Walk

Hi, I'm a bunny!

2012-01-27T20:42:00.000-08:00

My lovlies!

I'm afraid you will only understand the title of my blogpost if you're a member of my [mentally insane!] family, or have seen This Video, which Noah simply adores and watches for ridiculous amounts of time.

El Padre [also known as dad] informed me today that he thinks the way I write on here is...what did you say, Padre? Cute? Funny? Yup. >.< I was also informed that I need to update. Are you happy now?

I suppose it wasn't all that nice of me to leave y'all hanging with Noah, but things have been changing almost daily with him. A few weeks ago he got MRSA in his bladder, then it looked like we cleared it up, but within a couple days of getting him off the antibiotics...the MRSA was back. And now, two weeks later, not only does he still have the MRSA but another infection as well. :-P And this is with antibiotics on board - antibiotics that "should" kill the infections.

Dang.

He's having some other issues too, just...really hard stuff.

On the happier side of things, Mary Faith is turning FOUR on Sunday! *wild sobbing and dramatic blowing of nose with lace hankie* She's having a Minnie Mouse party tomorrow, and is soooo excited about it. Her best friends Caroline and Edda are coming, as well as several other little kids from church. Mary keeps pretending to call her friends on a toy phone and "tells" them stuff like "My party, with cake, presents, and buloons!!! And my friends!" then she'll start giggling. Today was the climax, she spent most of the morning running around and yelling "One, two, free, FOUR! Tomorrow! WhoohoohooHOO!" She thinks, since we're doing all the celebrating tomorrow, that she is actually turning four on that day. No one has the heart to correct her. ;-)

In other news...Matthew, Will, and I have recently started watching Psych. o.O Oh my goodness, it's epic! We've only seen a couple episodes but, I swear, Shawn and Gus are one of the funniest duos I have ever seen. :-D And the theme song is pretty funny too, we love to sing along to it. Because, you know, we're awesome like that.

I just finished reading "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." Yes, folks, I read a zombie novel. ;-) It was actually really good, very funny! The same author also wrote "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters", and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". I promise, I'm not into zombies and vampires, but these look good! I mean, Abraham Lincoln vs. Edward Cullen? Lizzy Bennet the Ninja vs. a herd of zombies? Oh yeah!

I hope everyone is having a wunderbar new year! Until next time, dear peoples. *bows*

Walking in Truth,
~Hannah Grace

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! We were richly blessed by several of Noah's blog readers, and had SO many presents to open, with more to come!! :-) Plus, Noah is still with us, which is the best Christmas present I've ever gotten. <3

Have a blessed day!

Walking in Truth,

Noah

2011-12-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

for those of you who haven't read my facebook updates, or want details, here's your post.

yesterday, Noah went to Greenville to see one of his doctors because he's been bleeding around his g-tube. while he was there, my parents noticed he had petechaie on his chest and arms. usually, this would mean Noah would go straight to the emergency room. however...well, i'll copy-paste from my mom's blog, since i'd rather not try and explain it right now.

"Jeff and I and Dr. B and our hospice teams have had some very difficult discussions about how to handle future illnesses with Noah. Noah has repeatedly expressed the desire to be at home when he goes to Heaven, and has repeatedly expressed a desire to go to Heaven (not in a sad or depressed way, but in a very calm and peaceful way). The last thing we want to do is to get to a hospital and start a cascade of interventions that can't be stopped and end up with Noah passing away in an ICU away from home. Our current plan (and we CAN change this any time we want) is to treat any infections/fevers at home. We'll give Noah the chance to beat the infections with antibiotics, extra fluids, and anything that can be done here. If he cannot beat the infection, this means that taking him to the hospital would have resulted in that cascade of interventions that we are just no longer willing to put him through. It is such a mixed blessing having these choices in his hospice program - on one hand, it is great that we can choose to treat at home, but on the other hand it forces us to make so many heart-wrenching decisions.
We're making every decision prayerfully and on a case-by-case basis, and our biggest litmus test is whether we are doing something to Noah or for Noah. Last week he was in Greenville twice - once for a transfusion, and once for a new supra-pubic catheter. The catheter change was literally agonizingly painful and very scary for Noah, but we did it because changing that catheter every 4-6 weeks will greatly reduce the chance of another bladder infection and possible sepsis. He was incredibly, heartrendingly brave and we were very proud of him. We were also VERY glad that the urology office is in the process of setting up a sedation room so that in the future he can have some light sedation for catheter changes. It may not be ready for his next change, but should be after that. Even though this was invasive and hard, it was fast and safe and could prevent a life-ending infection.
I say all that to say that those of you who have read this blog for any length of time, or who have children like Noah, are probably wondering why on earth he didn't go to the ER and get admitted. 6 months or a year ago, he would have, but right now we are past that point. He lost SO much ground and suffered so much with this last infection and we need to honor his wishes and keep him where he is happiest and feels the safest - HOME. We are all very concerned, and if there is even the tiniest hint of something "off" in his labs, he will be started on antibiotics here at home."

Shortly after this, I went to sit beside Noah and realized his breathing was odd...like he was having hiccups in his sleep or something. To make a long story short, Mom came and checked his temp, called Hospice, called Dr. B., then she drew labs. Dr. B. and Leslie, Noah's hospice nurse, came out and checked him out, got him started on some antibiotics. Noah was rapidly getting worse, his fever eventually rose from 101 to over 103, he got all swollen, his hands went from cold and clammy to burning, he began retching, he got some fluid in one of his lungs...it was a long night. Dr. B. left about 10, but Leslie stayed until I think it was past midnight. Matthew and mom stayed up with Noah, getting sleep when they could.

This morning, Noah was worse. By this afternoon, both his lungs had filled with fluid, and his throat and vocal chords were swollen. We tried some medication, but it didn't help. Carol, the Hospice nurse who's been with us all afternoon [Leslie came for the morning], said that we could try to give him the medication one more time, but if it didn't work that meant his kidneys had failed and Noah would have anywhere from 1-3 days left to live. Currently, Noah is still not out of danger, but he is doing slightly better, praise the LORD.

I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to update again, but here is my mom's facebook page and mine. Feel free to friend either of us [if I don't know you very well, I probably won't friend you, so be sure to tell me that you're a blog reader so I'll know who you are]

http://www.facebook.com/kate.estes

http://www.facebook.com/hannah.grace.estes

http://www.prayingfornoah.com/

Walking in Truth,
~Hannah Grace

Noah, hamster, and friends

2011-12-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

I need to get used to blogging again. :-)

But I've been busy. C'est la vie, oui? Oui.

Here are some pictures with details from the past couple days. :-)

Add caption

For those of you who need catching up on Noah: we went to North Carolina a few weeks ago. Day after we got there, Noah got seriously ill and almost died. The paramedics were afraid he would die on the way to the hospital, it was that bad. He ended up being in Brenners Children Hospital [a hospital in winston-salem NC] for about a week then transported to his regular hospital in Greenville once he was stabilized. He got a new broviac in W-S, a double-lumen broviac, [which means it has two ports instead of one]. We though he would keep getting better once he was back in Greenville but instead he got worse. After spending a little over a week in Greenville, the doctors sent him home on hospice. Our focus now for Noah is not really "what can we do to fix this" but "what can we do to keep him comfortable". Please keep in mind: although Noah is in hospice, he is still at home, and if my parents chose to, we can send him to the hospital if he gets sick.

So, the above picture. Noah's double-lumen broviac recently started looking icky and the cuff [part of the broviac that is inside his chest to help keep the broviac in place and hopefully prevent bacteria from sneaking in] came out. If mom barely touched his chest, Noah would scream because it was hurting so badly. So, the Greenville surgeons didn't want to touch his double-lumen because it was "Winston-Salem's broviac". :-P Doctors. If they had tried to replace the double-lumen in Greenville Noah would have ended up getting two separate [single port] broviacs instead of one two-port broviac. Clear as mud, I know. It also greatly increases his risk of infection, which can lead to sepsis, which, at this point, can lead to death. So yeah, getting that wasn't really an option for us. So, thanks to Angel Flight [love you people!], we were able to get Noah flown back up to Winston-Salem on Thursday. He had his surgery yesterday and as far as we know everything went well, but Mom updated facebook last night saying that Noah was just really sad and unusually weepy over everything. :-( This is probably just because of the medications, they tend to make him either really hyper, really cranky, or really weepy, but it breaks my heart anyway. Noah and Mom will probably come home Monday or Tuesday.

Some light-hearted news...Sarah Elisabeth got a hamster! And she wants y'all to help name it. She likes the name Rapunzel, but also the name Violet, and yesterday she was looking at it and said "I really, really like the name Kit, too!" So now we have one hamster, three names.

Yesss....we stuck it in Sarah's dollhouse. :-D

So. What should we name this wee doodad? It's a Chinese Dwarf Hamster, so she's only about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long and quite adorable. :-)

Kit

Rapunzel

Violet

Sarah appreciates feedback. ;-)

Before we went to Myrtle Beach in October, some blog readers were there as well and on the way home they stopped by the hospital and visited a bit with Mom and Noah, who were there for a few days before our trip. They told Mom about the hotel they had stayed in; it had a lazy river in it so that Noah could swim! So they told Mum that they had paid for one night in the hotel so we could go swimming there. We didn't sleep at the hotel, we just went in the afternoon to swim and used the room to change [and for Dad to sleep with Noah, hehe.] and then went back to our hotel at night. In the morning we went again and Noah got to "swim" [read: float around on a tube with his alligator hat and sunglasses, looking totally epic]

Sooo, we really wanted to meet these awesome people, the C. Family. And then we found out they were going to be driving through our town on the way to Florida, so there was joyous celebrating. ;-) They have three boys and three girls, but only one of the boys and all the girls would be stopping by with the parents. Sadly, Mom and Noah had to leave before they came, but the rest of us got to meet up with the C. family at a resurant and then afterward I went back to their hotel room to spend some time with the three girls, Jessie-Anna, Elli, and Haddi. We had a blast; turns out I have at least one thing in common with each of them! So we had such a lovely time. Plus, they know the Seven Sisters, so if nothing else we had common ground there. ;-)

Dad picked me up round 10:30, and then the next morning we all [except Sarah, who wasn't feeling well] went swimming with the C. Family before they had to leave. :-) Pictures taken by me and Mrs. C.

the boys had some sort of epic water battle...over a ball.

Matthew's creepy hair after we went swimming. o.O

from left to right: Haddi, Elli, me with Mary Faith, Jessie-Anna. Taken by Dad.

It was sad to see them go, BUT! Next week they're coming back our way on their way home, so they get to stay a little longer. :-D Very happy.

Well, I should scoot. Elena is coming over today to make cake pops with Sarah and I, then I'm going to a Christmas party with some friends...

Have a lovely weekend!

Walking in Truth,

I can live this life.

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Edit: the video is now live! Go here to watch a video explaining Katy's latest song and how she wants to use it to help Noah.

Let me tell you about a dear friend of mine.

Her name is Katy, and she has this band called Fade To White, which I believe has the potential to become the female version of Owl City. :-) She's done a few songs so far, two of which are available for purchase on her website. Recently, on her blog, Katy asked for help and a chance to be in one of her yet-to-be-released songs. All you have to do is send her a recording of you, your siblings, your friends, anyone, saying

"I can live this life."

Why?

I can't tell you yet. :-) But I promise that as soon as I can tell, I will post about it on here. Meanwhile, go help my friend out.

Walking in Truth,

Mes chers amis!

2011-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

While on facebook this afternoon I discovered that my friend Phil {Felicity} was over at my other friend Elena's house. A three-way phone call was arranged which soon turned into me getting in the car and heading over there for a little while.

I love my friends. :-D

We didn't get to spend too long together, because soon Phil had to leave and her dad also took me home, but we had a blast. It's been awhile since I've gotten to spend time with Elena and Phil, so I was grateful...even though my jaw really hurts from talking and laughing so much. We took some pictures with a webcam, and I thought I'd share some with y'all!

Llamas! From left to right:
Me, Phil, Elena

Sweet Phil and me. :-)

being sneaky ;-)

me with doodad Cole, Elena's younger brother

Cole wouldn't stop staring at Phil! :-D

We also messed around with the special effects...muwahaha.

All in all, a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We should do it again soon, girlies. <3

Walking in Truth,

I'm an Authentic Person.

2011-11-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

I thought it rather fitting to join Abigail's party, especially since I just came back and might have some new readers, or just old readers who forgot what I'm like. ;-) This blog party is meant so you can get to know me better, and maybe learn a new fact or two about moi.

{taken by Elena W.}

First off, I need to introduce myself.

I'll start with the basics...I'm a Christian, eighteen year old young woman. I am the oldest of ten kids [eight on earth and two in Heaven]. I have five brothers and two sisters, who I am often caught referring to as The Natives. I'm not British but I call my mom Mum. Dad is just....Dad.

I'm both a romantic dreamer and yet I find romance cliche. I don't have a boyfriend, and don't plan on getting one anytime soon. However, I am head over heels in love with many fictional men and men from the past. Frank Sinatra is my one true love. ;-)

{taken by mum}

When I was saved by the LORD's grace when I was about 14, God opened up a door I didn't even know existed and I began to fall in love with writing. Before this, my Mum used to say I had an allergy to writing and pencils in general; I HATED it. Now, I've written countless short stories, songs, and random descriptions, not to mention two finished rough drafts and several half-finished rough drafts. This is my third year participating in NaNoWriMo, and I'd like to think it's my second time winning, but I don't think that will happen this year.

Other things I love: I take pictures. I have two herbal plants, Lemon Balm and Sweet Mint, plus Lavender grows wild in my front yard. I knit...and crochet. I have a guitar and love to sing. I adore my friends and spending time with them. I've been known to insert random German, French, and occasionally Italian words into my blogposts and emails. I'm an absolute history nut. Coffee, tea, and chocolate are all one food group and their group is the most important one. And there can never be too many books to read.

Want more? Keep reading.

Let the questions begin:

1} What's the nerdiest/geekiest/weirdest thing about you?

If my Dad was filling this out for me, he'd say my glasses. He likes to [nicely] tease me about them. The good thing is that he has glasses too, so I call him geek right back. XD But anyway, I love to research, like my Mum. One of the best ways to spend a rainy afternoon is sitting with Mum on her bed, looking up random things on google and Wikipedia.

And if it's about history? That makes it even better. I also developed my love for history from Mum. Now, if only I developed an appreciation for math from her as well...

2} If you could live in a fictional universe from any book, movie, or television show, what would it be?

Okay, I promise I wanted to be original on this one and not say "Narnia! The Shire!" or something like that, but I couldn't think of anything. So I guess it depends on my mood, sometimes I really need to find Narnia in my closet and other times I need to engage in battle in Middle Earth.

3} Little or big, practical or frivolous, what is one of your favorite items in your house?
The window seat in our family room. :-) I have this "thing" for window seats and this one overlooks our backyard. I love it so much, I could sit there all day. <3

4} Do you like animated movies? If so, what is your favorite?
Yes! Disney/Pixar movies especially. And asking me to chose a favourite isn't fair, I love too many. But here are my top five at the moment:
-How To Train Your Dragon. The music is wonderful and I want my own dragon.

