nature

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Some autumnal/winter shots I took 'last year' on my Nikon D3100, kit lens

the Hobbit

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Yesterday I went to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected journey for the third time in theater. (Which is a first. I don't know if I've seen any other movie even just two times in theater before.) I started knitting a hat during the trailers and was about half-way through by the end of the movie (and that's mostly by feel, not by sight). My mom and sister, Emily, were with me --- I think we all agreed that The Hobbit gets better every time. (They were seeing it for only their second time because we all went to the midnight showing, and I went again the next day with a group of friends from church.) But seriously; I've started being able to quote it, memorized the dwarves' names (and faces!), and am determined to read The Hobbit again before the next two parts are released.

Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins, an actor whom I was first introduced to watching Wild Target, a comedy starring Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, and Rupert Grint; then one night my sisters and I began watching the BBC television series Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch (who actually plays the dragon Smaug and the Necromancer in The Hobbit). It was shortly after that when we learned Martin Freeman was going to play the part of Bilbo, so naturally we were... well, ecstatic, really. He portrays Bilbo perfectly. He's the number one thing I like about The Hobbit, but believe me, not the only thing --- I like every detail. ;)

 

It's fascinating to look at the behind-the-scenes videos (such as the one above) which explain a good chunk of the work that goes into the making of The Hobbit. It really does take so much to make a movie worth watching, and I believe Peter Jackson and his capable crew did a fabulous job! I've heard people complain about The Hobbit 'not being as good as Lord of the Rings' or 'too silly' and suchlike. Well, truth is, The Hobbit is NOT as serious at the Lord of the Rings. I've heard that J.R.R. Tolkien actually wrote it to be a children's book. And The Lord of the Rings trilogy is frankly pretty dark. I appreciated the humor of The Hobbit because the end of the "LotR" (Lord of the Rings) trilogy when Frodo sails away just breaks my heart. I needed a little cheering-up, and An Unexpected Journey did just that for me.

And I know a lot of people thought it was a little stretched out, but seriously: what true fan can complain about having three whole movies made about a favorite novel, especially if they star Martin Freeman? There were actually aspects of the book I didn't fully understand, and other parts I couldn't really picture in my own imagination. An Unexpected Journey answered a lot of questions I had. And how often do we have the chance to see a fantastic book like this from another person's perspective, anyway? I can't help thinking that if J.R.R. Tolkien could see his books from Peter Jackson's perspective, he would be very well-pleased.

For those of you who loved The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey even half as much as I did (which is still saying a lot!), don't worry; The Desolation of Smaug comes out on December 13th of this year, and There and Back Again, on July 18th of 2014 (and that's only about half a year after part two!) We don't have that much of a wait ahead of us. And I plan on watching An Unexpected Journey several mores times when it finally comes out on DVD.

For those of you who didn't really like the movie all that much, think about the reasons for that. We geeks will allow you to be more interested in other movies --- everyone has their own tastes and is entitled to their own opinion --- but if your only excuse for disliking The Hobbit is because they're splitting it into three parts, just know that The Lord of the Rings was originally one book as well, but was separated into three parts because of its length! Length is a problem for you? *Chuckling ensues* Well, my friend, because I'm a true geek at heart, I'm hoping for more extended versions --- love those --- to put up on the shelf, next to The Avengers, Doctor Who, Merlin, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Star Trek, and every other 'geeky' movie or TV series I have on my rather extensive wishlist. Length is good.

Lastly, I want to ask everyone to do one thing concerning movies based on books; to give the movie an honest chance. Allow yourself to not be prejudiced, but see its quality in and of itself, even if you still like the book more. You really are seeing the book from someone else's perspective, seeing their very imagination, which is FASCINATING! Allow yourself to look over any quirks you don't care for and simply enjoy the movie. And please don't make judgments until you've seen a bit of all the work everyone put in to making that movie. (Particularly The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.) Could YOU have done a better job? Let's give Peter Jackson some major kudos for bringing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to life!

toothless ... part two

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Thank you to anyone who prayed for me during my wisdom tooth removal yesterday. If I could have had it go any way, I would have chosen just exactly what happened! I don't remember the surgery at all, just talking to the surgeons a little bit, then waking up in a cot with my mom next to me, and a nurse nearby. I tried to talk right away, which was really difficult because of numbing as well as the gauze in the back of my mouth --- that part made me tear-up in frustration --- but it wasn't more than a few minutes later before I was communicating all right. I started cracking jokes, which was my plan all along. I was perfectly content, and don't recall any pain at all. Actually, even when they had put the IV in for anesthesia (an experience I've heard an awful lot of unpleasant stories about), it wasn't that bad, not nearly as much as I expected. 

