Happenings

I got a job.
I am now an employed woman.
My job is monitoring a business park for trash and then picking it up and throwing it away. At least, that is what I will be doing for the first few weeks. My boss is the head of his own janitorial company so he gets odd jobs all the time. My boss also goes to my church, which made the whole job-getting process a little easier because I've known him for years and years. The guy who has been training me also goes to my church, which also makes learning the job a little less stressful.
Did I mention that I get to drive a golf cart on this job?
And yet, I still face fears and anxieties. It's hard to realize that you aren't as self-confident as you believed yourself to be. Isn't it strange that I feel totally comfortable going up in front of a hundred people to sing musical theater, but being paid to pick up trash in a golf cart makes me so anxious I can't sleep?
I know I haven't been around my blog much this year. It will probably continue that way as I try to figure out life. Working, anxiety, relationships with friends and with God, my writing, my music, being an adult, and other things that I'm probably forgetting. I might post about it if you're interested.

One thing I want to mention... I am planning on having my Super Secret Fantasy Novel (which I have been hinting-at on this blog for about a year-and-a-half) rewritten by the end of the year. I am looking for several people to read it in the New Year and to express their opinions on plot, characters, and world-building. I guess it kind of goes back to that self-confidence thing. I know my writing is good, but I have no clue if other people will like it or not. I want to know if my story is good enough to share with the world, or if I should lock it in a chest and bury it under my house, only to be taken out when I want to peer, Gollum-like, at it (my precioussss). If anyone is interesting in reading the rough draft of the story sometime in January or February of 2016, leave me a comment or send me an email* expressing your interest. If you want to learn more about the book, you can read THIS blog post. A number of things have changed since I wrote that post, but for the most part it remains accurate.

Are new, exciting-yet-frightening things happening in your lives? Tell me about them!

Live long and prosper.

*Those of you with my personal address can email me there; otherwise, you can reach me at agwerff@gmail.com, which I check about once every two months. Haha, if you email me there, let me know in the comments.

IN SUMMMEEERRRRRR

My mom and I are in Minnesota with the grandparents. Those who are familiar with Midwest summers may find it strange to hear that it's nice to escape the heat in the Pacific Northwest to the coolness of Minnesota! It's been about 70 degrees with a cold wind the past few days. At home on the west coast it's been in the 80s and 90s the past few days!
So what have I been up to?

Writing:
I've been getting a lot of writing-relating things done in the past month! In June, I wrote a Sleeping Beauty retelling. My motivation for this was for this story was Rooglewood Press' writing contest, but I don't know if I'll end up submitting it. I'm not sure it's Sleeping Beauty-ish enough. However, I fully plan on editing it in July (and perhaps sending it to a beta reader or two?) and, if I decide not to enter it in the contest, share it via installments on my blog. 
I've also just finished a whirlwind week of editing/beta-ing a book for a friend. Now that I'm finished, I have more time to work on my own projects. Not only will I be editing my Sleeping Beauty story this month, but I will also be working on my fantasy story. Remember that mysteriously hinted-at story that I wrote last year? Probably not, because I'm far too secretive about my writing and don't tell you anything.
Back in March I did a post proposing my editing plan for my fantasy story. I started Step Two—"Go through story again, this time writing down each scene on a separate note card. Also, note (in the notebooks) all character traits and quirks with sticky notes"—and got through the first notebook (of three) and then realized my plan wasn't working. I had written out, scene-by-scene, the first twenty or so (out of sixty-some) chapters and I already had fifty or sixty note cards! That was too many! So, I cut up all the note cards that I had already written out (because I'm that paranoid that someone will steal my ideas. That's why I don't talk much about my writing on my blog, too) and decided to write out a synopsis of each chapter on separate note card instead.

The cut-up note cards.

I began writing out the chapter synopsis' the other day and it's going so much quicker than it was when I was writing out each scene! I've already gotten through one notebook and am hoping to get through the second one by tomorrow night. After I finish writing out each scene, I am planning on going through them all and changing the ones that need changing (filling in plot holes and such).

