Well, I finally got my new template up.  What do you think?  I wanted a template that made me think of a theatre, like the one that I go to for camp every year.  That's where I got the color scheme.  If your volume is turned up, you'll also hear music that I chose from some of my favorite movies and some of the musicals that I've seen.  Scroll down farther on the sidebar to see a list of all the songs and what they're from.
    I'm happy with it.  How does it look to you?
   
    Love,
    Briana

    I am so excited!!!  I finally got a car this Saturday!!! 
    I've been driving Ashley's car since I got my license in April last year.  Usually I didn't mind, but it got to be a pain when she and I both had to be in different places at the same time, so someone would have to drive me and drop me off, then come back and pick me up.
    When my dad asked me what kind of car I wanted, I said, "A blue one."    So we looked for blue cars, but there weren't very many used ones, since the "electric blue" color is pretty new.  The used blue cars we did find were way too expensive.  So I decided that my 2nd choice was red.  We really hadn't done that much car shopping, just one Saturday afternoon spent around town.  I test drove 2 red cars that day, but we didn't like either one of them.
    So on Friday afternoon, my dad and I headed to Knoxville.  We were going to get our passports renewed (no, I'm not planning a trip in the near future, but it's a possibility next year...and he's going on a mission trip this summer), and then go car shopping.  We drove through a few lots without stopping, before coming to the Saturn dealership.  They had 2 '05 Saturn Ion 3s that we looked at....one blue and one red.  We test drove the red one (it was easier to get to at the time b/c they were unloading cars off of a trailer), and really liked it.  But of course I liked the blue one better because, well, it was blue! 
    The dealer gave us a CarMax report on the blue one, which was fine, and then we headed home.  My dad wanted to check out some other stuff online before we made a decision.  The next day, we went back with Mama and test drove the blue one.  We found out that it had a few less features than the red one, but nothing overly important.  We were actually able to get a better price on the car because of that, b/c they had the 2 cars listed for the same price.  Of course, buying the car took absolutely forever.  But finally it was mine!!! 

    I got to drive it to church yesterday, and I'm going to drive it to dance on Wednesday, too!  I've pretty much gotten used to the differences between this car and Ashley's car.  I still can't quite believe I have a car, though...and a blue one at that!!  I keep looking out the window to see it lol. 
    It was really a God thing.  I prayed that morning that God would lead us to the right dealership and the right car.  I prayed for a car in good condition, that hadn't been in any wrecks or anything, that ran well and didn't have very many miles on it, and that looked nice.  I asked for a car that I would like, preferably blue or red, but if not, that I would be happy with whatever color it was.  And what did we find (and quickly, at that)?  A car in good condition that hadn't been wrecked, that ran well and only had 30,000 miles on it, that was not too old and looked basically new....and was blue!!!  And I love it!

    My friend and I were discussing Wednesday in psychology class that we only have 4 class periods left before finals.  This semester seems to have flown by!  Both my classes are going really well.  Our third psychology exam was Monday, and I had a computer exam yesterday.  Computer class is not nearly as boring as it started out to be.  We're currently studying Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet program), although starting Tuesday we'll be doing PowerPoint.  We've also studied Word and Vista.
    But anyway, classes being almost over means that dance recitals are just around the corner, and after that, summer!  Over the past couple of months I've thought that summer would never get here, but now that it's almost here it seems like it was just over!  I'll be back at dance and drama camp this year, probably for the last time, and I'll also be at the other camp as a counselor for 2 more weeks this year.  I actually just got the dance/drama camp brochure in the mail yesterday, so now I'm really excited about that!  College orientation will be in there somewhere as well, and hopefully a family vacation to the beach.  After that, it won't be long at all until classes start at Carson-Newman!  I can't decide whether I'm really excited or totally freaked out and scared.  I think maybe a combination of the two. 
    A few weeks ago I got to go to Carson-Newman for an overnight event...sort of a preview.  Even though I was one of the oldest and one of the very few there who actually knew they were going to C-N -- most of the girls were juniors in high school, and were just checking out their options -- it was a lot of fun and I met lots of girls.  We kind of had a "circle of friends" going...me and my roommate, Libby, two other girls I had met, Rachel and Anna Beth, and their roommates, Aleaha and Sarah, and one current student, Meredith, who was having a lot of fun introducing herself to everybody.  The first night, after meeting our roommates, dropping our stuff off in our rooms, and eating cold hamburgers , we had a crazy, cross-campus scavenger hunt.  That's where I met a 7th friend, Alla, who was in my scavenger hunt group (when they had us "count off", the rest of us all ended up in different groups).  She and I ran throughout most of the scavenger hunt, while the rest of the group lagged behind, talking.  We didn't win, and I was sore for the next 2 or 3 days, but we had a lot of fun.  When we got back, Alla introduced me to her sister Luba, and I hung out with them a lot.  After the scavenger hunt, we watched "Cool Runnings" on a big projector screen in the field where everything was based.  It was freezing!!!!  I had forgotten my jacket, and it got really cooooold when we were watching the movie.  Thankfully the heat worked in the dorms!
    The next day wasn't quite as exciting.    We each took a class related to our major, took a tour, and talked to our admissions counselor.  I laughed when I saw my class, because they picked the most boring one on the list of interior design classes -- "The History of Interiors".  It wasn't too bad, though.  Except that I still haven't figured out why they were studying exteriors in an interiors class.    I had already been on a tour, and my admissions counselor said basically nothing, but oh well!  I also met 2 more girls that morning, Haley and Allison. 

