The Doll Wardrobe Final Round Photo Shoot

The final round of the Doll Wardrobe Curator's Game photos are up! :)  Everyone did a great job...be sure to go check out the final four entries HERE. :)

Here is my official entry. :)

As I stated on The Doll Wardrobe, I really wanted to do something of significance that was more than just a nice picture.  Since Memorial Day was coming up, I decided to use that theme.  When I saw "Wall" listed as one of the possible clues, I immediately thought of this local memorial and knew it would be perfect.

I did a scouting trip first to see the location and figure out the best spot to take a picture.  I also wanted to get an idea of the lighting and the best time to take the photo.

When we had an unexpected overcast day about a week later, I knew it was the perfect chance to get some great shots.  Overcast days make for wonderful photo lighting. :)

The photo shoot itself presented a few challenges.  For one thing, there was someone at the memorial when I was shooting.  I had Little Gal with me, so the fact that I was carrying around a doll, a stuffed dog, and a camera didn't cause the raised eyebrows it might have if I'd been alone.  Still, I wanted to make sure that what I was doing was seen as respectful and not a mockery.  Thankfully, my project didn't seem to disturb the man.  He watched with interest, and I explained a little about what I was doing and why. :}

The other thing I quickly discovered was that while overcast days make for great photos, they also make it next to impossible to see what shots you're getting.  No matter what I tried, I couldn't really see how the pictures were turning out because I could barely see my digital screen in that light.  So, I took as many pictures as I could, tried my best to center them, and went from there.

Another thing that was especially difficult was getting my horizon line where I wanted it.  The Wall of Honor was built on a slight downhill slope, so it was very difficult to get a shot without the picture looking slanted or cockeyed.  The bricks are still not perfectly straight, even in my final entry, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

One unexpected blessing from the day was the sporadic wind that started shortly after I began.  It captured a  bit of Charlie's hair at just the right moment, which is one of the reasons I really wanted to use this particular photo. :)

Here are a few other shots that didn't quite make the cut:

I loved the fact that this picture gave a better idea of the size of the wall.  However, I felt that Charlie was rather lost in the middle of everything, and since this was a doll photo contest, I felt she should be a little more of the focus.

This is the same photo I entered, but I played around with the coloring a bit.  I do like black and white, but I found that I preferred the color version this time.

I also liked the idea of just having the flowers at the memorial colored, but I couldn't manage to color the flowers without coloring a few of the brass name plates.  The perfectionist in me just wasn't satisfied. ;)

Here's another shot I tried.  I really wanted to make the photo seem like I was down at Charlie's level.  I think that this picture accomplished that.  However, Charlie and Rontu felt slightly off-centered.  I also didn't like the fact that a few of the memorial flowers were peaking out from one side of Charlie's head.  I would rather have kept them completely hidden by Charlie's head or have made them more noticeable. 

This was the other one I really liked...I came very close to entering it instead.  This is once again the same photo, although my entry photo was cropped to make the focus a little more on Charlie and Rontu.  I also played with the coloring a bit on this one (I believe I used the "Greek Islands" effect).  I really liked how the coloring turned out, even though it wasn't necessarily realistic.  On the day I emailed my entry, though, I was at my aunt's house.  On her computer screen, the coloring didn't look good at all.  I was concerned that it might not look as nice on other screens too, so I decided to stick with the photo that looked more natural. :) 

I took a lot of other pictures that day while I was out.  One of the other places I went was an access road near the freeway.  This particular little road is special to me because it is one of the locations for my story. :)  I always get a special thrill driving by it, because I'm the only one in the world that knows its significance...so far. ;)

Anyway, I took a few pictures of Charlie and Rontu on the road, figuring I'd use the "Perspective" clue.  I liked how this one turned out...

...but I liked this photo even more.  I loved how the photo gave the impression that I was walking behind the two of them.

Once I found the pose I liked, I played around quite a bit in the editing department:

As much as I liked this shot, I decided that I wanted to stick with a photo that had more meaning, so I chose to enter my "Wall" picture instead. :)

There were other pictures I took, but these were the ones I was most pleased with after a day's work.  Hope you enjoyed this "exclusive behind the scenes" look. ;)  It sounds like the results will be up sometime this week on The Doll Wardrobe.  I'll be sure to keep you posted! :)

Mother's Day Thrift Store Goodies :)

On Mother's Day, my aunt watched the girls in the afternoon and let my mom and I go kid-free shopping at Goodwill (thanks, Mimi!). :)  As you all know, my mom and I both love Goodwill, so it was the perfect mother/daughter outing. ;)  

I found a few fun treats that I thought I'd share with you.

First off, I found these two wonderfully illustrated books:  "Little Women" and "Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales".  Both books were just $2.49 each.

