Tennis!!

Well, we're back!! We had a great time. The first day was overcast and not too hot. The tournament has the large Center Court which seats thousands. You have to sit in your assigned seat to watch a game played on that court. The next biggest court is the Grandstand court which seats several hundred, but you can sit anywhere you want. We got to sit front row through a couple of games there! There are also some smaller courts where you can sit anywhere and several practice courts. We spend the majority of our time at the practice courts. These courts look like tennis courts you would find at the park with just a wire fence around them, but the top professional players in the world warm up on these courts before their matches and you get to stand next to the fence and watch them. When they leave, the nice players sign autographs, take pictures, and talk a little to people, even though they are being all but knocked off their feet by hundreds of fans waving tennis balls and cameras in their face.

We have lots of players that we like a lot, but our favorite player is Marat Safin. We already have his autograph :), so Gabrielle was so hoping she could get a picture with him. Let me tell you, the crowd around the practice court was the worst I had ever seen it. It didn't help that he, and the number 2 & 3 players in the world were all practicing on courts side by side. I have to estimate that at least five hundred people were crowding around the fences. We crowded around him (with everyone else) and tried to get a picture, but it was impossible.
The next day, we tried again, and again the crowd was impossible. I never realized I was so short until all those people kept jumping in front of me and shoving me out of the way. So, Gabrielle was disappointed, but we went up to center court to watch number 1 player in the world, Roger Federer, play a match. The game was really interesting. First one was winning, then the other, so we were paying attention to the game. The seats were empty beside us. A woman came and sat in the seat beside me and I overheard her say to her friend, "I just saw Safin at the practice court." Gabrielle and I grabbed our camera and ran to the practice court. Because he wasn't scheduled to practice, there was hardly anyone around him compared to before, and, when he left, he took a picture with each of us!! :) That day, the second day, was sooo hot. For the first time, our seats at center court were in a shaded area, but even that didn't help much. I sunburned a little on my nose, but nothing too bad. I bought several of my favorite lemonades and some rainbow sherbet to cool me off!
This is the US Open Road Trip bus with all the top player's pictures on them.


We had a great time, saw lots of the tennis players and got a few autographs. Hopefully, we'll be able to go back next year!

Tennis Tomorrow!!

We're off to our annual tennis tournament tomorrow for two full days of watching the professionals compete. We'll get to see Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, and so many more! We're so excited. Last year we got lots of autographs, so hopefully we can do the same this year. I have to make sure my camera is charged and ready to go for LOTS of pictures. And I have to figure out what I want to wear. :)

New Haircut!

I got a hair cut today! I didn't cut a lot off because I'm trying to grow the length out some, but I had my layers trimmed and changed my bangs. Even though I liked the hairstyle when I cut off so much length in November, I just don't like to wear my hair short (which for me means above my shoulders). But, my hair is SO much healthier since I cut it off. I haven't had hardly any split ends and is much softer, whereas before I couldn't keep the split ends trimmed and it felt really dry. Now, hopefully, I'll be able to manage styling my new layers and bangs.

One More Week Until Vacation.........

Vacation is almost here! It starts next Saturday. I can't believe August is practically here already. We are going to go to the tennis tournament again on Monday and Tuesday of that week. It will be nice, especially since this may be the last year we'll live close enough to go to it. Then, I have to work Wednesday and Thursday. :( But, that Friday, we are going to pick up my Aunt Sherry (it's a nine hour drive to her house, so we're going to meet her halfway) and she is going to stay with us for a week. Well, my dad's sister called him last week. She and her husband are going to be vacationing just a few hours from us, so they are going swing by and visit us for two or three days the same week Aunt Sherry is here. Whew! It's going to be a pretty busy vacation. And, because I didn't think my job would let me have two straight weeks off -- well, they would have, but we aren't sure when we're going back to our home state to visit, so I want to save my full week off for then -- I left hours available for me to work a couple of evenings that week. I'm going to need a vacation to recover from vacation. It will be lots of fun, though