    It made me feel more confident.

Being wheeled out to the car was an interesting experience; it was weird to not be able to stand on my own two feet. My mom had the car pulled-up to the door, and she and the nurse helped carry me in. After that, I started to relax and almost fell asleep. Emily had been finishing babysitting for me, so we picked her up when we left the hospital, and then we stopped to pick up my prescribed pain-killers, then came home.

Em and mom helped support me up the stairs (we have a split-entry), and then into bed. Boy, it felt good to be drowsy and just rest! I still didn't feel any pain. Emily read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets aloud until I fell asleep, and then later, she and Lilly were baking cookies around the time I woke up. I watched Once Upon a Time (my favorite TV show), and then Em and I watched some I Love Lucy and then X-Men United (the second one), but I don't think we finished it.

The lower left side of my face hurts when I touch it, which I believe is because that was the only wisdom tooth that hadn't started coming out, yet. So far, that's pretty much the only pain I've had, but for a little bit of soreness. And right now, I'm wide-awake, jolly, and even energetic. I went downstairs without trouble, have been getting all of my own food for myself. I'm not having any trouble with dizziness or weakness --- the truth is, I feel great!

Oh, and I actually did have one of my sisters' delicious cookies last night. They were freshly-baked, and therefore warm and soft. I nibbled off little pieces and rubbed them between my tongue and the roof of my mouth. Other than that, (and a half spoonful of cookie dough) I've stuck to completely soft foods like pudding and yogurt and a little ice cream, which are things I love to snack on any day. Despite all of the horror stories I've heard and the expectations of something going wrong, God and my family have been taking excellent care of me --- I'm wanting for nothing. And the oral surgeon said my swelling will be at it's peak tomorrow. Believe it or not, looking like a chipmunk is what I've been looking forward to the most! ;)

When the nurse settled me into the wheelchair right after I woke up from my surgery, I just wanted to sing praise to God! My heart was bursting with happiness and gratitude because of how well things went, and I'm still praising Him in my heart.

My mom is going to go see my grandparents tonight, and if I'm up to it, she might take me along! I'm excited; I haven't seen them since the beginning of the week, and I want to see how they're doing, and share my praise to God with them!

At this rate, I'll be feeling just great for church on Sunday, which is really good, because I'm helping set-up and training for the laptop slides!

Thank You, Lord, for making this such an easy, painless experience! All praise and glory be to You, for all that You are, and all that You have done!

               Amen.

toothless

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I finally am getting my wisdom teeth out! Tomorrow morning, my little sister, Emily, will be taking over for my babysitting job so that I can head over to have my surgery. The nearer I come to the moment, the more often I think about it. The nervousness hasn't really started yet, but I expect once the people there inject me with that temporary sleeping potion, 'nervous' will come upon me, full-blown.

I'm kind of looking forward to having them out, but not very much to the days of healing. I expect to sleep all day Friday (fortunately, a day completely off!), and rest as much as I can in the days to follow. I'm going to try to not overeat --- boy, will chocolate be tempting! I'm such a sweet-tooth, but I'll try to have soup broth and other things besides ice cream and yogurt (sugar, ya' know).

I'll try to let you know how it goes. If you think of it, please pray for me!

God bless,

portmanteau

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I just learned an interesting list of facts on the internet dictionary concerning 'portmanteaus' --- a word I never recall having heard before! (Love it when that happens....) Apparently, a portmanteau is basically a word made up of a combination of words. Like this:

This portmanteau abbreviation of "web log"--(we)blog--is simultaneously a verb, a noun, and a sphere: one "blogs" when writing their "blog" which is displayed in the "blogosphere." The noun form of blog is a website that functions as an online journal in which an author can display their personal opinions, experiences and insights. One "blogs" in the verb form when they add to this journal using online posts.

