Seek Him First

Come to the countries in my mind...

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged by Jessica of Safirewriter! This is a delightfully fun tag for a writer, especially one who happens to be momentarily stuck at a very unhappy place in the story, and must write about it if the story itself refuses to let me write it! :( :P

So, here you are. Officially meet And It Was Love, the second book in my Faith-Hope-Love trilogy. :)

1. Who are the main characters?

Tyrielle Sen Aransadorien - River, to her family - 2nd daughter and ambassador-princess of the Ilmataran royal family - baby of the family, ambassador to the dangerous courts of Brynhaven's Casimir Re, and the best in a nation of archers.

Jaden Beorn - Jayde, to those he likes - firstborn son of Asbjorn Arthfail and so crown prince of the Arturri in the land of Vastavatkarhu, a man caught between two worlds and fighting, not only for the respect and obedience of his people, but for his very soul.

Tarian Storm, prince of Ilmatara. Always in the background, yet he made River who she is, and it is to him that she compares every man she meets, his advice that she hears in her head as she attempts to put back together the disaster that has become her existence... and his life the one that affects hers more than any other.

2. How did you get the idea for this story?

Writing another book. And watching a random video clip on youtube. Really.

Avaenestelwen's mother... and the lengths to which Nin Vasilissa went to rewrite her story... and the awe with which the woman's murderer regarded her - indeed, the fact that she completely changed his life by her death - and the difference that the truth about her made to Avaenestelwen... I wanted to know it. And then I desperately wanted to write a love story - about the love of siblings. How well I will succeed I am not sure... Jaden Beorn wants a different story.

3. What genre is this story?

Speculative Christian Fiction... narrowed down to Historical Fantasy.

4. Describe your book in three thoughts:

Love hurts. Love never lets go. The greatest of these is Love.

5. The bit that describes an obscure piece of real life best:

At least she was no longershivering. Or at least, River thought crossly, brushing snow from her mittenswith a frown, she would not beshivering if she could keep from tripping over her stupid snowshoes and fallinginto the snow. Her wrists were icy cold, and the soft fur that lined hermittens could not keep all of the melting snow packed around the edge of hermittens from dripping down her hands.

6. The funniest line said by a side-character thus far:

“No! Jaden Beorn, have you lostyour royal mind?” Osbeorn’s voice was filled with both shock and frustration.

along with:

“Whatever, your Highness."

Also Osbeorn. I love Osbeorn... :D

7. Your favourite piece of description:

gah... frighteningly hard to find a piece... :P But this perhaps is one of my favorite pictures:

"With a sudden movement she hadunfastened the clasp of the heavy bear cloak, and the next instant she was onher feet, balancing easily on the branch, one hand lightly resting in thetangled twigs above her. Her dress was the color of a water bird’s wingfeathers – not green and not blue, but somewhere wildly in between. She haddyed it herself; she wanted to stand out, and she knew she did, astonishinglybright against the stark white and black of the winter background."

tho ya gotta admit, he can look pretty useless sometimes...

as far as describing feelings... I love Jayde sometimes too... ;)

"Lifting her chin, she followedBerend out, and Jaden watched the door close tightly behind her. His hand wasstill tightly gripping the cup, and suddenly he brought his hand back, flingingthe cup across the room to smash into jagged shards of pottery against thefireplace. The fire sizzled as water hit the flames and Jaden clenched hisfists. Never in his life had he felt more useless."

which is not to say there is not something utterly frightening about him at times...

8. Your biggest fear in the writing of this story:

That it will end up making nada sense? LOL I want the point to come through... the story to hang together... it to be beautiful.

9. Last full sentence you wrote:

Can we go with last full sentence (*ahem* or two) that I'm pretty sure I'm keeping? :P There is currently a bit of discussion going on... :P

“Don’t be a fool.” Kadien’s voicewas laced with bitterness as he turned slightly, pausing his laborious walk.

10. Favourite character thus far:

Ack... In some strange way it could be Jaden - his battle is hard, but he is fighting it as well he can...

River, of course - though despite her being the reason I wrote the story, I seem to have an awfully hard time understanding her...

this is Atheros... which is cool because River is in the same picture! ;D

Tarian Storm. He's amazing. Absolutely. <3

Atheros. (The man who taught both Jaden and Tarian sword fighting.) He's just cool. And somehow also sweet and tender and a man that, along with River's father, inspired Tarian to be the amazingness that he is.

closest I've got to Bernadette, and her baby Bee (Thorbjorn) :)

Osbeorn. (One of Jaden's men and brother-in-law to Bernadette.) *giggle* Sheer awesomeness. And I have high hopes for him...

Bernadette. (Jaden's blood sister - she would have been his blood brother but she was a girl.) She just randomly appeared and I'm kind of expecting her to disappear... but she is such a rebel in the land of Vastaavatkarhu that I cannot help but love her.

w/out long hair or marks on his face - this is Casimir Re

Casimir Re. (Villain.) Mastermind behind every world tragedy in the past 20 years, or near enough - absolute, pure evil. Asbjorn (another villain) has the nasty problem of being Jayde's father and sometimes even loved by his wife - I hate him, but it's mixed with disgust and irritation and wanting to slam his head into a wall. Not so Casimir Re. I just want him dead. *shudder* So he's my favorite on the least favorite side. :P

Anybody guessed yet that I have problems picking favorites? :P

11. What books have been written or have you read that are similar in style and flavour to your novel?

Hmm.... not sure... I think it's too much drawn from everything I've ever heard, read, or watched for there to be one specific thing... though when I start letting random people read it and they notice anything I would be interested in knowing what it reminds them of. :)

12. If it was destined to become a book on tape, who would you wish to read it?

?? Never thought of that... I rarely listen to books on tape. But Jessica had a good a good idea with the whole full-cast thing... :)

And, since it's a tag... I tag Vicki and Lizzy! :)

I hope you enjoyed meeting these people... let's hope they will at some point soon allow me to finish their story! :)

Beautiful People - Jaden Beorn

2012-01-25T18:08:00.000-06:00

The title makes me laugh, because I can just picture Jayde's face upon being called a beautiful person... :D Ay-yi-yi...

Anyway.

Prince Jaden Beorn, from the WIP I'm working most on: And It Was Love.

(Which, by the way, he thinks is a rather femmy and ridiculous title for a story - but he doesn't get to vote because he was never meant to be in the story at all. It was about someone entirely different, who happened to be a girl, and the title seemed much more appropriate before he appeared in all his rough and unpolished royal-ness. :P)

made by someone who is good at this! :)

1. If the character's house burned down, and he was left with nothing but the clothes on his back, what would he do? Where would he go?

As a prince of the Bear Clan, his house is the great lodge of the Vastaavatkarhun village, and his father the king would probably be furious at its burning. Somehow I think that he himself would be angry - except seeing his father's loss of temper would make him simply shrug and figure out how they were going to get building materials and replace whatever was lost. (Which would not be that much - it's not as if it is a palace.) He would then would pitch in beside his men and set to work building it back up.

2. Is he happy with where he is in life, or would he like to move on?

Moving on is often in his thoughts - mostly he is struggling with what exactly "moving on" would involve. He does not see eye-to-eye with anyone in his village (six years away from home can have that effect), and the only person he has found who even remotely understands where he is coming from is a slave girl from an enemy country who despises his land and his people with all her being. She might despise him too, though he's not entirely sure on that point. Perhaps he merely does not wish to see it.

3. Is he well-paid?

Vastaavatkarhun princes are not paid - and the People of the Bear do not give their leaders much in the way of tribute. However, what is desired is generally taken, and there no protest can be made. Still, Vastaavatkarhu is not a rich country, though, having never known them, Jaden has never missed the luxuries of the southern countries.

