Boom

Boom.  It was like lightning.  I knew I needed to write.  That happens to me occasionally.  I'll be reading, thinking, dreaming, and then all of a sudden, I have to write.

Sometimes it's a thought, an extraordinary thought that will never reoccur, that I must write down.  Sometimes it is a feeling that I must describe.  Other times it is something that has no category.  Whatever it is, I always drop what I am doing, grab my pen and journal, and write.

This time it is a series of words.  They do not really make sense.

'Anyone can write about anywhere, but it is a rare man who can write about air.'

How To Write a Last Minute Essay

It's finals week in the world of college, and that means tests, essays, studying, and lots and lots of coffee. Oh, and stress. Lots and lots of stress. This semester, several of my finals include essays, and unfortunately, I am not one of those students who sits down the week before and writes her essays ahead of time. I am a procrastinator (darn YouTube!), and I now am having write several essays in just a day or two. This isn't the first time it's happened to me, and I have developed a method of researching and writing an essay in a short period of time.

Photo Credit

We were all taught how to write outlines when we were in middle school. They were such a pain the the butt then, but I have realized how invaluable they have become. Now, it can be time consuming to fully write out an outline, so I have re-vamped the way I use my outlines. Basically what I do is I start  with a numbered list on my computer and write out all the main points I want to make. Instead of just writing the topic, I write a full sentence that will work as the start of a paragraph. Then I add information to each of the points until I'm happy with the amount of information I have. After each section is done, I reformat the whole thing into essay form, throw in a few connecting sentences, and check it for grammar and punctuation mistakes. BOOM, you have an essay.

It's also good to set goals for yourself and then reward yourself when you accomplish them. For example, tell yourself you will go eat dinner after the rough draft is finished. You should also find a way to unclutter your mind. I get distracted very easily while I'm writing, so I've learned to just write down things that keep popping up in my head. doing that helps me save the thought for latter and also gives my mind the permission to stop stressing about that question.

In addition to all of this, learn to know yourself and your limits. Push yourself to get the work done, but don't push yourself so far that you will become a nervous wreck. Know when you can't handle it anymore and just stop. Come back to it a half hour or so latter and finish the job. Nothing is worth a panic attack.

To all of you who are in college and are taking finals in the next few weeks, good luck! I hope you do really well on your papers; I know you can do it! Enjoy your break and have a great time with you family.

Feel

Close your eyes and simply feel.

Feel the moist spring air and all the potential it holds,
the air heavy with the smell of earth, grass,
and the fragrance of flowers.
Feel the humidity pressing its damp fingers on your skin,
still gentle in the cool temperatures.

Feel the air of summer, the humidity now oppressive.
Its fingers have now multiplied and hold down your limbs,
drenching your body in sweat.
Feel that elusive breath of air,
the oh so rare gust of wind. Feel it lift the hair off your neck.

Feel the first crisp in the air, signaling the arrival of autumn.
Smell the decomposing leaves
which will bring life to the hungry ground.
Feel the cold tweak your nose and ears
making them glow red.

Feel the sharp cold race through your throat and lungs
as the icy fingers of winter burn their way inside you,
Feel yourself lost to wonder
as your breath mingles with the winter air
in enchanted dances.

Open your eyes.
How did that feel?

An Apology

I would like to apologize to you, our readers, for being lousy at writing posts recently.  Over Thanksgiving we did not post much, we haven't posted much this week.

To compensate for our lack or writing.  I would like to suggest a double writing challenge.  Meaning, we would both write a response to the prompt given.

For the prompt I am going to use one of my own design.  You may object to me choosing the prompt, but I think is fair seeing that I wrote this prompt as soon as I woke up.  I could not even focus my eyes yet.  My hand writing was terrible.

Here is the prompt:
     Anyone can write a poem about anywhere, but it is a rare man who can write about air.

Lindy, I expect you response tomorrow! 

Ps. Have a wonderful week of finals.

