March Review

How are you all doing this Thursday? It's the last day of March! Wow, I can't believe it! It went by so fast. :)
Anyway, it's time for the March review post! I was planning on posting it tomorrow, but then I realized that tomorrow was the first of April. So you get the post today!

Life

March ended up being busy, but not super busy. School work, reading, all that normal stuff. The weather was beyond beautiful! Long drives out in the country with a good book are awesome! It's been so pretty out. But. . .surprise! On Resurrection morning, we woke up to...

 

Yep, that's right. We had snow on Easter. That was the first time that it has happened here in Kansas since 1925. And back then there was only an inch and a half. On Sunday we got almost four inches of snow. Thankfully it melted pretty quickly and we had a beautiful afternoon. We spent Easter Sunday with our cousins in MN! They drove down and spent the day with us, which was a lot of fun! 

Cousins!

After the mid-day meal, we sat around a talked for and while, then our aunt and uncle took us all out to see Miracles from Heaven, which was so much fun! And the movie was a lot better then I had expected. :)

Also in March. . . we celebrated my sisters Faith's 15th birthday! Ahh!! I can't believe she's that old already. Well, it's not old, but she's always been my little sister, so it seems old. ;)

She and I share a room, so we're pretty close. This is one nice picture that got taken once we had the camera. The rest were allll goofy. ;) Don't trust us with a camera. The results will be. . .crazy? Yeah, that's a good word. 

Reading

I actually got a good amount of reading done this month! I finished eleven books, which isn't as many as I'd normally like to read in a month, but with school and all, I think it was a good number. ;) 

Books I read this month were. . .

Songbird under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer

True Devotion by Dee Henderson

If He lives by Sarah Holman

Distorted Glass by Sarah Holman

Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Negotiator by Dee Henderson

Resistance by Jaye L. Knight

Red Velvet by Sandra Byrd

Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer

Where do I Start? An Overview of Indie publishing by Jaye L. Knight

The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias 

So all together I read 2,763 pages! I'm hoping I can read more in April, but I still have quite a bit of school to catch up on, so we'll see! 

Writing/Editing:

Uhhh, writing? My poor stories got so neglected this month. I think all I wrote was the resurrection retelling, and all together that was about 1,600 words. Editing went better, though! I went through and edited the first 20,000 words of the story I wrote during NaNo last year. Augh, it was a mess! It still is, but hopefully the beginning is a little, umm, less of a mess? xD

Blog Posts:

This is a subject I usually don't post on in my end-of-the-month-post, but there were so many amazing posts this month I decided I just had to recommend a couple for y'all. ;) 

The Heart Healer 

Technically this wasn't posted this month, but Emily referenced to it in her Easter post, so I think it counts. I've read this short story 3 times now, and something new stands out to me each time. It's really super good. So go read it. ;)

How I write a chapter 

Because we all write chapters, right? I basically just adored this post. Abi's posts are always so good, but this one was just amazing!

From my Heart Faith just has such a beautiful writing style, and the things she shared in this post were just so meaningful.

The Lord Bless and Keep you

I really love this song, and this was such a beautiful rendition of it. 

Five Biographies that will inspire you to live for a purpose

I'm always looking for good biographies, but it can be hard to find some good ones. Jonathan posted about five that he's enjoyed, and I'm looking forward to reading the ones he listed! 

And. . .I think that's all for this post. I'm definitely looking forward to April! So far we don't have too much planned except attending the TPA conference here in Wichita next weekend. Which I am sooooo excited about! Anybody else planning on attending??? ;)  

And then came Sunday . . .

And Jesus Christ arose, crushing the enemy, conquering all His foes!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!! I hope and pray you all have a wonderful time as you celebrate that fact that our Lord and Saviour has conquered death and Satan and has risen from the dead!  Praise God, the tomb is empty!

Anyway, here is the ending of the re-telling I posted on Friday. The only difference is that instead of being in John's POV, this part is told in the apostle Peter's POV.

