Haven't Dropped Off The Face of The Earth Just Yet

 

So it's 1:31 AM and to be honest, no words are really coming to my brain this instant. Maybe that's because I need to be in bed, sleeping, like a sensible individual.

 

Bah. I've never been a sensible individual, have I? Maybe one day, something will change.

 

One day.

 

 I haven't blogged in eons it feels, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Like, on one hand I feel bad about it; as if I've neglected a nice little thing that some people may have enjoyed reading. On the other hand, I've reasoned, it's just a blog, and I have more important things to do with my time than blog.  

 

No disrespect to you readers, if any of you are still out there following this craziness. Kudos to you guys for your delightful amount of loyalty and patience. You probably have way more than I do.

 

My life has been, needless to say, nothing short of a rollercoaster, as of late. I mean, it was always a rollercoaster in different variations and flavors, but this year? Most rollercoaster-y of them all. Seriously, so many unanticipated events. So many changes. So many struggles. Regrets. Joys. Thrills. And an incredible amount of grace extended to me by my Heavenly Father.

• I met the most wonderful man in March. Then in June, he asked to court me. My parents said yes, I said yes, and here we are. Chris and I just had our six month 'anniversary', in fact! ^_^ He's a Godly spiritual leader, the spittin' image of a perfect gentleman, brilliantly intelligent, adorable, such a sweetheart and I just have to say, gosh, I love him. <3 (Okay okay, I'll stop being all mushy and gushy now.) Sometimes I still can't believe I actually have a boyfriend, because it happened so fast really. But I'm so thankful it did. I hope to spend the rest of my life with Chris.
• I began studying at the Ocala Piano Conservatory, and never have I been challenged so greatly in my musical life. So thankful for this opportunity, because it has pushed me so much and I know it is bringing me closer to my goal, which is mastery of the piano. Grateful for the financial support of my grandparents, because without their generosity I wouldn't be able to enroll at this prestigious institution.
• My piano teaching business took off! It's been awesome getting to teach as my main source of income.
• I graduated from high school!
• I completed my Creationist Worldview certificate program.
• I began studying with the International Sport Sciences Association for my fitness trainer certification.
• TROF got split in two. O_O Madness, madness. I won't recount the details now.
• I did things I've never done before, and I'm still struggling to overcome their consequences. Struggling to overcome my emotional hurricanes, and struggling to constantly put my priorities where they should be: on Christ first.

 

So, short little recap there of the most major things this year, which I can think of at the moment. At least, the major stuff I hadn't talked about before. Or maybe I had...whatever. Anyways. There have been lots of little adventures this year! Maybe at the end of the month I'll try and do a full recap on everything.

 

Right now, I must depart. My brain is stupid to ignore the signals from my body which are demanding me to get some sleep for once!

 

I just wanted to check in and say that no, I haven't died. I'm still out there.

 

Oh and the BBC Sherlock series. <3 Oh, and Firefly. <3

 

Oh, and Reign is the stupidest thing to come into existence since....the last big stupid thing that came into existence. Don't watch it, if you value historical accuracy and good storywriting. You won't find either.

 

'Kay, bye.

The Most Fabulous Store on Etsy - Mine!

 

 

"The most fabulous store on Etsy - mine."

 

So maybe that would be a bit narcissist, not to mention not entirely true - there are tons of way fabulous-er shops on Etsy. Like, stores full of awesome fandom geekery thingies. And hair swords. And ridiculously amazing medieval costumes. And Galadriel inspired perfume.

 

Yes, there is certainly all of that. And it's truly fabulous. (It also can be slightly addictive, scrolling the vast pages of Etsy...)

 

But that's beside the point here! See, as the title dictates, I'm now the proud owner of my own Etsy boutique, full of my own fabulous, original, quirky things.  Things you'll find nowhere else in the whole 'verse, because I made them!

 

Oh, and I'm currently having a shop-opening sale - buy two bracelets or earrings and get one free!

Now you're definitely obliged to go have a peek. I know you want to.

 

Here's the link. CLICK IT. -----> The Turquoise Tempest - My Official Etsy Store!

 

There will be a lot more stuff coming, trust me. I literally have a whole inventory of jewelry items, cards and poetry books just sitting here in my room waiting to be bought and enjoyed.

 

Anyway, hope you guys are faring marvelously! Have a blessed weekend!

 

Action Kids' Club Blog Tour!

 

(Hey people! Today I'm participating in a blog tour post from Lydia Howe, the author of this awesome new kids' book Action Kids' Club! Turning the microphone over to her now so make sure you keep reading!)

