Why my Trip to Florida Changed my Life

As some of you may know, I went to Orlando for a mission trip a few weeks ago. The mission trip part was only a week, but I stayed for two with my family. Every four years, the Nazarene church has a General Assembly. In which representatives from 155+ countries around the world meet up to worship and get business done. There are meetings where people are elected and decisions are made but there are also six church services. I've gone to every General Assembly since I was born. That makes four-San Antonio, 2 in Indianapolis, and in Orlando. I had the opportunity to do something this time that I haven't done since I've come to these-go to every nightly service they offered. Each service changed me in one way or another.

During the mission trip, I recommitted my life with God and I've been on the fast track with Him since. God has done amazing things in my life and can do many amazing things. Below, I have some pictures from my trip.

our group

Me and Jamie, one of the girls I worked with

We built him a wheelchair ramp and this is his first time going down it

Worshipping with 15,000+ people!

If you have any questions or need advice about God, I'm always available.

horslv6@aol.com

Eyes Like Stars Tour

While reading Eyes Like Stars, I lay nestled up in a cozy armchair with a blanket around me and some hot chocolate. No, it's not cold here. I just felt that this was one of those types of books. Little did I know that I'd soon jump from my seat in all the rucus of all sorts of characters moving all about.

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith (or more well known as Bertie) lives in the Theatre Illuminata, along with many other surprising guests. She was taken in here as a child. The theatre is complete with characters from every play ever written on a page! Many characters, though, are from Shakespeare's works. The theatre also comes complete with a crew, as well.

I felt the book was lacking something. What exactly, I'm not sure. This makes me wonder if pages of this book, rather than The Complete Works of the Stage, had been ripped out. The book confused me. I felt as if i was being twisted around in every direction at some points, because the book seemed to be all over the place. It almost seemed as if the setting would change too quickly.But I loved the setting of the book. Living in a theatre where every character imaginable is beside me would be a dream I have yet to pursue. I love acting, as well as being on stage. So living in a theatre would definitely be a dream in itself. This book is for anybody who loves to dream and make fantasy become reality.

Lisa Mantchev is a wonderful author, who includes brilliant details in the book, as well as a few page-turns that kept me going throughout the whole thing! Click here for her official website. Or click here to view her blog.

When reading the book, I thought of a stage such as the one below. This is a stage I've been to when I've seen some performances. Beautiful paintings, gold trim, a ceiling that looks like a beautiful night sky, and red velvet seats are what I first imagined when reading the book. I would love to live in a theatre like this one.

Check out these other awesome reviews on the book!

The 160 Acre Woods, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Patchwork of Books, Abby the Librarian, All About Children’s Books, And Another Book Read, Becky’s Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, The Friendly Book Nook, Homeschool Book Buzz, Homespun Light, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Never Jam Today, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes

Darkwood Tour

So I'm sitting in the corner of my room, cozy and warm wrapped up in my blanket reading the book Darkwood, and suddenly the book comes to life! Creatures are lurking all around me, Chopper's at my doorstep, and Uncle Jock is sleeping in the room next to me.


The book Darkwood is about a girl named Annie who is forced to escape her home and wander into a world of misery and surprises every which way, with nothing but her two cats-Prudence and Izzy. Along the way, she gets sent to the Drop, a cliff where children are forced to mine for ringstone. Annie finds her long-lost friend, Gregor, who she was told was eaten by Kinderstalk. She meets some unexpected companions and tries to earn her way to meet the King to tell him about what is going on at the Drop. Will she make it? She figures out something that will change her whole perspective for the rest of her life.

M.E. Breen is the author of the book. She's grown up with animals her whole life and knows what it's like to have strong connections with them. On her website, she has a bio, reviews, contact information, and much more! Check out the site by clicking on her name.

A Patchwork of Books, Abby the Librarian, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Never Jam Today, My Utopia, Through a Child’s Eyes, Through the Looking Glass Reviews

Guess what?!

I'm going with some people in my youth group to FLORIDA! I'm leaving Saturday morning at 5 am. That will be interesting. But we're going on a mission trip to help build houses for a week. Then I'm staying down there with my family for a huge church convention. It's going to be AMAZING! I'm so excited! I'll be back July 2. I might post before then but I'm not sure if I'll get to the computer other than for the Darkwood tour. Hope to be on soon!

HEY

So I haven't been on my blog in awhile. Sorry about that! I've had such a busy summer so far. But I'll be able to post for the Darkwood tour next week. And guess what?! I'm going to Florida in SIX days! :] I'm so excited!

