Lilyana - I've finally seen her.....

I’ve finally seen her. This woman my father is ‘Dating.’ I saw her this morning, leaving. In a dark blue truck that looked kind of beat up. It was around six, and I’d gotten up to take a ride through the meadow before it got super hot. Does that mean she spent the night? I’m not sure I want to think about that quite yet. Because really, its none of my business. But Rachel was right, very right, she is tall and pretty. Honestly, she is beautiful. I didn’t see her face too clearly, but she has high cheekbones and huge brown eyes. Not brown, as in, mousey brown, but brown as in dark brown, sparkling and almost black. Like I always imagined Anne Boleyn’s eyes, based on those Phillipa Gregory books Melanthe is always reading. Wait, I’m not sure I want to even think of this woman like that, based on what Anne Boleyn was.  Or, as Melanthe is always saying, what they built her up to be. Melanthe is obsessed with those Tudor books. But, anyway, she was pretty. But not in a high maintenance, manicures-and-300-dollar-hair-appointments-I-just-put-on-way-to-much- makeup way. She was wearing jeans and a dark blue tee-shirt, and her hair was loose. Her hair was long, and dark, and really, really, pretty. Shiny in a way I can never get mine to be. I can see why my father would like her. Can I? I guess so, going by beauty. But I’m not a girl who makes judgments based on images and beauty. And I don’t think my father is either. At least, I didn’t. But what if the woman is super-mean, and he’s dating her only because of her beauty? But that’s just silly. My father was never like that before. Why should he be now? If he’s dating her, I bet she’s super nice.

I think I have to talk to him about this tonight. Rachel agrees. She says that if I go any longer no-knowing, I might make an ‘incorrect assumption’ that might cause ‘unforeseen consequences’ and ‘Put tension on our long distance father-daughter relationship.’ I’m pretty sure she did not make that up out of her own head. That sounded so unlike Rachel, that I’m guessing she asked her mom what she should say to me. Her mom’s a therapist, and its not the first time Rachel quoted her. Actually, Rachel might even have gotten it from one of her mothers numerous self-help and child physiology books. I can’t see Rachel asking her mom. They don’t get along very well. Rachel says her mom is always trying to ‘Psycho-analyze’ her, which she hates. I kind of know what she means. After the divorce, her mom asked me if I was suffering from ‘Post-trauma emotional disturbance.’ Yeah, right. I’m pretty much as solid and stable as they get. Rebecca, on the other hand…… Anyway, I think I’m going to ask him tonight. I’m nervouse, but i need to know the truth. Wish me luck.

Lilyana

PS  -Good job on landing the role, Rebecca! Good luck!  

PPS - Samantha, I've noticed you haven't posted since you got back. Just because Rebecca and I are away doesn't mean that you can't post. Sure, Rebecca and I are both having an.....action packed vacation, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing of interest going on on the home front. How is the moving going? I know we're set to leave around the end of August, so you guys must be busy.You know, sorting through all the junk in the basement, packing, cleaning...I wish I were there to help. I'd get you organized! So please, do a post! Don't be screen-shy Samantha! Oh, and by the way, do you know when Melanthe's getting back from Ogunquit? I know she said the beginning of August, but i thought she might have contacted you, because I haven't heard from her. I know she might not have internet access, which is probably why she's not posting. 

Rebecca - I got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got it! I got the part in the ballet!  I knew I. I just knew it. I mean, who else could have? I'm the best dancer there! I'm so excited. Oh yeah, and i was right. Amatya was cast as the little girl. Not that anybody expected her not to.

We had the first rehearsal today, in place of normal morning classes. It was kinda chaotic. Honestly, some people are so unprofessional. Its like, God. Has anybody ever heard of actually following directions. I guess not. We can't get through a single step without Natalie yelling at some immature group of girls for talking. I mean, honestly, this is ballet, people, not a talk-all-you-want marathon. I think Jamie and Natalie should kick out the people who talk to much, but I guess if they did there'd only be like, five cast members. So the very, very, few of us with sense have to suffer through the rest of the cast being total morons. After only four hours of rehearsal, I seriously feel like taking an axe to some of those girls (Katie, Mariah, Mia, ect.) Ester Coleman-style. Just kidding, but barely. But besides all that, its kind of fun. I can't wait until tomorrow, when we'll have a huge rehearsal. We're pretty much going to be rehearsing 24/7, because we only have until Friday to get this right. It's not a very long ballet, because Jamie wrote it especially for this, but its hard. It needs time, and dedication. Which I'll happily provide, though I know many won't.

I might not get a chance to post for the rest of the week, because Ill be so busy. But if I do....stay tuned!