 

Today we’re at the forth blog tour stop, celebrating the release of the first book in the Action Kids  series, Action Kids' Club. . Read the post from yesterday at this blog. 

The answer to yesterday’s quote puzzle is: Failure is an event...it’s not a person. - Don Howe

Today I’m really excited to have an interview to share with y’all! Leah, who illustrated Action Kids' Club, will be answering some questions!

1. First off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Well, I'm 18, I live in the rural north Florida countryside, and I have four younger brothers. I love telling people about Christ, drinking hot tea of various sorts, and laughing, among many other things! If you really want to learn more about me you can check out my About page up there at the top of the blog. :)
2. How long have you been drawing?  Since I could first pick up a writing/drawing instrument. So basically, all of my life.
3. Tell us a little bit about your process? It depends on what I'm working on. If it's an illustration project like what I did with this book, I have to visualize the subject in my head first. Then, when I've come up with a satisfactory mental image, I start sketching casually with pencil. When I get a nice pencil draft done, I bring out the inks, which consist mostly of Prismacolor illustration pens. Then comes the coloring, which is probably the most enjoyable part. Afterwards I do mild touch-up work and scan the picture.
4. What is your favorite thing about being an artist? The freedom it gives me to express the ideas in my head. I have an excessive amount of creativity, and being an artist allows me to manifest that creativity in a physical form. It's very satisfying.
5. What inspires you to draw? Mostly just random people. Specifically, faces. Every face conveys so much uniqueness and beauty. God's incredible design never ceases to amaze me, and I love to study it through art, which helps me to understand it better. For example, sketches of the skeletal system help me in my comprehension of anatomy. Also, being a writer, I'm constantly in the mood to draw my characters which inspire my art projects significantly.
6. If you had one piece of advice for aspiring artists, what would it be? Practice, practice, practice! Every fellow artist I've known, when I asked them this question, said the same thing. Literally the best thing you can do to improve your skill is to actually do it. The more you draw, the more you will understand the craft and develop your own unique style.  

___

 

Here’s your quote puzzle for today. Figure it out and leave the answer in the comments section and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a great prize! And, check out my blog to find out about the $50 gift card I’m giving away!

 

Khuh lv d vlpsoh exw srzhuiro uxoh... Dozdbv jlyh shrosh pruh wkdq wkhb hashfw wr jhw. -Nelson Boswell

Make sure you check out this blog tomorrow for the answer to the quote puzzle and the next stop on the blog tour. Thanks for stopping by! 

 

Action Kids’ Club Back Cover Blurb: 

Twelve-year-old Olivia Hall’s dream of a friends' club ends when she finds out her family is moving. Her parents assure her it's a good thing, opening a new world of possibilities for the Halls. But going from ‘miss popular’ to ‘the new girl’ won’t be easy, and Olivia is not convinced.

Soon she begins to realize that although her life has suddenly changed, there's plenty of adventure to keep her on her toes. From making new friends at Forward Focus, to hanging out at the world-renowned Kids Zone, to meeting the curious head chef, she discovers that there's much more to life - and her new surroundings - than she ever imagined. How will she make the most of these new opportunities? Or will she let them slip away?

 

 

About the Author: 

Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something adventurous author who enjoys hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking road trips across Europe and cooking for large crowds. 

Lydia grew up in a barn and has always dreamed of living in a tipi. She is trained as a John Maxwell coach and her passions include self-development and Christian apologetics One of her life-long dreams was realized when her first book, “Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl”, was published by Answers in Genesis in 2013. Her second book, “Action Kids’ Club” was published in November of 2014. Find her online at her Blog, Facebook, Twitter,  Google+, Goodreads and Pinterest.

 

---

 

 

(Answer key to puzzle)

A B C D E F G H I  J   K L M N O P Q R  S T  U V W X Y Z 

D E F G H I  J  K L M N O P Q  R S T  U V W X Y Z  A B C

 



Self Destruct {a new story idea}

 

For centuries, it's been acknowledged that humanity is its own worst enemy.

Within each human mind is a constant struggle between voices of good and evil. Some people consider themselves to have split personalities. What if, in a certain dimension, this became more than just a mental battle? What if the voices had physical bodies just like us? What if your split personality had a body and its own free will?

