Thank you for being you...

 Yes, a theme it seems, for me at this moment.

Miss Treskie over at Occasional Randomness has tagged me in this blog award.

I have no idea why, since, at the moment, I have done no more than just TALK about the fact that I am going to be me, the me I want to be, and not the me other people want me to be, the me that GOD has created me to be!!!!! (And if you got that, you are smart.)

But, regardless, she has, and I am soooooo very grateful!!!!! Thank you soooooo much!!! I appreciate it, because, though right now it has been only talk, it wont be forever. One of these days, the opportunity will arise. Something will happen. And "me" will come out!!!! Hooray for that day!

At the moment though, I better get to business. I really do like these awards, because they all come with challenges that you must tackle. Namely, telling others about who you are. And, as all my fellow bloggers would agree, that is no simple task!!!!

Now, I have a question. Why??????????

Is is because you are afraid to tell people who you really are?

Because you have nothing interesting to say (a silly reason. Of course you do. God made you. That alone is interesting to tell about).

Because we are afraid of bragging or making people not like us?

In case of these, the solutions are simple.

1. If you suffer from problem number one, I have finally figured out what to tell you. You don't have to be afraid of telling people who you really are, because if you are, you really are... nobody. People who are ashamed of themselves, really have no personality. They are what I was only months ago. A shadow of every other person around them, a mere ghost who mingles personalities until it can't define even one. Never fear. There is an ante-dote!!! (STOP ~ read no further if you want to remain fearful, shallow, and peronalityless.) You can get on your knees, get to God to save you from your own disgrace, and get up and start being who you were called to be, apart from ANYONE else's opinion.
2. If you are ill with the second problem, here is you very easy tip: YOU. ARE. A. (ready for this?) PERSON. A person created by God. And you will always have something interesting to say, even if it is only what He has taught for the day. So write away! We won't judge.
3. If the last predicament is your predicament, never fear. First off, bragging is something done voluntarily, in a spirit of meanness, and to raise yourself ABOVE someone else. Since we are all separate bloggers telling about our day to day lives, I don't think we need fear telling others about our accomplishment. (I mean, how few and fleeting are they!?) And if people don't like you, oh well. This goes back to number one. Be who you were meant to be. And the people who were meant to be in your life...WILL BE.

There was my rant for the day. Phew....

So, the rules for this award are as follows.

1.) Thank the person who gave it to you.
2.) Post eleven facts about yourself.
3.) Answer eleven questions the award-giver will make up for you and make up eleven of your own.
4.) Tell seven more things about yourself.

I have thanked Treskie, but I will do it again, because I think gratitude can NEVER be given too much!!! So, THANK YOU Treskie!!!!!!!! You are such a sweetie!!!!!

Eleven facts about me.

 

1. I have brown, curly hair. Do not melt. It is NOT easy to take care of.
2. I live in a Victorian house, that God miraculously blessed my family with. The story is AWESOME. REALLY awesome.
3. I hate saying I because it is sooooo overused. Redundancy is something I can't stand unless you use really cool, diverting, spectacular words that are so incredible....nobody noticed.
4. Through my time as a writer, I have progressed through six different writing styles and learned I can't wait till I am all grown up in the writing world and know EXACTLY what I want to write like. 'Tis a headache...
5. When I was seven, my best friend was imaginary. Her hair was black, and long, and she had blue eyes. And she didn't have a name.
6. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was eighteen (six months ago).
7. When we moved from the State of Oregon, to the State of Missouri, on the third day of our travels, the huge bridge in Mississippi collapsed and was on the news. The next day I was scared to death every time we were on a bridge. I survived. None of them fell.
8. I will be getting married in the middle of summer. Just saying. Because my birthday is in the middle of winter. And the cold girl DOES NOT like cold. So.... that leaves me with the obvious, eh?
9. My family members are my best friends in the world. Mommy and Daddy and I have the best talks. Thadden and I ride bikes for hours and talk on the bridge just down our road FOREVER!!! Brisa helps me edit my book. SUCH a darling. I think she puts up with a LOT!! Abrienne is sooooo knock-out hilarious. And Keaton is so cute I think I might die one of these days from laughing!!!
10. I really like old maps. A Lot.

