On the brink of the 2013 Adventure

I'm not a big one for making New Year's resolutions. I am, however, a big one for starting afresh. I love New Year's because more than I like ushering out the old year, I love welcoming the fresh one in. I love a new date to write on letters. I love the prospect of a whole twelve-month ahead of me that is unmarked and untouched and full of possibility. I think the future is one of those things that is best and brightest when ahead. Which sounds like an oxymoron because of course the future is "ahead". Just bear with me, okay? I have my little idiosyncracies like everyone else. ;) For me, there is a lovely lovely thought that there is something to come. Something I haven't discovered yet. A surprise, an adventure, and a twist in the road.

Honestly. I entered 2012 expecting the year to be much like the one before. After all, I could see absolutely nothing ahead of me that I hadn't expected. And then, much like a little rafter pushing down the river and suddenly encountering rapids, the year swept me up and off and I've only just poked my head above the waters to look around and see how far we've come.

Some of the big things this year? 

I went to a girls' retreat

I helped out with a wedding.

I arranged a successful match. ;)

I went to see the touring Broadway production of Wicked.

I went to Georgia for an entire month and met dozens of new friends.

 I started finished The Scarlet-Gypsy Song and edited it.

I wrote Fly Away Home and edited it.

I sent out query letters and got a response for A Mother for the Seasonings.

I had my "Golden Birthday"

I bought my laptop

I started to write for Meditations of His Love and met even more friends.

I got a Girlfriend-in-Law who was formerly (and still is) my best friend, and is now my brother's best friend as well. <3

I read the unabridged Les Miserables.

I went to a Jars of Clay concert.

I went to a Building 429 concert.

I did my first product review for eShakti.

I counseled at a camp.

I was a cat-herder for the Generation Joshua Student Action Teams (SAT)

I helped throw a double-graduation for Sarah and Matthew.

I received a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

I caved and downloaded an e-book.

I got my license.

I went to the midnight premier of The Hobbit.

I saw Les Miserables.

What has happened in your life this year? Are you ready for the 2013 adventure?

Les Miserables 2012

Les Miserables.

This is a film I have awaited for an entire year since I first made a close acquaintance cum deep friendship with the music and story of Les Miserables. I liked the project on Facebook and Pinterest. I tried not to watch too many of the t.v. spots and clips so that it wouldn't be spoiled for me.

The grand debut day came and someone thought to check PluggedIn--our usual first choice for Christian-based movie reviews. Now, it's no surprise to me that there would be some questionable characters in the film (i.e. prostitutes), but from what PluggedIn said, it seemed that the filmmakers might have gone a bit far. The good thing about PluggedIn is that they are full disclosure--nothing hidden. The bad thing is just that: nothing hidden. Things you might not notice while watching the film are brought to light and mentioned. I appreciate this--it's been really helpful in making judgments on many films over the years. BUT, I didn't have a good handle on what this meant for Les Miserables. How much of this was what you'd expect from the story of Les Miserables? How much was unnecessary? Was it concentrated in one place or sprinkled throughout? How much of this was just the fact that the reviewer wasn't too keen on the story anyhow? (Something I picked up after the first of three or four read-throughs of the review.) I wasn't certain.

This weekend we went to see Les Miserables in theaters. (So did my friend, Liza, by the way.)

I made the choice after active conversation with myself, my family, my parents, and the group of friends we were going with. I was very familiar with the plot and musical. Enough so to hazard a guess (and hope) that the questionable material would be harbored in one or two of the musical numbers: "Lovely Ladies" and "Master of the House." The former I had already been planning to tune out, as I don't make a habit of watching that song even in the concert version. For those of you who are in the dark, "Lovely Ladies" is the song that the prostitutes down at the wharf sing to Fantine about their trade.
We decided to go, armed with this knowledge and experience with sifting through PluggedIn recommendations. Going in to the movie, I was a little apprehensive. I wanted to be able to review the film for you all, knowing that several of my friends were waiting for my review to choose whether they are going to see it or not. But most of all I wanted to enjoy the film, because the story and music of Les Miserables have entwined themselves deep in my heart, and this was the moment I'd been waiting for.