In 17-year-old Lotus' world, not everyone has the ability to recognize that the greatest adversary lies within their own skins. Only a small remnant of the human race have obtained the power to see their alter-egos in action as they go about causing all sort of pandemonium. To those who haven't been burdened with this ability, this skill is seen as a curse, a mental disease. But to those who are able to see the Speculum Carnis (Latin for "mirror self"), or Specks, it's no joke. Specks are dark, dangerous creatures which possess no mercy or justice. As the complete opposite of good, they are responsible for everything evil in the world. Lotus is one of the few who can see the Specks, and it haunts her daily. According to the tradition of the Speck viewers, when she encounters her own mirror-self she must destroy it, or it will destroy her. The only problem is, Lotus kind of likes her Speck. Sometimes she hears her Speck's voice echoing in her mind. It's weird, but the two share a bond which Lotus can't figure out. It isn't normal to bond with one's hated mirror-image. But how can Lotus kill a part of herself?

 

***

 

This, my dears, is the beginnings of a fabulously random novel idea which came to me around 2AM (don't ask why 2AM) the other morning whilst I was listening to thissssss. *points below*

 

Chase The Light | Two Steps from Hell

 

I demand that you listen to it. You absolutely must. Seriously, just listen okay? And ideally, you listen while reading that synopsis up there, just so's you get a small picture of what my inspiration was while writing it.

 

This stuff is just freaking. uber. amazing.

 

Of course, whenever is TSFH not??!?!

 

Anywaysss yeah.

 

So my imagination was soaring, searching for a way to manifest something epic to correspond with this music. I don't know about y'all but when I listen to epic orchestral music it makes me want to go do big, epic things. Like, transport myself into one of my book worlds, fly one of my griffins, and overthrow all the other-dimension evil dictators. That, or run a marathon. Or save somebody's life. Or something.  

After listening to it on repeat several dozen times, Self Destruct popped into my head out of thin air. (The title itself actually came the next day.)  Like, literally, my mind was a messy soup of discombobulating thought processes one moment, and the next minute, voila, look what we have here....

 

Music is so powerful. Who needs drugs and junk like that when you have brilliant music to listen to?

"My death is inevitable. At the end of the day, there's just one thing I can count on.

I will die, sooner or later. In some way, part of me will be gone. The question is not if I survive - but which side of me will remain? What if that creature out there - my mirror self who I've shared so many memories with - overtakes me? What if she wins? What would the world be like without the good version of me?"

 

// random snippet I threw together for a GTW Facebook post //

 

"Dare I admit she's as evil as they say? Dare I admit that this horrific monster is actually a part of me?"

 

***

 

Like a lot of other poor writerly souls, I have a, shall we say, 'slight' Pinterest addiction and a thing for making boards for all my current books/story ideas.

 

Therefore, I instantly whipped up a nifty little board for Self Destruct. More pins to come. (That's a fact Jack!)

 

Follow Leah Kathryn's board Self Destruct on Pinterest.

 

What do you peeps think? Is this a weird idea or does it actually have potential to be something epic? I'm not sure myself at this time, but I must admit I'm pretty darn excited to see what happens with it. There are soooo many different Biblical analogies I'm eager to employ. Oh yes, and did I mention crazy plot twists and surprise endings? Hehe. Of course. I thrive on those.  

 

Before I depart, I wanted to share another song I found that is also super chill. It reminds me of the whole dreams-based premise of If Dante Had Wings. (another book-in-the-making of mine, in case you didn't know) Anything that reminds me of one of my novel projects instantly makes me happy. ^_^ So, give it a listen. You're welcome, in advance.

 

 

Days Turn Into Nights | Delerium (Seven Lions Remix)

 

***

 Hope y'all are having a very blessed week! Take time to enjoy the little things in every day, and always bloom where you're planted! ♪

 

I Used To Be Indecisive But Now I'm Not Sure

 

Did you get that title? Yes? Hehe, good.

 So often in life it feels like indecisiveness is viewed as a bad thing. If you can't make up your mind, you feel like you're at a disadvantage and you're behind. Out of the loop. Not with it.

Bleh. So many negative connotations to the word indecision.

Yes, there may be a valid reason for that. For example: If you can't make up your mind about salvation, that's dangerous. Terribly dangerous, in fact. See, if you never make up your mind, you'll end up burning for all eternity. If that's not a scary thought, I don't know what is. So yeah. Definitely DON'T be indecisive there.

