OUAT S1E6

Alright. So. Last week sometime I watched the next episode of OUAT. Life got really busy and I haven't gotten around to writing my response to it until now. Fingers crossed I took good notes and can make this as enjoyable as possible.

This episode is called The Shepherd. Which was a bit weird to me, until I watched the entire episode.

Anyway.

I'm learning their names in our world, so that's a plus.

David is being released from the hospital. And he's going "home". Sigh. I don't like this woman that's supposedly his wife. This isn't his home; he doesn't belong here. And seriously? You don't have a huge party for a person who is still struggling to remember who they are. That's so overwhelming. Oh, but there's Henry... Trying to make things better by plotting and scheming. Asking such leading questions. Of course asking about Mary. But the mayor... I just don't like her. At all. She may have lost someone (I'd love to know who), but she ain't your friend, sista. Well, she might be. I don't like either of you, so you might be best buds. Ooooh!! David went to find Mary!! And he's helping her to hang a birdhouse...and asking about her resignation... Sigh. He's adorable. He just, he has feelings for her! And he wants to choose her over his wife!! But Mary is denying him... Why?!? Sigh...

Alright. Charming is using a sword. And he's dead?! What?! Oh, no. He's pretending to be dead so he can kill the bad guy. That's fine. I can survive that. It's a bit weird that there's an audience for this killing. But I guess it was cheaper than cable back then (ba dum shhhhh). Oh. Now he's going to kill a dragon? Huh. Okay. Who is this guy with the weird hand? Oh, wait. Gold sword. He's King Midas! Charming really is beautiful. WAIT. WHAT. What has happened?!? This guy just rises from the dead and spears him??? But he can't be dead, can he? Oh my gosh. He is dead. And here's Rumple... Gosh, he just shows up, doesn't he? So, Charming was actually a gift from Rumple because the King and Queen couldn't have a child of their own. Stupid king... Stop making deals with Rumple. He's a poop. Rumple wants the wand of Cinderella's fairy godmother!! Ooooh. Okay. That makes sense. But wait. He can't bring Charming back from the dead... What on earth is he going to do? Oh. He has a twin? Ooooh, yes he does. I love when the twins are just as if not more attractive.

Okay. So Mary is stressed. Like cleaning mode stressed. Ah, Emma with the best advice: stop cleaning and have a drink. Amazing. Alright so if you think something you want to do is wrong, it probably is...true. Now I know he needs to figure his life out, but that's what he's trying to do!!! Now I'm assuming the wife is in love with the twin, not the original Charming seeing as how he's dead. Ugh. Stop trying to sleep with him. He doesn't like you. See? He doesn't even like kissing you. Ha.

Aww!! The twin is chasing a goat. How cute. Alright, so this guy lives with him mother. And his mother is trying to marry him off to save the farm. Sigh. But look at him!! He's going to save the farm his own way. Good for him. And he wants to marry for love! Not for money! Praise. And here's Rumple... He's trying to explain all of this to them. I just don't trust him. Not at all.

So, the doctor... Is he making moves on Mary again? I thought we washed our hands of him... Ugh. Regina. Why????? She needs to mind her own business. She has no right to say anything to Mary. At all. Like it isn't her business that David left his wife. Honestly. Just buzz off.

Now the twin is going to slay the dragon, yes? Okay. So I'm assuming that the Charming that we've known the entire time has been the twin. I think that's a safe assumption. I get the feeling that all of these men will die while trying to kill the dragon. Just a hunch. Is this dragon the reason there was a dragon at the opening credits? Or has there always been a dragon there? I'll have to keep my eyes open next time I watch. Sigh. I just love the heart this guy has. He cares about everyone. I love him. Oh. That guy is toast. Well, he's been toasted. Heh. And after an exciting action sequence, we learn that the sword works great and the dragon has no head. Lovely.

Ahhh!! He came to see Mary!! He loves her. I just, I have such heart eyes over them. But Mary just keeps pushing him away. Ugh. I don't like it. (David's smile, though. Good. Lord.) So the sheriff brings doughnuts to get her to work a night shift because he has some charity thing? Okay. Sure. Eeep! Mary has come to gossip. I love it. Ooooh. And Emma is telling her to go! Yay!!! And of course Regina has something to say... Just piss off.

