing book so far, and a very mysterious one too. I'd never heard of it before, and it's not a book you see most eighth graders reading. Double thanks to Mrs. O'Conner for letting me borrow it!!!
Erin go bragh!

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

Have you ever been to a place where you felt like you were in a heaven-on-earth? The day we took a tour of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, I felt that way. Even though the school was a little old, and for most people is just another school option, for me it was a place I knew I would be able to escape and to express myself freely. You have to audition to get in, and mine is tomorrow!!!!!!!! I'm actually auditioning twice- once for creative writing tomorrow and once for voice on monday the ninth. I'm pretty tense about it. I'm feeling a lot of pressure about it, too, since there's already enough stuff going on. I know for a fact that if I don't respond well to the questions they ask me, that could prohibit me from getting in, even if i have a great portolio or if I sang really well. That's the part I'm the most nervous about. I always want not to be too nervous, because then I will sing worse. I'm singing the Italian aria, "La'chia Chi'o Pianga" from the opera Rinaldo, by Handel. It's a really pretty song, and I enjoy singing it. I also have an estabished portfolio with about five different genres: poetry, essay, fiction, editorial, and tall tale. I just hope it will al be enough and I have won't have to worry too much about the questions they ask. Still, I'm preparing to memorize a couple answers to questions they will probably ask. Anyway, wish me good luck. If God wants me there, then I'll be there.

Here is the link to their website; I encourage you to watch the video in the top right corner!!!
http://www.da-arts.org/

Twilight

I know you must be tired of hearing about the amazing new vampire saga, "Twilight", by Stephenie Meyer. Well, guess what? You're gonna get to hear about it some more! Really though, the books are great. Meyer uses a lot of detail, and she's skilled at making good, funny, enjoyable dialog. It's like realistic fiction within a fantasy, which are my two favorite book genres.
When my friends started reading Twilight, and then everyone at my school followed suit, I decided to check it out at the library. I read it in a week (which is actually pretty slow for the average bookworm/twilight nerd), and my mom was impressed. I really enjoyed it! After reading a few other books, I picked up New Moon, the second book in the saga. It was good too, but not nearly as good as the first. Most people will agree with me on this because Edward (the main vampire whom the main non-vampire character had fallen in love with) was not in most of the book. Anyway, I just started Eclipse, the third book in the series, about a week ago. It's just as good as the first, and I'm eager to find out how all of the problems are solved at the end of it.
Another thing I really like about Twilight is the fact that it has a good amount of romance...the kind of romance I like. Normally I can't sit through a romance movie or book for ten minutes or less. I love action movies that have a little bit of romance (star wars and national treasure, for example). Twilight is different because the way Meyer illustrates the romance is perfect, and I go "awww..." instead of cringing. It's really sweet and touching.
If you haven't read any Twilight, I suggest you at least try it, even if fantasy is not your thing. Really, it's a story about a bunch of normal people and seven very....not normal people...and their struggles. That's an awfully bad way to describe it, but trust me...the books are good. And the vampires are too.

Orla...Gone!

As many of you who read my blog know, I absolutely LOVE the Irish supergroup Celtic woman. You also know that I was upset when my favorite member, Meav, left to pursue her solo career. She's had fabulous success and I'm no longer sad or angry that she is gone from the group. I enjoy listening to her solo music and can't wait to sing with her in the future. But now a very important member of the group has decided to follow in Meav's footsteps. Orla Fallon, best know for her voice's haunting Irish qualities and her quick Gaelic tongue, had decided to pursue her career and to focus on her family. I'm very glad she wants to spend more time with her family; I often think about how the families of these girls (especially the children of Lisa, and Meav when she was a "Celtic Woman") deal with them having to be gone all the time. But Celtic Woman will never, ever be the same. A lot of people have half-hope for the continued success of Celtic Woman because three of their best singers left (Hayley Westenra, a 2007 guest with an already great solo career). I do think that Lynn and Alex are definately not as good as the original five ever were, but I would like to be in their shoes. They have a chance to be successful too, and I don't think we should give up on Celtic Woman completely. We can still listen to them on the CDs and remember that their still out there purusing their dreams (I had to think this when my Meav left). Even though Orla, Meav, and Hayley will be missed, I hope that Celtic Woman will still have success. I believe their group will never be as good as they were again, and it would be disatrous if Lisa, Chloe, or Mairead left. Don't lose hope in Celtic Woman, though. They're still a great group with lots of Irish talent. Maybe that's why their 2009 tour is called "Isle of Hope"!

New Pet

I'm so sorry I haven't written since October!!!! it's been busy,(we've been out so many nights this month and with school and stuff) and I haven't had much time to go on the computer. I guess that whenever I was on the computer, I was doing something more imortant than blogger:) So yes, I'm sorry. But I'm writing to you now on Christmas Eve (I know, right!?!), so that means that I've had this blog for more than a year. I'm really excited about Christmas, even though I'm sad that its almost over. I dont think I'm going to get all the things I really wanted off of my Christmas list, but this is probably because my sister and i got a HUGE gift- the greatest gift I've ever recieved. Want to know what it is? We got a kitten! We both really wanted a pet (especially a dog), but it's impossibe for our family to have one because they're so high maintenence and we're not home enough to take care of them. But cats are SO much easier to take care of. They're extremely easy to potty-train-all you have to do is show them where the litterbox is! And they're so playful, especially at a young age. Out parents gave us a letter two days before Christmas Eve, saying that they wanted to get a family pet. So the next day, we went to a local animal shelter and adopted a foster cat that they just brought in that morning. We took her into a room and played with her and cuddled her. She is brown-grey, and black tabby cat, while her stomach is a buff color. She has a very sweet nature-she loves to be held and she purrs extremely loud. We adopted her, and then went to the pet store and bought her some food, litter, and toys and took herhome for all the family, and extended family, to see. Yes, did I mention that our Virgnia family is here? My grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, and their dog. we're going to have to be careful putting the two animals together, but it should be fun. I can't wait til Misa (what we think is going to be her permanent name) gets completely adjusted to us and our house, and she realy becomes part of our "pride". I won't post again til after Christmas, so Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!