The Unwanted Wedding Part V

The dragon did not pause to introduce itself or give a wordy description of who he was.  He simply walked across the hall scattering screaming puff balls of fabric each time he took a step, and grasped the awestruck princess in one of its enormous clawed talons.

The claws squeezed so tightly around her waste, she could not scream or give vent to the feeling piling up inside of her.  She was horrified at the thought of being this terrifying beasts dinner, but she was also rejoicing because the dragon had done what she could not do.  It had found a way to keep her from marrying the ugly prince.

The dragon launched itself off the ground, and rocketed through the ceiling, creating another hole in the middle of the hall.  The King grabbed the princess's train in a futile attempt to save her, but the thin fabric just ripped off of her dress.  Turned to the queen, and started to yell at her for making the dress out of such flimsy fabric and other foolish stuff.

——————————————————————————————————

The dragon raced over mountains, valleys, and fields.  The dragon had relaxed its grip on the Princess allowing her to breath more easily.  As the time passed, the princess found that she was enjoying the trip.  She had never flown, and, therefore, had had no chance to see her kingdom from a bird's view.  She thought it was simply magnificent.

They flew for hours and hours.  Eventually, the princess fell asleep with the wind running through her hair and stinging her cheeks.

Why Winter Is Really the Best

Winter has already moved in to stay here in Northern Pennsylvania. Unlike much of the population of the United States, I like winter. And not just the snow like a lot of people. I actually like the cold too. It wakes me up and makes me feel alive.

I want to share a few of my favorite things about winter with you, so below is a list of my favorite things about winter (in no particular order.)

1. Four words: kids in snow gear
2. Christmas lights
3. The excuse to drink hot chocolate
4. Snow hikes
5. Christmas gift exchanges 
6. Sledding 
7. Snow days! (Unfortunately, my school has only had two snow days in the past thirty years.)
8. CHRISTMAS
9. Our coal stove
10. Christmas parties
11. No one can put their arms all the way at their sides because their winter coats are so darn puffy!
12. Beautiful scenery
13. Little kids with red cheeks and noses
14. Scarves
15. It looks like Narnia (thank you C.S. Lewis)
16. Time with friends
17. Photo shoots, because pictures are always better with snow.
18. Family events where you see people you only see a few times a year, or even just at Christmas
19. Sweaters
20. Really good food
21. Special church services 
22. Lots of smiles :)

Ballet is Intense

It was ten O'clock.  The ballet dancer gladly untied the straps to her shimmering ballet shoes.  She put them on at nine O'clock, and had rarely taken them off since then.  Her feet ached.
When she decided to be a ballerina at the age of eight, she had had no idea it was going to be this hard.  Hours of rehersals, minutes of anxiety at auditions, and thrilling moments of performing.
Her feet always seemed to hurt, but it was a good hurt; a hurt of which she was proud.  It told her that she was doing what she loved and living in her dream.  This hurt reminded her she could do a grand jete and a series of lightning fast pequae turns.
This hurt is what motivated her to do better and strengthen her body, and push herself to new levels.  This hurt meant strength.  It is quite amazing how often those to coincide. 
The ballerina put her shoes in her bag, and went home.  She was ready to do it all over again the next day.

Four Reasons to Love Lindsey Stirling

I spend a lot of time on the internet; especially on social media and YouTube. Through YouTube, I have discovered some creative and ingenious people who are sharing their gifts with the world. One of them is Lindsey Stirling. Stirling is a hip-hop violinist who combines classical-sounding violin melodies with hip-hop and dub-step backed music. Just watching a few of her videos can cheer me up on a down day, and I have come up with four reasons why you should join her fan base.

