Monday, May 31, 2010

Lucy Enters Narnia: How To Play Her Song

When Lucy enters Narnia, the first thing I notice is the music that is played when she first enters. Here I show how to play her song on piano, keyboard, and every instrument on keys in between.

We start from the middle of the piano, and we press E sharp with G at the same time. Quickly, we transition into:

ABCDGF Then slightly getting lower, we do EFEDCE.

Then, we're gonna go into a higher octave, making it sound kind-of princessy. We're gonna repeat it in that octave.

Then, we'll repeat EFEDCE going lower and lower until you can't repeat anymore.

That's Lucy's song, which is quickly followed by "The Battle". Soon, once I've got this song mastered, I'm gonna teach you step-by-step with me actually in view, so it's even simpler than this is to play!

Learning New Things Day By Day

Yes I am learning new things, even though Summer is almost here! That's right, June srd is the day on my callendar, and the day I don't want to see. Another sad thing will happen.

First of all, yesterday somebody my family knew very well passed away. However, it was a very good day to die, because we will remember Memorial Day weekend as something different, more than just a weekend. I used to think of it as a free day off of school, but now I know it's not just that.

That was a discovery that is very sad because I knew this person for eleven long years. Sadder? Last time I saw them was 2008. Saddest? They lived all the way in Washington, so travel to the funeral? Please, we're already going on THREE vacations this Summer!

Secondly, I learned how to play the nearly TWO songs on my piano; first song is when Lucy enters Narnia, and it immediately goes into "The Battle". (aka Narnia Theme.)

So yeah, that's me. Happy---or sad, however you feel right now---Memorial Day!

Friday, May 28, 2010

OMG Time Of Year

It's the OMG time of year. Today I kind of went swimming. What I mean by "kind of" is that I was wearing a leo, so I took off my shorts and got in Becca's ginormous pool, on the third step. Okay, maybe you would call that wading and not swimming, but it was fun. Ty and Sarah were in the pool too! Afterwards, I had to rush to dry and had to warm up, (I always warm up before I go to gymnastics so I don't have to stretch much there) because I was so wet on my buttox that I looked like I peed myself! So I had to change into my dad's shorts that said "USAF" (United States Air Force) and OMG, (I warned you, it's the OMG time of year.) They were SOOOOOO baggy! But they must be baggy pants of luck, because:

I made my beam handstand today! I usually do anyway, but after I took a month and a week and a day off, it took forever to learn my handstand on beam, cartwheel on beam, and front vault all over again. But it's all okay now! BTW, I received some SHOCKING news:

I am going to advance level 4 for the Summer! The next step after advance is level 5, so that's good! However, what it takes is what I hate. In order to stay in that level, I must have my forward and backward walkovers. (very unlikely!) But I'm going to be positive!

WEEKLY QUESTION!
Did you go swimming this week? Did you participate in any Summer sports this week? Waz up???

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Early Call

Jenilee Goodwin, a.k.a. Miss Jenilee or Mrs. Jenilee Goodwin, shares with the somewhat media of Christian Blogs her calling to the ministry, and only Angelic Angelica has her story. Hope Ezell reports.

Let's trace back to fifth grade. She had pretty much finished fifth grade when she decided she wanted to go to Kids Camp. But did she know she'd be called???

At camp that year, she was at the altar, just fifth grade, and she even remembers where she'd been located. "I was by the piano," she says. She knew she was called to the ministry then & there, and she knew she was called to be a pastor's wife.

Years later, "I was a sophomore," (tenth grade) she says when she took her A.C.T. (don't ask me what it stands for.) "I only sent mine to one college." However, she ended up having to send it to other schools, but still knew that the only college she truely would be accepted to and would actually attend was C.B.C. (Central Bible College to be exact. It is also known that Dominique Moceanu attended Christian school as well.)

Did you know that God can use you in ANY way? Read "Show Off!" on Gymnastics IS Life and see!

Just because the world says, "Bobina, you SO are not gonna be a pastor's wife!" that doesn't mean you won't be a pastor's wife. You may even be a pastor yourself! If you're called to it, it'll happen. You may never hear God talk as long as you live, but you have to believe He's there and that He'll never forsake or leave you.

[Miss] Jenilee had been connected with Pastor Jeremy (a.k.a. Pastor Jay) with scripture. Would you believe God used the SAME verse for both of them???

God shows us one step, and when we're obedient, He shows us another one and another one...

If [Miss] Jenilee had self-confidence, she probably would be some foreign person that I wouldn't know. Same for you, and this article would not have existed. But because [Miss] Jenilee had self-esteem, she is able to not only call herself a pastor's wife, but a tool in the ministry.
__________________________________________

Next on interview/film:
-'JUDO, A MARTIAL ARTS SENSATION'. (documentary film.)
-"She's BAAAACK" Natalie Isaacs' EXCLUSIVE interview; only Your Blog has her.
-Interview with a surprise college math teacher.
-The ninth grader hiding out at Sinclair. (not literally!)