Then I will rewrite it and it will be so great that I will feel confidant enough to share it with a few select people. And then, taking their suggestions in mind, will continue editing until the book is finished. And then, I will publish it and it will become the next New York bestseller. And then, I will take over the publishing world and make millions of dollars and then it will be turned into a movie and then the next best seller will come along and I will be all alone in my New York apartment rocking back and forth on my knees wondering what went wrong while surrounded by ten cheap, knock-off sequels to the first book that I wrote to try and reclaim some of my former fame.

...I may be a tad overconfident.

Reading: 

I am currently reading...
The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas. However, I fear that this one may have to be put on hold until August. This month, I have too many other things to read! I'm really enjoying it thus far, though. Alexander Dumas is funny!
Mistborn: The final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. This was my June fantasy read for my 2015 reading challenge. Oh, dear, I'm falling behind. Anyway... Mistborn is FANTASTIC! Any fan of fantasy should pick up this book. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a really long time. (I especially think one of my cousins would enjoy this book... once he finishes with Wheel of Time, of course. :D).
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is one of my favorite books. I'm rereading it before the sequel comes out (ONE MORE WEEK!!!). We are planning on going to Sioux Falls to pick it up and I'm so excited!
The Gershwins by Robert Kimball. This is my nonfiction for the month. It is a book all about my favorite person and his brother: George and Ira Gershwin! I love this book because it has SO many pictures of George Gershwin that you wouldn't normally see, including pictures of his paintings.

"Self-portrait in an Opera Hat" by George Gershwin. Did you know that he was a painter as well as a brilliant composer? And he never had an art lesson in his life.

What I will be reading soon...
Homecoming by Christie Golden. This is a Star Trek novel that tells what happens after Voyager returns to earth (because the TV series ends as they enter earth's orbit). This one has to go back to the library in the next two or three weeks so I need to start it soon!
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn, book 2.
From the Earth to the Moon (& Around the Moon) by Jules Verne. This is my reading challenge book for July. I haven't started it yet. Whoops. Since August's book is Cinder by Marissa Meyer (I changed it from an Isaac Asimov book, which I still plan to read this year), I think I will survive if this month's book trickles into August, like June's book has trickled into July.

Playing: 
I was SO happy to stop playing my senior recital songs! After playing solely the same songs for six-nine months, I was desperate for new music. Now, I'm playing a boogie woogie version of "Awesome God" by Rich Mullins; "The Russian Rag," which is a ragtime version of Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C# Minor" (which I played for my recital); and another Claude Debussy song: Arabesque no. 1.

So, what have YOU been up to this summer?

Live long and prosper.

Norwegian Wood

I already used "A Day in the Life" for the title of one of these update posts, so I had to use a different Beatles song. "Norwegian Wood" was the first one that came on Pandora radio.

What have I been...

Playing?
I'm frantically trying to memorize my pieces for my senior recital... We just added the final piano song today. Chopin's Berceuse. Wish me luck with the chromatic thirds.
Also playing a lot of classical music on the radio.

Watching? (I'm building up to the big ones)
...Gilmore Girls...
Also, some Frasier. 

Reading?
Oh boy. Get ready for the list.
A biography on Claude Debussy (my nonfiction for the month).
Another nonfiction (that I'm reading for history class) about Islam and why they were super advanced in the Middle Ages, but then never advanced any further until the 1800s, when they decided they really needed to advance their technology a bit.
Second Son by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. Brant is about to meet Arnaud and I'm excited!
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This is my book challenge book for this month.
WAAAAAAAYYYY too much Calvin and Hobbes. I've finished four books so far this month.
I'm a little worried about finishing all the books I'm supposed to this month... but if there's one thing I'm great at, it's not finishing books when I'm supposed to. Hahahaha...

