So, I've been back from Kansas City for over two weeks now! Yikes! It seems so long!!! I had a great time. So great, it's hard to describe. So if you want to know about it, GO! It's an amazing camp!
Lately I've been trying to get back into my creativeness (writing, reading, art, etc.). I guess it's going okay, but I've been sort of dry when it comes to the area of inspiration. I need something to give me a jump start. I've not written any Fantasy in SOOOOOO long, it's sad :(
It doesn't seem possible that in less than three weeks, I start school! It's sort of...unbelievable! I'll be a sophomore! Wow! After this year, I'll be halfway through high school! (YAY!!!) Then there's college...
I just finished reading The Goose Girl for the umpteenth time...I seriously don't know how many times I've read it. I lost count. Now I'm reading Enna Burning. Yes I'm going to end up reading them all.
I've been watching The Lord of the Rings too. It's been so long since I sat down and watched them without walking around cleaning, or other things. I've been drawing while watching them too. I've drawn Pippen, Arwen, Legolas, and Aragorn so far, and I'm still only on The Fellowship of the Ring! I can only watch bits and pieces each night, because my little brother is not allowed to see them and I have to wait until he's in the bed. I'm almost finished with FOTR, I'll probably finish it tonight. They just left Lothlorian.
If anyone has any ideas at all for my to get my creative juices flowing when it comes to writing, PLEASE! comment. :)
Hoho
Looking forward to what's in store was what I felt was best to title this post. Lately my life's been packed full of blessings from God (my Daddy)! He's made it possible for me to live and breath! He sent me ALL the funds I needed to go to a camp that He's going to use to change my life.
Tonight, I watched Come What May for the first time. It's an amazing movie! It was made by Advent Film Group, who is dedicated to making wholesome Christian movies that glorify God and teach good morals. The movie discusses Roe v. Wade, and the life of a fetus. It presents a very powerful message, and I recommend it to everyone!
No one can fathom how much God's love is for us! I've only caught a glimpse of it so far in my life, but I know that without it, I would be nothing.
I was very encouraged by the movie, in some choices I've made in my own personal life. God's called us to glorify Him, and let others know about his everlasting love! I think that what Advent Film Group is doing is absolutely amazing. They are now in the pre-production stage of making another film, and have many other ideas in the works.
I have a challenge for anyone who reads this (if anyone reads this). Dedicate your summer to trying to delve deeper into the love of God. It's well worth your time, and won't be a waste.
Blessings
They were very large. She had probably the biggest fireplace in the whole castle. It had a roaring fire in it at the moment. She had a large canopy bed, bookshelves that touched the ceiling, colorful and artistic paintings, and tapestries that lined the walls. A light grey, long haired cat curled up on a rug in front of the fire. Hayden brushed her wavy brown hair with a whale bone comb. Her brown eyes twinkled with excitement. She loved the outdoors, and took every chance she had to venture out. Even during a summer rain. Hayden didn’t bother to pull a cloak over her white and pink dress. She wore her hair down where it stopped right above her waist. She laced on brown sandals, and made her way out of her chambers, and out of the castle. She cut through the gardens, and went into the meadow dotted with wildflowers, and lonely trees. She began to run about, picking the prettiest flowers she saw. She smelled their sweet scents, and the moist grass and smiled. A wild wind whipped her hair around her head. she pulled at it with useless attempts. She didn’t really care though. It was such a beautiful day, no matter what. Hayden sank down on her elbows in the grass. She gazed at the sky covered with grey clouds. She knew more storms would come. She didn’t mind storms though, they brought back happy memories of running in that exact meadow with her older brother when they were children, and dancing like barbarians in the rain. Hayden smiled. Her brother was her best friend. He was of course four years older than her sixteen years, but the age difference meant nothing to them. Hayden had never had any sisters to play with, and so she had had to content herself with her older brother. Hayden laid the flowers she had picked on her chest and began humming. She spread her limbs out as she felt chilling rain drops touch her face. She laughed gleefully as she felt the sweet release of all the thoughts that had been consuming her mind. She began to sing the song Fredrick had been playing:
When the sea falls from the shore, as the light sinks low, will I see you anymore? As the rain falls from the sky, can I bring you back from a distant lullaby? Show me your vision, the story begun. Two lights are rising, burning as one.
This is a new story I've been working on. I'm going to post it in parts. I'll post a part of it once a week (like a serial).
