Height of the Summer!

Hello everyone! How goes it? 
After reading the post on Julie Kirk's (on http://notesonpaper.blogspot.com/  ) I finally figured out what the next post should be about! Height of the Summer is a chance to finally figure out who's tallest out of all our internet friends. Come on and join us!

 This is a picture from the 2012 Homeschool Graduation. I think all my friends had more fun waiting for our ride to come pick us up then the actual ceremony... Next thing I know, Ravenly has jumped on the lightpole and posed for a picture. While I hated being up there, I'm glad I got a good picture.

At 5'5-5'6, I'm used to being the "Tall One" out of my friends. Not when I hang with Ravenly and Aura! They're BOTH three inches taller than I am. It's always funny when I become the short one. 

My Golden Fluffy Monster

This is my dog, Duke. I have the wonderful honor of being his human. 
And before you ask, why yes, he did get part of my lunch. What can I say? I'm a softie. I probably wasn't going to eat those vegetables anyway...

Duke deserves his own blog post. 

All animals are angels, really. There's a lot they teach us. They love unconditionally, they forgive without hesitation, and they're loyal to the bone. They make us laugh. They care about us. They keep our secrets.

Duke is part American, part British Golden Retriever. Meaning if he could talk, it'd be with an accent. Brit Retrievers usually are beefier than American ones, explaining why Duke is massive in the chest and ranks around 120 pounds. (I'm sure he'd be thrilled that I announced his weight to the entire world)

 Duke is a happy golden fluffy monster, except when my family leaves. This is him pouting on my little sister's bed. I've had him for about 2 years now. It's amazing how human dogs can be and how they can communicate with us. I know when he's hungry, when he needs to go outside. He knows when I'm busy and when I want to cuddle. I can't sleep without having my dog on my bed. I've even resorted to bribing him with his favorite snack food, Cheetos, to get him to stay on my bed. 

As a writer and an artist, I can't help but wonder what Duke's story would look like. If he could talk, what would he say? How would he say it? 

Sometimes I wish my dog could talk, and other times, I'm thankful he can't.

What Does Your Crazy Look Like?

You are stronger than what you give yourself credit for.

Hello, my minions! I have recovered from my battle wounds and am now ready to return to the wonderful world of Blogger.
A few weeks ago, I went to camp. It was a great experience for a People-Watcher like myself. From the energetic, perky, possibly indestructible Rec Team, to the Southern pastor who faced his fear of heights and was the first going down the zipline. How often do you meet a boy who's the exact imagine of a human pitbull, a girl wearing a hotpink tutu with part of her pinky missing, AND a 5 foot nothing real life Flash? Then there's the location itself...
The air in the mountains feels different in your lungs than in the city. It's purer. Being surrounded by a clear blue sky, mountains and trees, you remember how small you are. The adventures I had can easily be stretched to fit into fiction. 
For example:
Crawling up a very steep hill on my hands and knees, in the pitch-black night, with the fear of being left behind or getting lost driving me on. The person ahead of me shouted. They slide backwards, and promptly used me as a stop. Captain America's (that was his nickname) boot heel drove itself into my shoulder. This can easily be stretched into a story about running away, surviving in the savage wilderness, or why guys should not wear boots with heels on them.


Standing on the creepy platform, seeing nothing but treetops for miles, while a woman attaches you to the harness for the zipline. Your heart is speeding, your body is shaking, the world very possibly could black out at any given moment. Of course, once you take the step, it's a wonderful ride. It's thrilling. It's joyful. It's FLYING.
....until you hit the brake and find yourself on solid ground all at once.


Last but not least, there was Goliath.
Goliath is best described as a military-style obstacle course. The hike from the main part of camp to the desolate corner of Goliath is an exercise in itself. Everyone is standing around, wanting to see how it's done before they go.

Unless you're me, who was the only girl to go. Then it's perfectly okay to call a bunch of jocks chicken and try to tackle it first. (I did horrible, by the way. It took me 5 minutes and I fell 4 times.)
It's as much as a physical test as it is mental. By the time you've Army-crawled in the scorching hot dirt, climbed a rope over a 5foot tall wedge thing, and nearly fell off the tire mountain, your body is asking what in the world you're trying to prove. Your brain does not help with the constant reminder that you need water, that the boys laughed when you fell right off the bat, and that you are not tough enough to finish this.
But I did. Three days later, even with a pulled thigh muscle, PitBull-Boy talked me into trying to run it again.
I made it as far as the wall before I climbed down and limped off in search for an ice pack. But hey, I tried.

Now don't get me wrong. You don't need to go do something crazy to be able to write, but man, it sure helps. Everyone has a different definition of "crazy" and that's where the fun kicks in. Maybe your crazy involves eating deep-fried squid with chocolate syrup on it. Or maybe it's grabbing a surfboard and going down the staircase. (I actually want to try this someday) 
Find your craziest moment, and fiction-fy it. 
Go on.
I dare you.

Stretch Out Your Universe

When was the last time you tried something new?

It's too easy to get stuck in the same box. You find a routine that you like, and that's what you stick with. You know what foods you like and what you don't. You know what type of art you can draw. You know what type of stories (or essays or whatever) you can write.
But then, something happens. The food starts tasting bland. The drawings all look the same, all the stories read the same way. What's happened?
Congratulations, you've worked yourself into a rut. Now how to fix it?

Well, I don't know what you do. I'm sure there's more than one way to get out of a rut. 
I usually do something new.

Come on! What's the harm in painting instead of sketching? Learn how to make Thai to replace Mexican. (I would gladly take Thai any day..shhh...) 

