I still love you, but facebook and I have been seeing other friends for awhile now..

Wow. That is so pathetic and just plain sad that my blog STILL had a thanksgiving background as of today, January 31. So, I am getting the skeletons out of my closet so to speak, and you are about to read the dark and horrible truth........

I have traded blogging for facebook. There, isn't that scandalous?? My defensive reasoning lies in the simple fact that, quite frankly, Facebook is instant and easy. Like Starbucks coffee, it's quick, addictive, and gives you a little pick-me-up. When one is a busy person trying to balance a full college class load and music and work, and pretend to be a helpful daughter around the house, blogging goes by the wayside, and Facebook becomes the idol of choice. It wasn't intentional. Oh no, it wasn't pre-meditated in the slightest. The change came about slowly, creeping through the hedges, slithering along the highways and byways of my mental realm until one day, the metamorphosis was complete, and instead of beauty, there emerged in it's place, a new social network.

What a sickened society, when we opt for the easy, conveniency of popular social networking as opposed to the now stable, old fashioned, and slightly outdated blog. Come to think of it, I cannot exactly recall one witty or slightly well written post on Facebook since I cruelly ignored my poor blog. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is value in the staid and well known regimentation of spilling one's thoughts out into an online journal. Then again, it could just be a larger outlet for the mind to ramble, because no person with brains actually wants to listen to these incoherent, insipid thoughts. In which case, this blog merely becomes a form of false advertising, luring the unsuspecting reader in with cute backgrounds and soft music, then delivering the full force of idiotic ramblings displayed on a silver platter. Then and only then does Facebook hold value, because it's ignorant "likes," "Hello's" and other short, sweet nothings, have more worth comparatively than an entire blog page devoted to idle chatter.

Anyway, this is my blog, I still love it, and if you are reading this I probably love you too, unless you are a creepy stalker. I shan't make any promises about regular posts, but I do give you my word of honor that never again shall you, my blog readers (if you are even still with me), have to suffer through outdated blog backgrounds. Yes, 'tis true that Facebook and I have been seeing other friends, but the return of the prodigal blogger is nigh. Until the great day when you see several new posts in a row, tootles, and have a jolly day, night, afternoon, mid-day, whatever; just make sure you are keeping the energy up, and super jolly.

"ello, and 'ows everyone doing?"

You know, this has been a good week. Not one of those, "I ran around like a headless chicken, but life was good weeks", but rather a quieter, kind of, "wow, I'm getting things done in an organized fashion and I feel accomplished!" kind of weeks.

Meh, actually, my vocal instructor might beg to differ on that point when I confess that I only practiced for about an hour...oops. Oh well, greater things were accomplished, like the serious outline for my 5 page paper on the French Revolution. I whole heartedly believe that no man can serve two masters, so this week, I made my English professor happy. School is frustrating that way, because there are so many people to please...I must purpose to not let more interesting things get in my way.

But anyway, back to the original topic, this has been such a great week, because it's been a week in which I can totally see the hand of God at work. You know those days, (especially when it's cold, rainy, and windy) that it just seems like God isn't exactly present? Murphy's law is in full swing, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, and you find yourself feeling totally negative and miffed that life isn't bright? Well, maybe it's just me that gets that way, anyhow, I haven't been making a very conscious effort to be cheerful and look on the bright side the past couple of weeks. My family can definitely attest to that fact. :D The root of the matter is the fact that I let work, school, and friends take precedence over God, and I wake up and realize that I have spent the bare minimum if any amount of time with him for quite a while. It makes me feel so UN-christian like, and naughty almost...but when I purpose to get back into His word and spend some time with Him, everything magically becomes right. Really, everything in life seems okay, when I spend time with the Lord. I'm half irritated with myself that I let other things get in the way. Why is it that I have time for work, time for school, even time for friends, but at the end of the day I don't have time for God? Yeah, I think my priorities were definitely due for a change around. Which leads me back to why this has been such a good week...now that I've been making time for God again, He's been opening several exciting doors! It's really humbling to know that He loves me no matter how shamefully neglectful I am, and that He never neglects me. That truly is true love. God isn't joking when He says, "Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass...Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for him;...do not fret it only causes harm." Psalm 37:5-8

Choices

I am so grateful to God for His goodness! He's so amazing and wonderful, it blows my mind. This Autumn has been so beautiful, it almost takes my breath away every time I step outside the door. The crispy cool air, and the leaves, awaken some indescribable excitement inside of me. There is so much joy and beauty in life, if we only force ourselves to see it. It lies in simple things like a beautiful song that stirs your soul and brings tears to your eyes, or in a multi colored flower. Beautiful thoughts and joy are personal choices, especially in this age of evil and horrifying circumstances. God gave me a real life example today of how we choose our emotions. Today, a friend of mine told me that he trys not to listen to the news because it's so depressing, and the state of our world is so messed up. He went on to explain that there are generations of people that aren't even living their lives because they're debilitated by the fear that they sense through the media. Instead of pursuing joy, they continue to let themselves be dragged down. So instead of focusing on the darkness, he devotes his time to improving his mind and playing / creating beautiful music. It's a choice that he makes every day, a choice that all of us need to make. Life is so full of small choices that we don't give much thought to, but they end up affecting our lives forever. Choices affect not only our generation, but the lives of generations to come. I want so desperately for people to see Christ in me, and to live my life totally devoted to Him. It's like a hunger, and there's so much to do that I can never satisfy it. There's so many dreams and desires that I have, but I really just want to love God and seek joy and beautiful thoughts. That's the choice I want to make, for the rest of my life.