We got our seats...

I distributed tissues...

 The lights dimmed...

and the first strains of the Chain-Gang songs thrummed through the theater. From the moment I first saw Inspector Javert (Russel Crowe) overseeings the lines of straining, groaning convicts and watched him bark at convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) my heart settled cockly-warm in my chest. It was not going to disappoint. I just knew it. Now, whether I would cry remained to be seen, but I knew all was going to be okay with the film.

OKAY? 

It was amazing. Overwhelming. "Utterly." *said in my very best Dr. Harrison voice*

(Spoilers may follow, so enter at your own risk. I'll try to be careful, but you never know.)

I have never cried as much in any one film as I did in Les Miserables. Every time I thought it couldn't get any better, any intenser, any deeper, Tom Hooper's directing proved me wrong. This film is raw and deep and pithy. It's not for the faint of heart. I left the theater emotionally exhausted, still damp, heart throbbing. If you like movies that don't leave a mark on your heart and don't rip you in two and don't effect you in any way, Les Miserables is not the movie for you.

Anne Hathaway's part as the poor, pitiable Fantine is relatively brief and a good third of it I spent not-looking, as it was the "Lovely Ladies song. (Generally, folks, just get your popcorn now. Fantine goes down to the wharf, and you have about five or six minutes to be gone before hurrying back so your heart can break.) Handy Dandy Cue-Card Time: When you see Fantine go to the wharf, go ahead and close your eyes. Open when she begins singing "I Dreamed a Dream", but not before. Despite the brevity of her screentime, Hathaway brings you in beginning with "At the End of the Day" and stringing you right along till she breaks you with her heart-rending version of "I Dreamed a Dream."

That's where my tears started. I wept as Fantine wept, understanding for the very first time her misery and anguish and shame. Anne Hathaway--former Princess Mia of Princess Diaries fame--has upped the ante for all future roles of Fantine. She was perfect.

Jean Valjean, as portrayed by Hugh Jackman, was wonderful. A couple times I thought the songs were a little out of his range and prevented proper "belting," but the soul and life he threw into the part far outweighed any faint flaws in his voice. All in all, I thought he fit the part and the part fit him very very well. His relationship with young Cosette was one of the things that most delighted me about the film. It was precious, I tell you.

I am partial to Russell Crowe as an actor, so I give him grace for the fact that he's an actor, not a singer, and his part was a little high for him. I admit I was was worried about "Stars", but he did well, dear chap, and though he couldn't belt it, he inspired enough cold passion and hardness into his portrayal that you give him a nod as a decent fellow who did his part dutifully. 

And really, what more would you want from Javert? He is all rote. All black and white and nothing else. He's not a fanatic. He's a legalist.

The Thenardiers.

Great glory above. What to  say about them? You hated them. Absolutely horrid. And yet Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham-Carter played their parts fabulously. Handy Dandy Cue-Card Time:  Again, as a recommendation, I would just listen to this song rather than watch it. When Cosette leaves the inn to get water, look away. You can return to enjoying the film after "Master of the House" is finished. That's what I did, and I didn't miss anything. This couple deserves the name of villain, and I honestly think I'll never see the Red Queen the same way again when I watch Alice in Wonderland.  *Shudder.* I hate this couple. And that isn't too strong a term. Believe me.

Eponine! Samantha Barks as Eponine was just what I could have hoped it to be. 

She's always been my favorite stage Eponine so when I heard she was going to be in the film as well, I couldn't wait to see her. "On my Own" was great, of course, but my favorite was "A Little Fall of Rain." The way she and Eddie Redmayne sang it was so novel and yet fitting and beautiful that I didn't even cry...I just sat there listening and loving.

Eddie Redmayne as Marius was a person who surprised me. I have long preened myself on being a Marius-downer. I don't like his character in the book.

 But Eddie Redmayne's portrayal endeared him to me quickly, and caused me to weep unashamedly as a baby during "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." He's such a boy. There is one particular moment in the film after the barricade has dropped and it's all over and finished that had me shaking and crying. I won't tell you where, but you'll know. It involves all that valiant company and Javert and little Gavroche.

