Saturday, October 22, 2016

October

It's been a while. I often think about blogging, but thinking isn't exactly the same as doing, is it?

I'm on Fall Break right now, and have enjoyed playing the piano, reading just for fun, and spending time with my family and my two 7-month-old orange kittens.

Fall weather is my favorite. Even though the colors are rather muted this year due to the drought-like conditions we've been having, I still find the trees absolutely amazing. October might just be my favorite month of the year...

Without further ado, here are a few pictures from the Tennessee Mountains in October :)

A pumpkin Mom and I bought at Wooden's Apple House yesterday. Don't you just love the little curls???

Oak leaves.

Forsythia, one of our outdoor cats. Not one of the new ones I mentioned earlier.

Forsythia's sister, Chrysanthemum.

Oak tree.

Me and my walking buddy.

Field.

The brightest leaves I could find!

Chrysanthemum again, looking slightly awkward...

And last but not least, a leaf.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Campus in Winter

My nose is still cold. The metal on my camera is still cold. But it was so worth it :) I just went outside in the windy-wintry weather to get a few shots of campus - now lightly frosted with snow. Without further ado, here are ten of my favorite shots!











What's the weather like where you're at right now? Any wintry stuff?

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

The Mandatory Fandom Post...

"Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest." (from Wikipedia, because I'm pretty sure it's not a real word . . . yet.)

This post is going to be a bit different than my normal posts. Fandoms are not my life. But it would be a lie to say I don't have my fangirl moments :) And what's a good blog without some pop culture posts every now and again? So without further ado, here are some "mini-reviews" (spoiler free) of some of my current favorite books, movies, and TV shows. 

BOOKS

The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry. I had read The Giver before, but for Christmas I got the entire series. It's already been established that I'm a bookworm, but finishing four novels in about a week is pretty impressive even for me. These might possibly be my favorite fiction books ever, along with Lord of the Rings. I'm attracted to artfully crafted literature, and Lowry is an absolute expert at making her words sing. Her books are original, not really fitting into any existing genre, and are just plain beautiful. They are also extremely thoughtful, touching on deep moral, ethical, and philosophical issues. Because of the depth of content, I would suggest the quartet for high-schoolers and up. Oh, and don't just read the first book. Read the entire series. It will blow your mind! At first, the books may seem unconnected, but by the end of the series it all makes sense. These books are brilliant. (The movie, not so much in my opinion. It's fine as a movie, but doesn't do Lowry's works justice).
The pictures represent The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son, from top to bottom.
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. I'll be honest, these books/movies were a touchy subject growing up, so I never read them until now. And they aren't my favorite books ever. But judging from the fact that I'm now in the middle of the fifth books (which is nearly 900 pages long), they must be pretty good :) For me, the Harry Potter books have been a bit predictable, the plot lines a little too repetitive, and the characters not dynamic enough. However, Rowling always does throw at least one big surprise at me each book, and I guess that's what keeps me reading them. And at the end of The Goblet of Fire the pages wouldn't turn fast enough as I stayed up late into the night getting through the intense ending! Perhaps the thing I like most about these books is the character of Hermione (pronounced her-my-on-ee). She reminds me a lot of myself (and did I mention she has a cat?).


 MOVIES

War Room. I really enjoy all the movies made by the Kendrick Brothers. My favorite is still Courageous, but I think they did a great job with their most recent installment: War Room. This isn't a movie you'd watch for entertainment necessarily. But it is quite inspiring/though-provoking on the topic of prayer, which is really what the movie is all about. I saw it once with my parents in the theater, but I'm really wanting to watch it again now that it's on DVD...


