This is an archive and may contain old or out-of-date content. Check the date; things may have changed since the time of the original posting. Conversation is allowed on older posts, but be aware that they will not come to my attention as easily.
Pictures! I finally got into the scanner and got some pictures from camp scanned. You can find them here: http://photobucket.com/albums/b342/melanielynne/Camp%202005
And I got one comment. Thanks Joel! I don’t think a lot of you realize that anyone can post a comment, even and especially if you don’t have an account here. Nahh, I think just a lot of people didn’t follow me over from xanga.
Didn’t do a whole lot today. Straightened up my room and got a bunch of stuff organized. I’ve been a bit sloppier this summer than I normally am. My usually tidy room has a bit more strewn all over the place, and it’s driving me nuts. However, I’ll have this silly “messy” thing out of my system in time to have a nice, neat dorm room. My lucky roomate.
We watched “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” today. I absolutely adore musicals, in case you didn’t know, and that’s one of my favorites. Under “Newsies,” of course. And “Singing in the Rain” which, for some odd reason, reminds me of the night at camp that Becky and I were acting silly and bursting into song all over the place.
But bursting into song is fun.
Tomorrow I get to go to a sukkot meeting. Sukkot is so close! So the next couple months are going to be hectic. I get to spend a majority of this week coming up with choreography for tambourines, which will be loads of fun. It’s my absolute most favorite part. Oh, that and probably going “window shopping” for fabric again. Mom and I went to Hancock’s and Walmart looking for fabric for our skirts for tambourine and had an absolute blast. It’s been a while since Mom and I could just go out without little siblings along.
Tegan starts eighth grade tomorrow, and Stephen starts second. And Abby starts kindergarten, if anyone can keep her in a chair long enough! It’s weird not starting school with everyone else, especially with homeschooling, but I’ll get my chance at college soon enough. I’m exciting and ready to go!
And I’m not going to worry. I’m too melancholic when it comes to that. I’m going to take the advice given to me: yiyeh b’seder.
Okay, alright… the LONG AWAITED Camp Yeshua photo post. Took me this long to get a chunk of time where I wasn’t doing anything and neither was Mom’s scanner or computer area. And I apoligize for poor image quality, her scanner’s not the greatest sometimes.
And I apoligize for my bad looks, as well.
A tender moment in the tribe of Simeon.
Smile, Bill!
The Canadian birthday song. Happy birthday, Claire and Luke!
Joel and I
Tegan (my sister) and Caleb
Ashley and I (I don’t know why that picture is so small, I’ll email you the full size, Ash!)
Becky and Lisa. Who can’t tell them apart?!
Greg and Rachel (I’ll send the full size if you’d like, too)
Claire, Robby, Lisa, Me, Tegan, Ben
Honestly, just a random group of people!!
Xan and his eyebrows. This was the last picture I took with my first camera, and so it just so happened to be the FIRST picture I saw when I got my pictures developed!
Me, James, and Johanna. Except only Jimmie-Joe has got his eyes open!
Xan, James, Luke, and Johanna. ROFL!
Jessica and Ben. This picture makes me crack up… not just because of the fact that everyone is looking straight at me for some reason (seriously! Ann, Josh, James, random people…), but the conversation that went on as I was taking the picture.
Jessica: Ben! You can put your arm around me……… I am your sister!
Shawn and I “I feel good! Oh!…” ah, never mind. Our camp cheerleader.
Helena and her vacuum cleaner of doom.
Look at Cassandra! Working!! 
“Cinnamon” pride!
Luke trying to get us to do the wave every morning, especially for his birthday. And Taylor’s head.
Those are all of the good ones, I’m afraid. I just got a bunch of video from Cassandra (including, but not limited to, the Save A Seal skit!), and I so wish I could find somewhere online to upload it so I could post it, but it really is too big to be hosted most places. Phooey!
And remember, folks: http://melanielynne.blogspot.com.