4. Can he read?

During his six years of training, his uncle used his few scrolls to teach him to read the Words of Elohim at least passably well. Since his return home, he has not even that, and reading is not exactly considered a skill necessary for the People of the Bear. I do not think he has told anyone that he possesses the ability, at however rudimentary a level.

5. What languages does he speak?

His own - Vastaavatkarhun... and the man his uncle hired to teach him sword fighting taught him the language of the lowland traders - a language spoken by most in the surrounding countries. That is the language he used to communicate with the thrall Tyrielle, and in teaching her his language - an attempt to make her life slightly easier - he found himself learning hers - Ilmataran.

6. What is his biggest mistake?

Which one? Falling in love with a slave girl? Demanding her love in return, forgetting that not only does she worship the same God he claims to serve, she is a princess in her own land and would rather die than be both his slave and his wife? Or rejecting in wounded fury a plea for mercy - the consequences of which will reverberate not only through the lives of all he loves, but every country which he touches, and indeed, the history of the world itself? I would say the last, but had the first not occurred, the next could not have followed.

7. What did he play with most as a child?

Not what, perhaps, but who - Bernadette, the rebellious girl who defied Vastaavatkarhun traditions and who became his blood-sister, the only one, since he was the solitary child of his mother. Thankfully his father never knew, or the approval he so desired from his father would have become unattainable a whole lot earlier in life.

8. What are his thoughts on politics?

Eh, he kind of hates them. He does not entirely realize and he certainly does not take advantage of his privileges as prince, and his responsibilities frustrate him to no end, for he lacks the power to change the things he wishes to, while being forced to follow his father's unjust lead and listen to advisers for whom he has absolutely no respect. The back-stabbing (oftentimes quite literally) that surrounds him disgusts him, and he would rather face an army than deal with the twisted value system of the Vastaavatkarhun court.

9. What is his expected life time?

Whoa... interesting question. :) Well... he's been back home six months and already had several attempts made on his life. His country is preparing for war, and given the fact that everyone from his country's tenuous allies to his own father would rather he were dead and not in the middle of everything, complicating it horribly, his life expectancy is not good. Were it not for the small band of men who have slowly come to respect him, if not understand him, during several months of strenuous battle training, he would probably be dead already.

10. If he were falsely accused of murder, what would he do? How would he react?

It would depend on who accused him. There really would be very little consequences for him whether the accusation was true or not - he is the prince and so long as he had a semi-valid reason nothing would happen. If he were taken before his father's court, he would probably laugh and ask if they were really going to hate him more if it turned out he was innocent (which they probably would, while his actually being a murderer might scare them into some slight appearance of respect). He would be irritated more than anything, unless it happened to be the murder of someone he cared for, in which case he would be of course upset about their death.

GIVEAWAY + Q&A!!! :D

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

you can get a lot of things w/a $5 amazon gift card... ;)

Again, thank you guys for being awesome, and good luck! :)

You know how it works...

* follow and leave a comment - 2 entries (mandatory)

* mention it on some sort of social networking dealio - facebook, twitter, blog, etc, and leave me the link in a comment - 1 entry for each

* put my blog button somewhere on your blog and let me know about it - 1 entry

And... because it's been nearly a full year since last time I did this and I have a couple more followers than I did then :) and I always love reading other people's Q&A posts and just in case anybody possibly has any questions for me (not that you necessarily will), :D I will also say:

* Ask me one or more questions in a comment - 1 entry

Anything you want to know, ask away, though of course I will not be giving up any of my rights and may invoke the Fifth amendment - though I probably won't. ;)

In case it was not clear, the prize is a $5 Amazon gift card and the winner of it will be chosen by some random number picking website. :) Deadline to enter is Saturday, February 4th, midnight. :)

cries Oh, yeah, and a giveaway...

2012-01-23T09:30:00.000-06:00

Source: thestars-themoon.tumblr.com via Katherine on Pinterest

Confession: I am a horrible blogger.

*sigh*

Every time I'm like, Oh, now would be a good time to blog! I'm immediately like, But... I could also read a book. I could also watch a movie. I could also make supper for my family. I could also email a friend. [Friends, I apologize for how horrible I have been about emailing lately too. It's like I've been trapped in some kind of no-communication vortex... it's really awful.] I could also talk to my endlessly talking little sister and help my brothers with their schoolwork. I could even read some Biochemistry chapters or work a few Physics problems... (*diez*)

I could WRITE!!!

Lately it's been the writing winning out (not that I haven't been doing some of the others too... :P) I just hit 100,000 words in my current WIP the other day, and wrote one of my favorite parts of the book and then what could possibly be the hardest chapter I've ever written within a few days of each other.

For once I couldn't even write past it... probably because what comes next is potentially worse.
*cries*

*ahem* ANYWAY.

Sooo... it's kind of a time thing, and blogging keeps getting pushed to the end of the list. :P This semester I have a really good schedule and a really insane schedule at the same time - it's too soon to tell if I'm going to enjoy it or not. :) The rest of my family's schedules are also quite insane, and I am really attempting to be more helpful with that, slight as my efforts have thus far been. :P

All of which means the posts I should be writing (and there have been a few during the past 6 or so months that could have been quite good if I'd stopped and written them :P lol) are just not happening. Particularly the thoughtful posts into which I'd actually have to put some effort. :P

But, to thank you for not unfollowing me as I continue limping along in horrible blogger-ness, and to celebrate hitting 500 posts (I must have done a few posts somewhere along the line... maybe just not the ones I really wanted to? :P), and because I like you all, I am having a small giveaway. :D

Details coming shortly. ;)

Showcasing the Brilliance of Others...

2012-01-12T09:07:00.000-06:00

Random things I've read recently that were really, really good:

When a man of God cares for
His sister in Christ
With all his heart,
He does not betray her trust
No matter his part,
No matter his cost.
He would pray for her, stay with her
Through any strife.
He would fly for her, cry with her,
Die for her life.
He’s a rock she can lean on,
An angel she can see.
He’s a secure paragon,
A bodyguard for free...

read the rest of this poem here - and the comments too. :D

And click on the picture to read an absolutely brilliant post on Christianity and violence... something I really, really appreciated reading, since it was struggling with that whole issue that got me started writing one of my westerns - attempting to reconcile "love your enemies" with the whole idea of the American West threw me for a loop for a bit. Though I am glad that I, along with my character, did eventually figure it out - and when it came time for the MC to pull the trigger, he did so, as much as he did not want to, and saved several lives in so doing. It is a very serious matter... but one that needs thinking about.

This post made me want to stand up and cheer - girls, we have been called to follow Him! Not to hit 18 and mindlessly head off to college, there to have our faith blown to smithereens because we never took the time to learn what it actually was we believed! And not to self-righteously stay home and spend 10 years perfecting our floor-scrubbing skills, patting ourselves on the back that we're better than those that didn't!
STOP putting God in a box and LEARN TO LISTEN TO HIS LEADING! He does not create using a paper punch! What has He called you to do?

And click on the picture to read another post along similar lines that I really liked...

In a slightly different vein, I absolutely love this quote:

"So that is the outline of the official story - the tale of the time when God was the underdog and got beaten, when he submitted to the conditions he had laid down and became a man like the men he had made, and the men he had made broke him and killed him. This is the dogma we find so dull - this terrifying drama of which God is the victim and hero.

"If this is dull, then what, in Heaven's name, is worthy to be called exciting? The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore - on the contrary, they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him "meek and mild," and recommended him for pale curates and pious old ladies. To those who knew him, however, he in no way suggests a milk-and-water person; they objected to him as a dangerous firebrand." ~ Dorothy Sayers

Go here and here to see where I got it, and to read a rather fascinating set of posts on religion in books.