-Tangled. Because Rapunzel is awesome, it's very quotable, and the music is almost as good as HTTYD.

-Bolt. Adorable characters and great quotes, not to mention *dundun* Rhino: the Hamster.

-Toy Story 3 [okay, all of the Toy Stories are great, but I love 3 the most]. I mean, come on. What's not to like about Toy Story 3?

-Rio. Mary loves to samba with the music in this great film. And I love it, but I should mention that after seeing it three times in a row while in the car on the way to Myrtle Beach it does get a little old. Still, a fun movie.

5} What is your favorite household chore?
Well, I guess the one I have now, which is planning the breakfast and lunch menu then making sure that's what we have each day. It's pretty nice and I like planning things out like that.

6} What's your favorite thing to get at Starbucks (or your favorite coffee shop)?
Oh, one of my weaknesses is a Starbucks Frappuccino. What kind I get depends on my mood, but more often than not it's either peppermint or java chip. And during the fall, I go crazy over their pumpkin spice lattes. Ahhhh bliss.

7} What is your favorite pizza topping?

Drool.

Ooh...I like a few different kinds, but I think the best pizza would be one with olives, a sprinkle of onions, mushrooms, and beef. Yes, that sounds quite nice indeed. <3

8} Waffles or pancakes?
Without a doubt: Pancakes. Especially blueberry pancakes. Oh yeah.

9} Do you like to play games? If so, what is your favorite?
I'm not too much into games, but I do enjoy them occasionally. My siblings only like playing Uno, which is only fun for so long, but sometimes we do Apples To Apples which I enjoy a lot! So I guess Apples to Apples is my favourite game.

10} Have you ever let anyone win a game?
Why would I do that?

11} Have you ever dyed your hair?
Um, no. But actually, I've been considering getting a perm.

12} Do you make your bed every morning?
I try to, really I do. But sometimes it doesn't seem worth it, because then some of the younger Natives come along and mess it all up.

13} Picasso or Norman Rockwell?
Norman Rockwell. Picasso gives me a headache. Rockell's paintings are so real and, for me personally, tell a story...but only part of a story. Mum used to have a big book with Norman Rockwell paintings in it [I think it's packed up now] and I used to sit and look through it, making up stories for each picture.

14} Do you like carpet, tile, or hardwood floors?
All three? Carpet for family rooms, hardwood for dining rooms, bedrooms, and hallways, and then tile for kitchen and bathroom. :-)

15} If you could put one thing in a safe under your bed, what would it be?
My heart. It has a bad habit of escaping without my permission and it gets me into all sorts of trouble. It's much better locked up and hidden away.

16} What's your favorite condiment?
Mustard and cheese :-D

17} Have you ever thrown up on someone (excluding when you were a child)?
Um...I've probably thrown up on myself a couple times. And I threw up on Dad once, but I was a child, so... :-P

18} What was the last thing that made you laugh?
I don't know. The last thing that made me smile was my dear grandma, Fifi, bringing me a Peppermint Starbucks Frappuccino. I tell you, that woman is an angel and I'm so lucky to have her as my grandma. <3

19} Think fast...what's the first song that pops into your head?

This one. But that's because I'm listening to it.
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So what about you? Did you learn something new about me today? Is there something I said that you can relate to? Let me know if you participate in the Authentic Person party...and by the way, did I mention that Abigail has all sorts of goodies for a handful of lucky Authentic People? So go enter now!

Walking in Truth,

What I've been up to.

2011-11-16T15:28:00.000-08:00

I suppose an explanation is in order for this blog suddenly disappearing? Believe me, it was aggravating for me as well, and I feel awful about it. Dad and I kept having problems renewing my domain name, and so I've finally given up on that for the time being and have switched back to just a blogspot blog. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes you or anyone else!

So, a brief overview of what I've been up to.

I'm going to finish posting the pictures from my Massachusetts trip on my photography blog, which also has a new name: Hannah Grace Photography. The template is currently a bit messy, but soon my sweet friend Lu from Once Upon a Time Designs is making me a new one. Thankee, dear!

While I was on my trip, my parents and Noah's medical team made the choice to put Noah on Hospice. This does NOT mean Noah is about to die, although he is becoming very sick. You can read Mum's post about that right here.

About a month ago, I was richly blessed by a friend to have the life-long dream of getting singing and voice lessons...and she's doing them for free! I've had three lessons so far and I love it. I had been told a few times over the course of my life that I couldn't sing very well, but my teacher has been saying otherwise! She's a precious Christian woman and I'm blessed to not only get lessons from her but have the chance to spend time with her.

Because of Noah joining Hospice, we were blessed with the opportunity to take him to Myrtle Beach for a week back in the end of October. God is SO good! We went to Riply's Aquarium, Pirate Adventure [a dinner show similar to Medieval Times and the Dixie Stampede], Noah got to go swimming, we had a lovely hotel right beside the beach, and so many more wonderful treats. Mum has done a few posts on that, and I'll probably do a post or two as well soon! Here are Mum's posts: part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.

The day after we got back from Myrtle Beach, a dear blog reader and precious friend to the family came out to visit us. Some of you may remember me mentioning her...Auntie Donna, or The Lady From California, who got me my guitar! She and her husband, Uncle Ron [they aren't related to us obviously, but they wanted us to call them that] came to visit us for a couple days. We had so much fun! The first day, Monday, we went to watch Dolphin Tale [great movie!] and then went out for dinner since it was Halloween [which we don't celebrate]. Then on Tuesday Uncle Ron took the four boys out, and Auntie Donna took Sarah and I shopping for our winter clothes. I got some smashing new outfits, they're so adorable! Aunt Donna took pictures and I'll post them once she sends them to me. On Wednesday we mostly hung out around the house; Mum, Dad, and Matthew took Noah to Greenville for an appointment so the rest of us just spent time with Uncle Ron and Auntie Donna. They had to leave early Thursday morning so we said our goodbyes that night.

The Sunday after they left our family went to Camp New Hope again. We had gone earlier this year, and after seeing how fragile Noah was, the people there said he could come again in November instead of having to wait until next year [usually, the families are only allowed to go once a year].

However, [and this is where the post gets serious, folks] the day after we got there Noah became very, very sick. Timothy and David had woken up with sniffles and small fevers, but since we were in the mountains during November Mum and Dad didn't think it was too serious. Mum and I were suffering from allergies anyway, so we didn't think too much of it. But that afternoon Noah got a fever which rose rapidly and over the course of about an hour became extremely ill. It's a bit of a long story, but Mum's friend Mrs. Michelle has been updating the blog for us since Mum wasn't able to take a laptop. I won't link to every update, but here's the first post.

If you read all the posts you will see that he is back in Greenville now, but Dad just got off the phone with Mum and Noah is still very sick. We were hoping he could come home today, tomorrow at the latest, but he will be in there for awhile now. I actually had my wisdom teeth [all four of them] removed on Tuesday, so since I'm feeling rather light-headed from the medications I won't update on here because I don't want to inaccurately state something. So, if you haven't already, I suggest going over to Noah's blog and either signing up for email updates or following it so you can get updates in your blogger dashboard.

Last but not least, like I mentioned above I did get my wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday. A lot of you already know this, but for those of you who I don't really keep in in touch with, now you know. Because of my small jaw, the dentist had to break my teeth and pull them out in pieces. Ouch. I'm very thankful they put me to sleep before hand! And, praise the LORD, for the first time ever they were able to get an I.V in my arm on the first try! Haha. I have horrible veins, they're hard to see [thanks to Mum, she's the same way] so usually it takes several tries and lots of painful digging around to get an I.V in. But not this time! I know I had lots of friends praying for me, God really gave me peace about it. I'm still in pretty much constant pain but as long as I stay on top of my medications it's bearable.

So! That has been my life these past couple months. It's so nice to be back and hopefully we won't have any more problems like this for awhile, oui? :-)

Walking in Truth,

Back, at last!

2011-11-16T12:26:00.001-08:00

http://walkinthytruth.blogspot.com/
To get to my blog, for the time being, you'll need to use the above link.

I'll update soon! And I am SO sorry for my blog vanishing, I had problems renewing the domain.

Walking in Truth,

days 1-2 [picture post #1]

2011-09-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

{warning: LONG picture post ahead. i haven't had time to edit/watermark a lot of these. so if you steal, i will hunt you down and kill you. understood? *wink* also, you'll notice that sometimes plymouth spelled plimoth. plimoth is the old english spelling, plymouth is the modern spelling.}

Edit: I forgot to mention! Today was my first blogaversary for Walk! :-D Hurrah! Giveaway, anyone? Maybe, maybe...

Day 1: Traveling & Plymouth

Grandma and I had to leave insanely early. We flew with the sun!

Oh yes. I love to fly. <3

At the Baltimore/Washington Airport. my first time in Maryland!

The flight from Maryland to Providence, Rhode Island, was short and rather miserable. my ears kept aching. :-(

Haha, Julie misspelled my name. :-P

Zachary showing off...

...and Ben showing off. ;-)

*shakes head* Boys.

Ben: the flying monkey

That night, we drove around Plymouth. <3

the house that Grandpa and Auntie Phyl grew up in. Those trees were planted around the time they were born.

Uncle John and Ben. No, John isn't short....Ben is tall. Very tall.

Grandma and Zack-Man. ;-)

The local candy store...AKA, one of Zack's favourite places. Basically, any place with candy and/or ice cream is Zack's favourite place. hehe.

Ben playing some music

Day 2: Cape Cod, the ocean, & lobstahs!

Going over the bridge to Cape Cod

We went to a beach at Cape Cod where the water came inland and made a little river that wove through a couple acres of ...basically, marshland.

Some crabs that a little boy caught and let me take a picture of...

Zack and I went clamming....sadly, we weren't allowed to take the clams home. And the smudge on my camera? A drop of water made its way to my lens. :-P

The OCEAN!

I took so many pictures of the ocean. This is one of my favourites; I love how the wave has been captured.

It was low tide, so there were a lot of little shells and creatures...I found this dead crab and made it pose. ;-)

Sadie, their dog. Such a good girl!

John brought some some lobsters...ahem, lobstahs, for dinner.

Yes....it was alive!

Yup, lobsters are only red AFTER they're boiled!

Did Zack get the lobster...or did the lobster get him?!?!?!

Part 2 coming soon!

Walking in Truth,

I'm back!

2011-09-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, dear friends and readers,

Yes, I am back! I've been back since Monday night, but haven't had a chance to update...as it is, I only have a moment. For those who were wondering, yes, I felt the earthquake, and survived Hurricane Irene. Thank the Lord, though, we were in the part of the hurricane that was not very bad at all. More on that little adventure later!

I shall give you a peek of the ginormous picture post to come....

Walking in Truth,

The Importance of Remembrance {guest post by Taylor}

2011-08-29T04:26:00.000-07:00

Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by history. Ancient Rome, the Dark Ages, Renaissance, Westward Expansion, and especially World War Two. And for the longest time, history was merely a collection of interesting stories to me. It wasn't until a few years ago that I discovered the true importance of history, even my own personal history, and why it is vital for us to remember the past.

So, why is it important for us to remember?

#1 - IT IS COMMANDED OF US IN THE BIBLE.
This is a pretty good reason, would you not agree? ;) There are numerous Bible verses where God has commanded one person or many people to remember something. God judged those who did not remember Him. He punished the wicked by erasing their memory from the face of the earth. Jesus told his disciples to take communion in remembrance of Him. The Bible clearly shows remembrance to be a blessed thing.

#2 - THE PAST IS A PROLOGUE.
In order to fully understand the present, we need to know how it came to be the way it is. To take an example from literature: in Lord of the Rings, if the Fellowship did not know the history of the Ring, how would they know that it needed to be destroyed? If they had not looked to the past, and seen the evil the Ring brought before, they would have no reason to care about what happened to that little piece of jewelry.

If we did not know what our country has been through: the war, bloodshed, suffering, all to protect our freedom and security, how could we treasure it now that we have it?

Our past defines us more than the present and the future. It is important to remember it.

#3 - HISTORY IS THE BEST TEACHER.
Romans 15:4 says, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Throughout all of history, we see a lot of mistakes that were made, and many disasters that came from them. The Fall, Feudalism, Communism, Titanic, the Great Depression, Nazism, the Challenger, Terrorism, the list goes on and on. All these events are tragic, but they also give us something to learn from. History is an enormous manual, showing us what ideas and actions work or don't work. From history, we can learn how and why mistakes were made, and from that, we can know how to avoid them now.

This is also applicable in your personal life as well. Often, the things we learn are through things we experience. The experience we gain through life can help us to make good decisions and avoid bad ones, since we already have learned the consequences of certain actions.

"History repeats itself" is a very common saying, and so true. History has repeated itself over and over. And in observing the repetition, we can know what to expect in the future, and how to handle it now.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Taylor is a sixteen year old Christian girl who is striving daily to be more like God. She has a God-given passion for music, and plays the piano, cello, and melodeon. She is an avid movie-watcher, and especially loves movies made before the 1960's.

You can visit Taylor's blog at Examine All Things.

A proverbial kick in the pants

2011-08-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sitting in church this morning, listening to a powerful sermon about how Jesus understands our pain and how even death cannot rip us from His hands, I decided to do something different for this post than I had been planning. No sneaking in the back door and spraying Laura's blog with silly string...sorry. :-D Although that was one thing on my agenda! And as much as I would love to post something lighthearted, I feel compelled to give a shout-out to strong people like Laura (you'll be pleased to know that I am keeping "Embarrass Laura" in the gameplan), and people like you, who face a dilemma.
The dilemma is this, dear reader. Are we going to let the beast of pain, grief, fear, physical or emotional weakness, the chains of this world, drag us down? Are we going to gather at the church doors, a bunch of people in a tiny slice of our world, and think about the funeral going on at another church down the road...or are we going to celebrate the entrance of another believer into God's warm hug and throw our arms out and shout for joy, shout for the fact that we are alive and we can keep plodding on? We, who are whole and blessed richly beyond measure, have no idea the kind of impact we can have if we reach out with both hands and greedily fill ourselves with the complexities and intimacy of God.
Reaching to God doesn't mean getting up at 3 am, diligently reading your Bible for two hours and translating it into the Greek before a strident breakfast of Special K, and then evangelizing to every aggravated person you meet in a given day. It doesn't mean plastering on a smile when company comes, or shrugging and saying we're fine whenever someone asks. Let's face it, man, we're broken. We're messed up people. We simply don't have it all together. But you know what? We don't have to measure up like that, gauged by our own or by the world's standards. We can enjoy the presence of God right here, in our brokenness and imperfections, and know that someday He is going to restore us all beyond our craziest dreams.
Maybe it's been a tough week for you, reader. Maybe you've been struggling to find a way through that valley; maybe you need spiritual trail mix, an injection of something to give you the energy to climb out of that ravine and brave the wilderness.
I want you to do something. I want you to actively search for God in the most mundane things that crop up daily, things you wouldn't necessarily notice. I don't know about you, but He likes playing peekaboo with me. However, I know that if I look for Him, I will find Him.
I want Laura to feel God when she smells that ocean spray up in Yankee territory (hope you don't come back with an accent, sis!). I want you to sit back from your computer and thank God for giving you the eyes to read this silly little blogpost. I want to get up in the morning and smell the fresh air, and praise God that our power didn't go out, and thank Him for that smoothie I carry around in my big blue thermos, and sit on campus listening to the chatter of people and praying that something I might do or say would reach even one of them for His glory. I want us all to stop complaining about how life isn't fair, how life has no joy for us, and start looking for ways not only to survive, but to thrive, no matter our circumstance.