Writing? (This is the most exciting, guys!)
I finally started editing my fantasy novel! Eeeee!!
I've been thinking about editing and how to edit for twenty-two days, and now I've finally begun! I wrote up a plan last night. Here it is:

Step 1- Read through book, writing down inconsistencies, plot holes, and disappearing details. Also, taking note of changing scenes by separating them by a line.
Step 2- Go through story again, this time writing down each scene on a separate note card. Also, note (in the notebooks) all character traits and quirks with sticky notes.
Step 3- Arrange, rearrange, add, and subtract note card scenes. Eventually, come up with a detailed outline, complete with places for theme and character and plot development (via sticky notes attached to the note cards).
Step 4- Rewrite.
Step 5- Analyze. (Send to beta readers*?)
Step 6- Rewrite and analyze some more.
Step 7- Edit. Copiously.
Step 8- Decide what to do with brilliant, finished manuscript.

*Here is the difference between beta readers and editors: http://www.novelpublicity.com/2011/11/finally-an-answer-heres-the-difference-between-line-copy-and-content-editing/

Look! Here's my stack of Book and editing supplies!

Tea:

Music:

And I got FIVE whole chapters done! That's not very much in the grand scheme of things because the first few chapters are short (and there are 50+ chapters), but it's WAY more than I've gotten done all month so I'm happy! 

What have you guys been up to?

Live long and prosper.

A Day in the Life; or, why I'm not around much.

One word: SCHOOL! Lack of inspiration too... but mostly SCHOOL!
This is what a common day in my life looks like:


Sometime between 7:00 and 9:00 an alarm goes off, pulling Abbey out of sleep. Sometimes she turns off the alarm and gets up. More often, she turns off the alarm, turns over, and falls back asleep. When she does happen to get up, however, she jumps right into the school day.
With nary a pause to grab a bowl of cereal, she hurries over to the computer and pulls up Geometry. Thankfully, Abbey needs only do one lesson a day, unlike in Algebra 2 when she had to do two lessons a day!
Next in the schedule comes Dutch. The computer program isn't working so Abbey is trying to read the first Warriors book by Erin Hunter in Dutch. She hasn't gotten very far yet.
A variety of different activities follow. Since Abbey is in two Advanced Placement online courses this year, she has a lot of homework. She is loving her English Language and Composition class and is learning so much! World History, however, is another story. While history is interesting, the textbook isn't. Ten dull pages a day. She can barely get through them without being driven out of her skin. Anyone would think she had ants in her pants!
After finishing reading history, Abbey likes to give herself a nice break and watch an 20 minute TV episode of this or that program.
On top of reading textbooks, Abbey must complete writing assignments for each class. Her English course has more writing than history does currently, but there are essays looming on the horizon!
Late afternoons are spent practicing piano and voice. DUN DUN DUNNNN... Abbey enjoys making everyone's ears ring with Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# Minor. Preparing for a senior recital is no easy feat.
Finally it is evening! Wiped out, Abbey crashes on the sofa and spends time on her computer. She has also been trying to write every night and has, so far this week, accomplished that goal! Before going to bed between the hours of 10:00 and 12:00, Abbey must always read. Currently captivating her cerebral cortex is E. Nesbit's Railway Children.
Sleep.
Repeat.


Now Abbey pleads with her audience: what should she blog about??


P.S. This is Dolls, Books, and Things That Matter's 500th post! Woot!

In my life...

I'm back from camping! We saw lots of whales, played lots of cards (unfortunately, I ended as lesser scum), guffawed heartily at many a Mad Lib (enter this contest and you too could win a 10-foot foot! Or a three speed cabin. You never know), and ate lots of smores (mmmm, tastes like s'more). What larks!


It was so nice to be away from the internet for ten days - away from life! Now, however, I am thrust back into life, and life is busy. I'm here to let you know that I won't be around much this month. Other than a few promised posts for friends, I don't know how much I will be able to blog. The reason is the overwhelming amount of work that I have to do this month.


Stuff that HAS to get done in August:


1. Finish Algebra 2.
2. Finish church history by August 25.
3. Figure out my online writing class and online history class which start on August 25.
4. Memorize lines for VBS skits.
5. Finish VBS sets.
6. Make VBS costumes.
7. Find VBS props.
8. Figure out what's to be done with the youth group this fall, as we currently have 8 girls, 3 boys (who don't regularly attend), and 1 male leader.
9. Be an MC at my parent's 25th anniversary party.
10. Get my wisdom teeth out on Tuesday (hopefully for real this time).