Enjoy them all and feel free to let me know what you thought of them! :)

Some days I hate my body.

2012-01-10T18:16:00.002-06:00

Today was one of those days.

See, it is so easy to forget why I'm doing all this studying, taking all these classes... until I go shadow a doctor and then I remember. So, as you can imagine, I was excited when a doctor called me up and said I could shadow her today! And I got up before 6am to make sure I'd have a car for the day, got ready, ate breakfast, made a lunch, and headed to the clinic.

First patient: I walked in the room, shut the door, get ready to listen...

and my head started spinning. Or maybe it was the room. All I know is all of a sudden I was dripping with sweat, my ears were roaring so loudly I could not hear a word being said, and I knew I was going to pass out any second.

'Cause that happened to me once before, and believe you me, the definition of the word awkward is collapsing while the doctor you're shadowing is discussing a life-threatening injury with the patient. And you stumble back to your feet as quickly as you can and the doctor whips around with narrowed eyes and wants to know what just happened.

*wants to disappear through several floors*

So now I'm leaning against the wall, unzipping my down vest as unobtrusively as possible, desperately telling myself that it is NOT going to happen again, and trying to figure out how I will gracefully escape collapsing on the floor - and absolutely furious with myself because there was no stinking reason on the face of the earth for me to be feeling faint right then.

That's just the kind of thing my body does to me - when I was a teenager I'd get sick to my stomach just about every time I did anything that involved standing for long periods of time. Everybody said I was just nervous or trying to get out of stuff. I was not.

It's just weird. I thought I was over it. Evidently not.

Enter prayer.

By the grace of God (not my own gracefulness, which is fairly well nonexistent), that first patient was the only one to tell me (several times) to sit down - and this was before my head started spinning like a merry-go-round. Thinking back, no one else the entire rest of the day moved all their stuff out of the way and asked me to sit down. Just her.

Of course, I refused it because in general I try to stay as out of the way as possible, not sit down right beside the patient and get in the way. :P

But, when I realized that it was either that or end up in a pile in the corner, I sat down. Not that it helped. I still felt like I was going to totally black out (and wondering if it would be more noticeable or less now that I was sitting there).

Like I said, though - enter prayer. Slowly the feeling passed... and the rest of the day was awesome per usual. XD *whew*

I saw just enough intriguing cases to get me excited again... decided I'm definitely drawn to pediatrics, except I might become a danger to bad parents (not kidding very much... parents who do not take care of their children push buttons in me that should not be pushed if they want to stay healthy *ahem* :P)... and I read through three 'doctor books' - def don't want to be a dermatologist *gag*

*sigh*

To tell the truth, I'm afraid my writing might take a rather graphic turn if I get to be a doctor - hopefully not, but when you're seeing... stuff... (*ahem* the pictures in the books were the stuff of horror movies, I kid you not) it is generally reflected in your writing. And I've already seen gunshot wounds, abscesses of the face, and babies that took all day to be born while the mother was screaming in the room. (You'd think we were more modern... no, we're not.) That's just in a couple days of shadowing...

Today, though, I saw pretty tame stuff... except for one that was extremely intriguing - intriguing enough that it will be included in my current WIP. I'm kind of looking forward to that part... ;)

I even wore my high-heeled tennis shoes! XD

LOL, and once my head quit spinning, I was quite happy to be me again...
which I was with a vengeance - one patient said I looked 10 years old, and another asked if I was in grade school. XD Got to love that...

Some days there is no one else on planet earth I'd rather be...

Today was one of those days.

In memory...

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

of Gunnar

2003-20011

~stopped killing our other pets once he was trained

~was only kicked out of dog obedience school once (he got in a fight with another puppy and bit the teacher when she tried to stop him)

~did not actually ever hurt anybody, except for maybe give one vet tech a heart attack when he went for her throat and knocked her to the floor (he did it very carefully - he was always a gentleman)

~scarcely ever disobeyed (*ahem* again, once trained...)

~never got into stuff he shouldn't (except in his eat-the-other-pets phase)

~made for crazy stories to tell over the years

~ gorgeous purebred long-haired german shepherd

~perfect guard for the house and yard

~brilliant for a dog - you could see him thinking

~freaked out the day I first drove the car, but eventually decided I was a good enough driver he could ride with me

~had super soft fur and an amazing personality

~had an adorably low bark as a puppy and was "the dog we've always wanted" since the day we got him

he loved attention and soft beds...

he could be soo sweet...

though I was still afraid to come downstairs in the middle of the night, lest he attack first and realize who I was second

one of the most fun dogs I've ever known and certainly the best dog ever since I was a baby

we <3 u, Gunnar

2011 --> 2012

2012-01-01T13:18:00.001-06:00

In 2011...
(very random and in no particular order whatsoever, lol)

~ I finished writing the best book I've ever written and probably the easiest book I'll ever write

~ I chose Love as my word for 2011

~ my brother got married :)

~ I sent a short story to an editor and got the first critique/edit out of the way. It was incredibly encouraging. And helpful. And it made me quite happy. ;)

~ my sister-in-law announced that she is expecting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (at our Christmas get-together) :D

~ I read through the Bible in Chronological order, which I've wanted to do for years - I finally found a Chronological schedule! (Yay for Google... *headdesk* LOL)

~ I learned about grace and the incredible amazingness of my God more than probably ever before

~ I joined Twitter

~ I joined Pinterest (totally fun) :)

~ Between BookSneeze and Multinomah Publishing, I got several free books - my favorite being Kim Meeder's latest book. Read it! :D That, or Hope Rising. Awesome story.

~ I read a friend's amazing story several times over, letting it smoothly transition from its place of "don't ever read this book again because it will never be the same" to "read it over and over and love it every time." :)

~ I read Liz's The Mark of the Star three times, twice to myself and once to my siblings.

~ I did two semesters of school + summer school and actually rather enjoyed this last one. LOL

~ I found Jenny Freitag's blog and was completely inspired to, among other things, read G. K. Chesterton's The Ballad of the White Horse, which I fell completely in love with. See how this fits with my theme word of the year? :)

For love, our Lord, at the end of the world,
sits a red horse like a throne,
with a brazen helm and an iron bow,
but one arrow alone.

Love with the shield of the Broken Heart
Ever his bow doth bend,
With a single shaft for a single prize,
and the ultimate bolt that parts and flies
comes with a thunder of split skies,
and a sound of souls that rend.

~ I began writing another book with the underlying theme of love... posts about it probably coming soon...

~ I went from writing to being a writer... and yes, there is a difference!

~ I had a hilarious summer weekend adventure that included staying up until 5am every night and swimming in a waterfall while wearing a dress on and watching awesome movies around midnight...

~ we had to put our 8 yr old German Shepherd to sleep (yesterday actually...) :(

~ I volunteered at a therapeutic riding center, which was amazing. :)

~ got a job grading calculus homework - could hardly believe it was me doing that... lol

~ we got an adorable Labradoodle who currently has no name and two cats, all from a rescue place by my college. :D (definitely a dangerous place)

In 2012...

I want to truly focus on seeking first the kingdom of my God and His righteousness. Mat. 6:33 is definitely my life verse - it is amazing how it continues to be brought into my life over and over.
He must come first... and I want Him there.

After that, if

~ memorizing 52 verses - starting with Colossians 1

~ reading the Bible through in chronological order again (it hasn't lost its novelty yet XD)

~ spending more time in prayer

~ finding a publisher for my short story

~ continued work on my writing

~ keeping track of the books I read this year (I'm bummed that I really didn't do that last year)

~ getting in shape before medical school takes over my life... gah...