    Next week I hope I am going to get to take part in a re-enactment at the John Sevier home.  I've been wanting to get involved in re-enacting, and I recently found out that a fellow camp counselor is involved.  As long as everything works out, she's letting me borrow a dress and tag along with her next weekend.  I won't be spending the night, just the day.  Hopefully at some point I'll be able to really get involved, but at this point I don't have several things: 1) a tent to stay in  2) the outfit and supplies  3) the cooking skills to survive!  4) someone to go with me.  I can't really go off and spend the night by myself, and there's no way I would be able to cook meals for myself over a campfire!!  Sorry, I'm just not that talented. 

    In other news, my new template I've been working on is just about finished.  Just putting on some finishing touches.  And trying to make a new playlist!  The one I have now I made on Project Playlist, which I like fine.  But when I started making my new one I couldn't find very many songs I wanted on there, so I looked for a new site.  I started using Mixlister, and spent a long time making a playlist on there that I was happy with.  But when I tried to post it onto my test blog, it posted just the list of songs, not an actual playlist.  Sooooo....now I don't know what to do.  I can't find another site to use.  I guess I'll just have to deal with Project Playlist!

    Well, this is a really long entry, so I guess I'll quit now!
    Love,
    Briana

    My sister Ashley and I went to a mid-winter retreat at the camp where we are counselors a couple of weekends ago.  Not only was it really fun, but it was also a really powerful time of connecting with God.  I want to share some things that we did and talked about, and how God spoke to me.  Most of this will be taken out of my journal.

    "Friday night we spent 30 minutes in prayer, and that was a really powerful time.  Saturday morning we read and meditated on the sermon on the mount.  The phrases 'poor in spirit' and 'hunger and thirst for righteousness' stuck out to me the most....
    "Saturday night was the most powerful.  We did 'experiential worship' - 12 'stations' [for lack of a better word] you could go to to read verses, pray, and 'experience' things with all your senses.  It all centered around the cross.  I took communion, lit a candle to pray for others, nailed my sins into a wooden cross, prayed using incense, read about and touched a crown of thorns, and prayed and meditated by the cross."  Other things you could do included drawing a picture for God, writing poetry, etc. 
    "The place where God really spoke to me was at the crown of thorns.  The verses there were:

'And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head...Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.  Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!"'
John 19:2-5

'In the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.'
2 Timothy 4:8

'Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.'
James 1:12

    "Jesus gave up His royal crown in heaven for a crown of thorns, so that we could have a crown of righteousness and life.  It is incomprehensible. 
    "I had a conversation with God while I sat there.  I asked, 'Why?  Why would You do this for me?'  Immediately He answered, 'Because I love you.'  I asked, 'But why?  Why do You love me?'  And immediately He answered, 'You're My daughter.'  But I kept on.  'But You loved me before I was your daughter.  Why?'  Immediately He said, 'I created you.  You are my creation.  Why would I not love you?'"
    Have you ever had a conversation with God like that?  Where you don't even have to wait for His answers, you can just talk to Him like you would anyone else?  It's an amazing thing.  And even more amazing is when you're struck with just how much He loves you.  No matter how many times it hits me, it's still just as amazing as before.  
    "At the big cross in the middle the verse was Colossians 1:22.  I read the verse several times, and then I went back and read the passage around it, starting at verse 13."  It's rather long, but I encourage you to read the whole thing.  The last verse (verse 22) is even more powerful when read in context with the rest of the passage, not to mention the fact that there are some really good verses in there.

"'For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He is the image of God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or domains or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.  And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.'