Springtime and Brooke Return to the Blog..

Isn't that hilarious that back in February I apologized for "not having written in a LONG time" when it had only been 3 weeks between posts?? I mean, come on!! It has been almost 6 MONTHS since I last wrote! :D But seriously, if you all are sad about the long silence, you should really feel pain for my dear pen-pal Rebekah. She has patiently waited for an un-countable number of months for a letter. And it is finally being written and sent as well.

There's just something about Spring time that breathes hope and life into everything. It charges one with energy, and makes you want to press forward and finish unfinished tasks that have slept all winter. This has been a busy spring, but then again, I guess that every spring is really busy! I recently started a Life Guard course at Discover Aquatics (the pool where I work), and it has been very taxing. Somewhere in all the craziness I've been trying to find the time to pick up writing again... henceforth this blog entry.

Because of my Life guard course, I am out of the house swimming, approx. 6 days a week, and two of those days I swim at our local high school pool. It's very fun, because all the senior citizens turn out for water aerobics, and I have made fast friends with several of them. After just two days of swimming with them, I have received two job offers (life guarding / teaching at that pool), and a movie on swimming like a fish. Actually, the video is coming to me next week, but you get the idea.

Well, I have to get up early tomorrow and teach, so I need to depart. But hey, maybe I'll keep up with y'all more regularly. By the way, did you notice that my blog has changed it's face a bit? The old look was so last year. :D

Have a jolly day!!

Love, Brooke

Hello World!!

Hello Everyone! So sorry that I haven't posted in awhile!! Anyway, I wanted to share with you all something really neat that my friend Lauren wrote on Valentine's day. Even though it's a bit past the date, the message still definitely applies. So, read her post, be inspired, and I promise to commence writing again soon! :)

Love, Brooke

Thoughts On Singleness and Contentment This Valentine's Day

By Lauren Torres

As each passing February day has brought Valentine's Day closer and closer, I will admit that I have been thinking a lot about love, romance, and relationships. I am what you would call a "hopeless romantic". I sigh over romantic movies...whether the hero of the day is Mr. Darcy or Gilbert Blythe. As the movie credits roll and some inspiring film score plays, I am filled with hope and excitement for the future. While I don't believe that it is wrong to look forward to that time in our lives, I do believe that oftentimes singles are guilty of wasting time. And I am including myself in this! I have noticed that we as singles are often looking to the next big thing in our lives to bring us happiness and contentment....finishing school, getting that job, starting a career, beginning a relationship, etc. We focus our time and energies towards that point in time and forget to invest in today.

This can also be applied to the romantic relationships area of our lives. I have known many young people who are so discontent with their lives simply because they do not have that special someone in their lives. They feel incomplete with the intimate companionship of the opposite sex. And yet, when they are finally in that much-desired relationship, they are rarely truly happy, because either the relationship should have never began, or it was started for selfish reasons. Don't waste time! If God has marriage in your future, then this time is precious! You will never have this time back again. This is preparation time for us. There are so many things that you are free to do while you are single that you may not have the opportunity to do once you are married, if God so desires. Don't waste time longing for the future to come--it will come soon enough. I encourage you to use your singleness to serve God with passion. Use your singleness to serve others....family, friends, and church. Focus on growing and building godly friendships with other singles, and encouraging one another in their relationship with Jesus. We as singles will never be truly content in any relationship until we have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. And no, I am not talking about going to church on Sundays, or reading our Bibles for a few minutes and then mumbling a prayer for the day. I am not even talking about missions trips and ministry. I am talking about a intimate, personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the One who's mighty hands formed us. The One who knew us before we were even a thought in our parent's minds. Paul writes in Philippians 4:11, "...for I have learned to be content with whatever I have." This is so true. For those who long for romantic relationships and marriage and are not content with their present situation, they will likely be discontent in a relationship or marriage. The romantic earthly love of another person can never compare the love of Jesus. He is the Lover of our souls. He desires to be close to us! We don't deserve His love, yet He longs to be one with us. Jeremiah 31:3 says "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself." I love that! His unfailing love draws us to Him! His love will never fail and never end. Even in good, godly relationships, we will face disappointment at times. Those we love will let us down and hurt. But God promises unfailing love. Let's not be discontent this Valentine's Day! I would encourage you to get alone with the Lord, spend some time talking the King of your heart. He is the greatest romantic...He died so that we might know the beauty and hope of His unfailing love. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). -Lauren

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year, everyone!! Won't 2009 be simply splendid??