The dragon's head is now gold. Of course. And King Midas wants Charming to marry his daughter. Of course. And oh my gosh!! It's her! Of course... She's a stuck up turnip, isn't she? And why is the king threatening him to marry her??? Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. I don't like it.

Aww. David is wandering around lost. He's trying to find his way to where Mary is. And naturally Regina finds him and gives him "directions". I'll bet you they don't go where he's trying to get. So Mary is there waiting for him... Where is he? Oh, dear. The pawn shop. Don't go in there!! He went in there... Okay. Hopefully Mr. Gold is giving him proper direction. Uh oh. The windmill. Is it the one from his house? Crap... He's remembering things... I don't like this...

Okay so the twin is going back to his mother to tell her what's going on. And now she doesn't want him to marry someone for the money. It's about time. I just hate that he's being forced to marry this person. Wait. He can't see him mother again?? Oh my gosh. He came to say goodbye to her. I can't deal with this. He just, he loves so purely and so much. Ooooh! The ring! It was his mother's ring!

Mary is wearing the ring!! He has finally arrived!! And he's "remembering" crap about Catherine. Sigh. I really don't like this at all. They've mentioned the "right" thing to do quite a bit in this episode. Blah. This is dumb. He just freaking broke Mary's heart. I don't like him now. So Emma is on night patrol. And she sees someone sneaking out of a window through the bushes. It's the sheriff!! He was sneaking out of Regina's window. It's about time someone found out about their sneaking around. And now David has gone back to Catherine... Major sigh. Oh, so, "Let's see what happens"? Um, no. Let's not.

I just don't like that they're getting married. It's dumb. Abigail and James. It's just weird. Why are they staying in Midas' kingdom? Who knows. And now the other king is saying he's proud of James for making the "right" decision. Yeah, like you gave him a choice. Ooooh! But they're taking the scenic route back!!! This is when he meets Snow!! Eeeep!!

And now Mary is heartbroken. I'm so upset. And the doctor is there? Okay... But who is this guy? Well, he wants to buy Mary a drink. And she says to but her two. Bless.

Well, that wasn't so bad for being about a week removed from actually watching the episode. I'm thinking of shooting for Once Wednesdays in the future. Where I post on Wednesdays about OUAT. But don't hold me to that... We'll have to see what happens.

Until next time.

xx

remembering (v): a thing that causes me to get emotional and write a lot of things [or] a look back at 2014

Seeing as how we're almost two weeks into January I figured it was high time that I write my 2014 year end blog post. Not having internet for a week right at the end/beginning of the year is not fun.

Anyway.

2014 was a huge year. It was full of so many ups and down. Honestly, many things have blurred together; other things will always stand out in my memory for years to come.

As a side note, I think it's interesting how different events, different times in our lives, stand out above others in our memory. I've found that usually they're either really awesome things or really not so awesome things. I guess it's things that carry high emotion. Maybe.

I started out 2014 in my favourite city in the world. I remember getting on a plane 31 December 2013 in Atlanta knowing that when I disembarked it would be 2014 and I would be standing on British soil in London, England.

Those ten days were the best possible way to start off 2014. I remember riding the Tube for the first time, being crammed into the carriage with all twenty of us in there with our luggage. I remember seeing Big Ben for the first time. I remember riding on the London Eye and feeling overwhelming happiness. I remember walking through the streets, seeing all the sights, breathing in the air. I remember the bitter cold and slicing wind we encountered at Stonehenge. I remember strolling through the cobblestone streets of Bath and Canterbury. I remember my first English rainbow. I remember seeing France from the shore of Dover. I remember having pasties and drinking tea. I remember my first Nandos experience. I remember queuing to get tickets for American Psycho. I remember seeing One Direction on the television in our hotel room. I remember getting caught in a sudden downpour. I remember the overwhelming sadness I felt sitting in Heathrow waiting to fly back to the States.

My friend Justin blogged about the trip in real time over on his blog. You should check it out here.

The months between my return to America and summer are a blur. But big things happened during those months. I was reduced to feeling worthless after someone I called friend played with my heart. My father had a heart attack that shook my family to its core. I did attend my first college graduation. It was cool so see so many people that I knew finally receive their diplomas. In the midst of all of this, I gained so many new friendships and strengthen several "old" friendships. I also lost a friend or two along the way. The spring semester was a challenge. But I learned so much about God and about life during those months.