I already had a copy of "Little Women", but it was just an inexpensive paperback version.  What I loved about this one was the beautiful illustrations. :)

Jo and Professor Bhaer under the umbrella. :)

I already have 2 collections of Andersen's Fairy tales, but once again, the illustrations in this version were just beautiful.  And hey, in my opinion, you can never have too many fairy tale books. ;)

An illustration from "The Wild Swans".

I was especially thrilled to discover that this version included the stories "The Tinder Box" and "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep".  When I was young, I had a picture book of Andersen's Fairy Tales that included these stories and they were among my very favorites.  The last two Andersen collections I've found didn't have these stories in it.  I can't wait to sit down and read through the whole book. :)

For 99 cents, they had this unopened "vintage" (from around the 80s) package of Barbie cookware.  My mom thought that Belle might need some dishes, so she pointed it out to me. ;)

The set was quite cute and included everything here.

I think Belle approves of her new kitchenware. ;)

But my most exciting find of the day was this beautiful "Beauty and the Beast" ornament from Hallmark in 2008. :D  I remember really wanting this when it was released, but I couldn't justify spending the full price, and by the time the ornaments went on sale, it was out of stock.  I got this one for just $3.99. :)  The top is a little loose, so I probably won't hang it on the tree.  It sure looks great in my "Beauty and the Beast" curio, though! :)

The identifying marks on the bottom.

I was really impressed with the paint job on the faces.  Of course, it's Hallmark, so the high quality isn't really surprising. :)

Belle's face paint.  She doesn't look exactly like herself (as Oldest Gal, my purist, just pointed out to me), but at least she's painted well. ;)

The label on the front.  

I was pleased to discover that this was a wind-up musical ornament and that the wind-up mechanism still worked.  It plays "Beauty and the Beast" (surprise, surprise) and Belle and the Beast turn in a circle when the music is going.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I'll continue to plug away at my posts in draft over the next few months. :}  Lots more fun stuff to come!

Almost There...

Okay, so how many of you thought of Tiana when you saw my post title? ;)  I actually was not referring to "The Princess and the Frog", but to the fact that we're almost done with the school year.  Even though I know within a couple of weeks I'll be going bonkers with all three kiddos in the house all day, I'm still looking forward to the end of the school year.  The thought of not having to get three girls and myself up, ready and out the door by 8:00 in the morning is quite appealing at the moment. ;)

I know my posting has been rather flaky lately, and I apologize for that.  There have been so many school activities and last minute projects that it's been difficult to set aside the time I'd like for the blogs.  I'll also be cancelling Netflix this week which will *ahem* help tremendously with my time management. :}

My final photo for The Doll Wardrobe's photo contest is due tomorrow.  Right now I'm deciding between two photos but having a hard time coming to a conclusion.  Once all the entries are in, I'll do a post on my entry photo and some of the others that didn't make it.

I guess that's about all for now...just wanted to let you know I was still alive and everything. ;)  I hope you all have a wonderful day. :)

Doctor Who Part Two: Pics and Videos :)

When I started working on my Doctor Who post, I searched the web for pictures and videos to include in my review.  Then my review post ended up being impossibly long, but I still had all these great pics and videos that I wanted to share.  The solution?  Doctor Who Post #2. :D

First, a bit of melancholy:

"Doomsday", quite possibly one of the saddest things I've ever watched. :(  I cried so hard when I watched this episode!

Rose looks so pretty in this shot.

The look on Ten's face is so heartbreaking during this part.

Sigh...just so sad. :(

This is one of those scenes I was talking about in my first post where the acting is so real you have to remind yourself that it's just a TV show.  Billie and David's performances were just amazing.

A few pics from "Journey's End".  I have such mixed feelings about this episode.  I'm still not sure how I feel about Rose getting the "consolation prize".  Wouldn't you always be thinking about the "real" Doctor in the back of your mind?  At least this was a realistic option for her, though...and at least they had the same memories and thoughts...

A happy-ish ending :}

This scene from "The End of Time" kills me...every single time.

And now for some sad Eleven/Amy/Rory moments from "The Angels Take Manhattan"...

The Doctor's face in this scene... :(

"Raggedy Man, Goodbye!"  Another scene that made me cry. :(

Reading Amy's message...

And now, just so you don't spend the rest of your day huddled in a fetal position with your Kleenex, here are some Doctor Who-related laughs.  (This part of the post is sponsored by Pinterest.) ;)  I wasn't sure about the legality of copying and pasting from Pinterest, so I included links to the pins underneath each one.

Original pin HERE.

Original pin HERE

Original pin HERE

Original pin HERE

I thought it would be fun to share a few videos, too.  

I found this wonderful overview of Ten's Greatest Moments HERE.  

Alexandra from Of Trims and Furls and Furbelows has made several beautiful tribute videos to Rose and Ten on her YouTube channel.  I thought I'd share a couple of my favorites with you.  Interestingly enough, both of these videos features songs that I love from stories that I do NOT like. ;)  I think the songs are much better when applied to Rose and Ten. :)

The first video is HERE and features the song "Till I Hear You Sing" from "Love Never Dies".