1. She marvels at the world around her. She is always amazed at what she discovers. In her vlogs, she is often seen being amazed at what she sees. She gets excited about the big things like the cities she visits, but she also gets excited about the little things like gifts from her fans or a hat from a street vendor. I think child-like wonder is something that adults should feel free to do, and she is a great example.
2. She practices her faith. Despite the fact that I don't believe the same way she does, I respect and admire the fact that she is open about her practices. She is Mormon, and in several of her videos she and her crew are seen praying before a show. Not many people have the gumption to talking about their faith, and she makes it clear that that is who she is.
3. She rocks her own unique style. It's expected for someone of her job to have a very individual style. I mean, she is a hip-hop violinist. She rocks her style. From every concert to music video to vlog, she looks great. To see the range of her costumes check out her music video to "Minimal Beat" which was filmed when she was on her world tour. It's a fun music video, and it's all Lindsey
4. She oozes happiness. Like I said in the introduction, just watching a few of her videos cheers me up. She's always smiling. I love to see someone enjoying life and doing what they love.

Below are a few of my favorite videos from her:

Stars Align

Radioactive, This is a collaboration she did with Pentatonix, an a capella group that is another one of my favorite artists.

Shatter Me

A Day in the Life

There are so many more of her videos that I love. Keep making music Lindsey!

You Know You're a Writer When

As you know, I am writing major. As I immerse myself in the program, I have come to realize that I have developed certain traits and have had certain experiences that quite clearly label me a writer.

You know you're a writer when...

1. You proofread a paper that has already proofread by four other people and find five mistakes.
2. You get into passionate discussions with other writers over weather a certain grammatical error is truly a mistake or just a stylistic choice. 
3. You have strong feelings about certain grammar uses.
4. MLA vs. APA: the bane of the writing world.
5. British vs. American: who knew that two countries who use the same language could have so many variations!?
6. Using an exclamation mark can give you stress. 
7. You are a beast when it comes to Scattergories.
8. You are continually faced with the question, "Am I writing enough?"
9. Journaling is the best way to vent your feelings.
10. You continually have to tell people that you are a Writing major, not an English major. (Yes, some people have the audacity to tell you they are the same thing.)
11. You use different writing styles to tell which multiple-choice answer your professor just copied and pasted to the test. This can be a very helpful hint as to which one is correct.

I know a lot of these are probably just me ranting, but, hey. The more you know!

Content

What makes me most content is making somebody smile.  Not a fake smile, and certainly not a grimace.  A smile that comes from instilled confidence, assured peace, or unexplainable, bubbling joy.

I think I feel happiest making other people smile like that because making them smile like that, makes me smile like that.

The Unwanted Wedding Part IV

The the grand hall was dripping with streamers, coated in flower, and stuffed to capacity.  There were hundreds of guests all robed in ridiculous finery.  One lady was wearing a hoop skirt so large, she took up five seats, and her husband was looking miserable in a floor length velvet jacket with fur trimming.

The organist started to play the bridal march, and the Princess began to walk slowly down the aisle.  She had to hold her breath to keep from laughing at all of the ridiculous outfits.

Her father met her half way down the aisle to lead her to the alter.  When she was five feet away from him, a low moaning started.  The bride paused and looked around, trying to see what was making the noise.  It started to rise in pitch and strength.  It was soon apparent that it was coming from outside the wedding hall.

All of the guests on the right side of the room rushed to the huge windows, looked out, and tried to discern where the noise was coming from.  The Princess stood on her tip toes trying to see over the many heads.

The noise was almost unbearable now.  The everyone was clutching at their ears trying to block the noise.

Suddenly, there was an ear-shattering crack, and the ceiling of the hall in the right front corner collapsed.  In through the hole came a giant golden beast.

"It's a dragon!" Screamed a guest.

God Provides

I'm going to take a break from, "The Unwanted Wedding", and share a God moment from my life.

Every other Wednesday, I attend Hillside Christian Fellowship for youth group.  Every fall they have a weekend long retreat where, basically, we leave home for the weekend to listen to amazing speakers, grow closer with God, and have a blast.

So announcements were made, and my anticipation was mounting as I looked forward to the retreat.  There was only one downside.  The retreat cost money.

My family is not poor, but we are not rich either.  So as the deadline for payment was quickly approaching, I had no idea where the money was going to come from.  The funny thing is, I wasn't worried, and neither were my parents.  We all knew that God was going to provide the money someway or another.