Hayden rested her hand against her cheek as she looked out the arched stone window at the rain steadily falling to the soaked ground. The grey sky sent out deep rumbles that made Hayden’s stomach churn with excitement. She knew that her brother and father were out in the large tempest. They were on a battle campaign in the south of their kingdom of, Lakedale. The thought of the brave men that would risk their lives for the kingdom’s safety made the right side of her mouth tug up into a slight smile. The bard that was playing his dulcimer and singing a new song made Hayden melancholy. It was another love song written about a couple that couldn’t be together. Hayden liked those songs, but she got tired of them sometimes.“Fredrick,” Hayden addressed the bard, “what lover is this song about?” Fredrick smiled pleasantly. “It’s about a girl I met in the port of Greymoore when I was a sailor.” Hayden laughed. Fredrick was not only her personal bard, but he was also like her best friend. She had met him in the village of Greenpoint one day when he was pestering people with his love songs. He claimed he had not always been a bard, but had spent part of his life as a scribe, sailor, and errand boy. “Her name was Ella. I met her at the fishmonger’s. She had bright red hair, and smiled a lot. Before I left, we pledged our love to each other. When I cam back, I found she had died from blood poisoning.” Fredrick became melancholy, “But her parents told me every night she’d walk the shore waiting for me. She even adopted a far off star as her own and talked to it as if it carried messages to me.” Hayden felt tears rising. Fredrick was very idealistic, and romantic. He liked to talk about all the women he had loved. Hayden swallowed and changed the subject. “The grass is very green today from the rain.” Hayden sighed, “I wish it would stop raining though. It’s too dangerous to go to the shore, and I desperately love the ocean.” Fredrick smiled sympathetically, “You’ll be able to go soon enough, Hayden.” Hayden smiled. Fredrick was never allowed to call her by her first name in public, but he could do so when there was no call for formalities. Fredrick had dark blonde hair, blue eyes, a straight nose, and contagious curvy smile. Hayden turned and continued looking out the window. She noticed the rain slowly coming to a stop. She smiled. “Fredrick, you can stay here in the library and continue writing songs. I’m going to go outside while I can.”“But it’s so wet!” Hayden smiled, “You know that would never stop me!” Hayden left the library, and wound her way through the long stone hallways, to her chambers.
School's not out yet, so it's not "officially" summer. But it feels like it outside! The sun's finally found its way through the chillier, cloudy weather!
A couple of days ago, I spent an hour outside, during the hottest part of the day. I love the sun, but I hate sunscreen (we didn't have any anyway); so...I got burned. It's not too bad. I was wearing a tank top, and shorts, so the tops of my shoulders were burned, my chest was slightly burned, and my legs right below my shorts were burned.
Lately I've found it a little hard to write when I sit down in front of the typewriter. But to inspire myself, I've been listening to my favorite "inspiring" music (Hayley Westenra, Pride & Prejudice soundtrack, Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Narnia soundtrack, and Sense & Sensibility soundtrack), and looking at paintings. Paintings have always made me think about the stories behind the paintings. I've done it ever since I was a little girl. When I drew a picture, I would stare at it for a very long time. The whole time a story would be going through my head about the family. I didn't realize that I was creating stories anytime I drew a picture.
Right now I'm writing a story that I don't even remember thinking of. Yesterday I just sat down and started to type.
I'm going on a 2 week trip this June, to Kansas City! I'm going to the Awakening Teen Camp at The International House of Prayer. I'm really excited about it! I had to choose two class electives. I chose Drama, and the Prayer Room. Be praying for my trip. I still have some funds that need to come in. And also just pray that I would have a good time! Thanks :)
This year, I've been thinking a lot about life, and my relationship with God. At the beginning of the year, I for some reason had been going through a difficult time in my relationship with God. And then something someone said when approaching the verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17; "Be joyful always; pray continually." These are her words: I've always looked at this verse as a slightly abstract command. I knew we can be filled with the joy of Christ in the darkest situations, but the praying continually part was something I brushed over because it seemed impossible to pray all throughout the day. Recently I was challenged to live my life praying continually. The more I thought about this the more intriguing it became because Jesus slowly made his role of lover more clear to me. Allow me to explain:
Imagine the most amazing guy that you can possibly create in your head. Visualize him, give him the perfect personality, make him everything you've ever wanted in a husband. Now, pretend that he's with you all the time every day. He sits in class next to you, eats meals with you, and loves you completely. How would you talk to him? What would you say throughout the day?