Dear Gavroche.

Daniel Huttleston's portrayal of this little Paris garmin stole the show in his very fleeting moments. His saucy "Little People" song and the sad fate that befalls him totally made me cry. (AGAIN!)

There were so many other characters I loved.

 Enjolras (Aaron Tveit) was amazing, though not Red-Vest-Of-Power-Ramin-Karimloo. He was a believable, passionate, desperate patriot and played his part well. He is also in possession of a very nice pair of lungs so he didn't disappoint in his "Red and Black" song. That made me get chills.

 I loved Grantaire (George Blagden). Seriously, he ended up one of my favorite side-characters. The barricade was impressive. And not in the way you'd think.

Cosette as played by Amanda Seyfried was very sweet and pure looking. I had a little issue inside over Cosette, as I happened to flip through a magazine at the grocery store that claimed to be interviewing her about her part in Les Miz which instead turned out to be a publicity opportunity for her new and HORRIBLE movie. So there. I couldn't believe her in the role of Cosette knowing that. But you know, her voice was very girlish and piping, she looked the part, and she acted sweetly so I think we can forgive her in the interest of the rest of you.

I won't even tell you about the ending because I am desperate not to spoil this for you, if I spoil anything else. I'm just saying, there was not a single person not crying in that theater.

Les Miserables. A film that so clearly portrays the depravity of humanity, the struggle to redeem ourselves, "I am reaching but I fall and the stars are black and cold..." the realization that we cannot win salvation--that is a gift--, the price and value of love, "To love another person is to see the face of God,"and the overwhelming knowledge of Jesus' grace. These themes are so strongly, strongly, strongly developed in the movie that I would like to personally thank Tom Hooper for keeping them so crystal clear. Ah. I am about to cry again thinking about it.

Les Miserables is a heavy movie. It's emotionally involved, it's gritty, and it's ugly in parts. But it is a good movie--I could even argue a great movie. One I think we could all stand to watch and learn from. I would not recommend it for young viewers, but keeping in mind my handy-dandy cue-cards, I say go for it. ;) You won't regret your choice.

Do you hear the people sing
Lost in the valley of the night?
It is the music of a people
who are climbing to the light.

For the wretched of the earth

there is a flame that never dies.

Even the darkest night will end

and the sun will rise.

They will live again in freedom

in the garden of the Lord.

They will walk behind the ploughshare;

they will put away the sword.

The chain will be broken

and all men will have their reward.

Will you join in our crusade?

Who will be strong and stand with me?

Somewhere beyond the barricade

is there a world you long to see?

Do you hear the people sing?

Say, do you hear the distant drums?

It is the future that they bring

when tomorrow comes!

Silver Bells

Dear, dear me! Here is, December 19th, and nary a sign of Holiday Cheer on this blog! It's abominable, I tell you! Absolutely abominable. So to make up for it, I thought I'd give you a nice plummy post today filled with this Christmas, Rachel-style. Ready for it? Okay.

It begins with liberal doses of hot chocolate periodically. I heat the water in the old blue and white teakettle, then dump in far too many spoonfuls of the powder if we're out of cocoa and milk to make it the real way.

 I always use a Christmas mug this time of year, because what is better, honestly, than a Christmas mug at Christmas? (Thank you, Mary.)

I read books till my eyes are heavy and my mind is full of noble thoughts that never make it onto the blog like I mean them too, and I glance up at our Christmas tree and realize just what a beautiful one it is. The book I'm reading might be "A Christmas Carol"--a stave or so each evening.

“And therefore, Uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that [Christmas] has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

I might still shake inwardly over Marley's ghost. I might still smile and chuckle over the Crachitt's Christmas meal, thinking how like our own it is. I might, even, tear up when Tiny Tim comes on-page because if one can't be sentimental at Christmastime, one must be strangely inhuman and bereft of all feelings.

My season is interrupted by pleasant but odd things like 3D glasses and small glimpses of what C.S. Lewis called "Joy", but what manifests itself in odd, sharp-sweet stabs. I go to the midnight premier of a fantastic movie and stay up till 4:30 watching a meteor shower--stars dropping from the sky--and then take pictures to commemorate it.