A week before the money was due, there was a missionary speaker at our church.  At the end of every missions service, our church takes an offering for the missionary who was speaking.  My dad went to write a check, and as he was writing the check, he realized that the money that he was giving to the missionary was the money he was going to use to pay for my retreat, but God was telling him to give the money to the missionary, so he did.

Five days before the money is due, we get a check in the mail reimbursing us for dental work.  That money was enough to send me to the retreat plus to have a little left over! 

Wow, God provides.

What is more amazing is that neither mom, dad, nor I were nervous or stressed about the money coming in.  I felt like I should have been nervous, but I wasn't.  We knew God would provide.

God is good all the time.  All the time, God is good.

YouTube Mania!

Today's blog is going to be rather lazy. I have a hard test tomorrow and I need to study and therefore have no time to write a good blog. Instead I will give you a few of my favorite YouTube videos that always make me happy.

But first! Anna, you did not write at all this week, so your writing prompt is to write about what makes you feel most content. Is it a thing, a person, or a place? Tell me about it.

Now, YouTube! Enjoy!

(I know you're not a huge fan of Vlog Brothers, but you should really watch this one!)

SNOW!

Here in northern Pennsylvania, we have had our first snow fall. None of it will stay because the ground is still too warm, but there is something magical about walking home through falling snow.  I know that many people hate the snow, but I love it and always have. I feel invigorated and alive when there is snow on the ground. I love hiking through it and coming home to hot chocolate and a good book. I love the feeling of being bone-tired after coming in from the snow. I love the way it nips at my nose, ears, and cheeks. There is something very special to me about the snow.

Since winter is quite long here where I live now, I hope to try some new things this year. I would love to try cross country skiing. Downhill skiing makes me nervous, but I think cross country is more like hiking, which is one of my favorite things to do in the snow. I can remember my mom getting a used pair of cross country skis and giving them a try in our back yard. She was so excited. Unfortunately, that pair of skis broke and her fun was cut short. Until now, I didn't really give cross country skiing much of a thought, but now that I live in an area with a good amount of snow, I would like to give it a try.

I also want to try snowshoeing. I remember reading "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" by Marguerite Henry when I was little. Toward the end of the book, several of the main characters are snowed into a cabin. One of the characters (I forget which one) makes a pair of snowshoes to help in their escape from the desolate cabin. Ever since reading about that, I've always wanted to try making a pair of my own. Even though I probably won't have a chance to make my own pair, I would like to give snowshoeing a try.

Snow makes me feel very nostalgic (if you didn't figure that out already). I would choose the snow over a beach any day. The snow makes me feel connected with nature, and reminds me of some fond childhood memories.

Anna, I am terribly sorry for missing all of my blogging days this week. Your wedding story is coming along great, but I'm itching for it to get some action. Give me something exciting with the next installment.

The Unwanted Wedding Part III

The Queen then came to the suite to look her daughter over and approve of her appearance.
"Oh, Sweety!  You look fabulous.  That dress is amazing." She chattered on.  "My wedding was a blissful day.  As you know, my marriage was arranged, and I hardly knew your father, but he was dreadfully handsome."

The Princess sighed.  As stated earlier, she had had no such luck, and her betrothed was only attractive if you closed your eyes and plugged your ears because even his voice was ugly.

"...nervous, my gown was too tight, and my mother chatted on and on.  Looking back, I think she was just as nervous as I was.  I mean, her only daughter was getting married, and such.  Are you following me, Darling?"

She stopped her chatting long enough for the Princess to nod her head, and then continued her monologue.

"As you know, my dear sister Gardensia had already died of the plague, so I was the only daughter left for my mother to dress up and marry off. Marcus, my bro..."

The Princess noticed a page enter the room, and whisper something to one of her ladies in waiting.  The lady gave a quick nod, and shooed the page out of the room.

"...ther married, but my mother didn't get to dress his wife up because she wasn't her daught..."  The lady in waiting cleared her throat, and the queen turned to look at her.