MUSICAL IS HERE!

We've now prepared for three months and you can tell everybody's starting to get tired but we can't because.......THE PARENT PERFORMANCE IS TONIGHT! And opening night for the public is TOMORROW! You can definitely tell from the chatter during lunch about buying tickets, how many people are going to be there, and of course how good it's going to turn out! The set looks amazing and I'm so excited for tonight! One of my favorite parts is getting ready before the show. This year, there's a tie between two hairstyles: crimped hair or curly hair. When my hair is crimped, it looks as if I braided my hair the night before. When I curl it, I put some of it back with a clip. I really like both styles, but we'll see which one I choose. I'm so excited for tonight!

Musical Update

I'm so nervous for the musical! It's in a WEEK! Our first performance is in SIX DAYS for the parents of actors. I know that Marie from Fireside Musings and her sister Maggie from My Utopia are both coming to see it. Hopefully it'll turn out nicely. I'm really nervous! I just received my character shoes and our little kids starting coming to rehearsal too. I have yet to get my musical t-shirt and pajama pants though.

Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'engle

I read the book Meet the Austins because Marie from Fireside Musings recommended it to me on a library visit we took last week to kill time.

Meet the Austins is set in the hustle and bustle of the Austins' home.The family all lives happily together with the four children and their mother and father. There are four children in the family: Vicky-the kind sister, John-the brains of the family, Suzy-who is set on being a doctor, and Rob-the young, sweet brother. The Austins decide to adopt a troubled girl named Maggy. She is violenta and very tough to get along with. Having been an only child, Maggy doesn't know how to live with a family. She must learn how to get along with a family and not always be dying for attention. The family learns how to all stick together and get along as a whole.



I enjoyed the book because I liked the realistic elements that came along with being in a large family. It wasn't my favorites but I enjoyed it. I can definitely relate to being in a family and having to make adjustments. My sister moves in and out for college; home for the summer and away for the school year. Also, me and my sisters used to argue all the time. None of us got along until the two of my older sisters moved out. Now we all get along like sisters should.

Pigs Flew!

Hahahaha get it?! Pigs flew! As in SWINE FLU!

But seriously.......is anybody else freaking out about this besides me? This is going to turn into an epidemic like Yellow Fever!



Speaking of which, Fever, 1793 is a book about Yellow Fever. I read it for school a few years back and actually really enjoyed it. It's a great book, especially now during this future epidemic...no worries.

Savvy Tour

I would like to start by saying that I wanted to do the tour all three days but yesterday, I was either lying in bed all day or at the doctors' office. I have a sinus infection and an ear infection and I feel as if I can hardly move. Back to the book...



Savvy, by Ingrid Law, may have been one of the most enjoyable books I've read for the tours I've participated in. I really enjoyed it. First off, what is a savvy?....

sav⋅vy 
-noun
Also, sav⋅vi⋅ness. practical understanding; shrewdness or intelligence

WARNING: I GAVE SOME SURPRISES AWAY FROM THE BOOK.

Mibs is growing up and she's just about to get her savvy. It's almost her thirteenth birthday and she doesn't know what to wish for. Every child on her mother's side of the family get a savvy on their thirteenth birthday and now it's her turn. She wants some kind of cool super power at first but decides to go for something a bit smaller when she finds out that her Poppa had a terrible accident. She wishes for something that can help him. Just when Mibs thinks she's found what her savvy is, everything gets messed up. She stows away during her birthday party on a bus and finds out that the bus she's on is going even further from the hospital!



The part about the book that I loved was towards the end when Mibs is on the bus. Because it wasn't just any ordinary school bus. It was a pink bus. I actually found that to be quite funny. I don't think I've ever seen a pink bus before.

I enjoyed Savvy a lot because it was realistic fiction with a bit of a twist of fantasy. The characters in the book were all so warm-hearted and I loved it. I would highly recommend reading it. The book is a New York Times bestseller and I can definitely see why. I would also like to say that I fell in love with the cover of the book. It looked absolutely beautiful...and I don't say that much about book covers!



I was also interested in reading some info on Ingrid Law. You can get to her website here. If you look on her FAQ in the website, you'll probably be very entertained. I loved some of the things that she said. One of the questions asked was "What would your savvy be?" She answered "If I could pick, my savvy would probably be the ability to fly or to breathe underwater. But if I were to declare what my real, true, everyday savvy is, I think that I would have to say that I smile a lot, even through rough times..." I loved that answer!