I began walking through my days imagining Jesus by my side in the same way that I would want a husband or significant other by my side. I carry on conversations with him in my head, tell him how I'm feeling, or what I'm thinking. My life has changed because of it. Jesus takes me on dates...I'm not even kidding. He walks me to class, and lives intimately with me. We talk about everything from what I learned in class to what I want to do with my future, to what I want to eat for lunch. I talk to and think about people differently because I'm not going to insult someone when God is sitting next to me! Also, I've never experienced so much joy. It's really hard to be in a bad mood when the king of the universe is romancing you every second of every day. I find myself making time to relax in the sunshine and admire His creation. Think about it, if the man you just imagined in your head made you a tree, would you take time to appreciate it? It's the same thing with Jesus. I enjoy looking at His creation and telling him how amazing he is. My confidence in myself has grown. I've never felt so beautiful, and that makes it easier to reach out to others. Jesus removed our chains to this world. He wants to walk by our sides, holding our hand so that we can bask in him and live our lives for free; free from guilt, fear, every kind of anxiety or tension.
This is my challenge to you: Pray continually. Never say amen, don't end the communication between you and your Lord. He is your lover, your best friend, your favorite reading material."
I'm taking that challenge, and everyday I try to live my life, knowing that God is the perfect lover, and he's always romancing me. Well just as I was reaching this spiritual high in my personal relationship with Jesus, I noticed that all around me, my friends, and people that I loved were struggling. I knew they were missing out on what really counts in life. There are so many temptations for high schoolers. Relationships, drugs, sex, and rebellious attitudes. But when you get into the presence of God, and you really truly realize how much he loves you. When you hear his voice, and he tells you himself that he loves you, you can't resist that overpowering love. A peace larger than life comes into your soul. When I see all of my friends struggling through dating, and wasting their lives away, I weep inside. I'm far from perfect. I'm not saying that anyone who doesn't dedicate themselves to God isn't as good as I am. But God's put a burden on my heart to pray for a breakthrough in the spirit of the teenage heart. There's so much that God's called us to do! If we would only take the time to listen to what he has to say.
There's only one word to describe what God is: HOLY.
Great Songs:
Holy - Matt Gilman
How He Loves - John Mark McMillan
A Little Longer - Jenn Johnson
Just letting everyone know I'm praying for you. You're my friends, and I want the best thing to happen to you that's ever happened before.
Haha, so I've always had fun getting songs, translating them into a different language, then translating them back into english. Sometime there can be some REALLY funny results! I decided to do this remixing of lyrics to Josh Groban's song, Let Me Fall. These are the original lyrics:
Let me fall
Let me climb
There's a moment when fear
And dreams must collide
Someone I am
Is waiting for courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me
So let me fall
If I must fall
I won't heed your warnings
I won't hear them
Let me fall
If I fall
Though the phoenix may
Or may not rise
I will dance so freely
Holding on to no one
You can hold me only
If you too will fall
Away from all these
Useless fears and chains
Someone I am
Is waiting for my courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me
So let me fall
If I must fall
I won't heed your warnings
I won't hear
Let me fall
If I fall
There's no reason
To miss this one chance
This perfect moment
Just let me fall
And these were the results!:
To allow me to fall to allow me climb a moment ago when a fear And a dreams must enter in collision
Someone I am awaits courage THE one I want THE one I will become will take myself
Therefore to allow me to fall If I have I to fall will not do attention to your warnings I will not hear them
To allow me to fall If I fall although the Phoenix can Or not student
I will dance if Holding freely person You can hold me only If you will fall also Far of all these fears and Useless chains
Someone I am awaits my courage THE one I want THE one I will become will take myself
Therefore to allow me to fall If I have I to fall will not do attention to your warnings that I will not hear
To allow me to fall If I fall there IS not reason for this to lack a chance that This Just perfect moment allows me grave
“Emma, I have no idea why you wish to know about Barre Manor. Everything about it is bad. It’s history is nothing but evil. But I will explain to you anyway.