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Journalism: THAT Was Easy!

Some love it, some hate it, everyone has a different view of journalism. But I love it. And today I'm gonna teach you how to love it too.

First, you wanna start with little steps. The best way to start is by keeping a diary everyday possible for one year or more. Once you can do that, start blogging. If you already have a blog, try to work harder on making your posts longer, more interesting, and blogging more often.

Next, try taking sermon notes for one month every Sunday. If you are going to church camp this year, (Kids Camp, Missions Extreme, Junior High Camp or Senior High Camp) take sermon notes on every sermon throughout the week and be sure to write in your journal about every day of camp before you go to bed.

A more advanced step is to interview people. I've interviewed people from Drew to Natalie Isaacs to Becca to Leah to Micheala to Kayla. it's important to remember things that were going on while you interviewed, like here's what I remembered:

Drew: Drew was playing with balls at the '09 JBQ state meet
Natalie: Natalie was in a pew at the '09 state meet
Becca: I was going to church I think, and gave her a paper
Leah: She was watching TV while I was blogging from Becca's netbook
Micheala: I gave her brother a 'TOP SECRET' file with her interview inside and she gave it back on a Tuesday.
Kayla: We were eating Bolivian food for FAITH and I gave her a piece of paper while we ate.

Be sure to remember certain things like that. The interviewee will be surprised--- THEY may not even remember what they were doing!

Now you may start writing non-fiction stories. Some ideas:

-Does green tea help you lose weight?
-Does proactiv work?
-The possible origin of the high-five.

These will get you not only more readers, but more followers.

Tweet it! Not everyone likes blogging. But if you're on Twitter with parents' permission, you can write about what you've blogged recently, which may get some readers for your blog as well as your Twitter page!

Magazines for You!
Children:
Sports Illustrated for Kids (good for teens, too! I Luv that magazine!)
Discovery Girls

Teenagers:
American Cheerleader
Teen Vogue
Oncourse (available at ThExperience, if you wanna see a copy!)

Adults:
Allure
Vogue
Readers' Digest
Bass Player (my dad suggested that one.)
Prevention

I hope you liked it and I hope your journalism gets higher in level!

Monday, May 24, 2010

DOG is GOD Backwards

Ever thought about that? If you look at my profile picture, you see my puppy, Lexi! (full name, Lexi Hope Ezell, but others in my fam. say Lexi Adora Ezell.) But on my Twitter profile, you see the sunset. The sunset has always reminded me of God's promises, but my dog reminds me of all the gifts God gives you. Dogs can help us understand God more in ways. Sort of like this:

-They are BOTH loyal to us
-They BOTH understand us
-We need to get closer to BOTH of them everyday
-There's always more to learn about and from BOTH of them
-When we need BOTH of them, they're BOTH there
-They are BOTH with us to our last breath.

Of course, God overlaps your dog, but ever thought about certain similarities? We can just pour out our dramatic stories to both of them. Whether we dreaded Kids Camp this year or we just got away with shoplifting from Claire's, you can tell it to your dog. I highly doubt that many dogs will understand, but God is always there.

God is HIGH above dogs, but just an example. Here's how to get closer to BOTH:

GOD.
-Pray to Him whenever necessary, excluding breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime
-Read your Bible A LOT more often, excluding Missionettes or Royal Rangers.
-If you're in JBQ, you need to study! (get another seal while you're at it.)
-Tell others about this!
-Get a devotional
-Blog about Jesus!
-Write in a journal about every step of being a Christian.

DOG.
-Play a good game of hide-'n-seek. (I'll show you how.)
-Teach your dog it's 1-2-3's. (I'll show you how.)
-Play tag. (I'll show you how.)
-Rub them DAILY.
-Talk to them DAILY, at least weekly.

Your 'Hows' and 'Ifs'.

How to Read Your Bible More Often
There's those books you just KNOW you wanna read. I LOVE anything with poetry, so in ONE night, I read the ENTIRE book of Song Of Solomon. It's a very cute love poem I recommend! It shows how great marriage can be if you're pure. Here's some easy-to-finish books:

-Song Of Solomon
-James
-1, 2, 3, John
-Jude
And if you are an intermediate Bible reader, try:
-Proverbs
-Esther
-Ruth
-Judges
-1, 2, Samuel
-Job
-Haggai
-Zechariah
-Malachi
If you've tried all that, try the big books:
-Psalms
-Revelation.

Blog About Jesus
It's simple! To blog about Him, just do what I do, and make Him the main subject of your posts. It's easy, just write what you learn everyday from Him.

