coming full circle :: 2014

hello       
                         I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start
                         And I hope to talk about 2015 soon
                         But right now I am looking back at this past year. . .

2014  ::  sensing, learning, adventuring  ::  here I try to unfold the months that left me full

January  ::  grandparents move for the second time in two months  ::  snowy weather hits with a hint of sub-zero temperatures  ::  shell pink fountain pen ink  ::  piano practice with Beethoven  ::  Gramma's dementia/beginning Alzheimer's shows stronger  ::  choreography begins for the Helen Keller ballet  ::  self-defense class in good company  ::  driving and babysitting more than usual  ::  epsom salt baths

February  ::  snow week  ::  weird day of 60 degree weather  ::  ACT take 2  ::  celebrate temporary freedom from practice tests by reading The Fault in Our Stars  ::  winter of the peanut butter cookies    ::  special feature of Swan Lake at the movie theater  ::  first laser tag experience (leave eager to return)  ::  family considers moving neighborhoods, looks at a couple of houses  ::  fun dancing to "It is Well With my Soul" in church youth talent show

March  ::  research colleges while half-watching the Academy Awards  ::  purchase black dress for the homeschool winter dance that comes in handy for a variety of other events throughout the year  ::  open my own checking account  ::  the pups turn #1  ::  learn lots of lifts for the ballet  ::  play the wonderful board game Spy Alley  ::  Third Day/Skillet concert with my favorite Third Day enthusiast  ::  adventures with Whole Thirty eating  ::  watch (and love) the movie About Time 

April  ::  complete Tabernacle project at Bible study  ::  day trip to Omaha to see play of The Screwtape Letters (excellent!)  ::  house painted with a fresh coat of beige and dark brown trim  ::  surprise sprinkling of snow  ::  placement test at local community college complete with logarithms and an anticlimactic fire drill  ::  especially busy week with two college visits and a piano recital on top of normal activities  ::  sit through four-hour-long opera at local movie theater  

May  ::  ballet run-throughs begin  ::  listen to friend play the violin beautifully in a philharmonic performance  ::  college visit at my parents' Alma Mater  ::  grad parties for good friends  ::  grocery store run with my sisters (my first time accomplishing this feat I had long imagined:)  ::  decide against moving, opting instead to finish the basement ::  fall out of a leap—thankful ankle bruises were the worst consequence  ::  savor Croute Appenzell at Andre's    

June  ::  begins with a bang—Middle Sister and I spend weekend on church youth choir trip and Youngest Sister at church kids retreat  ::  ballet dress rehearsals begin  ::  get a round brush stuck in my hair (I don't recommend it)  ::  finish reading Soul Keeping by John Ortberg (I do recommend it:)  ::  plentiful rain makes for green world  ::  ACT practice and final test time  ::  first experience becoming addicted to an app—achieve 2048 tile after a bit too much practice at that game  ::  Pilates  ::  camping with dance friends  ::  art museum visit 

July  ::  picnic while seeing Shakespeare in the Park perform A Winter's Tale  ::  cleaning out basement  ::  refreshing visit to Anthropologie  ::  new waffle iron allows for cashew-based waffle making  ::  thoroughly enjoyable discussion-based Bible study  ::  Helen Keller ballet! preparations with costumes, make-up, and dances, then show week with three performances—such a joy to dance Helen's stunning story  ::  read Son by Lois Lowry, the satisfying last book in The Giver quartet 

August  ::  experience first official interview  ::  become a member of the teen advisory group at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art  ::  substitute teach in 3rd grade Sunday school class with my dad—kids' conversation turns to Frozen and quiets once my dad teases that the sequel will be called "Thawed"  ::  basement officially begins to be finished  ::  ALASKA! (posts here, here, and here)  ::  home to attend the first homeschool graduation meeting  ::  knit lace shawl  ::  Youngest Sister gets her first pair of pointe shoes

September  ::  transition from piano lessons to guitar lessons—keep practicing both, get to know music better as a whole  ::  senior year in full swing  ::  observe the ever-delightful Joyce DiDonato give a master class  ::  cook chicken, egg drop soup, and fried rice for a Tuesday dinner  ::  drive myself the mildly long distance to a teen advisory group meeting  ::  Dallas trip over long weekend—squeeze in a couple of college visits, a couple of museum visits, and a baseball game

October  ::  enjoy watching more hometown baseball games  ::  apple picking and nature walking  ::  write and edit application essays  ::  senior pictures taken by a sweet mother/daughter duo  ::  explore contact improv in lyrical dance class  ::  substitute teach in ballet and beginning pointe  ::  decide on paint colors for the basement  ::  80's themed homeschool fall dance with a bunch of fun friends  ::  begin reading War and Peace  ::  "Blue October" climaxes as the Royals sweep into the World Series, make it to game seven, and end with an almost-there loss—so much excitement!