We started off the year with 3 feet of snow, which has now melted down to about 11 inches.
As the snow continued to fall, the 'phone rang off the hook, canceling all my plans for the week.
For example, the phone rang, I answered. "Oh, the pool is closed due to snow, so don't come to work? Okay, bye,"

Two minutes later, the phone rang, and again I answered. "Oh, the Christmas party is canceled, due to snow? Okay, bye." An hour later, the phone rang, I answered - and knew before I picked it up that somewhere, something was canceled due to snow. "Hello! Oh, the choir concert and church are canceled due to snow? Okay, bye."
This pattern continued for a couple of days, until one Christmas party, several days of work, church, a Wilderness Northwest meeting, and a choir concert was canceled, while one was still being decided about. What had started out as a horrendously crazy week, quickly turned into a very quiet, stay-at -home week, due to snow. Needless to say, we are all so tired of the snow now! God's creations are always so beautiful, but sometimes he sends a little too much of them. :)
So, the New Year has started out cold, snowy, and a little quiet, but the joy of a fresh New Year is warming our hearts. There is something so exciting about a New year..it's like tomorrow - fresh, with no mistakes in it yet, as Anne of Green Gables would say. :0) Have a wonderful, blessed New Year everyone!!

Love, Brooke

Merry Christmas!

(Be sure to click the "pause" button on the music player located to the left of the blog, before listening to the music videos.)

Merry Christmas Greetings from snow bound western Washington. (Check out my Mother's blog for some snow pictures!) I've been pretty busy lately, but will (Lord willing!) get back to blogging about my Tennessee adventures soon! For now, I'll leave you with a tidbit about what I've been up to lately... A couple of weeks ago, I was blessed to go the the Fiftieth annual Julfest (featuring the Swedish Lucia Bride Service) at First Covenant Church in Seattle. The Shoemaker family took me, and we had a wonderful time!! The Julfest was so Christ centered and uplifting - truly an exciting pre-Christmas experience! The short clips of the service below are just a sampling of how awesome it really was. For a special touch to the usual program, a Swedish choir came all the way from Sweden to sing for the Julfest!! I really wish that I had more pictures, but it wasn't one of those situations where it was appropriate to be a 'shutter bug.' :o)

Next year, my parents and I are hoping to attend "Handel's Messiah" also in Seattle... wish we could have made it this year, but things were way too busy!


I was hiding behind a pillar, so the view isn't that terrific. In person it was breathtaking!

And just yesterday evening we attended the Shoemaker Brothers concert in Shelton. It was held at the Shelton High auditorium, and about 300 people showed up despite the crazy snow! The concert was amazing, the boys did so well, and we were quite proud of their sucess. Mrs. Shoemaker and I supplied the refreshments and it was a huge answer to prayer when my friend Lael showed up with a bunch of cookies. Thank you so much Laelann!! We were worried there wouldn't be enough, but God was in control and it all worked out beautifully! By the way, for anyone that's interested, the next local concert is January 9th, at Charles Wright academy in Tacoma, WA - 7:00 p.m - $12 at the door. Below are pictures from the concert and the boys' recent youtube video.

Samuel, Nathanael, Daniel, & Gabriel

Be sure to check out the Shoemaker Brothers Website for tour dates - they're embarking on a national tour and may be coming to a town near you...

Shoemaker Brothers - Dancing Girl

A Thankful Thanksgiving To You All!!

Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100: 4,5

Thanksgiving is a day when we come together to be reminded of God's many blessings to us throughout our lives and throughout the year. God is so good, and has richly provided for us as his children. I am so thankful for the freedom to worship and serve the Lord, a freedom for which our forefathers fought and gave up their lives. Freedom, and the chance to worship God was the reason that the little band of pilgrims set forth on a perilous journey to a new land. Now, almost 400 years later that group of less than 60 people have become a great nation. We have the freedoms we have, because many before us sacrificed so they could save the love and hope of their life: FREEDOM!

I am so thankful for God's gift of freedom, and for His never ending mercy and love. I recently read a really neat quote by Robert Strand. It goes as follows: "Those whose lifestyle is marked by thanksgiving will enjoy a sweetness to life uparalleled by any other."

May we be encouraged to give thanks to God in every circumstance this year, finding that a thankful heart is the secret to a happy life.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gifts!

Love, Brooke

God Bless America!

God Bless America! May He stand beside our nation and guide and protect her through the following years. Who knows now, how long it will be that we are free to write, and speak, and publish what we really think.

