What I'm Thankful For This Year

1. My family. Duh. (Galdor's standing here. I patted him on the head and he punched me in the shoulder. Good thing he can't read what I'm typing!)
2. God. Okay, another 'duh' inserted here because if God wasn't here, we wouldn't be here. If God wasn't here, even if we did exist it would not be a wonderful life.
3. My friends. It's not easy being my friend, after all. I'm kind of grumpy and kind of annoying sometimes.
4. You really cool followers/readers of my blog who've stayed on even though my posts have been random and far in between!
5. Safety, or at least as much as I can have in this world.
6. A really solid education. Three cheers for my mom and dad!
7. My great-grandma, who I love talking to and who has cool stories about college and WWII.
8. Food. =)
9. The freedom to be able to say my thoughts, shoot guns, worship God, own property, and all the others.
10. Getting my learner's permit on the first try!
11. NaNoWriMo. *cue melodramatic sigh* Without it, I would never have found my wings!
12. My speech chapter. Public speaking really uncorked my bottle, so to speak. I never knew all the things I would be able to do until I gave a speech.
13. My church. I love my church because we're like one big family! Everyone knows everyone, and it's so encouraging to go to a building every week that's stuffed with friends. =)
14. Lastly, I'm thankful for the comfort of home. We're staying home for Thanksgiving and having my grandparents and a friend from church over. It's so nice to have a life. =)

And with those random thoughts, I'll leave you all with a Happy Thanksgiving!!!! ringing in your ears!

Happy 4th of July!

Belated, of course. We were out of town, having our Family Olympics and Independence Day celebration with two grandparents, one uncle, one aunt, and three cousins. All together, that's seven kids in one house. Five of those are age six and under. It's just Peter and I who are the solitary mature, dignified, wise children.

So, how much does independence mean to us? In our cushioned lives, it's pretty easy to forget that freedom comes at a price. We tend to spend a lot of time grumbling at our politicians without taking time to be thankful that we have the right to speak up.

Three cheers for freedom, y'all!

Hugs & Blessings,

Izori

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

My dad is really awesome. He's an assistant baseball coach. Sunday school teacher. Patent examiner. Former scientist. Home-schooling dad. Two-time cancer survivor. Cook (he's grilling on the deck at the moment). Science teacher.

And, most importantly, dad to four kids!

I don't see why we have more days dedicated to dads.

Hugs & Blessings (and Happy Father's Day!)

Izori

Tomorrow Is Easter

While we're caught up in the Easter egg hunts and munching our chocolate bunnies, let's not forget why we really celebrate Easter. No, it's not for the big, giant bunny. It's not for the chocolate.

It's because Someone loved us so much that He not only tolerated our existence--as we took every opportunity to insult and defy Him--but He died for us. He died, and God piled all our guilt on Him.

Jesus didn't do anything wrong. Think of something that was so unjust that it just made you sick. Well, it's ten times worse than that. It's like someone being falsely accused of a horrible crime while the real criminal gets off completely free, even benefits.

Please remember that Jesus not only died, but He came back to life so that we can live a new life free of guilt. Happy Easter!

Hugs & Blessings,

Izori

2011

What I learned in 2010:

That God gives and takes away, and He uses both to make us beautiful.

That pickle ice cream really needs to be improved upon.

That being popular isn't always the best thing to be.

That God gave me my talents and attributes for a reason, although I can't see it right now.

That although it's peaceful to get caught up in the little things and the moment, the more we do that the more moments and little things we miss.

That there are only 24 hours in a day, and they're gone whether or not we use them wisely.

That there's nothing really wrong with the color pink, just as there is nothing wrong with acting like a girl, because I happen to be one.

My New Year's Resolutions for 2011:

To read my Bible everyday, because I really want to get to know God better.

To be a better steward of my body, money, and time, because they belong to God, not me.

To be a better sister, daughter, and friend.

Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

Hugs & Blessings,

Izori

Starting Over

Before I begin, I have to apologize for completely missing Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which was yesterday. I cannot believe I did that, seeing as I was studying that in history! Let's all take a moment to pray for our courageous soldiers who fight and pay the price so we can all be free.

