Random Happiness

Things that have made me happy this week are...

...that I got to talk to one of my most beloved characters for the first time in a very long while. I've known her since she was fourteen and I was twelve. Now I'm fourteen and she's nineteen. *sniff* They grow up fast. Over twice as fast as I am.

...that my soccer coach spent a lot of time with me and some others troubleshooting our troubles with shooting.

...that I finally got to go for a nice little run today before lunch. Man, I needed it after all that Easter candy.

...that I got to have a long chat with God on the aforementioned run. It's so nice to get to talk to Him, and I don't do it nearly enough.

...that I'm on a fairly good track with school. Biology and math are my two biggest concerns right now, but I think they're under control.

...that my speech chapter performed at a nursing home on Tuesday and it went awesomely. Seriously, I was pretty frightened that it wouldn't work out. I did an interpretation of Winnie the Pooh, I was the spider in 'The Very Busy Spider' (super easy because I have absolutely no lines in that one), and I was the talking servant in an interpretation of The Prodigal Son. All in all, a lot of things to memorize. But it went very well.

...that I got to spend a lot of time with a friend of mine that I haven't seen very much this last month.

...that we had a good time with my Great-Grandma, who visited us this week.

...that I actually managed to blog. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Hugs & Blessings,

Izori

I have done the impossible.

On September 25, 2010 I started October's Knight. On October 1, 2010, I finished it. I wrote a book in one week.

What's more, it wasn't at the expense of my schooling! I got 100% on my biology test (yes, I use Apologia. My dad teaches me).

Now I'm typing it up, so I can hand it to my friend tomorrow!

NaNoWriMo sounds super easy to me now. Write a book in 30 days? How 'bout 7? =)

One Looong Night (Adventures with Tash) And A Huge Thank You!

Yesterday I had a fever of 102.something F after our church picnic. I was really disappointed, because I needed to study badly for the TOG. Man. That sounds like 'badly' modifies 'study', but it really modifies 'needed'. Grammar freak, I know.

Dad gave me some Motrin, which lowered my temperature a lot, but in the middle of the night I had an awful dream. It was pretty long and complicated, but it involved a fire that was growing hotter (probably my rising temperature) and the Telmarine god Tash from the Chronicles of Narnia. It ended well, but Tash was super scary. I've always been afraid of him.

That dream was one of the only nightmares I have had in about three years. All of my dreams are scary, but in it I do really cool things, like fighting a battle as Pippin. And it was really vivid and realistic too. Probably brought on by my fever.

Anyway, because I was feeling super hot, I went into the bathroom to check my temperature and got a reading of 104.3 F. That is the highest temperature I can ever remember having. Maybe I had one like it when I was 3 and had the flu, but I wouldn't remember it, of course.

I decided to get some Motrin from downstairs. But wait. That meant walking down the stairwell with darkness on one side, and a dark opening on the other. Usually I'm not afraid of the dark, but with a temp of 104 F I really didn't feel like fighting Tash. Er, that is, I thought Tash would jump out at me.

I successfully navigated all the way downstairs on my fever-wobbly legs and carefully flicked the kitchen light on. Then I went to the medicine cabinet.

The 'medicine cabinet' is a term in our house that means 'jumbled mess mostly related to helping various illnesses'. I had hoped that the Motrin would be right up front, but I could immediately see that it wasn't. I started digging through the boxes of pills and children's medicine.

While taking a break, I happened to glance over into the dark living room. There, close to the floor, we're two glowing white eyes and a beak. AAAAAHHHHH! TASH!

And then I remembered that it was Galdor's playpen. Whew. However, a blanket on a chair looked a lot like a jellyfish, and that reminded me I desperately needed to find some Motrin.

This was about the time when I realized I was narrating all of this to myself like it was a blog-post, which made me feel a bit desperate. And I still couldn't find the Motrin!

Then I happened to glance down a little and saw a big bottle of ibuprofen tablets. It wasn't until the next day that I learned that ibuprofen and Motrin are two names for the same thing, but when I saw fever reducer on the side of the bottle, I was about ready to dance. =)

So I took the tablet and went up to bed. End of story, right?

Well, I was still kind of obsessing over Tash. It might have been about 3 AM when I heard a noise from downstairs. It may have been something falling, or it could have been our AC, or a bunch of things. But, of course, being the sleepy, ill, crazy person I am, I locked my door, turned on my lamp, and grabbed a metal curtain rod for protection. I must have sat in my rocking chair staring at the doorknob for fifteen minutes before I got tired and crawled into bed and finally fell asleep.

Until 5:40 AM, when Mom knocked on my door (still locked) and asked me why I still had my lamp on. Of course, I probably made no sense at all when I told her I was afraid of Tash. :)

I'm a lot better today, but I'm probably still contagious. Not delirious though, thank goodness!

Next, a BIG THANK YOU to AWEL PRINCE!! She's the person behind this lovely new design! It's gorgeous, and so Elven! Head over to her two blogs: her DESIGNER BLOG and her PERSONAL BLOG.

Summer

Yesterday we (Mom, Erestor, Luthien, and I) biked all the way up to Chick-fil-A. All the way up along a busy road with the sun pouring down on us. No shade. Sweating all over the place. My arms are now salmon pink. The perfect summer memory!

What do you associate with summer? Languid. Hazy. Golden. Freedom. Fireflies. Watermelon. Laughter. Sweat. Misty mornings. Fresh sunrises and glorious sunsets. Stars. Swimming. Lemonade. Wind. The creek. Friends. Walks in the evenings. Peaches. Brown, parched yards. The Farmer's Market. Picnics. Fireworks. Blackberries. Blueberries. Frozen treats. Pickle ice cream. Boating. Fishing. Grilling. Cold showers. Family.