On a lighter note, I hate not knowing what I want, or what I'm supposed to be doing. I hate not being in the loop with what's going on. I hate not being able to pick whether I want pizza or vegan enchiladas while visiting a particular someone and his family. (Heck yes that's a hard choice! On one hand pizza is pizza and therefore pizza is just....*happy sigh* well, perfect, really; but on the other hand vegan enchiladas are healthy and healthy is good and I'm supposed to be promoting healthy things as a naturopath and...and...just bah humbug. Too many choices, I tell you.)

I don't like not being able to make up my mind. I don't like not knowing what to think or do. It drives me mad, actually. Wait, scratch that. Let's rephrase that. It drives me madder.

In the area of romantic relationships and emotional wellbeing, it's torturous. I'm a healthy human eighteen-year-old girl with healthy human eighteen-year-old hormones, after all. What can you expect?
I won't lie. Many moments have been spent praying over how to know what God's will is for me relating to love and marriage. I desperately want to know how I should react to things that have come up. I desperately wish I could figure out my feelings. I don't like being in the dark about my own state of emotional welfare. It's really annoying. I mean, sometimes it feels like I know other people better than I know my own self.

But in this desperation, it's easy to fall into certain traps. Snares like impatience, for example. This is dangerous, because when you are so wrapped up in trying to get an answer from yourself or God, you can end up doing dumb things you regret later.

Okay, so cutting through all the rambling. What am I trying to convey again? I guess what I'm getting at here is that when it comes to falling in love, it's not something that has to happen just all at once and in bright flashing letters. It's fine to be confused about your feelings toward the person you're getting to know. In that first year of the relationship, when you're still in the 'mostly friendship' stage, you don't have to slap a label on your feelings instantly.

"Is this the one? Or is it somebody else?"

"Do I love him(her), or do I not?"

These aren't questions that need immediate answering. Give it time, and continue to seek the guidance of the Lord, as well as the counsel of those wiser than you. Basically, just chill. Don't stress over the unanswered questions. Time will tell. Save yourself a lot of mental gymnastics and leave it in Christ's hands where it belongs.

Sometimes it's okay to be undecided. And sometimes, it's wisest to be undecided.

 

1 Chronicles 16:11.

 

 

 

I leave y'all with an adorable jumping spider who knows how to dress classy. Because, jumping spiders are underappreciated. That is all.

To Keep You Off My Mind

 

 

// A Tribute to Nathan Laredo & Sophrona Nassau, the dearly-spellcheck-dubbed "Firestone Couple"  //

 

When it was just me, life was awful.

The moment you came along, life turned amazing.

Now that you're gone, there's no life at all.

 

***

 

I've been so conflicted about The Rebels of Florida lately. Actually. To be completely honest, it hasn't been on my mind very much at all, period. Which is really sad just in itself. *sniff*

But time has been lacking. What time I have has been put to use in finishing my studies for the ICR courses, when on the computer, anyhow. And then I have the Conservatory, and piano students. And I try to keep in shape. Then of course, you have chores and meal-prep, and calls with my 'foil'. *youknowwhoyouare/insertrandomnoncreepywink* So yeah. Doesn't leave much time for writing.

 

And then there's lack of motivation. See, I have a decent query letter written up, thank to the help of some brilliant writerly friends, but now I have the darn synopsis to contend with. 

 

 Just why on earth did I ever have to decide on writing a book that had five MCs in it?!

 

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

 

You know why?

 

Because I was twelv years old when this thing got started. That's why.

 

Twelve-year-olds do weird things. Eighteen-year-olds do weird things too, but I like to think I've gotten at least a little more logical since then. And if not more logical, at least....well, I like to think I have a decent head on my shoulders - when that head isn't controlled by a body full of raging hormones.

 

So now I'm stuck with a melodramatic child/book that's just about as dear to me as an appendage.

An appendage that's mine, anyways. Not just any random, disconnected appendage. That would be weird.

 

*cough*

 

So yeah. This melodramatic book I called my baby.

 

 TROF.

 

It kills me, but I love it to death. It's destroyed my already instable emotional wellbeing, and yet I've devoted so much of my life to its eventual success.

 

What would I do without it? Who knows. Maybe I'd have mastered the piano by now. Perhaps I'd have written a whole other series because I didn't have to focus on rewriting so much, and historical accuracy issues. 

But maybe a big piece of me would also be gone. Maybe my ability to express my feelings toward life would be hindered. Maybe a section of my heart would be missing.

 

I don't want to know. I love this thing too much to let it go.

 

Must. Write. Synopsis. Must. Write. Synopsis. And. It. Can't. Be. Lame.

 

A book six years in the making cannot have a lame synopsis, whatsoever. It just can't.

