CAPTURE THE FLAG *WORLD* PREMIERE

Seriah here! I was just too hyped to let Tsarmina write about this, so here we go: *takes a deep breath*

The Premeire of Capture the Flag was last Saturday!!!!!!! It was full of truth and awesomeness!!!!!! And it was awesome!!!!!!!!

Okay. Rant over. Sorry. *sheepishly grins*

Well. Tsarmina back. I do apologize for that ... Whatever that was.

But it really was amazing. :) Seriah's friends Millie and Savannah helped her get ready-- she was running late because they had taken a little too long on their after lunch stroll on the arroyo. (It was a good thing Savannah was keeping an eye on the time, because otherwise Seriah would have been waaaay late.) They scrambled quickly up the slope of the backyard, Seriah dashing to the bathroom to wash the dirt out from under her nails. She had planned to alter a blue prom dress she'd bought at a thrift store back in Moriarty, but there was no time. Quickly she pinned the straps to make them shorter and strapped on high heels to make up for the extra hem length. (Short girl problems.) 

Although we were positive we'd be late, we arrived precisely at 6:15. As soon as we got there, we were greeted by fellow cast members and other Premiere goers. Then it was time for pictures!

 (L to R: Seriah, Caitlyn, AKA Eliminator; Hannah, and McKenzie)

(L to R:  Sophie, AKA Agent Alexis; Hannah, AKA Eliminator; Seriah AKA Allison Elliot; McKenzie, AKA newscaster and script consultant) 

Seriah, Caitlyn, Hannah, and McKenzie all found seats together in the second row before Seriah had to go stand in the back, waiting to be called to walk the red carpet up to the stage. 

  Matthew Evans officially opened the evening with a prayer, then called the actors up one by one to the stage to introduce them to the audience. There were over one hundred people there that evening, many more than Seriah had expected! Friends, family, Facebook aquaintences, and even some strangers that just poked their heads in to see what all the commotion was about and decided to stay for the show! 

  After Matthew had introduced all the main cast, he dismissed them to come back to their seats and the movie began!  

  I hadn't seen the whole movie yet, and neither had Seriah, so we were pretty excited to see all that work come together. Okay, pretty excited is an understatement. Seriah was practically vibrating in her seat with anticipation.

  After the movie was over, the main cast was once again called up on stage for a short Q&A session, which was supposedly videoed, so maybe I can post it here later. :)

  Needless to say, Seriah was way too hyped to fall asleep when she got home, but I was quite tired out by the days events.

Tsarmina, signing off 🐾

Regency Ball 2015 -- RR, NM

                     Before and After:

Well, the Regency Ball of this year was certainly an adventure! As planned before, Seriah and I went over to Caitlyn's house to get ready with her, Caitlyn's sisters, Savannah, and McKenzie. Caitlyn did Seriah's hair and makeup. :) We got there late, so Savannah was already in the stylist's chair--AKA the kitchen stool.

Seriah was planning on wearing her dress from last year, but her awesome friend McKenzie offered to make her a dress! So McKenzie made Seriah a dress, and Seriah did McKenzie's hair.

Since doing hair Regency-style takes a loooong time, the girls were kind of crunched for time, but Caitlyn still pulled off a beautiful hairstyle of Seriah. After finishing all the inevitable last minute button-sewing and makeup, the girls slipped into their gloves and capes and posed for pictures beneath the Richey's tree.

L to R: Coryn R., Carissa R., McKenzie, Caitlyn, Seriah, and Savannah 

They made it to the ball on time! And funny enough, the theme of this year's ball was peacocks--McKenzie's favorite bird. And Seriah had even got the peacock feathers for her hair! They all thought that was coinsidental. :)

So even though Seriah ended up dancing with three girls out of the nine dances,  she still had nice time. :)

This dance is called Dublin Bay. (Seriah's partner is the gent in the top hat.)

L to R: McKenzie, Seriah, Caitlyn, Carissa, Coryn, Christina, Elizabeth, Adri, and Emma (Glimfeather) ;)

Snow Day!!! - ABQ, NM, 2015

Last Saturday all of New Mexico awoke to something the rest of the country is sick and tired of: SNOW!

Seriah and her friend McKenzie had a great time playing in the snow and building an igloo with McKenzie's little brother. It even had a window!

After making soap and a lemon cake, it was time for us to go back home to Rio Rancho. As we stepped inside the front door, Seriah remembered that she hadn't made her bed that morning, so she tried to duck into her room to tidy up so McKenzie could see some of the new decorating Seriah's done.