    Once again, I encourage you to read this passage.  Look it up in your own Bible so it's in the language you're familiar with, and read it through very slowly, contemplating and savoring each verse.  If it's difficult to understand, read it several times, asking God to give you insight into what it means.  In other words, don't just fly through it; meditate on it.  The pastor that was speaking at the retreat told us this: read the Bible as if it were the love letter from God that it is meant to be.  If you received a love letter from your sweetheart, you wouldn't just scan over it or fly through it.  You'd savor each word, reading it again and again until you practically had it memorized. 
    To me, this passage is amazing.  "He rescued us from the domain of darkness" - does anyone else have visions of God as our knight in shining armor, coming to rescue us on a white horse?  "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" - Jesus is everything!  Without Him, nothing would have meaning or purpose, or even exist!  "He Himself will come to have first place in everything" - Amen!  I wait anxiously for that day!  "In order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach" - me?  Holy and blameless?  And not only without reproach, but beyond reproach!  This is how God sees us.  Amazing.

My Lord, what love is this
That pays so dearly?
That I, the guilty one
May go free!
Amazing love, oh what sacrifice.
The Son of God given for me!
My debt He pays and my death He dies
That I might live.
That I might live!

                                   ~Graham Kendrick

    I was tagged by pearlgirlforchrist!

8 Things I'm Passionate About:

    1. God and my relationship with Him
    2. Dance
    3. Acting
    4. Interior design
    5. Reaching my friends for Christ
    6. Music
    7. Reading
    8. My family

8 Things I Want to do Before I Die:

    1. Get married
    2. Have and adopt kids
    3. Travel to Europe
    4. See all the states
    5. Visit my sponsored child in Colombia
    6. Be in at least one show at a playhouse and/or local theater
    7. Have a much better relationship with God
    8. Finish college         

8 Things I Say Often:

    1. "sadly mistaken" (I don't know, that's just my phrase)
    2. "What do you want?!" (either teasing the little girls or yelling at the pets lol)
    3. "SMOKEY!!! Be QUIET!!!!" (smokey is the bird)
    4. "Don't ask" (whenever I say or do something random)
    5. "Cat, honey." (talking to Shadow, who is always doing something strange)
    6. "Dear" (I call everyone dear lol...not total strangers, but friends, sisters, pets...)
    7. "Like" (I'm not as bad as a lot of people, but I do say it a lot)
    8. "I mean" (ask my mom, I say this ALL the time!)

8 Books I've Read Recently

    1. Book #1 in a Terri Blackstock series..don't remember what it was called
    2. Book #2 in the same series (When Dreams Cross? or something like that)
    3. The Bible
    4. Jesus, the One and Only by Beth Moore
    5. Psychology: A Journey (for school)
    6. Windows Vista (for school)
    7. Computer Concepts (for school)
    8. ummmm...that's it

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over:

    1. "Wait for Me" by Rebecca St. James
    2. "One" by Rebecca St. James
    3. "Every Season" by Nicole C. Mullens
    4. "Canon" by Pachelbel
    5. "Stand" by Rebecca St. James
    6. that's about it

8 Things That Attract Me to My Best Friend(s):

      1. sense of humor
    2. serious side
    3. loves the Lord
    4. like interests
    5. easy to talk to
    6. we can be crazy together
    7. cares about me, too
    8. Hey, she's my sister! 

8 Things I've Learned This (past) Year:

    1. psychology
    2. a few things about computers
    3. history
    4. sociology (unfortunately!)
    5. dance moves
    6. how to be a camp counselor - and live to tell about it!
    7. many things about God and the Bible, especially
    8. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways."   

8 People I'm Tagging:

    1. you
    2. you
    3. you
    4. you
    5. you
    6. you
    7. you
    8. and anybody else who might want to do it!

    Well, I started filling out this tag AGES ago, and now I have something else that I wanted to blog about.  So this entry is going to be 2 in 1.
    My mom sent me an email where a lady was talking about her kids and the fort that they played in when they were young.  It made me want to do an entry on here about the places Ashley and I liked to play when we were little!
    Indoors, we spent most of our time in the playroom, which has now been converted into a schoolroom.  The playroom was labeled "the pink room" by a couple of people, because it was FULL of Barbies.  Barbies were our thing when we were little!  We got at least one Barbie for every occasion, and we had multiples of several of them because I had to have everything Ashley had!  lol  The playroom also had a puppet stage made by my dad, where we put on many shows (with Barbies, usually), including a forever-long retelling of the Nutcracker!
    Of course, we also played in our bedrooms and anywhere else we could find room.  We were always imagining up characters and stories to act out.  The stories I remember most were the ones we played outside.
    This is "The Thinking Tree".