 

 

Oh yeah. And then when I was driving home today from Conservatory, I turned on the radio and heard one of the saddest, most tragic songs ever.

 

// Stay High (Habits) by Tove Lo //

 

"gotta stay high all the time to keep you off my mind."

 

It's like the epitome of human nature, conveyed in three minutes and twenty-nine seconds. Humanity is constantly searching for a healing balm for our souls. We all want someone to cherish and love us. We want to cherish and love back. And we will do whatever it takes to find some form of this. The thing is, we settle for cheap, plastic forms of 'love' which don't count. We settle for momentary pleasure over life-long commitment because we don't trust in God's planning, or we aren't interested to know what that planning even is. We settle for momentary pain-killers that don't really kill the pain. We're just so desperate for something.

 

This song conveys that well. Drown out everything, do whatever it takes to forget. Even if it means sleeping with a different guy every night, and drinking all your money away. Just do what it takes.

 

So yeah. From a spiritual aspect, this song stinks. And it might get you in a downer kind of mood.

 

 

At the same time, you know what ran across my head when I listened to the chorus a few times?

 

"Oh my stars. This is so Nathan."

 

And then I was reminded of those final chapters. Those chapters I wrote last year, right around this time, in fact. Funny how times passes and you forget things like that.

As I listened, I pictured the opening of Frayed Horizons. (TROF'S sequel) I look at Nathan's jaded brown eyes and see the wrinkles permanently etched in his forehead. His mouth is carved into a straight line, he stares straight ahead at nothing; his visage transparent to the deadness inside him. Nothing numbs the pain. Soon, there's no pain to numb. You can't numb something that has no feeling.

 

When seen in this light, suddenly this song became 10x sadder. Before I knew it, I had tears forming in my eyes. Amazing how quickly emotion can be evoked over one simple song and its potential connotations. Gahhhhhhhh. Haaaaalp meeeeeh. WID (writing induced depression) is on the verge of returning.

 

When it was just me, life was awful.

The moment you came along, life turned amazing.

Now that you're gone, there's no life at all.

 

Nathan, I'm truly sorry. I am. I promise. I'm not lying. It....may be hard to believe, but I hate what happened to you. I truly do. Okay, so you don't have to believe me. Whatever. But at least you heard it from my own lips.

 

Just trust me on this one. It will get better. I promise.

 

(Yeah, I think it's generally against wisdom to write random unsolicited blog posts at 2:00 in the morning.)

 

EnlightenedStateApparel Burnout Tanks {review + GIVEAWAY!}

 

Do you love to work out? (I know some of you may be laughing at that question, like, how on earth can somebody /love/ working out... well, hey, before you start rolling your eyes, take my word for it: it's totally possible!) Looking for lightweight, comfortable clothes to wear during your training sessions? Tired of looking bleh while you work up a sweat?

 

Okay, so whether you love working out or not, Enlightened State Apparel is an awesome Etsy shop. Not to mention, it will totally give what you're looking for if you answered yes to the above questions.  

 

Basically, ESA is a line of fun, sporty racer back tanks that are both lightweight and cute. They come in bright, pop-y colors that make you think energetic thoughts just looking at them. Oh, and they have motivational saying on the front. Nice, right?

 

 I was sent the Train the Same or Remain the Same Tank. Love that saying! And I really liked the color combo. Sadly, my pictures don't really capture the blue very well. Blegh. I apologize for the picture quality in general because it is so evidently lousyyy. Fact is, I've been ridiculously busy as of late and haven't had the time for writing up product reviews even though I'm very behind on them. But, please, don't mind my excuses.

 

 I ordered a bit bigger than necessary, anticipating something more form-fitting, which it wasn't. (If you buy something, just make sure you order your natural size, don't go a size higher in fear of it being too tight.) So it hangs a bit lower on my chest than I'd like, and is pretty baggy everywhere else. I can live with that though. It's not like it's something I'm going to wear to the conservatory or when teaching. It's a work-out shirt, and supposed to be comfortable for that reason. (The one condition here being that you can't really wear a regular bra with it and have it still be 'modest'. Time to whip out that sports bra!)

 

Well it definitely is comfortable!

Overall, I like this shirt, and in the Florida summer months it's truly perfect for a good long run in the sun.

Now for the exciting part.......what do we have next? You guessed it - a giveaway! That's right, it's no illusion!
 You can enter to win your very own ESA tank! You even get to pick which tank!

How nifty is that!? If I were you peeps, I'd be putting in as many entries as I could right now. So get hopping!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway