Giving Thanks

Since thanksgiving is right around the corner, I wanted to talk about the point of the holiday.  I find it ironic that the very day after we have been giving thanks for what we have, we go out on Black Friday and buy a bunch of stuff.  There's nothing wrong with getting great deals buying things, don't get me wrong.  I think it's more of the WAY we buy them. The thing that I'm getting at is that we as humans are so selfish that sometimes we are only focusing on what we can get, instead of what we already have.  We have a God who provides everything we need and who sent his own son to die for us so that we could be forgiven.  Now if you ask me, that's a pretty cool gift.   Keep in mind as you prepare to stuff yourself with turkey and other deliciousness, that God gave you the best gift of all...he gave you life.

Keep Calm and--NANOWRIMO!

The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has finally arrived!  Every November, people from all over the world participate in a challenge to write a novel in a month.  With the help of a website called NaNoWriMo.  This is my second year doing NaNo and it's been even more fun than the first year!  I've learned so much between this year and last.  My writing and character development has hopefully improved some and I'm praying that this year, I'll write something I can be proud of!

Percy Jackson

"My name is Percy Jackson.  I'm twelve years old.  Until a few months ago, I was a boarding school student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in Upstate New York.  Am I a troubled kid?  Yeah, you could say that."

One of my favorite book series of all time has an epic start.  The fact that Percy Jackson is a mysterious twelve year old definitely would capture someones attention...it completely captured mine.  When I started Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, I thought it was just going to be a book.  But then as I read, I realized it was so much more than that.  It was a world in my hands.  They say that a person who doesn't read only lives one life, while the person who does lives many.  That is a very true statement.  Even though I'm not Percy Jackson, I still felt like I was him while I read.  His special ability to control the sea is breathtaking (By the way, Percy is a son of the mythological sea god, Poseidon).  The way he bends the waves to his will and how he uses the power of the water to heal his wounds is a pretty amazing thing to read about.  I was amazed at how someone could take parts of history and make it interesting and fun to learn about.
The author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is named Rick Riordan and he is an amazing author, one of my favorites.  He writes in a capturing way that grabs your attention with the first words.  That's the kind of author I want to be.  Someone who creates a world of their own for other people to live in an enjoy.  I want to be able to have amazing things happen with one keystroke.  But then I think about it.  Am I meant to be an author?  Is God's plan for me to write novels to make people happy?  Or is his plan something completely different?  As I dream of being an author, I remind myself that He might have a whole different plan for me.  Maybe I'm not supposed to be like Rick Riordan or Christopher Paolini.  Maybe I'm not meant to write at all.  The thought of not writing makes my heart pound.  Writing is what I want to do, but I have to continue to trust God with everything, even my career and my dreams.  It's not easy, believe me.  I want to know what my future holds, I want to get my first novel published and make people smile.  But perhaps I'm supposed to make people smile in a different way and not through books and writing.  Yeah Percy is amazing and the world he lives in makes me want to yell and scream because of it's awesomeness.  But I'm not in that world.  I'm in this one, and I will trust God to use me however he wants in it to bring him glory and honor.  If it's through books, then I'll praise him.  If it's through something else, I'll praise him.  He has all things under control and I don't need to worry about anything.  It's a peaceful thought.  Really, it is.

Tornado and YOLO

"It has begun."
The famous line said by Theoden, King of Rohan, in Lord of the Rings is good for anything that you're afraid of facing, excited about, or that you just don't want to happen.  This time, I'm using this line because I'm excited.  My Uncle has been going to sales to find me and my sister each a steer (male cow that isn't a bull) for our county fair.  My brother already got his, Twister, who I already blogged about.  Well, my Uncle finally found one for us in Idaho!  They are both black and one has a stripe down his face (pictures coming soon...hopefully).  I don't know which one I'm getting yet, but luckily, they are both gentle, so I don't have to worry about being dragged all over the place by a thousand pound animal (it's happened before and believe me, it's not fun).  I'm almost positive I'm going to name mine Tornado, because this year my 4-H club, which only has five kids including me, are all going to try and name their steers after weather patterns.  So far we have, Twister, Thunder, Lightening, Tornado, and my sister had planned a name before we even decided to do this whole weather thing so she's naming hers YOLO (at least that's the plan so far)...You Only Live Once.  I'm so excited about meeting my Tornado!

You Are My Life

So one of my favorite songs right now is called You Are My Life and it's written by a good friend of ours.  Here's the video on YouTube.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Twister

My little brother is finally old enough to show a steer (male cow) at our county fair!!  The steer's name is Twister and he's beautiful and from what I've heard, extremely gentle!!  Here's a few pics of the new (temporary) addition to the family.

The Three Sister's Wilderness with a dash of Percy

So I went to go and see the new Percy Jackson movie last week.  I just have one word to describe it: INCREDIBLE!  I went and saw it twice in the same week I loved it so much!  I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but Tyson, is amazing!  I was on the edge of my seat the first time I saw it, and it was just as good the second time I went!  Sadly though, the whole Percy Jackson is fake:( I know, I just broke your heart (and mine)...sorry about that by the way.  But while I watched it for the first time, I sat there, mesmerized, by the awesomeness of the characters and the "quests" that they went on and how funny they were.  Yeah, pure entertainment.  As humans we are addicted to entertainment.  We have Facebook, instagram, Pinterest, the internet, Wi-Fi, iPhones, iPads, iPods, Google +, laptops, iHomes, TV, and the list could go on forever, but I'll stop there.  We don't really pay attention to the beauty that is around us anymore.  Well, me and my mom and dad and two younger siblings, went on a FIVE DAY (note the caps) backpacking trip with some friends of ours into the Three Sisters Wilderness.  We saw some amazing stuff.  We walked over lava fields, and obsidian fields, and swam in crystal clear mountain lakes, and watched the sunsets and the sunrises.  Yeah, it was pretty amazing.  And for all of those five days, we didn't have any devices that would provide entertainment.  And guess what?!  We got out alive!  Yeah, didn't know that was possible did ya (I didn't either until we actually did it!)?  Believe it or not, entertainment can be put down for awhile just to enjoy the beauty around you.  Yeah, yeah, I know you can look up mountain pictures on the internet, but it's not the same thing.  You can't smell the clean air, or hear the waterfalls and see them in motion.  You are looking at a still picture with no sound effects and no amazing smell.  So I guess the point is, to put down the entertainment for awhile just to see what God has created for you to enjoy.  Here's a few pictures (just to spark your interest...hopefully:) and let me tell you, it looks even more amazing in person, so put the laptop or phone or device down that you're reading this on (once you finish of course:) and go step outside and take a good book or something, and enjoy what God has provided.