~ shadowing doctors until I have a wholehearted recommendation from one to put in my med school application

~ meeting my currently unborn niece/nephew :D

~ volunteering with Courage Center and the riding center again

~ taking the MCAT

~ completing and sending in my application to medical school

~ keeping my job of grading homework

~ getting to bed early, instead of late

~ learning to do homework EARLY instead of in that desperate, last minute panic mode...

~ seeing my friends more

~ finding a church that will not leave me starved

~ organizing my schedule so I can attend Bible study every week

all works out... it would be awesome. My life in His hands... may I glorify Him this year in all I do!

May your year be blessed as you follow Him!

Have an amazing New Year! :D

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

from the Sacred Sandwich via the Ink Slinger

Let Me Come In...

2011-12-23T09:01:00.000-06:00

The first little pig built a house of straw... (and you can already see the wolf sneaking around off to the side...)

The second little pig built a house of sticks... (and it being a true little northwoods cabin, with pavers already buckled by years of previous hard frosts and a walls and lean-to leaning quite well, he also built a little outhouse!)

And the third little pig built a house of brick. (In case you can't tell, that was a girl pig. Look at her eyes! LOL and she built it next to a pond, too, put in a brick sidewalk, landscaped the yard, and added little figurines by the pond. You ever seen little people figurines in someone's garden? Well, what would a pig have in their garden? Pig figurines, of course...)

Close to her wilderness brother's home... I think she pushed her picket fence straight to his property line, lol. :D

She likes her house, though - see her winking? :)

the chimney...

Here comes the wolf!

:) My little sister's project - interactive gingerbread village based on a fairy tale.

School, homemaking, and Christmas present all rolled into one! lol ;)

Final's Week Survival Kit:

2011-12-21T23:48:00.001-06:00

Yes. :D I have survived...

due in no small part to the following items:

;)

via google

Candles.

I burned quite a few this week.. something about the flickering candle makes it slightly easier for my scattered mind to focus. :D lol - though seriously, usually I listen to music or take lots of breaks while studying, and couldn't do that very well this week. The candles just made me happy... and gave me lots of excuses to play with fire when my brain couldn't handle another cell bio page. :P

via google

ALTHOUGH!

Be warned... I had the above candle burning about a foot from my face... and apparently the wick got too close to the glass... and it exploded. With a bang. Into big pieces that went flying.

I absolutely froze in shock - when I'm completely surprised, I discovered, I don't scream. Which was random and interesting, despite the fact that I nearly had a heart attack. :P Not sure how that affected my studying...

via google

An absolute necessity. XD Sugar really does help you study, and the peppermint patties I happened to get for my birthday were absolutely perfect. :D

via google

random... but this is the best lip balm I have ever used. It seriously tastes so good you want to lick your lips. Which probably doesn't help them be less dry... and I'm sure the sunscreen in it isn't good for you... but it helps with finals. It does! ;)

via google

Along those same lines... randomly wearing hot pink lipstick that is super bright and probably would look slightly frightening if it was not midnight also helps. *shrug* You really can do anything when you've got hot pink lipstick on... except maybe leave the house, but that's beside the point. ;)

via google

Going right along with that, your little sister giving you a pedicure while you're studying helps too. Although by the time she was done we were laughing so hard I think there was more paint on my feet than on my nails...

via amazon

Super helpful as well - something to look forward to. :D I am EXTREMELY excited to read this... and I'm betting you'll get a review at some point. :D

via google

PRAYER.

My own, my family's, my friends'... The most important, and really, the only required thing.

The thing that got me an A in Ojibwe, despite my obnoxiously Christian take on things... (you may get some posts on that over break... we'll see how life goes). :P

The thing that kept me afloat in Cell Bio Lab - getting me by with barely points to spare. :)

And it definitely helped in Physics - SUCH a relief to get my grade on that 5-credit course. :D

Music... easy lib ed, but I barely studied for the final at all (focusing on Physics, you see...), so I was praying for that too. :D

And it helped me survive Cell Bio (class). The professor told me it appeared that I knew the material... I was apparently just having trouble understanding her test questions. :P *sigh* Disappointed slightly by that class, but I'm just glad it's over and I really don't think I'll have to take it again. :D

I can live with my grades... and no begging professors for a few extra points this semester, which is definitely an improvement. ;D lol God is good - I actually enjoyed this semester, found my lib eds fascinating (though I want to watch a few Francis Schaeffer videos over break... and read a few of his books, maybe some Amy Carmichael, C. S. Lewis as well... I want a Christian view of some of the stuff we went over. :P), and despite having a job and volunteering part of the semester, I felt like I had a bit more time to be myself. :) Always lovely. LOL

I can actually take a moment and look at lights and patterns and take pictures... *is happy* XD

And now it is glorious break! Soooo happy... Last night I was talking to my mom, helping sort out Christmas presents for our extended-family-get-together, and it was so incredibly nice to just stand there and talk, and not have to worry about a deadline I had to go meet!

I'm horrible with a camera... but the walk was fun. :)

Got up early this morning and went for a walk with my mom too - a random hour of walking with me complaining (because I always complain when I exercise... unless I'm by myself, in which case I sulk) and threatening to burst into tears because I was thirsty (lol, I need more sleep...), until we got to a little cafe, where she drank coffee and I drank ice water until I was shivering and then had breakfast and walked home. It was lovely. :D

Merry Christmas everyone!!! :D

3... more... days...

2011-12-18T15:12:00.001-06:00

Image source: http://www.the-lawn.net/wordpress/comics/2008-12-05-095_2008-12-05_Final-Exam.jpg

This is so sad... :P You can see where it's coming from though... *groan*

http://mikekusold.com/2011/03/finals/

Ugh... I'm leaving at 7am for a physics exam tomorrow... and really hoping I'm not that tired... making it worse, since I pretty much never have caffeine, I probably shouldn't try drinking pop or anything either... :P Maybe I'll go to bed at 6pm tonight and get up at 4am.. LOL

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvui5ymCwX1qzzcgco1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1324327998&Signature=N1uxVHAc1pVpKtgPUOgla9pYWB8%;)

grrrr.... Why do they do this to us? *sigh*

Okay, I guess it could be worse...

As long as I get a 91% on my physics exam I'll be fine... Maybe a 90%... lol

84% on my music exam = good

and... *gulp*

then there is cell bio - prayers greatly appreciated (well, for all of them, but...)

I need to basically get 100% to get an A-, and given how that class has gone all semester, it will take an absolute and utter miracle. Which I definitely believe in, so this can happen. Thankfully it is my last test, so tomorrow after I come back from my music exam it's going to be straight cell bio for 2 days. And praying. :D

See you when that's over with! So long as I survive... ;)

Ohhhhh, this is soo me...

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

Tired is my usual unfortunate state of being... :P

Extremely Hyper is what I become after getting 3 hours of sleep and then running to class to turn in the homework I was up doing until 4am the night before...

Slightly Sleepy is what I hit after that, though if I get in the car it gets dangerously close to Knock Out. (Yeah, that's bad... That's when I need to not be driving...)

Super Sleepy is me when I finally sit down to do some serious science reading...

and Cranky, ahem, is indeed a stage, though one I try not to reach too often.

Pinterest + Tumblr

2011-12-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

my life... :P lol

I really should just get an account at one or the other... but until then...

random things I like. :)

both serious:

I love this one...

Did John Wayne really say that? Cool... :)

beautiful...

so true...

*cries*

I love that definition... it so validates the fact that I can miss someone immediately after saying goodbye...

amen amen amen!!!

:P How can that be? But it so is...

and the not so serious... :D

wowness... *headdesk*

if I could just get rid of step #6 I would be good... :P

but then...