Summer is when I got this blog. June, I believe. Summer is also when I had some of the greatest times of my life.

For starters, I got to go to the beach for a week with my best friend and her family. I hadn't been to the beach for a proper vacation in years. Like double digit years. I remember sitting in the car for hours keeping ourselves entertained with Disney films. I remember our impromptu IKEA trip waiting on a delayed flight. I remember seeing the ocean and feeling the sand between my toes. I remember spending hours on the beach, reading, tanning, relaxing. I remember learning how to play cards at the dinner table. I remember getting that sunburn that I can still see what bikini I was wearing when I look in the mirror. I remember standing at the top of a lighthouse and watching a storm roll in across the water. I remember spending time with my best friend and laughing until our sides hurt.

The other main event that occurred this summer also happened to be my first concert of the year. Not only that... It was my first One Direction concert. Ever. But before that happened, I got to meet Sam and Miranda in real life! We spent an afternoon in Chattanooga, doing all kinds of fun things. Then literally the next day I went up to Nashville to stay with them and prepare for the concert.

If you want to read my full concert review, click here. But for the sake of this post, I'm only going to hit the highlights.

19 August 2014 was my first ever One Direction concert. I remember getting ready and not feeling like it was actually going to happen. I remember riding to the venue starting to feel jitters. I remember standing outside the venue with hundreds of other fans and hearing various soundcheck things. I remember walking into the stadium and not being able to contain my smile. I remember seeing the stage for the first time and feeling butterflies erupt in my stomach. I remember watching 5 Seconds of Summer. I remember the heat. I remember when the lights went down and the crowd erupted. I remember watching the screen and seeing their faces plastered across them all. I remember thinking I was about to see them in real life. I remember laying eyes on all five of them for the first time. I remember screaming and crying and singing. I remember having an absolute blast.

About a week after the concert, I was back at Bryan for the fall semester. I was moving in and preparing for classes while still singing One Direction songs. But let's be real... I'm almost always doing that. Early into the semester, I had my second concert of the season: Ed Sheeran.

I have been wanting to see him in concert ever since I first heard +. When my friend got us tickets, I was so overjoyed. I remember the normally two hour drive to Atlanta taking close to five because of traffic. I remember the ride to the venue still not really believing I was finally seeing Ed. I remember sitting through the opening act and only recognising one song. I remember the lights going down and the crowd screaming. I remember seeing Ed walk on stage. I remember him being completely in his element. I remember being completely blown away by his talent. I remember when he quieted the entire arena. I remember singing my heart out. I remember dancing in my seat. I remember loving every minute.

Again, if you'd like to read my full concert review, please click here.

I went back to school and suffered through a few more weeks until October arrived. October brought with it the event I had been waiting for ever since November of 2013. My big One Direction show. So I don't bore you with the details, the full post about this is here.

The Atlanta show was absolutely phenomenal. We had VIP, and it absolutely made the difference for me from Nashville. I remember the drive to Atlanta. I remember getting lost trying to find the hotel. I remember queuing in the line to get our tickets. I remember anticipating getting inside the Georgia Dome. I remember bouncing out of my seat at the pre-party. I remember getting to my seat and having a mental breakdown. I remember jamming to 5SOS. I remember waiting and waiting and waiting for the boys to come out. I remember the lights finally going out and the crowd going absolutely mental. I remember watching the video again. I remember seeing them again. I remember the electricity that was in the air. I remember smiling so much my face hurt. I remember screaming and crying more than I have in my entire life. I remember singing and dancing with one of my best friends. I remember having the best night of my life.

The rest of October flew by rather quickly. I spent my fall break in Knoxville with Lex and Em. It was great to have a long weekend where I didn't have school or work on my mind. It was also great to spend those days with two girls who have quickly become two of my best friends. They are definitely two people God brought into my life specifically this year because He knew I would need them. Eventually October turned into November, and at some point in the middle of all of this, mum was diagnosed with her fourth cancer.

I don't remember the exactly timing of all of it. I just remember her feeling a knot under the skin on her arm. As the weeks progressed, it got bigger, so she saw her doctor about it.  She was referred to a surgeon after an ultrasound didn't look too promising. Long story short, the removed a tumour and discovered it was a metastasis of her second cancer from the late 90s. Thankfully, two surgeries later, she is cancer free. But she's still dealing with some of the effects of having her arm cut open and a large amount of tissue removed.