Check out these other great bloggers in the tour....

A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

Tonight

This is probably one of my favorite songs I've ever heard. It's called Tonight by FM Static. The video is from the movie A Walk to Remember.

Happy Spring Break! :]

For my spring break, I'm going to California with my band at school. We're taking a four-hour flight there tomorrow and it's going to be long so I decided to get a collection of books and magazines to take with me.
I'm taking three books from the Uglies series with me. I've read the first two but it was a long time ago so I've decided to read them again, along with the third. I'll read the fourth soon too.
I'm also bringing two magazines with me-Seventeen and Teen Vogue. I'm so excited for the trip! We're going to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Santa Monica Beach. It's going to be amazing!

Bookshelf Meme

Tell me about the book that has been on your shelf the longest...



Ah yes, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1: The Bad Beginning. I've had this book since it first came out. It's been one of my favorites since I read it. I read the entire series and loved every one of them. In fact, when I'd finished reading all of the books, I started over. I loved the books by Lemony Snicket.

Tell me about a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (i.e. a person, a place, a time, etc.)...



Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella is a very relatable book to me because I absolutely adore shopping. I think a person can best express themself in the way that they dress. And I too must admit, that I have used shopping to help calm me in the past. It's always been a big hobby of mine. But my biggest downer about it is when I don't have any money :[ The book was originally my sister's that she bought at the airport once to read but I decided to take it and read it for myself. I fell in love with the book two pages into it!

Tell me about a book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used book store, prize, etc.)...



Go Ask Alice may be one of the oddest books I've read but it's also on my list of favorites. I found it in my sister's bench she had in her room. It opened up to a bunch of clothes and one day while I was searching for some good hand-me-downs, I came across a whole assortment of things. Diaries, journals, pictures, and...this book. I didn't read it, I just put it on my shelf. But one day I decided to look on my shelf for a good book to read, and that book was just calling my name. I read it all within the course of an hour. The girl in the book got into some...interesting new hobbies. She explored a whole new world. The strange thing about the book is that it has no author. None. It's anonymous. That's what I like about the book because the author could really be anybody. In fact, some people relate to this book so much that...it could even be you. I highly recommend reading it.

Tell me about the most recent addition to your shelves...



I just happened to buy Specials by Scott Westerfield tonight. It's the third in the Uglies series. The books are quite addicting and I love every one of them. I've read the first two, Uglies and Pretties awhile back. But I never came along with reading the last two until tonight when I happened to walk by them at Barnes and Noble.

Tell me about a book that has been with you to the most places...



I would honestly have to say that the Bible has been with me the most places. I take it on vacation with me and keep it on my nightstand. I am a very devoted Christian and have been walking with Jesus since I was born. My current bible I own (one of many around my house; we probably have at least 20 of them around my house) has a dark brown binding and goldish-brown face to it. I go to my bible for all of the answers because....that's where I can find them.

Tell me about a bonus book that doesn't fit any of the above questions...



The Invention of Hugo Cabret is the longest book I've ever read...and looked at. It's a book written and illustrated by by Brian Selznick. It's 533 pages of detailed pictures and writings. I read the book in less than an hour because it was hard for me to put down. It was interesting to read because half of the book is written like a novel and half is followed along by pictures. I highly recommend reading it.

The Rules:

1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!

2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.

3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.

4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water...

5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.

I was tagged by Marie at Fireside Musings.

I'm tagging.....

-Noel
-Erin
-Traci

Musical Update: Week Two

Musical is going great! We've been working really hard to get all of the dances in for the first act. Act two begins after spring break, which is two weeks from now. I'm so excited! But let's not changed the subject. Anyway, musical rehearsal is usually on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We rehearse music from 2:45 to 4:15 and rehearse the dance and acting parts from 4:30 to around 6:00. It keeps me at school longer but I'm really beginning to get a sense of family from my cast I'm working with. I'll try to put up an update next week with pictures. Keep watching for more updates.

Musical Update: Week One

So musical rehearsals have begun for Brigadoon. In the German-written musical, in the small imaginary town of Brigadoon, not much ever changes. There is a miracle every hundred years and the miracle is coming up soon. Everybody in the musical (we have a cast of about 95 plus children once they start rehearsing with us) was assigned a family. I have a father, mother, and sister so far. I hope to have a child assigned to my family! I have to wear character shoes that are hard to adjust to, but I'm getting used to them. The girls have to wear the ones pictured to the left and the guys have to wear black shoes. The specialty dancers have to wear Irish dancing shoes (ouch!). I don't have a role, I'm just in the chorus. But I do have some scenes that I dance in. It's exciting. Also, we had to purchase very nice, professional makeup kits that will be used. So far, the musical is turning out pretty well. I've learned three whole songs and two dances. It's a lot of hard work but so much fun! Keep watching, I'll have more to come soon about the musical! I hope to have a weekly update of how the musical is going.

