Giveaway!

The Anonymous Antagonist has finally reached 100 followers! *cheers*

Which means that he's got a pretty awesome giveaway going on right now with some super cool prizes! :)

http://wilsonftw.blogspot.com/2012/02/100-follower-giveaway.html

And here's my answer to his question: "What is your favorite aspect of blogging?"

Well, I know that I'm not the best about blogging regularly... But I think that's because I have a blog not to get followers or reach a ton of people. What I like about blogging is just having a place to write about what I'm thinking about or post things that I find interesting. And then the very small crowd of people who actually care about what I have to say can read it if they want to. :) I'm not sure if this is a good answer or not, but I hope you know what I mean. :P

Anyways, have an awesome day and all that!

♥Shay

Well...

So much for working on my story. I put on Clannad After Story to try and get my inspiration up and it inspired me alright. But to do a blog post instead. But I guess blogging is writing to so I won't feel too guilty about it.

I'm sure I've posted about Clannad before...
But...

It is honestly one of the most beautiful movies/tv shows I have ever seen. It's not a big fantasy (There is a tiny bit of fantasy) or an epic action series with a big bad guy to defeat. It's got a little comedy and quite a bit of drama. But it's perfectly balanced with enough light hearted randomness that makes it a lot of fun to watch.

It's really just about life. Friendships, relationships, family, good times and bad times.

Each episode is so laid back it's very relaxing to watch. The characters are over the top anime as usual but they're pretty believable. It makes me think of my group of friends. It kind of voices the way that I feel about them and the time we spend together. I've tried several times to do a post about my friends but I've never really been able to say exactly what I mean.

Maybe I read too much into it. Maybe the others don't see it the way I do. But my group of friends are some of the most important people in the world to me. The effect we have on each other can either make us or break us. I know that sounds cliche or silly but it's true. At least for me I know.

I'm still not entirely sure how to say it. I think the best way for me to say it is exactly how they've changed me. A few years ago I was afraid to do anything. I didn't want to go to parties or talk to people or do anything really. I would literally start shaking when I felt like I was getting outside of my comfort zone.

Then I got to know some people who literally changed my life. Sorry if that sounds dramatic. :P They give me confidence and make me feel good about myself again.

This is just a garbled mess of thoughts and feelings that I feel like I need to get out. What I'm trying to say is I love my group dearly. I would do anything for them. Some of the happiest memories of my life have been made in the past year with these people. When they are happy I'm happy and when they're sad I'm sad. I've only been really truly angry a few times in my life and almost every time it was because someone was hurting one of them.

Can we please be friends always? I have felt the deep hurt that comes from losing people that you care about. The pain that brings you to your knees. It's almost unbelievable that something could hurt that badly. It's almost as bad when people just drift apart and eventually stop talking altogether.

Ok, enough random garbling. Point is, I love you guys and I wouldn't be the person I am without you.

I'm not sure if I should post this or not... It's very random and silly. But... this is something that I've been thinking about lately and I know if I just delete it I'll end up trying to re-write the whole thing.

So.... here goes. Please don't take anything the wrong way.

♥~Shay

Giving Thanks at a ridiculous hour…

So much for getting a good nights sleep tonight… :P I'm hoping to go Good Friday shopping on Friday, possibly staying up all night Thursday night so I wanted to sleep well tonight. Not working out so well right now.

So… I thought I'd wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Also, here's my list of things that I'm thankful for.

1. Calms… I took four. Hopefully they'll help me get to sleep.
2. This touchpad which enables me to do this post.
3. My family of course.
4. My fantastic, fantabulous, wonderful friends. Benny, Katy, Daniel, Wes, Nathan, Caleb, Bethany, Beka, Juli, Scott, Suzy-I love you guys!
5. My amazing job!
6. My Church
7. Portland
8. Turkey
9. Coffee :P
10. Christmas music :D

Ok, I'm going to try sleeping again. :P

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ultimate Christmas Wishlist

Daniel from The Anonymous Antagonist was reminding me that I had not done my Ultimate Christmas Wishlist yet, so.... Here goes! (By the way, if I haven't said so already... You should really go visit his blog! It's awesome!)

$100 American Eagle gift card. Is that lame? :P

Nebulous Kingdom's 2012 Calender

An iheartfink dress

A pretty camera.......

A pretty computer............

A pretty car......................

Clinique :P

Dominion

And.... that's all I can think of right now. :P

At the moment I'm enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. The first cup of the season. It's SO GOOD!

Now! I am off to go work on my book some more. :)

Shay ♥

Got a job!!!

So finally, after two years of looking, I have got a job. It's at Things Remembered and it still seems strange to me...