11.  My favorite place in the world... The beach on a hot windy day. I miss the beach...

And here are the questions I have to answer.

1.) Favorite book? ~ hmmm, I've gone here. I have many. But I will say Mara, Daughter of the Nile, today. :D
2.) Opinion on fantasy? (No bashing J. R. R. Tolkien, KAY?) Only read a few fantasy's to be honest. But from what I have read, I like it. (J.R.R. Tolkien was brilliant. :D)
3.) Coffee or Tea? ~ can I say both!!!! I LOVE both. Especially coffee with french vanilla creamer and tea with mint in it!!
4.) Ice cream: Vanilla or chocolate? ~ no question. Chocolate.
5.) Do you think baseball is awesome or boring?  ~ If I am playing it, its awesome. If I am watching it...blah, unless I know someone playing it.
6.) Do you call this a soccer ball or football? ~ Ummmm, well, since this is MY favorite sport, I better not flunk. SOCCER BALL!!!!! HURRAH!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3

7.) Do you like action, romance, comedy, or drama? (You can pick more that one...) ~ good, cause I say all of the above.
8.) When you go out in public, do you tend to dress up a little bit or do you not care? ~ oh, it depends on where I am going. I like to look nice. But sometimes, if I don't fell well, I won't.
9.) Who's a better hero, Sir Percy Blakeney or Captain America. ~ Ah, I feel cheated, because I have NOT seen Captain America, thus I feel obligated to say Sir Percy Blakeney....
10.) Favorite movie/s? ~ again, don't have one. Megamind, LotR, Wall-E.... yeah, that's my lame list...
11.) State, in five words or less, your life story.     ENDANGERED, ENLIVENED, ENLIGHTENED, EAGER, EXHILARATED

Seven MORE things about me? Well.....

1. I'd die if I never saw people
2. The piano is my favorite instrument to play, though I have played at least three others and handled a kazillion more.
3. Danger doesn't even BEGIN to describe me when I am on a mission. If you interrupt: you dead. (Ok, maybe not dead. Just, maimed.)
4. I hate people who shout at other people. It makes my soul cry. Gentle and steady for me.
5. I LOVE to draw faces.
6. Jesus is my hero. He saved my life. (And he didn't even have to wear armor!!)
7. My two new English Golden Retriever Pups are the sweetest things in the world at the moment.

There, done.

Sort of.

I have to tag some other people. BUT, since the LAST people I tagged DIDN'T receive their awards, I am only going to tag two people.

But my 11 questions first!!!!

1) What was the first gift you remember getting that made an impact on you?

2) Who would you call the person who has made you the most of what you are? i.e. Mom, sibling, father...

3) Where would you go FIRST if you were free to go ANYWHERE?

4) What is your goal for life?

5) What is your favorite dessert?

6) Do you like geography?

7) Have you ever sang under the stars?

8) Where were you born?

9) What is the greatest lesson you have learned from so far?

10) Why would you decide to go to the train station?

11) Can you tell me, in one short paragraph, why you are so glad Jesus died for you?

Ok!!! And my two nominees!!!!

CAIT

And

MIME

Can't wait to see what you girlies come up with!!!!

Anyway, I must get back to my book. Characters are running wild and disobeying and doing things that are NOT traditional...

Hehe....

See ya!

Tizonababe!!!!

Here she is!! Tizona.

Tizona is the name of the sword carried by El Cid which was used to fight the Moors in Spain.

She is such a dolly. I love her to death. She likes to snuggle.

She is soooo tiny!!!

Well hello there! Do you want to pet me?

Tizona and I!!!