Obama will 'change' America, yes he can and he will. But not for the better. America as we know her, has come to an end. At the end of Barack Obama's four years, so much liberal legislation and socialist agenda will have been put in place, that we will not know our free country any more. And we have stood by and let the communists put the nails in our coffin. It is true, our country has made history as they say. But the sacrifice of our freedom was a high price to pay.

May God have mercy on our nation, and forgive her, for she knows not what she does.

To Tennessee and Back Again...The Tale of Brooklyn's Travels-Part Five

The new day started out very warm. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell went to town, taking the Liberian's with them. Hannah continued to teach me about the office, and outside the storm clouds rolled. As the day wore on, it grew more and more humid, and lightening began. It was the scariest lightning I had ever seen, and more than a little unnerving. Hannah said that it was normal though and not to worry.

By this time I had met Serene, Pearl, Bowen (Pearl's 8 year old son), and Jireh (Evangeline's 8 year old son). My memory is beginning to fade now, and I can't remember which day I met them all!! But I do happen to remember Bowen and Jireh coming up to me and asking for rubber bands. "Sure!" I replied, then asked "And what are your names?" Bowen spoke up and said, "I'm Owen!" then continued to make up a name for Jireh, which I forget. That was so funny! They were confusing though because they kept switching it around. :o)

Anyways, the end of the day came, and Mr. and Mrs. Campbell still had not returned. So Hannah and I made our way upstairs and tidied up our room. Hannah packed a few things, and then wanted to watch "Madagascar" (which I had never seen). We also finished up the snacks that I had brought on the plane trip over. During all this, the telephone rang and Hannah answered. It was Mr. Campbell saying there was a tornado warning out, and we needed to keep an eye on the weather! That was so strange!! Curled up on the leather sofa in their living room, I kept looking out the window above it. The sky turned a dark greenish color, and it was very frightening!

When I called my parents that night, it felt so good to talk to them. I was starting to get homesick again, and the tornado warning frightened me. As I paced the deck, I encountered many HUGE nasty bugs of unknown origin. In the middle of describing one of these strange phenomenons, my cell phone went silent and I lost reception. For the rest of the trip, my cell phone didn't work unless we were outside of Primm Springs. I ran back inside to use the landline, when Mr. and Mrs. Campbell came home. I talked to them for a bit, then called my parents back.

After our conversation ended at 10:00 pm, I went back inside to get ready for bed. The next day was going to be a big change, because Hannah would be leaving, and I would be alone to face the office with all it's daunting tasks. A new girl named Kaylene, was scheduled to come in 2 weeks, but that wasn't soon enough for me!

I went to sleep and woke up againg quite refreshed. Since Brittnie was gone, I was able to take over her bottom bunk, which really made me happy. :o)

Now that the girls were gone, I had one-on-one time with the Campbells'. I began to realize that just about everything I had been told was wrong. Mrs. Campbell began to say, "Okay, forget what they taught you, just listen to me!" On my first exploration through the office, I came across a huge box of 'partial orders' which were Mrs. Campbell's especial abomination. Her theory is that if we are out of an item, go ahead and ship the rest of the person's order, just remember to include a kindly note explaining that it was on back order and would be sent as soon as possible. These particular orders had been left in a box with the packing slip, and hadn't been shipped out at all. Mrs. Campbell became horrified when I unearthed an order from 3 months before. She guided me through the steps of calling the customer, explaining, shipping, recording etc. The following weeks were so busy and stressful. Everyday Mrs. Campbell and I would hear of orders misplaced, misshipped, unsent, and more. Mrs. Campbell's best phrase for these misshaps was, "That's simply disgusting! I can't believe it!" Mrs. Campbell and I also ran several months back through the credit card machine, because they had been authorized, but not made out as a sale. In other words, Above Rubies made no money from all those transactions. That involved another large set of phone calls, and it was so intense! I daily looked forward to Kaylene coming, because by this time I was beginning to be lonely, and I desperately wanted a friend. Mr. Campbell was really sweet and was like a grandfather, but you couldn't necessarily talk to him all day long, because he had work to do. Mrs. Campbell was the kindest grandmotherly personage too, but the same thing-she was sooo busy.

The day Kaylene arrived, I made a sign for Mr. Campbell to take. Mrs. C was on a retreat and was not there to welcome Kaylene, so I cleaned our room and picked a bunch of wildflowers to put in vases. All that day and into the evening I was so excited I could hardly stand it. So when Mr. Campbell called from the airport, I couldn't resist begging to talk to the new girl. Mrs. Campbell had informed me that she was 20 years old, and from San Francisco, California, so I thought I knew a little about her. She sounded very nice but also tired on the telephone. The next hour was so hard to bear! I played the old piano in the basement some, and ate dinner, then went down to the office. I heard the other door open, and I ran out into the long room. There was Mr. Campbell and Kaylene!! I gave her a hug and started drilling her with questions. It turned out that she was really 17, and from Oregon! Isn't that a funny mix-up?? That night it was so great to have a friend. We talked about our interests and our families, and just everything. The next day was going to be so exciting!! I couldn't wait to show her Nikki's Cabin (A cabin up in the hills that Brittnie and Hannah took me to.), and fun places to walk, and the wildflowers and everything!