"Your Highness,"  she said with a sweeping bow, "the ceremony is ready, and the king requests that you and the royal Princess come down so that the ceremony might begin."

"Oh!  Hurry up, Darling, this is one thing you don't want to be late for."

The Unwanted Wedding Part II

The princess had looked forward to this day with dread and hatred.  Her mind had wondered on many tracks trying to discover a way to flee her horrid fate, but, to her dismay, her father seemed to be able to read the inner-workings of her mind, and would not let her out of his sight during the day, and at night placed a guard to watch over her room.

The day after the day before the wedding arrived, and the princess was whisked away to special suite to prepare for her unwanted wedding. 

In the suite she found a ridiculous gown with huge sleeves, a mile long train, and enough bows to tie back the hair of all the little lasses in the kingdom.  The princess's ladies in waiting half helped, half forced her into this cumbersome confection.  They put on layers and layers of under-garments, pantaloons, corsets, slips, hoops, camisoles, etc., and then finally the gown was slipped over her head.

When they were finished with her - they had also piled and powdered her hair - she looked like a huge walking marshmallow with arms.

To be continued
~Anna

The Unwanted Wedding

This story shall begin with a, "Once upon a time," fore, as you know, every good story must.  In this tale that I am about to spin, I shall tell of a princess who undergoes a series of bizarre events.

It all begins with a wedding.  The wedding was to take place on the day after the day before the wedding, and on the day after the day before the wedding, the aforementioned princess was to wed a knight.

Now this knight was not a pleasant knight.  Actually, to be honest, this knight was plain old rotten.  He had a horrible temperament, sagging jowls, and a rather disgusting smile.

For obvious reasons, the princess did not choose to marry the knight, but was forced by her father, the king, to marry the knight for some absurd reason having to do with international relations. 

This story shall be continued in later posts.
~Anna

I Challenge Thee: Part 4

Dear Anna,

For not blogging yesterday, your challenge is to write a story from the writing prompt below. The post must be at least five paragraphs long and include some dialog apart from the paragraphs. Good luck! 

~Lindy

 

Halfway

Dear Anna,

I'm assuming that since you didn't blog yesterday that you still don't have internet. Assuming this, I will suspend your writing challenge for missing a day, but don't expect this kind of treatment again.

One word that I can think of that describes my life right now is halfway. It seems to be coming up a good bit. First, October is halfway done. How did that happen!? Next month is November, then December, then the holidays, and then it is 2015! Time flies when you're having fun. However, I think I'm starting to experience that thing that happens to old people when time just flies no matter what you're doing.

Second, I am halfway through this semester. Again, how did that happen! I feel like I just got here two weeks ago. I got the email today telling me to meet with my adviser to talk about next-semester's classes. I always get a rush of nerd-excitement around this time of year. This is the season of textbook purchases, Rate My Professors, and all sorts of nerdiness.

In honor of the halfway theme, here is a wonderful music video from Bon Jovi: Livin' On A Prayer.

On top of all that, it's fall, and fall is beautiful.
Have a wonderful day, my sweet Anna
~Lindy

I'm Off The Grid!!!

Dear Lindy,

I am writing this from the library because our internet is down at home.  Even the 4G on my phone is weak.  We don't know why.  It has been very windy and rainy here so my theory is that something fell on the power tower (That rhymed.  I'm a poet and I didn't know it.) and is blocking our internet.

Needless to say, I have found how much my school depends on internet.  I can not do Chemistry or American Literature.  It is very frustrating because I am already behind in Chemistry, and I was hoping to get caught up this week.

One upside to this down is that I see how little I need the internet for socialization.  I have been able to  keep in touch with all my close friends through texting, phone calls, and - Heaven forbid! - seeing them in person.  It's been a nice break.

Well, since our internet is down, I do not know if I will be able to blog on Friday.  I really, really, REALLY hope our internet is up by then.  But just in case I do go off the grid, don't worry, I just don't have internet.

                                                                                                              ~Anna