Thanksgiving snuck up on me rather quickly. If memory serves me correct, I made the decision to not come back to Bryan around this time. It was definitely a time of crying and soul searching as I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. But also during this time, I got to attend my final concert of the year.

On Black Friday after working a 6am-12pm shift, I made my way down to Track 29 to stand in line for The 1975. I went with my friend Jasmine and we met up with a friend of ours from Twitter Brianna. We also ended up meeting up with a friend of mine from tumblr Val and her friends after the show. But I remember standing in line in the freeing cold for what seemed like hours waiting to go inside. I remember the people in front of us in line hating on One Direction and their fans. I remember having a nice chat with one of the folks who works at the venue after he scanned our tickets. I remember the buzz I got from the Jack and Coke I downed during one of the opening acts. I remember the electricity in the air and the rush of the crowd as The 1975 took the stage. I remember swaying to the music and singing along. I remember the moments Matty told us to put our phones away and just be in the moment. I remember appreciating the music more than anything else that night.

When November ended, there were only a couple weeks left in the semester. After finals, I packed up my things and said goodbye to Bryan College. My time as a student ended. It was definitely bittersweet. I came home and things at work became even busier than before. Before I knew it, Christmas was here. I spent time with family and friends and relished in the spirit of the season. It was refreshing and wonderful. Then again before I knew it, I turned 22. I always reflect a lot on my birthday. Because it's one of the last days of the year, I tend to find myself reflecting on the last year as a whole and also as a year of life. Does that make sense? I hope so. It makes sense in my head. My birthday was relatively quiet. Just dinner with my parents and my best friend and her parents. Just like always. I've learned that I do love tradition.

2014 was a great year. I grew so much as a person. I gained so many friendships. I learned a lot about myself. There are events that occurred last year that I don't think I'll ever be able to top or have something compare to it. But I'm not so sure that I should. Every year is a gift. Each year is special in its own right.

The new year ahead of me promises to be full of growth and tons of fun. But I'm not naive to think it'll be without its hardships. I'm excited to see what lies ahead in 2015, but I'm nervous at the same time. I have a lot of plans, a lot of ideas. And now it's time to make them come to life.

Here's to a new year sure to be full of new things to remember.

xx

OUAT S1E5

Alright. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to watch OUAT (and also blog in general) because we are in between internet providers at my house. So I don’t know when this will be posted, but that’s okay.

Justin let me borrow his DVDs of seasons one and two, so before work today I decided to partake in the next episode. It had been awhile since I last watched, so I did a rewatch of the episode previous. Side note: I still can’t believe the mayor and the sheriff are sleeping together.

Episode five! That Still Small Voice. (I’ve decided to start including the episode titles for funsies…and apparently they connect with what’s happening in the fairy tale world.)

I was a bit confused at the beginning because I didn’t know who this was. A small red headed kid stealing from folks who are there to watch a puppet show. Not cool. And then to top it all off, he works for the people who put on the show! Oh, and to make it worse they’re his parents… Great. It’s good to see that he doesn’t like stealing from people. Where did the cricket go?

Right. The therapist. Jiminy Cricket. Same person? We’ll see. So I feel like the fact they mentioned no crickets in Storybrooke is important. Henry can’t come up with a good reason why this is important. Alrighty. So Emma is now a deputy. She doesn’t want to wear the tie, understandable. An earthquake comes as soon as she puts on the deputy badge? Weird. Except it isn’t an earthquake… It was a collapse of some tunnels. Oh ho ho. So even though the mayor is sleeping with the sheriff, she didn’t know Emma was hired as deputy. Amazing. The mayor wants to pull a Parks and Rec and make the sight of the collapsed mine a place for the public to enjoy. Ha. Wait. What is that thing she’s picked up? It seems important… Alright so Henry is seeing Archie, the therapist. And apparently he knows everything. The tunnels are collapsing. Emma is weakening the curse. How did her becoming deputy start all of this? Wait!! He’s Dr. Hopper!! I love it. Ugh. But the mayor, though. She’s just so unhappy with her life and now she’s threatening the therapist. Ugh.