November  ::  events at the Nelson— help plan teen bonfire and volunteer for TedxYouth@KC ::  visit day at a college that included high tea  ::  prepare audition materials for a dance program and learn a lot from the process  ::  night out attending symphony concert with my dad  ::  [finally] visit new Ikea  ::  guitar teacher says versatile line, "There are no wrong notes, only wrong resolutions."  ::  stop by tea shop with my mom, come home with Sencha Claus green and power chai  ::  refill fountain pen after leaving it alone for a few months  ::  listen to 3.14 hours of War and Peace while baking 2 pies (I do love pi and good stories:)

December  ::  listen to Youngest Sister play beautifully in her first cello recital  ::  annual babysitting of two boys and a little girl—thankful for the opportunity to watch them grow  ::  puppy girl attempts to jump from my bed to the yarn on my dresser (is she part cat?!)  ::  memory care unit Christmas party with Gramma  ::  finish reading War and Peace on 12/13/14—rather momentous!  ::  watch The Theory of Everything (especially fun to see as a physics enthusiast:)  ::  hit by the flu, out for a few days  ::  youth choir Christmas presentation  ::  ping pong tournament  ::  turn #18 with ice skating, bubble tea, and raspberry cake  

Thankful for every word,
                                            picture,
                                                            &  moment
That made this year shine.

day-to-day (and is it really July?)

I knew July would come

and I was okay with its arrival 

and yet I still feel like it snuck up on me.

First of all it entered (as always) with such style. . . 

flags and fireworks, clouds and croquet 

= a festive Independence Day! 

(please excuse my goofy rhyme ~ hope you had a superb July 4th :) 

Then it brought rather normal activities. . . 

A dentist appointment where I got to write a short book about my health 

Cleaning the basement and saying goodbye to our entomology board in the process 

The pups going to the groomer's and getting spiffy handkerchiefs  

My dad helping me practice filling the car with gas

Seeing A Winter's Tale at Shakespeare in the Park (not so normal, but nothing too crazy :) 

But the event that has my head spinning is the Helen Keller ballet.

There's been spinning of all sorts as preparations accelerate. This is performance month! I am incredibly excited. . . . and incredibly sentimental. Because the shows are every other year, this will be my sixth and last show. It's been such a wonderful and large part of my life! Thus, I'm trying to enjoy this final summer of dance.

{Something that added to the excitement this week was a fun little promo video an alum of the program made. It gives you an peek into the story. . .}  

Wishing you enjoyment throughout this month~

& April

& here we are marching into April! That is, with this post. . .  happy official May:) But while April is still fresh, here's my recap of the month. . .

First off, I'll admit that April contained phrases like 'piano recital', 'college visits', and 'checking account' that made me nervous. A lot of good filled up a lot of days, keeping my attention more divided than usual. . .  

I'll begin by sharing things of which I don't have pictures:

A few special opportunities popped up for me at church in the forms of talking about the Ark of the Covenant in the girls' Bible study, reading a passage of Scripture in church, and then helping with the Maundy Thursday service.

At dance, I finished learning choreography for the Helen Keller ballet. I am continually amazed at my teachers' gift for choosing unique stories and portraying them with both depth and beauty. So much joy to appreciate visually and audibly even as we dance about someone's joy despite their lack of sight and hearing.

On the school end, life was quite normal. I reached the point in the year when you see the end of subjects, yet still have a ways to go. 

Now for the things of which I do have pictures: My dad took the photo above when we went to see a play of The Screwtape Letters. It followed the book to a T and was very well done! 

As it was quite a drive for us to get to the theater, I had time that Saturday to finish my triangular knitting project. 

Another fun project was making these panda cupcakes for. . . 

Youngest Sister's birthday! (yes, she has a cake in front of her. . . no, we didn't go into a sugar coma. . . the cake was enjoyed on her actual birthday and the cupcakes at her family birthday party :) 

The third project of the month was decorating Easter eggs a bit differently—not sure we quite got the hang of it, but it was an enjoyable experience :) 

Another enjoyable experience? Celebrating Easter along with my Meemaw and Youngest Sister's birthdays! 

Then my week of crazy started. School and dance Monday.  My first college visit Tuesday. 

(Best part of the visit? The library. Coolest. Place. Ever. )

School, dance, then my second college visit Wednesday into Thursday. This visit was more fun as it included going with a friend and staying with my cousin in her dorm. . .

I was delighted to enjoy their sweet company along with ginger peach tea at the local coffee shop! 

School, piano lessons, dance, and a piano recital finished the week off strong on Friday. 

And, despite my nerves, the month unfolded somewhat beautifully. 

Looking forward to what awaits in May. . .  

Also, do you have any advice for me on college? I'm definitely in the gathering-information stage. As far as a major goes, I'm torn between english and physics. 

Looking up as well as forward. . . 

seventeen

Saturday evening at 4:23 found my family and me walking through Kansas City's Union Station.

We enjoyed the festive Christmas decorations there and at Crown Center, then headed to a nice restaurant for another festive occasion—my birthday :)

Dinner? Delicious. The view? Stunning.  

Dessert? Delectable. 

The experience? Truly a treat.

Happy to meet seventeen~

merrily, merrily

Hope you're having a wonderful December and you enjoyed a very merry Christmas! 

Opulent October Orange

Happy Halloween and last day of October from Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf/Grandma, Little Bo Peep, and a Lamb!


 

Oh, and from me, happy to be cozy in my Yosemite sweatshirt :)

Drawing a Name

Tonight I wrote the names of my blog giveaway entrants on slips of paper (using my own beloved Seven Year Pen), shuffled the papers in a whimsical kitchen bowl, and drew a winner . . . 

Congratulations, Lucy! As you live in Canada, you are the perfect illustration of one of my favorite parts of blogging-- getting to know people even when they live miles away. Though you would be too far to visit in person, the giveaway pen and paper should travel nicely :) You can e-mail me (megansa@sbcglobal.net) your address, and I will send the gift on its way.  

To everyone who entered, or visits this place~