The next video, HERE, uses the deleted song "If I Never Knew You" from Disney's Pocahontas.

Now, if you'd like to see some incredible but sad acting, HERE is the ending scene from Doomsday, in which Rose and the Tenth Doctor say goodbye.

I couldn't find any videos from "The Angels Take Manhattan" that weren't fan videos, but I did find a couple of the soundtracks from the episode.  HERE  is "Together or Not at All"...

...and HERE  is "Amelia's Last Farewell".  

The beautiful music in this series adds so much to the show.  It's so lovely and heartfelt.

And once again, here are some funnies to help you recover from the sad ones. ;)

Unicorn and Wasp Detox HERE, a hilarious scene between Donna and Ten.  I have to admit, though, the thought of kissing anyone with a mouthful of anchovies grosses me out, even if it's David Tennant. ;)

David Tennant's Deleted Scene from "Human Nature" HERE.  I've heard that this scene was completely ad libbed, which if so just confirms the fact that he is an AMAZING actor. :)

Hope you guys enjoyed these little extras! :)  Have a great day. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Just wanted to take a quick moment to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there. :)

I'm very blessed to have two moms in my life:  my own mom and my "mom-in-law".  I'm so thankful for these two godly ladies who have made such an impact in my life.  From long, heartfelt talks, to fun memories, to hours of free babysitting, they've been there for me in the good and bad.  I don't know what I'd do without them.  I love you, Moms! :)

I hope all of you, my readers, are able to spend a wonderful day either with your moms or remembering them. :)

Media Musings: Doctor Who

So sometime in the past year, I kept hearing all this stuff on blogs and other social media about this TV show called "Doctor Who".  Several bloggers who had similar tastes to mine in movies and TV shows talked about how wonderful the show was and how much they loved it.  So one of the times we had Netflix, I decided to try it for myself.  I got about 3 episodes into the first season and decided I just couldn't do it.  The creepy aliens, the outrageous storyline...it just wasn't for me.  I did skip to the last episode of Season 1 and the first episode of Season 2, just so I could see David Tennant as the Doctor, but even then, I wasn't ready to dive in.  Besides, I already knew from the reviews I'd read that the Doctor and his first companion had a horrendously sad parting in the second series of the show, and I wasn't sure I wanted to invest in characters that wouldn't end up together. :}

Then a little over a month ago, my aunt, who had really gotten into Doctor Who, played me parts of a few of her favorite episodes starring the Eleventh Doctor (basically because I told her I just wasn't sure I wanted to see Matt Smith as the Doctor...David Tennant was the Doctor I liked best...even though I hadn't seen much of his portrayal), and I really enjoyed them.  And one night, when I didn't have anything else to do, I noticed that my brother had a few of the Season 7 episodes uploaded.  I watched those and really enjoyed them.  When my aunt bought Season 2 on DVD and let me borrow it, I decided I should give the series another chance.  And now, a little over a month later, I've watched all seven seasons.  What did I think?  You can probably guess a little bit from some of my previous posts.  But to find out all the nitty gritty details, you'll have to keep reading. ;)

Disclaimer:  I am by no means an expert on this series, and I'm trying to cram my memories of 7 seasons (watched rather hastily, I might add) into one blog post, so all you Whovians out there are welcome to correct me if I get something wrong. ;)

Disclaimer #2:  I will try to keep this as major spoiler-free as possible, but if you're someone who doesn't like knowing anything at all about a TV show you haven't watched yet, you should probably skip this post. I'll be giving an overview of the characters which will involve some information about their part in the story...which kind of has to include the basics of why they left. :}

So what is Doctor Who?   In a nutshell, Doctor Who is a Syfy, time travel-themed adventure through space and time.  A 900-something year old alien called "The Doctor" travels around in a blue police box time machine (also known as a Tardis, and bigger on the inside) saving the world from all sorts of horrific alien creatures and inviting humans to join in his adventures along the way.  Trying to sum up anything else about the show just gets too confusing. ;)


Characters:

The Doctor
The Doctor is an alien creature known as a Time Lord.  He can travel through time and space and, in certain instances, is able to affect the things that happen.  At this point, his name is unknown.  He simply goes by "The Doctor".  He is a strange mixture of hilarity and solemnity, joy and sadness.  He can be the most kind and loving "person" in the universe one minute, and terrifyingly fierce in the next.  He shows mercy when he can, but again and again is faced with the horrible choice of taking the lives of those with nefarious schemes to spare the lives of the helpless and less fortunate.