Stuff that needs to happen in the near future/to keep in mind for the near future:


11. Figure out an exercise regime.
12. Practice piano and voice strenuously in preparation for my senior recital next spring.
13. Get my driver's license.
14. Figure out if I want to do a blog party celebrating my book's 1-year anniversary, and if so,
15. Plan a blog party - activities and giveaways - to celebrate my book's 1-year anniversary on Nov. 1.
16. Finish writing my fantasy book by the end of the year.
17. Daily devotional time.


Thankfully, my amazing father helped me with some organizational techniques today and all of that doesn't look quite so overwhelming. One thing to keep in mind is time management. And what comes with time management? Often times, cutting things that aren't super important. In my case, that's time spent on the internet. Blogging, reading blogs, commenting on blogs... Also, watching Youtube videos or Netflix.


Hopefully things will return to semi-normality in September, but we'll see! I can't quite decide if I'm excited, scared, or just plain nervous about busyness, life, and growing up. I turned 18 last week. Ever since I've been a mess of emotions. Mostly VBS stress... but with everything else piled on top, life is looking pretty dismal. You can pray for me, if you think about it.


Live long and prosper.

An all around update of sorts.

First of all... math is getting ridiculous:

Oh, so now we're dealing with imaginary numbers, are we?

Today I found out that I need my bottom wisdom teeth removed. Instead of coming in right side up, like they are supposed to, they are coming in sideways and at an angle, so they are pushing up against my other molars. Also, the bottom left wisdom tooth is nearly on top of some sort of vocal tube thingy... So, on June 17, I'll have them surgically removed. I'm not looking forward to it, but at least the top ones don't have to come out (yet)!

In February my new story came to a halt. There was an aspect of one of my character's back story that I wasn't comfortable with and it kind of ground the whole story to a standstill. Well, the other day, I had an idea that clears up the back story problem, but allows me to keep the plot in tact too! Huzzah! Hopefully I can start work writing again. I miss it.

I have a summer reading list all written out, which I will post to my blog sometime next week. Last year having a reading list was really fun, and I can't wait to do it again this year! It features three biographies and I'm toying with the idea of adding a fourth...

I can't wait for summer!! And camping! And summer! And August! And reading and writing my way through summer!

Update-y thingy?

Gah! I keep trying to film an update because I don't actually want to type out everything but I keep failing! So, we'll see...
Whether in video or in writing, sometime in the next fortnight, you will be seeing posts about the following topics:

Canterbury Tales (by Chaucer) review, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (translated by J.R.R. Tolkien) review, After the Twelfth Night update, and possibly some stuff regarding NaNoWriMo and what I'm reading. Also a post on God vs. Egypt's gods. Aaaand maybe a post about short stories. And possibly one about God "giving people over to their sins" (see Romans 1:24) in regard to the current state of the United States and where we're headed. I dunno. It's something I've been thinking about, something that has made me very very sad, but also anxious to DO something about it!



The truth. =) Unfortunately my animal doesn't like to be hugged. Fortunately, there are stuffed animals to cover when the Dog doesn't want to be loved.

Live long and prosper.

What I've been up to the past month.

Writing: I didn't get too much done in the past month. I did, however, make good progress on a short story. And also have been doing some editing of Part Three here and there - though not as much as I should be doing.

Reading: I finished six books in July, as well as finishing one today. Overall, I rated them 9/10.
Books keep getting marked off on my reading list... Observe:

The Future Door by Jason Lethcoe - A good sequel to a good book.

Crater by Homer Hickam - Loved this book!!

A bunch of random Agatha Christie - I've read three now. Murder at the Vicarage, the first Miss Marple mystery; And Then There Were None, an amazing book that every mystery fan should read! and Death on the Nile, which I just finished about half an hour ago. It was very good and had a very great ending!