I have to be short, sadly... So, ta ta till later....!!!! :D

link up: notebooksisters

This is my very fist link up. It's kind of scary because I have NO IDEA if this is going to turn out right. So, really, I'm just going to try.

Cait has issued a prompt for "little successes". That will be wonderful for me, because of late, I have had plenty of them!!!!

Many of my little successes string for my book of course. I finally mastered chapter 8 after a two week struggle. My character was misbehaving and wouldn't tell me what she was thinking. Blah! She IS rebellious and surly and her entire goal in life is to destroy her enemies. But, I don't want to spoil anything. :D

I have been thinking and thinking and thinking of titles for my trilogy. I might have finally found some that I like. We will see. Names are my thing, so I NEVER anticipated naming my book would be so challenging. But that is the way of life!

Speaking of challenges, I have been attempting a drawing that is mostly created from clouds. It is really cool, but REALLY hard. I think clouds are really pretty, but awful to draw.

Oh, wait, we are off topic. Successes. Successes.

I have been struggling with maintaining peace for a dream I have had for a very long time and I finally gave it all up to God and received the MOST AWESOME contentment in the world. I don't feel pressure or anxiety or worry anymore! THAT is success. And it makes me happy.

My parents are on their way home with my second puppy. I finally found a sword name for her. BUT, you will have to wait and see what it is. Sorry!

I have one minute left. There are so many things I could type. But of what do I want to chose? I now have 10 followers (I know, pathetic, but I am happy) and 1010 views. This blog is certainly nothing special and a little wacky and weird and unprofessional, not at all like what I thought it would be. But I am surviving.

30 seconds. Arhg.... One good thing about typing fast and having a brain that goes a million miles a minute is you get a lot on the ground.

I have mastered the song called Jessica's theme from The Man From Snowy River on piano today. It is a BEAUTIFUL song. I love it.

AND THAT IS TIME.

Well, now, I can't go back. I can't edit. I can't change a thing. So I pray this is not utterly ridiculous. :D

Enjoy!!!

Silver Sword

And so the business world had better beware. Because I am officially a part of it.

And here is my proof.

This is Silver Sword, my gorgeous English Golden Retriever and first of many to be a part of my new (only half named) business.

The business is going to be called Silversword....something. Shyre, perhaps. (Twist off Shire). Or something totally different. I am thinking and praying about that one.

And since she is my first, I decided to give her the honor of bearing the company name!!! Isn't she a CUTIE!!!!!

And this is my second puppy. She is unnamed yet. All of my dogs I am going to research sword names for. I have found a few that I like, but I am giong to wait to see her in person before I name her. We will be going to be pick her up next weekend. This is a pic her current owner sent to me. Isn't she darling!!! She is much tinier than Silver.

And, now, a blog I recommend you check out!!! (This is aimed at Cait, but I know the rest of you would enjoy this too!!!)

Enter the Writer's Lair ~ if you dare....

This is a friend of mine, named Mary. She writes fantasy. Her book is on its way to the publisher!!! I just read the whole thing (last night ~ don't tell anyone... I went to bed at 1:40....) :D

It is INCREDIBLE!!!!! WOW! I love my friends. Over and over... they are all so talented and precious. I can't wait to see what God does in their lives.

So pray really hard the publisher will be uber impressed by her book. Because I was.


Here is another small selection from my book. Let me know what you think!!! :D

F

or a full moment, Merrie stared at Cyrus. All she could picture in her mind was Senator Antistius, cold, disapproving, stern. Nameless fears crept over her. How could she inform Claudia’s father of what she had learnt, when she could not even face Claudia! The very idea of an interview with him sent chills shuddering up and down her back. She had learned early on that the best way to please him was to keep out of his way. She didn’t want to bother him. She had never been in danger of his wrath. And Messalina kept her safe from ever incurring it.