Fun Fact:  I only recently discovered that the Doctor himself is not called "Doctor Who", as I first assumed.  The title of the series refers to the fact that no one knows who the Doctor is, so they're always asking "Doctor Who?" ;)

When mortally wounded, the Doctor can "regenerate", changing every cell in his body to avoid death.  This very clever story element allows for the Doctor's character to continue on even when the actor portraying him decides to leave the show.  In the newer series (not including the original series beginning in the 60s), there have been three "incarnations" of the Doctor portrayed by three different actors.

The Ninth Doctor

The Ninth incarnation of the Doctor was played by Christopher Eccleston in Season 1.  I have to admit, Eccleston is not my favorite of the Doctors.  I think he's an excellent actor, but he played the role in a darker, more vengeful way than the others that I did not care for.  However, he was good at what he did and had some "fantastic" moments. :)  If it were not in part for his performance and the positive reception it received, Doctor Who might not have gone on to be the successful series it is today.  I did appreciate his sacrifice at the end of Season 1 that led to his regeneration, too.

The Tenth Doctor

The Tenth Doctor (and my personal favorite) was played by the Scottish actor David Tennant, who donned a British accent for the role.  David watched Doctor Who as a child and at a young age decided to become an actor so he could play the Doctor someday.  That dream came true in the second season of Doctor Who when he took over the role.  He played the Doctor for just over three seasons.

Tennant's Tenth Doctor is a quirky, adorable, talk-60-miles-a-minute, just all around lovable guy.  I found myself rooting for Ten and Rose (his first companion) almost immediately.  Tennant also brought a lot of emotional depth to the role as well, especially as the seasons wore on.  I thought he did an excellent job of revealing the deep sense of loss and the intensity and wrath of a powerful alien being underneath the seemingly light-hearted exterior.  Plus, he has great hair. ;) 

The Eleventh Doctor

The Eleventh (and current) Doctor is played by Matt Smith.  He took over in Season 5 and is just about done with Season 7.  I have to admit, it took me a while to warm up to Smith as the Doctor.  I was so sad when Tennant gave up the role, and the hard thing about the way the show works is you hardly have time to grieve for the former Doctor before you're thrown into the storyline of the next.  However, as I mentioned before, it was actually some clips my aunt played for me starring Matt Smith in the role that got me interested in trying Doctor Who again.  I'm so glad I gave him a chance.  

Smith's portrayal reminds me of a sweet, friendly, yet rather bumbling science geek.  His performance really does grow on you.  I especially love his relationship with his first two companions, Amy and Rory, and the way all three play off of each other.  I think it takes at least a season to really become acquainted with a new Doctor and to begin to understand his take on the character.  In some ways, I think that's one of the reasons why I had a hard appreciating the Ninth Doctor as much.  I was just getting to know who he was when he had to leave.  The longer a Doctor is on the show, the more the writers have a chance to show us who he really is.  

Companions:

The Doctor always chooses human companions to travel with him on his adventures.  The brilliance of this element is it gives us a chance to see him through a human's skeptical, ignorant eyes.  It also gives a logical reason for the writers to explain certain elements of his character to those of us who are unfamiliar with the original series:  his companions are wondering the same things we are.

Rose Tyler

The first of the new Doctor's companions was Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper.  Rose was a teenaged girl from London whom the Ninth Doctor rescued from an invasion of department store mannequins.  (Don't even ask!) ;)  She accompanied the Ninth Doctor on all of his adventures, watched him regenerate into the Tenth Doctor, and (after spending an episode getting used to the change) continued on with him for the rest of Season 2, until tragedy separated them.  Their relationship grew from friendship to love, which was what made the episode "Doomsday" one of the saddest moments of television EVER.

Rose was one of my very favorite companions, although there are things I liked about all of them.  She was spunky and adventurous, willing to follow the Doctor wherever he went.  At the same time, she had a soft, compassionate side that often complemented the Doctor's impulsiveness and relentlessness.  She also helped him recognize when he was unknowingly being socially unacceptable (rude and not ginger). ;)  I loved the development of their relationship.  Her loyalty to him no matter what and his fierce protectiveness of her both appealed to me.

Of course, a relationship between an ageless Time Lord and a mortal human was never going to work, so I can understand why the writers decided to do what they did.  If you're going to have a beautifully sad scene, there had better be an important reason for it story-wise!

Martha Jones

The Doctor's second companion was Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman.  Martha was kind of the Doctor's "rebound girl".  She ended up helping the Doctor save a whole hospital full of people in her first episode, and was promised a trip as a thank you.  One trip led to another until finally she was officially invited to travel with the Doctor.  She was his companion for all of Season 3.  At the end of the season, she decided to leave.  She had fallen in love with the Doctor and realized that he would never care for her in the same way.

I really liked Martha, too.  She was just as loyal to the Doctor as Rose was, and was always willing to do what needed to be done to help save the world, even when she was scared.  I thought it was cute how she kept referring to movies and books during their adventures. :)  She fell fast and hard for the Doctor, but he spent most of this season still pining for Rose, often acting as if he didn't even notice Martha was there.  I think that's what makes Martha's character so relatable.  We've all been in a situation where we were "in love" or at least "in like" with someone who wasn't interested in us.  I loved the fact that in the end she was able to walk away, rather than wasting her life longing for someone who would never return her feelings.  Way to go, Martha!   