Maybe this isn't news to you, but what about this:

It would be a terrible shame if portmanteau were not itself a portmanteau. The word originally referred to a large traveling case made of stiff leather, derived from a combination of the French porter, meaning "to carry," and manteau, meaning "mantle" or "cloak." The word's literary significance is the work of the great neologist himself, Lewis Carroll. In Through the Looking-Glass, Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice that the strange compound words she hears in Wonderland are "like a portmanteau--there are two meanings packed up into one word."

So, I learned something totally new today! How about you? ;)

writer's block

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Every writer experiences it once in a while, but it's different now. I always have plenty to say, so much to tell, to talk about, but here on my blog, I have such high expectations for myself, and I expect others to have the same high expectations.

I'm terrified of being boring, of no one wanting to know what I think or have to say. I'm afraid of being... monotonous. And dull. I'm not one of those confident bloggers with over a hundred steady followers. I don't write anything witty or of importance. My true skill set doesn't lie so much with talking to people; I can invent conversations for my stories, I can even have dandy little conversations with myself, but not with others; I get clammed-up and run clean out of words. Know how that feels? I feel like I need to scramble for a subject, for something I think somebody out there in cyber space might be interested in. Sometimes I feel like I'll never have any booming popularity unless and until I either get a boyfriend or meet some famous person. ;)

I know what I have to start asking myself is what I really want to accomplish from this blog, especially for this next year. When I first started this blog, I think that I just wanted to 'lubricate' my mind for novel writing. Maybe I'll leave it at that. At the moment, I'm not really sure if I want more than that. What do people normally want from their blogs?

I'll guess we'll all just have to wait and see what happens... even me.

...apologies...

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I'm sorry I haven't been writing very often lately. I would probably post photos as often as ever, but I guess there's a limit to how many photos I can have on here for free, and since I have no idea how to work any internet payments for more space or suchlike, and I don't have as many words to write as I do photos to share, I suppose I've just kind of slowed down for a while. I have a post scheduled for tomorrow morning to explain a little more about what I've been thinking about my blog and writing in general. But it's late, and I have things to do in the morning.

I want to take the opportunity to wish you all a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! God bless you all....

deeds of might

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Charles H. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotional:

November 26th, Morning

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."  

Ecclesiastes 9:10

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,” refers to works that are possible. There are many things which our heart findeth to do which we never shall do. It is well it is in our heart; but if we would be eminently useful, we must not be content with forming schemes in our heart, and talking of them; we must practically carry out “whatsoever our hand findeth to do.” One good deed is more worth than a thousand brilliant theories. Let us not wait for large opportunities, or for a different kind of work, but do just the things we “find to do” day by day. We have no other time in which to live. The past is gone; the future has not arrived; we never shall have any time but time present. Then do not wait until your experience has ripened into maturity before you attempt to serve God. Endeavour now to bring forth fruit. Serve God now, but be careful as to the way in which you perform what you find to do—“do it with thy might.” Do it promptly; do not fritter away your life in thinking of what you intend to do to-morrow as if that could recompense for the idleness of today. No man ever served God by doing things to-morrow. If we honour Christ and are blessed, it is by the things which we do today. Whatever you do for Christ throw your whole soul into it. Do not give Christ a little slurred labour, done as a matter of course now and then; but when you do serve him, do it with heart, and soul, and strength.

But where is the might of a Christian? It is not in himself, for he is perfect weakness. His might lieth in the Lord of Hosts. Then let us seek his help; let us proceed with prayer and faith, and when we have done what our “hand findeth to do,” let us wait upon the Lord for his blessing. What we do thus will be well done, and will not fail in its effect.

steps to holiness

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"If I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again and receive you to Myself,

that where I am,

there you may be also."

-John 14:3

Learning to wait patiently for Your return, O Lord, I read Your Word, participate in Your church, fellowship with Your adopted children, and kneel daily in Your gift of prayer.

Grow me, change me into Your likeness, do not let me grow weary because of opposition, or discouraged because of the slowness of my run toward holiness.

Uphold me, comfort me in the power Your Spirit, empower me to sacrifice the desires of my sinful flesh, renew my mind in the perfection of Your wisdom.