But I've worked two days so far. Well, I've trained for two days. I really love it so far. My position is engraver which means I work the engraving machines and put the messages on the jewelry and boxes and watches and whatever else.

So far in my training I've learned to use the machines, engrave on metal, engrave on plastic, and engrave pens. I've also learned how to engrave on different shapes like hearts and stars. But it's a lot of fun and I really like my manager and the assistant manager.

But yeah, that's about my only update at the moment...

After talking to Daniel from The Anonymous Antagonist, (Which you should totally check out because I think he writes one of the best blogs in existence!) I'm thinking about writing a short story and posting it here. I think it would help my inspiration and motivation a lot if I actually finished something. Maybe then I would be able to get farther on my main story...

Oh! Also this Friday I'm putting together a costume dance as a fundraiser for my Church's school. I'm making Benny and I gypsy costumes for it. Hopefully I'll get them done in time... :P Actually not hopefully! I know I'll get them done in time. So there!

:P I'll try and get pictures of them on Friday.

And now... Because it is Tuesday!!!

Oh my gosh I love this song and video so much!!! :D It's kind of like our house. :D Except that we live on the corner of our street.

Have a fantastic week all!

Catching up

So I think I've killed my muse... killed it stone dead.

I thought when Autumn came I would start being able to write again... The smell of the air, the rain, and the color of the leaves almost always make me need to write. 

Like right now... I'm forcing myself to write this. I have a cup of warm coffee next to me, a fire going in the fireplace, and my inspirational playlist going. Usually that should be all it takes! Especially since it's raining outside at the moment.

Well, I guess I just need to try and work past this.

Choir started again two weeks ago. It's amazing to think how different this year is from when I first started it. In a good way completely. 

So far the songs we're learning aren't all that interesting though.

The choir will be singing at the Grotto for the second year in a row which means we have to learn about 45 minutes worth or music. Normally I adore starting choir and learning Christmas music straight off. It's like cheating since normally I don't allow myself to indulge in any Christmas music till the day after Thanksgiving. But this year none of the music has that distinct Christmas feel to it... Hopefully some of the stuff we start tonight will be more like it.

So far we've started learning:

And the Glory of the Lord from The Messiah Choruses by Handel
In the Bleak Mid-Winter (but the melody isn't the same as the traditional one)

Shepherd's Star

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach

Ok, that last one is a little more fun. Also it's pretty easy.

We're also learning Sing to the Lord by Vivaldi

We All Believe in One True God

and

Except the Lord Build the House based on Psalm 127

It's kind of a lonely season of choir for me this year since my best friend has moved to Washington for his new job. He comes back most weekends but he can't come back for choir...

Anyways

Today I walked up to Joann's to try and find a gypsy pattern for a costume I'm going to make. I found one but it isn't quite what I was looking for so I'm going to look through the old costumes we've got around here and see if I can find anything I can piece together.  Hopefully I'll be able to finish it before the party which is on the 21st... I'm putting together a costume dance as a fundraiser for the private school that my Church runs. Hoping plenty of people show up!

Last weekend Benny came back from Washington and Wes, Caleb, Forrest, Elisa, Benny, and I went to Portland. It was Wes' first time and Benny's second. We went to Saturday Market, Everyday Music, and ate lunch at Pizzicato. 

Caleb and Wesley's first time on the bus! :D

 The taco plate Benny and I split at Saturday Market :D

Benny bought a hat to keep his ears warm at his job in Washington. :) It's getting pretty cold up there.

 Wesley bought a new hat that is cool.

Benny, Elisa, and Wesley being hypnotized by the spinning porch decorations. 

Elisa is scarred by the singing marionettes...

Trying on cute hats :D

Caleb and Elisa :D

Benny got vinyl albums of the Shins and Wilco. He was pretty pleased with them. :)

Bus ride home

So other than the Doctor Who season ending not much has happened that I can think of... :P

Love!

Shay

So cool!

This is a really cool anime that my brother Forrest did of me! :D

You should go read his blog because it's pretty hilarious!

BOB's blog

Harry Potter

I must confess... I only started reading the Harry Potter books and watching the movies quite recently.  I think it was only a year or two ago actually...

But, I was thoroughly hooked! The plots are so full and lifelike. Watching the characters grow and change was so interesting.  While, I certainly don't try to claim ultimate fandom, I really do love the story.

So...

Last night I went to my very first midnight showing and it was for the finale of Harry Potter!  :D  It was kinda really amazing.

I got to the theater at 7 after a while of bus troubles.  :P  I missed the first bus and the next one was soooo late.