Donna Noble

Ah, Donna...perhaps one of the most hilarious companions ever!  Donna, played by Catherine Tate, first made her appearance in the Christmas special just before Season 3, "The Runaway Bride", when she was somehow transported to the Tardis in the middle of her wedding.  After sharing an adventure together, Donna returned to her normal life (sans groom...long story) and Martha came into the picture.  Some time after Martha left, Donna and the Doctor found each other again while both were investigating a suspicious weight loss company.  Their initial reuniting was, in my opinion, one of the most hilarious moments in all of Doctor Who. :)  Donna accompanied the Doctor for all of Season 4, but due to a series of events that would take waaayyy to long to explain here, lost all memory of her time with the Doctor and returned to her normal life once more, never knowing all that she had done for the universe.

Donna was outspoken, feisty, and not afraid to tell the Doctor exactly what she thought.  This made for a hilarious dynamic between the two of them.  Rose was a love interest, Martha was a fan, but Donna was the first that came across as a friend, the Doctor's good buddy.  While she could be absolutely hilarious, she could also pull off the deeply emotional scenes needed for her part, a huge accomplishment for an actress primarily known for her comedy.  

Amy Pond

The Eleventh Doctor's first companion was Amelia "Amy" Pond, played by Karen Gillan.  The audience first met Amelia as a little girl (played by Karen's real life younger cousin, Caitlin Blackwood), who had the difficult task of feeding the Doctor just after his regeneration. ;)  (Fish fingers and custard, anyone?)    

Little Amelia 

After "helping" Amelia with a scary crack on her bedroom wall, the Doctor had to work on the Tardis before it was safe to travel.  He invited Amelia to travel with him when he came back, promising to return in just 5 minutes.  Unfortunately, he didn't end up getting there until 12 years later...and so began the adventures of Amelia (now known as "Amy") and the Eleventh Doctor. :)  

Amy stayed with the Doctor for 2 and a half seasons until tragedy struck the Doctor once again (are you sensing the pattern here?) in an episode that is right up there with "Doomsday" in epic sadness: "The Angels Take Manhattan".

I found Amy quite enjoyable as well.  She reminded me a bit of Donna with her strong, self-assured personality, although Donna's was more an outspokenness due to insecurity, while Amy seemed much more sure of herself.  Amy and the Doctor grew very close, and even though at first she was quite enamored with him, their relationship grew into more of a strong friendship than a romantic one.

Rory Williams

Rory, played by Arthur Darvill, was another companion of the Eleventh Doctor.  He was Amy's fiance, and for the first part of the series seemed to be the third wheel for many of the adventures.  He and Amy eventually married and continued to travel with the Doctor as a married couple until "The Angels Take Manhattan".  

I really enjoyed the development of Rory's character.  He went from being the lovable yet rather goofy boy next door to a true man and a true hero.  I loved the beautiful friendship that developed between Rory, Amy, and the Doctor throughout the series.

I'd like to take a not-so-quick rabbit trail here and talk about Amy and Rory's relationship.  I loved the fact that Amy chose Rory over the Doctor as a romantic interest.  I was a little concerned at the beginning of her meeting the Doctor when she really struggled with her relationship with Rory, but I appreciated the way they resolved it.

  While Rose Tyler was one of my favorite characters, I always felt there was a rather reckless, "I love him and I don't care about the facts or the consequences," attitude about her.  And there were some pretty big obstacles there, as I've already mentioned.  Is it better to love with no care for tomorrow and deal with consequences when they come, or to love realistically?  Don't get me wrong.  I adored the relationship between the Doctor and Rose as much as anyone.  But I also loved the fact that Amy chose her sweet, childhood friend over the seemingly ageless hero.  It was so wonderful watching Rory grow from a boy to a man as the series progressed.  By the 6th and 7th Seasons, he was a true hero.  Not because he was fearless, but because he loved his wife and would do what was best for her (and for their marriage) no matter how frightening it might be.  

Our men can be heroes if we let them.  And when we stop trying to compare them to the endless fictional characters that seem so much better than our own normal, everyday husbands and boyfriends, we might start to see just how wonderful they are.  

I have to share Amy's quote about Rory, because I think it's so true to life, and a good one for all of us girls to remember:

"You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later they're as dull as a brick?  Then there's other people, when you meet them you think, "Not bad.  They're okay."  And then you get to know them and...their face just sort of becomes them.  Like their personality's written all over it.  And they just turn into something so beautiful.  Rory's the most beautiful man I've ever met."

I also appreciated how much the Doctor cared about their relationship, as proved in "Asylum of the Daleks", when he was worried about the fact that they were headed for a divorce.  Their reconciliation scene in this episode was so touching.