Teach me to put to death my selfishness, my pride; and help me not to punish myself for my sins any longer, for Your Son has long ago been punished enough for the sins of all Your people, past, present, and future.

Praise be to God Almighty forever and ever!

election

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I always want to trust God's will, no matter what happens, or how awful things appear. But that doesn't mean it doesn't sting a little when hopes are dashed and prayers are answered with 'no'.

It saddens me to see the statistics; I'm beginning to realize that everything I've been fighting for was almost wasted effort.

Truly, I can hardly wait until the elections are all over. My one comfort is knowing that God's plans can never be thwarted; He knows best, and the best will come.

After all, it's darkest before the dawn.

November Anew

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The November sun has been hugging the south wall of the world here in Minnesota, shining brightly as if to encourage dreams and the little hopes of pleasures associated with this beautiful season. I can almost smell the pumpkin pie from here in the future; that spiced delight wafting around the house, fresh from the oven; turkey drizzled with gravy, mashed red or sweet potatoes, green beans, and a dish overflowing with steaming corn... And it isn't just the food --- it's everything. November reminds me to be thankful for everything.

    Last year I wrote about 25 or so posts on things I was thankful for. I don't want to be so formatted this time; I want to just write about the beautiful gifts God sends one at a time without planning it all out.

    Right now, one of the things I'm most thankful for is health. Last week, my whole family was exposed to a pretty bad case of the stomach flu. My niece, brother and sister-in-law caught it first, and I from them since I've been babysitting for my niece routinely for the past several months. The night after they were sick, I was sick; and the night after that, my sisters were sick; and the night after that, my mom took her turn. And then two nights later, my dad started to feel ill --- even my grandparents have caught the bug! I know it's a bad one because my dad almost NEVER gets sick, and the flu we catch almost NEVER spreads like this --- it's been like wildfire!

    I'm grateful to have my food stay in my stomach!

There's no better way to start off one of the best months of the whole year with a midnight showing of a movie, especially one that has been looked forward to for seemingly countless weeks! Lilly and I went with a few friends to see Wreck-it-Ralph last night. (I posted about my excitement for this Disney-Pixar animation last month, going on and on about how cool it looked and how happy I was that Owl City wrote a song for it.) I walked into the theater already knowing from trailers, photos, suchlike and so on that it was going to be spectacular! And well, to put it plainly, it more than exceeded my expectations!
As far as animations go, I can almost always tell how much I'm going to enjoy them. Wreck-it-Ralph was no exception. Lilly obliged my wishes by taking photos of me on her phone, standing next to all the posters I liked in the theater (this was during the last 45 minutes before the movie started). Beside the large Wreck-it-Ralph poster, I squatted down right next to Fix-it-Felix Jr. --- I had begun to have an inkling that I was going to really, really like him a lot, and he turned out (not at all to my surprise) to be my favorite character! With his gentlemanly "ma'am", his "oh my lands!", the sound it makes when he bounces around, his willingness to risk his life to do what is right, and by-gosh, that cute little smile! I just love him.
    It's really so hard for me to not share spoilers with all of you about the storyline; I was glued to my chair the whole time. I guess I can at least share that I practically laughed my head off, and even started to cry at one point. And honestly, I should have seen the ending coming, but it completely took me by surprise, in the pleasantest way. I just love it when movies do that! Now, I just have to wait until it's officially released so that I can buy it, smuggle it into the DVD player, and wow the rest of my family unfortunate enough to have been sleeping by midnight last night and have $7.50 still tucked into their wallets.
    Someone please say I'm not the only one who is ridiculously excited about this movie!

And now, I'm sitting here at the computer, Bible before me (turned to John 8; great chapter from Christ's ministry), Owl City's 'When Can I See You Again' from Wreck-it-Ralph playing on YouTube (multiple times; I've seriously listened to it at least 15-20 or more times since I woke up this morning), and Merlin cued-up on Netflix. (Oh boy, Merlin is a whole story of its own! I'll be writing about that sometime soon, too, I'm sure.)

 

Well, November... you and I are off to a great start. ♥

gaining wisdom

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My younger niece and both of my nephews have new teeth coming in. During this process, as is expected, they tend to be a little grumpier because of the pain, and their sleeping patterns often change slightly. And I know just what they're experiencing.