To Tennessee and Back Again...The Tale of Brooklyn's Travels - Part Four

My cell-phone morning alert (set for 6:30 am) jolted me from pleasant sleep, and I opened my eyes to a beautiful Tennessee spring morning. The Campbell's red mini-van (driven by Mr. Campbell), was heard going down the drive, and you could hear Mrs. Campbell stirring about in the kitchen. Hannah Arentson (age 19) and Brittnie Miller (age 19 too!) were groaning in their bunks and attempting to wake up. I gingerly crept down the ladder of the bunk bed and ran to the window, pulling the curtains back to get a peek outside. Since it was quite dark when I had arrived, I really
had no idea what my surroundings looked like. It still seemed unreal that I was actually in a different state, and at the home of Colin and Nancy Campbell! In fact, to this day, those two months shine like a bright golden dream and it seems as if I just imagined it all. Except for the fact that I keep in touch with everyone. Okay, enough of this rambling! Back to the original story...

Hannah informed me that I really needn't get up that early, and that Mr. and Mrs. Campbell didn't really care if we came to breakfast on time or ate in our room. (I found out after the girls left that that was not true, and yes, Mr. and Mrs. C are very strict about meal times and 'sitting up to table.' Oops!)

After I was ready for the day, I walked through the french doors into the main part of the house, and Mrs. Campbell greeted me with a strong hug. My first impression of her was a kind, cheerful, on task / duty driven person who steers a straight course throughout her day. Mr. Campbell came in a bit later, and he was very different from what I had expected. Tall, kind, with a commanding prescence, yet a bit of hillarity, he was the exact complement to Mrs. Campbell. During my stay, it was so neat to see how well they complemented one another.

Hannah, Brittnie and I had a hurried breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, and then went downstairs to the office promptly at 9:00 am. There, they showed me the 'ropes' of office work. I learned how to locate and ship items, enter magazine subscriptions into the database (aka "Squirrel Mail"), take credit card orders over the telephone, do donation / money orders, and run credit card orders through the machine. This last task held a bit of difficulty, as one of the girls had been improparly running transactions through as authorizations instead of sales. In other words, Above Rubies was making no profit on items sold for the past 3 1/2 months. Hannah showed me how to run everything back through (force transactions) the machine, and what to do if anything went wrong. It was a long, un-eventful, yet rewarding day. I was beginning to worry about how I was going to manage without the two girls.

We climbed back up the stairs and began to help with dinner. Hannah and Brittnie showed me where all the dishes and food were, and disclosed the secret food stash in our clothes closet. They solemnly bequeathed all their food to me, since they were leaving tomorrow.

That night at the dinner table, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell and the liberian children went around and gave 'eulogies' to Hannah and Brittnie. Devotions were completed, we said our good - nights, and went off to bed. [Here I must note that Brittnie left after dinner to go stay with Rocky and Monique - the Campbell's son and daughter - in -law. She was to be their nannie for the next year.]

Bed time came and I wearily laid my head upon my pillow. It had been a busy day, and I was eagerly looking forward to tomorrow. Little did I know that on the morrow, I was to experience my first tornado warning!!

To Be Continued...Stay Tuned!

To Tennessee and Back Again... The Tale of Brooklyn's Travels - Part 3

Well, the airplane did not crash, and the terrorists must have forgotten to hi-jack it. We safely landed in Nashville, when I instantly became so nervous I started to shake. Joy graciously walked me to the baggage claim signs, and I placed a call to Mr. Campbell, informing him that I had arrived and was ready for pick-up. But, there was no answer. "Oh no!!" I was beginning to panic, "I'm alone in a strange part of the country, and no one is answering!!" Trying to calm down, I hoisted my bags and walked to baggage claim. On my way, I telephoned again, and still there was no answer. Then, there they were! Two Above Rubies Girls, and Mr. and Mrs. Campbelll's two adopted daughters. They were holding a sign, and I was so relieved to see them.

They helped me get my other two bags, and escorted me outside. Opening up the doors, I felt a blast of heat, and just about choked. When I left Seattle, it was 45 degrees outside, and had just snowed a few days earlier, and I was dressed accordingly. Let me tell you, DO NOT wear a wool skirt, long sleeved shirt, sweater, and heavy stockings to Tennesee if you are planning to visit. That simply is not the proper attire for 85 degree heat with full humidity. Imagine my discomfort when the girls laughingly said, "Oh, our Ruby mobile doesn't have air conditioning." "Oh, yeah, ha ha ha! Don't mind me if I just curl up and die back here from heat stroke."