And then you snap your finger, and it's all gone.

What have y'all been doing for your summer? Have you smiled at someone who needed it? Made a new friend? Gone on a mission trip? Gotten to know God better? Composed a song? Did something for someone else? Improved your swimming? Taught someone something? Gotten in shape?

I've found a new favorite Bible verse:

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20

Don't you love it? It's so punchy, and I love the paradox. Our God is a God of peace, but woe betide anyone who hurts his children!

I've also found a new favorite boys name. Shaun. It means 'God's Grace'.

Today, we're going blackberry picking with a friend's family.

I hope y'all are having a memorable summer! Enjoy what's left of it, and spend it in a way you won't regret when it's all over.

Hugs & Blessings,

Izori

Guess What!

Remember Cornet Crazie's really cool writing contest? Well...I WON! I'm absolutely thrilled! I thought for sure that everyone else would beat me.

I'll post my story later, but I'm very busy. We're doing a room switch, and I'm spray-painting an old chair, and preparing to transform my room from goldfish yellow to stone brown.

Izori

Tagged by Elrania!

First off, I noticed a leap in my followers! 35 and counting! Thank you so much, every one of you--with just one of you missing, I wouldn't have this number!!!!!

And then a REALLY awesome looking tag from Elrania!

The rules are...

First, list twelve characters from any fandom, then answer the questions below

And here I go...

1. Haldir

2. Sir Mallick

3. Sauraman (I think that's how you spell it)

4. Aragorn

5. Elinor Dashwood

6. Ehra (from my own book)

7. Galadriel

8. Arwen

9. Eowyn

10. Gimli

11. Legolas

12. Jadis, the White Witch

1. Who would make a better collage prof, 6 or 11? (Ehra or Legolas)
Oh man, I don't know! I think Ehra.

2. Do you think #2 is hot?

Sir Mallick? Um...I don't think of people as hot...but he's funny!

3. 12 sends 8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed?

The White Witch sending Arwen out on a mission? Oh dear. It's to find a really nice piece of jewelry, and because Arwen has good taste, the mission succeeds.

4. What is or what would be 9's favorite book?

Aragorn...'How to Swordfight and Look Cool While You're at It'

5. Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or the other way around?

Aargh! I don't know. Sir Mallick is a knight, but Ehra's a lady.

6. For some reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should (s)he room with 9 or 10?

If Elinor Dashwood is looking for a roommate, she would probably choose Eowyn over Gimli. Just a feeling, but I think I'm right.

7. 2, 7 and 12 are going out to dinner. Where do they go and what do they discuss?

Hmmm...Sir Mallick, Galadriel, and the White Witch go to Don Pablos, and Galadriel and the White Witch get into an argument. Sir Mallick looks helplessly on and feebly attempts to put a stop to it.

8. 3 challenges 10 to a duel, who wins?

If Sauraman duels Gimli...GIMLI WOULD SOOOOOOOOOO WIN!!!! DON'T YOU DARE SUGGEST OTHERWISE *glares at Erestor, who is looking over my shoulder and 'suggesting otherwise'*

9. If 1 stole 8's most precious possession, how would (s)he get it back?

First off, Haldir would NEVER steal Arwen's most precious possesion. And if he did, Aragorn would get it back for her.

10. Suggest a story title in which 7 and 12 both attain what they desire.

Galadriel and The White Witch...'In White'

11. What kind of plot device would you have to use if you wanted 1 and 4 to work together?

Haldir and Aragorn work pretty well together already.

12. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would it go?
If Galadriel visited me, I would be VERY HAPPY!!!

13. If you could command 3 to perform any service or task for you, what would it be?

I would command Sauraman to become good.

14. Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11?

Draw Legolas? I don't know.

15. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, what side would (s)he choose?

Haldir would probably choose Aragorn's side, rather than Elinor Dashwood's.

16. What might 10 shout out while charging into battle?

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!! (Gimli)

17. If you had to choose a song to best describe 8, what would it be?

To describe Arwen...Evenstar.

18. 1, 6 and 12 are having a dim sum at a Chinese Restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets it?

Haldir would beat Ehra and the White Witch.

19. What might be a good pick up line for 2 to use on 10?

I honestly don't know.

20. What would 5 most likely be arrested for?

Elinor Dashwood?! She wouldn't be arrested for anything.

21. What is 6's secret?

Ehra's secret is deep and dark...she likes brownies *gasps of horror*. They don't exist in Sarea, so that's why she keeps it a secret (I mean brownies as in the dessert, not the mythical creature) . Even from me, until now...

22. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?

Legolas would CREAM Eowyn! (Not that I'm anti-Eowyn, it's just that Legolas is an elf)

23. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, who would you feel more comfortable walking with, 7 or 8?

Galadriel or Arwen? Probably Arwen.

24. 1 (Haldir) and 9 (Eowyn) reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4's (Aragorn's) sinister secret organization. 11 (Legolas) volunteers to help them,

but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for 4 (Aragorn). Meanwhile, 4 (Aragorn) has kidnapped 12 (The White Witch) in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise
advice of 5 (Elinor Dashwood), they seek out 3 (Sauraman) , who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fic?

...?...Um...'Mixed Up'. LOL.

And now I tag...

Whoever has not done this before! A lot of people have done this already.