My wisdom teeth are coming in. It's not so bad in and of itself, but they aren't straight. While I was at the dentist having my cavities taken care of, they took an x-ray of my whole mouth, which showed that my wisdom teeth are actually curved.
    On the upper-right quarter of my mouth, that far-back tooth has almost completely 'erupted'. It's a little pointy on one side, and is digging just a little into my cheek. I've been stuffing facial tissues back there to give my mouth a rest, and finally the skin in that area is toughening against the attack. The first few days, I didn't think I would survive the pain. Really, it was awful; it gave me headaches, and I could barely open my mouth or chew any food. It's such a relief to be past that stage of the game!

When I finally do have my wisdom teeth removed, we're hoping that they will all have come out enough that the bill will not be quite as... well, substantial. What I'm hoping personally is that I've gained some actual wisdom out of the deal.

I'm gonna' wreck it!

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I suppose every now and then, everyone has a movie or two they are REALLY looking forward to seeing in theaters. I have a gathering number of them, myself. I'm sure just about everyone has to be excited about the Hobbit, but I have an increasing interest in a film of a completely different variety.

Wreck-It-Ralph is due to come out November 2nd. It's an animation by Disney about an arcade game charaterI've seen two trailers (one of them multiple times), and the more I watch it, the more I anticipate its release.

You can image how excited I was when I logged on to Facebook and saw that Owl City had posted a photo of the movie, along with the link to the song he made for the Wreck-It-Ralph soundtrack! To put it softly, I was ecstatic. I literally had to tell myself, "Calm down, Katherine... Breathe..." and try to regain some (very little) composure.

Nothing I can say can truly spark an interest in you, so I give you the link --- then you can watch the trailer yourself and see why I want November to come quickly!

Wreck-It-Ralph, IMDb

accepted

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Charles H. Spurgeon

Morning by Morning devotional

September 23

“Accepted in the beloved.” 

Ephesians 1:6

What a state of privilege! It includes our justification before God, but the term “acceptance” in the Greek means more than that. It signifies that we are the objects of divine complacence, nay, even of divine delight. How marvellous that we, worms, mortals, sinners, should be the objects of divine love! But it is only “in the beloved.” Some Christians seem to be accepted in their own experience, at least, that is their apprehension. When their spirit is lively, and their hopes bright, they think God accepts them, for they feel so high, so heavenly-minded, so drawn above the earth! But when their souls cleave to the dust, they are the victims of the fear that they are no longer accepted. If they could but see that all their high joys do not exalt them, and all their low despondencies do not really depress them in their Father’s sight, but that they stand accepted in One who never alters, in One who is always the beloved of God, always perfect, always without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, how much happier they would be, and how much more they would honour the Saviour! Rejoice then, believer, in this: thou art accepted “in the beloved.” Thou lookest within, and thou sayest, “There is nothing acceptable here!” But look at Christ, and see if there is not everything acceptable there. Thy sins trouble thee; but God has cast thy sins behind his back, and thou art accepted in the Righteous One. Thou hast to fight with corruption, and to wrestle with temptation, but thou art already accepted in him who has overcome the powers of evil. The devil tempts thee; be of good cheer, he cannot destroy thee, for thou art accepted in him who has broken Satan’s head. Know by full assurance thy glorious standing. Even glorified souls are not more accepted than thou art. They are only accepted in heaven “in the beloved,” and thou art even now accepted in Christ after the same manner.

autumn

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I'm beginning to feel it... to smell it... hear it... see it...

It's almost autumn, and what I believe to be the most desperately beautiful time of all year! Those fiery trees, the chilled earthen breezes, climbing up some large oak of sorts and enjoying the lack of bugs, and magical sunsets which take my breath away --- each of these things define autumn for me.

I'm already bundling up against the cold, crisp air. I'm looking forward to fresh apples from the orchard (a family tradition), a walk around the lake, and visits to the country where colors thrive.

It will be hot chocolate season again, which I have been craving ever since early summer, when my mom bought me those tantalizing boxes of white chocolate mixes. I've been drinking a  lot of tea, too, because I have a cold --- a mug of any hot drink feels great in one's hands!

