the blue sky year

I had to take a picture of the sky this morning. True to form, this Oregon winter has been rainy. But today, just in time for New Year's Eve, there is hardly a cloud in the blue, blue sky. A fitting finish to this beautiful year that was two-thousand-ten.

In 2010,

I started this blog... which means everything that I have posted about happened in 2010. : ) 

Through blogging, I have connected with so many like-minded people across the world, and I absolutely love reading all of your blogs. I never dreamed I would have 290 followers... ever. Thank you.

It has been a good, good year.

• I went on a cruise to Mexico.
• I was a bridesmaid in my brother's beautiful wedding.
• My other brother graduated from college
• I lost my step-grandma to cancer.
• I had an unusual, productive, and thought-filled summer.
• I fell in love with old movies.
• I fell in love with cupcakes.
• I watched several amazing 2010 movies--most notably 
• When in Rome, Alice in Wonderland, Inception, Robin Hood, Prince of Persia, and Tangled. It was a good year for movies.
• I fell in love with Gregory Peck.
• I read a lot.
• I climbed all the way to the top of Mt. St. Helens.
• I got two new nieces. 
• I began drawing.
• I fell even more in love with photography, and bought my DSLR, Lorenzo.
• I ate countless donuts and didn't gain any weight. : )
• I got to see my friend and my brother start a relationship that never ceases to amaze, delight, & amuse me.
• I changed a lot. I am happy and content and excited for the future.... which was not where I was last year.

Even though this year has had days of sobbing, on those days, there were shoulders to sob into and people to hold onto. It has also been one of laughing until my stomach hurts. It has been one of learning to hope. Learning that no matter what, God will come through.

He has been good.

We are having our annual party with a couple other families. It's not a fancy, wear-a-sparkly-dress kind of party... more like a comfy, food-filled, laugh-a-lot, in-the-country kind of party, where the girls watch chick flicks and the guys play strange world-domination board games and then at midnight, everyone gets together and drinks champagne and the guys shoot guns at the moment it turns the new year.

I hope your celebration is wonderful. 

Happy New Year.

Casablanca

It's one of those classic movies that books always refer to and movies quote and people talk about. I was not at all sure I would like it, but I needed to see it. 

Remember that time I felt the same way about West Side Story? That was an unfortunate incident. But at least now I know what every one is talking about, and can barge in on conversations and spew my unpopular opinion.

Anyways.

I liked this movie. A lot. I hadn't seen Humphrey Bogart in anything before, and some of my friends love him, 

and some of them hate him, which made me curious about what my opinion would be.

Well, I love him. He's certainly not drop-dead-gorgeous though. His head...wow. It's (putting it nicely here) unusual.

I tend to get bored/annoyed with movies that have a bunch of political stuff. I like relational drama, not political drama. This definitely had some semi-confusing political stuff (my intelligent sister helped me out),

but it was really interesting and important for the story.

I loved the characters--they were complicated and real and hurting.

Wonderful scene.

The whole movie was touching and dramatic in the kind of way that if you are in the wrong mood, 

you might be "oh, wow, that's stupid/corny/sappy", but if you are in the classic-movies-are-the-best-and-boy-I-wish-I-lived-back-then-when-guys-wore-coats-like-that mood, it makes you weep.

I have heard a lot about how the ending was lame, so I kept waiting for it...but it ended well. I mean, if you wanted {SPOILERS}them to do what was "romantic" and happy, instead of what was right,

I can see where the ending would be disappointing.

So what did you think of it?

happiness

 I, 

lover of blue skies,

the Spanish language,

water,

getting away from this dreary Oregon winter,

eating lots of food,

and Mexicans,

am going on a cruise to Mexico...

...in three weeks!

We went in April, with my sweet step-grandma...

this time Bethany and I are going with my mom.

I'm going to revel in taking hundreds of photos with my new camera, and am going to eat way more food.

Cruises are the best, because you pay a flat fee for your meals, so that when you are on the ship, 

you can consume as much steak, lobster, ice cream, donuts, fruit loops, 

and fresh-squeezed orange juice as you jolly well want to.

I take advantage of that, let me tell you.

 Last time we never ate any food on land.

I am SO not passing up that opportunity again--

real, authentic Mexican food!

In other news, I've been eating leftover Christmas cookies constantly for the last two days.
And my sister and brother-in-law gave me the beautiful camera strap that I've been longing for.

from eclectic whatnot

And I have a brand-spanking-new blog button, which makes me way happier than my last one.

Here ya go.

<center><a href="http://www.fashionandmodesty.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd15/riversong14/blogbutton-2.jpg" /></a></center>

donuts...and a winner

The winner of the Christmas giveaway is Esmeralda Gatsby!

A couple days ago my mom and brother went shopping in downtown Portland...

and brought me home this donut.

It's from Voodoo Donuts, a shop that Portland is famous for, but I've never been to. 

It has super bizarre donuts, like maple with bacon on top, but this one is my kinda crazy.

Fruit loops.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE fruit loops??

Well, I do.

And I love my mama and my brother.

The end.

what a day

What a crazy, marvelous day, full of hysterical laughing and mashed potatoes and cheesecake.

 I didn't wake up until nearly 8 o'clock. Shocking, I know... 

but I didn't go to sleep until at least 1:30 and I was dead.

The shredding and tearing commenced shortly after everyone finally roused.

We open our gifts one by one so we can all appreciate them... which makes things take a lot longer...

and results in certain people gently urging others to just tear the paper off already! 