A long time ago, years ago in fact, a man named Daniel Barre came here to, Pointdale. He was very rich, and prosperous. He came to Pointdale, bought land right outside of Pointdale, and married a woman named Constance Belmonte. He and Constance had a son together. Constance died in childbirth. Daniel was left a middle aged man with an infant son. He hired a woman from Pointdale to come and be his son, Heath’s nurse. a few weeks after the woman was hired, she left. She came back to Pointdale spreading horrible stories about the house, Barre Manor. She said that she was almost certain it was haunted by Mrs. Barre’s ghost come back from the grave. She also told horrible stories about Daniel Barre and his son, Heath. She said that Mr. Barre acts very mysteriously about his wife and her death. She said he never goes near his own son. After that, Mr. Barre never came into Pointdale again. He locked himself up like a recluse. Heath was too young to come into town on his own. So he grew up by himself. Lonely. The last I heard of Mr. Barre was that he died when Heath Barre was but eighteen. Some people claimed to have seen Heath Barre outside roaming his grounds. I can’t believe that though. The place is thick with overgrowth and weeds. Only eccentrics claim to have seen candlelight in the windows of the house. I myself believe that Heath Barre died a long, long time ago. He would be at least in his 50’s by now, and I don’t see how one could survive on his own in such a large house as that by yourself for so long.” Emma breathed heavily. So that was it. everyone thought the house was haunted. Some must even be afraid that the corpse of Heath Barre was inside. She looked out of the east gable and towards Barre Manor.
“Father, has anyone tried to go inside.” Mr. Towers’ eyes became very wide.
“No! And I don’t suspect anyone ever will. It’s all evil I tell you. All evil. I’ve even heard parsons preach against the Barre family as murders, and devil worshippers.” Emma rolled her eyes.
daughter. Emma rested her cheek against the palm of her hand as she stared out the window. Her father Mr. William Towers was a gentleman. Not a gentleman of much consequence, but yet he was still a gentleman with an estate. The estate wasn’t the largest in all of England but it was still beautiful. It was called Windsor Creek. There was a large two story home, with lush and scenic grounds surrounding it. Emma loved to walk the grounds. There were many ponds, and small patches of forests. If she stood on the very edge of her father’s estate she could see Barre Manor very vividly.
Emma walked up to her father who was sitting in his chair by the fireplace, reading a book that seemed to be amusing him very much.
“Father, can you tell me of Barre Manor?” Mr. Towers suddenly looked up from his book. His face was covered in a look of pure surprise, and even a little worry.
“Why do you want to know of that place? Everything about it reeks of wickedness!”
“Father, please.” Mr. Towers looked at his lovely daughter. She had curly brunette hair, a nose that was slightly snubbed at the end, soft and sweet lips, and eyes that shone from happiness. Mr. Towers sighed. How could he say no to his only child, who was so beautiful. he did not deserve such a perfect daughter.
“Alright, Emma.” Emma smiled and settled down into a chair across from her father.
So I am participating in a something called The Writing Endeavor. It is much like Nanowrimo, but instead of having it only one month, it is all year long! You have a different writing assignment each month. I was too busy to do anything for January's assignment, but I am without a doubt going to participate in February's. This month we are writing a fictional romance/love story. I am going to work on a Regency era Gothic Romantic novel. Here's my first paragraph.
As Emma walked by the foreboding house curiously, she saw out of the corner of her eye a fluttering movement in one of the high windows. When she turned her gaze to the gothic house, and stared at the window, there was nothing there. Emma shivered and shook her head slightly. The family friend, Mr. Hurst, who was escorting her home from town, placed a protective hand on her arm.
“Ms. Towers, we really must be getting you home. You have no need to linger at this place.” Mr. Hurst looked at the large gothic house in a disgusted manner. Emma let him continue leading her down the road with their elbows intertwined. But she secretly smiled as the house was going out of their view. She thought it was so beautiful. It looked so lonely, she was certain it had some mysterious and intriguing history to it. Emma was determined to find out more about it. She had lived three miles down the road from it her whole life. One and twenty years and she knew nothing about the large house which everyone called Barre Manor.
Freedom (c)
By Hannah Overton
I hear the bells ring out
The words send shivers down my spine
Shivers down my arm
The hair on my neck bristles up
FREEDOM!
LIBERTY!
FIGHT!
Shouts ring out in unison
Shouts of revolution
Shouts of justice
Join or Die.
Freedom from tyranny
I wrote this poem after watching John Adams part 2 of the HBO series.
Well I've always loved acting ever since I was in my first drama class when I was 11. It was something that I really loved to do. I loved getting nervous before a performance, because I knew whenever I did get up on stage, it would all disappear. And then it would be just me, standing, and pouring emotions out through my lines.
I didn't realize how much I missed acting until I did The Grapes of Wrath radio show in November. It stirred something up inside of me. I didn't even get nervous the night of the performance. I was just glad to be acting again.
And now every time I go see a movie, or watch a movie that I really love, I want to cry. Just because I'm not acting all the time. It may sound silly to some, but it's what I want to do. And when I'm not doing it...I'm not completely myself.
Lately I've been in a completely different world. My mind has been on acting. I try and forget about it for a few minutes, and I just about go crazy.