I never feel more inspired to write than when the seasons change (especially around autumn). The world seems to be bursting with the desire to reveal wonderful secrets about its design and Designer --- and yet it is silent, as if asking me to fill in the blanks of the words it cannot speak on its own.
    And my stories are easier to sketch-out when autumn begins to appear. Everything just feels magical. I almost can't help myself from writing --- yeah, I crave it, like any true writer does. *wink!*

rejoice ... rejoice

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"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this,

that the spirits are subject to you,

but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

~ Luke 10:20 ~

Jesus was sending out 'the seventy' to preach ahead of Him in Judea. When they returned, they were joyfully saying that even the demons were subject to them in His name. In the next verse, Jesus says that He saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. John MacArthur says about that statement (which is in Luke 10:18),

In this context, it appears Jesus' meaning was, "Don't be so surprised that the demons are subject to you; I saw their commander cast out of heaven, so it is no wonder if his minions are cast out on earth. After all, I am the source of the authority that makes them subject to you" ... He may also have intended a subtle reminder and warning against pride --- the reason for Satan's fall....

Interesting. Very interesting....

I thought that Luke 10:20 is a good reminder for us to this very day. It's easy to forget our spiritual freedom, especially if you're like me, a third-generation Christian (grandparents, and parents also Christians before you). It is better to rejoice that oneself has been saved at all, then to lose track and rejoice instead in merely the benefits of Salvation.

It's amazing what God will reveal in His Word! ♥

morning star

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For my graduation, a handful of friends gave me various books, mostly devotionals (which I love! Thank you, everyone!) One of these is 'Wonderful Names of Our Wonderful Lord' by Charles Hurlburt & T.C. Horton
    One is supposed to read a single page every day for a complete year (well, three-hundred and sixty-five days).

Anyway, one of the devotions (Day 8) was so beautiful, I just have to share it with you all!

A Star

I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him,

but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob.

Numbers 24:17

What could be more beautiful or more fitting than God calling our Lord "a star"? Those who know Him best may say, "One day I will see him, but not now. I will behold him, but not from here." Far beyond our world of trouble and care and change, He shines with undimmed light, a radiant, guiding Star to all who will follow Him --- a morning Star, promise of a better day.

I at first thought it best to let the words speak for themselves, but I want to tell you what I gathered from this special devotional: Firstly, it is such a treasured thought among genuine Christians, that is the knowledge that one day we shall finally see our Savior and Lord! And not just for a moment (although that would be more than enough to suffice for all of the troubles on earth), but for the rest of eternity. Blessed thought indeed!

    And what good thinking was another word placed along with 'trouble' and 'care' --- the important word 'change'. God is righteous, holy holy holy, and unchangeable. This world is ever-changing, ever-worsening, ever-darkening, so that Christ shines still brighter daily through this darkness.

Beautiful words, and how true that we can scarcely wait to meet our Lord at long last, our Morning Star!

summer job

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Watering at a cemetery.

Doesn't sound like the pleasantest activity, does it? Well, it's not so bad if the weather is alright. It has been a tough summer, though; my mom and younger sister, Emily, have been working with me at this cemetery, watering the flowers there. It's such a sweet relief when the job is done, and not at all unpleasant when the check arrives in the mail. ;)

We helped plant the flowers earlier in the summer; geraniums, coleus, ageratum, spike plant, marigolds, dusty... I have almost all the plants' names perfectly memorized (or at least their nicknames) and by now know exactly how to care for each of them. Don't get any water on the petals of the geraniums; it makes them brown faster. Look for baby trees sprouting up in the plantings and be sure to pluck them. If an animal pulls a plant out, press it back into place firmly before giving the planting water, or you'll have a muddy mess... And so on, and so forth.

It isn't always a fun job, but it's teaching me discipline, building up some strength in my skinny little arms, and providing an income for my various savings folders. I'm learning to appreciate work, even when it is hard; an important lesson indeed. If anything, this job certainly makes me appreciate relaxation more!

We couldn't finish the weeding the last time we worked (Wednesday evening), so we're going to return to the cemetery some time this morning. I actually kind of like this part; it's nice to get rid of all the dead buds on the flowers, and see the plants perky and colorful again. I don't know why, but there's a kind of pleasure even in just snapping off the dying limbs --- it's like twisting off a ripe tomato, snipping off some leaves of fresh lettuce, or the like --- there's simply something special about working in a garden. =)

answers

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I love listening to Ken Ham. If I'm correct, he's the founder of the Answers in Genesis program. My mom sat Emily and me down to watch one of his videos one morning some time in June, and it was fascinating! He was going through why there is so much suffering and death in the world. I can't explain it very well at all, but he speaks so well and makes the most difficult concepts easy to understand.