But it's much nicer.

Bethany trying to open the stupid plastic packaging her mp3 player was in.

I gave her that, by the way. It's red and shiny, baby.

Yup, so I got some pretty awesome loot. : ) 

Oh, how I've been longing for this. I love it to death already.

I was pretty much satisfied after opening this one--a tiny Eiffel tower snow globe. 

It's really all I need to be happy.

That (and some Eiffel tower Kleenexes!) is what was in that lovely bag in my last post. : ) 

Told ya it'd be awesome.

Cupcake-with-sprinkles-flavored lip gloss. YES.

Hello, beautiful calendar that I have drooled over multiple times at the mall.

I do love you.

Peacock earrings! (Also from Benjamin).

Huge, amazing Venice poster. Also from that pretty great brother of mine.

 I got many other amazing presents that I will be discussing more extensively in another post. : )

Here he is. Looking extra intelligent.

Not.

This is his very skilled self-portrait. It makes me happy.

This caught Bethany on the tail-end of the
"oh, don't take pictures of me right now because I look horrid" speech.

Cinnamon rolls are a Christmas morning tradition. Just like St. Nicholas Day. ; )

Beautiful, beautiful bacon.

Whip-cream-from-a-can. Yep, our mom loves us.

Me, Benjamin, and Bethany... our second-annual "us" photo.

We had Christmas dinner with a couple other families. 

We took a walk in the rain (no white Christmas here) ate a lot of good food, and I laughed entirely too much. I now have my cold with full force. 

What with the squealing over my presents and the loud talking and laughing and my cold, my voice is gone. 

This is always very difficult for me--I always have stuff I need to say. It's a maturing experience.

I hope your day was amazing!

Let earth receive her King

It's Christmas Eve.

Yesterday was cookie-making-day. Today, I wrap presents. Probably all day.

It was my first time making decorated cookies...

despite spending hours and hours on my feet and not being terribly impressed with the result,

it was fun. : ) And I ate a lot of royal icing. I'm not sure why, because it doesn't taste very good.

Benjamin's administration of strawberry wine helped my mood while I was wallowing

 in cookies and food coloring and creepy frosting that sticks hard to the mixer.

I'm starting to get excited about opening presents... 

Especially this Eiffel tower bag. It's from Benjamin, which means it will be awesome.

And I just might hang the bag on my wall.

Have a beautiful Christmas. Be immature and wake up early, make everyone else wake up by fair means or foul, stay in your pajamas as long as possible, shred your wrapping paper off of your presents like there's no tomorrow, drink hot chocolate with cool whip continuously, and of course, eat a lot.

And don't forget that the reason why we celebrate is because 

Jesus Christ came down to earth to save a broken world.

Let heaven and nature sing.

it's christmas time in the city

Yesterday I went out Christmas shopping with two of my favorite people.

Christmas love. {giveaway}

Christmas is this week. I'm in that mood which involves eating too much sugar, stressing out because 

I'm not sure what to get a couple of the stinkers on my list, and primarily,

just wanting to give everyone cute presents.

So yeah.

Here's a giveaway for the beautiful people who read my blog--

the faithful ones and the brand-spanking-new ones.

You know I wish I could give you each a Christmas present. But here's how I cope.

Molly at A Bit O' Shine is providing these lovely earrings, which just happen to match my blog!

Be sure and check out her clever, crafty blog as well.

Molly is really awesome--ever since I found her beautiful shop on Etsy, 

we have been following each other's blogs, and she has lovely photos 

and the same opinions on basically everything that I post about around here. 

I think we may be soul sisters. Just saying.

Entries

Visit Molly's shop and come  back and tell me about your favorite item {mandatory}

Follow me. {1 extra entry}

Spread the word in whatever way pleases you. {1 entry}

photography for various contests

For Emilyann's contest.

(previously posted here)

(previously posted here)

and all of the rest for the Timeless Wonders contest.

 (previously posted here)

This looks like an CD cover to me...

now Beka just needs to make an album. : )

I love serious portraits. There's something about her expression that I just love.

And in case you're wondering, those are fake eyelashes. ; )

(also entering this one here)

random loves

this shirt

I adore ruffles.

And the sky in heaven will be this color. 

Sometimes the sky around here gets close, and I know that it is the color it was destined to be.

When I was little, I thought that sapphires were this color, 

so all of my heroines in my stories had huge sapphire eyes.

I was heartbroken when I found out that they were boring old dark blue.

(wait... will there be sky in heaven?)

this sweater

I'm crazy about drapey necklines.

this coat

I love the sleeves.

these shoes

You know how I feel about ruffles.

And shoes with adorable lining just make. me. happy.

I have ones lined with leopard spots, plaid, red and white polka dots.

this coat

I'm pretty sure I would never buy an orange coat, because I would be all jumpy about what to wear it with. Which would mean I would never wear it.

Seriously, I have issues with orange. I like the color, but it's hard to combine.

orange and black--Halloween.

orange and pink--shoot me right now.

orange and red--um, shoot me again. 

Once, a stylish friend who I love wore red Converse with orange laces.

I was shocked, horrified, and we nearly had a falling-out.

(we are still friends, however)

orange and brown--can be beautiful, but also can be sorta pumpkin patch-ish.

orange and green--amazing, provided the green is the right shade. Otherwise, again, pumpkins.

How do you feel about orange? Do you have any colors you love to mix it with?