On her way to a class, (And probably late)

Rebecca

Rebecca - La danse des morts

At the end of camp, we always do a huge performance for all the parents and stuff. Well, not my parents, but everybody else's. This year, we're doing an original ballet written by two of our instructors, Jamie and Natalie. Its called La danse des morts, which is french for the 'The dance of the dead.' French is the official language of ballet, and also what Jamie is, as well as morbid, clearly. Despite the cryptic title, the bits I've seen from him and Natalie look amazing. Natalie is this tiny little woman, and she looks super ethereal and graceful when she dances. In the dance, there are two male leads, one female lead, and one lead for a very little ghost girl. I think everybody knows who will be the little girl - Amatya Duvsky. She's half Russian, half something else I'm not quite sure of, and even though she's only nine, is probably more talented then half the school put together. She's the one i can honestly say is going to be as talented as i am, if she's not already. I'm not being vain, or bratty, or anything, but I'm one of the most talented at the school. Which is why I know I'll get the female lead. I mean, who else could? I know I'm young, but talent is what counts! I'm so thrilled! We auditioned today, and of course mine went well. Perfect, actually. We'll get the parts tomorrow, so I'm super nervous. Not really, though, because I know I'll get it. I wonder who the male leads will be.

Rebecca

PS - Only five more days of camp! (W leave on Friday, which is when the performance is!)

Rebecca - Update from dance camp

Hey guys. Camp has been going pretty well. I talked to the director, Mr. Rowen, and he said I can move up into a more advanced class if i want to, and if I pass this test. So I took the test, and it was pretty easy. So now I'm in class with high schoolers, which is kinda awesome, because I'm the youngest by at least four years. The class I'm in now is the most advanced, so I'm not sure i'll be coming back here next year. It's not the best camp anyway. Next year, there's a camp in New York that i used to go to that I'd like to try again. I kinda wanted to go this year, because as I said I'd gone for most of my life back when I lived in the city, and it was a pretty good camp. But  I was hesitant to return to my old home. Past scars heal slowly, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to revisit that camp, even though I'd loved it so much. I knew that most of the girls at the NYDC would know me. Know who I was. They'd hate me, they always had. I didn't think that year away would change that. The girls at Jessamine only know what I tell them, which is nothing. I like it better that way. They don't know me, I don't care about them. But it would have been different at NYDC. It's not like I'm scared to go back to the city...I just think it would be better not to stir that up. Its a big city, though, so there's only a small chance I'd see somebody i know, like, on the streets or in a store. But I'm kind of unlucky, so a small chance would be all it takes for me. But anyway, I'm probably not going back to Jessamine next year.

On to other things. Camp has been going pretty well. Aside from the fact that the people here are a bunch of nitwits, I'm actually having fun. Its been so great to do so much dancing. For once in my life, I've been feeling pretty normal. Better then normal, actually. Being able to dance as much as I want - between classes and extra practice - always lifts me up, no matter what else is happening. I feel kind of buzzy when I finish dancing, like I'm finally full enough to fit into my body. Finally real enough to feel.  When its just me in a practice room, concentrating on getting a step right, its like everything else just melt away, even myself, and its just the motion and perfection. I wish I could stay at camp longer, forever even, if this is the way I'm feeling here. At least when school starts, I'll have more classes, and less time to think. Maybe I'll get some of his back then. But until then, goodbye, amigas. I'm off to a class!

Rebecca

Lilyana - Scared to talk to my dad...

I've been waiting for the right moment to get my dad alone and ask him about the woman, but I haven't yet. I mean, its not that I haven't gotten a chance to....Its just...I don't know.....I guess I'm scared to ask him. Not to ask him, exactly. Scared of what he'll say. I don't know what I want him to say, really. I'm so confused, because i don't even know what I want to happen. Rachel said that she'd seen her before. Seen the woman with the auburn hair. Rachel told me that shes really tall, and dark-eyed. Not like my short mother at all, with her light brown hair and narrow green eyes. This women sounds exactly the opposite of mom. Is that what he wanted?

But if he was in love with this woman, why didn't he marry her once he'd divorced mom? I have no idea what to think. It's not that i don't want him to have a girlfriend....clearly, he's allowed to date, he's allowed to re-marry if he wants to. But I don't like to think of him cheating on mom. Going behind her back. Sneaking around. I can't think of my father like that, like some crappy husband you read about in those super complicated love triangle novels, like A Crowded Marriage, or something. But what if this woman was his one true love? And he'd rather be with her then with mom because they were meant for each other? I'd rather him be happy then stuck with someone he didn't love. But in this case, that 'someone' is my mom. That changes things. At least, it should. And its not that I don't love my mom, its just that I love her less. No, thats not right. I love her in a different way. And I don't not want her to be happy, or anything, but if my dad really loves this other woman, he should marry her. Wait, wait. I'm getting way to ahead of myself. I don't even know if he's dating her now, let alone for years behind my mothers back. She could just be a friend, right? Men are allowed to have female friends, even unmarried ones. Or divorced ones, like my dad. Mom has tons of male friends, that doesn't mean she's dating any of them. I've got to talk to him soon, I'm only here until the sixth. Then I go back home. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing. But somehow i don't think so.

Lilyana

Rebecca - Running into the Sky

Its Rebecca here. Well, who else would it be? Things are getting really busy here in camp. Which is good, of course. I like having things busy, because it gives you less times to think.