I was a coward. When it got down to it, that truly was what I had become. I had not only run and left my master alone in the garden, I had denied Him three times. And now I was hiding from the romans. Sulking and staying hidden because I feared what they could do to me. The way I felt, death might actually be a welcome relief from the burden of guilt that was crushing me. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Death would help nothing, I knew that. But was I to live the rest of my life like this? To never know the freedom of being forgiven? A movement to my right made me look up. John stood and moved toward the window, seeming to lose himself in the bright sunlight that shone through the opening. I wondered what he had seen at Jesus’s death that had changed him. He seemed different then the rest of us. He seemed to be at peace with how things were. It was a peace I longed for, but knew I would never again attain. How could I? The only thing that would still the longing of my heart was the knowledge that Jesus forgave me. But he was dead, and I could not even ask his forgiveness. I couldn’t have his mercy.

My thoughts were interrupted as the door suddenly swung open. Mary magdalene along with two other women, whose names I could not remember, came flying into the room.

I stood, fear stealing through my being. What would bring them here like this?

“They have said he is risen!” Mary spoke, the others not seeming to be able to find their voices just yet.

John took a step toward them. “Who? Who is risen?”

Mary took a breath in an apparent effort to calm herself before speaking again. “We went to the tomb this morning to anoint his body with spices, but when we got there, the stone was rolled away. And there was an angel there and he said to us, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? Jesus is not here, but is risen.’ Then he told us to come and tell his followers. And he said specifically to tell Peter.”

I felt her gaze leave John and come and rest on me. I stood there for a moment, not able to move. Risen? If it was so, why would they tell me? I inwardly scoffed. Surely this was a trick, something to get us out of hiding. Yet. . .a part of me longed for it to be true. Even hoped. Jesus had done miracles. Was it possible that just perhaps…?

Suddenly John rushed past the women and out the door of the house, running in the direction of the tomb. Without even realizing it I was on my feet and running after him. My mind old me it was impossible, but my heart yearned for what Mary had said to be true.

I caught up with John, but he overtook me as we neared. To my surprise, he stopped outside and simply peared through the opening.

I had always been the impatient one. I had to know what happened. I rushed past him through the opening, but suddenly I stopped. The grave clothes were folded neatly, but to my surprise, the cloth that covered Jesus’s face was not. It lay, folded, off to the side.

John joined me, but neither spoke. I ran my hands over the cloth that had covered Jesus. Where could he be?

One look at John’s face and I knew. He believed that Jesus truly had risen.

He left, yet I stayed a moment longer, trying to make sense of everything. The problem was, it didn’t seem as though there was any sense to be had.

I rubbed my head as a wave of weariness overcame me. Had Jesus's body been stolen? Or had he truly been raised from the dead? They were the only two options, and neither seemed likely. Romans soldiers had guarded the tomb, and no one would have dared to cross them to get to the body. That left only option that he had risen. I turned and made my way out into the bright sunshine again. John believed. Why couldn’t I? We had all seen Jesus’s great acts of power. Why was it easier for him to believe then me? Perhaps it was a question I would never be able to answer.

***

The rest of the day passed slowly. Except for John, none of the other disciples believed that Jesus truly had risen.

As evening approached, we all gathered together in the main room. Though no one spoke aloud, I knew they were all fearful of the romans. Anyone connected to Jesus was in danger of being arrested.

A sudden bright light flashed through the room, startling all of us. I raised a hand to my eyes to block it out. Could it have been lighting? It was the first thought that came to my mind, but that didn’t make sense. It wasn’t storming.

As the light faded, I looked up. A immediately felt a shock jolt me to the very core of my being. Jesus stood in the midst of us.

Jesus? Was it really him? I shrank back as the other gathered around him.
“Peace be unto you.” It was all he said, but it was enough. It truly was Jesus.