Praise God for what you have; pray earnestly for what you don't have. Go outside when it's raining and dance like a maniac! Watch a Marx Brothers movie and laugh until your sides hurt. Brew some tea, play some soft music, and curl up in bed for a few precious hours tonight with a good book, maybe a childhood favorite. Give your little sibling a piggyback ride. Throw your arms around your mother's neck and thank her for being immovably dedicated to your well-being. Scheme of ways to brighten the days of someone you know, someone who is going through a rough time. Live without ceasing and don't worry! God is enough to provide our daily bread.

Lindsey Narmour (Pip to those of you unfortunate enough to know her well) is a homeschool grad, freshman and Honors Student at Virginia Western Community College, internationally published author, unapologetic caffeine addict, and literature geek. Herself, her happy family, and a increasingly fat feline named Loomis make their abode in in the foothills of the Appalachians. Ink-veined and curly-haired, Lindsey stubbornly pursues a career in print investigative journalism and English, reads as if books are going out of fashion, and freelances (the latter of which may be pared as homework increases). Do drop by and pay your regards.

A few photography tips [guest post by Anna]

2011-08-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm Anna for How's YOUR Focus?. I shall do my very best to write a post that actually makes sense. Just a quick note, I shoot with a DSLR, and I haven't used a point and shoot camera in quite a while. So if I talk about confusing things you've never heard of [which I will try not to] that's why =)

#1 : Watch the weather : If you're planning on doing an outside photo shoot, you might want to watch the weather. If its overcast, simply keep the sky out of your photo as much as possible. [Unless you are wanting an overcast sky as a background] When its overcast, black and white photos can turn out really well, and the color is more pleasing.

#2 Camera Flash : Most of the time you'll be using your camera flash when taking portraits. When you do use your flash, its best to try and keep your subject away from walls, especially light colored ones, if at all possible.

#3 : Direction of lighting : The direction of light falling on your subject is very important. You should look closely and see how the shadows fall. I've found its best to shoot in the early morning or late afternoon. Taking pictures of people when the sun is high in the sky, usually tends to shadow your subjects eyes. and/or you and your subject will be squinting in the strong light.

#4 : Eye Contact : Direct eye contact in a portrait shows intensity of a personality, while having your subject look away from the camera toward a certain object or distant spot usually portrays contemplation. It can also draw your viewers attention to other spots in the picture.

#5 : Turning the camera on its side : This always feels incredibly awkward to me, but sometimes you want your entire subject in the picture. You can waste so much picture space if you shoot in landscape. [unless you actually want the landscape in the background]

Thanks for reading =]

In Christ

-Anna

About Me : My name is Anna. I'm a Christian living out in the country, Oklahoma to be exact- where it gets to be 115+ degrees. I enjoy photography immensely [someday I'll have a website up..] Some of my other interests include - writing, music [I play the piano and violin] reading and German. You can learn more about me over at my blog : How's YOUR Focus? or go to my Flickr page to view my photos.

10 Things I Love, And That Make Me Happy {guest post by Bekah}

2011-08-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! This is Bekah & I am delighted to be guest-posting on a dear friend's blog, but I should warn you~ this is my first time guest-posting, so things may not be quite right. *grins* Hannah & I decided I should do a completely random post, so random it is! I'm simply going to share with you 10 things I love & that never fail to make me smile.One note: All the photos except the mouse one are taken by yours truly. Ready?

1. Gorgeous Flowers. Don't these make you suck in your breath with awe?

2. An Adorable Photo. This mouse is too sweet.... Hannah Grace shared it with me, but sadly, neither of us can take the credit for taking it.

3. Journals. I love to journal... I love starting a new journal... I love buying & collecting journals... in short, I simply LOVE journals!

4. I love fortune cookies! I eat one nearly every day & it is perfect dipped in jasmine green tea. Mmmm!

5. I love the Psalms. They become more dear to me each passing year...so full of hope and comfort, as well as instruction and wise counsel.

6. I love dolphins. They truly are amazing creatures! This one is made out of simple plastic, but the light shines through him creating a neat effect on my dresser.

7. I love the sun... the sun setting... the sun rising... or just the sun shining cheerfully in a blue sky!

8. I not only love books, I am OBSESSED with books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9. I love jewelry, especially of the Vintage variety.

10. I love teacups & pots. This teacup belonged to my Grandma. She passed away 2 years ago, so it's extra special!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Above: Yep, that's me! I am a not-so-average, passionate, bold, spunky, old-fashioned, Christian young woman. I dream about being a famous author & hope to make a difference in this ol' world.You may have heard of me before~ I get around. *winks* Feel free to come find me over at For Such A Time As This Press (my personal blog is on there) & Modest Fashion (my fashion blog). Or feel free to stop by my Youtube Channel!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza Recipe {guest post by Nela}

2011-08-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! :) I'm Nela from "Beloved Star" , and today I'm going to share with you a recipe that I made for a local event recently. This recipe wasn't hard to make and was fairly quick too. If your looking for something to serve for dessert after dinner, or you just have a craving for something 'chocolaty', then this is the recipe for you. ;) Enjoy!

25Yield: 14-16 slices. Prep: 25 min. Bake: 15 min. + cooling
25 Ingredients:
1 tube (16-1/2 ounces) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (softened or cubed)
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups cold half-and-half cream
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts *see bottom for recommendations*

Directions:

Press cookie dough onto an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes; gently run a flexible metal spatula under crust to loosen. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until blended.

Spread over crust.

In a large bowl, whisk cream and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

Spread over cream cheese mixture;

sprinkle with nuts. (If you happen to don't like, or are allergic to nuts, you can use other toppings like: chocolate sprinkles, chopped Oreos, chocolate chips, or a white or chocolate glaze, whatever as long if its yummy. ;) ) Refrigerate until serving. Bon Appétit!

Here's the printable recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza

About me:

I'm a 17 year-old country girl who loves to cook, clean, take photos, ride horses, organize, work, blog, read, write, bake, and worship the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, Jesus Christ. :)

You can find my blog here at "Beloved Star".

DIY Country Cottage Pillow {Guest Post by Ebee}

2011-08-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Country cottage seems to be a pretty popular style right now. At least, that's what I look for when I look for interior design inspiration! The great thing about this style is that it consists of vintage, or vintage-looking things that you can often make yourself! The web is full of great tutorials that are just waiting to be made.

Here's an idea that I came up with a week or two ago that will add a touch of country cottage flair to any corner of your home. Let's get started!

First, gather your materials together. I chose to use a pillow that I already have, and a few pieces of discarded clothing. The blue is a pair of pajama pants that had seen better days, but had a lovely softness to it that I couldn't throw away. The red floral is a blouse that I decided I wouldn't wear anymore. The absolutely wonderful thing about this style is that you can use whatever is handy that would look good together! The country cottage image is not a picky one.

1. Measure your original pillow across it's width and length. You'll want to keep those measurements in mind as you create you pieces.

2. Cut the legs off of the pants and cut a long rectangular shape out of one of the legs, using both layers. This will be the side panels of your front. Try not to cut it any shorter than you have to; any extra length with look great when it's all gathered together!

3. Cut a piece out of your floral fabric that will be long enough to cover one side of your pillow and then some. It's always better to cut it too long than too short. Lay your pieces over your pillow to help you visualize what you need to do next.

4. Gather both long edges of your side panels until it measures the width of your pillow, and secure the thread so that the pieces don't flatten out again. Sew the side panels to the center panel, making sure that your gathers are fairly spaced.

5. There are two options when you get to this step. Either make one, large, square piece to cover the back, or cut two pieces and sew them together to make a sham. I chose to make a sham. Simply measure how long you want your two pieces to be, and sew them to the back of your finished front!

6. When all four sides have been sewn together, turn the sham inside-out, and tug it over your old pillow.

There you have it! Toss it onto a bed, couch, or even into a corner and enjoy it's charm.

Are you a TRUE friend? {guest post by Lucia}

2011-08-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

A True Friend...

...Gives instead of takes. Instead of always thinking of yourself and your feelings/preferences, ask your friend what they would like in the questionable matter.

...Looks past faults. Don't focus on your friend's flaws--more than likely YOU have just as many! =) Instead, focus on her talents and good traits, always striving to compliment her and uplift her.

...Doesn't love when fame strikes. Don't be a fickle friend! Many people ignore others until the one in question is suddenly featured/popular, and THEN shows favoritism. Bad idea!

...Refuses to assume. Many friendships are broken because of misunderstandings and "assumed" faults that were never there. Don't constantly say, "Did I offend you somehow? What have I done? Why were you so quiet yesterday?"...Chances are it's all in your imagination! =D

...Is ready to forgive and forget. If there is a quarrel, don't let the sun go down on your anger. Be there for her and assure her of your forgiveness, even if it doens't go vice-versa.

...Stands up for what's right. Don't back off if your friend is being made fun of. That's not true friendship!

...Is always a friend. Turning a stiff shoulder to your friend one day and talking warmly to her the next is confusing, and draws you apart.

...Always inludes. If you have many friends, one or two might feel left out at a gathering, or if one of your other friends is especially controlling. Make an effort to include ALL, and give hugs and invitations to next fun times all around!

...Controls her tongue. Bite back stinging remarks and put-downs, even if they are deserved. You both will regret it in the end, and it stirs up hornets' nests! =9

...Prays for her friends. Ask the LORD what you can do to strengthen your friendships, and heal broken bonds, while at the same time honoring Him in all you do and say to your friend.

"A friend loves at all times..."

{Proverbs 17:17}

------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucia Marie: fifteen-going-on-sixteen, Jesus-lover, piano player, photographer-in-training and aspiring home maker/princess. Blonde hair, blue-grey eyes, and the goal never to let a day pass without a good laugh...
Lucia blogs at Umbrella Girl
and designs blogs at La Lemonada

Introducing Robin Hood {guest post by Sky}

2011-08-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I'm privileged to be here to officially kick off Hannah Grace's week or two of guest posters! :) To start, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Kylie, affectionately nicknamed Sky, and I blog over at Further Up and Further In. I blog about anything from my novels to my music, and overall my Savior who gives me reason to breathe.

I also just put on a pair of nerd glasses in order to help me write this post. Why, you may ask? Because I'm a nerd of many things. Simply put, I have a lot of fandoms. From Narnia to Owl City to Lord of the Rings, my fandoms are numerous.

One such fandom is what I'm here to talk to you about today. It all started last summer when my friend Georgie Penn told me about this show called Robin Hood that she was watching. Well, she more than just told me about it - she raved about it. She showed me pictures, told me all the characters' names, and talked about it. A lot. So it was that before I even watched the show, I knew who every character was and knew quite a bit about the plot. (I was a bit spoiled, what can I say?) As much as I thought it would be a good show, I wasn't completely sold on it yet, though. I had it accessible on Netflix, but I never really took the time to watch it. I decided I'd watch it eventually when I had the time.

A couple months passed, and Georgie Penn and her family came to my house to spend a couple days with us. (She lived out of state but was conveniently driving through my state at the time.) As it so happened, we decided to watch the first episode of Robin Hood. Sadly, Georgie's sister Ebee's computer shut down and so we didn't get to watch all of it.

Then an entire year went by. Suddenly, I was bored and randomly got the urge to watch Robin Hood. So, I turned on my TV. I sat down. And I watched. I was hooked from then on, and even dragged my brother into the fandom as well. We spent the entire summer watching an episode each night. I loved it.

"I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob." ~ Veggie Tales

And then, it happened. The series ended. Cut tragically too short because a lot of the actors wanted out and the show's popularity plummeted, BBC Robin Hood had about three seasons before dying a miserable death. It was scheduled to have a fourth season but was sadly cancelled due to lowered popularity. After the second season, things went downhill. Several of the characters left - my favorite characters; ones I dearly loved. I continued on to the third season, and ended up liking it, but things were never the same again.

In spite of all this, I still remain a devoted Hoodie. Why? Because it's a good show. Not every TV show is perfect, and Robin Hood is no different. Yet I'd still recommend it, because even though there were a few bad episodes (and one bad season), the good greatly outweighs the bad. The characters are endearing, the storyline is unique, and it's unlike any other show I've seen.

L-R: Much, Little John, Robin, Allan, Djaq, and Will

[Picture found on the site RobinHood2006, which no longer exists.]

Robin, in all his outlaw glory, manages to charm you in spite of his ruggish looks and unusual ways. His bow rarely misses, if ever. He has unusual superhuman skills in that he rarely ever gets caught, and if he does, he always knows how to escape. After all, he always seems to have a plan... or at least half a plan.

Marian is staunchly determined. At times she disagrees with Robin, and at others she completely supports him. She's torn between loyalty to her father and the love she has for Robin, as well as being caught in an intense war of politics and loyalties. Her heart longs to help the outlaws, but she can't do so openly. Instead, she is forced to play the part of a lady by day and a completely different role at night.

Will Scarlett is a man of few words. Then again, if the old adage is true, his actions speak more than words ever could. He joins Robin's gang after Robin saves his life, and stands strong till the end. He's armed with a menacing-looking axe and his carpentry skills - not to mention his fearless loyalty and compassionate heart.

Ah, Allan A Dale. Where do I start? Allan was accidentally inducted into the gang after a narrow scrape. Now he fully supports Robin's cause. Mostly. He's got a quick mind and an even quicker tongue, and has quite a past. Let's just say he lives up to his outlaw name. Nevertheless, there's something strangely endearing about him, and he's personally my favorite member of the gang (besides Will).

Much is Robin's faithful manservant who served by his side in the Holy Land. In return, Robin gave Much his freedom. They still remain good companions to this day and have an unbreakable bond due to the terrible things they saw in the Holy Land. Much is the gang's cook and hopes that what he makes turns out at least somewhat edible. He also can be a bit slow and is the brunt of the gang's many jokes. Still, he'd die for Robin - and any of his other friends - and this makes him a good companion in my book.

Djaq. She's a Saracen, which makes her different from anyone else. She's also the only girl in the gang, and rightly so. She earned her place there after an incident at Guy of Gisbourne's mine... but that's another story for another time. She's strong, determined, and talented with a sword. What more could you want in an outlaw?

Little John used to be the head guy until Robin came along and stole his thunder. Now they work together and make a really great team. He's very strong, both physically and mentally, and is of the opinion that everyday is "a good day to die."

The Sheriff of Nottingham & Guy of Gisbourne are a very dynamic duo. Literally. They terrorize poor Nottingham like crazy and enjoy every minute of it. Can you say "evul"? A clue: no.

This motley group constitutes Robin Hood, and they will steal your heart. The plot will take you away to England, where outlaws are trying to bring justice back to the land. And the show just might become one of your favorites. It did for me.

After all, who doesn't love Robin Hood?

P.S. - I'm still wearing my nerd glasses. ;)

All Robin Hood avatars were found here, made by two of my good friends. Please visit their site and read their terms of use before you use the graphics.