 Classes are fairly easy, to be honest, I was hoping that they'd be much more challenging. Maybe I should have been in a more advanced class. Maybe I'll talk to them about that, because I really think the group I'm in is far to easy, and its already with girls at least two years older then me. You know, maybe its time i dropped this camp. I know its fun and all, but I don't think that its teaching me very much. There are tons of other more advanced dance camps. There are ones around here, and then others I'd have to travel far to get to. I wouldn't mind, though. I love traveling. Some are very expensive, but I'd probably be able to get a scholarship of some sort. A partial one, or a full one, which seems more likely because, not to brag, I am a very talented dancer.

Yesterday I went down to the beach for a while in the late afternoon after class was done. A lot of the other girls go out to eat after class, but they never invite me along. Oh well, its not like I would have gone anyway. Firstly, I have to watch my weight - and they really should do the same. You need to be thin to be a dancer, and have the right body and all. A lot of girls don't, so they end up quitting. I feel bad for them, I guess, but it seems fair. We can't all be dancers, the world needs more then that. You need to work to get - and keep - a proper dancers body. Eat right, exercise, no drugs or drinking. A lot of the girls who are naturally thin think that because they're so thin, they can eat what they want. Um....no. They will not always look like that. I guarantee you that in thirty-something years they will be the supremely fat middle school mothers waiting in the car, yelling at their kids, and not cleaning their houses. And I? I'll be a hugely successful dance teacher after a long and bright career as a solo ballerina. Or maybe I'll still be a fantastic ballerina. Who says I can't dance well at age forty? Anyway, I wouldn't want to go with them anyway. Its never any fun, and nobody talks to me anyway.

So I meandered down to the beach. It was kind of stormy, but that was OK. I walked far up the beach, and it felt like i was walking into fog and mist, like a portal to another world. The tide was going out, so the sky was reflected in the wet sand that was covered in a smooth sheen of water. If you ran very fast along the ocean, it felt like you where running into the sky.

Rebecca

Rebecca - Leaving for camp

Rebecca here. Today I left for Jessamine, Maine, where I go every summer to dance camp for a week. Its about four or five hours away, so I always leave pretty early, because the first class is in the afternoon. Today I got up around five-thirty, and finished packing. I packed some clothes, a book, and my stuffed kitten, Dream. Then I made sure I had my dance bag packed and ready, because its more important then all my clothes. Then I got my guitar, because I can't go anywhere without it. Playing my guitar helps calm me when I'm upset, or comfort me when I'm sad. Its like dancing, but with music, and easier to do in odd places. You can't dance well in a little enclosed space, but you can play guitar. 

Then I said goodbye to Samantha, who was on her way to the beach with Andrea. She wrapped me in an impromptu hug, which really threw me off guard. I don't really like physical contact, especially if its unexpected. 

 The bus ride was pretty long, but also very fun. I love looking out the window and dreaming about the people I see, wondering where they're going and why; who they are and what they do. I feel different when I'm traveling somewhere, more....myself, if that makes sense. I don't know. How do i really know what 'myself' is anyway? How, when nothing is stable, do you maintain a single conciseness anyway? I guess I mean I feel real, not fake, like I'm not pretending. Being on a bus o train or car is like being in-between what I feel and where I'm going. I love to travel because it makes me feel real. Its kind of like the feeling I get when i dance, or get lost in music. Leaving everything behind, and shedding a mask, in a place where nobody knows you. I'd do anything to get that feeling again, because it stops the restlessness and uncertainty. Nobody else seems to feel this way. Am I really the only one who feels so trapped?

It felt so good to be back at Jessamine Dance Academy (JDA). I hadn't been there in so long, but it still looked exactly the same. I would stay here always if I could. I got a room on the forth floor, overlooking the beach. Its so beautiful, like a painting instead of a window. The rooms are pretty nice, very neat, which is good. I like things to be neat and calm in my room, whatever is going on everywhere else. 

The first thing i did was unpack my clothes, putting them all away neatly in the closet. Then i made sure that my dance stuff was clean and all there. It was still an hour to class, so i sat down and finished the Nellie book Samantha lent me. It was OK. I'm not the biggest fan of the american girl books. I find them boring, but I guess each to his own. 

The class was really, really, great. We didn't waste to much time on introductions and silly nice-to-meet-you games. Thats one of the things I like best about JDA. They're really serious. The class was pretty easy, but its only the first day. I had fun, though. I saw some girls I recognized from last year, but none of them talked to me. I've made it clear that I don't want any interaction with them. 

Tomorrow we have more classes, which I'm really excited about. Then I might go down to the beach in the evening. It's one of my favourite places, because it's a private beach, so there aren't any stupid tourists.  

Finally feeling like herself,

Rebecca

Lilyana - 'Fun' in Montana

I cannot believe how much fun I'm having in Montana! Its like I'm living here agin. I've been having so much fun with my father, I've missed him so much. When I'm out here, i know i'd give anything to stay here forever.