Which leads to:

so sadly incredibly accurate... :P *headdesk again*

*giggle* could my sleep schedule have anything to do with that... I wonder... :)

LOL... I didn't know anybody else ever randomly thought that way... :D

:P I hate that... and since I cross a road somewhere around 6 times a day... there is the potential for a lot of awkwardness, LOL

:) lol

:P haha I hate that too... but it depends who it you're telling the story to - sometimes it's just funny. :D

And the exceedingly random and weird:

but for some reason this just made me laugh.

The Stuff of Nightmares...

2011-11-29T11:07:00.000-06:00

AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY so read now or forever wonder what you missed... :) sorry, I just had to say that... ;)

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-06:00


created from lovely google images... the main parts of my story condensed onto 1 page :)

The Jeweled Dagger

The Story of Naaman's Servant Girl.

Remember that WWWWWH poll on which of my stories any of you would be most interesting in seeing, ages and ages ago? Well... this was the one you picked.
But I was trying to semi-edit it at the moment, and so kept putting it off and putting it off - unfortunately, it's not really happening right now. :P
Finally, though, inspired by the story-sharing here, I am at very long last just going to let those of you who were interested read a bit. :D

This is actually one of the earlier stories I wrote - think way back in high school - when I was writing merely because I wanted to know what happened, and knew nothing and thought less about the fabled craft of writing. *gulp*
It shows. (Which is why I kind of cringed when I saw that this one got the most votes. LOL)

But the kids were bored when we had to stay after church one Sunday, and I just started talking... and once I started I had to know how the story ended. So I wrote this book. :)

Someday I do want to go back and edit and fix it up... so please remember that, rough version though it may be, it is copyrighted... and any thoughts, comments, critiques or suggestions are welcome and coveted. :D

But I will quit delaying and, for at least for a short while (until I freak out about having even part of my story online like this, LOL, at which point I will take this post down) those of you interested in any way, shape, or form, may read the beginning of the story! :D
I hope you enjoy it!

[content removed]

any thoughts or questions, please just leave me a comment! :)

Random question for those of you who made it this far: when I first told the story, her name was Jerusha... any thoughts on Jerusha vs Kefira? Choosing between the two has been bugging me... Jerusha was the mother of King Uzziah in the Bible & her name means "possession," while Kefira is a Hebrew name meaning "young lioness."

And of course, any comments on any part of the above at all would make me super happy. :)

Hope you all are having a lovely Monday!

WARNING: much kissing to follow.

2011-11-27T01:22:00.001-06:00

At long last! :D

For those of you unable to attend... or who were there... or who just like weddings...

Here are a few pictures from my brother's wedding!

All the girls, ready to go...

isn't my little sister gorgeous? :D

and my soon-to-be-sister-in-law and myself... is she tall or am I short? LOL

and my big brother getting ready... :D

Don't ask me why, but I love this picture. :D

and this one. LOL Oh, my brothers... *shaking head*

still getting ready...

and the time approaches!!!

my brother walking the mothers down... :)

my little brother and sister... junior groomsman and bridesmaid. :D

my other little brother and my sister-in-law's sister :D - they're regular groomsman and bridesmaid.

me and my sister-in-law's brother - also regular bridesmaid and groomsman. :D

my sister-in-law's cousins... :)

pure adorableness... :)

and it's time.

side note: my little brother's face here just kills me... I told him before the wedding that I was not going to look at him during it, just to ensure that I did not burst into laughter right at some important part. ay-yi-yi

I found out very rapidly that I could not really look at my older brother either, or I was going to burst in tears.

Oh, weddings...

here she is... isn't she gorgeous too? :)

pretty...

them... already making an adorable couple... :)

haha, and me trying to neither laugh nor cry... ;)

sooo pretty...

and their first kiss... ever...

ta-da!!! :D the wedding bells rung at exactly the right moment... it was perfect :)

awww! :D

c'mon, aren't they cute?!

and then back inside for more pictures...

haha, I tell ya, 4 months later and seeing a wedding ring on my brother's hand still makes me go O.o

I think they were getting hungry :D

see why I couldn't look at my little brother? I feel like I should apologize to anyone who wanted a serious good picture here... lol

*headdesk* if I ever get married, I have multiple jobs planned for that boy ^

and here's where it starts getting mushy...

too much fun... :)

random picture of everyone that looks kinda cool...

LOL... you guys...

you'd have to know my brother really, really, really well to know why I absolutely LOVE these pictures... but this is sooo perfect for him. :)

no comment...

aww... :)

and time to go to the reception!

more mushy...

just pretty...

and they made it there... along with somewhere around 300 others :D

:) the girl table

the boy table... with someone being goofy again... lol

the cake again. I'm just kind of amazed by it... LOL

the rings...

and off for more pictures...

and more kissing...

and more...

I did warn you, right??

cutting the cake - or rather, kissing again...

and again...

time to toss the boquet!

LOL it's the secret service... suspiciously close to the near-empty cake table...

and off they go...

to their new life together...

can I go laugh and cry now?

I'm thankful for...

2011-11-23T00:14:00.001-06:00

1.) Getting an amazing schedule worked out for next semester! I wish I could register already... but I'm super happy about how it looks. :D

2.) Compliments. Multiple people were randomly nice today... amazing how far that goes towards brightening your day! :)

3.) I actually got my homework grading done in 3 hours like I'm supposed to! I think I finally figured out how to do it... I was giving far, far too much feedback before. :P I'm not getting paid to give detailed instructions on how to work the problem the next time... Just see if it's right or wrong & slap a grade on it. LOL

4.) Friends. Who make my life so much incredibly better. :)

5.) More randomness from Twitter. ;)

“I am so clever that ofttimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.” ― Oscar Wilde

I bet the sparrow looks at the parrot and thinks, "Yes, you can talk, but LISTEN TO YOURSELF!"

When I get bored I like to drive downtown and get a parking spot, then sit in my car and count the number of people who ask me if I’m leaving.

6.) Tomorrow is Wednesday!!! :D And maybe I should wait for tomorrow to be thankful for that, but I've been happy about it all day. lol God has been sooo good to me this semester... and it's getting so close to done! :D *cheers* ;)

go check them out! :)

7.) This. -->

Their artwork is incredible... as in epic. :)

Today I'm thankful for...

2011-11-21T18:53:00.001-06:00

yeah RIGHT!!! definitely not my image LOL (none of these are btw)

1.) I'm done with my midterms! Which were the reason I rather precipitously stopped doing thankful posts... and also the reason I didn't say "I'm going to do a thankful post 5 times a week all month." Because it wouldn't have happened. But I got done with them all and am soooo glad they're over... and going right along with that,

he-he... still not my image, but um, my feelings exactly.

2.) The one test I studied least for and really messed up on still did not bring my grade below an A. It's going to be rather touch and go, but I'm going to start studying for my next test ASAP. I know I can bring it back up, and there is a big extra credit project coming up which should help a lot. :D (Heh, I should say "the test I studied least for compared to what I should have." :P One test was intro to music, and I just read my notes and listened to music for 2 hours after my physics test and that was all the studying I did, or really, needed to do before that one. :) It was nice. ;)

All I want to do now is sleep for a week...