About Me: I have been redeemed in the most beautiful public display of affection that the world has ever known. I'm a writer, and I won't ever be able to stop melding words into my creations. I love my mp3 player, music, and strumming my acoustic guitar. I'm a fan of Robin Hood, Narnia, Owl City, LotR, Tangled, and olive green vans. Oh, and I'm a hobbit in disguise. Just so you know.

You can find me blogging @ Further Up and Further In, and also connect with me on Twitter. I'd love to hear from you!

my epic news

2011-08-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

Come fly with me, let's take off in the blue/Once I get you up there/Where the air is rarefied/We'll just glide/Starry-eyed/Once I get you up there/I'll be holding you so near/You may hear/Angels cheer, 'cause we're together...

-Frank Sinatra {come fly with me}

I am extremely excited. Over the top, going to explode, dying of bliss kind of excited.

Want to know why?

I AM GOING TO MASSACHUSETTS ON THE 19TH AND I'LL BE GONE FOR TEN DAYS YES YES YESSSSS!!!!

If you know me well enough, you know that I love to fly. SO, not only am I over the top excited about going to MA, but Grandma and I will be FLYING THERE. Dude. I think I died from hyper bliss.

Okay, okay. Gotta start at the beginning here. Hopefully it won't bore you. ;-)

Back in April, when Grandpa was sick and we thought he was going to die, Aunt Julie came down [with her husband and my two cousins, Buddy and Zack-Man] from MA to visit Grandma, Grandpa, and us. Julie mentioned that when Grandma came to visit her later this year, she wanted me to come with her because originally Grandma was going to drive to MA [like she and Grandpa usually did] and it's a two day drive and Julie didn't want Grandma driving by herself for so long. Then she went back to MA and Grandpa got slightly better, went home, and such.

Moving forward to when Grandpa passed away in June. Grandma, Julie, and I went to take a walk around our town. This was during the Festival Of Flowers, so Uptown was all decorated and there were different plants shaped like various animals and other things. While walking around, Julie again mentioned having me come visit. I was thrilled with the idea, naturally, but didn't think my parents would let me.

Well, to shorten the story, Grandma talked to Dad about it while Mum and Noah were in Charleston a couple weeks ago. He said he'd talk to Mum about it when she gets home. The next day the phone rings; I answered. This is basically how the conversation went:

Grandma: Hi Hannah, I'm about to buy the tickets for our flight, are you sure you want to come?

Me:....tickets? Flight??? Come???

Grandma: Yes, don't you want to come with me to visit Julie in a couple weeks?

Me: *tries not to fall over dead* Me? You? Visit Julie? YES!

Grandma: well, I'm going to buy your tickets, how long do you want to stay?

Me:....Tickets??? We're FLYING?

Grandma: Yes...

[however, at this point, I'm sure Grandma was reconsidering traveling with her apparently very dumb granddaughter. I get stupid when I'm excited.]

So Grandma talked to Dad about it again, who talked to Mum, who said no-way-no-how was I going to MA for three weeks at the beginning of our school year [note: we school year-round, but during the summer we don't do as much], but Grandma didn't want to go for only a week.

So we compromised. On July 19th, Grandma and I will fly up to MA. I'll stay until the 29th, and fly home by myself [yes, you read that right! Eeek!] and a week or so later Grandma will fly home.

So. Epic. Yes.

Have any of you ever been to Massachusetts? I'll be staying in Plymouth, but Julie and I are planning to go to Boston, plus we'll all be going to the historical sites and such.

By the way, I have been to Massachusetts before [people, I was born there.] but the last time I went I was...five? Six? Too young. So, this will be the real memory-making trip. :D I could fall over and die from excitement. Did I already say that? Ah well.

I'll be leaving this Thursday evening to go to Grandma's house, then get up at the ungodly hour of 4:30 or so. *cue sarcastic version of Ode To Joy* But "once I get you up there, where the air is rarefied, we'll just fly..." sorry. Sinatra's happy I'm going too. Heheh.

So now you know why I am abandoning you all for almost two weeks. Except, I'm not. Okay, I am, but several friends have stepped up to the plate for me and are going to be posting for me whilst I am away. Nela from "Beloved Star", Taylor from "Examine All Things", Sky from "Further Up and Further In"....ah yes, my lovelies, you will be fine without me.

This is probably the last time you'll hear from me until I get back. Maybe I'll post real quick before I leave? We shall see. Behave yourselves. ;-)

Walking in Truth,

Adventures with the Natives: crazy sistahs, we are.

2011-08-12T04:32:00.000-07:00

What happens when I snag a hyper-Native [in this case, Sarah], get a webcam, and tell that Native to make a face?

This, apparently.

My friends, I have nothing more to say.

Actually I do. In a previous AWTN post I talked about KiKi John, the lost kitten we found. Well, after a couple days KiKi went to my grandma's house, but then Grandpa passed away a couple days later and Grandma gave KiKi to a local family. So all is well....except I miss my widdle bebe. Alas.

Walking in Truth,

Noah

2011-08-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today was Noah's 5th birthday. I can hardly believe my precious brother is five, but in true Noah style he is being very casual about the whole thing. I went to Mum's room this morning to wish him happy birthday, and he chuckled and patted me on the shoulder, saying with a fake 'deep voice' "Heh. Gank yoo."

I love you, Boodle-Boy.

"I hope your tears are few and fast
I hope your dreams come true at last
I hope you find love that goes on and on and on and on and on
I hope you wish on every star
I hope you never fall too far
I hope this world can see how wonderful you are."

-Amazing {janelle}

"I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you."

-Taylor Swift

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

-Genesis 6:8

"Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance."

-I Hope You Dance {lee ann womack}

"We would be so happy you and me
No one there to tell us what to do
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus' garden with you!"

-Octopus' Garden {the beatles}

"And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?
What could stand against?"

-Our God {christ tomlin}

"Oh, what love, oh, what love
In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You're the same
Oh, You never let go"

-Never Let Go {david crowder band. this is noah's favourite song, he loves singing along to it in church}

"There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and we see it through
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me"

-You've Got a Friend In Me {toy story}

Happy Birthday, Noah. I am so proud of you for fighting this long and making it so far!

Walking in Truth,

happiness {giveaway winners}

2011-08-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I thought that giveaway was fun. I was very eager to find out who the winners are and honestly am tickled pink for these lovely ladies.

I'd like to take a moment to thank Miss Bekah, Miss Ebee, Miss Anna, and Farmgirl Treasures for donating the wonderful items that made this giveaway possible! You girls are wonderful. <3

And now....the winners! :-D

The winner of the For Such a Time as This {back issue} is...........

Miss Monica!

Monica, please email me right away so I can get you in touch with Bekah!

The winner of the Friendship bracelets by Anna is.........

Miss ALK!

ALK, please email me right away so I can get you in touch with Anna.

The winner of gnome #1 [the sewn one] by Ebee...........

Raechel!
{i found this amusing, since she had actually said that her favourite item was the gnomes! go figure}

Rae, please email me so I can get you in touch with Ebee.

The winner of gone #2 [the crochet one] also by Ebee..........

Kendra Lynn!

Kendra, please email me so I can also get you in touch with Ebee.

And, last but not least, the winner of the three flowers by Farmgirl Treasures........

Anna!

Anna, you already know you won....I'll get you in touch with FT. <3

Winners, you have 48 hours to respond! If I haven't heard from you by then, I'll draw a new winner for your prize.

A huge thank you to everyone who entered!!!

Please let me know....would you like to see more giveaways in the future? My blogaversary is coming up, so there'll probably be another one for that. ;-)

Walking in Truth,

randomness

2011-07-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

Several random things for you all today, my lovelies.

My giveaway ends TONIGHT at midnight, EST. Comments will be closed on the giveaway post at 12:01. So go now and enter before it's too late! {celebrate good times}

<--- Speaking of giveaways, I was very delighted to find I actually won a giveaway! See those gorgeous earrings? They're mine now, thanks to Miss Rachel of Dramatic Elegance. <3 And actually, she's hosting another {monthly} giveaway, so you should go enter that now. Right now. Click this. Enter. Please. Thank you.

Please be praying for someone I know at church. I grew up with this young woman, but over the course of time we both took separate paths in life. Several months ago she got into very big trouble, felt really bad about it, and turned around for the better. She was doing great but within the past couple weeks went back off the deep end and is now living at a very worldly friends house, most likely getting herself into deeper trouble. This is very painful for me, I want to help her and it is disappointing to see her get herself back in trouble. Her older brother just returned from the Middle East and she had told me that she was struggling with him being gone. So please, pray for this dear girl.

I have some big, happy news coming up....but not yet. Many of my friends already know about it and if you look around on my blog you just might get a hint of what is coming up!

A new blog you should check out....this was started by my good friend, Miss Bekah from For Such a Time As This {Press}. It's a Modest Fashion blog...and unlike other 'modesty' blogs, this is truly modest! I know everyone has different modesty standards, but this is finally one that matches up the closest with my standards. She's only posted one or two outfits so far but I've seen other outfits of hers that are very cute. I look forward to seeing more!
Simple Modest Fashion

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Walking in Truth,

Beautiful People - February Byrdd

2011-07-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

{If you haven't already, please vote on the polls on my sidebar! Thank you!}

Yay, time for Beautiful People! That monthly writers meme, created by the fantastic Georgie and Sky. You can click the button above to learn more and join in on the insanity. :-D

This month, I am introducing February Byrdd, the young heroine of my yet-to-be-written NaNo Novel.

What is her biggest secret?
She longs for freedom and love in a place where such things are not allowed.

Has she ever been in love?
Not yet....

What is her comfort food?
Tea. Hot, unsweetened tea. <3

Does she play a musical instrument? If so, what?
In the beginning, she doesn't know how to play a musical instrument, she doesn't even know what music is, But she eventually learns to play the violin.

What colour are her eyes? Hair?
Eyes: blue
Hair: dark blonde/light brown.

Does she have any pets?
Nope.

What is her favorite place to be?
Hmm. Not quite sure yet. Well, basically wherever Taylor and Isaac are. XD

What are some of her dreams or goals?
To be free...once that happens, she wants to make music, [hence the violin answer above], and learn to live.

Does she enjoy sports?
Sword-fighting is a sport, right? If so, yes.

What is her favorite flower or plant?
She likes ferns, because they are so delicate and lacy. Also, pansies.

So, what did you think of February "Ru" Byrdd? Personally I love her and cannot wait to work with her come November. I was also giddy with joy to realize that my last Beautiful Person, Taylor Black, is in her story. She's changed a bit since I did that post on her.

Walking in Truth,

Movie Review: Rango.

2011-07-26T01:11:00.000-07:00

Title: Rango

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Western

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Abigail Breslin

Rating: PG

Length: 107 Minutes [theater version]

My Rating: 3 Stars [It was Okay]

Spoilers in the review: Some

Summary:
Rango is an ordinary chameleon who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt, a lawless outpost in the Wild West in desperate need of a new sheriff. [from imdb.com]

My Thoughts:

Priscilla

My first impression when seeing the trailer for this during the Super Bowl was "....a lizard with the voice of JOHNNY DEPP? Halp meh." Timothy, on the other hand, REALLY wanted to see it. So on Thursday, after Mum and Noah left for Charleston, Fifi brought it over with some Sprite and Goldfish. <3 We ended up watching the extended edition, so since I haven't seen the theater version some thing I mention in here might not actually happen in the movie. I enjoyed it, there were some scenes that were rather slow but that was because of the version we watched. I might watch it again but it's not a big time favourite. After watching it, I discovered that it was actually intended for adults but because of it being animated, kids were watching it. One thing that annoyed me was that you find out who the villain about 20 minutes into the movie, whereas the characters keep looking for the villain throughout the movie. It's painfully obvious who the villain is.

The Good:
It was pretty funny, but some of the humor was over even my head. The voices were all great, I thought, pretty good casting. One of the main themes seemed to be about finding the hero in yourself and how you can't run from your own story. Rango has to find out who he really is in this world and what his purpose is. Despite the darkness, some of the animals were really cute and loveable! Priscilla [Breslin] and Spoons were so fun. Priscilla tried to be a feisty little thing, but deep down she's just scared. :-( That didn't stop her from pulling out a gun and asking Rango if she could shoot someone when he told her to "guard" the town. XD The soundtrack was pretty good, mostly remixes of classical music. But the theme song was rather catchy. In the beginning, Rango lies to make the other animals like him better, but in the end finds out that he just needs to be himself and stop pretending to be someone else.

The Bad:

Rango, Beans, and the gang

We knew it would need Clearplay [a movie filtering system], but golly, it sure needed it! Quite often it had to mute what a character was saying [from either a cuss word, swearing, or nasty sound]. The movie was much darker than I thought it would be, to the point where Mary [4yo] freaked out and even Sarah [8yo] got a little nervous. At one part some groundhogs are surrounding Rango and his friends and they're chanting a song with grotesque words like "Blood and spit, monkey brains, re-fried bones and guts..." and that was a little disturbing. There is a bird with a bloody arrow through his eye and sticking out of his head. In the beginning, it shows an armadillo that got hit by a car and is in two pieces. There are a couple scenes in a saloon, with lots of smoking and some drinking. There is a female frog wearing a dress that is rather...revealing. At the end of the extended edition, some animals are going swimming and it shows a couple male animals in underwear. Lots of shooting. A blackbird is shot in the leg but lives. Rango kills a hawk by knocking over a tower and smashing it...it shows the hawk's wings and legs sticking out [rather grimly, but in a funny way]. There is a kissing scene, but I did not think it was overly 'passionate'. At one point one of the animals prays to "The Spirit of the West". I'm still unsure if this is supposed to be "God" or not. There is a rattlesnake who might scare younger kids. Rango lies to make people like him better.

Overall:

It was an okay movie. I don't recommend it to anyone younger than 12, older than that if they're sensitive to things like blood. It had pretty good themes but it wasn't enough to hide the nitty-gritty feel to the movie.

{my review policy: even if I don't think it's an issue or was offended by it, I still post about it so more sensitive readers will know. This does not mean I will mention every little 'bad' thing in there, just the bigger issues. Rating: 1 star - horrible, don't watch it. 2 - pretty bad. 3 - it was okay. 4 - I really liked it. 5 - I loved it! Unless otherwise stated: apart from my personal thoughts on it, all information is from imdb.com. Pictures from either google and/or imdb.com}

Walking in Truth,

my answers

2011-07-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

Before I get started, a couple things I forgot to mention in my last post:

~The blogarty/giveaway ends at midnight on July 31st. Winners will be announced either August 1st or 2nd.

~If you donated something to the giveaway, you can still enter! I just won't include your entries when I do the drawing for your prize.

Okay, obviously I'm not entering my own giveaway, but I did want to answer the questions so you could all learn a wee bit more about me. :-)

1: Do you write? If so, what sort of things do you write {poetry, short stories, novels, whatever!}

I think the answer to this is obvious. Yes, I write. I write short stories, articles, novels, and my latest is songs. I've tried writing lyrics to songs before, but I hope to write music soon too. <3

2: What are your five favourite movies?