    It was called this because we would always go stand under it to think about what we were going to play.  It was also a house for many of our characters, or occasionally a store or something else.  The tire swing you see is actually a new addition; it wasn't there when we were little.
    This is our fort.

    Daddy built this for us when I was probably around 6 or 7.  The balcony was already there, but he built the steps up to it, and the ramp.  This was where many of our characters lived.  Ashley and I (girly girls that we are) never went under the fort, because there were spider webs and everything else under there.  Marissa and Daniella, on the other hand, can often be found under there.  I think they just went right on in and knocked all the spider webs down.  lol
    Many times our characters' homes encompassed the entire yard.  The front porch was the bedroom, and the swingset (which sadly, no longer exists) was always the dining room.  The front porch was also always the "general store" and the school.
    When I went out to take these pictures yesterday (the weather was WONDERFUL yesterday...unfortunately today it was back to freezing), I also started thinking about the old trail leading up to "the ridge".  We used to walk it often, and it was one of my very favorite places.  I still go up to the ridge occasionally, sometimes to have my quiet time.  But unfortunately, the man who owns the property decided to build a house for his mother....right in the middle of the trail.  Needless to say, the trail doesn't get used anymore, except for the last part right before the ridge.  Yesterday I decided to walk up what I could of the trail, just for old time's sake.  Daniella went with me, too (and our dog Bitsy, though he wasn't invited)
    Here's the first part of the trail.

    Can YOU tell there's a trail there?  It's just barely visible.  You can also see the man's mother's house at the top of the hill. 
    This is the remains of an old treehouse next to the trail. 

It was already fallen down when we moved here, as far as I know.  I always found it intriguing.
    We couldn't go very far until we had to turn around and go down the road instead.  Here's the second part of the trail, once you walk up the road to the man's mother's house.

    As you can see, this part gets used much more often.  And here is the ridge.

    It's hard to capture it in a picture, and you can't really tell much from this one.  It's just a small clearing up beside the trail, with some views of the mountains and a really peaceful atmosphere. 
    This is the road leading back down from the ridge.

    It used to be a trail as well, that branched off from the original trail.  We always took this way coming back down.
   
    Thanks for letting me share my memories with you!
    Love,
    Briana

    We just got back from a trip to Mississippi to visit my grandmother and great-grandmother (my dad's mom and my mom's grandma).  Both my dad and my mom grew up in Mississippi, and Ashley and I were born there, but we moved here when I was about 4 months old.  Anyway, we had a good trip, and I enjoyed visiting them.  We traveled Sunday and Thursday, and stayed at Mawmaw's (grandmother) house while we were there.  We visited Granny on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.  Here we are with Granny:

    On Monday, Ashley and I went to a line-dancing class with Mawmaw at the Senior Center.  It was actually pretty fun!  The only line dance we knew before we went was the Electric Slide.  We did that one, but we also did a lot more.  Unfortunately I don't really remember any of them except Swingin'.  I get all the waltzes mixed up, lol.  Here's a couple of pics of us dancing (Mawmaw is in the pink sweater):

    The other thing I wanted to share is a video of our praise dance team's Christmas dance.  I've mentioned the praise dance team before, and I think I put pictures of our Easter musical on here.  Anyway, the song we did for Christmas is called "Here With Us", by Joy Williams.  A young lady from our church sang it for us. 

    Hope you enjoy!
    Love,
    Briana

    The last couple of weeks have been pretty relaxing, since Christmas Post (the musical we did at our church) is over.  I'd like to share a few pictures with you from this month. 

Trip to DollyWood....

On the tram

Marissa and Daniella

The whole family

The girls with our grandparents

Ashley and me

Our Christmas picture for 2007

    I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season, and spending lots of time with family and friends.  Here's a thought from the Christmas Post that we all need to reflect on this Christmas:  You have to start at the manger, but then you must go to the cross. 

   Thanks for asking how Nutcracker went!  It went really well.  I was sad for it to be over, but I had a great time and I'm glad I got to do it one last time.  I've posted videos on my photo blog of the dances I was in.  Here are a few pictures, as well.

Party scene...me and my dad

Waltz of the Snowflakes...I'm front right

Waltz of the Flowers - the Dew Drop Fairy

Spanish trio

Finale

My "family"

Sugar Plum and Dew Drop Fairies

I got to sign autographs and take pictures!

  So there is my Nutcracker experience in pictures and video!  Hope you enjoy!

    I was tagged by my little sister, Marissa.