3.) This year I DO NOT HAVE ANY TESTS RIGHT AFTER THANKSGIVING! Yay! I have a TON of stuff to do, true, but no studying for tests. I have 2 tests in December and then finals. One of which I can loose 5 points on and still not have actually lost any points because of extra credit. :D Always nice... The other two are going to be very close... but I am a firm believer in miracles. And diligence. Sorry for the heavy emphasis on school stuff here, but tests and me are NOT friends, and when I am done with one, let alone with an entire set of them in one week, I am nothing if not thankful. :D

not quite this beautiful, of course... but hey, this *is* my picture! :D

4.) My lovely black wool jacket. :) It's so warm and cozy to wear... it makes walking to school in the cold much more fun. :D

5.) Getting to walk home at dusk. If it gets late, I usually get a ride, but tonight it wasn't yet quite dark out... and walking home in the snow was sooo beautiful... *happy sigh* Gorgeousness. :)

pretty!! :)

6.) Having a chance to write. I've written some 6,000 words this month, a far cry from the 50,000 so many others are writing with NaNoWriMo, but those 6,000 words have been scribbled on church bulletins, written down on the side of my school notes, recorded at random times and in random places with surprising urgency. I didn't realize writing was an addiction that grew on you, greater and greater until it turned you fully into a writer. ahhhhhhhhhhh! ;) The more you write the more you want to write, until there is no escaping it... and you love every minute of it. :D

if only that were an option... ;)

7.) That I'm not sick! Everyone else in my family has been sick in some form or another, but so far I have managed to stay relatively healthy. *shudders* Me + sick + school = major disaster. Very thankful for that. :D Though of course I am hoping and praying that everyone else in my family gets well very soon!

the words that make a story...

2011-11-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

So many of them... so meaningless when taken apart... and yet even then they can tell you so much about the story... and about the author.

And Wordle is just plain fun. :)

See?

For once the names of the two main characters are prominent... (Well, they actually *talk* to each other, perhaps more than in my other stories... and a lot of the story is about observing, so faces, eyes, hands, heads, smiles, etc., are rather important. And knowing... that's also important, because it's kind of the point of all the observing and talking. :D) Not sure why back was used so much... and looked probably shows an overuse of certain sentence structures. :P

Hmm... Well, eyes are a rather large part of this plot, so that makes sense... and here the story is mostly in first person, so the MC's name isn't there very much... and the other MC is going under a false name for most of the story, so it makes sense that names are less here. Back again though... not sure what's up with that. Or why head, face, and one are so well used... weird. :)

:) My WIP. Just fun... and wow. I'm really not sure what to say about back... and here again one was used a whole lot... as were face and hand, lol. :D

If nothing else, this tells you what you need to work on. :P Back? AGAIN??? really? and *sigh* head, eyes, face, and one. Weird... I'm guessing I have a definite style... LOL Maybe one I need to work on... ;)

Have you ever put a story into Wordle? What did you get?

Things I've been thankful for in the past few days...

2011-11-15T11:30:00.000-06:00

;) during which I've been posting other things... :D

obviously not my image...

1.) Getting a full length mirror!! I brought mine from home with me... and it met a sad and horribly untimely end in the hallway a week or two ago... getting dressed has been a royal pain. The kind of outfits I find to wear when I can't see them on me can be frightening. LOL

not mine either... or his...

2.) My brother's dumplings! LOL The past two times we've made a roast in the crock-pot, I've tried to make dumplings on the stove-top... maybe I was trying to hurry too much, but... they didn't work. :P This time we used the oven, and I got him to make dumplings - they were delicious. :D It can be nice having a cook for a younger brother... ;)

3.) Getting to talk to my boss! Which is random, but I work for a super amazing professor... and never get to see her because I work at home. Which is perfect, but it would be nice to see her more. So getting to walk... or rather, run, considering what time it was and how we were both on our way to class... to school together this morning was a lovely way to start the day. :D

4.) My little sister's shampoo! LOL I've been doing her hair for ballet quite a bit lately, and I keep going Wow, your hair smells nice! So she let me use it - and it's amazing! For shampoo. ;) And now my hair smells nice... lol Anyway, I think I'm going to use it again... :D

5.) Getting an email addressed to Dear Prospective Math Tutor. Let's just say I never thought that would be me. :) I haven't decided if I'll do it next semester yet or not, but just the fact that I got it was pretty fun.

Oh, dear tutor choosers, you have no idea how much my o-chem lab partner's minor in math helped me out taking calc... I practically lived in the tutoring office with her last semester. Though, come to think of it, we mostly complained about o-chem when I was in there... LOL

6.) Getting to chat with a friend I never get to see. We ended up spending somewhere around 4 hours chatting, though admittedly, we were both doing other things some of the time... :D But it was lovely, spinning fascinating theories per usual and discussing everything under the sun... Absolutely marvelous. ;D

7.) These! Random quotes from @BibleMemCoins that made me laugh... :D

I am having an out-of-money experience.

Hey....this is not the life I ordered.

Without stress my life would be empty.

If at first you don’t succeed, try it your wife’s way.

Man cannot live by chocolate alone, but woman can.

When shops have a sign: Guide dogs only. Who is supposed to read it—the dog?

I do NOT suffer from stress...but I AM a carrier.

Save the earth; it's the only planet with CHOCOLATE.

I feel like I am diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

I lost my job. Well, I didn’t lose it, I know where it is. But when I go there some other guy is doing it

I ALWAYS give 100% at work: 14% on Monday; 27% on Tuesday; 19% on Wednesday; 33% on Thursday, and 7% on Friday.

When the going gets tough, the tough eat cake.

The trouble with learning from experience is that you never seem to graduate.

Thank you…the term “outstanding debt”, for making it sound like it’s awesome to owe people money.

Thank u…fun-sized candy 4 callin yrself “fun” 2 distract me fr how small u r. They should call u “disappointment-size” candy.

I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to BLAME you.

I took a course in speed waiting… now I can wait an hour in only ten minutes.

I try to take it one day at a time; but sometimes several days attack me at once.

authentic people blog party!!!

2011-11-14T06:30:00.000-06:00

I hate to start this out by saying I'm Katherine Sophia, since that is my online name only, but... no matter which of my dozen nicknames I happen to be going under at the moment, I'm still me. :D

Me:
Pre-Med College Student with a big imagination and unfortunate time-management issues. Lover of horses, cats, and sometime puppy-dogs. Also a private pilot, because there is absolutely nothing like flying. Daughter & Sister (family is forever). Music is necessary to my continued existence. Addicted to reading like I am to breathing. Story-teller, because it's in my blood. A child of the Most High King, because He loved me, created me, and made me His own through the precious blood of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ

lol and sometimes I just have too much fun with sunglasses and leather jackets and awesome planes. :D

and now for at least a few of the questions! :D

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

Ahhh.... I've never really thought of myself as nerd or geek - weird, yes, the other two, no. LOL The geekiest thing about me would probably be my ex-major: biochemistry and molecular biology. I think I fail as a nerd... I changed my major. ;)

Weird, now... I'll have to think about that. :D

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

Any? Really? Ooooooh.... :D Okay, I'd have to say... a so-far nameless universe that I and a friend are currently creating. *headdesk* It's an extremely random adventure in which nearly all the main characters from our stories end up together. It's wayyyyyy fun, and has actually helped me understand my characters - and their stories - a whole lot better.
So anyway... Come on, doesn't this look like a group you'd want to get together with? :D

*note: these are the people who we picked out as looking most like our characters - this is not a fan fiction of whoever all these people happen to be in movies or otherwise. :D

Hehe, yeah, so if you wanted to know the weirdest thing about me... Personally, I don't find writing weird, though, soo... XD But I guess some people do. *shrugs*

3} What is your favorite household chore?

Ahh... To tell the truth, I like it when I'm cleaning something completely - like we're having a party and we're going through the entire house and getting every room perfect. :)

4} What's your favorite thing to get at Starbucks (or your favorite coffee shop)?

Trying to be authentic here... *whispers* I don't like coffee.

:) And I've been trying lately, I really have been... *gags* It's just not working.

5} Do you like to play games? If so, what is your favorite?

I do! Oh, any game I'm winning is my favorite. ;D

6} Have you ever dyed your hair?

Nope... I used to want to dye it black - I had a secret wish to be a gypsy. Blame that on too dear a love of the book Pegeen. :D Once I dressed up with my little sister with lots of scarves and black marker on my eyebrows and bright red lipstick... it was frightening, to tell the truth. Now I actually like blonde hair... and my hair is turning brown! *cries*

7} Do you make your bed every morning?