I still didn’t trust myself to approach him. Not after what I had done. But his eyes searched for me, and he met my gaze.

And in that moment, I knew I had been forgiven.

It felt as though a sudden weight had been lifted off my heart, as though a ray of sunshine had flooded my soul. It was true. Jesus had risen! He was alive, He had conquered death, and He had forgiven me. The guilt was gone, and Jesus was alive!

Luke 24:5-7 And as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not hear, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was still in Galilee. Saying, the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.

Good Friday//Crucifixion retelling

Hello all! I hope your week has been wonderful! Our has been good, but super busy. Like usual. ;)

So . . . today is Good Friday. I know that historically it's not the exact day Jesus died, but it is the day we normally think of it as the day he died. So when I was trying to figure out what to post today, I decided to write a re-telling of the crucifixion. This is told from the apostle John's POV, and I wrote it in 1st person.

Honestly, I started to write it just "for fun", but as I got further into the story, it was as though I was experiencing the death of Jesus in a new way. I've always known the story, always known that Jesus died for me, but I don't know...I guess just writing it made it seem so much more real. He loved me enough to die for me. Wow. 

Anyway, here's the story. Well, the first part anyway. The ending will be posted on Sunday.  

The road to Gethsemane was long and crowded. The shouts and yells of the people were deafening as they filled the air around me. His quiet groans of pain could hardly be heard, but I heard them. Maybe not so much heard as saw. Jesus’ brow was caked with blood and sweat, and the cross was heavy upon his shoulders. I tried to force my way through the crowd. I needed to be there, to be close to him. But I couldn’t. Too many people were between us; there was no way I would be able to get any nearer. I saw the pain in his eyes and shuddered. He had spoken of his death, but I think I can speak for all his followers when I say we never saw it like this. His words had been clear, but we saw only what we wanted to see.

Suddenly the roman soldiers around Jesus stopped, and I saw one of them pull a man from a crowd. The cross was lifted off Jesus’ shoulders, and the stranger bore it instead. Jesus, his back open and bleeding from the thrashing he had been given, was pushed along by the romans. He stumbled and fell, incurring the wrath of the soldier nearest him. With an angry shout he reached down and yanked Jesus to his feet.

Jesus clenched his teeth in agony as the soldier pressed the crown of thorns deeper into his head. Fresh drops of blood flowed down his face, but no one seemed to give it any mind as the procession made their way up the hill outside Jerusalem. I felt helpless. Could this truly have been what God had in mind when He sent His son to this earth? This agony and suffering Jesus was enduring, was this truly what needed to be done as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind? For my sin?

This night had turned into a nightmare. For a moment I lost sight of Jesus among the crush of people, but as we neared the top of the hill, the crowd stilled, and I made my way to the front. The Roman centurion who had been put in charge of the execution had established a perimeter around three men, the two criminals and Jesus, and the posted soldiers ensured no one came any closer.

I turned as I felt movement next to me. Mary stepped closer, her eyes on her son. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions under control. How hard would it be to see your son go through this pain, this suffering? I couldn’t even imagine.

A heart-rending cry pierced the air around us, and I turned my attention back to the crosses. Tears rose in my eyes and threatened to spill over and the centurion drove the nail through Jesus’ hands and feet. Mary pressed a hand over her mouth and swayed as though she was going to fall. I reached out an arm to steady her, and she buried her head in my arm. Her shoulders shook with sobs. 
She should never have to see this.

As they raised the crosses I looked away, yet the groans of pain could not escape my hearing. My eyes swept the three crude, wooden fixtures. Above each cross, a plain wood board declared what they were being executed for. My eyes read the words written on Jesus’ cross, and I felt a sudden rage flow through me. Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. They couldn’t simply kill my master. They had to mock Him as well.

As I watched, one of the soldiers took a spear with a sponge on the end, and dipped it in what I knew was a mix of vinegar and herbs.  I clenched my teeth. So merciful of the Romans to give their victims something to dull their pain.