This person’s name is Jiminy. Wait. It’s Archie… The little boy from the beginning! Amazing. So he’s still working with his parents. In the rain. Well, okay. Stopping to listen to the crickets!! Important!!! He’s having a change of heart and he’s going to do something about it!!

So this guy Marco…apparently he’s Gepetto. That’s cool. Alright so Archie is actually doing what the mayor said because she threatened him. I think it’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t believe what he’s saying to Henry. Like he knows something is up.  So now that Charming is no longer in a coma, I love seeing him interact with Mary. They’re literally the cutest thing. But I seriously still dislike the wife. She frustrates and annoys me. And now Henry is upset, Emma is mad, Henry runs away, and Archie knows were to find him. Because being the genius of a child that he is, Henry went to the collapsed tunnel place. Idiot.

Why is there a spinning wheel? Why is Rumple here? How did this kid get involved with this scum? Wait. Is he selling his parents? I don’t understand. How is it that this guy has his hands in everything?

I love Pongo. But I just love dogs. Anyway. These tunnels are weird. Like what are they? Are they remnants of the world from before? I mean, there are pieces that look kinda fancy like they don’t belong in a tunnel. But now Archie goes to try and rescue Henry, Henry thinks Archie doesn’t believe anymore, Archie tries to convince Henry otherwise and go after him, and now they’re both trapped because it collapsed again. Lovely. Henry frustrates me.

So his parents are still alive and kicking, I see. Conning people into giving them things. They’re like sales people? I guess. I can’t believe they’re taking advantage of these poor people. Wait. Why didn’t anything happen to his parents when he put that stuff on them? Oh my gosh. He switched them!! He switched the bottles. You’ve got to be kidding me. What did I expect, though? Sigh. But wait. What happened to the people? No. Way. They’re dolls?? What?! And they have a little boy!! No!!! Oh, this is too much.

Henry is so stubborn. Like I’m glad he doesn’t just give up, but still.  Ooh! They hear Pongo! Yes, go toward the barking!! It’s good that Emma is willing to see reason with the mayor and, you know, work together on something. I still don’t trust the mayor, though. She knows something… They found an elevator! Fancy. Alright, so they’re going to be using explosives to open the tunnel back up. Does that really require everyone in the town? Apparently so. Ugh. Their use of explosives has ruined the plan of the elevator. Sigh. And they explosives didn’t even open the tunnel back up. Dumb. Oh my gosh. I just can’t get over Charming and Mary. I need to remember his name in the real world… Anyway. They’re the cutest thing. So he woke up in a strange land where nothing feels real to him, nothing except Mary!! Be still my heart. That’s adorable. I can’t. Ughhhh. But then the wife shows up and ruins everything. I dislike her. Okay, so take two? Oooh. Yes, the dog can smell Dr. Hopper! He can lead you to the people! An air shaft? Beautiful. Aww. Now Henry is giving the therapy session to Archie. He’s not the man he wants to be. So many parallels to the fairy tale world. I love it. Sigh… Just when it seems like the mayor has a heart, she just acts like an awful human being. Alright. Rescue time. Just gotta get Henry and Archie. Wait. Are they about to kill off Dr. Hopper! No!!!! The thing can’t crash and take him with it. No. No. No. No!!!! Oh. He’s okay. Whew. Minor meltdown over. Alright. Okay. So, I understand a little where the mayor is coming from being protective over Henry, but she doesn’t need to be so rude. Whoa, now. Dr. Archie Hopper is standing up to the mayor. Yes!!! You go, Archie. God bless Dr. Hopper.

Back to fairy tale. He’s making a wish on a star!! Cute. So she can’t bring back the boy’s parents, but he still wants to be able to help him out. Oh my gosh. The crickets. She’s going to turn him into a cricket!!! Jiminy Cricket!!! Oh my gosh. The little boy. It’s Gepetto. Amazing.

Aww!! Archie and Marco. They’re old friends. That warms my heart. Oooh! Crickets!! They’re back! Things are changing in Storybrooke. Ahh! The dolls are in Mr. Gold’s shop. Creepy. Wait! Mary is resigning from the hospital!! No!!! Sad. Okay. What has the mayor just dropped down the air shaft? What is this?? I need to know!!! It seems important!!!!

I really love this show now. I’ve been sucked in, and it won’t let me go. I’ve even got mum into it. We watched the first two episodes before bed last night. She loves it.

Until next time.

xx