Ahhh... actually, I've gotten a lot better at that in college! LOL Maybe not made with all the pillows in the right place etc... but a whole lot more made than it ever used to be! :D

8} Do you like carpet, tile, or hardwood floors?

Hardwood all the way. Linoleum for bathrooms. Carpets gives you allergies... and I've had quite enough of scrubbing tile already in my life. LOL :D Blame it on my high school cleaning jobs...

9} If you could put one thing in a safe under your bed, what would it be?

A doorway to another world. You asked.

10} What's your favorite condiment?

Chocolate sauce! That counts. ;)

11} Have you ever thrown up on someone (excluding when you were a child)?

... ewww... no.

12} What was the last thing that made you laugh?

Hmm... My mom and I were just editing my brother's paper for him while he studied for a test... Neither one of us had ever read the play the paper was about, and I was kind of randomly making up reasons for why the characters did what they did to make it sound better. Hopefully he'll get a good grade on it... since if he gets points taken off for something I changed I might feel bad... ;D

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

Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri. Not fair... I happened to be listening to it, so obviously that was the one I thought of... LOL It's just such a depressing song... :P

And now I have to go to bed so I can get up at 5am tomorrow and study... yay. ;D

soooooo.....

Join the party! :D

He Giveth More Grace ~ Annie J. Flint

2011-11-13T08:05:00.000-06:00

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,  He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;  To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,  To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,  When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,  When we reach the end of our hoarded resources  Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,  Our God ever yearns His resources to share;  Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;  The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,  His power no boundary known unto men;  For out of His infinite riches in Jesus  He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

I'm thankful for...

2011-11-12T11:12:00.000-06:00

These.

[i. am. studying. today. yo no estoy aquí.] :D

(and I'm pretty sure all images are from pinterest :)

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

6.)

7.)

Thankful for/about/because...

2011-11-11T23:11:00.000-06:00

not my image

1.) Today's date! 11 happens to be probably my favorite number, so today is just plain cool. :D


And I need to quit taking pictures with my computer... :P shudder

2.) Amber is awesome. It's a writer thing... but I just kind of re-realized how amazing it really is when a story character told me. LOL :D And that --> is my amber necklace, which a work colleague of my Dad's in Lithuania sent me! Just because he was cool like that.

pinterest?

3.) These. *happy sigh*

same

4.) Blog followers! Thank you all for being amazing!

- and yes, that is something for which I was thankful today. :)


http://www.trendir.com/archives/000232.html

5.) As is hot water. Maybe another writing thing... but I can help but think how absolutely horrid it would be to live somewhere really really cold - and not have hot water and indoor plumbing! Can you imagine how loooooong winter would seem? Melting snow sounds so unappealing...

6.) that my bathtub does not look like the one above. Seriously! Who invented that??? I would break my neck the first time I used it... or the second....

7.) IT'S FRIDAY!!!! *cheers* Yay...

Today I'm thankful for...

2011-11-10T19:41:00.001-06:00

This ^ is a snowflake.
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/
GO CHECK IT OUT! :)

1.) Snow! The first snow of winter always makes me happy... and it's not like it hasn't been hovering around 30F all week anyway - we might as well get some snow when it's this cold! :D

2.) Gorgeously beautiful lovely sky. It was just sooo pretty... kind of a blue-grey perfection with white accents... I definitely wished I had a camera. :) *happy sigh* Beauty is so amazing...

not again!!!!!!

3.) I got the recurring physics problem back to work on some more! LOL Let's hope this time I can get it right... when I turn it in at the correct time on Friday. :) But had I not messed up and turned it in early, I would not have known I did it wrong and gotten the chance to fix it! So it really is something to be thankful for. :D

4.) I won't have 3 tests on Friday the 19th! *whew* One professor let me switch it to a day early... so I'm losing a whole day of studying, but I won't be going straight from a solid hour of physics testing into another solid hour of cell bio problem testing. Which would have killed me, I'm pretty sure. Now I just need to study like crazy!

5.) I found a perfect place to study! A big empty room with comfy chairs and a blackboard! It's a bit out of the way, but definitely closer to my classes than the library. We'll see how much I can use it before somebody kicks me out. ;)

lol... doesn't it look weird from this angle?
computer cameras are such strange things... ;)

6.) I got my room clean! *deep breath* You don't want to know why I can home from school so upset I had to clean my entire room and organize my closet (which happens to be my room... there is no closet in my room... LOL), so let's just leave it my room is beautifully clean and I am delighted with it! Hooray for a solid weekend of studying in a clean room! (Well, minus Sunday, which is my fav day of the week, for obvious reasons! :D)

lol

7.) Some of the [very random] quotes I mentioned yesterday.

:) And at some point I'm going to do an entire post with just quotes, I know it. :D

life is a marvelous gift, yes?

my favorite!!!

What I'm thankful for today...

2011-11-10T00:25:00.001-06:00

1.) BEDTIME! *happy sigh* Very much looking forward to falling asleep... :)

2.) One of my professors was nice today! :) Remember I got my homework done early? Turns out I got it done really early... I did the homework for Friday instead of for Tuesday. *headdesk* :P Totally don't know how that happened there - usually I'm more on top of things, really I am. (Though you never know what you'll learn about me this month! :D) So I got ready to do the next assignment and realized it was the one I'd just turned in... :P So I went up to his office, rather fully expected him to say TOO BAD, but God is good. :D My professor was super fine with it and gave me a different problem to do. 'Course, it was like 5 times harder than the other one, but I'm happy. :)

3.) Fuzzy Blankets! :D I love 'em! They're marvelous when I'm trying to study and not freeze to death at the same time... (i.e. all this evening :)

And that reminds me of...

4.) My throw shawl! It's brown and amazing and utterly perfect for snuggling up in to read. I generally don't like doing school stuff while wearing it - it's too soft and cozy for that. :D Every time I wear it makes me super happy, and I don't want to associate school with all my memories - a marvelous friend gave it to me, and it's sooo perfect I love it to pieces. Though hopefully not for a very long time. :)

5.) Candles at supper tonight! Candles make everything prettier... :)

6.) My little sister. She cracks me up sometimes... and she's been giving me tons of much-needed hugs lately!

7.) The quotes I'm going to put up tomorrow! :D lol

'Night everybody!

Today I'm Thankful for...

2011-11-08T18:06:00.000-06:00

1.) Getting to class on time! And yes, falling asleep at some point after 2am while trying to perfect the conclusion of my paper there was some doubt. As there was this morning at 7:30 when I was turning it in, at the same time as I should have been walking out the door. :P But I made it in plenty of time. :D
(random: we had a clock that looked just like -->
when I was little, and the first time it went off I nearly had a heart-attack. Happened to have an ice-cube in my mouth at the time, and I swallowed it whole and nearly choked as well.)

2.) I'm DONE with CHLAMYDOMONAS!!!! That was the paper I was working on.... and I've only been working with those wiggly little things since the 27th of September... quite ready to be done, to be honest. :D

3.) Sweaters! So nice when it's 30F and you're trying to lay something out at midnight so you have something to wear in the morning... :) (Mine wasn't quite that cute, but oh well. LOL)

4.) E-mails! Made my day. :D My favorite heroine is getting a sequel, and there's nothing like getting to read another chapter to look forward to during classes. :D

5.) Home-made Caramels! You haven't entirely lived until you've eaten one... and one should probably last you... a very long time. :D They're a perfect fall treat, though.

6.) Miigwech coming to mind today when someone said Danke schon today! Which makes no sense I'm sure, but miigwech means thank you in the language I am currently supposed to be learning, and it's kind of the first hint that I'm starting to get it. :) Gigawaabamin, everybody!