Jesus turned his head away, and the mixture dripped down Jesus’ neck. I winced. Even though I wasn't the one feeling the pain. I knew the vinegar would burn the open wounds.

At the moment, Jesus looked toward me and his eyes met mine. I had expected to see pain there, but not love. Yet, love burned in Jesus’ eyes. Love toward those who had wronged him. Love for the people he had created.

His gaze traveled to Mary, and his voice was tender, though it was hard for him to speak. “Woman,” he paused as though fighting back against a wave of pain. “Behold, thy son.” He turned ever so slightly and looked at me. “Behold, thy mother.”

I tightened my arm around Mary’s shoulder. Even on the cross, Jesus was caring for others. Yet, wasn’t that love for others what took him to the cross? I wrestled with questions I didn't have answers to. Oh, if only I could ask Jesus! If only he would sit and explain it all again. There was still so much I didn't understand; so much that was beyond my comprehension.

The breeze that had come up brought a whisper of Jesus’ words to my ears. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Forgive. Even after all this, Jesus forgave.

Suddenly his loud, anguished cry swept over all those who were watching. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

My throat tightened. This was the first time that I could remember where Jesus did not refer to God as his father.

As spoke the words, his body suddenly went limp. Mary’s sobs increased, and I squeezed her arm in a feeble attempt to comfort her. At that moment, a violent tremble shook the earth. I lurched, desperately trying to keep my balance. The sky went dark, as though someone had pulled a curtain over the sun. The breeze became a full-fledged wind that threatened to blow over anything in it’s path. It was fitting, I thought. The earth was mourning the death of it’s creator. As the rain began to pour, I helped Mary back down the hill. Jesus was dead, and he had left her in my care. The least I could do for my master, was to obey what he had said, even if I didn’t understand why he had let this happen.

If he wanted, he could have stopped it. I knew he had the power to do so. Could God really have a plan in killing his own son? The tears that had threatened all day overtook me, mixing with the rain that pelted my face.

Oh, that I could only have one more moment to speak with Jesus! Just one more day to hear his words. Another tremble shook the earth, and I knew that as much as I wanted it to be, this was not a dream. Jesus was dead, and I feared I would never understand all he had tried to tell us.

1 John 4: 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his son to be a propitiation for our sins.

The Liebster Award

Hi y'all! So. . .I was tagged by Abi from The Left-Handed Typist for the Liebster award. This looks like it'll be so much fun! Thanks for tagging me, Abi! You guys should totally go check out her blog. Her posts are also enjoyable and amazing, and I always look forward to reading them. So go and take a look! :)

Okay, now for the rules. . .

 Link back to the person who tagged you

Answer all 11 questions

Tag 11 bloggers who have less than a thousand readers 

Ask them 11 questions

Let them know you've tagged them through social media

And the questions she asked!

1.) What's the story behind your blog's name?

There really isn't much of a story. I just knew I wanted the word "writings" as part of it, and I wanted all the words I used to start with the same letter.

2.) What is your favorite stage of writing?

Probably the first edit! Then I get to go through and read everything I've written from beginning to end. The first draft is always fun too!

3.) Where/in what conditions do you write the best?

Around 11pm when the house is finally quiet. ;P But. . .that doesn't happen too often! Normally I like to write in the afternoon when everyone is *supposed* to be having quiet time. I like to sit on my bed with a laptop, iced tea, and our window open. 

4.) What is a country you would like to visit?

Germany! Or Ireland. Both would be fascinating! 

5.) What is your favorite historical period?

Oh boy. Now the questions are getting hard! I love medieval times, as well as the time period around WWI-WWII. They'd have to tie. ;)

6.) What is your favorite desert?

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and rocky road ice cream. We hardly ever have it, so it's a treat I really look forward to! :D

7.) What is the furthest you've ever been from home?