But now… She shook her head. Senator Antistius was a man of no scruples and limited patience. Not one of the slaves felt at ease in his presence. None of them ever braved a word to him unless directly spoken to. Merrie had lived in his household seven years and could only remember speaking to him twice. She knew the only longing in his heart was to expand Rome’s welfare and Rome’s glory. She had no part in that, so she was less than unimportant.

“Merrie?”

Cyrus’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Aye,” she whispered, lifting her eyes to meet his in the darkness surrounding them.

“You must do it.”

“I can’t,” the desperation rose in her voice, nearly choking her. “You know what he is! How can you ask this of me?”

Cyrus’s hand felt cold against her shoulder.

“It is the only way. You must see that! If you cannot go to Messalina and you do not want to speak to Claudia, you have to go to their father.”

Merrie’s breath streamed out and fogged in the damp stable air. “It won’t work,” she protested.

“Trust me. Very little works in Rome, when you are a slave.”

Ó Pure Grace

So long for now, darlings!!!

CKC

Blazing splendor

Let me share with you some pictures and thoughts of my absolutely favorite animal. No second guessing on this one. It is my favorite. And always will be.

God has created some of the most fantastic creatures ever.

But only one stands out to me as the most beautiful of all. The horse.

Yes, dogs are smart. And cute. Kitten's are cuddly. Easy to please. All of God's nature is glorious.

But nothing has the blazing splendor, the intense majesty, the regal grace, of the horse.

I am soo thrilled to share some of them with you.

I don't think I will have to say much beneath most of these pictures. They speak for themselves.

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. ~Winston Churchill

Gipsy gold does not chink and glitter. It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark. ~Attributed to the Claddaugh Gypsies of Galway

In riding a horse we borrow freedom. ~Helen Thomson

The horse is God's gift to mankind. ~Arabian Proverb

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears. ~Arabian Proverb

Ah, steeds, steeds, what steeds! Has the whirlwind a home in your manes? Is there a sensitive ear, alert as a flame, in your every fiber? Hearing the familiar song from above, all in one accord you strain your bronze chests and, hooves barely touching the ground, turn into straight lines cleaving the air, and all inspired by God it rushes on! ~Nikolai V. Gogol, Dead Souls, 1842, translated from Russian (above is combination of translations by Bernard Guildert Guerney, Richard Peaver, and Larisa Voloklonsky)

To ride a horse is to ride the sky. ~Author Unknown

People on horses look better than they are. People in cars look worse than they are. ~Marya Mannes ~ Gotta agree with her.

Horses - if God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. ~Author Unknown

A thousand horse and none to ride! -
With flowing tail, and flying mane,
Wide nostrils never stretched by pain,
Mouths bloodless to the bit or rein,
And feet that iron never shod,
And flanks unscarred by spur or rod,
A thousand horse, the wild, the free,
Like waves that follow o'er the sea,
Came thickly thundering on,...
~Lord Byron, XVII, Mazeppa, 1818

The hooves of horses!
Oh! witching and sweet
Is the music earth steals from the iron-shod feet;
No whisper of lover, no trilling of bird,
Can stir me as much as hooves of horses
Have stirred.
~Will H. Ogilvie

A horse is poetry in motion. ~Author Unknown

O! for a horse with wings! ~William Shakespeare, Cymbeline

Me, I wish....

Isn't the beauty of God's creatures amazing.

Next post... puppy.

MY puppy: Silver Sword. (Awesome name, right!!!)

Amish country, blog awards, Canada relatives, fun times...

Please don't scold me. Though I have been more than tardy about posting...

Sadly, life decided to delight me by becoming endlessly busy. (Yes, that was sarcastic.)

So here goes all the news I can muster.

I am worn out. That's not news, but I thought it worth noting. Hopefully this post doesn't reflect it too badly.

This last week I received my very first blog awards!!

Compliments of http://notebooksisters.blogspot.com/. Thanks so much Mime and Cait!!!!! <3

I have certain guidelines to follow...

But more about those later. Right now, I will delve into the fun and exciting week I have had.