Use A Journal
Yes, guys have journals; too! Just simply write your prayers onto paper and write about your sorrow and your joy, like:

12/16/2010
Today I had an awesome day! I praise God for that! I got merit for my praise dance!
Dear God,
(fill in the blank with whatever.)

Learn to play games and teach your dog on my new sidebars!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

This Changes Everything.

This is a time of year that many of us will experience growing up. Be it from Sunday School or High School, either is a big deal.

At this time, many of Bethel's sixth graders will experience something higher and more mature, the youth group, as they transition into junior high. This is a huge difference. If you are headed for youth or the Edge or something you've never tried before, you may be trying to figure out where you'll go, or if you'll stay where you are. This changes everything.

Why does it have to change EVERYthing? Can't your life stay the same for a moment in time? Well, it can't. Here's a short story.

I happen to know a girl at church (not saying names!) who has everything against transitioning into the youth group. She is nearly fifteen and still won't leave Missionettes. (M-Pact, Bethel Girls Ministries, whatever you wanna call it.) She says that youth is bad and all, but she really shouldn't be talking--- not ONCE has she been to ThExperience. This is someone who hates change.

It's okay to be slow when it comes to change, but after awhile, it turns into shutting yourself off to things you just might have fun doing. Louise* (not her name) just might've had fun in Youth, but she keeps shutting herself off to all the fun youth events and activities that she just might enjoy. But you don't have to be like that.

This reminds me of when I was just four years old, turning effortless cartwheels in the sun and effortless back handsprings on the trampoline. But I told myself that I'd never try gymnastics because the coaches were mean and the gymnasts were snobby. Had I not been so resistant to change, I might have been the Olympic gymnast I always wanted to be.

When you shut yourself off to even one thing, you're shutting yourself off to countless other things that come with that one thing. I was an awesome tumbler until the time I attempted a back tuck by myself without a spot and landed on my neck with all the weight of my body. Had been a gymnast, I would've known better than to do it without a spot, or maybe would've already been able to do it.

This changes everything because unless you try new things, nothing spectacular will ever happen to you. Here's another story:

When I was younger, I loved watching people sing. I would hear about all these Fine Arts competitions our church went to and about all these singers going to Nationals. "Wow!" I would think. I always wanted to sing, but... NO BUTS!

Every time Fun Arts was announced, I said, "I'm gonna sing for one of my categories." Just in time for Fun Arts, I pulled the idea out of my head.

But this Fun Arts, I could not hold back. I held back in 2007. I held back in 2008. There were no Fun Arts in 2009. I knew this was my last chance before Fine Arts, so I finally FORCED myself to sing it. "Hope," I told myself, "You're gonna sing, and I mean it!"

And I sang it yesterday! Singing is not hard--- at all! Once you try, you'll be like, Oh my gosh! I worried THAT long about a single solo? I'm trying this again!

I held back for quite some time. But in the end, I found that I really like singing AND competing! You'll see me at Fine Arts, but will you see me at nationals...

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Fun Arts

Fun Arts was the reason I haven't blogged in forever and a day ago. It was fun. As you may know it was the same weekend as the youth's Fine Arts and I got to see Mark play his piano, Jacob preach, Abby and her band perform, and saw Naithan preach. I saw the human video; I honestly did not understand it, but it was cool. Almost all of them made it to Nationals in Detroit, Michigan! Just think about how fun next year will be, current sixth graders...

Today I also congratulated some friends from HOUSE, Ben, (Destiny) Spencer, (Destiny) Emily, (Newsong) and some other kid I think I might know from camp. You know, Spencer can be wild sometimes, but today he was very nice. I hugged all of the people I just mentioned, and talked about the stuff we did and who's going to nationals from their group and stuff.

Evan, Bailey, Olivia, Tyler, Drew, (drewpoole.blogspot.com) Kaitlyn, (PK) and Curtis, Lindsay, and (funny, I said, "Curtis, Lindsay." They are completely different people but Lindsey is his last name LoL!) I think that's all.

I plan on posting my singing video but DON'T count on it. I may forget or it may not work.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Concrete Jungle What Dreams Are Made Of...

...There's nothing we can't do, let's hear it for New York! You know, never in my life have I been to New York. And this post is kinda talking about dealing with crowds today.

I hate crowds. I just don't like them. And with Fun and Fine Arts coming up tomorrow, this post just might be necessary to participants.

When you're performing in front of a crowd, it's kind of like YOU'RE the famous person. YOU'RE the main kid. Everyone's focus is on you. And that's that moment of: 'Look what I can do! Beat that, sucker!' (Boasting is not good, no one should be called a sucker.) It's that one moment that you are the celebrity, that one moment when you can almost see the paparrazzis surrounding saying, "Lexi you are a star!" (Lexi is a beagle, but in my eyes, she's a different specie of Micheal Jackson!)

But I don't like being IN crowds. I just don't. It's kind of that moment that you blend in like foundation blends in to your skin, or lotion absorbs into your many layers. It's just that "I'm bored!" moment.