I got information back from Housing, finally! I’ll be in West Hall, B16. It’s in the B hall, which is Lauren’s hall, but they split the B-hall in half, so she’s not the one in charge of the part of the hall I’m in. However, when I went up to visit Lauren when I spent the day with Ann, she was in… B11 or something close to it? Anyhow, I at least have a pretty good idea of where I am in West Hall. But I got into it!
Now what I have to do, to get into Monday’s mail, is this Residency Packet. Basically I have to prove to them, without a shadow of a doubt, that even though I had only lived here for about seven months when I applied to UCO, that I’ve now been an Oklahoma resident for a year and a month, and so they really don’t need to charge me the two thousand dollar non-resident fee. That will take my costs for this semester and practically cut it in HALF! Let me double check… I got an automated message from UCO saying that my current fees are 4,600, and that includes housing and meals. I believe! But take two thousand off for non-resident fees? Oh that can’t be right, that’s TOO cheap. I’ll get it straightened out. One way or another, and hopefully this time it won’t involve a meltdown.
And speaking of meltdowns (this is turning into a total rant post, now, isn’t it?), my grandfather is impossible. Because he’s a lawyer, he got put in charge of my trust fund when I got it so long ago… well, now he’s “working so hard” to get the account closed and the money out here to me, because that’s what I’m pretty much depending on at this point to get me through the first year of college, but he’s just “so busy” and “his diabetes is acting up again” and did he mention how he’s “so busy?” I mean, this is my grandfather… judges used to call him up and tell him that the hearing (or whatever lawyers do) was scheduled for nine in the morning in hopes that he’d show up by two in the afternoon when it really started. He’s notorious for being late. So that’s why I told him that I needed the money by the first week of August… in hopes that I’d have it by the twentieth, when it needs to be in. And I have to call him every single day and do this “damsel in distress” act just to remind him, again, that I’m still down here in the boonies of Oklahoma, needing him to help me. Oh, it’s frustrating!
Okay, I’ve ranted enough. Happy thoughts!
Cassandra showed up at our house this evening after walking from the park… so I’ve got this great camp CD filled with video she took from camp, and I haven’t watched it yet. I should dig out my headphones and watch, no? Anyhow, we might go over to her house tomorrow so that Mom can take some stuff to her, and then we have to teach Robin “He is my Defense.” I find it absolutely hilarious that I ended up knowing that dance better than some of the ladies in it. But that’s another story and not one I’d like to tell.
OH! About a week and a half ago, I was listening to Paul Wilbur’s “Shalom Jerusalem” CD. And of course, the song “Shalom Jerusalem”, which is an absolutely beautiful song. And as I was listening, I was just feeling led to do this dance. Ann has a tape from some dancers in Florida, and this is one of the dances they do… with long white dresses and these white veils… ohh, it’s just gorgeous. And powerful. Well, I was really feeling that we needed to do this for Sukkot… and not just “oh! We should do this for Sukkot!”… it was more like, I’m going to call Ann and ask her for the video, and if she doesn’t have any more time, I’ll learn the dance and teach people. I really felt that we should do this. Well, I was looking over her shoulder on Friday night, and she had “Shalom Jerusalem” penciled in, maybe Monday night? And I asked her if she was thinking about doing it, and she said that she IS. And I may get to be in it.
Annnd… this isn’t official, of course, but we may get to do tambourine when Paul Wilbur is there. Awesome!
Okay, one of those deeper posts. You have been warned. But I swear this one is important, so read it.
Right now, I feel like… well, like life is a series. Like the narnia
series, or the baby sitter’s club series (haha, I used to love
those…). Lots of times in life we end a chapter and start a new one,
but every once in a while we end and entire book and have to open up a
new one. Kind of abstract, but this is really how I am feeling right
now. A couple of times within the past couple years I have started a
new chapter, but now that I’m headed off to college, I feel like I am
about to close this book and move on to another. And because of this,
I’m doing this more than symbolically in a number of places. I started
a new journal this week. I’ve been changing a lot of things in my life.
And one of the things I think I am changing is xanga. Yep, you heard me
right. I don’t think I’m going to keep it up any longer than a few more
weeks. Some of you I only am able to keep up with over xanga; I’m
really hoping we can email more. However, I’m still going to be
“blogging.” I just don’t want to update just for the sake of
updating.