1. What is your favorite Book?  The Bible, Mara, Daughter of the Nile, The Stonewycke Trilogy and The Stonewycke Legacy, and many others

2. What do you do when it's raining? Well....pretty much the same thing I do when the sun is shining.  Hey, I know it's boring, but it's true.  If I had a choice, I would play board games and hang out with my family on rainy days. 

3. What is your favorite movie? Ever After, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast

4. What's your favorite  Christmas song? Breathe of Heaven, Angels We Have Heard On High, Joy to the World.....and many more!

5. What's your favorite Christmas tradition? Decorating the house while listening to Christmas music, singing carols around the tree

    I tag whoever wants to be tagged!  lol  Let me know if you do the tag and I'll come read your answers! 

    Now, as for the minor complaints....I just got the random urge to take this picture and share it with you.  Feel free to not look at it, especially if you are easily disgusted or simply hate feet.    But this is the result of having 3 dances en pointe in the Nutcracker...along with a few blisters (though not nearly as bad as those of the Sugar Plum Fairies), a really bad sore (pulled?) muscle in my leg, and a bruise on my knee.  Actually, my left toe looks worse now than it did when I took the picture a couple of days ago.  Oh yeah, and I have a cold.  But don't get me wrong, I really am having fun! 
    Love,
    Briana

Well it's been quite a while....my main excuse is being really busy, but I'll also admit that sometimes I just didn't feel like updating.    Anyway, here's some things that have happened since I last updated. 

Nutcracker practices.  Of course you all know that I'm in the Nutcracker, so I've been going to some practices, although not a ton.  My dad and I are doing the party scene for the 3rd time, and we've had 2 practices so far.  We have another one tonight.  Next week, on Friday, we get our kids assigned to us, which is always the best practice.   

Christmas musical practices.  Our church is getting ready for our Christmas musical, The Christmas Post.  This isn't the first time our church has done this musical, but it's the first time since we've been at this church.  I'm going to be a salesperson at the department store, my sis Ashley is a shopper, and my two little sisses, Marissa and Daniella, are newsies.  We've been having practices on Sunday afternoons to learn the dances and the acting parts, and we're going to start learning the songs on Wednesday nights. 

A Hayride!  The Sunday school class that Ashley is a member of, and that I have been thinking about going to, had a hayride towards the end of October.  We ate supper, then piled in a big trailer hooked to a pickup truck for an extremely windy ride.  We were all bundled up with blankets!  We started out at the teachers' house, out in the "country", and ended up driving all the way to town and down the "main drag".  It was fun, and kinda humorous.  We had lots of people waving and honking at us, and one woman took our picture! 

Trip to Williamsburg, VA.  My family and I took a long weekend trip to historic Williamsburg late in October.  We all really enjoyed it, especially Marissa, who loves history.  Both Marissa and Daniella have Felicity dolls (American Girl), so they especially like colonial times.  The three of us wore colonial dresses when we were walking through Williamsburg.  The last day, we also went to historic Jamestown, and to the site where Jamestown originally sat.  We got to see the James River, and sat on its shore for a while. 

College visit.  My dad, mom, and I visited the Carson-Newman campus a couple of weeks ago.  I really enjoyed it, and it got me re-excited about going next year!  I got to see one of the residence halls (although not an actual dorm room), the family and consumer science building where I'll be taking interior design courses, the library, and the cafeteria.  I applied the next day, and I'm happy to say I've been accepted! 

Tests.  Last week I had a sociology test and a history test.  I spent the few weeks beforehand studying like crazy!  I made a 100 on my sociology test; I haven't gotten my grade for the history test yet, but I feel pretty good about it.  I got a 100 on both of the first tests.  I'm really happy that these classes are going so well, especially sociology since I've had some difficulty with it.  I'm REALLY not enjoying it, but I think I'm over halfway finished. 

Weekend trip.  This weekend my mom, Ashley, a good friend, and I went to my grandparents' house.  Originally just Ashley, the friend, and I were supposed to go, but my grandparents had to make an emergency trip to MS, so my mom took us.  (And we're glad you got to go!!  ) (But sorry that y'all couldn't be there!  )  We had a really good time.  My grandparents live on a lake, so we went out in the paddle boat twice.  It was a little chilly, but not too bad.  We also played games, watched a couple of movies, and took lots of crazy pictures.  Oh yeah, and we made a dance video.    lol

    That's all I can think of right now.  I will be posting pics from the hayride, Williamsburg, and the weekend trip (and maybe a few other things) on my photo blog; it won't be today because our family computer is in the shop, but check back soon!
    Love,
    Briana