My problem with crowds is if I see somebody with the same shorts or shoes as me, it's on! Or, if they have their HAIR styled the same way as me, it's: "Okay, it was on a minute ago. Now, you just crossed the line, missy!!!"

Let me tell you a story. One time, I was turning cartwheels in my front yard and this girl walks by with her friend talking about tumbling passes. (round-off, back handspring, back tuck to be exact.) And she starts talking and she looks at me and I'm like, "Hey! This is a silver medalist you're looking at!" (I didn't really say that.) So I show her my half-aerial AND my round-off. Beat that, woman! Turns out, she does a round-off right after I do. I show her a back walkover-thing. Her and her friend walk away.

Yeah, when I'm in a crowd, it can be deadly. I just wanted to run after that girl and show her a round-off, back handspring, back tuck, layout, splits right there! Could've done it if I tried. (No, I couldn't.) But yeah, I made her jealous! I haven't seen her ever since.

Now, I'm not saying you should intimidate someone with flips, I honestly just had to fit that in there, but don't be afraid to show off a little during your fine/fun arts routines! Make the crowd gasp! Remember what I said, "Fear is just a lie..."

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Get Those Eyedrops Away From Me!!!!

NOOOOOOOO....!!!!! I think you know where this post is going.

Today I had an eye appointment. I don't wanna give details because it's a long story about my diagnosis but I have TERRIBLE news.

Okay, let's just say it was embarrassing and leave it at that. Well, I also got my eyes dialated, which I've never done before, and it burns!!!! I still can't see very well with my left eye because of it.

In my right eye I have outstanding vision, however; it's my left eye. Might as well say it.

I need g... gl... gla... glas... glass... glasse... GLASSES!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't make me!!! "Sorrow lasts, through this night. I take this piece of you, and hold for all eternity..." Yeah, that song isn't so uplifting either. Well, at least I don't need braces. I'm watching "Criminal Minds" mourning upon the fact. Let's try it one more time folks:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Notebook. Ugh.

Did I ever tell you how much I HATE The Notebook? That movie is horrible! Never does any movie make me cry, but that movie really does! I hate that movie!!!! I gotta go to bed... Bye!

I Get Down... He Lifts Me Up!

If you are participating in Fun Arts, you know what I'm talking about. And speaking of which...

Fun Arts is THIS weekend! It'll be so fun singing my solo, singing in band, dancing to "wherever we go" with Maria, and showing everyone my writing talents! This upcoming weekend is also gonna be one where we'll see a lot of kids that will perform BETTER than us. That's why we must realize that no matter how bad at everything we are, that doesn't mean we're horrible!

Last week I experienced something that made me kind of angry at first but now I can have fun doing it. In gymnastics, a whole bunch of level 3 girls just moved up, and I mean a LOT. (Once, 27 kids were in that level.) When I entered the gym, I was shocked! "How did all these kids get in my level?" I questioned myself angrily. I didn't recognize ANYONE but three people. I immediately hated my class. I didn't have the best attitude. "I can't concentrate in that class!" I complained. "I'm moving up to level 5 as fast as possible!!!" But the next day, I realized something good.

There were only about... 8 girls maybe in my class before? Now, who knows. But I realized that before, I dreaded going to gymnastics everyday because:

I KNEW everyone was better than me.

I KNEW my back walkover would probably never happen.

I KNEW I was the only girl in class who couldn't do a back walkover.

I KNEW that everyone was closer to their back handspring than I was.

And I knew that in order to beat them, I had to practice intensely.

Gymnastics wasn't even fun anymore. I was pressured on being the best in class, making nearly flawless routines, ignoring my hip to go down in splits anyway, (which I couldn't do) sticking vault landings, not bouncing off my head, making it over on back walkovers. Do you find THAT fun? It wasn't! Being best in class is just something that comes natural, and you keep working for, not something you force yourself to acheive. But I was only thinking about a temporary prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

But soon, I realized that I really CAN'T do everything, and I may be the only girl in class that can't do a back walkover, and everyone may have moved up to level 5 while I'm still in 4, but someone standing on the outside would have said, "Whoa! Look at that one-arm cartwheel! What an awesome front tuck! How can she do that round-off?" It reminds me of when I watch lyrical dancers perform.

They'd be turning numerous pirouettes on one leg when I can just barely do one. But if they looked at me, doing pirouettes on my HANDS, they'd be like, "Whoa! Okay, I CANNOT do that!" Or like,

If Drew for example was playing piano, I'd probably feel terribly dumb, or if I saw Becca writing her songs and poems, I probably would have felt terribly uneducated! But if they saw me do the splits, (one of the easiest skills ever if it weren't for my hip!) they'd probably think I was so flexible! (however, I'm not.)

And you DON'T have to be THE star to be A star.