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - Brilliant book, if you can get past the swearing and slang phrases. (By the way, I LOVE the idea of blotting out bad words. Thanks Writer4Christ!)

Emma by Jane Austin - I haven't been able to finish this one yet, but I'm still enjoying it! I just need to find time to enjoy it....

Sew, It's a Quest and Do You Take This Quest? by Kendra E. Ardnek - Check! These are great books. I especially liked the second one.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss - We're going to try and take this one out of the library, to listen to in the car on the way to my Grandma's.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - LOVED this one! Great.

Assignment: Eternity by Greg Cox - I exchanged A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court for this Star Trek novel.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien - now that I've finished with The Two Towers... I want to take on the final part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm planning on reading this one next month.

I took Anne of Green Gables off of the list because I know I'm not going to get that one read this summer. Perhaps this coming fall or winter... or even next spring or summer.

Nerd Life:
Nerd Life (hosted by Clair over at Working Title) is sadly over. I had lots of fun doing it and actually got quite a few of my books read! Plus I got to write up some nerdy articles about the Enterprise and StarGate.
Here are the books - and their mini-reviews - that I read and finished for Nerd Life!

Crater by Homer Hickam. I already did a review for this book, that you can find somewhere. Just a recap, though.... Crater Trueblood is an orphan living and working on the moon. He is given the dangerous mission of accompanying the convoy across the lunar plains to the great Armstrong City. Crater runs across many adventures and enemies and must choose who to save, and who to ally himself with.
I really really enjoyed this book. It was right up my alley - a sci-fi adventure with quirky elements that defied the current expectations for novels. It had some violence, but nothing was described in too much detail. Go find and read this book!

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Oh my goodness. If you need a thrilling, spine-chilling, adventure mystery, this is the book for you! Caution: do not read this book while camping on an island, it will make you frightened for your life.
Ten people are invited to an island by the mysterious U.N. Owen. There is no way off of the island and one by one people are being killed off.... The only logical solution is that the killer is one of the ten. But which one?

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. I just finished this one tonight, so I'm not sure it counts.... But I'm going to count it anyway.
Poirot, the detective, is on holiday. He's taking a tour up the Nile, in Egypt. Also on the boat is the extremely rich heiress, Linnet Doyle, recently married and on her honeymoon. Unfortunately, she also proves to be the perfect incentive to murder....
This book moved very slowly at first. Nothing really exciting happens until about halfway through the book. But, considering that there's probably fifteen main characters, this might be a good thing. We get to know the characters, we get to know that some of them aren't all they seem, and the tension builds.
The ending was very satisfactory, I enjoyed it. And I'm always a fan of how Agatha Christie puts so many characters into her novels that she has the reader running in circles trying to figure out who's who and if they're important or not. Also, I loved the setting. I used to want to be an archaeologist when I was younger, and though that ambition has flown away, I still retain my love of Egypt.
Though this wasn't my favorite Agatha Christie that I've read, it certainly doesn't fall short and would greatly enthrall any mystery and Egypt fan!

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I still can't wrap my mind around this book. It was so brilliantly written and thought out and executed... And so sad. Yet, it has a lot wrong with it as well.... Mainly the swearing and slang words.

Emma by Jane Austin. I haven't finished this one yet, but I'm getting close. I have about 21 chapters left (out of, like, 50).

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I really enjoyed this book. I think it's a sweet novelette that anyone should read if they need something short, sweet, and easy to read.

And finally... Assignment: Eternity by Greg Cox. I didn't get to this one. I might wait until fall to read it.

And there you have it!

In the coming month I hope to finish Part Three of After the Twelfth Night. I would also like to finish Emma, read another Agatha Christie, read (and finish!) The Return of the King, and read Crescent (the sequel to Crater) by Homer Hickam. As I said above, we're getting The Swiss Family Robinson out of the library to listen to in the car, so hopefully that gets done. Also, I'm hoping to get The Phantom Tollbooth out of the library, after reading Kendra's blog post on the world of that book. It interested me and I decided to randomly get it out and read it!