Our journey ensued and there was another shocker in store for me. The speed limit on the freeway was 7o mph! Our freeways are mostly 6o, until you are about 1 hour, south bound only, down the road.

The Tennessee countryside was lush, beautiful, and green! It was so gorgeous that a deep part of my soul that loves natural beauty was satisfied. We were all having such a jolly time, looking out the windows and chatting that we made a wrong turn which resulted in an hour long detour. By this time it was dark, we were lost, and very hungry. At about 8:45 pm Hannah, (one of the Above Rubies girls) said, "Oh, look! We're somewhere in Dickson! Isn't that interesting that we're in a town that we know. Let's go to Shoney's for dinner..." Anyway, by this time I had contacted my mother with the comforting info that I was lost in a strange land with strange people going to some unique southern restaurant called 'Shoney's." She was quite worried, but was attempting to stay calm. I promised to telephone her after we were done with dinner.

Exhausted from my flight, and still dying in my wool skirt; the girls dragged me into the restaurant. It was buffet style, and I was to later learn that buffets are a Tennessee thing. It was so weird to hear all the people talking so strangely. I felt alone and afraid in this restaurant with options on the buffet like swiss chard and some beef / vegetable thing on rice. That was another eye opener for me, to learn that Tennesseans (sp?) love swiss chard. I mean, the swiss chard was good, it's just that it isn't served in Washington restaurants. Common restaurant vegetables are: potatoes, corn, carrots and beans, not swiss chard (or 'silver beet' as New Zealander's term it.)

We rushed through our dinner, then went to the counter and paid. Here was another 'culture shock' for me, as the waitress spoke so thickly with her unmistakable southern accent. Drawl would probably be a better term for it, as it sounded so slow and slurring. No offense to any southerners reading this, but I by far prefer our more cultured speech up here in the Northwest. :o)

On the road again, we drove down a long winding country road, and turned in at the driveway of a large house. "Here we are!" The girls said "The Campbell's seem to have gone to bed already." With that, we quietly walked through the large house and up the stairs. It seemed like a dream that I was actually here; in the home of Colin and Nancy Campbell!! The girls showed me to our room and we all prepared for bed. As I lay in the top bunk, I could hear frogs croaking through the open window. "Tomorrow is going to be SO fun!" I thought as I succumbed to the power of sleep.

To Tennessee and Back Again...The Tale of Brooklyn's Travels - Part Two

The woman next to me introduced herself and continued to chat away. "Isn't it wonderful that only two of us are here on this row...there is so much more room this way" and other comments helped ease my nervousness. She was such a kind lady, and sympathized with the fact that I was leaving my family for two months. Joy proceeded to tell me about her family and her two children (both boys), and all their interests. It was such a relief to realize that this was a kind woman who wasn't some crazed psychopath! But, when she realized that her youngest son and I were about the same age, she began directing more and more of her conversation in his direction. It soon became apparent that this mama was 'daughter-in-law shopping' and that became slightly disturbing until I was able to divert the conversation.

Note of warning: stay away from nice mothers who have eligible sons. It can be dangerous out there. Anyway, back to my story...

The flight was long and uneventful, and I snapped pictures at an amazing rate. My chatty companion didn't leave me much time to devour "Uncle Tom's Cabin", so the entire flight was punctuated with interesting remarks like, "Oh, these Oreo snacks are so good. You must try some. I had some on my other flight and they were really good. By the way, do you like soccer? My youngest boy is very athletic.." Here there was need for diversion so I remarked: "Did you see that interesting mountain back there? Here's a picture of it!" and "I have to use the restroom, will I die if I stand up and walk there?"

Oh dear, that was a bad decision on some one's part. Of course certain well meaning engineers designed airplane aisles to be about 6 inches wide, so of course unsuspecting passengers trying to walk somewhere will incidentally collide with certain grumpy travelers elbows. This situation can turn serious when the aforementioned grumpy traveler happened to be holding a cup of water in the hand attached to the elbow that was bumped. To top it off, when you apologize, the now irate traveler's wife will invariably shout "Of course he's not alright!! Just look at him! He's all wet!"

At least the flight attendant understood my plight and handed me napkins, which I in turn handed to the grumpy traveler's wife who was attempting to dry poor Herman's lap. Anyway, Herman and his wife continued to sizzle as I passed them on my return trip, and the glares scorched the very deeps of my soul. Dear Joy, inquisitive as ever, remarked "What happened back there?" I wearily related the events and she calmly berated them as 'creeps who could have for seen these events by keeping their elbows to themselves.' Since she was in an aisle seat, she kept me updated on how they appeared to be feeling. At this moment, the intercom system came on and told us to keep our seat belts fastened. The plane began to shake, and looking out the window, all I could see was fluffy swirling whiteness.

To Be Continued...Stay Tuned...This Could Take Awhile...Check Back Soon!!