Yesterday, Rachel and I went on a day-long riding trip through Beckers Woods. We rode for a while, sunlight dappling Andrina and Moondust Racers sides. Andrina is Rachel's horse. She's a light brown bay with the sweetest disposition. She's really fast, and she and Rachel have won tons of competitions. Moondust Racer is the horse I ride at my fathers. My own horse, Cooper Cream, boards at a stable near where i live ion Boston, so I can ride him a lot. Moondust Racer is a light gray with a darker mane. When I ride her out on foggy mornings, I pretend I'm riding a phantom horse, born of the mist. When I told Rebecca that, she wrote me this amazingly eerie short poem. I never knew Rebecca wrote poetry. I would post it, but I bet Rebecca would kill me. But thats not the foremost of whats on my mind right now.

Yesterday, while riding in the woods, Rachel told me something that I'm not sure about.

"Hey Lilyana." Rachel turned to me, ducking beneath a branch. 

"Yeah?"

"I want to tell you something."

"Sure."

"Its really, really, serious."

"Go on."

"Lilyana, its...its hard to say."

"What s it?" I answered, not really paying that much attention. 

"Its about your father."

"My father?"NOW I was paying attention. What did she have to say about my father that was important? "What about him?" Oh god, what if he had cancer or something, and he told Rachel to tell me because he couldn't do it himself, and he's going to die and i'll be fatherless and they'll sell the ranch and I'll be stuck with mom forever! "Tell me Rachel, oh god, is he dying? Tell me truthfully!"

"Dying? No, Lil, of course not! Thats not what I meant at all!I'm sorry I scared you."

"Thank god!"

"If was dying, he'd tell you himself."

"You think?"

"Definitely." 

"Well, what is it, though?" I asked, part relieved, part annoyed, part scared. Moondust nickered, ad i absently stroked his ears.

"Well....I saw him with a woman yesterday."

"A woman?"

"Yeah, this pretty auburn haired woman."

"You mean...like, dating? A date?"

"I guess so."

"Well, there's nothing wrong if he wants to date again. I mean he's allowed to. He's not married anymore" I almost cried with relief. That was all? Dating? I didn't care if my father dated, not really. I mean, if he got super involved with her and forgot about me, or maybe if she was mean, or he wanted to marry her, I might get upset, with good reason. But just dating? No problem. Even if he wanted to marry agin, I wouldn't mid that much, as long as she was nice and liked horses. Its not like I had any illusions about him and mom getting back together, because I knew that was never happening. "Thts fine rachel. I'm glad you told me, but I don't mind."

"Thats not all." She said. What now? Where they engaged, or something? Was she pregnant?

"What, he's not marring her, tight?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then what?"

"I've....seen her before."

"You know her? Who is she? Is she nice? Do I know her?"

"No to all. Well  except the nice one, because I have no clue. She doesn't look mean. No, I've seen her around a lot."

"They're probably sleeping together."

"Not what I meant Lil, although yes, probably. No, I meant I'd seen her before. Like, while you where still here."

"You mean....while he was still married to mom?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. Whoa. If she meant what I though she meant, then....

"You never said anything!"

"I didn't put it all together till a week ago. I'd seen her around for ages, I just never connected her to your Dads girlfriend before." My Dads Girlfriend. I never thought i'd ever think those words, let alone hear them. And if Rachel was right, they'd been there for longer then I would expect. Longer then I ever knew.

"You think she was cheating on my mom?"

"I don't know. Who knows? Maybe. Ask him, Lil. You have a right to know."

I do. But did I want to? Did I want to know my dad was cheating on my mom? Well, at least it seemed serious. I'd rather my dad cheated on one girl he seemed to really like then a lot of girls he didn't care about, like some peoples fathers did. But had he? Had there been other girls? I didn't think so. But then, I hadn't noticed this woman either. How much was I missing? I'm going to ask him, maybe tomorrow. Maybe the next day. Whenever seemed right.

Lil 

Samantha - In Stockbrige!

Here I am in Stockbridge, after seeing a fantastic play last night! I couldn't blog last night, or in the car, because there is HORRIBLE internet service up here.I mean, no bars.  None at all. Right now I am using the WiFi that we can use as guests at the Red Lion Inn, which is where we are staying.

 It is so amazing here! There are mountains and forests, like the forest of Arden! OK, not really. but still. Miles and miles of trees and mountains and rivers and wilderness. Its so green! When you look out the window you feel you are looking out at something from a fairy story! Its magical, truly it is. It feels very different out here, not like Boston at all! The Inn is pretty too, very fancy and quiet. Our room has pretty furniture that seems to be swan-themed. Ok, a little odd, but still. There are two twin beds, and a huge bathtub! I mean, seriously huge! There is also a pool, which Andrea and I swam in. Andrea did headstands and flips, which, made me laugh a lot. She looked funny-in-a-good-way in her orange dotted bathing suit. I stuck to a plain blue Bikini. We had fun, we really did.