The season continues. I make gingerbread men. I attempt to make fudge. I eat the not-so-fudge anyway, and discover Fudge-ish-gloop is quite as delicious as what it was meant to be. My friends concur. We imbibe deeply in not-so-fudge and then take a long walk to counteract its effects. Mama makes sugar-cookie dough--tradition of all childhood traditions!--and I pinch a bit when I pass the fridge, reveling in the taste of childhood.

I go shopping with the girls--my first trip to The City by myself as a licensed driver, and I did not get lost! Furthermore, it felt awesome having hard-earned money to spend, taking myself to spend it, and coming home all in one piece.

I sing. I sing lots of everything ranging from Matisyahu to Tenth Ave. North, to Bing Crosby's "Let it Snow" and a new-found-appreciation-version of "White Christmas." I listen to the girls play "The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" on the piano and I get my yearly yearning to try a sugar-plum...whatever it is. I sing "Marshmallow World" before I can help myself, and then regret it immediately afterward.

I smell Christmas trees--coming in from being out and getting hit with the scent of fir. It's one of my favorite things in all the year! <3 There is nothing like home, for comfort, after all. I also sniff cinnamon, cider, vanilla, and my 7 different bottles of lotion from That Place. Ahem. Yes, I caved and went into That Place and blushed all the way home. Dear dear. 

I look at the world differently. Everyone has a story. The world is lit by candlelight and evensong and amethyst dusk. People go around acting different as if, for this one month out of the year, they sense a bit of what it means to be compassionate and loving.

I hear jingle bells and I smile. I hear accents and I smile broader. I hear "Far Over the Misty Mountains" as sung by Richard Armitage, and my heart both soars and plummets. Soars because the wander-lust is soft and swift, plummets because there are no literal dragons to slay.

I wait. I wait for Christmas Day, I wait for friends to arrive, I wait for parties and roadtrips and other beautiful events of the season. I wait for my family and friends to open the gifts I've given them, and I wait to open a few myself. I wait for Les Miserables to come out. But mostly I wait with expectant heart, arms high, and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all.

Can I get an Amen?

Gentle Lessons

One of the many "gentle lessons" God has been teaching me recently is to take stock of and purposely recognize the things He's given me now that I couldn't possibly enjoy any more at a future stage of life when "things" might be "different." Specifically, all the things I enjoy now, as a single woman, that I couldn't enjoy one tiny jot more if I had a man of my own. :) Some of the gifts I've found?

Dark, moonless nights peppered with stars.

Watching a meteor shower at 4:30 in the morning. Stars, literally dropping every few seconds from the darkness.

Friendship. Does anyone stop and reckon how amazing a thing it is? I don't mean acquaintances. I mean those rare cases where "Our eyes met and the soul-light danced between."

The scent of wet pines.

Drives and coffee-shops.

Walking through the night alone, not at all afraid.

Getting the mail after dark.

Looking at the Christmas tree.

Reading a good book and discussing it with friends.

Singing songs around the piano.

Beautiful, sweeping fields.

Banter.

Friendly debating.

Parties.

Gifts.

Small things. Small things, all of them. But goodness, how much I'd miss them if they were gone! :)

The Reckoning of Readables

I am pretty much fully recovered from all the graduation madness. Do you notice what I just said? And that I mean it? I cannot take credit for that miracle--the Lord has been very gracious with me the last few days. :D

Earlier this year I created a "Summer Reading List"  in the hopes that I'd get some of it accomplished. Although my year has consisted of several campaigns, a camp, extensive wedding prep, several huge family events like a thirteenth birthday and a double-graduation, I've managed a fair amount of reading. What did I get through? Well, of course it's not the end of December yet so the list will likely grow, but here's what's up so far. I've linked to all the books I have reviewed.

