Gonna send us hobbits outa the shire

The golf team – It's going really well so far. Yesterday I had to remind myself to breathe through the first four holes or so, and I played pretty badly, but the girls are all fairly nice (some more than others of course), and I seem to fit in as much as anywhere else. Only homeschooler, only Sophomore (also the youngest girl), only first-year girl. We're having lots of fun (that was only half-sarcastic, actually). Today I only had to remind myself to breathe through the first three holes. I won't go into details and tell you every single stroke I took, but yesterday I shot a 64 and today a 60, over nine holes. Tomorrow we have to be there at 7:45 AM to get ready to tee off. oh dear…….I know I'm making the team though, because there's only ten or eleven of us. I'm only slightly worried about missing all three practices next week…

an upside to golf – you get new clothes!!! (I thought you might like that mnm.)



I didn't take my driver test today. I'm "not eligible." As my mom put it, we should know better than to trust anything the instructors at my drive school said. yeah – it was really that bad. Anyway, they said I could take the written test as soon as I finished Driver's Ed, which I wanted to do before I forgot everything. But no, we went in and the gal is like "you have to have had your permit for four months (I've had mine three months and twenty-seven days) and you can only take the written test sixty days before you turn sixteen. We're not going to issue you a license till blah blah blah blah blah." Well I don't turn sixteen till January. And I'm not asking for my license, I just wanted to take the written test!! So much for that idea. oh well, I don't really think I was ready, and it gives me more time to practice golf and actually read…novel idea, no? Ugh. Why do they have to be so rude about it though?

I just realized I didn't tell you guys about our trip to Mt. Rainier!!! You know Sam's post, where some ladies just make it their goal in life to complain, and make sure other people are following all the rules? We ran into one of those women. oh dear…So we went up to Paradise, me and Mom, as part of WA State history, and we went on a few short hikes, one up to a small waterfall. It was super-HOT that day, and we decide to leave the path! about five feet away to the river's edge, where there are already footprints and put our hands in the water. Then we discover that the bridge makes a nice shady spot over all these rocks. Let's sit on the rocks! yeah!!! All of the sudden we hear this voice: Excuse me young lady, you can't sit there. THE SIGN SAYS don't go off the path; can't you read? You're destroying all of the natural habitat and environment.

there was more, I don't remember everything she said. But yes, that's pretty much word for word what she said. We were destroying the environment by sitting on rocks in the river…oh what would she have said if she saw me fill my water bottle up there? So we have dubbed her our rock-hugger, and now mother and I are delinquents, named Genevieve and Eleanor Psmith, the P is silent. (inside joke, check the library for Psmith or P.G. Wodehouse books if you want to laugh A LOT!!) So other than that, it was pretty nice. We saw a marmot, and lots of wildflowers, and next weekend we're going to our side of the mountain with my aunt and uncle and grandparents! The signs that say "Don't Go Off the Path" totally reminds me of the hobbit! I like our side better. We have tree-huggers, but at least they don't totally freak out when you touch the water that's gonna be a few miles down stream in an hour anyway.

Ah yes, I leave for Portland on Friday (and Lucy and Lindy's!!! Yay!!!!!) and I'll be at my aunt and uncle's house for a week. I'm not sure how much internet access I'll have, but I'll post/check e-mail as much as possible. I think I already said this before…

We saw The Flying Dutchman!!!!!! It was SOOO good!!! So we go to the Seattle Opera box office over on Johns Street, but they're closed on Sundays, so no one was there. So we're like, huh, I guess we'll head over to the hall and see if we can buy tickets there. Well, we could, and we ended up in the fifth row, orchestra level, which happen to be $116 seats!!!!! for $5 each!!!!!! My mom was turning cartwheels, and I have to say it was pretty cool. if you don't have teen tix yet…get it!! Oh yeah, and the Flying Dutchman guy's name (the singer, not the real Dutchman, he doesn't have a name) was Greer Grimsley! I saw that, and I'm like I'm sooo stealing that name!! Isn't it the most Dickensish name in the entire world? What do you guys think of Tucker English? He did our house's photography. Love that name; I'm stealing it too. And our house was shown today at 11:00 or something, Mom said the agent sounded really excited about the house and the "buyer." hopefully a buyer!




Ok, last but not least, these are the lyrics for Secret Kingdom, by Newsboys. It's like my new favorite song for today at least. I know it's probably a ton better with music (check online to see if you can listen somewhere if you don't have their newest CD), but the lyrics are really cool, as usual. I love this song!!!

This here comes breakin’ in
Like brick to glass
Like grace to sin
Gonna kick down walls like West Berlin
Shout an amen
Hug it out, then

This here’s gonna light a fire
Gonna pink slip preaching to the choir
Gonna send us hobbits outta the shire
Here’s the theme song
Get your ring on
That there’s still propagating, waiting on a rooftop
Our journey’s just begun...

COME HERE, A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
I WANNA TAKE YOU TO A SECRET KINGDOM
IT’S HERE SPINNING OUR WORLD AROUND
TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN
THIS HERE IS BIGGER THAN SHOW BIZ
IT’S GONNA SHOW US WHAT THE GOOD NEWS REALLY IS
THIS HERE IS SPINNING OUR WORLD AROUND
‘TIL WE’VE GOT NO FEAR

This here won’t be contained
By culture, wars and trendy names
Been there, done that, wore out the t-shirts
Don’t need free perks
Don’t need knee jerks
This here still wakes the dead
Still gets God’s people Spirit-led
Gonna put in action all we’ve read
Not all enraged, just all engaged
‘Cause that there’s still fabricating kingdoms out of boxes
We’re gonna leave that slum

This here wants faithfulness, not easy fixes
This here won’t shrink to fit no politics, yeah
This here knows whistles make for better mixes