But in my new class, I AM probably one of the most talented. Maybe it's because I'm one of the only level 4 veterans in class. But we all have those down moments, and maybe it took some extra time in level 4 to really be lifted up!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Criminal Minds=D

Think like a criminal for a moment of your life, k? Don'tt worry, you aren't sinning or anything. (that depends on what you're thinking.)

Criminals don't set good examples at all, but this post is saying that we need to stop fearing little things. I named it criminal minds because that show is just crazy awesome!

Think smart like a criminal. (ok, they are pretty wacko.) They don't fear robbing a store, do they? No! Robbing a bank? Not really. Robbing a baby of candy? Why would they???

So I need you to answer me and answer me now:

WHY ARE WE SO AFRAID OF THE TINIEST THINGS????

I really want an answer. It says here in this Tenth Avenue North song, "Strong Enough To Save", that "Fear is just a lie..." and the thing is, it's a lie that we actually BELIEVE.

Even the least gullible person is afraid at least 60% of the time. Especially when it comes to: A.Back Handsprings B.telling people about Jesus. Let's confront this 'lie'.

ANSWERING A!
Every gymnast/dancer/cheerleader fears that one skill that they can't do. Sometimes it's common sense, but it really is a big fat lie.

On my gymnastic blog, on the 'youtube gymnastics' sidebar, I was watching a video labeled, "BACK HANDSPRINGS." This is an amazing video I want you to see. At the beginning this is a guy trying a back handspring for the first time on the gym floor. He lands on his head a couple times, his knees a couple times, but in the end, even though it's really sloppy, he manages to do the skill landing on his feet, not his head.

Another video for you has the song "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis (on "OVER AND UNDERNEATH" the playlist) in the background showing Sam Peszek, Shawn Johnson, and Nastia Liukin falling over and over again, but they go back to the gym and (at least Shawn does) get gold.

"I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you, they try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth, my heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing."
-Bleeding Love

HANDLING B!
Who cares what they say when they hear God's word? You keep praying! Because remember, God DOES NOT need you. We sometimes happen to believe this lie that He needs us that He's this Jerry McGuire character going, "You complete Me." But we don't! He's in charge, and no matter what they say, we don't know WHAT they're thinking! However, if you know an athiest and get on the subject of God, say this, it'll startle them:

"Well if that's how it is, if there's no God, then I've got nothing to lose! But however, if there really IS a God, you have everything to lose, eternal life."

And it'll startle them, because if there's no God, which I think there is, Christians have nothing to lose, we'll just sit in our grave. But if there is a God, and they are NOT saved, they've got all there is to lose! Ever wondered what an oven feels like? They'll know if they don't accept Jesus as savior.

"And as the day draws near, we'll sing until the whole world hears!"
-Until The Whole World Hears, Casting Crowns

You keep singing girlfriend! Or boyfriend, if you're a guy. You tell 'em, you wear that RandyDon shirt, and you strut the halls with your Bible in hand! You go girl! (or boy.)

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Whoa! Did You Know?

Today I was listening to K-LOVE and I heard something that made Angelic Angelica shout: "I have to blog about this!" Take the floor away, Angelic Angelica!

Did you know that the Salvation Army has been around for almost 150 years! Awesome! We think of maniacs ringing bells sometimes when we think of the Salvation Army, at least I do, but would you believe they made donuts famous?

You best believe it! During WWI, they made them famous by cooking dough in their hats! It would be TERRIBLE if one of them had lice or dandruff!

Although people enjoyed donuts long before then, donuts really took the limelight away during that war.

We had fun learning new stuff, now, let's learn about being apart of our own Army of Salvation.

Never thought of grabbing a bell and collecting money? Why don't you start your OWN army?

It can be as simple as 1, 2, 3.

1. Start a plan. First, before anything, you need to know your CAUSE. Is it raising $300 to help a homeless kid go to camp? Is it selling bracelets to support your church BGMC? Throwing a big dance with a group of friends for money for the animal hospital? You MUST know your cause. Once you know that, get friends involved, send out flyers, and advertise yourself every way you can. If you want, I can solicitate for you on THIS blog.

2. Write it down. You must memorize your plan.

3. Do it! You should have a strong base of customers, for example, grab a church directory and give out flyers to anyone you know. Make sure your cause is appealing, so people will actually want to help. Make the stuff you sell high quality. Tip: Do something you are REALLY good at. For example, I might show a floor set I made up to show all my gymnastic highlights and attract people AND their cash. Madison Combs might sell weaved bracelets. Maria might sell puff balls. Ms. Robin might read to kids in a library. Do whatever you can do best.

That's your own army right there!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

AHHHH! Garage Sales=Love!

I got two things from a garage sale for a church. One Bethel, one CLC.

1. I got a book, "The Young Gymnast". It has a printed autograph by Shannon Miller, America's most decorated gymnast, from CLC.