Star Wars. So, I had friends who wanted to go see The Force Awakens in theaters. This is actually how I get dragged into most fandoms :) The problem? I hadn't seen any of the Star Wars movies in, like, 10 years. I was never a big fan of them, but I thought I'd give them another chance. And this time I really enjoyed them! And then I saw the newest movie in theaters....twice. It's quite good in my opinion. Not super original, but I liked the retro feel of the movie and the fact that they brought the old actors back. BB-8 (the new droid) is awesome, and they created a more complex villain in this episode, which I appreciated. Because of all the Force mumbo-jumbo, the Star Wars movies need to be watched with caution, but the spiritual elements are not sketchy enough to be a big turn off for me. I've had tons of fun watching the entire saga with my brother over Christmas break :)

TV

The Flash. I was never much of a TV person. The only three TV series I have every really gotten into are Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., BBC's Sherlock (more on that in a minute), and The Flash. My brother showed me the first episode of this DC superhero series at the beginning of Christmas break, and the rest is history. I watched the entire first season over break. Yeah... kind of obsessive, but what's a college student supposed to do when you don't have work or school, and you live 30 minutes from the nearest town? ;) I really, really enjoyed this show. The Flash has all the action, super-powers, and plot twists that one would expect from a superhero show, while being just a bit more . . . human. Sure, some of the relational/emotional drama is a bit cheesy, but I appreciate the fact that it is there. The Flash is also more lighthearted than most comparable shows I've seen. There are some questionable elements that I don't want to ignore, but overall, I think DC did a great job with this one!


Sherlock. See? I told you I'd get back to everyone's favorite super-sleuth! Well, maybe not everyone's favorite, but he certainly is mine! BBC's Sherlock is the first TV series I ever watched all the way through. Granted, it is more like a series of movies than anything (there are only a few episodes, and each is 1 1/2 hours long), but still. Sherlock is just brilliant. The detective and the show named after him. BBC's retelling of Doyle's classic stories is set in modern-day London instead of the 19th-century, which adds a neat dynamic to the show. The episodes all have really great story-lines and character development, and are just extremely well-made. The acting is also superb :) Anyway, this post is getting rather long so I'm gonna resist saying any more here...
TV Reviews: The Flash and Sherlock


Anyway, that's that!

And I figured I should also mention that today is the first day of my second semester at Bryan! And... it was a snow day! How crazy is that?

I have another post planned, and then I will have met my goal for 4 posts in January!

How are you all coming on your New Year's Resolutions? And do you have any thoughts on the movies, books, etc. I reviewed here? Do you have other you'd add to the list?

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

When Days Become Memories

Seconds become minutes. Minutes become hours. Hours become days. And inevitably, days become memories.




2015 has now become a dynamic collection of such memories, and I thought I'd share a few snapshots of those with you!

January 12, 2015, "Stars Upon the Ice"
          "Be still, and know that I am God." Ice. I love ice. It's so clean and clear and cold and beautiful. Whether hanging in frozen droplets from the barbed wire, falling from the sky in intricate crystalettes, or creating wild formation on the fountain in Centennial Park - ice holds a strange attraction for me.
          The other day I went out into our woods. It was beautifully worth the windchill of 7 degrees. I could see the water of the tiny trickling creek running and falling under a thin window of ice. And I discovered a pool covered in 2 inches of crystal clear ice.
           The truly mesmerizing thing about this pool was that on top of the ice were dozens of 3D white "ice stars." I have no idea how they formed other than that the Brilliant Artist created them there for me to discover.
          Somehow I feel so much closer to God out in nature. Perhaps that's why I love the outdoors so much. Even if I don't hear the still small voice, I can be still in the stillness of creation and rest in the knowledge that there is a good God who designed all of this to praise Him.
           He is there amidst the silence of the barren trees, the crisp winder air, and the stars upon the ice.

March 13, 2015, "Drawing Worship"
          I've been drawing lately. Drawing pictures; graphite on paper; left hand slightly and inevitably smudging the gray. Coloring. Resurrecting the long-forgotten colored pencils, the old-fashioned pencil sharpener. Buying a box of 64 new Crayola crayons - nostalgia in wax.
          I stay up late, drawing in the lamplight. The life of artistic expression energizes me and enlightens me, helping me see within myself and uncover thoughts, feelings, desires, beliefs. 
          Because the pictures have meaning. The one with space, tiny earth: God distant. The one with the path, the butterflies: God with me. Like words on lines and notes on clefs, pictures, too, can convey meaning. 
          Can I use art and music to spend time with Abba? Can creativity be worship? Can I read and pray . . . and write? and sing? and play? and dance? and draw? Can this all equally be worship?