Now...last post, I asked you all a question, and I am going to pretend that every reader gave me their opinion. In reality, it was only my BBFF (best blogging friend forever) igirl who did, but that's okay. Maybe everyone else didn't have the time, and I'm completely sympathetic to you. I'm just being sarcastic because I have a raging headache, so don't mind me. *smiles and winces in pain*

Anyway, she gave me some very good advice, so I am going to start over again. I'm definitely still going to post some writing-related things on this blog, but it's going to be a bit more about yours truly...like I'm sure you all want to hear about me. I think I get igirl's point; a lot of writing tips isn't very personal. Now that we have Traveling Tales, I don't really need to get my writing advice out on this blog.

So. I have another question, just out of my crazy curiosity. Have you ever tried to guess my real first name? Tried to picture me dancing with a turtle? Ignore that last one--that's just my headache talking. What do you think is my real name?

Anyway, I'd be interested in your answer. =) Of course, I won't tell you if you get my name right, because I'm not allowed. Oh, and igirl, it's not fair if you do it because you DO know my name! :o)

That question has another reason than just curiosity. I really would like to know if you guys can guess my real name because you're not supposed to know my real name, and if you guys were able to guess my real name...I'd have to change something around. If your average, teenage, normal blogger could guess my name, a stalker could probably guess a lot more. Sorry to scare anyone there. I'm not really paranoid, it's just that I want to be sure.

I don't think you'll be able to guess, anyway. =)

Oh! That reminds me. Which smiley face do you like better?

a. =)

b. :)

c. :o)

d. :-)

e. :]

God Bless, and Merry 8th of December!

I'm a'back, in all my crazy glory...

I'm playing 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' for our Christmas Eve service at our church. I have, oh, a few weeks to learn it perfectly (including the chords for when I fade into the background a bit) and to be able to play it alongside a guitar. Major stress? You bet.

You know, I really wanted a quiet Christmas this year.

One where I can just flop down underneath the Christmas tree and watch the halos around the lights, and then suddenly remember that Jesus came. So then I'd shout 'HALLELUJAH!' and then watch the angel on the tree give me a really odd look.

You guys are probably giving me odd looks right now too.

Random Question:

Which pseudonym (or pen name) do you prefer: Heaven Silverring or Yors Trooly?

In Short

Here's a quick look at how life as been for me.

We had a very small, quiet Thanksgiving. My grandma came over, and we ate lunch and went for a walk. Then, of course, we turned on the football. =) I detest the Cowboys, so I'm happy to say that the Saints won. Actually, it was a pretty good game.

Today we...*takes a deep breath* GOT OUR CHRISTMAS TREE I'M SO EXCITED ITS IN THE LIVING ROOM ITS AWESOME!!!! And I get to decorate for Christmas! So exciting! *sigh* This year has just flown.

I would get a start on the cookie baking, but I'm very sad to say that I am sick. Ugh. It may be just a cold, but they last a week and they give me headaches. I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to contaminate the cookies. =)

NaNo is going okay, I suppose. I'm a wee bit ahead, but I want to write even more. However, Erestor turned off my laptop and its too much of a pain to turn it on again. I'll just write tomorrow, I guess.

I came down today to behold Galdor closing the oven door. Of course, a two year old around an oven is not a good thing, so I chased him away. However, I did NOT find out that he had slipped a plate with fake food in there until Mom opened the oven door to pop in lunch and found a nicely roasted fake lemon half. That kid...

I'm sorry this was such a boring post. =( Maybe tomorrow I can come up with some last minute NaNo tips.

I forget...what's thankfulness?

I am very behind on NaNoWriMo. Think a couple days worth of writing.

I am seriously starting to think I'm lactose intolerant.

I am SO behind on Biology. So behind...*moan*.

And I miss my blog! I really want to make more time to post, but things are so hectic...

Ran a 5k on Saturday in 35 minutes. No, I did not run all the way, and yes I'm a horrible runner.

Doesn't seem like I have much to be thankful about, huh?