July 13 was my Mommy's birthday.

We went to see the new Ice Age movie, Continental Drift. Of course, everything is Scrat's fault.

It was a good movie.

I was hoping it wouldn't be overkill, since it is the 4th movie. But it was VERY good. Really!

Some of my family from Canada came to visit us this week.

Firstly we took them all over the countryside. Just for fun. Believe it or not, the following picture is real.

Not sure what the other half is, but maybe they'll get something half right.

Then we took them all around alot of Amish country. We had soooo much fun. :D I don't know what I liked better.

First we went to several stores, both Mennonite and Amish. These two girl's are Amish.

Then we ate at a Mennonite restaurant. It was surprisingly yummy!!! (Don't laugh. I'm OCD. I ALWAYS eat the edge off first.)

This is legit. I mean, really? LOL!!!!

After that we went to an Amish auction.

They had so many good things to eat. We met one of our Amish friends there (no, we do not make it a habit to befriend them. But this man sells at the local farmer's market and we know him pretty well.) He invited us out to his farm to let our relatives experience the "real" Amish life.

Us and our cousins about to take a ride. Amish don't let pictures be taken on them, so we couldn't get the horses since our friend was driving... sad, but better to be respectful...

And we bought some watermelon from him. The yellow kind is DELICIOUS. And, of course, the red is too. *_*

Now. For the blog awards. To start off, have to state 7 unknown things about me.

That won't be too hard, because even some of my close friends don't know me very well yet.

1. The very first thing I drew was Winnie the Pooh. Daddy still has it in his keepsake drawer.

2. We got our very first cat when I was 7 and we lived in the State of Oregon. Her name was Blackberry. She had a kitten we called Peace. Who had a kitten who looked identical to her. What did we do? Name her Peace 2. Let's just say we have had about a fifty (no joke) generations, and/or litters, however you want to call it, and we have had 21 Peace's. Our last one died a year ago here in Missouri... But we still have Blackberry's great great great great great grandkitty. And we went from solid black to solid orange. Funny, isn't it.

3. Since I don't hear you laughing, I will go on. My Daddy is a private school teacher. In Oregon, I did P.E., track, and volleyball with his school. I loved it sooo much. And miss it tons and tons.

4. I gave my heart to God when I was four (hence the positioning of this statement :D). It's a long story, but it was real.

5. I got my promise ring on Thanksgiving day, 2008.

6. I wanted to perform in the Circus when I was little and stand on a huge horse barefoot in a pink ballerina costume as it cantered around the ring.

7. I've read over 3000 books in my 18 years. That makes me happy.

For the second award I have to answer the following questions:

What are your favorite song lyrics?

Can I nail down one song and call it favorite? That is not my style, nor my taste. My favorite (teehee) thing to do is have lots of favorites. That is fun. So lets just pick a few songs instead.

1. 'Til I Hear You Sing
2. Remember When It Rains
3. Tell Him Anything
4. Here With Us
5. Dark Waltz

These are not ordered by my favorite. I have a tendency to listen to one song OVER and OVER and OVER again until it is disgusting to me. Probably not a good habit, but I love it. LOL! All these songs have gone through that pattern. The thing is, when I quiet listening to it over and over, I love it just as much...

What is your favorite book/book series?

They have to ask the hard questions. Once again, lets list several.

1. Mara, Daughter of the Nile
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. The Hunger Games (its fresh, it made it)
4. All books by Author Elizabeth George Speare.
5. Courage Is Not Given

What is your favorite movie/TV series?


Would it be silly for me to say something like Megamind? I really like animated movies. I know that is odd, but its true.
Probably my favorite action movie would be The Lord of the Rings. Classic, I know. Also original. :P
My favorite comedy: Ice Age. The Beverly Hillbillies. Anne of Green Gables. Pirates of the Caribbean (though they have other things I don't like. Sorry to step on some toes, but that's the truth.) Whoops, should have said comedIES.

Who inspires you?