We have lived here for nine years now, and Aunt Sherry has come up every year to stay with us. That always means two things for sure -- eating out and shopping. :) We try to find interesting places to visit, too. For a couple of years, we've gone to the aquarium and last year we went to the Creation Museum, so now, we're trying to come up with a new idea. Unless it cools down considerably, the zoo is out of the question, as well as anything else that requires a lot of walking outdoors. We also watch a lot of girly movies. She didn't get to see Cranford when it came on PBS, so if I can find it at the library, that will definitely be on the list. Also, North and South. We tried to watch that last year, but someone checked it out from the library and did not turn it back in the entire week she was here. I would like to watch Bleak House, but it is soooo long that it's not really practical for the time frame we would have to squeeze it in.

So, I'm looking forward to next week. And the only day I have off before then to get my room cleaned up is Wednesday. I don't know if that's doable or not. :)

A Hard Jane Austen Quiz

Here is a different Jane Austen quiz I found, judging you on how well you know her and her writing I only got 12/20. :( Maybe some of you can do better!

http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz2516841cd0de8.html

Charlotte Bronte

One of my favorite authoresses is Charlotte Bronte. There is something a little different about her writing style that sets her apart from Austen, Gaskell, and Elliot. She tended to write her stories in the first person, for one thing. She truly lets you inside the characters mind and describes their every feeling so well that you understand and empathise.

She was born April 21, 1816, the third of Patrick and Maria Branwell's six children, Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell. Her mother died of cancer when she was only five, and her mother's sister Elizabeth came to live with the family to care for the children. I read the first part of the biography Elizabeth Gaskell wrote for her, which described her early years. Her father, a minister, encouraged all his children in reading and studying. He described Charlotte as extremely bright from a very young age. He would ask her philosophical questions to see what she would say and even from five or six years old, she would have an answer an adult today might not be able to come up with. She, Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth were sent the Clergy Daughters' School in 1824. Charlotte never liked to mention those years at school in her later life and, I think, denied that she based Lowood School in Jane Eyre on the place, but the similarities between her life there and Jane Eyre's life at Lowood are to strong for them not to have a connection. They would be given thin soup made of potato peelings and other scraps to eat, the school was cold, and the girls were often sick. Maria and Elizabeth developed tuberculosis while living there and died in 1826.

Charlotte continued her education at Roe Head and worked as governess for several families. Doubtless these experiences gave her inspiration for her novels. She returned home in 1844. The girls had written stories all their lives, but began now to try to get them published. Emily and Anne published a book of poetry that went virtually unnoticed. Still, the sisters determined to take on pen names and keep trying. On taking the name Currer Bell, Charlotte said

"Averse to personal publicity, we veiled our own names under those of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell; the ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at assuming Christian names positively masculine, while we did not like to declare ourselves women, because -- without at that time suspecting that our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called 'feminine' -- we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice; we had noticed how critics sometimes use for their chastisement the weapon of personality, and for their reward, a flattery, which is not true praise."

Jane Eyre was published in 1847 with great success, though there was much wonder as to who Currer Bell was. Branwell, her only brother, died in 1848, due to complications from heavy drinking, but Charlotte always believed he died of tuberculosis. Emily died also in 1848 and Anne in 1849, both of pulmonary tuberculosis. In 1849 Shirley was published and Villette in 1853. In 1854, Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls and became pregnant soon after. She was given to severe nausea and frequent faintness during the pregnancy. Charlotte and her unborn child died March 31, 1855. Her death certificate sites tuberculosis as the cause of her death, but biographers now believe it may have malnourishment and dehydration from her severe morning sickness. The Professor, which was written before Jane Eyre but rejected many times by publishers, was at last published posthumously.

Her books:

Jane Eyre -- Undoubtedly one of the best books of all time.
Shirley -- I don't think I've read this one, but the synopsis looks interesting.
Villette -- It's been quite a while since I read this, but I remember that it was good.
The Professor -- I haven't read this one either, but I may check it out some time!