And how adorable that he can be such a little boy when it comes to them kissing and being romantic. ;)

Okay, now back to the rest of the post! ;)

Clara Oswald

The newest and still-current companion of the Eleventh Doctor is Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Louise-Coleman, whose past is somewhat of a mystery.  At least some of this mystery should be revealed in the final episode of Season 7, according to the online summary that has recently been released.

The Doctor first met Clara under another name (Oswin Oswald) in the future in the episode "Asylum of the Daleks".  Oswin helped the Doctor, Amy, and Rory escape, but SPOILER (wow, that word takes on a whole new meaning now after meeting River Song...I'll talk about her in a bit) ended up dying at the end of the episode.

Oswin Oswald

He next met her in Victorian London, this time as Clara Oswin Oswald.  They shared a Christmas adventure together but once again, SPOILER she lost her life at the end of the episode.

Clara Oswin Oswald

The Doctor then met Clara Oswald in the present day.  Now, he is not only determined to keep her alive this time around, but is also determined to discover the mystery behind this woman who keeps showing up in every time period, especially since Clara has no memory of Oswin Oswald or Clara Oswin Oswald. 

Clara is cute and a bit adventurous, but she's not my favorite companion so far.  I actually liked her better as Oswin (aka Souffle Girl) or even Clara Oswin.  Her previous characters seemed a little more interesting than her present character.  And let's be honest, Donna, Amy and Rory are hard acts to follow.  It is only her first season, so I want to give her more of a chance before I judge.  At this point, though, her personality doesn't seem very distinct from the others.  Rose, Martha, Donna, and Amy were all very unique from each other.  Clara just doesn't seem as interesting compared to the others.  Sorry, Clara...no offense. ;)

Other Friends of the Doctor's:

During his travels, the Doctor encounters many other friends who don't travel with him as regularly as his companions, but show up enough to be mentioned.  I could have made this section much longer, but since this post is already way too long, I figured I'd stick with the characters that have major recurring roles.  Sorry if I left out one of your favorites. :)

Captain Jack Harkness

Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman, appeared in 11 episodes of Doctor Who and also starred in the spin-off series, Torchwood (which I have not seen).  If I remember correctly, he was in Seasons 1, 3, and 4 (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).  He first came on the scene in Season 1, where it was revealed that he was a time-traveling con man and flirt.  He ended up helping the Ninth Doctor and Rose and fought to the death to help the Doctor save the world in the first season.  Through a series of events too difficult to explain, Rose ended up bringing him back to life and making him immortal, but he was left behind when the Doctor and Rose left the battle scene.  He appeared off and on throughout the later series and came to the Tenth Doctor's aide.  

I have to admit that Captain Jack was not my favorite character.  I've never been a fan of the over-confident, flirty charmer, no matter what the movie.  Captain Jack could be a sweetie, but he also was rather conceited and flirted with anything that moved, male or female.  I could have done without the suggestive humor that surrounded his character.

River Song

River Song, played by Alex Kingston, is a rather mysterious character who is still currently on the show.  When she first appeared in the series, she knew the Doctor but he hadn't met her yet.  She had a journal that looked like the Tardis, and at the end of the first episode she appeared in, she revealed to the Doctor that she knew his real name.  All of these things intrigued the Doctor, but he didn't find out who she actually was until much later.  

River Song also travels through time, but she and the Doctor don't always meet each other in the right order.  She has interacted primarily with the Eleventh Doctor and has a very surprising identity...which I'd rather not spoil for you here.  One of her favorite things she likes to say to the Doctor is "Spoilers" instead of giving him direct answers when he asks her about who she is and what she knows.  

River Song was another character that I had to warm up to.  For one thing, I was a huge fan of the Tenth Doctor and Rose, so I had a hard time when she was talking to Ten in such a loving way.  Ten belongs to Rose in my mind.  I found it easier to get into her character when the Eleventh Doctor took over the role.  I know it's rather silly, since they're supposed to be the same person, but I think of Rose as belonging to Ten and River belonging to Eleven. ;)  River's story really is intriguing, too.  Completely impossible to fully understand for a simple person like me, but still cool. :}

One of the saddest moments of River's life.

River and the Doctor during the episode "Silence in the Library", which is River's first appearance in the series.

Mickey Smith

Mickey Smith, played by Noel Clarke, first appeared in Season 1.  He was Rose's boyfriend and interacted with the Ninth and Tenth Doctors.  Mickey didn't stand a chance at holding Rose's affections after she met the Doctor (he wasn't as fortunate as Rory).  He traveled with them a for a short time and then ended up staying in a parallel universe for much of the series, partially because he knew Rose could never care for him the way he cared for her.