Historical fiction:
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Return to Zion by Brodie Thoene
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell
With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz
The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Shadow Things by Jennifer Freitag

Classics:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte


Children's Lit: 
Rufus M by Eleanor Estes
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
Rascal by Sterling North
Freddy Goes to Florida by Walter R. Brooks


Fantasy:
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Romance:
The Princess by Lori Wick
With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin
The Sound of Diamonds by Rachelle Rea

General Fiction:
Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Something Fresh by P.G.Wodehouse
Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Monster by Mirriam Neal
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
ASHBURN by Julia Erickson


Non-Fiction or Christianity:
A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Bud & Me by Alta Abernathy
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot
Just Do Something by Kevin deYoung
Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis
Great Souls by David Aikman (in progress)
The Narnian by Alan Jacobs (in progress)

Goodreads (which I caved and joined this year, much to my contentment) assures me I have read 12,037 or so pages this year. Ho-ho! That's rather a good job, I should say! It informs me that my longest title at 1,463 pages was Les Miserables. With Fire and Sword was a close second at around 1,143 or so pages. I can only say WHOOSH! It also says I have read 35 titles this year. UNTRUE! Just because four of the titles I read are yet unpublished, and the fifth unlisted on Goodreads does NOT mean I have not read the 40 books I lay claim to. ;) Come, come! Let's be friends and Goodreads and compare notes on all sorts of stories!

Operation Graduates Part Six: THE BIG DAY!

The graduation was so great. So wonderfully great.

All that work was worth it.

I only wish I had had a day of rest and recovery beforehand so I could have enjoyed the party a little bit more. See, I'm a social butterfly. But this social butterfly had been handled too much and had too many of her pretty little feather-colors brushed off so she was crippled and limp and had lost a wing or two. :P I was so sleepy! Haha! But it was amazing all the same. Thank you to the 150+ people that came and made it all worthwhile! :)

Isn't she gorgeous?

And him? Suavity. Suavity.

The day began with preparation of people. I did Sarah's hair in a Pinterest-worthy way. But I made it up. Which made me happy. That's not an easy feat, you know? And one of my Pinterest-worthy friends said it looked like movie-star hair, so I totally am happy with that as well. ;) The ceremony was held in a church nearby who were so generous with their time and space! We got there early, of course, and Levi loved watching Paid in Full practicing. 

Daniel wrote a beautiful song for Sarah, and I helped him write a few of the words while cleaning till 10:30 Friday night. 

"You were born with joy inside

You watched the world with smiling eyes.

You found the secret Neverlands

Because you looked for them.

The world obsessed with moving on

Your heart was whisp'ring 'Please look back'..."

I wrote them on my hand and left them in a notebook for Daniel. Daniel finished the song-writing and was all prepared to sing it, but he left the book at home, so I had to dash out, crank up the country music station, and retrieve it. :) 

The ceremony, since it was a double-on, ran a little long, but everyone had a fabulous time, Sarah and Matthew both slammed their speeches, and Sarah sang "Draw Me Nearer" with her classic swag. ;D

We had great worship-time...

And all that great stuff.

We rendezvoused back at the house for cake, punch, and more food as the evening progressed! :D 

I must have been looking tired because so many people smiled that "I totally understand, hon" smile at me, and several people remarked, "Aw, Rachel, you're too quiet tonight." 

What do you think?

Yeah, actually I agree. :P 

Moving onnnnnn....

Awwwwww <3

The cakes were perfection.

I am having a little difficulty getting photos of the decorations, but I'll do a post on those separately! :)

As the evening progressed we had LOADS of conversation...

....eating...

...conversation...

....games....

....eating....

....banter....

....eating.....

.....banter....

....eating....

....banter....

{yeah, you get the picture.}

We had a big bon-fire too!

A certain Farm-boy was our unofficial fire-man and stomped all the creeping flames out as they threatened to burn up the grass. ;) 

Half-way through the evening, I changed into my mulberry thermal-shirt and my flannel-lined pants...

Ah! Here's me! (back there.)

The graduate in her comfy-clothes...

After people left, Wyatt Fairlead and the rest of us stayed awake till one o'clock chatting and sitting on hard metal chairs. He was staying the night at our house while his family was staying with other friends, and we were all getting really kinda crazy. Laughing about nothing and everything, and philosophizing and criticizing literature in between...? :D

We all blame it on the hot chocolate. Seriously. Anyone who drank that stuff was strange the rest of the evening....we make no comment. 