2. A message board. Pink and adorable. It was once Kaitlyn Brown's, and I helped out with the church sale for Bethel. Mrs. Connie said, "I don't see why she doesn't want this anymore!" Well, I personally wanted it, so I put it on a holding table and bought it.

I got my nails done today by Maria and Kayla. The nail polish chips really easily, but it's cute!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Rip Offs and Steals.

The big three letters. OMG.

Today, I found that all millitary people, both active duty and retired, get a FREE visit at Kings' Island! I thought it was a steal. But is it? Hope Angelica Ezell reports.

"When I heard that millitary people get a free visit, I was excited," Says Christina*. Christina was fooled like many other millitary families. "I thought that since my dad, Vladimir* was in the air force, our entire family would go, free."

When Christina heard the news about a free visit at Kings' I sland, her sister, whom she told, said: "Christina told me, 'Renee, come here! Millitary families are free for two days at Kings' Island,'" Renee* says. "I haven't been to Kings' Island since I was six, seven, or eight--- I was excited. I'm eleven, that was a long time ago."

You just might have been fooled like Christina and Renne's family was. "I found out, that my dad, Vladimir, was the ONLY person in our family to get a free visit. My hopes took the highway," Renee said disapointedly, "I never got to ride Diamondback. And I like diamonds!"

Renee's dad was [probably] jumping for joy. Although Renee, Christina, their sister Sam*, and their mom Jenny** could not go free, their father, and Jenny's husband could STILL get a free visit. "We can't go," Jenny sadly told her kids. "We would've had to skip church anyway, it's okay."

The girls and their parents had planned on bringing a friend, Kaila***, and Kaila's family. They were millitary too.

To prevent yourself from being "ripped off" try this:

READ THE FINE PRINT.
LOOK CLOSELY.
DON'T EASILY BUY IN TO WHAT THEY SAY.
MAKE SURE IT SOUNDS REALISTIC.

"I knew something didn't look right!" Said Christina. We all have those 'Stupid Me!' moments, like when Renee was at a fair, she bought a cupcake, and the lady charged her for the entire pack of cupcakes, and when she was charged for a water at McDonalds' on the way to a state meet for her team. The Utah/Ohio half-native says: "Be careful little eyes what you see!"

*Name has been changed.
**Jenny's name has not been changed.
***same name, different spelling.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Guess Who?

You would not believe who started going to my gym! It's DEFINITELY someone you know!!! It's Kimmy Poffenberger! She's level 2, and I'm nearly three levels higher than her, but still.

TODAY WAS MY BEST GYMNASTIC DAY--- EVER!!!!!! My back handspring was awesome dawesome! (Awesome Dawesome was Dominique Dawes' nickname in Barcelona, Atlanta, and Sydney.) My back felt so limber! Log on to my gymnastic blog if you wanna know how I did so good!!!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

My Solo Track!

This is beautiful I can almost cry!!!! I got the medium-key version of "Forgiven" by Sanctus Real on iTunes! Who would've guessed it's on iTunes???!!!

BTW I'm done with the TAN series. Hope you liked it.

It feels weird singing without the man, but I love it! I feel better singing it without him, and I sing a lot louder without him! OMG, This will be amazing...

-Angelic Angelica (Angelica's my middle name, Angelic Angelica is my super hero name.)

Monday, May 10, 2010

This One's For Elayna & Maria

You girls are the ONLY people who have recently visited Gymnastics IS Life! Thanks for your support!

Everyone else who chooses to visit Gymnastics IS Life may do as they please, but please post a comment on it to let me know you visited. Come on, guys, I don't blog for no apparent reason!

Please invite every gymnast you know to Gymnastics IS Life. This cannot be a gymnastic blog if no gymnasts will read it! Gymnastics IS Life is supposedly a community of gymnasts, so that you can read and comment freely about gymnastics experiences. Live life a little!

yourblog-gymnastics.blogspot.com

Only 32 characters to an awesome blog!

Take the 32 characters like Elayna and Maria did and learn all you need to know about the Olympics' most exciting sport--- Artistic gymnastics, rhytimic gymnastics, and trampoline!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

MaMa!

This one's for the mommies! My mom is a doggie mom and a mom of three precious little girls; a sixteen-year-old (who's moving out in 2012! YES!), a thirteen-year-old, and an eleven-year-old. (that would be me.) She's also the mommy of Lexi Ezell, yellow lab/beagle, who is seven years old in dog years and is turning fourteen August 27. She's passed me up! She will be a teenager! I'm not the youngest right now, but when Lexi has her second birthday, she will be.

I wrote this for all the Moms out in the U.S., possibly throughout the globe...