We live in KS, so I think the farthest we've ever been was when we went up to Port Orchard, WA last year. A total of 1,864.9 miles and 28 hours away from home. :) 

8.) What is your earliest memory? 

Visiting my younger sister in the hospital. She's my closest-in-age sibling, but we're 3 years apart. She was born 2 1/2 months early, so I remember going to see her in ICU. And having to dress up in a mask, a weird gown, and wash your hands for 2 minutes, but even after all that you still couldn't touch anything. ;) 

9.) What is your happy place?

The place I feel the most happy is. . .somewhere alone. ;) In April, I love when we go on drives further out in the country. The wheat fields are golden, the sky is blue, the sun is shinning, and it seems like you can see beyond the horizon. Now I know this isn't exactly true, but being alone out there surrounded by all the beauty makes me feel closer to God. It also makes me wonder how anyone can't believe in God; all that beauty didn't happen by accident!

10.) If you could pick one author/screenwriter to meet, who would it be?

Emily McConnell! Her first book is hopefully going to be published sometime within the next year. I've read it, and it's amazing!! I want to meet her sooo bad!

If you mean someone who is already published, then Susan Marlow. And. . .Lord willing I will be able to meet her at the TPA conference here in KS in a couple weeks!! So I'm super excited!

11.) What is your favorite book adapted movie/show? 

Prince Caspian. I know, I know. Please don't kill me! The book and movie are wayyy different, I do realize that, but it's my favorite book-turned-movie.I also really like Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 film. :)

And. . .I'm going to break a rule and not tag anyone. Why? Well, because there have been a lot of different tags going on, and most of the bloggers I know have already done a few, so I don't want to make them to another one. However, if you would like to do the tag, I would LOVE to see your answers to the questions Abi gave me! :) 

Editing//writing//crazy friends//excerpt

Hey everyone!!! Happy Friday!! Aren't Fridays absolutely wonderful?! It means the weekend is on the way, no school, and READING! I get the majority of my reading done during the weekend. Which is awesome, because then I can actually finish a book before the new week begins! 

Okay, I suppose I've talked enough about the weekend.  :)

As I mentioned before, I received The Silent Blade back from my wonderful beta readers in February. This past month I have been re-writing. And editing. And procrastinating. In fact, I was doing such a good job at that last one that a friend decided to motivate me. You see, this dear friend writes as well, and she has a couple stories I have been dying to read.  She decided that great way to motivate me would be to send  teasers for her stories to make me edit faster. Let's just say she comes up with some really really bad (in other words, great.) teasers. I sent her an email telling her just how cruel she was being in torturing me this way, and this is the reply I found in my email yesterday morning. 

Welcome to the motivational emails of Emily McConnell, the sort of emails that keep you on your toes and teach you responsibility and discipline. Subscribe to motivational emails with Emily today, and you will receive two emails a week to inspire you to edit more and procrastinate less! This offer will expire soon, so hurry and sign up today! Never again will you feel the urge to leave your editing behind, you will be determined to finish on time!

In other words she was telling me I totally deserved every bit of what she was putting me through. AUGH! I love my friends, but there are times I really, really,want to strangle them. Yesterday was one of those times.  We'll totally ignore the fact that it has helped me with my editing. 

Alrighty. I have a guest here on the blog today. A very unwilling guest, but a guest all the same. Well, a guest in the fictional sense of the word. I was able to find Kurt, my television announcer in one of my stories, and pull him up here. No, I didn't break his leg or anything. Anyway, he's here, and so I'll leave him to tell you all something. ;) 

Kurt glares at everyone in the audience. "Why am I here? You'd like to know, wouldn't you? So would I. I hate nothing more then a change of plans. You see, Jesseca likes to drag me around to do whatever she wants. She thinks I am here to personally serve her. I'm not, but I'll humor her this time." Shuffles around the papers in his hand. "Here it is. I am announcing a very short excerpt from The Silent Blade. Wait." He double checks the papers. "Wow. Okay, that is actually correct What a lousy thing to announce. Anyway, I do hope you find some enjoyment from it. I certainly didn't. I shall bid you farewell and wish you the happiest weekend you can have in such a horrid world." Door closes as he leaves the room. 