May 27, 2015, "21"
          21. Forever 21? No. Only for a season. A few hundred fleeting days to embrace. Enjoy. Live. Breathe. Smile. Count. Notice. Love. Serve. Sacrifice. Change. Adapt. Hold. Be. And perhaps the last on is most important . . .
          21 is a gift. Another year of living in this world to be the unique me God designed. Be a part of creation. And most of all just be God's beloved daughter. He paid the adoption fee with His perfect blood. I am His forever.
          21 has come so fast. I don't want to mourn the inevitable passing of time. I want to experience God in each new day. Every day, every year I live is a gift.

June 2, 2015, "Night Beauty"
          Night is beautiful. I look out my window and don't see a world of dead emptiness or fear. Well, maybe a little fear . . . but also living beauty.
          Moon. Perfect found, implanting white on my retinas. Brilliant reflected light of the sun.
         Faint stars peeking out from between gray wisps of lunar-lit cloud.
         Fireflies making the black treeline glitter green.
          Night is beautiful.

November 12, 2015, "Elements of Life"
          Today was filled with the stuff of life.
          Tiredness and stomach ache. Blue sky and breeze and dryness in my nose. Classes and homework and stress and Netflix. Peanut butter, and Dove chocolate, and grilled cheese. Finishing Avatar for a class project. Feeling like we botched choir dress rehearsal under the scrutiny of glaring lights and blaring orchestra and the conductor's baton. Worry for tomorrow and wondering whether my paper will be turned in on time and if my dress will be hemmed.
          These are the elements of life. Life is crazy, and chaotic, and beautiful. I just want to be able to stop the spinning for a moment and rest in the beauty of life.



Thursday, January 7, 2016

Hopes for a New Year

 
My bookworm Christmas tree :)


RESOLU'TION, n. : Fixed purpose or determination of mind; as a resolution to reform our lives; a resolution to undertake an expedition. (from the 1828 Webster dictionary, as are all other definitions in this post. Is it ultra-nerdy to have a favorite dictionary???)

It's a new year. I started a new journal, and, as tends to happen around January, I've thought about my hopes, dreams, goals, and expectation for my life. I know that no magic happens with the turning of a calendar from December to January. There is nothing fundamentally different about 2016. But human minds need landmarks, and New Year stands significant and proud as one of the most important human landmarks.

A time to put the past in the past and work towards an ideal future.

Me? I don't really do resolutions. I know from experience that New Year's resolutions have an annoying tendency to fail and frustrate, and so I left them behind several years ago. But goals? Hopes? I have plenty of those.

GOAL, n. : The end or final purpose; the end to which a design tends, or which a person aims yo reach or accomplish.

HOPE, n. : A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.

In 2016, I hope to finish reading every word in my Bible. I have read some books in my Bible recently, but it has been too long since I've read to get the big picture. So, to avoid overwhelming myself, I'm just planning my reading one  month at a time. My pace will probably be less than perfect, but that's OK. The important thing is the doing - the reading - not necessarily the finishing.

I also hope to blog more! That said, my goal for January is to write four posts. Here is the first one! Again, I don't want to get discouraged if I don't meet my quota. It's the writing that counts, regardless of word count.

I hope to work again next summer. The goal? A job at least remotely related to my major and my career goals :)

What kind of year will 2016 be? Only God truly knows. But I can feel that it too, like 2015, will be full and important - a significant landmark. How could it not be?

"You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand"
~Psalm 16:11, NIV

What are some of your resolutions, hopes, and goals for 2016? Let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear from you! Also, any thoughts on the new look of my blog?