And so you can find me here now: http://melanielynne.blogspot.com.
There you can, if you really want to, pick up the next book of my life
and read along as it is written. It’s a bit different than xanga; you
have to bookmark it if you want to subscribe, and anyone can comment,
not just if you have an account. Because I really want you guys to
follow. And I may still have an account for commenting.
But I want you guys to know that so many of you are valuable to my
daily life and I still want to be in contact with you… though just as
I started a new notebook for my journal, I’d like to start new here too.
Maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing. But I’m good at that.
—
Anyhow, while I’m on the subject, I want to share these lyrics. It’s a
Nicole C. Mullen song called “Butterfly,” and most of this song really
shows how I’m feeling at this stage of my life. And the rest of it…
well, I hope it comes true someday.
Not yet a woman and certainly not a child
But I was caught somewhere in the middle
On that one Friday afternoon
And I, I remember mama saying, “It’s time for you to go
Go out on and change the world and become
All that you have dreamed of”
And as the tears that she was crying
Fell from her face and shoulders she said
“Don’t forget who you are child, where you
Come from, where you’re goin’
‘Cause I’m always gonna be here for you
Fighting in your corner
So with every bow you take
Take one for those that came before you”
(Chorus)
Fly, Fly Butterfly Fly
Stand upon these two shoulders of mine
Spread those wings of yours and fly
Now I’m a woman and I’ve got a child
And I can’t believe the day’s gonna come
When she tells me that it’s time to soar
And I don’t know what I’m gonna do
Not sure what I’m gonna tell her
Maybe don’t forget who you are child
Where you come from, where you’re going
‘Cause I’m always gonna be here for you
Fighting in your corner
So with every bow you take
Take one for those that came before ya
(Chorus)
There is something sacred
About the letting go of those we want to hold
So tightly to, but somehow we know
They must move on
On for those who have a dream to make our future better
And on for those who will earn their wings
In spite of wind and weather
You tell ‘em love is waiting there
Forever in their corner
So with every bow they take
They’ll take one for those that came before them
(Chorus)
Yeah, see the layout? It was inspired by a song I’ve been listening to recently, and I’d like to share the lyrics with you. But before I say it, I’d like to share something a close friend of mine shared with me in a letter just yesterday. She was saying about how everyone has this box with beautiful paper and ribbons that they get to open someday, like finding your husband. And if we open it too early, we’re just going to find a crawly little caterpillar. But if we wait until exactly the right time, we’re going to open this beautiful package to find what she called a “beautifully handsome, Torah-learned, spiritually-stable flying, the confidence to lead a family, the knowledge and skill to provide…” butterfly!!
And so with that said.
Not yet a woman and certainly not a child
But I was caught somewhere in the middle
On that one Friday afternoon
And I, I remember mama saying, “It’s time for you to go
Go out on and change the world and become
All that you have dreamed of”
And as the tears that she was crying
Fell from her face and shoulders she said
“Don’t forget who you are child, where you
Come from, where you’re goin’
‘Cause I’m always gonna be here for you
Fighting in your corner
So with every bow you take
Take one for those that came before you”(Chorus)
Fly, Fly Butterfly Fly
Stand upon these two shoulders of mine
Spread those wings of yours and flyNow I’m a woman and I’ve got a child
And I can’t believe the day’s gonna come
When she tells me that it’s time to soar
And I don’t know what I’m gonna do
Not sure what I’m gonna tell her
Maybe don’t forget who you are child
Where you come from, where you’re going
‘Cause I’m always gonna be here for you
Fighting in your corner
So with every bow you take
Take one for those that came before ya(Chorus)
There is something sacred
About the letting go of those we want to hold
So tightly to, but somehow we know
They must move on
On for those who have a dream to make our future better
And on for those who will earn their wings
In spite of wind and weather
You tell ‘em love is waiting there
Forever in their corner
So with every bow they take
They’ll take one for those that came before them(Chorus)