  "SURPRISE!!!" Screamed a dozen girls.

Seriah leapt back, practically slamming the door in their faces. (She was literally freaked out. I mean, Seriah's already a jumpy person, so imagine her shock at having all the girls from church jampacked in her bedroom)

It was, obviously, a surprise party for Seriah's Sweet Sixteen, and after she recovered (mostly) from her shock, she enjoyed the party, pizza, and charades. As a friendly warning though, NEVER have Mr. Getty and Mr. Yu write out the movie title slips for charades. There were more than a few-- okay, more like three fourths-- of the movies were things like: Saving Private Ryan, Star Trek, Chariots of Fire... You get the idea. Everyone still had fun, despite the ridiculiously hard charades.

  Afterwards, Seriah had to admit it was one of the two best birthday surprises she's ever had. :)

Tsarmina, signing out. 🐾

Here and There -- NM

Driving lessons with Seriah... *gulp!*

Hopefully I live to tell tales about more of them!

Blue Skies -- Rio Rancho, NM

Well dear faithful readers--chiefly, Rebecca and Seriah-- I have long been overdue in making this post, but nothing much worth writing about has happened! I mean, there was Seriah getting her Learner's Permit, and a little early Sweet Sixteen adventure, but I wasn't there for those, so I'll just have to wait around for something else interesting to happen. Right now in sunny New Mexico it's a balmy 70 degrees, with blue skies in every direction. Just right to bike to the library or maybe hide out in the new houseplant. Shhhhh....

-- XOXO Tsarmina

December 13, 2014-- WV

 Hello everyone!

Today, Rebecca, Hannah, and I walked around in town going Christmas shopping. We hit the bookstore first (of COURSE!), and then checked out a couple of antique stores just for fun. There's not a whole lot of shopping options around where we were, so that's about all we went in to. Most of our gifts are homemade, anyway.

Rebecca and I in our matching scarves from Seriah
Recognize this background, Seriah? :)

Rebecca's sister Hannah

She got mad because we took her picture,
so started speed walking away. Hehe. We caught up.

Then we met up with the rest of Rebecca's family at the train station and took family pictures for our Christmas cards. We came home, and I got into these lovely goodies that a nice lady at church made!

Mousey! Chocolate-covered cherry body, Hershey
kiss face, marshmallow ears, and sprinkle eyes and nose.

Well, I'm off to go wrap Christmas 

presents. I'll post the Christmas card photos soon!

-- xx Tsarmina

November 26, 2014-- WV

9:30 a.m.
It's only been snowing for two hours,
and it's still going strong!

 Hello, all! As you can probably see, I am back up in the mountains of West Virginia with Rebecca. They called off school today, so I get to spend the whole day with her! We're planning to do an American Girl photo-shoot out in the snow today. And go sledding. And work on super-secret Christmas stuff. And listen to Christmas music. And play with Rebecca's new baby brother, AJ.

Wish we could send you some snow, Seriah. I'll be posting again soon!

 

Love,

 

Tsar

 

The NM Happenings:

Tsarmina back here. Just thought I'd pop in to list all the things that I've been doing with Seriah lately, before I head back to Rebecca's for the Holidays.

-Babysitting, lots and LOTS of babysitting...

-Filming an action movie

-Riding horses

-Cleaning and organizing (those words should strike fear into your heart!)

-Attending birthday parties (sorry, I forgot the camera...)

-Trying to order a bag. And return it. Long story.

-Lots of Britt Nicole and Francesca Battistelli ♥♥♥
 (Here's a  little bit of what's Seriah's been listening to all day long:)

-Making origami boxes

-Sewing Christmas presents

-Watching a few SHERLOCK episodes!!! (with Mom and Dad) I don't think it's really very necessary to say how much Seriah likes them. She finds them quite enthralling, for come weird reason...

-Trying to get Seriah unstuck from her Writers' Block. She just had to delete and re-write about 5 or 6 pages of an already slowly coming along story and she's not too thrilled about that... :P

-Making lots of Cake-In-A-Mug (check out the Recipe Tab for the instructions!) It helps the Writer's Block. Or at least that's what Seriah says.

Toodle-pip and Cheerio!
Tsarmina, Signing off.