To Tennesee and Back Again...The Tale of Brooklyn's Travels - Part One

On Wednesday, April 30th, I set forth on a 3,000 mile journey by plane to the new and exciting land of Tennessee. My purpose for leaving? To work in the office of Nancy Campbell, editor of Above Rubies magazine. Feelings of excitement and fear of the unknown struggled for expression, resulting in a jittery / ditsy Brooke who sadly exasperated her long suffering parents.

"What do I do if my bags are too heavy and they won't let me take them??" and "What if the security guard refuses to believe I am under age and tries to sabotage my flight plans?" " Maybe terrorists will hi jack the air plane and dump my limp body into an arid desert. Will you guys miss me?" These questions and more plunged me into a wave of fear, and slightly disturbed my already worried parents. It was a step of faith for them to allow me, their one and only baby girl, to fly across country and stay with total strangers for two whole months. But, God's hand was in it all, and my parents safely escorted me through the security guards, and onward to my gate.
As we were sitting there, looking out the massive windows and seeing my airplane quietly resting on the ground; my mind flashed back to the circumstances that had brought me thus far...

I was sitting at our dining room table, the morning sun was glittering and dancing through the window, illuminating the Above Rubies magazine that I was thumbing through. As my eye ran down the page, I saw a picture of four girls that appeared to be around my own age. This piqued my interest, and I decided to read the article. Nearing the end of the editorial, there was a blurb about girls being welcome to come to TN and stay with Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, in order to help Mrs. C. out in the office! I ran to my mother and said, "I want to go so badly! Please!!" AND, can you believe it? My mother had been thinking that I should go to TN ever since she read that article herself!! Mommy suggested that we pray about it and seek God's will in this matter. So with that, I walked away and prayed really fast.

Well, time went by and I eventually stopped praying about it. The desire was always in the back of my mind, but I wasn't very committed to praying. That Spring, Mrs. Campbell came to Olympia for a retreat, and my mother and I attended, hoping to meet Mrs. Campbell and ask her more questions. Oh my, that was awkward!! Mrs. Campbell thought that I was like 24 or something and started asking me questions like, "Well, and what do you do?" Very hesitatingly (I was scared to death of her!), I lamely answered, "Well, I do school work and cook dinner." From the look on her face, she clearly showed that she was not impressed. Trying to fix the situation, I hurriedly added that I was only 14. Suddenly, her entire demeanor changed. "Oh, my!" she exclaimed "Of course you would still be homeschooling. I am so sorry! I thought that you were about 24 and was a little surprised at your answer." She laughed and after a little more discussion, she agreed to let me come when I turned 16, although she usually prefers to have older girls. I was so excited and relieved!! Anyway, months passed and the excitement wore off, and realism reared it's ugly head. Questions like: "How will I pay for this trip?" worried me to a frazzle. Finally my mother had to take me aside and tell me that this was in God's hands, not my own. (Do you see the pattern here, as God was drawing me closer to Him?) More time passed, and I was saving money as quickly as I earned it from my piano teaching, and from working at the swimming pool. Finally, January of 2008 came, and my mother made the fateful call to Tennessee. Dates were talked over, and schedules were compared. Finally the dates of April 30th to July 1st were scheduled in, and airplane ticket purchasing was starting to begin. God provided the rest of the funds for my trip, and my tickets were purchased and my anticipation began to mount! I, Brooke Parsons, was actually going to fly all by myself to a strange new part of the country. It was a positively exciting adventure!!

All this and more came to mind as I continued to wait in the airport with my parents. As our last few minutes came to a close, I began to realize that the people I loved most in this world were to be separated from me for two whole months. Suddenly the weight of this hit me, and I was almost in tears as I hugged, kissed, and waved farewell to my darling parents. Sitting in the plane and gazing out the window, I realized that I had just embarked on an adventure of a lifetime, but I was desperately homesick already. Then, the pilot's voice came over the intercom, and our plane launched into the wide open blue, leaving everything I loved behind.

To Be Continued.....

I Have Arrived!

Hey Everyone! I have finally returned from the deep southern state of Tennessee. Many adventures and many new friends, I would love to tell all about it. But... alas, there is such a thing as NO TIME!! So many responsibilities and other things keep me away from my beloved blogging. I shall post again as soon as possible. Until then, just be happy that I am back and that I have missed you all horribly.

Tootles!!

~Brooke

Farewell Until July!

Hello Everyone!

I will be quite busy for the next two months, so this blog will not be updated for awhile. Look for another post sometime in early July. Have a extravagantly jolly couple of months. Are you all looking forward to summertime?? Can't wait for the warm, sunshiny weather!!!

Farewell my dear bloggy friends, until we meet again!