My Goal: Know someone out of the U.S.? Invite them! My goal is to have at least one person from many countries on my blog. My main concerns are:

Egypt
France
Ethiopia
Dominican Republic
Czekoslovakia
Romania (Nadia Comaneci!)
Russia
Mexico
Canada

Know ANYONE from those places? PLEASE let them know about this blog! Tell them to post a comment! Tell them to follow! Once, I read a blog and this girl went to India to adopt a girl and she was blogging from there! Cool! I want this national blog to become an INTERnational blog. I can't make this an Olympic girl's blog without other countries!

Pastor Jay and Ms. Jenilee, when you go to (I'm gonna kill this with my spelling) Epphesis, give those kids my URL!!!! K? Understood?

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Life Lessons With TAN.

Lesson 4.

Mike's view, not quote on quote.

You know, I think a lot of us have a hard time with crowds, well at least I do, because it reminds us of how insignificant we are. And you think to yourself:

How can God be personal with EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US?

I mean, there's millions of people on Earth, how can He be close to every one of us? And in the Bible, there's this deaf and mute man on the streets as Jesus is surrounded by people, and these men bring him to Him. And he can't hear His teachings, he ca't tell Jesus how great he is, but Jesus takes him apart from the crowd, PERSONALLY, and He covers his face, sticks his fingers in his ears, and takes a bit of His OWN saliva and touches his toungue. And that's just weird, because... well, I'm married, but I wouldn't even do that to my wife and be all like, 'hey Baby'. Uck.

So Jesus does this, and this man is healed!
-Mike Donehey

Like it? Get podcast number three for FREE on iTunes!

Mike Donehey. Copyright.

<3TenthAvenueNorth<3

Friday, May 7, 2010

Teary;*(

Today was one of my last days going to Wendy's with my first Ohio friend, Valerie. I met her probably the very day I moved to Ohio, seven years ago, when I was four. Almost a decade--- can you believe it?!

I was on a walk while the boxes surrounded my house. A girl, whom I didn't know then, was sitting on the bumper of her van with her puppy, was eating M&Ms. So I walked up her driveway, went up to her, and asked for one. She gave me one. I dropped it. She gave me another one. I dropped that. Then another one, and I ate it. "Excuse my little sister," Charity said, "She's only in preschool; she doesn't know what she's talking about." I don't know what she or we said, but like, a week later we went to her house, and her dad answers the door, and is like, "Valerie, who are these people?"

HaHa. I know her dad VERY well now! Mr. Craig is in the millitary, and is now stationed in Colorado Springs. Maybe they'll see the Bowmans at Petterson AFB! After all, Valerie did meet them once. Valerie's puppy is now seven years old, and her name is Smokey. She's a black lab???? She looks like the Belanichs' dog. Vaerie will be spending her entire junior year of high school in Colorado. She went to Wayne, but June 5th, it's a new school.

This reminds me of countless Millitary friends that have moved on.

Miller, Rebecca. No, she's not Shannon Miller, but she was a really nice person who's enjoying Louisiana. Get me some Popeyes Chicken, Rebecca!

Bowman Family. They lived in Virginia. They lived in North Dakota. They lived in Dayton. They live in Colorado. Soon, they're headed to L.A. Exciting!

Does Alexis count? I don't know if she was millitary, but she was my next-door-neighbor for four years in Layton, who's now in Georgia. Although I moved before her, she's still awesome!

Fact About Me!
While I was stationed in Layton,30 minutes from Salt Lake, the 2002 Olympics, 19th Winter Olympiad was held there. My parents went to the stadium where the ceremonies were held, and to the torch before AND after it was lit. Did I see it? Possibly. Talk about an Olympic experience!

Life Lessons with TAN.

Lesson 3, "You Are More"

"You are more than the choices that you make, you are more, than some of the past mistakes, you are more, than the problems you create. You been renamed."

(Not quote on quote, Mike's view) This five-year-old girl goes up to our signing table and says, 'You know, this is my first concert EVER'. And we're like, 'Your FIRST concert'? I mean, that's hard for us to comprehend because, we play concerts everyday.

And when you have a concert, there's people from different races, different successes, failures, and all these people come into this room and hear you play....

And you really are more than the past mistakes.
-Mike Donehey

Sorry, this lesson was really short, but that's all I remember. See podcast number three for the WHOLE story! And soon, I'm gonna have lessons on different songs from MY OWN view. Here's a preview:

Jaci Velasquez, "Love Out Loud"

Tenth Avenue North, "Hallelujah"

Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah"

Krystal Myers, "Anticonformity"

Flyleaf, "Beautiful Bride" (I honestly do not understand the video)

Brandon Heath, "Love Never Fails You"

Sanctus Real, "Forgiven"

Casting Crowns, "Until The Whole World Hears"

Kutless, "What Faith Can Do"

ENJOY! And I don't own this lesson either. Well, technically, I do because it wasn't quote on quote and most of this is my own writing, but this is partially owned by Mike Donehey, Jeff Owen, Scott & Jason.