Then we went up the Shakespeare and Compony for the show. Oh my god, it was spectacular! The beginning was a huge storm, and it was so ethereal. There was stormy music and lighting, and nymphs with huge waves, and screaming sailors. It sent chills up my spine. Then there was Ariel, dancing and wrecking havoc on the ship. She was entrancing, with  blond hair that was beaded and streaked with blue, and a way of moving that made her seem so much like a spirit of air and mystery. I found myself watching her the whole night, utterly entranced by her movement, the grace that kept her in almost constant motion, like a true, wondrous spirit. She danced well to, as did the other nymphs that wore these great costumes. Awesome headdresses! At first, I didn't like that they had a girl playing Prospero, but I got used to it in time. She was good, and it gave the character much more dimension, especially because I've never liked Prospero anyway. Miranda was alright, But I don't think she was as pretty as all that, like the Prince says she is. We had so much fun!

Samantha

Lilyana - I can see the sky!

Its been so great here in Montana. I can't believe how much I've missed it. The sky. You can see the sky here, all the thousands of stars. I have gotten used to the city, but I'll always be a country girl at heart. I'd almost forgotten how beautiful it is, mountains bursting out of the earth to join the clouds in the caverns of the sky. Last year, in language arts class, I wrote a descriptive paragraph about the mountains near the ranch. I'll post it on here if i can find it. I feel it was the only thing that could possibly describe how awesome the views are.

I've also had a lot of fun with my best friend Rachel. It feels so great to be with Rachel again. We just fall back to each other so easily, its like I never left. Rachel is really funny and outgoing, totally the opposite of me. She's bouncy and very un-shy, but she's also very nice and caring and understanding. I've been telling her about the move. She says that I'm lucky to have moved so much, she's lived in her house her whole life! Well, I guess we all want the thing we don't have, huh? Rachel said wouldn't it be funny if she moved into our old house. I said yeah, right, that was so gonna happen. It would be cool, but impossible. Both Rachel's parents have big, steady jobs here. IIt would be nice though, to have her near me. But Rachel belongs out here, with the sky and horses and big open space. I could never see her in a crowded, polluted city where you can't even see the stars.

Lily

Samantha - Surprise!

Again, I find myself apoligizing for the bad quality of the pictures, the spelling errors, and the ipads general blogging ability. (which is bad, and getting on my nerves.) I'm not sure why it makes the pictures so big, but I promise you it shall be fixed. It also seems that I cannot do seperate paragraphs, and again, I'm sorry. That is beyond my control. But I will go back and do a huge spell cheek on the last two entries. Or, I'll try to, at any rate. I will try a new stratigy on paragraph breaks, but I doubt it will work. (It Didn't work, so here I am three days later fixing it. -Samantha, July 21st)
Today it rained. No, not rained. Poured. Heaved buckets of frezzing water down from a merciless sky. Andrea and I stayed in and watched some kiddie cartoons with Vernom. Ahh, the good old days of Bob The Builder and Martha Speaks. Honestly, i really hate Martha Speaks. It seems to me the epitome of a bad TV show for children. Boring. Then Andrea and I attemped to do something fun, but alas, we were thrawted by rain. So we had to wait around until after lunch, when the rain stopped. Then we went out side and enjoyed the lovely woods in Aunt Nancy's backyard. They really are lovely woods. Thick bushes and tall trees and a muffling carpet of decomposing leaves. Andrea and I had fun climbing the trees, and pretendind we were runaways hiding out in the haunted woods. Andrea scaredthe heck out of me by jumping down from a low tree brach with her shirt up over he head. She looked headless, it was quite terrifing.



Remember I said that Aunt Nancy had a surprise for us? Well, I did, and she does. She gave us two tickets to The Tempest up at Shakespeare And Compony, which is a play about a bunch of people on an island. The tickets are for tomorrow night, and we have a room at a hotel to stay in tommorrow to. Its in some place called 'Stockbridge.' I've neverbeen to Stockbridge begore. I wonder what it will be like.

Happily awaiting Tomorrow,

Samantha

Samantha - My aunt and cousin

Hey guys! Here I am at Aunt Nancy's! We got here around eleven, and Aunt Nancy picked us up at the airport. We all got in her silver minivan, and drove twenty minuetes to her yellow house with the huge lawn.We passed a lot of rundown farms and old houses, long grass wafting around broken shutters.  The streets here don't even have sidewalks! How crazy. When we got there, we found that aunt Nancy had prepared a fantastic lunch for us! We had chicken cooked with salsa, fresh italian bread, and homemade chocolate pie! It all tasted great, and needless to say Andrea has thirds of everything. Well, I had thirds of the pie to. Aunt Nancy is a very good cook. Aunt Nancy didn't seem to mind though. She likes feeding people.