My family. My friends (from the ones I've known since I was 3 to the ones I met this August). All this wonderful food that I can look forward to on Thursday. The ability to write. The freedom that I have in America that came at such a great cost. My health (what's left of it). My God. My church. America.

Let's thank God this Thanksgiving. No, it's not Turkey Day. What do you think we do, thank the great turkey for letting us eat him?

Thanksgiving is a day to spend time giving God the gratitude that He deserves.

Hey, we wouldn't even be here without Him. Think we could spend one day--just one day--saying thank you?

9/11

All I can really remember about it was my mom crying because one of our close relatives worked in the Pentagon.

I remember seeing all of the flags and wondering what was going on. I was only about five years old.

God bless America! Never forget what happened today.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy god with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

~Katharine Lee Bates

Happy 4th, everyone!

Well, this is kinda late. Very late, actually. I was down at my grandparents house for Independence Day, and we watched a spectacular local fireworks show.

What did you think of this 4th of July? Did you remember to thank God for our country? For the freedom to worship how we choose, and to live what we believe? Other countries aren't so fortunate. Yes, today our country may seem like a wreck. But thank God we're a country!

Ever wondered what it took for people to declare themselves free of a huge empire? That's like giving up your life. By all logical figuration, England could have just wiped us out. Do you think it's just coincidence they didn't? All those happenings wove themselves into a victory...and that gives us America.

God bless the U.S.A!

Izori

Happy Memorial Day!

Remember the heroes...if it weren't for them, our country wouldn't be free.

Izori

My Mom

Moms work a 24/7 shift. Whether they want to or not. They don't get vacations.

My mom cooks 3 meals a day, every day. She home schools us, too. She's one of my role-models. She's changed my diapers when I was little, and now she buys my clothes and pays for piano lessons and all that other good stuff. Let's face it...without mom, I would be...uh...in a pretty bad way. As in non-existent.

LET'S GIVE THREE CHEERS FOR MOTHERS!




Lol.

Izori

Happy National Day of Prayer!

National Prayer Day was first called on in the Revolutionary War, and then later by presidents George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and F.D.R. Roosevelt (I'm pretty sure). And our nation most definitely needs prayer! Here are a few prayer requests.

1. This current generation of Americans. Obesity, horrific video games, increasingly politically correct school curriculums...we'll need every single prayer we can get for these!

2. President Obama and his family, that God will change their hearts.

3. Crime and immorality (illegal and otherwise) to come to an end.

4. Our brave army.

5. The whole world, financially (especially Greece), physically, and spiritually.

6. For that big oil spill to be cleaned up. I've heard that if it gets caught in a current, it will go as far as North Carolina. Which is really bad.

7. For the hearts and souls of everyone.

8. For the desperate embracing of really bad ideas, such as communism and socialism, in hectic times to come to an end.

9. For Greece in general.

10. For all of our missionaries.

11. For the state of Arizona, which is having a lot of issues (such as crimes) with illegal immigration. Good grief! It's their own border! If Americans were flooding into Mexico against the Mexicans will, of course politicians would call the Americans trespassers and intruders.

12. For Tennessee with all of their flooding.

13. For Jesus to come again really soon!

Izori

He Has Risen!

"He has risen! He is not here. Se the place where they have laid him."
Mark 16:6b

Perhaps the sun shone brighter,
Than it ever had, that morn.
Did the stars, that night,
Shine secrets of the dawn?
For now the grave is empty,
The stone is rolled away;
The off'ring of the Savior
Conquered death that day.

What love caused this great wonder,
The Holy One to come?
No oath to us had tied Him,
And yet He left his home.
Rags replacing glory,
Thorns to grace his head;
Blood speaks testimony
Of what our Savior did.
-- Y. Truly


Happy Easter! Centuries ago, pure blood was shed so we could live!

How can we ever say thank you enough?

Izori

P.S. And Happy 2nd Birthday to my li'l brother, Galdor!

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down;
now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine.

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with thy favor,
Vouch-safe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
To thank thee, dearest Friend,
For this, thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to thee.