Umm, okay. Sorry, Kurt can be miserable when he wants to. I guess today was one of his bad days. Here's the excerpt he promised. He was correct in the fact that it is short. Very, very short. 

Before she could turn, an arm clasped her around the waist. She fought against, their hold, but it held her fast and lifted her up onto the front of a horse. Eira whirled around to see her captor and gasped. “Henry!” Her struggling increased all the more, but he held her in an iron grip.

“You’re going with me, my dear.” He kicked the horse and urged it into a gallop.

“No!”  She fought against the hand that held her captive, but he only seemed amused at her struggle. “There’s no getting away from me this time. Neither of your brothers nor your friend is here to save you now. And they won’t notice you’re gone for quite a while.”

“They’ll come.” Realizing her struggling was useless, she stopped and leaned as far away from him as possible.

“My dear Eira, in case you didn’t notice, they were all engaged in quite a struggle with Merek when I grabbed you and left. It will be quite some time before they notice you aren’t there.” He  smirked, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

And.  .that's it. What do you think? I know, it's not very much to be able to give an opinion about. ;) And since I am dying to know. . .what stage is your novel in? Do you enjoy editing? 

Have an amazing weekend!! :D 

Seasons

Morning breaks, evening falls, rivers end where the sea begins. Autumn leaves give way to winter wind, but spring waits to warm the earth again. You are Alpha, Omega, Lord of all. Every season is guided by Your hand. From beginning to ending, you are God. Dust to dust, we will trust you Timeless one. 

Seasons. They come, they go, they're always changing. I looked out our window the other day, and suddenly the trees were all budding. It seemed as though it had happened overnight. One day it was winter, the next spring was ready to burst into life.

And just as the seasons outside change, so do the seasons in our lives change. A few of you know about Dad's struggle with cancer about two and a half years ago. Our life changed, and everything was different. It was hard, but looking back, I can see how God used that time in our lives to accomplish things that never could have happened otherwise.
And now, this spring, I know there will be more changing then just the scenery outside.
Dad has only about nine months to go before he will "officially" be cancer-free. the Dr.'s visits that had become common place have gradually slowed, and a new season of life begins in our family.  Dad's job is changing, I will be graduating, and there is a pretty good chance that before the year is over, we will have moved.
*Sighs* I don't like changes. They're hard for me. But God doesn't change, He's always there, He's always the same. He always has been, He always will be. And isn't that just amazing? To be able to have the assurance that no matter what we go through in life, He's right there with us.

You were there in the void, by Your word gave the earth its form. Now You're here, you dwell within my heart, filled with wonder and awe of who you are. You are Alpha, Omega, Lord of all. Every season is guided by Your hand. From beginning to ending, You are God. Dust to dust, we will trust you Timeless One.

Remember, whatever you may be going through, whether it's something big, small, difficult, or easy, whatever it may be, God is there. He loves you, He made you, you are His child, and you mean more to Him then you will ever know. He died for you, that is just how much He loves you! So whatever may be going on in your life, just trust Him. He has a purpose for it, and in His perfect timing, He will show us how the strands of our life come together for an amazing masterpiece that could only have been planned by Him.

We will wait for you in our anxious hour. We will trust in you, God of majesty and power. We will wait for you in our anxious hour, we will trust in You! You are Alpha, Omega, Lord of all. Every season is guided by Your hand. From beginning to ending, you are God. Dust to dust, we will trust you Timeless One. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

*All three verses in italics are from the song Timeless one by Shelly Johnson. If you want to listen to a recording of it, you can listen to it here. 

Tagged!