In Christ Alone, Brooke Parsons

Good Times

Hey Everyone!! It's been awhile since I have blogged, hasn't it? We have been very busy, helping some dear friends move, having my niece stay with us for the week, etc. It would be very fun to do a long blog post now, but I have to do Algebra lessons! So...here's some pictures documenting the time that I have been away. :)

A Day of Happy Moving:

The Van is being unloaded into the new happy home
Chris, a very happy mover
My mom, another happy mover
Gabe, a happy mover showing off his macho-manly strength Drew, a happy mover trying to look bored, but utterly failing

Four happy movers, eating a happy meal
Thumbs up to Mr. Cornutt! He's the most amazing and happy mover that ever was!

A Week With Gracie:

Kitchen Photoshoot - Picture OneKitchen Photoshoot - Picture Two

Gracie At Swim Lessons
A Puppetshow Designed and Written by Gracie
As Gracie would say, "Hey guys, it was really, really fun."

To Cut or Not to Cut - A Philisophical Play in Two Parts

Act One: First Scene

At this point, Shakespeare is rolling in his grave. There have been many twists (both comical and idiotic) to the classical Shakespearean "To Be or Not to Be...THAT is the Question!" For my original purposes, I am again slaughtering this well known phrase. In classic brookian philosophy, the great question is not about being, but about cutting. My very small and very wise niece informed me that my hair had simply grown too long, and the most logical way to fix this most terrible problem would be to chop it off. She happily displayed her own recently shorn locks, presumably as an example to make me feel guilty over my longer ones. I am lost in a sea of kind and philanthropic friends who have forgone the pleasures of long hair, to donate to "Locks of Love." These self-sacrificing girls almost make me feel twinges of guilt over my hair. This is preposterous! ;o) In this culture of mixed up genders; with women trying to be president and men trying to be cosmetic models, someone has to be unabashedly feminine. (I don't know who is going to be unabashedly masculine though. I personally know some, but the numbers are growing disconcertedly smaller every year.) Now, I'm not trying to say that every girl has to have long hair. Actually, some girls look really nice in shorter hair, but for my own personal decision, I am choosing to keep my hair long. So my friends, "To Cut or Not to Cut" is now a question directed at you. Why do you have long / short hair?? Explain yourselves!! ;o)

Act One: Second Scene

Does anyone besides Bethany R., Joanna R., Lael H., Hannah H. and the occasional Elizabeth S. ever read my blog?? It makes me wonder, because the "ClustrMap" shows visitors from all over, yet very few comment. That leads me to believe that a) This blog is considered unworthy to comment on by the aristocratic blogging world, b) People are scared of me, or c) There are just a lot of creepy Internet people reading this blog.

Please let me know. This could be an educational experience. ;o) By the way, "Lurkers" disgust me. FYI: A lurker is one who reads a blog, but never shows their prescence. This is weird behavior and usually requires counselling sessions. Just kidding. ;o) Don't be shy, just comment. Commenting isn't difficult. Here's a few examples:

1. Hi! My name is Bobbie-Jo Bobkins from Bolingbroke, Butternut County. I like the letter B, and that's why I like your blog. I am giving you a thumbs up. OH!! Wait!! I just realized that you couldn't see my hand!! Tootles!
2. Hey! Your blog is weird. I just wanted to let you know. Sorry if this hurts your feelings, but that's okay too. Do you like Peanut Butter? ~Timmy Tarter
3. You wrote a post on hair?? I love hair too! Your blog is cool. I just wanted to let you know. ~ Ima Fibbing
4. Hair is such a lame topic to write about. ~Nate Noname
5. Shakespearian works display the originality of an eloquent mind full of wondrous ruminations. ~Gertrude Cloppinghop

Have a jolly day!

Tootles! ~Brooke

A Game of Tag?

Hey All! I got "tagged" by Bethany Roberts! This sounds very interesting... Okay, here it goes!

Here's the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random and some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Note: I'm changing this to just tagging 3 other people.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

All right, here we go. This will be potentially interesting!!!

1) I was born with deep blue eyes, and my eye color didn't change to brown until I was 3.

2) I have been known to sing in my sleep

3) The summer I was 12, I read over 100 books

4) The most bread I have made in a single day was 12 loaves

5) I am one of three children and the baby of the family

6) I look like my great-grandma on my mother's side

7) I accidentally swallowed 3 bugs in one summer

Hope you had fun with this post! Now I am going to tag Joanna, The Shoemaker's, and Laelann!

A Guest Post From Gracie...

Hi my name is Gracie. You probably never ever met me before. I hope you have a wonderful day! I had so much fun with my Grandma and my Aunt B and my brother. And I got to see my Grandpa. I love him so much. (and my Grandma and my aunt B and my mom and my dad and Sylvia.) I like to visit my friends all the time; it is so much fun. And I like to visit my Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt B.

I tried to put pictures on, but the computer is not working now.

Love, Gracie


Note from Brooke: Gracie and Jace are my sister's children. They came to visit at our house for the day on Saturday. It was quite fun!)