  Aunt Nancy is really pretty and really young. She used to model a lot, but not since she had Vernon. I wonder if she misses modeling. I know if i were to stop actong, I'd be heartbroken. But i guess its like that song says: 'Can't forget, don't regret, what I did for love.' Aunt Nancy chose her son over a huge career. I guess it was a choice she made willingly, although I can't imagine it. I wonder if she's happy. I can't ever imagine doing that, but maybe I will someday. Who knows?

 We played with my cousin Vernon for a while this afternoon. He is so cute, isn't he? He has the most adorable hair, and the sweetest little voice. I definately want kids of my own someday. They are so cute! He's four and a half, which is a fun age. Is so easy to please him, and he has the gayest little laugh, its so sweet. He loves to play outside, mostly in the dirt. Andrea and I (mostly I) are not such fans of the mud. We played with him in his kiddie pool, and made monster noises. Andrea is not ussualy to good with children, but she and Vernon get along fine. Probably becouse they both like food and balls. Ok, that just sounded wrong. But whatever.

Later that evining, Aunt Nancy took us out to dinner at this quirky little place called the 'Frozen Gnome'. We had the most fantastic french fries I have ever tasted. Pure heaven, I swear. Andrea, of course, ate more then I think is humanly possible, whle I had a simple grilled cheese and fries. Then we all had ice cream. I had moose tracks, and Andrea had heaping sunday with a bizillion toppings. The Frozen Gnome was a really pretty place. There were a lot of flowers and plants, and even a really tranquil lake with a boat out on the middle. Andrea and I wanted more then anything to take a ride on the boat, but Aunt Nancy said its just for show, she thinks. Oh well. It would have been fun. It is so insanly hot here, I cannot beleive it. We have about ten fans going, but Aunt Nancy's house is roughly a billion degrees. Roughly. Andrea and I are to sleep in the guest room, which at least is fairly cool. Kind of. Ok fine, its boiling hot, but then so is the rest of the house. The room has a huge bed with pretty blue curtains and a white braided rug. There is a lovely picture of my uncle Tim,who is dead. He's been dead for four years, and i barely knew him, so I don't miss him. Actually, there's a bit ofa story there.nI'll post it on the train going home, its hard typing on this thing. And it will give you something to look foward to besides pictures of me and Andrea in Aunt Nancy's huge backyard. 



Samantha

Samantha - from the train

I've never posted from my ipad before, and I'm having quite the time of it. Give me a laptop any day! I'm on the train right now, Andrea sitting next to me.We have been on the train for about an hour, so we have another hour or so to go before we get there.

We woke up quite early this morning to get to the train station. Andrea is not very fond of waking early, so I had to go next door and 'encourage' her. Not an easy task, especealy at five thirty in the morning. In Andrea world, 'encourage' means 'Force her out of bed with a bag of chocolate." Ah, the lengths I go to. We stopped at a Duckin Donuts on the way to the train station to get breakfest. I got a nice simple blueberry muffin. Andrea got five donuts. I mean, come on, there must be a limit to her apitite SOMEWHERE, right? Well, not here, clearly.

Currently on the train, i have read three chapters of The Forgotton Garden, had a conversation with Andrea about last nights Bunheads episode, and ate half a snickers bar. I wanted to eat the WHOLE snickers bar, but a certain Andrea foiled my plans. When I got back to the bathroom, it was gone. Three guess's who took it! Right now, between typing and swearing under my breath at my ipad, I'm looking out the window. I love looking out the window, watching all the scenery go by. There are tons of trees, much more then in the city. I've also seen variose cows and horses, and a varity of Mcdonalds. I'm very sorry for any spelling errors, as my ipad does not have spell cheek. Huh. Strange. Anyway, i'll post again tonight.

 Tonight, tonight, I'll post again tonight!
 Samantha

Samantha - Packing!

Hey ya'll! As you all know (from my last post), Melanthe left for Ogunquit yesterday, with a lot of bathing suits and some very short shorts. Lilyana flew to her fathers on Friday. She called on Saturday and said that she was having a great time, which is wonderful, I guess.

Anyway, so tomorrow i'll be leaving by train to go visit my aunt and my little cousin Vernon in Connecticut. I love taking the train, its always so fun! I like to look out the window and daydream, or read. Or work on the blog, perhaps. So expect tons of posts in the next couple days!  Lilyana says that she can't read on moving vehicles, or she'll get carsick. But i know she's lying - I've seen her reading on her horse!I also love the hustle and bustle of the train station. Its fun, and exhilarating. I'll be staying for two nights, and will take lots of pictures. My aunt lives in a very woodsy part of Connecticut, so I love climbing trees and stuff. Its very different from the city. I can't say I love it, but I do like it. My aunt called and said she has a surprise for me! I can't wait to see what it is! Aunt Nancy gives the best presents. So thats whats going on.

Today Lily called and reminded me to pack, so I did.

At first, I was worried that they wouldn't all fit in my suitcase, because I wear a lot of clothes. 

But all my clothes did fit, thank goodness, including my new pair of purple underwear that I got at the American Girl Doll store a couple weeks ago.