--Bernard of Clairvaux

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Luke 23: 44-46


What a price to pay. Precious, pure blood for the stains of us.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus was thinking on the cross?

All of God's wrath--wrath that was meant for us--was being poured out onto him. His spiritual anguish must have been severe.

The physical pain--sweating blood, like he did just before, is an actual condition that causes the skin of the place (his forehead) to become extremely tender. Right in time for a crown of sharp thorns to be pressed onto his head. He was whipped with barbed whips. Being elevated into the air on a wooden cross by nails hammered into his hands and feet. Ouch.

The humiliation--being hung out for all to see and to scoff. The soldiers split his garments between them, meaning that he was unclothed. He had a mocking sign hung above his head.

I think that this story has been told so many times that it has kind of lost it's meaning. "Yeah, yeah. Jesus hung on the cross to pay for sins. I know. I've been told a million and two times." But each year we should think on this story afresh. Because if it weren't for Jesus, we would be without hope. We would be doomed.

It's not a good thing, being doomed.

Praise the Lord that we aren't anymore.

Izori

An Announcement

I've decided, people. I'm really sorry.

*takes a deep breath*

I'm going to quit Blogger. It's just been too much to keep up with, and I feel kind of stretched out. So, this is my last post.

Bye!

Izori





JUST KIDDING!!!!! Lol! Happy April Fools Day! Man alive, did I ever get you! You should have seen your face...did I get anyone with that?


Just a few seconds ago, I took my laptop out onto the front porch. Let me tell ya, it's WONDERFUL writing out in the fresh air with all those bees buzzing around, and the forsithia's yellow blossums whacking your face because of all the wind. No, I'm not being sarcastic. Forsithia pollen must be this world's fairie dust!

Anyway, some wee random writing tips that I have:

1. Don't stress the first draft. That is very important. The first draft SHOULD be messy. It's the part where you can get all of your thoughts and ideas down. The next drafts are to make it more eloquent.

2. Totally stress the last draft. Even more important! I was just reading a book (I couldn't bring myself to finish it) that was worse than MY first drafts. It was pretty bad. The main thing is for your finished project to look like a finished project. If it's sloppy, badly written, etc., there's a good chance not many people will read it and the people who do will give it bad reviews.

3. Move outside to write, or go down to the basement or up to your room or anything like that! Just switch locations. It will help inspire you.

4. Decide early if a project is worth keeping. That way you won't waste your time.

5. Make your characters really strong. Add personal thoughts, backgrounds, a wee bit of romance about them...whatever.

6. Try not to have a cliche plot. It's actually quite hard. After all, cliche ideas are that way because they're good ideas! But still, be original.

7. I can't stress originality enough. Copying other works ain't going to cut it! Even if it's on accident, don't copy anyone. I was reading a book that was otherwise great...except for when they totally copied the scene in Return of the King where Eowyn slays the Witch King. It was sooo taken from LotR, down to the line, "I am no man!". It was really, really, really, REALLY awful.

Izori

Our St. Patrick's Day Adventure and Announcement

OMGoodness! The Celtic Woman Concert was amazing! They all have absolutely spectacular voices! We got to hear 'Danny Boy', 'Dulamon', 'Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears', 'Galway Bay' and more! I had no IDEA Lynn could be so funny! She was absolutely HILARIOUS! Compared to Chloë, she's more reserved and quiet, but I never knew that she was a comedian! And she sang 'Dulamon', which I've always considered Mèav's song but she did an astounding job.

Oh, and you should have seen Maìrèad twirl ten times in the center of the stage really fast, and then leap really high...holding a fiddle. She's amazing.

And we also saw 'At the Ceili'. It's a very interesting song about three lassies who go find men. Surprisingly, it was one of my mom's favorite songs! ;)

All of the songs were wonderful, and all of the girls looked like they were having so much fun! Seriously, it made ME want to go up there, too. And then we got to sing along to 'Spanish Lady'.

So in short we HAD AN ABSOLUTE BLAST!! Almost as much as the performers were! lol. No really, they looked like they were enjoying themselves sooooooooo much. That is one of the things I like about them--they enjoy performing.