1: How To Train Your Dragon <333
2: The Great Escape
3: Tangled
4: Batman Begins
5: Hmm...I like a lot of movies. I guess Cranford? Except it's kind of a tv series. Oh well.

3: Five favourite music artists/bands?

1: Tenth Avenue North
2: Port Blue
3: Randy Stonehill [I got to meet him at Church today!! SO AWESOME.]
4: FRANKIE BOY MY LOVE! okay sorry. Frank Sinatra. This should be obvious by now.
5: The High Kings
I love a lot of favourite bands/singers, these were just the first five that came to mind. :-)

4: is there a song that you could just listen to over and over again without getting tired of it? What is it?
Oh law. I had no idea my questions were so hard. ;-) There's a lot. Right now, I'm listening to "King of Hearts" by Randy Stonehill. For, like, the 5th time since I got back from church. Yeah. Plus he played it at church. Awesomeness. <3 I also like a lot of Port Blue's songs. For those who don't know, Port Blue is Adam Young from Owl City. PB is one of his other projects. It's only instrumental, and golly gee. Gawjis. <333

5: If you could meet one blogger {that you haven't already met!} who would it be?
Um...either Ebee {and Georgie}, Skylee, Trys, Anna...there's a lot of great blogging friends I have! So blessed.

6: Who inspires you?
Apart from God, Noah does. And Amelia Earhart, and some of my friends. You know who you are. <3

7: What are your favourite things about summer?
A clue: NOT the HEAT. Buh-leeeeh. I do like swimming, some friends of ours have let us come over a time or two to their swimming pool. :-D

8: What is your favourite season?
Spring and Fall. Probably fall the most, since Spring gives me allergies. :-P

9: If you could chose a different day for your birthday, what would it be?
May 27th. That was actually supposed to be my birthday, but I was born late. Yeah, REALLY late!

10: Your three favourite bloggers?
Olivia @ Horsefeathers
Sky @ Further Up And Further In
Bonita @ Encouraging Words for Writers [BEST. WRITING. BLOG. EVER.]

11: If you could change your name, what would it be?
Laaaaawaaaah. {Laura} ;-) This too, should be obvious. Okay, really now. Either Irene Hylard or Laura Wylde.

12: If you could go back and change something about your past, would you?
Yes. I'd go back and re-live my teenage years, actually. That makes me sound so old...but I kinda messed up when I was younger and I wish I hadn't.

13: Coke or Sprite?
SPRITE. I can't have coke anyway. ;-)

14: Do you play an instrument? If so, what? And if you don't, do you wish you could?
Yes, guitar. And if I could play another instrument it would be the piano. <333

15: Are you a city girl [or guy] or country gal?
A little of both, actually? Way more City Girl than Country Gal, though. There are a few things about the country I like.

Walking in Truth,

celebrate good times {giveaway}

2011-07-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

~~I am happy for some odd reason which defies the circumstances of my life.~~

~~1: I have reached 60 70 followers!! Thank you, each and every one of you! Actually, I have about 80 if you count the email followers. I love you peeps too. <3~~
~~2: Last year, Kylie and I started a book. And a blog. And now, after over one year, we have actually STARTED writing the book and opened the blog. You can go here to see it: Amira~~
~~3: I have been oddly and happily inspired for a novel. I'm saving it, just working on fleshing out my characters and the plot, and will write it for NaNoWriMo.~~

~~4: I turned 18. And YES, a party post IS coming, but things have been mighty hectic around here and Mum is currently in Charleston with Noah and has all the pictures on her computer.~~
5: I'm almost done with my guitar lessons. Okay, not a good reason to be happy, but I cannot express how much FUN I have had with the lessons. I have...I think three left. And when it's done, I'll have written a song and then my teacher will record it on his laptop for me. :-D Oh yeah, bliss.
~~6: I have a big fat happy scheme up my sleeve. No, I'm not telling you. It's going to be a few months before it rolls into play, probably.~~

So, here's how to enter the party [and possibly win one of 5 prizes]!!

Mandatory Entry {you must do this to be officially entered}
~Answer the questions and post them on your blog, along with the button linking to the party, and then leave your link in a comment. {if you do not have a blog, then post your answers in a comment and tell at least 3 friends about the party} Worth 2 entries.