The Chocolate Book Tag

Seriah here! (Sorry it's been so long since the last post!!! We've been suuuuper busy.)
Even though I don't have my own blog, Rebecca said I could participate in this lovely tag on Tsarmina's. :)

#1: Dark Chocolate (a book that covers a dark subject)
And Then There Were None (or Ten Little Indians) By Agatha Christy

WARNING: Do NOT pick up this book if you have anything at all planned for the day. They will not get done. You will be glued to these pages until the very last one, when you gasp with shock and horror at ... well, I won't tell you. (How nice of me, I know.)
Considered the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, And Then There Were None is the story of 10 strangers, each lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have arrived, the host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to share their darkest secrets--until they begin to die.
Obviously, this is for people who like edge-of-your-seat, drive-you-batty-with-suspense kinds of books.

#2: White Chocolate (a lighthearted and humorous read)
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Bk. One: A mysterious Howling, By Maryrose Wood

It is quite wordy, with a whole burrowful of rabbit trails. (Really the term "rabbit trail" does not mean to actually dig oneself a hole in the dirt, but to meander through topics not really related to what you are writing or speaking about. Like rabbits.) But, is fun and enjoyable! Definitely the best one in the series.

Jane Eyre meets Lemony Snicket in this smart, surprising satire of a 19th-century English governess story. A witty omniscient narrator speaks directly to modern readers and follows 15-year-old Penelope, recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, to British country manor Ashton Place, where she encounters more than she bargained for with her new pupils! Were the three children REALLY raised by wolves? Humorous antics and a climactic cliff-hanger ending will keep you turning your pages and HOWLING for more.

I would recommend this to those who like classics, witty wording, and a splash of mystery.

#3: Milk Chocolate (a popular book you're dying to read)

Ummm... Do I have any interest in most popular books? Will re-visit later.

#4: Caramel Chocolate (a book that made you feel all gooey inside)

Understood Betsy, By Dorothy Canfield Fisher

This was a read-aloud for school, many, many, moons ago. I have re-read it several times since--it is just that great. A little bit like Betsy-Tacy books mixed with Little House on the Prairie and Pollyanna.
Pale, orphaned Elizabeth is sent to the country to live with the Putney Cousins, who really aren't as bad as her aunt made them seem to be. What will Betsy learn about life out where the roads aren't paved, the school is one room, grades don't matter, and you've got a a kitten for your lap and checkers for your evenings?

Recommended for those of you who like simple, lovely stories, with strong characters with their hearts in the right place.

#5: A Waffer-less Kit-Kat (a book that surprised you)

 The Sisters Grimm Bk, 7: The Everafter War, By Micheal Buckley

 In the 7th book of this phenomenal series (seriously, go read them all!), there was a surprising plot twist that through me for a loop. I seriously sat there with my jaw gaping open, then looked up, then looked back down, then yelled, "WHAAAAAAAT?!?!?!"

There's no description, because since you're going to go read this *cough cough* you need this to be a surprise. Really. You'll thank me later.

Personally, I recommend this for anyone who really likes Retold fairy-tales (and I am super picky with these), action/adventure, humor, surprise, and a sprinkle of romance. And I might add that the last book is one of the best ending to a series I've ever read. Ever.

#6: Snickers (a book you're going nuts about)

Keeper of The Lost Cities, Books 1 & 2, By Shannon Messenger

First of all, aren't the covers just awesome?! The look WAY better in person. (Reason #1 for you to go read these.) These are really great books and the third one comes out November third! (Just in time for you to read the first two beforehand!)

Book one: Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” 
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.
In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.

This is really for anyone who like fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, and mystery. GO READ IT NOW.

#7: Hot Chocolate (A book you turn to for comfort)

I'll have to agree with Rebecca--definitely the Bible. What's more comforting than that?

#8: A Box of Chocolates (something for everyone)

The Mysterious Benedict Society, By Trenton Lee Stewart 

I think this is a great series for everyone, kids, teens, and adults. There are Riddles, Humor, Puzzles, Action, Adventure, Mystery, Wit, Espionage!!! (Ok, maybe not romance, but the books make up for that!) I have read these books three times each... and the prequel twice. I'll let that speak for itself. :)

Well, that's it folks, I'm off to bed, and you are off to the library. Off you go now! 

Ever Yours,

Seriah Getty

September 6th -- Rio Rancho

   Well, I'm finally back!!! 
   Now I'm in NM again with Seriah, who just got to help serve for a Downton Abbey tea. (You may have heard of Downton Abbey--it's a popular British TV show). Her friend McKenzie, who was also the Costume Designer for TSC, invited her to come and help serve with a tea that her old Sunday-School teacher was putting on. It was set in the Edwardian Era, and you could dress up to come. Of course Seriah said "Yes!"