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally finished my artwork website!! For so long, I have worked on this a little bit at a time, but I have finally got all the pages in place, all the pictures sized, and everything in order. The worst thing was the "About Me." I always hated those "tell about yourself" papers in grade school, and this was even worse! But, anyway, my artwork is finally all in one place on the Internet, sized, priced, and sorted. Here is the link:

www.amandas-art.bravehost.com

Thank you....

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and encouragement last week. I appreciated it so much! Thankfully, I feel much better now. After a few days without minor catastrophes and indignant customers my stress levels have decreased dramatically. :) Again, thank you so much! I plan to be back to posting as usual very soon. :)

Life............

I've been in a little bit of a downer lately. I guess that's why I haven't posted as much. It hasn't really been a difficult time, just a series of aggravations and annoyances. When things are like that, I get a little down and out. Things at work have been annoying. At home, I get frustrated with myself because I can't seem to get all my projects organized or make any progress with anything. My hand is bothering me again. Oh, and yesterday, after my last customer went into a rage because a package of underwear wasn't on sale when she thought it was, on the way home, the car behind me rear-ended me. Thankfully, the only damage was a few scratches on the car, but my nerves were shattered.

Emily, at Unfurling Flower had a great post about how to handle days like these. The most important thing to try to remember is to focus on other things. Don't wallow in all the things that have gone wrong, but keep my mind on what needs doing and what I should do. It really helps to take my focus from the drama or the emotional drain of the moment to simply do the next thing. For now, I hope the clouds are breaking and blue sky is ahead. :)

Independence Day

It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, peace! But there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! --Patrick Henry

The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth. 'Tis not the affair of a city, a country, a province, or a kingdom, but of a continent—of at least one eighth part of the habitable globe. 'Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or less affected, even to the end of time, by the proceedings now. Now is the seed time of continental union, faith and honor. The least fracture now will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on the tender rind of a young oak; The wound will enlarge with the tree, and posterity read it in full grown characters. -- Thomas Paine in Common Sense

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. --Thomas Paine The American Crisis

The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance. -- George Washington

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. -- The Declaration of Independence

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Stressful Day

Right now, I am sitting in the recliner with my laptop, a glass of lemonade, and feeling somewhat relaxed. Maybe my headache will go away eventually. Today was a long day.

It started out stressful, because I knew I was going to have to rework all the vacation days I had put in for at work. The day after I put in for them, we decided to change them. So, I left a few minutes early so I would have time to work on my schedule before I clocked in. I hadn't got half a mile from home when I came to a stoplight. Traffic was heavy because of rush hour, so I didn't plow ahead when the light turned yellow, but stopped. There was a van behind me. The driver of the van started blowing his horn and waving his hands at me. I was thinking, "How rude!" He kept blowing the horn and waving and the passenger beside him was trying to get my attention, too. I was frowning at them in the rearview mirror, amazed that the people were so mad that I had stopped at a yellow light. Finally, it dawned on me that they weren't mad, but trying to tell me something, so I rolled down my window and looked back at them. He rolled down his window, too, and yelled, "YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE!!"

I looked down at the tire. It was flat as a pancake. I yelled, "Thank you!!" back and felt bad for thinking they were roadrager-s. I called my mom and she called my dad to go change my tire. I pulled over at a gas station and waited. It took a long time for him to get there because of the traffic, but he got there and changed the tire. Then he told me to go back home so my mom could drive me to work so she could get the tire fixed.

I finally got to work 45 minutes late and out of sorts. Then, the work day annoyed me. Time seemed to stand still. There would be twenty minute breaks between customers and I would have nothing to do. People were annoying me like crazy. It took forever for me to straighten out my schedule. When I got home, there was insurance paperwork waiting for me in the mailbox and it took three tries to log on to the Internet. So, today has not been fun. Not by a long shot. When my headache goes away, I'll be able to be see that it wasn't that bad. I had the flat tire only half a mile from home. Some people were nice enough to go through a lot of trouble to tell me about it. Otherwise, I would have driven all the way across town and never noticed it until I was ready to go home at 4:30. My dad was able to come right away and fix the tire. So, I should still be grateful for the way things turned out, and I am. Right now, I just need to relax for a while. :)