Jesus. But I guess that doesn't count.
Corrie ten Boon. At least, she was the first person who popped into my head. Ever read The Hiding Place? You must.

What is your dream job?

Writing. Singing. Drawing. Changing the world. Being a mother. All of these things together. Yes, that is my dream job. :D

And lastly, I have to award all of these to another seven bloggers. I do not even know seven other bloggers who I can award these to, so I will award my dear friend that I DO know. :d

1. Rachel

2. Grace

3. Jonnah

4. Jacey

5. Tabbi - even though she has not blogged in a while. :D

6. Noni - who is finally back on blogger! Yay!

 

Enjoy seeing your own posts girlies! You have to answer the questions, fill in the seven unknowns, and award other bloggers (if you can) too. :D

A week and a half ago one of our cows surprised us with a darling calf.

A week ago, one of our other cows had another calf, but I don' have a picture of him.

Another pic I took of the moon three weeks ago...

Now you eyes have become bloodshot and dry from reading this for so long so go do something productive!

In my wildest dreams....

...I would never be doing this. But, since this is reality, not my dreamland, I suppose I shall.

I have let few friends read my book, let alone given it over to a public page where anyone and their dog can find it. (I don't expect the dog will make much of it, but you never know.)

These excerpts are all from my current novel. It is historical fiction, set in Ancient Rome. I began it when I was 13 years old. I had NOOOOOOO idea what I was getting into that first day I sat down at the computer excited and hyper. The book is over 600 pages long and completed. Now I am just editing it. And it is unnamed. :P

Well, the complete story would be it has had tooooooooooooo many names. But none of them fit, and I would rather wait and find an absolutely thrilling title than settle for something less than imaginative just becauce I wanted to put something down.

Eventually, I plan to turn it into a trilogy, becuase 600 computer pages actually totals 1200 novel pages. Still, that doesn't help the naming thing any...


I want to write a book that will consume you mind and soul. Only then will it have accomplished its purpose.


So far.... I don't think I have reached that goal, and I am on edit 22. :P


Here we go:

"Save me, save me!"
The cries sounded airy and incomplete in Merrie's thoughts, as though they came from some far and distand land.
A black fog settled in her mind, distorting the images impressed upon her memory: the bleak ground, unplowed; a lonesome fig tree, waving its branches despondently; the mud-brick barn, silhouetted again the horizon as one solid refuge. Figure moved in and out of the hazy picture, fusing indistiguishably with the outer shadows.




Ó Pure Grace

She had to remember who the enemy in this was. It was not Aelia, not Marcellus, not Icilius, not even Rome. It was herself. Ionez, the girl who would not forget.

Ó Pure Grace

What dignity? Merrie thought with faint bitter causticity. Have I a chance where I might show it?
The silence continued. Claudia waited, her eyes suddenly traveling over Merrie in the old way–scornful, detached–as thought she were a stranger, a statue, an irritating fly to be shooed away. Merrie stood, sick, dry mouthed and burning all over. Everything had falledn away from her at once. Her home, her preace, her secutity... Julia's treachery, with which she had been flirting for too long, had finally caught her and its sentence was complete, its grip inescapable.

Ó Pure Grace

Marcellus gasped and staggered again the chariot, dropping the whip to the gournd. "What have I done!" he burst out.

Ó Pure Grace

"Oh, Cyrus, Cyrus," she wailed. She turned her head back and watched as the billowing smoke poured into the dark sky. The red-orange flames flickered and crackled into hightening obscurity.

Ó Pure Grace

"I won't do it," she flared. "I won't."
"She  will learn it," Marcellus swliced through her vehemence, his tone leaving no doubt in her mind. "If she doesn't, well, you may as well cut out that wild tongue of hers. And that, I may add, would be–regrettable. Athena! I would almost miss those scathing, venomous words. You may go now."

Ó Pure Grace

Ok. Now we'll see how long it takes me to regret that.... :D