So Wesley and I both got there at 7 and sat in line to save spots for Benny and Katy.  The line was so long... I've never been in a line that long.  It filled up the whole lobby of the theater and then went outside and down the sidewalk.  And we weren't even at Bridgeport...  That one they closed down the whole street I guess.  There were seven showings at our theater and we went to the 12:15 one. 

Some of the costumes I saw were pretty wild. :D

So... we waited in line for 2-3 hours.  Benny got me a coffee (thank goodness, I would never have survived otherwise. I need my caffeine!" and we ate some dinner later. We got into the theater about 9:30 and sat in there till it started.  

Wesley did shadow puppets on the screen which was pretty hilarious and Benny was bummed that no one had brought a beach ball.  I guess it's some sort of thing that people bring beach balls to midnight showings?  There were some people playing Apples to Apples.  I was wishing we'd brought that...  We watched a couple youtube videos and talked and stuff.  I was kind of thinking I should take a nap but I wasn't tired enough yet.  :P

Then it started :D  I bet Wesley the actual movie probably wouldn't start until 12:45 and I think I was pretty close.  :D  He thought that the trailers would either be nonexistent or end before 12:15.  :P

There was a glitch in the screen during the trailers though so they had to shut everything down and restart it.  Wesley did another shadow puppet on the screen and everyone cheered and clapped.  It was kinda hilarious.  Probably the most cheered shadow puppet dog ever.

The movie itself was pretty epic.  Of course the book was better, but I think this was one of the best movies compared to the books.

I cried. And Benny laughed at me.

By the way, Severus Snape is my hero.  I LOVE HIM!!!

And I cried. When Snape died...  Great sadness and mourning.

So am I the only one who doesn't really like James Potter?  He kind of sounded like a jerk.  And Severus seems so amazing.... In the movie when Harry sees Snape's memory of himself finding Lily dead I cried so hard. :( 

Now I want to go read all of the books again.  There is so much more in them than you can include in a movie!

Anyways...  I once again had a really good day with Benny, Katy, and Wesley.  I love you guys! :D

Yeah....  It was pretty amazing.  Now I want to go read all of the books and watch all of the movies over again...

Happy 4th and God Bless America

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.

Today was the annual 4th of July celebration at one of the families from Church's house.  It's a lot of fun. Just about everyone from Church is there plus some. You eat food, play volley ball, (or in my case watch people play volley ball), talk, and just have a good time. I spent most of it with Benny and Wesley. (And mostly Benny) :D

Before that we almost always have a softball game at the field that's a block from my house.  My team lost by one point. :P  And then they get out the slingshot and shot water balloons across the field.

We were on our way home from the party tonight and my dad had the radio on. It was playing all these patriotic songs like America the Beautiful and there were fireworks exploding all over the place outside.

And I was thinking as we were driving through all this celebrating.  Do people even really think very much anymore about it? Or has it become more like Thanksgiving where people just feel like it's a day to have fun and eat? Do we think about what this day means?

I personally am very proud to be an American. I love my country. Just the name is beautiful. America.... I am an American through and through. I love our flag and wish that people respected it more than they do. I am proud to say the pledge of allegiance, the whole thing, including the part that some people find offensive.

I think it's sad that many people are no longer proud to be called American.

I am not happy with our government and the direction our country has taken. But that is not America.  America is the idea, the dream that our founding fathers had, and put into place.  And even if the physical country were to fail, which I do not think will happen anytime soon, I would still be an American at heart.

I pray that our country would realize it's mistakes and return to what it was meant to be.

A free nation where people could live with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

When people from other countries think of America, I want the first things to come to their mind to be God and liberty.

God bless America again. Make us a beacon of light to the other nations. Let us have leaders who are proud to be leaders of our country, who are God-fearing men and women, who will strive to make the right decisions.

That video is of my choir singing the national anthem at a beavers game last year. :D

My Friends :)

This is a picture of me with three of my favorite people in the whole world.

And apparently none of us are good at smiling naturally for the camera...

That's me on the left, Benny in the middle, Wesley on the right and Katy in front.

I love it when the four of us do things together.  Today I spent the day painting a house with them.  I think about painting and it doesn't really sound like a fun way to spend a Friday but it was actually a ton of fun! :D And I kind of got covered in green and silver paint...

But a couple weeks ago was my Church's family camp and we four spent the whole week together. :D  Except when we were at the beach, Wesley hid indoors and when we played Munchkin Katy went to bed. :P

AND!

When the newest Harry Potter comes out we're all going to go see the midnight showing together! EXCITEMENT!  It will be my very first midnight showing.  :P

Anyways...  I love my friends! :D