Optional entries
{You DO need to comment for each of these entries!}
~Follow my blog. If you already follow {either by email or through blogger}, that counts to! This counts as one entry.
~"Heart" Farmgirl Treasures on etsy. One entry.
~"Heart" Eyebright's Elements on etsy. One entry.
~Visit the For Such a Time as This website and leave a comment on Bekah's blog. One entry.
~Visit "How's Your Focus?" and leave a comment on Anna's blog. One entry.~Put my blog button on your sidebar [you can find my button on the dropdown menu under "grab a button"]. Or link back to me on your "favorite blogs/goodreads" page. One entry.
~~~Put the giveaway button on your sidebar. One entry.~~

Code for button:
<a href="http://www.walkinthytruth.com/2011/07/celebrate-good-times-giveaway.html" target="Giveaway @ Walk! "><img src=" https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a7ef7n06Tkw/TiuGSKh65jI/AAAAAAAADl8/zWOZpEnixGs/15427212626.jpgborder="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>

~~The Prizes~~

~~One back issue of your choice from For Such a Time as This magazine!~~

~~Two Friendship bracelets from Anna! {note: the bracelets might not look exactly like the ones in the picture.}~~

~~{L - sewn R - crochet}~~

~~Two people will win an adorable gnome from the wonderful Ebee! I'm not a big gnome person, but these are delightfully whimsical, don't you agree? :-)~~

~~Three sweet flowers from Farmgirl Treasures! These can be used as a decoration on a dress or apron, sewn on to a headband, or added to a little doll or toy animal. Use your imagination! <3~~

~~The Questions~~
~~1: Do you write? If so, what sort of things do you write {poetry, short stories, novels, whatever!}~~
~~2: What are your five favourite movies?~~
~~3: Five favourite music artists/bands?~~
~~4: is there a song that you could just listen to over and over again without getting tired of it? What is it?~~
~~5: If you could meet one blogger {that you haven't already met!} who would it be?~~
~~6: Who inspires you?~~
~~7: What are your favourite things about summer?~~
~~8: What is your favourite season?~~
~~9: If you could chose a different day for your birthday, what would it be?~~
10: Your three favourite bloggers?
11: If you could change your name, what would it be?
12: If you could go back and change something about your past, would you?
13: Coke or Sprite?
14: Do you play an instrument? If so, what? And if you don't, do you wish you could?
15: Are you a city girl [or guy] or country gal?

~~Have FUN!~~

Walking in Truth,

Ps: as if that wasn't good enough, I'm sponsoring a giveaway over at Beloved Star! GO ENTER THAT ONE TOO. ;-)

sugar-free

2011-07-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

I got a letter recently from Lu-Dear {Lucia @ From Under My Umbrella}, wherein she mentioned that she had gone sugar and dessert free for two weeks with her sister. Knowing that my birthday weekend was approaching and that I would, undoubtedly, overload on desserts, this sounded strangely appealing. A couple days later I got the chance to chat with her and the sugar-free "diet" popped up in our conversation.

To make a long story short, Lu and I decided to go sugar-free for three weeks, starting today and ending on July 27th.

But that's not even the best part. :-)
We're inviting you to join us!

Okay, so you don't have to do all three weeks, but that sure would be fun! Just simply tell your family and friends you're going sugar-free, make some guidelines for yourself, and let us know too!

Lu and I will be posting different recipes and ideas for substitute snacks and desserts for the following three weeks. And you can, too, if you'd like! Hey, even if you don't participate, I'm sure Lu and I would love your ideas. :o)

Here, for my readers benefit [and you too, Dad] are the guidelines I am setting for myself.

Less/no:

~Desserts. This includes but is not limited to cake, candy, brownies, cookies, and pies.

~Junky snacks. Instead of grabbing a handful of chocolate chips, I'll grab a handful of blueberries or a dried fruit. I'll also try to avoid things like chips and popcorn.

~Sweet drinks like soda, juice, and yes, even sweet tea. I've been choosing unsweetened tea more and more anyway, so that won't be too hard, and we rarely have soda, so the only real temptation to that will be at David's party.

More/better:

what I probably look like on my bike. Hi, Audrey!

~Water! I know I don't drink nearly enough water each day, so I will be trying to drink more water and less hot tea and coffee.

~Exercise. I take a walk nearly ever morning for about 45 minutes, but that's not cutting it. I got a bike for my birthday [Thanks, Grandma!], so I'll be riding that more, plus just regular stretching. I did a lot of stretches a couple months ago and did pretty well for awhile but then slacked off and never got back into it. That will help my back and shoulder get stronger.

~Fruit. Like water, I know I don't have nearly enough fruits and vegetables. I have been doing salads more and more, but on the fruit? Slacker!

It's only the first day and already I'm feeling better...this will be interesting!

By the way, thanks to the wonderful Ebee-Elizabeth for designing my new template! :-D Birthday post coming in a couple days.

Walking in Truth,

eighteen

2011-07-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, today is my eighteenth birthday.

Yeah. *grin*

Celebration details and pictures later!

Walking in Truth,

Beautiful People - Taylor Black

2011-07-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

So I'm in trouble. In the past week, two new characters randomly popped into my head and...refuse to leave.

A little advice for you people: don't be a writer. It makes you go crazy.

So here's one of the characters. Since she's so new, I'm also posting some of the questions from the first session of Beautiful People. Keep in mind, she's only a couple days old, so I'm still learning about her. And no, she doesn't have a book as far as I know. Too early. Right now I'm
just filing her away in my character notebook.

Does his or her name have a special meaning?
Not that I can think of. Taylor is the name of MBHB {My Bestest Hobbit Buddy}, but I didn't intend to name this character after her. [Sorry, Samwise] Not sure where the black came from, and I don't know if she has a middle name yet.

Does she think inside themselves more than they talk out loud to their friends? (more importantly, does he or she actually have friends?) She's a solitary creature. Locked away...somewhere. So I suppose she doesn't really have any friends except herself.

Does she write, dream, dance, sing, or photograph? Taylor has a journal that she writes in, mostly to try and keep her sanity. Dream, yes. Dance, I suppose so. When no one is looking. Sing, not really. Photograph, no.

And here is the current list of questions. Also, Kylie and Georgie [the brains behind this meme] need people to submit more questions if they're going to keep this going...so go to either of their blogs and submit some questions for Beautiful People!!!

What kind of music does she like? The music of her soul. Sometimes she swears she can hear music floating through the air at night, summoning her to The Place, and whenever she's especially sad or lonely the music soothes her.

Does she like to go outside? Yes, even if for just a moment. It helps her mind briefly escape This Present Reality.

Is she naturally curious? Eh...yes and no? I'm not quite sure yet.

Right, or left handed? Left, actually. Heh, I didn't realize that...

Favorite color? Red.

Where is she from? Good question. Why don't you try to ask her that?

Any enemies? Wuahah. Read my answer to the above question.

What are her quirks? She likes owls. Like, has almost an obsession with them. Plus she has this thing for cargo pants. I think she likes them because of all the pockets. The more the better. Plus she has this almost eerie stare when she's angry, like her eyes just drill holes into your soul. She just stares and can freak just about anyone out. Oh, and she likes wearing her hair in braids. Either one or two.

What kinds of things get on her nerves? Other people. Her life. The dark.

Is she independent, or needs others to help out? She's extremely independent minded, until she escapes and realizes just how helpless she is. Then she becomes even stronger and tries to avoid help.

Alright, your turn! Go to Kylie or Georgie's blog and tell everyone about YOUR character!

Walking in Truth,

Long weekend.

2011-06-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

It's over.

And I'm
so thankful.

{i watermarked this as my own and then realized that Mum actually took this picture. with my camera, but still.}

Goodbye, Grandpa.

I'm looking forward to the future with hope. It's what he would want. On Tuesday or Wednesday my Aunt Julie and I are going to do our traditional "go out to eat and go [mostly window] shopping" thing, a week from today Taylor, Hailey, and Emma are coming over for the day [yay!], and next Monday is my 18th birthday. Noah is having surgery this Monday, yes, but...I'm mostly peaceful about it.

And so, so weary. I napped for two hours today, very rare for me. I never nap unless I'm sick. :-P I can already tell I'll be up all night...yay. ;-)

Be on the lookout for some big goodies soon!

Walking in Truth,

Goodbye.

2011-06-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and I, April 2011.

Grandpa passed away this morning at 10:36. It was quick and painless, an answer to prayer. Last night he was in a lot of pain but then he fell asleep and woke up in Heaven.

The funeral will be at 10am on Saturday.

I'll update more when I can. Please keep us in your prayers.

Walking in Truth,

Adventures with the Natives: KiKi John, part one

2011-06-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

It all started out innocently enough. David had gotten a new Frisbee for his birthday, a glow in the dark one.

So on Tuesday evening we all headed outside for what would turn out to be a very short-lived game of Frisbee.
It wasn't long before we heard what sounded like a meow coming from the bushes in front of our house. The boys grabbed their LED lights and chased the sound around the yard until it was cornered. Then we found out it was a kitten!

It was shaking and crying and very thin, so we grabbed some tuna from the kitchen, and a little bowl of water. It gobbled down the tuna so fast, we had to take it away so the kitten would remember to breath! The poor darling.
After we fed it, we tried to put it in a basket so it could sleep outside. [Mum is allergic to cats] But it jumped out of the basket, and the bigger basket, and the basket with cardboard taped around it to make it even bigger. Determined little mite, for sure! Finally we turned a laundry basket upside down and put a box full of Noah's toys on top. That worked.

I seriously cannot handle this picture.

Noah decided to call it Corn. Then he said "acshully, I no wike dat name. Wes call it...John." And Mum was calling it KiKi. So KiKi John it is!

Due to a storm on Wednesday evening, we moved KiKi to the garage. He's really tame now, and just so sweet. He loves to climb up on my shoulder and rub his head against my neck, purring,

He also loves playing with bits of dangly string! :-D

The sad thing is, because of Mum's allergies, we can't keep KiKi John. So we're currently trying to find someone to take him before Dad decides to take KiKi to the pound. :-( Please pray that we find someone to take him! I'll let you know if things change.

Walking in Truth,

Roller-Coaster Week

2011-06-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

The Good, the Bad, and the just plan UGLY from the past week.

But we're starting with Bad.

The Bad:

Noah

He has Pica, that craving for weird foods [or non-edible items], and ate some paper last night. It clogged his g-tube, and even though we thought we got all the paper out, this morning Noah woke up with blood all over his stomach and more paper clogging the tube. His hemoglobin is also low, so the doctors decided to be safe and admit him for a night or two so they can run some tests, unclog the tube, and give him a transfusion.

David
He didn't have to go to the hospital, praise be. He's home and doing well enough, if you can ignore the large, very ugly bruise on his face. :-( Poor kid looks like he got mobbed by a street gang! Because he had a mild concussion, he's been a bit...loopy and out of it.

Grandpa
Well, I shouldn't have said he was doing well. Mum, Sarah, David, and I went shopping Friday afternoon [in 90+ degree weather, yipe!], and we got a phone call from Dad saying that Grandpa had three seizures. These were not full seizures, just half of his body. He went to the ER, and we later found out that on the way to the ER he had another seizure. Dad wanted him admitted but my Grandma pressed to have him sent home, so home Grandpa is.
On Wednesday, Mum, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa went to see the doctor to discuss the cancer. They have decided to move him back to hospice care [at home]. He is losing the use of his right side, the side that was previously the "good" unaffected side.

Eithene Rose
Eithene Rose is the main reason for this post. Eithy is a very special little princess who, for nearly five years, has fought a hard battle against Mito, the same illness Noah has. She and Noah are only a couple weeks apart in age. Mrs. Jessica, Eithene's mom, is friends with my Mum. On Thursday evening, after David got back from the ER, Mum got a message from Mrs. Jessica.
Eithene is tired. She's been hospitalized for about a year, and the year before that she was frequently in the hospital. She's not going to get better. So they're letting her go. It's time.
She's so tired.
http://www.fromthebanksofjordan.blogspot.com/
Be praying. It's horrible...this demon that rages through the lives of the innocents.

The Good:

Crochet

There is some good news from this weekend. :-) I got to learn to crochet! Jessi, a lady at our church, who actually used to be my babysitter, [I'm so old!] taught me. I've been a lot more daring with crocheting than I have been with knitting, which I find interesting. So far I've made...well, a little random practice piece:

a Mito awareness ribbon :-) :

and a little "flower"...um, it was supposed to be a flower, but I botched it up and it ended up with only three petals. So I gave it to Sarah. Live and learn, right? I also let Mum pick out a ball of yarn and I'm making her a pair of potholders for her birthday. :-D

It was such a blessing; I went to Hancock Fabrics on Sunday with Mum and went to look at the crochet hooks. I didn't intend to buy any, since Jessi said I could get some at Walmart for only $1.50 or so apiece instead of $2-4 apiece at Hancock. However, I found a set with six different hook sizes...for only 2.50! :-D It's the little things like that that make me smile.

Flying
Also on Saturday, I was blessed immensely with the rare opportunity to...fly.
Yes, fly. :-) In an airplane. See, every year or so, the Young Eagles flight group comes to our small [small as in, no commercial flights, just small private planes for people in our town and surrounding area.] airport and gives free 20 minute flights to kids 8-17. This was my last chance at being able to do it, so I took it!

The airplane I flew in

PIPER CUB I LOVE YOU!!! :-D Sorry.

Piper Cubs are my faaaavoourite model of airplane. Oh love. Oh goodness gracious me. Yes.

So anyway. <333

The Just Plain Ugly

Oh Matthew.

There is....nothing more to be said.

Have a lovely week, folks.

Walking in Truth,

I'm a liar. :-)

2011-06-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Emergency Update:
David ran into the corner of our table right before dinner and really hurt his temple, near his left eye. Mum took him to the emergency center, and they're sending him to the main ER. He is acting very disoriented and they may admit him for the night. Please be praying!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The smily-face seems a bit oxymoron, right? Oh well. :-)

Things got busy. I'm going to be busy for awhile, so as sad as this is, we'll all need to get used to less-than-frequent posts until....next year. Once I graduate [and my goal is to have that happen next June] I'll have more time [BAHAHAHAHA!] and I can update more often.

So anyway...what's been going on?

School

{iClipart.com}

Like I mentioned, I've been trying to get ready to graduate in a year. Seeing several people I know graduate this year made me itch...I want to finish!

I'll be doing school through the summer. Mum recently got me and my siblings started on CQLA [Character Quality Language Arts] a new, rather intensive language arts program. While this takes away some of the stuff I was doing [grammar, spelling, and such] it takes awhile to do. Other than that, basically all I do is history, penmanship, math [...yay. >.<], a couple home economics courses, typing, science [...again...yay.], and...gee whiz, I know I'm forgetting something. And I actually haven't started science back up yet but I will be soon. I'm using AIG stuff. :-D

Camp New Hope

I had a great time there. Especially because I got to see Pip and her family! Happy days...

Here is Mum's video of CNH...I might have one later.

Jobs

I have a job! I'm a part time nanny for a family at our church. :-D I get to watch two of the darn cutest kids ever, Mister S and Missy C, plus help take care of the a-dory-bibble bebe, Baby C. <333 He's only 6-7 weeks old and so. stinking. cute. Mister S is Noah's age [and in his Childrens Church class] while Missy C is about Mary Faith's age. So much fun. So far I'm only going over for a couple hours once a week, but hey, it's more money than I was previously earning [the amount previously being...$0. Heh.]
I'm also, good Lord be willin', going to...write an ebook. Make that ebookS. I'll be starting with one and taking it from there. I hope to publish it by August. If you'd be praying for me, I would greatly appreciate that! And keep an eye out for more information on it. :-)

Reading
I've been devouring books lately. I've been going through and reading several books from one genre, then several on another one, and so on. I've read a biography on Harpo Marx [Merci, Pip!], some legal thrillers, some Christian romance, historical fiction...ah yes. Good stuff. Can't say that the Christian Romance is my favourite genre, but it's...good if you want a mindless, fluffy book. ;-) In the legal/political thriller section, I've read The Justice Game {by Randy Singer}, Against All Odds {Irene Hannon}, and I'm working my way through Joel C. Rosenberg's The Last Days. Apparently this guy writes about things that...end up coming true? A little creepy, if you ask me. I'll be writing a lot of reviews soon; probably not posting them all on here but you can view them on my Goodreads page, I think. Here's my goodreads page...feel free to add me, but let me know that you're from my blog so I know to add you. :-)

Grandpa
My grandpa is doing better! He will never be fully well again, and he is dying, but at least he is home and...well. Stable. For now.

I'm going to write a couple posts and schedule them, because who knows when you'll hear from me again? ;-) And be sure to check out my photography blog, I'll be posting some pictures there shortly.

Walking in Truth,

Edit: I just realized I put "I'm a lair" instead of liar...I'm tired, is whut. Sorry. :-P

For Mrs. Zshawn.

2011-05-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

While at This Place, Mum and I got to meet one of our blog readers, Mrs. Zshawn. And she sent me on a guilt trip.

Me: Noah, Mrs. Zshawn reads your blog.
Mrs. Zshawn: And I used to read yours, until you stopped writing on it!
Me: *guilty*

So here, Mrs. Zshawn, is a post. Until I have time to post more...which will hopefully only be until tomorrow or Wednesday.

And now I don't feel so guilty anymore! *beams happily*

Walking in Truth,

Favo - nevermind.

2011-04-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Once again I'm not doing favourite finds.

Sorry if that made you cry.

Oh. Wait, here are some posts. They're purdy important, so I'd check them out at your earliest convenience.

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/motion.html
http://blog.polyvore.com/2011/04/error-code-418-color-overload-on.html

If you know of any others like those, let me know.

*deadpan expression*

Walking in Truth,

Giveaways galore, my dearies!

2011-03-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

So, in the past couple days I've entered no less than three fantastic giveaways! I need to post about them, so... ;-)

First...oh be still, my rapidly beating heart. I want this so badly it's not even funny. The writer in me is screaming and going insane, just looking at this!!!

What it is: An inkwell necklace and $15 gift certificate
Donated by: Bookish Charm [a wonderful little Etsy shop with oh so charming bookish things.]
Hosted by: Erratic Muse
Ends: Actually, I don't think she mentions the ending date. SO ENTER NOW...before it's too late. ;-D

Next up...awww! Birdly bird! <3

What it is: Miss Raquel's third blogging anniversary! With multiple prizes [the one pictured above is my favourite]
Donated by: many different Etsy shops.
Hosted by: God's Daughter
Ends:April 4th

*french laugh* Paris!

What it is: A wonderful, Springy giveaway! Multiple prizes. Again, that's my favourite item up there .:-)
Donated by: different Etsy shops
Hosted by: (life is too short not to) Wear Red Shoes
Ends: April 10th

Also, I'm not entering it, but I'll spread the news...my good friend Lucia is having a giveaway for a modest swimsuit pattern. I already have a modest swimsuit, and I don't know enough sewing skills yet to make one, so I hope you don't mind me not entering, dear Lu. <3
You can check it out HERE...but hurry, it ends on March 31st!!!

Walking in Truth,

joining the frenzy

2011-03-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