I decided that i had to bring some books, because I can get very bored. I decided to bring my nellie book, and then one other. Honestly, i've read all my books. Maybe I'll have to go visit a bookstore soon, to get some new reading material. 

Of course, I had to bring Nellie. She's my favorite doll ever, even though I'm getting a bit old for dolls. I got her for Christmas this year, and i was thrilled! 

Unfortunately, after adding a brush and some shoes and some beads, my suitcase didn't really want to close. 

But it closed just fine when I sat on it! Problem solved.

Great! All ready for tomorrow, now I can tell lilyana I've packed and not feel guilty. I can't wait until tomorrow! Andrea and I will be on our way!  Oh, and Ps - What do you think of my hair clip? Its really Rebecca's, ut she's at a dance class and will never know.

Goodbye until tomorrow,

Samantha!

Lilyana - Here in Montana!!!

Hey guys! I can't believe this, but here I am in Montana with my father!

The plane ride was OK, it was also a little turbulent, but I didn't mind to much. We lifted off in the morning, and when we went above the clouds, the sun was so bright and pretty that it hurt my eyes just to look at it, even though I wanted to. During most of the flight, I read 'The Stone Pony,' which is probably one of my favourite books ever. I love the part where she realizes that her sister's horse's name was Orion mixed up. That made me cry the first time I read it.

My dad picked me up at the airport in his old blue truck! It was so good to see him, because the last time I'd visited was over Christmas break. I missed him so much. I've never told my mom this, but after the divorce, when they agreed that she'd have custody of me, I was very upset. I had almost fooled myself into hoping that i'd get to stay with my father on the ranch. Its not that I love dad more then mom, of course I don't. Not really. But everybody - EVERYBODY- would choose one parent over the other if it came down to it. And it did come down to it, and honestly, I'd choose my dad, not my mom. If it had been up to me, that would have been the choice I'd make. But it wasn't. I just had to go along with whatever they wanted. I love my mom a lot, but she doesn't understand me the way my father does. She doesn't really get my love for horses and riding, whereas dad was the one who first encouraged me to ride. She's always worrying about me, which I suppose is justified, but my father sees me more as a person, if that makes sense. He understands me, I'm a lot like him. If i could, I'd go back to Montana and my father for good, but I can't. At least i can visit, but its not really the same, is it?

I can't believe how little the ranch had changed in the time I'd been away. Everything was still perfect and beautiful and green. The horses were all there, and I almost cried. It felt so good to be home.

Tomorrow I'm going to see Rachel. I couldn't today, because she's still at overnight camp. But she'll be back tomorrow. I've missed Rachel so much! It will be great to see her again. I adore Ani, or course, but nobody can ever replace Rachel.

I'm not going to post very much out here. Firstly, because there's not good service, and secondly because I plan to be very busy. But I'll do a couple posts, and bring back pictures.

Lilyanna

Rebecca - The Idiocy Of Samantha

I don't know why Samantha has to be so suspicious of me. Its like she suspects me of - What? I don't know. Unless she could know about - No. Impossible. Lilyana would never tell her, and Lilyana doesn't know the whole of it anyway. So I'm just being stupid, as usual. Is it such a crime to go away for a couple days? Of course not, Samantha. Chill.

I'm going to Jessamine, Maine, for a week to attend a week long intensive dance camp. I do it every summer. We have classes all morning, and most of the afternoon, and then we can go down to the beach and have fun in the gardens and forests for the rest of the day. Or we can go into down, and do stuff there. The teachers are fantastic, and the classes are  super challenging. The town is also very pretty, and the beach is nice. We stay in little dorm rooms, and the building is right on the water. We can have a roommate, but I always request a single room, for many reasons. I'm not a very social person, to begin with.

So thats that. Nothing strange, nothing weird, nothing suspicious. God, Samantha. Don't be so stupid.

Rebecca

Samantha - Vacation Plans

Hey everybody. Samantha here to update on our vacation plans for the next two weeks! Lilyana is leaving for Montana to visit her father on Friday, and she’ll be staying there for two weeks. I don’t know if she’s planning to blog very much while out there, but she might. She’ll definitely bring back pictures, though, so we’ll get a secondhand taste of rural Montana. I’ve only been there once or twice, and not in the last two years, so I can’t wait to see her pictures. She’s super excited for that, because she hasn’t seen her father in a while.(Since Winter Break, i think.) She’s also thrilled to be getting back to the country, because she says cities sometimes make her feel really closed in. She’s also getting to see her friend Rachel. Of course, I’m glad she gets to see her friend, and its not like I’m jealous or anything. But, come on, I haven’t seen Nellie in almost a year and a half, and she lives in NYC! That’s so much closer then Montana, so…..What’s the problem, Nellie? Huh? And there’s Lilyana, prancing off to Montana to have fun. OK, Fine. Maybe I’m jealous, a little. Its just not fair that she sees her best friend much more often then I do, and Rachel lives farther away. That’s all. Enough about Lilyana before I kill somebody…..like Nellie. Just kidding.