Afterward, outside the famous bagpiper (I absolutely LOVE the bagpipes!) played for everyone to take pictures of and to listen to. We listened to him for a little (he played very well).

Ah, but the night couldn't be complete without a wee fiasco.

After the performance (it ended at ten at night, but it went over, I believe) Mom and Luthien and I walked all the way from where they were doing it to the parking garage. Luthien was really sleepy, and I was feeling kind of tired too.

So when we got to the car, we were both waiting for mom to unlock it. Mom was digging around in her purse, but she couldn't find the keys! (Yeah, we were all like, 'uh-oh...') The only place we could think of where we left them is the performance area. Yep, way up high in the seats, maybe in between two of them...the keys were black so it would take a longish time to find them.

That is, if we got there before they closed the building.

Actually we didn't. We got there right after it closed. But then the guys inside opened the doors for a lady who was also going to look for something, and Mom seized the chance to ask him real quick if we could go in and look.

"Oh, you're missing car keys?" he asked, and then described them perfectly.

"Why, yes! That's them!" Mom exclaimed as the man pulled a set of keys out of the lost-and-found box. And so after thanking him we raced out of there as fast as we could go, without asking how on earth did he find them!

It was only after we were walking back to the car (at over eleven o'clock PM) that we began to wonder how he found them. We still have never figured it out, but we probably never will.

All I can say is that it was a St. Patrick's Day Miracle.

Okay...so we've determined that St. Patrick is the saint of Ireland and car-keys. :)

And my announcement...

I have decided to take a small Easter break from blogging. I haven't had time to write anything except a script in a long while, and I would like the time to do that. I will probably come back a week after Easter. And by gone, I mean gone. I won't even check on it or moderate comments (although still feel very free to comment!). Usually, if I don't post I'll at least look at other people's blogs, but I'm not going to do that. Also, I'm hoping to cut down on my computer time.

So, Happy Easter in advance!

Izori

Happy Valentine's Day!

Even though I'm still giving out chocolates and paper hearts to everyone (more like Jolly Ranchers and paper hearts, lol) I'd like to remember what this holiday really is about--a saint who lost his life for the Lord under the rule of Nero in Rome. God also worked through him to restore sight to the blind daughter of a Roman official.

So, after you've taken a moment to remember St. Valentine...

*hands over a virtual box of chocolates* Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!!!!

Now I get to tell you all about my experiences.

So, last night (Date Night) was actually pretty fun. I was on food-prep, and it actually was easy. Not NEARLY as stressful as teaching the 2-3 yr. old class in VBS! They had 'Ratatouille' on for the kids, and most of the helpers watched it, too :) We (Galdor, Erestor, Luthien, me) only watched ten minutes of it before we had to go, but we had seen it before so it didn't really matter. We were really tired, so we went to bed almost as soon as we got home.

Today was Valentine's Day!! We got up, had breakfast, and then I really quickly made valentine's for my friends at church. Then we went to church, where we had a really good lunch (church lunches are always good, lol), and then we came back home. Dad gave us really fancy chocolates and they taste REALLY GOOD!!!!!!!!!! And then I gave Erestor, Luthien, Galdor, and Dad big hearts stuffed with handfuls of candy, and I gave Mom 'intensely dark' chocolate. And I got a valentine from one of my friend's at church that was very pretty.

Oh yeah, and both Mom and I decided that next week we'll go for seven days without sweets! After a day like this, I think it'll be kind of easy! There's only so much sugar you can have before you have a sugar-crash, y'know! Lol.

Izori

Super Quick Post Filled With Random Things!

My grandparents are over to celebrate Christmas, and I got the LotR soundtrack from them!!!!

It's a blue moon where I live tonight.

This is my last post in 2009.

What is all this fuss that I hear on the news about when the decade begins/ends? A decade is 10 years, no? Let's see...2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009...that's 10 years! Count 'em yourself! It's settled then! This is my LAST POST OF THE DECADE!!

That's creepy.

Happy New Year, ya'll!

And Happy End-of-the-Decade!

Izori