These days, I've been doing new things. Monday I'm going to lay down grass. THAT should be a bucketload of fun. I've been art-journaling. I've been singing. I've been trying every writing prompt out there and stretching my stuff. THEN I go back to my normal sketches and stories about drunken pyros and spineless personal assistants and ranch-hands who to go magical worlds. I just go back with new ideas. A fresh perspective. A few new tricks up my sleeve.
Now, if only I could find the nerve to ask what the neighbor boy's name was.... 

Safe Haven

Where is your hiding place?

A hiding place. We all have one. Everyone has something they run to. It's a place where the world is perfect. Because let's face it, the world sucks. It really and truly does. Life is one big crazy storm after the next. 
I am learning to dance in the storm. 

My hiding place?
Outside. 
No doubt about it. There's a calm, a peace outside. I dunno why, but it's true for me. The problem is that I could start walking and never go back. I could spend hours and hours just sitting there in the grass. I love the way the wind plays with my hair, the sun beating down on me. I even walk outside barefoot. If you knew how ghetto my backyard was, you'd understand why this is a big deal. I do it anyway, because it makes me feel happy.


Thanks to some simply angelic friends, I keep going. I've started to workout, dance insanely and run. Have you ever felt invincible? Like NOTHING could EVER, ever hurt you? That's how I feel when I run. One day, I'm going to run a marathon. Even try out for the Olympics.
What makes you feel invincible? 

Figure it out. Right now. Go on! The internet will still be here when you get back! Find out what makes you happy, what makes you at peace, what makes you feel invincible. Weather it's running, writing, hopscotch, praying, singing, cooking, cartwheels, flute, keep doing it. Find out what that is, and never let go. Keep expanding on it, so it won't go dull. 


Never let anyone tell you what to be. 
You only have one life. Ever think of that? There are no do-overs. No second chances. I'm starting to come with grips with that. There isn't any time for sadness or anger! 

Turn off the TV. Leave your phone in your pocket. Get off the computer. 
Learn something new. Dance in the kitchen. Make a new friend. 
Go find out what makes you feel invincible. 

And tell me what that is when you get back!

Introductions Are Overrated

One wrong word, and I'm dead.
It's true, you know. The Internet is a scary place, filled with hungry trolls and ruthless piranhas, just waiting to tear the unsuspecting apart and eat them for breakfast. Care for another truth?
I'm not scared.
I'm really only scared of frogs and clowns, so unless a troll wearing a frog costume with clown makeup, I won't stop doing what I'm doing.

Now what am I doing?
I'm practicing, dear. 
I want to practice my writing. I want to practice my entertainment skills. I want to make you cry, to make you laugh, to make you so scared you'll be falling asleep with the lights on. That's what EVERY author wants to do. I have a voice, and can't find a stage to sing on. I feel like, dare I say, Linkin Park's "Nobody's Listening". 
But you don't care. You, my dear, dear friend, want to read a story that involves jumping out of helicopters and mountain climbing and snowboarding. You want to read some heroic story, don't you? Well, I always did like villains better, so I'll play badguy today, eh?


I don't like Justin Beiber, Lady GaGa,  OR Twilight. I've only read 1 Harry Potter book in my life.

Do I have your attention now? Oh, so I do. Let me explain WHY. And then, let me ask you something.


1. I don't like any boy bands:
Oh, boybands. The very genre makes my stomach churn and my ears bleed. Poor Justin, I feel sorry for him. I really do. He's okay, for having to put up with the fact half the world thinks he's a girl and the other half wants to drag him into a hotel room. I forced myself to listen to "Boyfriend" for this post. I'm so thankful he doesn't sound squeaky in that one. I don't care for the generic lyrics and the whole thing reminds me of bad pickup lines. If a boy walked up to me, said something like that, I would probably laugh in his face. But I'm a horrible person, you should know. It's not that I hate him, but I don't care. I honestly don't care about anything the boy sings.


As for Lady GaGa..
Despite the crazy fashion sense, she's not that bad. She just happens to fall in the same category as Britney Spears, Porcelain and the Tramps, and Ke$ha. 
Behold, the blond party girl.
Yup. That's it. That's Lady G in a nutshell. While I like the catchy stuck-in-my-head-all-day-long-ness, the fact it's pretty fun to dance to, she fails to give me something I haven't heard before. Besides, it's not like I can listen to any of her songs without looking up every 3 seconds to make sure my parents aren't listening to "Love Game" and "Poker Face"


2. I liked vampires BEFORE Twilight
Really, I did. Go check out Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' series. It's got girls falling for vampires.
But they weren't nice. Oh NO. Aubrey, Nathaniel and Jaguar were dangerous, would kill you in your sleep, and didn't sparkle. The plot-twists will keep you guessing, the main characters have you cheering, and you'll lose sleep to keep turning pages.
As for Twilight?
Well, the idea isn't that bad. It's certainly not new. AAR up there had her series long before Meyers came on the scene. 
I just don't like Bella Swan. She complained too much. She couldn't do anything. She was boring. And fiction should never be boring. 
Maybe if Bella had been a daredevil, or a swimsuit model, or if she was a loudmouth, the story would've been different. I have to say, Edward Cullen freaks me out. Watch you while you sleep? Uh...HELLO. Get out of my room! I liked Jacob for a long time...until I found out he fell in love with the BABY.

3. Harry Potter?
Maybe later. I've read one book. The last movie I saw was Prisoner of Eskaban. I think I've just heard so much about it, that the whole thing has been spoiled for me.

Now I have a question for you.
What mainstream thing do you dislike?
Come on! You know you've got one! Do you think that Marvel should kill of Wolverine? Do you think manga/anime is overrated? Didn't like the Hunger Games?
Spill it!