   The tea was on Saturday morning, so Seriah had to get up very, very early in the morning. Thankfully she did not need to wake me up until later--I am NOT a morning cat. We got to the church where the tea was to be held a little late because of roadwork, but when we got there, McKenzie wasn't even there yet. So we went in and Seriah introduced myself to Ms. Allison, McKenzie's old third-grade Sunday school teacher. She is actually British, and Seriah was in seventh heaven just listening to all these ladies with their real British, Irish, and Scottish accents! (she had a hard time not slipping into one as well).

   Once people started arriving, Seriah and McKenzie were really kept on their toes. Re-filling teapots, serving cups of water, re-filling teapots, fetching silverware and re-filling teapots. 
   I got to hang out at one of the tables with extra seats, doing what I do best: Guarding the sweets!

   (I know what you're thinking, but really--someone had to guard those scones and cookies!)
Afterwards, McKenzie and Seriah stayed to help clean up and move all the furniture and tea-decorations. There were a lot of decorations, but they still had time to pose for some pictures:

   McKenzie and her wonderful mom drove Seriah home, and they had the most brilliant idea to stop at Starbucks on the way. 
   "Hey! Let's go in, and order with British Accents," suggested Seriah.
   "Yes!" agreed McKenzie. So they did. To be honest, they got weirder looks from the customers than from the employees. :)

Idlewild!

 

Rebecca's family went to Idlewild this weekend! Taking photos was hard, since it kept raining and I didn't want to get the camera wet. So there aren't many pictures.

 

Rebecca and her dad took turns riding with the twins, since they aren't tall enough to ride by themselves, and Joshua and Hannah were buddies for the day. I tagged along with whoever had room for me.



Hannah and Joshua

We rode on several of the rides, and then it started raining again. Only this time it rained pretty hard, so we ran for the pavilion. We grabbed our picnic stuff from the back of the Suburban, and dashed back. By the time we finished lunch, it had mostly stopped raining. So we changed into swim suits and headed for the Soak Zone.

 

We played in the water for several hours. Rebecca took Hannah and Joshua up the four big slides. Two were body slides, one was a tube slide, and one was a mat slide where you raced down on foam mats. I lost track of how many times we went down the slides!



 Mom and the twins went to Raccoon Lagoon, which has rides for younger kids. Meanwhile, Rebecca, Hannah, Joshua, and I waited in line for the Wild Mouse roller coaster. It was thrilling, but not quite worth the forty-five minute wait, in my opinion. While waiting, I saw this tree:

 

 

Yes, that tree is covered in layers and layers of who-knows-how-old gum that people waiting in line have stuck there over the years. It was oddly intriguing.



Levi and Rebecca, hanging upside down on The Spider.

 

Rebecca and I shared this container of Dip 'n Dots. They are the most marvelous, delicious sweet things in the world!

 

I also discovered that amusement parks at night are very beautiful.

OK... That Happened... July 18, WV

 

So... last night at VBS, Olivia decided it would be fun to paint a mustache on my face.

 

 

The church had rented inflatables for the last night of VBS, and about thirty minutes into the fun of racing through the obstacle courses and jumping in the bouncy house, it started pouring rain. But we didn't stop! It turned the inflatables into giant waterslides! It was tons of fun, and we got soaked to the bone.

Once we all looked like drowned rats and were drying off and shivering in the pavilion, our friend Olivia decided to paint this handlebar mustache on Rebecca! Then this morning, it wouldn't wash off! So she has looked like this all day. Hopefully she won't still look like this for church and the church picnic tomorrow....

At the Beach!

 

A few weeks ago, Rebecca and I went to the beach for a week-long family reunion. We had an awesome time, as always, and I took some photos for you all.

It was a five hour car ride the second day, so we stopped at Sonic.

Traveling

 

There were about 45 family members staying at the beach house this year.

 

The ocean was pretty rough this year, since a small hurricane was coming. We still found ways to have a good time:

 

 

 

 

Down at the beach!

 

 

 

Although I've seen thunderstorms that did more damage than "Hurricane Arthur" did, it washed up some interesting things Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the time, it was gorgeous weather. Although the ocean was so rough, we could only really play in it one day, we still had fun playing in the sand. As usual, Wednesday night all of us younger cousins got together with butterfly nets and flashlights and caught enough crabs to fill four buckets. When we let them go, we didn't give a warning that we were dumping out the 50-some crabs and the aunts and older girl cousins shrieked and screamed and did this little jumpy-dance thing like a jig. It was fun to watch. ;)