7.) It's a whole week until next Tuesday! And yes, I am totally taking the Pollyanna route there - but Calculus-Grading day isn't my favorite... even though the pictures people draw in their homework can be alternately funny and frightening, LOL :D Anyway, there's a week in between days where I don't have to think about Calculus! :)

Let us be thankful, and so worship God - Hebrews 12:28

2011-11-07T22:59:00.001-06:00

"Seven time a day do I praise You..." Psalm 119:164

Today I'm Thankful For:

not my image

1.) Wind! It may increase my walk-to-school time, and cause finding clothes to wear slightly more difficult, but... fall wind is FUN! :D (When it's -30 F I won't be saying that, but right now... ;)

this isn't either... wish it was...

2.) Cookies! They make college survivable... so long as you don't eat too many. ;) (By the way, did you know that if you randomly google "cookie" the results are mostly chocolate chip? :)

pretty clearly not mine...

3.) Working out! I took time today to get some exercise in because I was sick of waiting to find time... it was nice! :D

*drools* *sigh* Nope, not mine

4.) Stories! More specifically, God teaching me through stories - when I realize something through a story, it seriously gets my attention. :)

unfortunately... :P

5.) Simple physics homework! I'm done with it already and it's not due until tomorrow morning! LOL

6.) Finding new music! The one Dickens book I like... Does this make anyone else want to start crying??

not mine in the making... I want it to be mine in the remembering

7.) My incredible life.

Random notes from my journal...

2011-11-06T13:09:00.000-06:00

⁴⁷And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. ⁴⁸My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes. ⁹⁷O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.¹¹³I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. ¹¹⁹Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies. ¹²⁷Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. ¹³²Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. ¹⁴⁰Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. ¹⁵⁹Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness. ¹⁶³I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love. ¹⁶⁵Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. ¹⁶⁷My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.

Psalm 119

His commands - to be loved and delighted in. Not just He himself, but every Word He speaks and each order He gives - to be our delight. The opposite of that - vain thoughts (He does nothing in vain) - is to be hated. (Meaning of the word used for vain thoughts: skeptic, divided mind. To be whole, certain, and sure of Who He is - is not that in itself a delight?)

Wrong never wins - He is true and faithful, and the telling of His doings is an amazing thing. As His servant, His command is wayyyyy more important than anything else that could catch my attention - and because of Who He is, I treasure it!

Those who love Him (and therefore His commands) are blessed - and find mercy. His Words are pure, tried and true - Jesus went through fire for me. How can I not love Him?

His love brings life... Mercy, Life, and Peace, along a path with no stumbling - all this when you follow His Word, and when you keep His testimonies, you will only love them more - basically, you'll never regret it.

Obey and live... abundantly in His love.

2011-11-03T20:42:00.000-05:00

credit

Random notes from my journal...

2011-10-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

You have not gone up into gaps or breaches, nor built up the wall for the house of Israel that it might not stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.

Ezekiel 13:5

Forgive me, Lord, for leaving the gaps alone! For shirking even to prepare for battle... help me to build up that wall before the battle becomes overwhelming.

Random notes from my journal...

2011-10-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever

Psalm 37:28

He loves judgment... that sounds almost harsh or even cruel to our tolerance-filled ears - but you can't stop there. He forsaketh not His saints. When you see the atrocities heaped upon those who follow Him, how can you not long for judgement to come and justice to at last be done? He could not be good if He did not love that - and His great mercy is shown every day that He puts it off.

Random notes from my journal...

2011-10-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

Because with lies you have made the righteous sad and disheartened, whom I have not made sad or disheartened, and because you have encouraged and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way and be saved [in that you have falsely promised him life].

Ezekiel 13:22, amplified version

</////////3

Please help me to speak the truth - to offer no hope but You alone. Never to encourage someone to trust in anything but You.

What can a smile do?

2011-10-15T10:27:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed...

Kim Meeder is one of my favorite authors - her life inspires me. Here she talks about a true story in her latest book, which I reviewed here...
the story makes you think, doesn't it?

Have you been smiling?

Thoughtfully...

2011-10-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

How can you tell?

It's the moment you have to decide... and there that tiny feeling to just do it.

Lean forward and say those words.

Press "send" on that long e-mail.

Walk over to that person.

Yet there is also that tiny feeling that if you do, you'll regret it.

There's no need for you to do it.

They'll think you're an idiot.

That other feeling is all in your head, and you're making a huge deal out of something the other person thinks is nothing.

Which one do you listen to?

Does the Holy Spirit give us promptings?

I believe He does.

Do I have a lot of stupid ideas?

I know I do.

So how do you know?

Knowing His voice, being able to follow His leading... that is what makes us different from the rest of the world.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

Should I hear it automatically, or is it indeed, as I've been told, a process of listening and doing and looking back over my life and seeing which times things turned out?
In some cases... how would I ever know if it turned out the way God wanted it to?
Other times, when I know what happened, perhaps something that I thought went horribly actually accomplished exactly what He wanted it to - how do you know?

How can you tell?

Another tiny glimpse...

2011-10-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

It's been 2 months and two weeks or so since my brother and sister-in-law's wedding, so I thought I'd post a couple more pictures. :D Still haven't gotten any official ones yet, but... :)

My amazing new sister - I love her hair color here! lol

And this isn't the easiest to see, but the first two girls are her two sisters, and and then it's me and my sister, and then two of her friends. In case you were randomly wondering. :)

Cake and dress. Be amazed.

Actually, be very amazed at that dress.

'K, sorry, I think they're adorable. XD

photo credits all to friend of the bride :)

Random notes from my journal...

2011-10-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

I LOVE You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength.

I love you, LORD God, and you make me strong.

O Lord, my strength, I shall love thee.

I love you, O LORD, my strength

I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

Psalm 18:1, multiple translations

Love.

The word used here means: being compassionate, showing pity, demonstrating mercy. Tender, soothing, cherishing, from a superior to an inferior.

This is how God loves us... and David is saying, I will love You back with all the intensity that is in me. What love is greater than that of a parent for their child? That's how we are to love God.

What do you think of a neglectful parent?

What do you think of a neglectful Christian?

because hope is beautiful...

2011-10-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable...

2011-10-06T16:24:00.000-05:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Some things are too incredible for words... and the miracle of life is one of them.

I never saw it quite like that before...

2011-10-04T16:24:00.000-05:00

Seek Him First

Come to the countries in my mind...

Beautiful People - Jaden Beorn

GIVEAWAY + Q&A!!! :D

*cries* Oh, yeah, and a giveaway...

Showcasing the Brilliance of Others...

Some days I hate my body.

In memory...

2011 --> 2012

Merry Christmas!

Let Me Come In...

Final's Week Survival Kit:

3... more... days...

Ohhhhh, this is soo me...

Pinterest + Tumblr

The Stuff of Nightmares...

*AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY* so read now or forever wonder what you missed... :) sorry, I just had to say that... ;)

WARNING: much kissing to follow.

I'm thankful for...

Today I'm thankful for...

the words that make a story...

Things I've been thankful for in the past few days...

authentic people blog party!!!

He Giveth More Grace ~ Annie J. Flint

I'm thankful for...

Thankful for/about/because...

Today I'm thankful for...

What I'm thankful for today...

Today I'm Thankful for...

Let us be thankful, and so worship God - Hebrews 12:28

Random notes from my journal...

Random notes from my journal...

Random notes from my journal...

Random notes from my journal...

What can a smile do?

Thoughtfully...

Another tiny glimpse...

Random notes from my journal...

because hope is beautiful...

Unbelievable...

I never saw it quite like that before...

cries Oh, yeah, and a giveaway...

AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY so read now or forever wonder what you missed... :) sorry, I just had to say that... ;)