Yep, that's right! Abi from The Left-Handed Typist tagged me for the Get-To-Know-Me tag! This looks like fun, so here we go! :)

--Vital Stats

Name: Jesseca. Spelled slightly different because it's from the biblical name Jesse, and my parents wanted to keep that spelling.

Nicknames: Augh. I was so dreading this question. Jesse, Jess, Jecca (said so that it rhymes with Becca. When they were younger, my siblings couldn't pronounce my full name, so they all called me Jecca), Jay (augh), Jessa, Jay-Jay. . .yeah. You get the idea. ;P

Place of Birth: Bellingham, Washington. It's about an hour and a half north of Seattle.


--Firsts

Best Friend: My sister, Faith.

Award: Ummm, I got an award in Awana. At least, I think it was an award. ;) If that doesn't count, then I got an award when I won 2nd place in a writing contest a few years back.

Sport: I literally don't play any sports. At all. Well, I can play volleyball some. So that'd have to be my answer.

Real Holiday: Going to Vancouver, B.C! I think I was 4 or 5, and I remember how beautiful to was. Someday I want to go back. :)

*sigh* Isn't it gorgeous? 

Concert: I don't think I've ever attended a "real" concert. However, I've attended multiple piano recitals!


--Favorites

Film: Well, at the moment it's Return to the Hiding Place. (I'm sure you all saw that coming! ;))

TV Show: The Big Valley and When Calls the Heart.  They're both favorites!

Color: Yellow! It's so bright and cheery. And the color yellow always reminds me of wheat fields reflecting the sun. Where it's quiet and there's no one around. And it makes me want to just go and run in one forever. (Don't worry, I've never done it!)

Like in this picture. ;) 

Song: Okay, lets narrow this down a bit. My favorite hymn is Abide With Me, favorite contemporary song would be Just be Held and my favorite "other" song is Heart of a Volunteer from the Pearl Harbor soundtrack. (I don't recommend the movie, but the soundtrack is amazing!)

Restaurant: Olive Garden. The place Dad always takes me for my birthday. ;)

Books: Augh. Waaayyy to many favorites of those! Dare, Deny, Songbird under a German Moon, Wings of a Dream, Chasing Jupiter. . .and yeah. I'll stop there. ;)


--Currently

Feeling: Like taking a walk outside. In a word; content. The house is quiet. So I'm treasuring it. ;)

Single or Taken? I'm 17. I'll let you guess. B-)

Eating: Nothing right now! But we're about ready to have hamburgers.

Watching: These words appear on my computer screen. xD
Movie-wise, I'm not really in the middle of anything, although I'm looking forward to watching the GOP debate tonight.

Wearing:  A jean skirt, blue blouse, and sandals that I just kicked off under the desk. And my glasses, of course.


--Future

Want Children? Yes, but it depends on what God wants. ;) 

Want to be Married? Maybe someday! In other words yes, but not today. 

Careers in Mind: Writing and nursing, or something else medical.  I literally can't see myself having a career other then medical.

Where do you want to live? Here, in KS. My whole life. Seriously, this is my home and I love it! I don't ever want to move!


--Do You Believe In

God: Yes!

Miracles: Of course.

Love at first sight: No, because love isn't simply an attraction or a feeling.

. . . on the foundation of God's word and His leading, I might add!

Ghosts: As in a "disembodied spirit"? No, definitely not.

Aliens: Nope.

Heaven? Yes, praise God!

Hell:  Yes, that as well.

Kissing on the first date: Guys. Seriously, THE FIRST DATE??? That's just wrong. So no, and just for the record, you don't kiss 'till you're married. But that's just my opinion on the matter.


Yourself: Ummm. . .I think I'm alive. I may be mistaken, but. . . yeah. :D


Okidokie! That was longer then I expected! But it was fun!! :) I'm going to tag. . .

Rebekah at Rebekah Ashleigh 
Blessings Counter at Counting your Blessings one by one
And. . .Rebekah at Rebekah's Remarks.