Melanthe is going to her families beach house in Maine for a couple weeks, leaving Sunday. She says she’s probably not going to blog, but she might. She’s still annoyed with Rebecca, but she’s talking to the rest of us. She’s very happy to get back to the beach house; she say’s its her favorite place on earth, and Ogunquit is the best beach ever. She’s talking about inviting Robyn with her, which will probably be great for both of them.

That leaves Rebecca and I. I thought Rebecca would be going back to NYC to visit her family, but no. I don’t know why. Honestly, Rebecca continues to mystify and annoy me, by turns. She’s just so…..I don’t know really, just so unstable, maybe. Impulsive, at times. I don’t know what to say to her half the time. But enough about her. Where is she, anyway? Probably at the dance studio. She’s always there. Well, better there then here, I guess. Anyway, Andrea and I may go visit my Aunt Nancy up in CT for a couple days next week, which will always be fun. Nancy has the cutest three year old son, Vernon. I absolutely adore him! We’re not sure that we’re going yet, but we probably will. Then the week after,  Rebecca is going up to stay somewhere in Maine for a week! I don't know why she's going, or who she's going with, or who she's going to meet there.
"I'm going to maine for a couple days next week." Was all she said to me, in a bored tone.
"Maine? With who? Are you meeting friends?"
"Perhaps."
Thats about as far as that conversation went. Well....She said someone's picking her up and dropping her off, so I don't know what to think of that. Probably just Rebecca being Rebecca. I mean, she's probably visiting friends there. Well, lucky her. So I guess for a breif time in two weeks, I'll be here alone. That'll be really fun, I think. 

Counting down the days!

Samantha 

Rebecca - Ballet Class

Hey everyone. (I'm not talking about what happened a couple days ago, OK?) Things have been pretty calm around here lately. I've had the house to myself for a while. Its kind of strange to think that in a couple of weeks we'll be gone. I wonder who'll move in after us. Maybe it would stay empty for a while. That would be kind of interesting, I guess. Anyway, Mellie's been over at Robyn's a lot, shopping and doing whatever they do together, I don't know exactly what. She's barely home anymore, which is fine with me. She and Samantha looked more seriously at the Traveling Stars website, and Melanthe sent in a couple of forms. Not that they told me this themselves. Lilyana did. Recently, Lilyana's been making lists like crazy - To Do, To Throw Away, To Give Away, To Sort, to Pack- You get the idea. Its like living with a human graphic organizer.  I keep finding these litle sticky notes on my pillow. Some of them go something like this:

Rebecca – To Do #3

1.    Clean out closet (All trash take downstairs)

2.   Clean under your bed.

3.Sort out your clothing from ours-throw away stuff that you don’t want.

4.   Clean your half of the desk – Not Mellie’s!

5.   Start taking down posters and magnets

6.   Make a packing plan

7.    Are the bed-sheets yours or ours? See me!

8.    Retrieve your stuff from all over the house

And I don't even live here, technically! You should see the mountains of paper Samantha has! Its totally nuts. Not that Lilyana hasn't been doing anything herself. She's been in super-organization mode all day. But, on the bright side, we'll be really organized. Big whoop.

Samantha and I had ballet class today. I swear, being in the studio is the only place i can be myself, and not worry about hiding anything or pretending to be someone I'm not. Its so comforting, being in there alone. I talked to Madame Rosa a couple of weeks ago, and she said that I can go practice in there on weekday nights if I wanted - and if the secretary was there. So  I stayed later after Samantha left, and I just got home a little while ago. Its just so calm to be by myself, dancing whatever I wanted while the shadows close in, and the image of yourself in the mirror becomes cloudy. Its almost as good as being on the roof.

Speaking of Ballet, has anyone seen the newest Bunheads episode? I think it was fantastic! I'm not a big TV person, but I really love that show. Sutton Foster as Michelle was great. She is an amazing actress, and makes the show very comedic. I wonder if anything else will happen with the guy up the private road....I sense a romantic plotline soon. I felt bad that Boo didn't get in, but I didn't expect her to. It wouldn't have been realistic. Dance is a hard world. I'm finding myself liking Sasha more and more as the series moves on. The part with her alone in the studio in the last episode really touched with me. She reminds me of me at times  - but I really hope i'm more driven then her, becouse good as she is, she doesn't seem to care to much. But she's a good character, she really is. Her bitchiness and snark is what makes me like her so much, she seems like a solid with dimensions and a prospect. If they play this right, they could have a fantastic plotline moving along with Sasha, she has so much character potential. And I adore the actress who plays her! She is absolutely perfect for that role, I swear she has Sasha dow to the point that I think the actress knows more about her then the scriptwriters. I wish they'd do more with Melanie, though. She's a good dancer, and really pretty, but she has nothing in the story. They need to give her some action, and get her a story. I can't wait until next week! Oh yeah - And i love Sutton's clothes in this! And i'm glad they let her sing, finally. We were all waiting. But I'm guessing there's more to her dreams then what meets the eye.........

Rebecca