I really felt sorry for Mickey.  He was just an average guy, perhaps a little boring, young and inexperienced.  The Doctor referred to him as "Mickey the Idiot", which had to hurt coming from the guy who dropped his space box into Mickey's neighborhood and proceeded to sweep Mickey's girlfriend off her feet (albeit unintentionally).  I wish Rose would have handled the situation a little more delicately, but in her defense, the whole thing had to be a bit confusing and weird.

I appreciated the development of Mickey's character throughout the series, though.  Much like Rory, he grew from a boy to a man as the series progressed, and often had an important part to play in saving the world.  And of course, I love the added bonus that SPOILER he and Martha ended up together.  I'm sure they had a lot of empathy for each other, since he loved Rose and Martha loved the Doctor.  They both knew the sting of unrequited love.  Plus they're absolutely adorable together. :)

Jackie Tyler

Rose's mother Jackie, played by Camille Coduri, was another character that changed and grew as the series progressed.  She started out as a rather shallow, flirty and immature woman.  She also mistrusted the Doctor at the beginning of the series.  (In all fairness to her, one of the Doctor and Rose's trips took a year, so she thought Rose was kidnapped.)  As Jackie was exposed to more of the threats the world faced and saw how the Doctor helped, she began to trust him more and worked hard to protect him and Rose from others who would betray them.

Jackie's not my favorite character from this series either, but I thought her character was very believable and added a lot to the dynamic of Seasons 1 and 2.  I did appreciate how she and Rose started to understand one another better through the things they experienced with the Doctor.

Wilfred Mott

Sweet Wilf, played by Bernard Cribbins, was Donna's grandfather.  He had several interactions with the Tenth Doctor and encouraged Donna to travel with the Doctor and follow her dreams.  Donna's mother was always very negative, but Wilf always built Donna up and showed her how much he loved her.  He had a huge amount of respect for the Doctor and traveled with him during his final episode as the Tenth Doctor, "The End of Time".  Sadly, Wilf was also unintentionally responsible for the Tenth Doctor's regeneration.  

I really loved Wilf's character.  I thought he was a big sweetheart, and I loved his interactions with Donna and the Doctor.  Some of his scenes in "The End of Time" were so lovely but sad.  Between Wilf and the Doctor, I needed my Kleenex close at hand!

So now that I've spent waaaayyyy too much time giving you a summary of the characters, it's time to get to my actual thoughts on the series itself.  I'd like to take a moment to remind you, as I always do, that I am a follower of Christ, and this affects my worldview and opinions.  I realize that not all of you will have the same views or come to the same conclusions that I do, but I have an obligation to stick with my convictions as I discuss the positive and negative elements.

I also would like to point out that it would be next to impossible to point out every single thing from 7 whole seasons of content, so this will be more of a basic overview. :}

Positive Elements:  Themes of love, friendship, sacrifice, and doing what's right even when it's scary or difficult; beautifully acted; well-written; the Doctor does everything he can to keep his friends and companions from harm;  the humans in the Doctor's life often give him the balance he needs when in the middle of a tense situation

Negative Elements:  Some suggestive humor; numerous references to homosexuality; references to Evolution; mild swearing throughout the 7 series; God's name misused; frightening, disgusting, and/or disturbing "bad guys" (aliens and monsters), especially for a children's show; dresses with low bodices and/or short skirts, especially as worn by Amy and River; one episode features a Satanic creature; often times religious individuals or organizations are viewed as hypocritical or evil; violence

Would I Recommend it?

This is another tough one.  There are some absolutely wonderful things about Doctor Who.  The writing is gripping and leaves you desperate to find out what happens next.  As you watch the series, you grow to genuinely love and care for the characters.  Part of this is the screenplay and part of this is the incredible acting put forth by each of the actors.  There are scenes that are so amazingly heartfelt that you have to remind yourself that these are just actors and it's all just pretend (as you sob into your hands and search for a Kleenex). ;)

Doctor Who Hint:  This series has a way of ripping your heart out as you watch until you're sitting in front of your TV, bawling your eyes out as your relatives look on, wondering what on earth is the matter with you. :}  If you are already feeling sad or just want to have a happy day, do NOT watch:

-Doomsday

-Journey's End

-The End of Time

-The Angels Take Manhattan

I know there are other sad episodes, but those are the ones I can think of at this point that are so tragically sad that by the time you add the incredible acting and the beautiful score in the background, you're done for!

However, if you're acting in a play or something and need to think of sad things, or if you're writing a sad part in your blog or book, sit down, stock up on ice cream and tissue, and pop these episodes in. ;)  You'll definitely be in the right frame of mind.

As I mentioned in the positive elements, the show is full of examples of bravery, sacrifice, love, friendship, and putting others' needs first.  There are memorable characters and wonderful moments of happiness and triumph.  The relationships that develop between the characters are beautifully and realistically portrayed.