So, most writers out there have heard of NaNoWriMo. And if you've heard of NaNo, chances are you've heard of Script Frenzy. For those who don't know what Script Frenzy/SF is, basically what you do is write a 100 page long movie, play, or TV script in 30 days, every April.

I've never done it before, but I needed a distraction to help April fly by. Because, you know, I hate April. So I asked around and finally persuaded my Hobbit Friend to do it with me.

Yup, Taylor and I doing the Frenzy. =^) We don't have the full details worked out yet [*coughThanksToEmmaAndHaileycough*], but we're working on it.

Oh, that's right...we have less than a week left to plot.

Welllll....this will be interesting.

Anyone else doing SF? Our username [on the Young Writers Program] is sam-and-pippin, if anyone else out there is joining the mad Frenzy. :-D I'll be posting updates on it, of course, but for updates on how far we are, you can go there and see how many pages we've written.

Walking in Truth,

Crazy? Yeah, we know how to be that.

2011-03-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Natives have been insane lately, and my computer is starting to get overwhelmed with all the wild pictures I've taken of them lately.

Native #3 [aka Timothy], doing random jumping jacks in the parking lot of our Church last Sunday.

{the hat says "Warning: Grumpy Old Mam"}

The ever-charming Native #2 [Matthew]. This is how he behaves if you take him to Cracker Barrel!! And if you think that's bad, at least you've never gone to Walmart with him. Now THAT'S scary. o.O

We had some extra natives this past weekend, Buddy and Zackman. I told them I was going to post these if they didn't straighten up....so... ;-)

{Zackman}

The things my aunt puts up with...

Buddy

All the insanity inspired Matthew to be even more insane.

Candid Camera, wuahahaha!

We had a pizza parTAY. Yeah, I don't know why Noah's making that weird face, either.

I suppose that's enough. Wait...one more collage...of David and, ehem, Yours Truly. =^D

See, even I can act immature sometimes!
Rock on. \o/

Walking in Truth,

Blog party, knitting, and other rambles

2011-03-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

~Blog party~
I have 50 followers, hurrah! A sincere thank you to every one who follows this blog. Actually, if you include my email followers, I have over 60 followers. Thank you all SO much, it really blesses me to know that this site is worth reading. And a little shout-out to my 50th follow, Miss Bethany!
If you ever have an suggestions or ideas for this blog, let me know. I'm working on a few surprises right now, including a giveaway/blog party for my followers! So stay tuned for that....it might not happen until after my grandpa passes away and all that, but it will happen. :-)

~Knitting~
I've been knitting a lot, mostly due to the fact that for the past couple days I've gone and spent the afternoon sitting with Grandpa at the Hospice House. [Matthew is sitting with him today] I just finished a dishcloth, and discovered that, yayness!, I have enough yarn to make a third dishcloth out of the same ball of yarn. I'm going to get to work on a purse soon, because Yours Truly is sponsoring another giveaway. :-) More on that later.

~Grandpa~
He's doing worse, but it's slooow. We keep thinking "surely, today he's going to leave us", but not yet. We've told him he doesn't need to fight for our sakes anymore, but for some reason the Lord wants him here a little longer...not that we mind. :-) I've been blessed with a few chances to sit with him in the morning and afternoon; although we don't talk much because he's so tired, just being with him is nice.

~Readin' 'n' writin'~
I got a loverly surprise in the mail yesterday...an autographed copy of Heather {Jack}'s book! Yes, she is a published author...though I think she's working on editing her book, so it's not available to buy right now. I'll have to check on that. It was good, though too short! This is a complaint, Jack m'dear. ;-)
I'm working on *GASP* a new book. I've been fighting with WMS [my unfinished NaNo book] and editing WTL, so a bit of a break will be nice. This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast...my favourite "princess" story. Actually, the only one I really like. :-P You can learn more about the main girl, Irene, in this post. And here's a set I made for her on Polyvore, with the caption below it.

irene rose hylard by wind_child

{my latest character. :-) this set shows her entire wardrobe; living in the slums means you can't afford pretty things. she's thankful for what she's got, considering it's more than most. the outfit on the left was actually her mom's, but since her mom died she wears it for special occasions...not that they happen often. the locket has a lock of her mom's hair and the only picture of her mom. irene loves detail, and sturdy clothes like, you guessed it, jeans.}

You like? I love her. <3

I was hoping to post more, but I need to scoot. Have a lovely afternoon, everyone!

Walking in Truth,

Beautiful People - Irene

2011-03-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

Add caption

So, my crazy-awesome friends Kylie and Georgie came up with this ~~evil plot to overthrow the president~~ monthly writers meme about our beautiful people...aka characters. :-) Since I, a) helped inspire it by asking questions about Avary, Kylie's latest character, and b) I am a writer, therefore I must deal with these crazy, beautiful people, I thought I'd do it. And I suggest you do it too, especially with a new character [like I'm going to do] or with a character you don't know a lot about.

Ready? Here I go...

-What is their full name?
Irene Rose Hylard [pronounced high-lard]

-Does his or her name have a special meaning?
Um, well, Irene is a special nickname of mine given to me by a dear and special friend....and since the story she's in is sort of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which has a rose in it, I decided to use that for her middle name. And her last name is a play off the name "Hilliard" which is the last name of a brave little girl with Mito.

-Does your character have a methodical or disorganized personality?
Oh boy. I think a mixture of both. I literally just came up with Irene and her story less than a week ago, so I'm still learning things about her. I think mostly methodical, but since she pretty much lives in the city slums, it's hard to be organized.

-Does he or she think inside themselves more than they talk out loud to their friends? (more importantly, does he or she actually have friends?)
As far as I know, she doesn't really have friends. People like her, she's a "bit of light in a black world", but close friends that she can confide in? Only her Saviour. So she keeps her thoughts to herself a lot. She might tell you a bit of her thoughts, but is very guarded and keeps a tight rein on what she tells you.

-Is there something he or she is afraid of?
Yes...but I don't know exactly what it is yet. Gee, that was helpful. XD

-Does he or she write, dream, dance, sing, or photograph?

Write - some. Dream - constantly. Dance - to the sound of her own music. Sing - when no one else is around to hear. Or at least, *slyly* when she thinks no one else is listening. Photograph - she would, I think, if she could afford a camera. Irene appreciates beauty, especially in small things and she loves detail. I think she'd be a great photographer.
.
-What is his or her favorite book? (or genre of books)
Mmmm...she doesn't get to read a lot, but when she gets the chance, she loves to sneak into the public library and read. She doesn't like modern stories too much, but she does like Little Women and Jane Eyre. [Hey! I just realized that! Yay. :-)] I think she also likes fairy tales, but mostly because her little sister likes them. And, of course, she loves the Bible.

-Who is his or her favorite author and/or someone that inspires him or her?
Irene doesn't have a favourite author, per se, she just likes the books they write. I'm not sure who inspires her, mostly she inspires others. I'll need to think about that a bit...

-Favorite flavor of ice cream?
Haha, she's only had ice cream once in her life, when she was a little girl and her mom took her out for a special treat. Then...something happened. Anyway. She had strawberry ice cream, and so I suppose that is her favourite kind.

-Favorite season of the year?
Spring. Totally.

Alright, your turn! Head over to Kylie or Georgie's blogs and linkup!

Walking in Truth,

My poor little Hobbit-Girl

2011-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Words of Affirmation is being delayed...because there's an emergency! My dear friend, Taylor "Samwise Gamgee" is sick, and her birthday is coming up soon. So here's a get-well/happy-birthday post for you, sweetie. :-)

First, Chai Tea. Lots and lots of it. :-) That cup is special, it never runs out of tea.

While drinking your tea, perhaps you'd like to relax in the room of books? :-D Every book you could ever want is in here!

Brownies, lots and lots of 'em. =^D

...while you rest, I'll mix up some medicine for you, so you get better in time for...

Your sweet sixteenth birthday!!!!!!!

Your cake, m'lady. *bows*
Guess who came to visit you? :-D

Willie's a bit nervous, so he's hiding until Danny shows up. ;-)

Schtevie, do you HAVE to show off?

Hendley and Colin thought it was a surprise party. o.O Hence the stealth-moves.

And, the presents. :-D

Happy, happy, HAPPY birthday, Samwise! Get well sooooooon! *tight hugs*

Love,

five love languages: acts of service

2011-03-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Acts of service is actually my Dad's love language. It would be more meaningful to him if I threw in an extra load of laundry or cleaned off his desk instead of a hug or a present, and that's how it is with people who see love in acts of service.

This actually aggravates me, because I don't understand how cleaning a desk can say "I love you". And that's how it is with different love languages, there's always going to be at least one you don't understand. I can usually understand the others, I [sometimes] love it when someone tells me they love me or gives me a hug or sends me a little present, but working? That doesn't make sense.

There is someone in the Bible who seemed to have acts of service as his love language. Jacob worked for seven years to try and prove his love to Rachel's father, and then seven more years to try and get her again! Wow. That's true love. :-D

So, is acts of service your love language? Does it just mean the world to you when someone you love does one of your chores, or offers to help with a job? Do you help others out to express your love to them?

Tomorrow...words of affirmation.

Walking in Truth,

Favourite Finds Friday # 6

2011-03-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

Favourite blog posts:
Oh, Horse Feathers ~ y u no spring already? [in which Olivia gets attacked by a vicious ball of fluff. No kiddin'.]
Awakened ~ And the laghter slowly changed, so that all I heard was music
Beautiful Miasma ~ Book review: The Charlatans Boy
The Inkpen Authoress ~ "Before a Storm" [really inspiring poem!]
All She Has To Say ~ Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day [not as bad as it sounds!! Actually, I wish I was Jasmine...she got stuck in an airport. What better place to get stuck? *grins*]

A post or two that encouraged me:
Joyfull Girl Creations ~ This was my prayer...this was my answer
From Under My Umbrella ~ Be Still and Know

Maid for More ~ Oceans of Blessings

People who need prayers this week:
Lukas Corwin [and his mom]. Lukas isn't even born yet, but from what I understand he has serious heart issues. Please pray for him and his family.

Blogs I started following this week:
A Deeper Story. I had visited it a time or two before but never started following it for some reason. It's a Christian site where a group of women post deep, thoughtful posts that strive to encourage, build up, or just make you think. They're refreshingly honest and real...no matter how hard the story is.
Whispers of Wonder. It was the title that got me. :-) Just little whispers of wonder, everyday thoughts.
Mouses Houses. The cutest mice. Ever. I love these little doodads!!!

Current Giveaways and contests:
No giveaways this week! But The Inkpen Authoress is having a Springtime poetry contest, here. You need to submit your poem on Spring by April 10th, and the winner gets a personalized watercolor picture that goes with their poem.

I'm participating in Favourite Finds Friday with Tarissa! Check back every Friday for a list of my favourite posts from the past week.

Walking in Truth,

i love you

2011-03-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

{iClipart.com}

So I might not be romantic, but love is important to me. It should be important to everyone, I think.

There are a lot of different types of love, but the most commonly known are the five love languages: acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, receiving gifts, and quality time. I recently found an online quiz that tells you which love language you 'speak'. I had thought mine would be physical touch and/or words of affirmation, but as it turns out...mine is quality time.

After thinking it over, I realized that it was true. I love it when someone stops what they're doing and takes time to talk to me, listen to me, or even just sit there silently. I've even had phone "conversations" where it's just me and the other person sitting there quietly, not really saying anything.

I just need to know that you're here. I just need to know that I'm not alone. Because this is a big and scary world, and I don't have the courage to brave it alone.

Some of my best memories are times spent with friends and family members I love. Memories like...eating cookies in the car with Taylor, Hailey, and Emma, while watching Andy Griffith.

Hi, Emma.

Or staying up until nearly 3am with Pip when she came to visit [shhh, Mum, you didn't just read that.] Or feeding french fries to birds and mice at McDonalds with Fifi. Or laughing with Sarah over something that only sisters would think was really, really funny.

Anyway, I'm going to do a little series on the love languages. :-) If you have any thoughts about them, or want to share your love language, feel free to! I'd love to know your language so I can be a better friend to you.

Walking in Truth,

So maybe...

2011-03-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

{WARNING: long rambling rant ahead. I may contradict myself, make no sense whatsoever, and seem just plain crazy in the head. You don't need to read this, but you can if you want.}

I'm going through a writers crisis. This is what my book is like:

nothing. nothing but blank pages.

I can't write.
I try to and this barrier between my soul and the page rises up and it scares me. I'm used to the barrier between my soul and my mouth, it's been there forever.
But odds fish, a barrier between my aching soul and the pages?? Unheard of. It can't happen.
Writing is my therapy, how I cope. Something goes wrong, I write. Something happy happens, I write.
I feel disoriented and...not myself. This is wrong. This is not how it's supposed to be.
I gave my life to Christ and in return He gave me writing. Now writing is gone and I feel like I should be locked up in the Arkham Asylum.
Mad, crazy, laughing one moment and sobbing the next. Joyful for a little bit and then fearful for a bit.

Maybe it's grief.
Grief is a bitter potion to swallow, and I've had to swallow it a lot lately. In the past 18 or so months I've lost two siblings, a grandpa [and it's only a matter of days before I lose another], and at least three children that I know [online] have died from Mito.
Everyone in the Mito community is suffering.
I'll be painfully raw here: I'm suffering. I hate seeing these precious children struggle to survive.

"You don't just train dragons, you slay them every day."

Someone said that to Noah in a letter. And it's true, for all Mito children. They fight dragons, beat back demons; every day, every breath is fought for. I could go on and on but I'll save that for another day.

So maybe grief is keeping me from writing.

Maybe I'm just being lazy. Bonita @ Encouraging Words for Writers recently wrote on the subject of lazy writers..."I'll write...AFTER I check email/twitter/facebook/chat/read blogs/blog/etc." We have "writing time" where no actual writing gets done.
Bonita might as well have had a hidden camera in my room, because I do have a tendency to sit down, stare at my document for a moment, then go check email instead and spend twenty minutes on gmail instead of writing. But then, I try to sit down and honestly write...and nothing comes.
I sat down the other day, determined to do nothing but write in my unfinished NaNo Novel. I kid you not, ten minutes later I had written two words.
"Alex wondered,"
I didn't even finish the sentence.
Instead I cried and realized I had a problem.

So maybe I'm lazy.

Maybe I need a break.
I've been feeling so restless lately.
I climbed Zion [my tree] higher than I had ever before yesterday and stood there, looking down at the men building Noah's wheelchair ramp and across the street at the people at the gas station. The wind pulled my hair and again I cried.
I want to fly.
Once this is all over with Grandpa and things have settled down, we're planning on taking a couple days to get away. I can't elaborate on it much right now, but God stuck something up Mum and Dad's sleeve and I'm looking forward to it. Very much.
This tiny town makes me feel wildly claustrophobic sometimes. I want to go to a big city, even if for one day. And I don't mean Greenville. I mean Seattle, New York, Cincinnati, or even Atlanta, for heavens sake.

Or not even the city.
A stay at the beach would work wonders, and the mountains even more so. Naturally. ^_^
Or I could runaway to a friend's house and stay there. I'm thinking of a couple friends in particular, [especially that last one I linked to] so if one of y'all hear a knock on your door and open it to find me there sobbing and blabbering something about how horrible writing is...don't be surprised.

So maybe I just need to get away.

Maybe I'm not as inspired as I think I am.
Inspiration is a fickle mistress. One day she's kind and loving and you write literally thousands of words, and the next day she's cruel and beats you half to death, leaving you dying for that one word that's juuuust out of reach.
I stand under a streetlamp, in the mist, during the evening...and I feel Inspiration nearby.
I hear a baby laughing and see it's sweet, newborn face...and I feel Inspiration nearby.
I see Noah walking around, clutching the Lamplighter book "The Giant Killer", hear him say that it's his favourite book...and I feel Inspiration nearby.
BUT heaven forbid that I try and make contact with Inspiration!

So maybe I'm just not inspired enough.

I don't know. I just don't know. Maybe writing all these thoughts will inspire me, get me back in the writing game.

Maybe.

Walking in Truth,

Urgent prayer request.

2011-03-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry to annoy you if posting twice in one day is a pet peeve of yours [I know it's one of mine], but I need prayers for my grandpa.

He's dying, we have about a week left with him. The tumors on his brain, which [quoting the doctors] "are to many to count" have started to cause tremors, which means his muscles are twitching uncontrollably and he needs round the clock care from the doctors. He's not going home. He's going Home.

It's been less than a year since I lost my precious, dearly loved and sorely missed Papa Till.

I've lost two grandpa's in less than a year.

I'm numb, I'm tired.

But I'm still walking. Barely.

Please pray, specifically for the following:
~That he will be awake and lucid while his sister is here, and while his daughter and her family are here. {Aunt Phillis is going to be here from Sunday to Wednesday, and Aunt Julie is going to be here Wednesday to Sunday}
~That Mum and Noah will have a chance to see him before he dies.
~That God gives us all peace, especially Dad, Aunt Julie, and Grandma.

I'll update more when I know more.

Walking in Truth,

In Which I Pick a Name for My Guitar

2011-03-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

I ♥love♥ names.

It's like...one of my obsessions.

Who can blame me? Names are one of the things that helps make a person, in a way. I mean, without a name...you'd be nameless.

{that...was painfully obvious}

I asked y'all to help name my guitar, which several of y'all did and may I just say, that was really sweet of you. I loved all the names and it was fascinating to discover some names I didn't know, plus the meanings to some I did know. I only have one "baby names book", and it's mostly just popular names from back when I was a baby. >.<

Anyway, The Name that I chose for my guitar...

Yay Georgie! I love the name Yarona! So my guitar is going to be named Yarona [she will sing]. Thank you very much, Georgie! Here are a couple other names I really liked...

Kadence...suggested by Jordan. This one almost got picked, but I know a girl who has autism and her name is Cadence [same name, just with a C], so that just seemed a bit...odd. Thanks anyway!

Aaralyn...suggested by Trys/Asami. This was one nice too, but didn't seem quite right.

Georgie, because I picked your name, you will be getting:

{thanks, Taylor, for donating this!}

It's a two-in-one book, The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet. I'll need you to email me with your mailing address so I can send it to Taylor, who has the book. {if you don't feel comfortable with that, let me know and I can have Taylor send me the book then I can send it to you, since you know me.}

By the way. *points excitedly to sidebar* I have Over 50 Followers! Yay that makes me happy. People care about what I write! *cheesy grin* Expect a giveaway soon...and hey, if you have an etsy shop or something and want to donate an item, let me know!

Walking in Truth,

Just One.

2011-03-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

Having been sick most of this week, I wasn't going to post "Favourite Finds".

But that changed when I saw this post.

