Dear Readers,

Dear Reader,

When did letter writing become a lost art? When did it become so rare to stroll to your mailbox and find a letter amongst your bills and magazines? Did it happen when email came into existence, or did it all start when IM become popular? Is MySpace our Jack the Ripper, or is Mark Zuckerberg the true killer here?

Letter writing is something more persona and meaningful than posting a quick message on someone’s Facebook wall. Now a days, all one person has to do is hit a few keys and click a few buttons and voila! You have successfully sent on electronic letter.

Yes, Facebook and email have made it easier to keep in touch with friends and family. They have also made receiving a letter a special occasion. Imagine that you just received a letter in the mail. You take your letter and sit down in your favorite spot. You get yourself all comfy and read your letter. How sweet is it to think that someone thought of you one day and, instead of sending you a short, quick email or posting something on your Facebook wall, they took time out of their day to sit down and write you a personal letter.

Full sentences. Nothing abbreviated. No emoticons. Nothing misspelled. Something written in their handwriting instead of a font made to look like it was handwritten. Someone took time out of their day to let you know that they were thinking of you.

Does this sound better than a Facebook message to you? Does a letter seem more appealing and heartfelt than that email you just sent? Does the thought of reading something without an ‘LOL’ make you want to LOL?

Help me bring back the lost art of letter writing. Write a letter to a friend or family member and sign it, “P.S. Write Back”.

Signed,

Haylie

P.S. Write Back

Lilies Among Thorns Magazine would like to send each of its followers a Christmas card this year! If you would like to receive a Christmas card, please email us with your full name and mailing address to liliesamongthorns@ymail.com  We promise to not share your mailing information with anyone besides the staff members at Lilies Among Thorns Magazine.

Did you know that someday Haylie wants to be like Paula Dean?!

Footloose

Around twenty years ago, a great movie came to the theatres. This movie was about a city kid changing the minds and hearts of all the Country people. Well this movie was called Footloose and was recently remade. This new movie had somethings that I think made this movie better than the first. But along with the good things there were some bad things.

When City-boy Ren McCormack moves to a small town, he has alot ahead of him. Being the new-kid always sucks but being the new-kid in a town that bans Rock n' Roll and Dancing is even worse. Ren learns things about himself while working tirelessly to change this town. Will he suceed and bring back dancing or will he lose and be forced to forget his roots and everything he loves?

The remade Footloose was very good, it kept me entertained and wanting more. It sticked with the storyline of the first movie for the most part, only straying a little bit. Alot of the lines in the movie were the exact same lines as were in the first one. The main thing I liked more about this movie though, was the dancing. There was a more modernized style and sound to this movie that I greatly enjoyed. The dancing was insane and very cool. The part I wished was different was the acting. Whoever decided to pick professional dancers to act such crazy parts should have thought again. These people were amazing on the dance floor but when they were acting it just didn't play out right. Other than that the movie was great. I think if you watched it you would really enjoy it also.

This movie is PG-13. There is no sex though it is implied. There is a slew of cussing so a cussbox would really be helpful towards this movie. There is 20 S***, 10 A** and h***, D*** and B**** are used 4 or 5 times. There is one scene in the movie where Ren talks about having sex with two russian girls, this story is fake and a joke but he talks about it for a good three minutes. I give the move a 3/5

Did you know that Kari is passionate about things she loves and hates?!

Indian Sumer~ Emily Ciszewski

It’s perfect weather.

I view the world from my window;

The leaves are a blanket of orange, yellow, red and brown – like my Grandma’s old quilt.

The cotton ball clouds slowly moving over the sun, the light shadowed and then bright again.

Each tree speaks – warm barky tones whisper – ‘tis almost winter, but not yet.

I pull my heavy comforter from my bed and race out the door to the yard, lay it out on the green wind swayed grass and then fall into it – heaven’s peace must feel a bit like this.

I laugh softly – to myself and to my God, at the worries and burdens of yesterday. They are but a sprinkle of pepper in this life of cinnamon and spice.

My nose is filled with the scent of crushed maple leaves, a taste that is only savored when the wind blows over the land this way.

A whisper…a messenger touches my ear…here is his peace….he says….I sigh.

Eyes closed to the steady light – it’s warmth like the breath of a baby – I give in to his open arms and know – this is true love.

Did you know that Emily

Did you know that Jess loves singing?! There isn't a day where she doesn't sing!

Photograph property of Lilies Among Thorns Magazine. Photograph taken by Jess Mc.

Tricep Workout with Lea

Ask any girl what the most difficult part of the body is to tone and strengthen and most will say... the triceps! Of course, if you work the triceps, you have to work the biceps. These two are partner muscles, and to avoid being muscularly imbalanced, you have to work one as much as the other. But why are the triceps so difficult to strengthen? Because we use the biceps more. The biceps are just stronger because more of our every day movements use more of them than they do the triceps. So, what can we do to work our triceps?

Push-ups: Although everyone knows what a push up is, I'm going to make sure you know how to do it correctly. Your arms should be extended under you, but your elbows should not be locked. Your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders. Make sure that your whole body is in a straight line, that your butt isn't sticking up or your hips aren't dropping. Lower your body to the ground SLOWLY. Slow and controlled movement puts in more work because it allows the resistance to kick in. People who try their hardest to do 10 push ups as fast as they can aren't getting all the benefits of the exercise. Do not go so far down that your elbows are way above your shoulder blades. When you reach your limit, extend your arms slowly until you are all the way back up. If you want to make push ups a little more difficult, then try staying in your down position for a few more seconds than normal before coming back up.

Triceps kick-backs (with weights): These are some of my favorite, because once you really get going, you can definitely feel your muscles burning! Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees enough so that you feel resistance (don't let your knees go past your toes). With your arms at your sides, angle them at 90 degrees and, without moving your upper arms, move your lower arms back. In this position, it should look as if you've just pushed off really hard while skiing. Then move them back to the first position.

Triceps lifts: Another one of my favorites :) With your arms above you, grip your weights and lower your arms behind your head, then raise them again. This move is very simple and easy, yet very effective!

These three moves will definitely give those upper arms a workout, just don't forget to work out those biceps too!

Did you know that Lea has to eat the middle of her foods BEFORE she eats the middle?!