So, suffering and death are the result of sin. Who sinned? The human race. People (mainly non-Christians) tend to blame God when bad things happen. Irony. It's our fault because we (humans) sinned against Him (God). We brought the curse upon ourselves.

I also learned something I never knew before: Ken Ham explained a correlation between the two trees --- the one that Adam and Eve ate from (see Genesis 3), and the one that Jesus was nailed to (see Matthew 27:33-50).

    I. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought death

    II. The cross (tree) on which Jesus died brings life

Now isn't that curious? I had never thought about it before. Two trees; one brought the curse, the other remedied it. But not the way some people expect. There is still physical death (there is still sin), but the spiritual death (justice from God which is condemnation and eternal punishment in hell) has been provided for; Christ has died so that we may live, in the sense that though our bodies die, we do not die to punishment.

"For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”<sup>"

-Romans 10:3-11 (NASB)</sup> 

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I have only posted on my blog one or two times since I got my new camera, and that was exactly one month ago. Weird... I can hardly believe that anything could crowd-out writing in my life, but I guess the novelty of a DSLR of my very own takes more time to wear off than I thought! To help balance this out, I have been taking a long break from editing photos the past several nights to finish writing letters to some friends, keep "plugging away" at my grad party thank-you notes, and baby-step my way to the end of my novel.

Even though I've graduated from High School, responsibilities and various forms of learning do not end. I'm taking piano lessons again (just started up for the season on Tuesday), and dappling in a few other subjects which interest me. I'm also starting to pick up my driver's manual so that I can hopefully earn my permit soon. I know it would be convenient for my mom to have another licensed driver in the family who can help run errands and suchlike.

I'm never quite sure just how to answer when people ask me about college or my plans for the future. The truth is, I don't really have any big plans yet --- I'm living life as it comes, continuing to stay at home unless and until God presents me to my own prince charming. I'm waiting for God to show me His own plans for my life. In the meantime, I may very well end up schooling myself in the areas of photography, writing, and useful homemaking skills --- all outside of college. Life seems filled to the rim even without college classes and a full-time job, and I'm content to wait on God's will for my life.

Having read a couple Medieval fantasies in a row, now, I plan to dig back into the Hunger Games trilogy. 'Catching Fire' is waiting for me on my desk, and I'm itching to open it! I have only a chapter or two of 'Dragon's Breath' by E.D. Baker to finish; so much reading, so little time!

My writing, as I have alluded to, has been mostly put on the back-burner of late, but I hope to put an end to this pattern. I'll try to return here often, now that summer chaos is beginning to subside.
    Along those lines, I also want to work on this one tough area in my novel; this sticky place that I've written and re-written more than once. I want that enormous section of the story fixed and behind me so that I can once again pour my heart into the more exciting parts of my work-in-progress.

Although my camera has crowded-out a lot of other activities in my life recently, it hasn't exactly been all in vain.

It may not seem very interesting, but I have to tell you... I took this photo out the dirty window of my moving car from the back seat. The fact that there is no blur, no sign of dirt, no anything bad is the reason why I love my new camera to death! ;)

I guess I have a 'thing' for leaf and sunshine photos. I can't help myself, though. The first photo is of a leaf I found in the public library parking lot. Nothing special, just your regular green. But the sunlight was perfect. My other leaf photo (directly above) is of a crunchy brown leaf, and the place at which I found it now escapes me. But the texture of it reminded me of a dragon's wing --- naturally I found the very idea irresistible.

This darling young lady is my younger sister, Emily. She was sweet enough to let me force her up into a tree and smile down at me. You professionals can tell I don't have much experience with portraits as yet, but don't worry; I'm learning. Em's just naturally a beautiful girl, so pictures of her, however poor the quality, are always lovely. ♥

As I have said, I shall try to be more faithful in writing on Thirst For Purity. After such a long an eventful summer, there is now much to be said! Ta ta for now!