The show is not without its flaws, however.  I think the biggest bone I have to pick with Doctor Who is the fact that it's supposed to be a kids show.  Now, I realize that not every child is as sensitive as I was or as my children are now.  Still, if I had seen this show as a kid, I would probably still be in therapy.  Either that, or I'd have an extreme case of omniphobia (the fear of everything). ;)  I mean, this show addresses just about every childhood fear that you can think of:  the dark, monsters, aliens, werewolves and more.  As if that wasn't enough, it also makes normal, everyday objects scary, things I would have never thought to be afraid of as a child, such as department store mannequins, statues, a child's drawings, snowmen, and dolls.  I don't know about you other parents out there, but I don't need to give my girls a completely unnecessary fear of everyday objects that they will come in contact with constantly.  I have a hard enough time getting them to sleep at night as it is. ;)

As an adult, most of the creatures came across to me as more disgusting or disturbing than scary, partially because I hate slimy, gross things, and partially because the special effects aren't the most convincing.  There were some that were just creepy, too, like the weird clock people from "The Girl in the Fireplace".  The Doctor Who villains that I found truly frightening, even as an adult, were the Weeping Angels.  Great special effects weren't needed to portray how terrifying they were.  However, I thought "Blink" was brilliantly written and it remains one of my favorite episodes.  I was also relieved to find that I was able to walk past the statues in Walmart the next day without freaking out.  Apparently I've grown up a bit. :}

Along with the creatures comes some violence which is a bit much for a kid's show, in my opinion at least.  People are changed into aliens against their will, people and aliens are shot, disintegrated, eaten...and the list goes on.  Most of it is done off-camera or "tastefully", but it's still a bit traumatic.

Aside from the creatures and violence, there is also some mild swearing and suggestive humor sprinkled throughout the series.  In some ways, it's a lot cleaner and subtler than most shows since it's made for kids, but it's still there.    Along with the swearing, God's name is frequently misused.  There is also one episode where the characters are obviously misusing an imaginary god's name, as they often say "Oh my vot."  Not sure if this will bother anyone else, but I found it rather distracting.  I know I won't be able to remember all of the suggestive humor, but there are at least a few episodes that come to mind that had things I didn't appreciate, especially those involving Captain Jack.  Oh, and that one episode where Ten and Rose went to New New New New...New York ;) and Cassandra inhabited their bodies for a while.  I was not thrilled with Amy's decision to passionately kiss the Eleventh Doctor at the beginning of Season 5 either, and her implied statement that she wanted to do more.  Thankfully, the Doctor put a stop to it, but I wish they'd done without that scene.  River Song tends to be flirty to the point of suggestive in all her interactions with the Doctor as well, but at least for part of it MAJOR SPOILER........... she's married to him.

Another thing I noticed that does not seem to be brought up very often was the numerous subtle references to homosexuality.  This is a subject I try to avoid for the most part because I know it is a sensitive one, especially among the doll community.  I don't want to offend anyone, but I also feel that I can't in good conscience talk about this series without bringing this up, especially in light of my many sisters in Christ who rely on my reviews.  As a believer, my standard for truth is God's Word, and God's Word teaches that marriage is to be between one man and one woman for life.  I realize that many of you do not hold this view, and I understand that.  However, for those of you who do, you need to be aware that there are many positive comments made about homosexual marriage and homosexual relationships throughout the series.  It usually involves the secondary characters, and as I said before, it is very subtle, but it is still there.  I would say it's about the same level as similar comments made in the BBC "Sherlock" series starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which makes sense, since the two shows have a common author (Steven Moffat).

I will say that the swearing, innuendo, and homosexual content varied from season to season, and some seasons had less in them than than others.

I should also mention that the show assumes that the world began through Evolution, which didn't surprise me but I felt I should point it out.  The evolutionary references are brief and don't come up constantly, but they are there.  I also noticed that any references to religion usually were viewed as negative.  They did not appear to be targeting any specific religion, so I didn't find this necessarily offensive.  It does make me wonder about the writers' religious backgrounds, though.

Because of these things I've mentioned, I wouldn't recommend this show for everyone, especially my younger readers.  However, if you're older and you can get past the yucky monsters and aliens and be aware that there are some content issues, there are some great things about this series.

I think it's safe to say that I probably enjoy this show on a much shallower level than some of the hard-core fans.  I detest the icky villains (although I realize that for this type of story to work you have to have "bad guys"), and I don't have any interest in watching the older series or the spin-offs.  I also don't even try to understand the whole time travel/parallel universe/alternate reality/people being younger than their kids/people meeting people on different timelines stuff.  It makes my head hurt. ;)

I'm glad I watched Doctor Who, though.  I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed getting to know the memorable characters.  I don't think it's the type of show I'd want to watch over and over again because of some of the worldviews and just because I'm way too obsessive.  I would be lost in Doctor Who land. ;)

I had more I wanted to share with you, but this post is ridiculously long already, so I think I'll save my extra goodies for my next post. :)  Stay tuned!