I'm Stuck

Hey guys! I could use some help in finding some books to read. Right now I'm going for fantasy but no series'. So if you have any ideas or suggestions, that'd be great :]

The Year the Swallows Came Early

Groovy said, "Today I saw Daddy being taken away in a police car to jail. I don't know what's going on. I'm sure it's all a big mistake. We need to help him."
"I know Groovy," she said finally.
"You know? How do you know?" Groovy replied.
"Because baby," she said, "I was the one who called the police."

So out of all of the books I've blogged about, I would definitely have to say this one was the best. The Year the Swallows Came Early is about a little girl, Elanor Robinson. Or more famously known as Groovy. Groovy's just a young girl, trying to figure out the world. Her father is put in jail, and her friend's mother, who she thought was long-gone, has returned. Groovy starts to listen to what a horoscope had told her,

to expect the unexpected.

Soon, everything around her begins to get turned upside down. What's happening to her? And to make things even more nuts, the swallows come early this season too. Her family is quickly falling apart? What will she do?


Groovy has a cooking notebook full of her recipes she's made with the help of her father. In the book, she makes chocolate-covered strawberries. So I decided to find myself a little recipe on how to make some. I found this recipe on the Food Network website. Copy and paste them into Word and make them for yourself!

Ingredients
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Directions
Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.


I just finished making some and they were delicious. Very sweet, but delicious. Don't forget to check out these other blogs in the tour!
A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Novel Teen, Reading is My Superpower

Confessions of a Shopaholic

The book was good, as I expected it to be. City girl, Becky Bloomwood, is in it for a party. All her life, she'd grown up to believe that spending had a value and that money didn't grow on trees. But when she got older, she started spending like crazy and couldn't stop. Shopping became her sweet escape and she soon started to get in trouble with that one thing she absolutely adored-money. The name of one man made her get sick inside....Derek Smeath. He was out to get her, or so she thought. Smeath was out to make sure she paid her bills. Becky constantly made up excuses for everything to keep from paying. But she soon let it get to her. Ironicly enough, Becky started to work for a money-saving finances magazine, even though she can't afford to pay her own bills. Soon enough, she falls in love. But will she keep her job for the man that she loves or try to accomplish getting into her favorite magazine?

I liked thebook. To me, it was one that I couldn't put down as soon as I picked it up. The book seemed a little all over the place but it was a good book I'd highly recommend. I saw the movie last night. It was good for the most part, and I did happen to like it more. But the movie was filmed and set in New York, which I didn't understand. In the book, the story was set in London. Either way, the movie was really good and I would highly recommend seeing it.

Musical Auditions: TODAY!

I'm auditioning for the school musical, Brigadoon, today. I'm incredibly nervous. We have to read from a script, learn a dance routine, and sing a song. The only thing I'm nervous about is the singing part of it, because I'm not a very good singer. My friends would all like to say otherwise but I know that I can't sing. I'm so nervous! Wish me luck!

My Life Lately

I can't believe that my first year is highschool is leaving me so quickly right before my eyes. I had no idea it would be going this fast. I can still remember the summer I was getting into middle school. I was so excited I was getting older and going onto a new school. I'm already in highschool. This has been the best part of my life so far. Right now, I'm working on the costumes for a play called The Laramie Project. I was offered a part but turned it down because I don't agree with some of the content of the production. Click here for more information on the story. We have the play on Feb. 6 and 7. I've been staying after school every day until about 7. Drama club has pretty much consumed my life. I also just got back on Sunday from a church trip with other churches in our district called Snowball Retreat. I went skiing and it was absolutely amazing and it's become one of my favorite things to do. Well I think I've vented long enough now. I'm in a computer class and we aren't doing anything right now so I decided to let some things out. Oh gotta go! Here comes my teacher!

My Christmas Break

For my Christmas break, I went to see my relatives in Alabama. I spent 7 days there then went to see my sisters and brother in-law in Tennessee for 2 days. It was a lot of fun.

My grandma got all the girl cousins wigs!


The whole family (minus my grandma who took the picture)


My sisters and I


We took a hike into the mountains and found Lost Falls