So there you have it!

Live long and prosper!

A bunch of things.

Firstly, AH! It came!! =D

Thank you soooo much Jack! It's lovely!

Secondly.... As you may know, blogger has decided to get rid of the "follow this blog" option. So, like many other bloggers out there, I've switched to a site called 'bloglovin' which is a free site that lets you follow all your favorite blogs.
Here is a link to a very helpful post with pictures that tells you just how to use bloglovin.... LINK IS HERE!
So.... if you want to continue following this blog (and my writing one... and everyone else's blogs) go sign up for the easy-to-use bloglovin'! Or save all the blogs you read to your favorite's bar. That works too.

I had a third thing but I forgot what it was... So I guess this is it!

Live long and prosper!

A bunch of updates.

First an update on that ancient list of books I hoped to read in the future... This isn't actually my most updated list of 'books to read.' That list is over 100 titles long and I will not  be posting that here 'cause... it's just too long. xD

1. Vancouver Sun books by various authors. (I have a whole bunch of these read now. But a lot of them are still unread to.)
2. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien. (I'M SO CLOSE! WHY CAN'T I FINISH IT?!)
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
4. Emma by Jane Austin.
5. Books by Charles Dickens (I read A Christmas Carol at Christmastime!)
6. Books by Jules Verne.
7. Books by H.G. Wells (In the middle of reading The War of the Worlds. I also have The Invisible Man sitting on the shelf waiting to be read....)
8. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.
9. Re-read Watership Down by Richard Adams.
10. Re-read The Freedom Factor by Gerald L. Lund.
11. Re-read The Alliance by same author.
12. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
13. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield.
14. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.
15. Re-read Robin Hood by Howard Pyle.
16. A biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. (I'm one step closer.... I now own a biography about Tolkien. I just have to find time to read it.)
17. More of the Bible. (I have certainly read more of the Bible since the last time I posted this list! But this one is kind of ongoing...)
18. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. (And I just finished re-reading two nights ago! Review sometime later this week).
19. Books by C.S. Lewis.
20. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (I'm one step closer... I own it now. Hurrah for the thrift store).
Now a writing update....
I finished my April goal which was to finish Camp NaNoWriMo.
To write this blog post, I took a break from my May goal: edit/add stuff to Part One of After the Twelfth Night.
Here's one of my favorite lines near the beginning of the book that I absolutely LOVE!

   I found out later that it had not, in fact, been Sebastian that I ‘rescued’ from that sword fight; it was his twin sister Viola, dressed as a man. I don’t quite understand it all, but in the end Sebastian married Lady Olivia, Viola married Duke Orsino, and I ended up in jail.

As you may know, I love the Beatles.

 

Every few months I discover a song by them that I didn't know about before... Today was one of those days. I discovered "Yes It Is" which is just a beautiful song. John Lennon said that he had been trying to rewrite "This Boy" and it didn't quite work out. But I think "Yes It Is" is just really beautiful... Calming with great harmonies.

As for books... I'm only reading five now, as opposed to the seven I was reading last week.
For literature I'm reading "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (fun fact, his name is Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was named partly after a deceased sister and partly for his distant relative Francis Scott Key who wrote The Star Spangle Banner). I'm really enjoying this book. After I finished my chapter today I just wanted to keep reading... It's set in the roarin' twenties. I love that time period anyway, but the way Scott Fitzgerald writes it... His language is beautiful.

I'm also reading "A Hero For WondLa" which I forgot to mention last time... I'm not too far into it but so far really enjoying it! It is the sequel to "The Search for WondLa" which I read in March.

Then, of course, there is the ever present "Two Towers" and also "The War of the Worlds." I'm also reading Jessica's book Kat and Kadet as I edit it. And I suppose I'm reading "After the Twelfth Night" too since I'm editing it.... Argh.

I'm trying to fight the urge to start reading Inkheart again... I love that book. Because it is a book about books. And that makes it cool.

Anyway, back to editing and listening to the Beatles!