*Happy sigh*

Worth it? I think so.

(By the way, all photos are credit to Matthew's Aunt Cherie Solomon!)

Operation Graduate Part Five: ONE DAY MORE!

Today was amazing. It was the busiest day of Operation Graduates to date, and I'm still working as I type. I'm writing this post in between batches of pictures loading. Sooooooo bear with me! Here are pictures of the wall-caps Dad put in. He sanded and finished them so many times this past week that they are gorgeous!

Aren't they sweet?

I know I promised not to show you any official decorations, but I did think I'd show you a "Rescue" project we did. We had a really ugly candle. A really ugly one. It was all chipped up and dirty and streaky. But I scrubbed it up, painted it with Modge-Podge, and rolled it in a mixture of pickling salt and glitter.

The result?

Kinda pretty.

Enough with the inanimate pictures. :D This is a long post full of lots of pictures so I want to move along at a nice clip. :)

Today was the day for perky, high, energetic pony-tails.

Complete with pieces curling in odd directions and popping out from behind my ears.

Yeppers.

A good day for high-ponies.

...and for flannel-lined pants!

Leah and Aunt Christy officialized the cakes. Thus Leah got the honor of wearing the "Cake Boss" apron!

And of course there was a bit of mistle-toe.

Anna decided to exhibit the white chocolate chips meant for peppermint bark.

^^^^ This was one of my favorite moments of the day....

I was attempting to do a funny picture showing Aibileen's advice in The Help on how to cut onions without crying. (stick a burned match between your teeth while cutting) Well, I decided to do a picture with a lighted match, to be funny, and the shutter speed was really slow so the flame kept crawling closer and closer to my nose. XD Hence the panicked expression on my face! 

Matthew and many others made countless trips to and from our house to the Walkers all day long to get things we forgot, things we couldn't find, things we decided we needed, etc.

While lining up cups for all the cousins, I decided to go all out and draw a graduate's cap on Sarah's. Just for fun. Because Sharpie's are awesome.

The whole line-up...

Mayhem, plain and simple.

This was in the chili-making phase.

We also made or thawed or otherwise prepared:

Cookie-dough-dip

Moose Munch

Puppy Chow

Hot-chocolate stirrers

Gobs and gobs of blue peppermint frosting

Punch rings

Punch

Cheese platter

When I realized how messy it was in the kitchen, I peeped over the half-wall into the living room and it looked so tranquil, I had to snap a picture. :)

Abby, Levi, and Bethany

The ENORMOUS bowl of popcorn I popped for Moose Munch. AND sifted all the "old-maids" out of. To get an idea of its size, realize that's a full-size paint-can in the background.

Lunches, lunches, and more lunches!

After Dad finished the wall-cap project, he started on the stairs. We've yet to finish them off properly since we moved in the house--it seemed too big of a deal to take the stairs "out of order" to do them. But it was done today!

When the sanding and faces were being done...

*Stricken look*

Dishes....

After the kitchen was cleaned up, it was time to dirty-ice the cakes! We ended up with a great big 4-layer round cake, and three or four sheet cakes. Plenty, we hope!

Aunt Christy and Leah put the next layer of icing on...

And I finished the Moose-Munch! At this point there were still two trays in the oven. :) Lots of it!

I took Levi for a mile+ walk, hoping it'd distract him a little since he was getting fractious.

He fell asleep, and when we came home, decided he'd "help" :)

 Somewhere around Lunchtime, Aunt Christy's sister Cherie came down from Pennsylvania with her three daughters, and they were added to the crew!

"At the end of the day, Sarah's my sistah! Course I'm gonna make her a cake!" ;)

Well, that was day 5! We still have lots to do. I'm sitting in the study and it's no way done. But things are shaping up despite our weariness. Decorating is almost done....the cakes are entirely finished...(you'll have to wait to see those too. :)...there are lights and sparkle and glitter everywhere....all we need now is a last minute clean-up, some organizing, and a little more food prep and we'll be ready!

*Deep Breath*

Only 17 hours till the graduation! I don't know whether to panic or laugh or be joyous!

I think I'll stick with the latter two!