<3TenthAvenueNorth<3

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Life Lessons With TAN.

Lesson 2, Strong Enough To Save.

"He'll break open skies to save those who cry out His name, the water, wind, and waves obey..."

Guess what? I BOUGHT "Over And Underneath" by Tenth Avenue North today! The new CD? Out May 11th, Tuesday.

I don't remember quote on quote what Mike Donehey said about this, so I'll write what I remember. Just like Quotation questions, if you don't know it quote on quote, you shouldn't say it--- at all. (If you've heard of JBQ, you get my drift.)

When [Mike Donehey] was younger, it used to freak me (Mike's view) out when I told people about Jesus. It really freaked me out. When you tell people about Jesus, some people love it, some people hate it, some people are kind of annoyed by it; you get tons of different reactions, just some people love it, some people hate it...

And sometimes, people really hate it, and when they take it the wrong way, sometimes we're like, 'Maybe I need to change that' or 'Maybe I need to change this'. Because somewhere along the line, we believe this lie that God NEEDS us.

God DOESN'T need us. And it plays a horrible role on my self-esteem, but it also gives me great hope, even in the most hopeless case. I mean, you look down, and you're thinking: 'That guy. THAT GUY is hopeless.' (He laughs.) But what we don't understand is that we don't save people. God's the one that saves people, not us. And it's God's decision for them to get saved, not mine. And it gives me the most hope, for even the most hopeless case. Because He's strong enough to save.
-Mike Donehey

Forgot to tell you, "Healing Begins" is on Hope's iPod. Check it out, because if you like it, it's on iTunes! "Strong Enough To Save" is on iTunes! Also, get "You Are More" from iTunes! Other songs, well, that's why you buy CDs!

Save The Date: May 11th, Tuesday, iTunes or Family Christian Stores. I'm buying it at pitch black midnight, I want to be the first person with it!!!!!!!!!

Keep Up with Mike, Jeff, Scott, and Jason on: www.tenthavenuenorth.com

Remember, this is copyrighted by Mike Donehey. I do not own it.

Meet The Wives! Sorry, Mike & Jeff really are taken. Meet Kelly Donehey and the wives on tenthavenuenorth.com!!!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Life Lessons With TAN.

"This is where the healing begins, ohhh.... this is where the healing starts..."

"You know, I don't remember who told me this story, a friend or youth pastor, but this teenage couple goes up to the youth pastor and admits that they had sinned very badly to him and the youth pastor says, 'You know it's funny that you're telling me, because I already knew. Someone saw you.' And the couple starts going nuts and they're like, 'Someone SAW us?' And he's like, 'Well, yeah, God saw you.' And they're like, 'Right. God saw us. Duh!' And it's funny, that when we're talking to God, we're completely fine, but when we're confessing to people, that's when we really get freaked out... When we're talking to God, sometimes it seems like it isn't real, like it's still just a fairytale. But when we put flesh on that person we're telling, that's when we're really freaked out. And that's when we know we really need a savior then. You see, sometimes, we suffer from the Rocky syndrome. Like, when Rocky's talking to his trainer, and he's like, 'Yo Mac, I gotta go fifteen rounds so then they know I'm not a bum.' With his face all... (he laughs. He's a big Rocky fan, even at the concert he mentioned Rocky.)

"But the thing is, Rocky was trying to be his own savior. He was trying to go fifteen rounds, complete all this, so that people won't think he's a bum. But we really can't save ourselves. Well, I hope this encourages you to confess your sins. I know it's scary, but you gotta do it."
-Mike Donehey, lead singer, guitar player

This is from the new Tenth Avenue North podcast. It's free on iTunes! Buy all 4, soon coming, 5 and 6! If your life isn't changed after the viewing of each podcast, well, it's free so you can't get your money back, but... ENJOY!

These podcasts I do not own.

Copyright, Tenth Avenue North, Mike Donehey & Band

Staycation!

Today I went to Kentucky! I went to the Newport Aquarium, which only a river separates it from Ohio. I have not posted in awhile, but here's some blog news to keep up with:

I will start a series: "Life Lessons With TAN". "TAN" is Tenth Avenue North. The first lesson is Healing Begins.

My staycation was awesome today! I got a necklace and went to Barnes and Noble! I went to the border of Ohio and stood by the Ohio River. Me and my mom saw how deep it was--- WOW! I also kind-of pet a shark! I saw jellyfish and it was SO hot outside! I could barely walk I was so lightheaded. I couldn't go to church today because everyone was tired and my dad had a horrible headache. (Sometimes, he has strokes because of heat, one time he had a seizure, but not shaking. He has Multiple Sclerosis, and I know two other people with it.) I watched some people dive, it was fun! Kentucky--- the ultimate staycation! Just one hour and-a-half away!