This day has been very hard. Noah is back in the hospital {fifth time this year} Grandpa is very sick with his cancer. I'm just getting over two weeks of being sick.

So I have just one favourite find for you.

This post helped pull me to my feet. Reminded me of the reason I live. Breath. Cherish each moment. Take one step at a time.

Read this.

Walking in Truth,one step at a time,

1,000 Gifts: 87 - 95

2011-03-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

87~ Ma fille peu fou
88~ Open doors, even though I might not notice them at first
89~ People who aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in.
90 ~ My hearing
91~ My voice
92~ Spring
93 ~ My new guitar
94~ Guitar lessons
95 ~ And the lovely lady who got the guitar and lessons for me.

What are you thankful for this week?

Walking in Truth,

A blessing, a contest, and a prayer request

2011-03-06T20:43:00.000-08:00

First, the blessing. *giggles crazily and spins around* Ready???

A NEW GUITAR!!! Okay, longish story of God's amazingness to follow, so sit down and listen up. :-D

Now, I almost missed out on this amazing miracle. I was too busy looking at a door that I thought was shutting, not noticing that God was holding a completely different door open. God has been doing that lately, surprising me in ways I wasn't expecting.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my Lord? <3

So, about four or five years ago I got a guitar for Christmas, as well as Timothy and Matthew. However, shortly after we got them, Noah started to get sick and All That Stuff began. Poor Jenna [what I had named my guitar] was left in the corner and hardly ever played with. Every once in awhile I would pull her out and let a friend mess around with it, and sometimes I would "play" on it, but every time I tried to get lessons, it was as if God was going "nooo, not yet!"

Skip to two days before Noah's fundraiser....

Justin, our worship leader, donated at the very last minute 5 free guitar lessons for Noah's auction right as my Grandma walked in the door with a $500 guitar someone else donated for the auction. So we put the two items together as a package, with me desperately wishing there was some way to 'steal' the lessons.

Not really. Okay, maybe a little. *ahem*

Then there's The Lady From California, a reader of Noah's blog [and since I'm not sure if she wants me to use her real name, I'm calling her this for now. You know who you are! :-)] who randomly decided to fly out from CA this weekend and visit us while attending Noah's fundraiser.

Here's the part where I almost missed the open door. The live auction started, and I was starting to feel a bit upset because the first couple items went for less than $50, when they were worth waaay more than that. I walked out and tried not to cry, kinda stomped my foot at God and demanded what was going on. I didn't want to go back in, it was all to heart-wrenching, but God took me by the hand and dragged me back in, just as the guitar and lessons were about to start getting bid on. I noticed that The Lady From California had gotten an art kit, but when I asked if it was for her grandkids, she said "Oh, I got this for your family!" Then she pointed at the guitar and said "and I'll get that for you." Before I could protest, she bid on it and eventually got it.

I sat there sobbing like a baby because I was so happy! I did try telling her I already had one, but she was all "well, you have two now! I bet you need another one, you got that other one years ago," and such. Excuses, excuses, Lady From California! But thank you anyway. *hugs*

So now I have two guitars and free guitar lessons! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with Jenna, maybe give it to Matthew [who is passing his on to David because it's too small for him now], or sell it to earn some money for a writers class I hope to start this fall [more on that some other time].

But now I need your help! One of my quirks is that I love to name things, so I need a name for this guitar.

~I'm really into names and their meanings, so if you suggest a name and know the meaning behind it, let me know!

~Feel free to suggest as many many names as you want! From 1 to 100, it doesn't matter. :-)

~The winner will get...a surprise. I'm not sure what yet. *muwahaha*

~Please note that I'll be using a name if I like it, not because I like the person who suggested it!

Oh, and my prayer request. I've been sick this past week, first with a cruel cold and now it seems I have Laryngitis, along with something else. Both my ears are clogged and everything sounds all fuzzy, and I can hardly talk without this chest-tearing cough. My throat really hurts too, and if I get a chance to talk, it's all hoarse and rasping. >.< I don't need this. I'm going to see the doctor again tomorrow, probably, so please pray that it goes well and that I start to feel well soon!

Before I go, here's a song I want to share with you. When The Lady From California got my guitar, this was the first thing that came to mind, so this is the first song I want to learn to play...

Walking in Truth,

Favourite Finds Friday # 5

2011-03-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Going to try a different style for showing off links this week...hopefully Tarissa won't mind. :-)

Favourite blog posts:
Awakened ~ What Brings You Joy?
God's Peculiar Treasure Rae ~ My Island{a poem}
In the Shadow of Poetic ~ The Memory of the Sun {a short story}
Seven Sisters ~ For Mommy, picture 3 {Proof that the Seven Sisters cannot behave without their mom!}
Farmgirl Writes ~ Roads Go Ever Ever On {any LotR geek is most likely going to click this due to the Tolkien title. I did. And I am not ashamed. ;-)}

A post or two that encouraged me:
iHeart ~ Failures
Further Up and Further In ~ With Arms Held High and Heart Abandoned {I knoooow, but Kylie is very inspiring. I need to stop saying that, I probably look really sappy. Oh well.}

People who need prayers this week:
Cooper Knight ~ Cooper passed away yesterday after a long struggle with Mito. Please keep his family in your prayers.
Emerson White ~ Emerson is very ill and only has a few months to live, if that long. Praises though, because they were certain she wouldn't live to see the new year...I tell you, these Mito kids are fighters! They don't give up easily.
Eithene Rose ~ Eithene is also very ill, and her family is facing a lot of complicated choices about her. She's been in the hospital for over a year now.
Katie Mcrae ~ Kate has life threatening cancer. She's been fighting it for awhile now, and just when they thought it was gone, it came back with vengeance.

Blogs I started following this week:
Wishful Thinking ~ Fashion [among other things] on a budget
Simple Delights ~ I actually found Samantha's blog awhile ago, when she entered [and won] my Fall photography contest. Now I'm finally getting around to following her lovely blog. ;-)
Dancing Barefoot ~ doesn't the title just make you want to go there? Well, it made me want to go. That's where I joined the Spring Party.
Forever His Servant ~ I actually started following this as an entry for a giveaway. Laaame, I know. >.< Oh well. I really like it so far!

Current Giveaways:
A Simple Farmgirl is having a nice giveawya that ends TOMORROW! So go enter here:
http://asimplefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/earring-winner-and-my-last-giveaway.html
Also, starting tomorrow, I am hosting one of the weekly giveaways over at Oh, Horse Feathers. *beams* I made a notebook, which in Olivia's opinion is "gorgeous". ;-) So be sure to look over there for ways to win it!

So...did you like this version better, or the old way? Let me know, so I know how to post these. :-)

I'm participating in Favourite Finds Friday with Tarissa! Check back every Friday for a list of my favourite posts from the past week.
Walking in Truth,

Thoughts of Spring blog party

2011-03-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Farmgirl Writes, and then later on Georgie's blog. I figured, what the heck? It sounds fun, why not join in. :-D Besides, I'm sick, so I need something to do.

How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right?
Different, or unique, I suppose. Which is true, I am quite different. Hehehe.

What celebrity/celebrities would create a “Star-Struck” feeling if you saw them in real life?
Aw gosh. Probably, *ahem* this guy:

Colin Firth...<3

Or this guy:

Liam Neeson, master of Epic-ness!

Although, really, most people who would give me a star-struck feeling are dead. Or very old.
Oh. I just realized how awkward that sounded. My bad.
What I meant was that people like Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and John Leyton [who played Willie in The Great Escape, one of the best movies EVER].

Who is your favorite blogger? Why?
Whaaat? Only one? Aiye. There are a lot of great bloggers out there...can I just give you three? Thanks. :-D
Seven Sisters:
http://homeschoolblogger.com/sevensisters/
Seven delightful, old-fashioned, funny sisters who live on a farm. From pictures of their two crazy brothers, to tips and tricks for every day things, to adventures with their farm animals...you never know what they might post next! I especially enjoy reading Seven Sisters Treasures, which is a collection of "treasures" posted every Friday and includes things like books they've enjoyed reading, favourite quotes, silly quotes from their brothers, and more. So go check them out!

Oh, Horse Feathers:
http://ofhorsefeathers.blogspot.com
Blog design. Fashion. Photography. Vintage love. Writing. Olivia has it all! Not to mention one of the. best. templates. evah. End of story. I'm jealous over her talent for blog design. And her sense of fashion. And her brilliant photography. And the way she talks about vintage things. And her writing style.
Can anyone tell I have a jealousy issue going on right now?? Another thing I love about Olivia is that she so friendly. A lot of "big bloggers" with hundreds of followers and lots of publicity can be pretty "high and mighty"...something that Olivia is not. I'm actually sponsoring a giveaway over at her blog, starting on Saturday, and it has been so fun emailing with her. She also sponsored something for Noah's fundraiser. :-)

Further Up and Further In:
http://furtherup-and-furtherin.blogspot.com/
Might I say that I am extremely blessed to call Kylie one of my best friends? She's actually the girl who got me blogging, on a little homeschool blogging site back in 2008. We've both moved on to blogger now, but if anything, Kylie's blog has only gotten better. She's a precious, inspiring young lady, who is head over heels in love with her Saviour, and not afraid to share that fact. Kylie also loves music, and writing [well duh]. Actually, we're [trying to] co-author a book.

What is your comfort food/drink?
~~Black coffee.~~ Okay, now wait a second. I have black coffee anyway, even if I'm not in need of comfort. Same thing with chocolate, but you didn't just hear me say that. So here's the truth: I don't really have a comfort food or drink. If I'm in need of comforting, I turn to God, music, my friends, books.

And coffee.

Be brave – tell us something very random and weird about yourself.
Oh boy. Ready? This is actually somewhat embarrassing...
I wear mascara almost every day. Just to make my eyelashes look longer than they really are.
*hides in shame*

Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it?
Hmm...well, apart from the obvious [publish a book], I'd actually really like to take up dancing. I did ballet for several years when I was younger, but I think it would be really fun to learn ECD [English Country Dancing], and Irish jigging. Hah, maybe I should have used THAT to answer the question before this. Betcha didn't see that one comin'.

Movies: Action, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Documentary, Comedy? What are your favorite genres?
I love pretty much all of these, but honestly I'd have to say action is mostly my favourite. A-Team, Batman Begins, The Great Escape [well, I think that counts as action]...yes, methinks action is pretty cool. I do love movies in other genres, though, like Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader [wait, that is action, right? Or fantasy? Both?], Tangled, How To Train Your Dragon, Lark Rise to Candleford, Cranford, Bleak House, Nanny McPhee...

Books: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Biographies, True Stories, Self-Help, Devotional/Study? What are your favorite types of reading material?
Look, as long as it's not a book that's not by J.K Rowling or Stephenie Meyer, chances are I'll like it. I'm not even going to try and list some of my favourite books...just know than I generally like any genre of books.

Music: Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Film Score, Blues, Classic Rock, Crooner, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Techno? What are your favorite types?
Like with books, I love a wide variety, and as long as it's not Justin Beiber or Miley Cyrus [or any other rockstar like that], I just might like it. I like instrumental [mostly movie soundtracks], Christian Contemporary, some country, Owl City, Frank Sinatra [not that y'all hadn't already guessed that]...there's a peek at my playlist. ;-)

If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money?
I don't want to answer this honestly, because I don't want to look like a goodie-two-shoes. However, I will.
I'd pray about it. Then use it as the Lord directed me to, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to chose. I would like to help orphans, I have a heart that is passionately against abortion, I want to reach out to troubled teenagers...so I would have to let the Lord chose. Maybe all three.
{and then, I'm adding this to make me seem more human, I would save some of it so I could go visit my friends. There, I said it.}

Name one weakness of yours (confession is good for the soul).
I could easily list ten things here. However, I'll list my main weakness:
Noah. Seriously, I'd do anything for this little man. They say love is blind, and with Noah, I'm afraid that's true. Nobody hurts my boy when I'm around, or else. And if he wants it, and it's in my power to get it, then it happens.

If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go?
Either New York or Paris. <3 And, actually, I have this thing about Seattle. Hello Seattle? I guess so.

Strange Talent? Can you juggle basketballs, put your legs behind your head or perform some other strange feat?
I'm the queen of running in to invisible walls, tripping over myself, and tripping up stairs. :-P

What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? (Don’t worry, it’s not bragging, it’s acknowledging a God given gift).
The plain and simple truth? Writing. It's my number 1 God-given talent. Without Him, I am unable to write, literally. I can sit there and pound out a bunch of trash any day, but it's only through God that my real talent for writing shines.

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of?
Books. I love the smell of fresh books, old books, all sorts. I also like the smell of ink, coffee, and lavender.

When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less?
Neither. I talk as much as I need to. {in other words, not a lot} Sometimes I wish I could go back and change what I said, but I rarely wish I had talked more/less.

If money wasn’t a factor, what stores would you shop in?
Goodness, there are tons of Etsy shops that I would instantly empty if I had enough money. I love love LOVE Etsy, there's so many awesome things for sale on there, if only I had enough money...
Etsy aside, I'd raid Barnes And Nobles. Heheh.

What is your greatest fear or strange phobia?
While I would not say this is my greatest fear, I do have a phobia of fire. Candles and small fires in fireplaces, I can handle. Other than that, I freak out. A few days ago I went to pull something out of the oven and some grease spilled on the oven, causing a brief flash of flames. I screamed and was shaking for nearly 15 minutes afterward. Yes, fire is a fear of mine.

What is your greatest accomplishment?
Getting out of bed before 7:30am. I kid you not.

Maybe.

What are your favorite animals?
Anything small and squishy!
That was even more disturbing than me getting star-struck over dead people. Let's try this again.
Squirrels are my number 1 favourite animals. Nonono, seriously. I love them. And I actually raised an orphaned squirrel once, a few years ago, so while most people *coughMyBrotherAndGrandpacough* view them as pests, I view them as fun, though mischievous, doodads.

Are you a hopeless romantic?
Not really...it depends. I'm rather cynical when it comes to "tuhwoo lawf" and all that, though every once in awhile I enjoy a nice little romance.

What movie or book character can you most relate to?

This is hard, but I think that would have to be Jo March.

She's a writer, she's got a fiery temper, she's passionate, independent, daring...okay, so I might not be daring, but still. ;-) And she cares a lot about Beth, while I care a lot about Noah.

Walking in Truth,

I feel ALIVE! - Bolt

2011-02-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

In Which I Have Much News of Epic Proportions.

1 - If all goes well, I am going to meet Dr. Jobe Martin tonight. Squee!!! He is part of the movie series "Amazing Creatures that Defy Evolution", which our family really enjoys, and he will be speaking at a friend's church about an hour and a half away from us. I really hope it works out! Dr. Martin is a Creationist, so I'll be dragging along a notebook because I'm sure to get inspired. ;-)

2 - We bought Noah an iPad the other day. And I discovered that iPads are almost, but not quite, smarter than I am. Hehee. The reason we bought this is because Noah, due to his illness, is often very weak and tired, and unable to get off the couch. Because of this, the television is on a lot more than we would like, because it is all he is literally able to do. So we took some money that people had given us to buy him something, and got an iPad. Already he has a couple interactive books on there, games that he is able to play, and a pet dinosaur named "Rexy". Noah loves having this "pet". ;-) It eats the meat you feed it, plays fetch with a giant bone, fights other dinosaurs, and best of all, repeats whatever you say in a "scary" dinosaur voice. Noah has been known to roar at the dinosaur, talk in a squeaky voice, and blow raspberries at it, then laugh hysterically as Rexy does it right back at him.

3 - I might be going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, at the end of July! The youth group I attend is planning on going to a youth conference there, and I really hope I can go! It's nearly a week long, and we would also go to the Dixie Stampede and a couple other fun places.

4 - Last but most certainly NOT least, the best news of all............the news I've been teasing some of y'all about....the news I am terribly excited about.......the news that makes me want to scream and dance every time I hear about it...................

I
am going to
learn...........

Medieval sword-fighting.

*screams and dances*

Surprised? Actually, to learn sword fighting has been a somewhat secret desire of mine for a couple years now. And recently, I started praying that God would somehow, someway, provide sword fighting lessons, either Medieval or fencing, for me.

I figured it wouldn't happen any time soon since we're struggling financially, I'm pretty busy helping out around the house all day, and...really? Sword fighting? I didn't think my parents would let me. I mean, it seems rather odd, but hey. I'm borderline obsessed with it.

{okay, so I have a lot of borderline obsessions.}

I didn't have peace about asking my parents about it, so I kept silent until one evening, when Dad walked in the kitchen and started talking to Mom about sword fighting lessons. Apparently, Mum had seen a poster promoting free Medieval-style sword fighting lessons. Dad contacted the guy, found out that the only cost is *deep breath* the HISTORICAL COSTUME [aaaaaaaa! *dies from pure bliss*] you need to make if you attend the lessons for more than a couple months, so that you can [*dies again*] take part in the battles we will be acting out. And, it's every other Saturday, for only a couple hours, so it doesn't take up too much time.

I seriously think I'm going to fall over and die. Right now.

Except then, I wouldn't be able to fight. Oh.

So. *huge grin* There you have my news of epic proportions.

Praise da Lawd. ;-)

Walking in Truth,

If I were...

2011-02-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

{Noah is in the hospital! Please visit his blog for more information: http://prayingfornoah.com]

If I were...

If I were a month I’d be March

If I were a day I’d be Friday

If I were a time of day I’d be midnight

If I were a font I’d be courier

If I were a sea animal I’d be a dolphin

If I were a direction I’d be east

If I were a piece of furniture I’d be a desk

If I were a liquid I’d be coffee

If I were a gemstone I’d be a ruby

If I were a tree I’d be a beech tree

If I were a tool I’d be a multi-purpose pocketknife.

If I were a flower I’d be a daisy

If I were an element of weather I'd be the wind

If I were a musical instrument I’d be a guitar

If I were a color I’d be a rainbow

If I were an emotion I’d be hopeful

If I were a fruit I’d be a blackberry

If I were a sound I’d be silence

If I were a car I’d be a minivan

If I were a book I'd be the book of Psalms in the Bible

If I were a food item I would be dark chocolate

If I were a place I’d be a city

If I were a material I’d be jean cloth

If I were a taste I’d be bittersweet

If I were a scent I’d be lavender

If I were a body part I’d be the fingers

If I were a song I’d be Hold On {tobymac}

If I were a bird I’d be a sparrow

If I were a gift I’d be expensive

If I were a door I’d be open

If I were a city I’d be Boston

If I were a pair of shoes I’d be ballet flats

I tag anyone! Let me know if you do this, I'd love to see your answers. :-)

None of these photos are mine. Taken from iClipart.com.

Walking in Truth,