Modesty and "Old Fashioned" Ways Coming Back?

I had a little too much fun playing "dress up" with this doll. (The picture you are seeing is the final outfit I did).

As many of you know (heck, just look at the layout of this blog and you will know, lol) that I am a big fan of old-fashioned things -- the girlier the better. I actually gave up Jane Austen novels (but not DVDs, mini-series) for Lent along with Twitter. A couple of weeks prior to Lent, we had an PBS Emma viewing Twitter party with various women via tweet grid. I was amazed to see how many teenagers to 20-somethings were participating. Granted, Jane Austen is quite popular amongst young women (and the new version of Emma was the best, in my opinion), but it's not just her novels or anything associated with her. I've begun to noticed that more and more young women are beginning to favor modesty and the "old fashioned" ways that existed prior to the second half of the 20th century.

I've seen courtship being favored over dating. Fashions (still being over-sexualized in the secular media) have been slowly returning to the "Audrey Hepburn" era, with the Victorian and Regency eras giving a lot of inspiration to young women. Books such as the one I reviewed (How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World) are being written and read. Blogs (a number of which you can find on my blog list) are being published by like minded women. Even the way women carry themselves is starting to remind me of what we often read about in J. Austen novels.

True, women are still dressing "sexy" and whatnot, but I've seen less and less of that as of late... and not just because it's winter. I'm from L.A., we don't have 'winter' lol. Seriously, though, I am pleased to see that my generation (and the next generation) is reverting to the "old" ways, in which women acted like ladies. Am I the only one that is noticing this trend?

Perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I honestly do see it and I hope that this "trend" continues to gain more momentum. I would love to see it make a comeback.

Alright, that is my short thought of the day for today. The mountains of History and Humanities homework awaits. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Little Girl Gets Her Wish; Cardinal Newman News; Thank Yous!

A couple of weeks ago I read this article at the National Catholic Register about a little girl, named Emma, who is getting her wish to meet Pope Benedict XVI. Go Emma! :D What's incredible about this little girl is that, not only is she an abortion survivor (whoo!) but she was only three years old when she said (and I'm quoting from the article) "That’s my new pope. Do you think I can ever meet him?" This little girl has been serious about her faith from a young age, even talking about becoming a nun when she gets older. It's stories like this that make me hopefully for the next generation. I don't know many young people, including 20-somethings like myself, that would consider a religious vocation. (For the record, I also seriously considered becoming a religious sister until I got too many signs that I wasn't meant for that particular vocation). Oh, and btw, major kudos to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for even attempting to make her wish come true, even when they believed it to be impossible. :)

Another great thing that has recently happened: another Cardinal Newman miracle has been approved by the Vatican. It's only a matter time before Papa Bene can declare that Cardinal Newman "Blessed". Sweet! I have a lot of respect for him, and he has popped into one of my saint dreams before, so I'm happy to hear about this. And, side note, I actually made sure there were Newman Centers at the universities I applied to before I applied to them -- that's why the University of British Columbia and Oxford University were on the top of my wish list before I decided to stay in Los Angeles. Do any of you have Newman Centers at your schools?

Before I conclude this entry, I just wanted to once again thank everyone for their continued prayers. Dad was checked into the hospital yesterday. My mom initiated that whole process without my knowing. Without going into much detail, I did not know anything about it so it caused some problems because, as of right now, I have the say in what happens. I just learned that I have that power yesterday. It's quite shocking for me, but I'm completely prepared to take it on. I can do it. :) Anyway, after I told my dad that I thought it was a good idea for him to go, to stay under observation over the weekend and then have the tests done on Monday, he agreed to stay. He called this morning (really early) that he was checking out of the hospital because he hated it there. It took some convincing to get him to stay... and it happened right before he signed the release form. I honestly credit your prayers, as well as my prayers to St. Dymphna to keep me from having a panic attack, for making my dad reasonable and for keeping my sanity. I sincerely thank all of you. I get your messages, emails, and tweets and I am trying to reply to all of them as soon as I can. :) Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!

And that is it for today. I want to get all my homework done today because we're going to go visit dad tomorrow. I'm also going to try to go to Mass tomorrow... and confessions in a little while. Did I mention that I have to walk quite a distance to go to the nearest church? Mmhmm. :D

Alright, enough of my stalling. lol. As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
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Another Unpleasant Dream, Boredom, and Quizzes Galore.

Yup, I had ANOTHER dream where I was fighting against evil. It was weird, the dream was intense (not as intense as yesterday's) but I did my fair share of defending myself against this evil. I think I called on Our Blessed Mother to help me out this time but I don't really remember. I am beginning to understand my dreams and why I have particular ones. It's weird... but in a good way. :D Now, if I could just have a dream about like winning the lottery so I can pay off my EXPENSIVE tuition, that would rock. Even if it's only a dream, I'll take it! lol.

So, not much went on today. It was an overall boring day. Well... except when we couldn't find the Emma DVD I had to return to Netflix. That was FUNNY! We searched everywhere except under this one notebook I have with me... and that's EXACTLY where it was. Haha. Oh man, that was hilarious. But, then again, I'm easily amused. :D Mom decided to take a little break and explore the city. New York City, that is. :D So, we spent the evening getting ourselves lost On the Town with one of my favorite men. Oh, I should say one of OUR favorite men (mom, and I believe sis as well, give him the thumbs up as well.) I believe mom wants to go to Paris next, and then make a detour to Scotland to see if I can find the fabled Brigadoon before ending up back in Hollywood. Anchors Aweigh, my boys. ;) We'll have to figure out when we'll have time to do that. I'm hoping this weekend. I desperately need these little wonder-trips to help me unwind and get back my silliness. :D I know sis will be the only one that understand what I'm talking about. HAHA. Sorry but this is the way it has to be. :D

Alright, well, I am tuckered out -- though it was a boring day, it was a LONG boring day. I will hopefully have a better post tomorrow -- if I even have time to write. BUSY day tomorrow. :D So, before I end this blog, a few quizzes I've taken in my time of boredom.

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

You Are Classical Music

You are a somewhat serious person who enjoys studying subjects deeply. Art of all kinds interests you, and a good piece of art can really effect you emotionally. You are inspired by human achievement, and you appreciate work that takes years to accomplish. For you, the finer things in life are not about snobbery - they're about quality.

What Kind of Music Are You?

Your Personality at 35,000 Says...

Deep down, you prefer spending time alone to spending time with others. You enjoy thinking more than talking. You are good with your place in the world. You are confident and comfortable with who you are. Your gift is relating to other people. You don't hide from your own emotions, and you are good at drawing other people out. You are inspired by what is possible. Real life is often too ordinary for you. It's very easy for you to feel happy. You can find peace with any situation.

The Personality Test at 35,000 Feet

OH and Liverpool play against Chelsea in like 12 hours (11:30 a.m. PST, 2:30 p.m. EST) so please keep your fingers crossed that Liverpool go onto the Champions League finals. Sad that Barcelona were kicked out by Manchester United *gag* but hey, an all English final will be awesome. :D

As usual, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
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