If you don't want to do it, that's fine! But I'd love to read your answers!!

The Spectacular Book Tag

Hey, everyone! Rebekah from Rebekah's Remarks tagged me for the Spectacular book tag. Thanks, Rebekah!

 The Rules:

1. Answer the questions

2. Tag 3 to 5 bloggers

1. What are your favorite book covers?
I'm going to assume that you only want me to list a few, and not ALL my favorites. 'Cause that would be a super long list. So here are my top four. ;) 

2. What are your favorite book titles?
All the ones above. ;) Also. . .
A Dream not Imagined
Roses for Mama
Ivan
Dawn of Liberty
Blue Skies Tomorrow
Resist
Once upon a Summer
War Tears
The Princess and I
And. . .yeah. I'll stop there. 

3. Have you read a book and didn't know why they named it that and what was the title?
Ummm, not that I can think of right off. Most of the books I've read seem to have titles that fit them quite well.

4. Have you read a book with a character that made you mad?
Well, I think in every book the villain is supposed to make you mad. To list a couple. . .Willie, from Above all Earthly Powers, and Gustav from The Eleventh Hour.

5. Is there someone or something from a book you would never want to come across?
I'm the kind of person who immediately wants to meet all the villains and see if I can talk some sense into them. So. . .I don't think I'm too scared of any of them. However, I'd never want to meet The White Witch from the Narnia books. She is the one villain who has managed to terrify me. She's just so evil and creepy and all that. I mean, I guess she's supposed to be. But still!

6. If you could meet a character in person from a book who would it be?
Augh! I hate these kind of questions. Either Ivan Rodchenko or Bran Mornally. They'd be a tie. ;) 

7. What book are you currently reading?
I'm in the middle of waaayy too many books! Marie by Linda Windsor, Wings of a Dream by Anne Mater, The Vigilante's Bride, by Yvonne Harris, Recapture the Wonder by Ravi Zacharias, and Twelve Myths Americans Believe by Erwin Lutzer. 

8. Have you read a book that made you cry?
Most recently  it would be The Grand Weaver: How God shapes us through the events of our lives by Ravi Zacharias. I think this is the first non-fiction book that that has brought me to the point of tears. It's so, so good. What else can I say? Just read it. ;) 

9. What is the weirdest book you read? 
Umm, I don't know. If I start a book and it seems weird, I usually just stop reading it. :P If I had to choose one that was sorta weird, I'd choose How a Star Falls by Amber Stokes. It just took me a while to figure out what was going on, and it just all seemed sorta weird. Then again, there was nothing wrong with it. The plot and characters just seemed a little strange. 

10. What is the worst book/series you ever read?
Like I said above, I don't really finish a book if I start it and don't like it. Now if we're talking poems, a few of Edger Alan Poe's have struck me as strange and weird. And a couple of Ralph Waldo Emerson's as well. I only read them because they were required for school. 

11. If you could only read one more book the entire year what would it be?
Augh! I'm going to take the easy way out and say the Bible. B-) That's not what you meant? Okay, fine.  Probably Cries of the Heart by Ravi Zacharias. It looks really, really good, and it's awaiting me on my shelf! :) 

Okidokie! I'm going to tag. . .

Deborah at Reading in June
Lauren at Lauren's Amazing World
Bethany at A Great God and good Cocoa 

I'd love to see your answers to the questions! However, if you'd rather not do it, that's fine. ;) 
Here are the questions so it's easier to copy them over. 

1. What are your favorite book covers?
2. What are your favorite book titles?
3. Have you read a book and didn't know why they named it that and what was the title?
4. Have you read a book with a character that made you mad?
5. Is there someone or something from a book you would never want to come across?
6. If you could meet a character in person from a book who would it be?
7. What book are you currently reading?
8. Have you read a book that made you cry?
9. What is the weirdest book you read? 
10. What is the worst book/series you ever read?
11. If you could only read one more book the entire year what would it be?