Live long and prosper!

P.S. My mom is having surgery tomorrow and we would appreciate prayer. It isn't anything too major.... But it's still kind of scary. =)

"I am leaving. I am going now. Goodbye!"

Our apple tree is nearly falling over because of the weight of apples it carries. The branches are being held up by sticks.

Some info on my new doll.... Linda is from England. She is the cousin of Kit (because I realized how similar their face molds are!) and has come to live in the United States. She is very artsy and, well, English! She loves musicals and she loves to sing. She loves to draw and she loves animals. Her passion is photography and she wishes to be a professional photographer when she grows up. She loves old movies, especially musicals. She is a huge fan of The Beatles and Paul McCartney. And also of Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson.
Kit and Linda: cousins.

And now the reason for this post. I'm going away. Not forever. I certainly won't be disappearing by ring anytime soon..... My family and I go on a yearly camping adventure with friends to see whales. Yes whales. This excursion will start Monday and since we'll be camping, I won't have access to a computer.
The day after we get back, my youth group is going to a conference and I will be without computer there as well! I will be back on either August 4th or 5th. Talk to you then!

Gettysburg

We spent the day at Gettysburg. Gettysburg was known as the "turning point" of the Civil War.
I'm feeling very wiped out to I'll just let the pictures speak mostly for themselves.

Here are some instruments from the Civil War. The five big horns in front are called "saxhorns." There are also cymbals at the bottom and cornets in the bottom left corner.

A drum, a bugle, a baton, and two fifes.

Here are the two fifes up close. I really want to learn to play the fife. And the piccolo (but that's not a Civil War instrument).

We saw an amazing cyclorama. It was painted in 1880. To add depth, items such as fences or soldier gear were scattered on the ground. Look at the well in the second picture. Half of it is painted, half of it is real. It was amazing.

Tintin with President Lincoln:

Fudge!

It was GORGEOUS outside today, although by the time we got back to the hotel, a thunderstorm had moved in and it was pouring rain.

The view from Little Round Top:

The view OF Little Round Top from the bottom:

A memorial for Pennsylvania soldiers killed at Gettysburg (there were memorials scattered all through the park - at least a hundred I'm sure. Probably more. Just notice the clouds on this pictures. Brilliant!)

The place where Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address (the man before him spoke for 4 hours. Lincoln got up and spoke for 5 minutes. People had just settled down to listen and then it was over. Some people missed the whole thing! Pretty funny. Again, notice the clouds on the picture.)

It was very warm today and great weather (except for the thunderstorm.... but, as I think I said before, I prefer rain to sun. Maybe I'll post about that someday.)
Tomorrow we're going to drive to Mt. Vernon and then we're going to go to my great uncle's house. He's graciously hosting us for a few days so we can explore DC.

In other news.... My bug bite went away.
And I'm entered a photo competition. I don't consider myself a very good photographer. Anyone could take the quality of pictures I do. You just have to find good lighting, a good environment, and play around with the camera. That's all I've done. My personal favorite setting is "foliage." I'm not sure if your cameras have that... It's under "scene" or, "SCN." If your outside taking pictures of plants, it really enhances the color and makes things pop.
Anyway, the subject for my age group is "unique." Hmmmm.... I already have some ideas of previous pictures I've taken (like, for example, my new blog header of all the dead miniatures) but I still don't know. The deadline is August 1 and I can't enter until July 1, so I've got some time.
Any unique ideas for me?

Speaking of my new blog header..... How do you like the new look of the blog? I think I'll keep it like this until we get back home, then I'll change it to something more summer-y.

One last update-ish thingy..... I have made a new blog. It's called "Matters of the Migraine." It's a place for me to record my experiences with migraines, including when I get them and the symptoms and what sorts of medicine I take. I haven't had the time to post or design it yet.... I'll post a link here when I have the first post up, if anyone is interested. (personally, I wouldn't be interested in someone's blog about their head aches, so I wouldn't be offended if you didn't check it out.)

Now I've got to be off to bed. Goodnight! And don't let the bed bugs bite.