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!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Wait for it...
You guys are never going to guess in a thousand years what happened to me today.
Oh, by the way, NaNoWriMo's going pretty well. There have been days where I haven't written at all, but I've always managed to catch up. I'm liking my book, and as I write the plot is turning out even better than I expected. But this is the first year that I haven't wrote a book in a little series I was writing. This year the setting and plot and characters are completely brand new. It's kind of like going on vacation for a little bit, if you know what I mean. Fun, exciting, but in the end you get home and you sigh in relief.
I've also developed a knack for long, run on paragraphs. And omitting contractions and that little dash that sometimes connects words.
But anyway...
Guess what I did today!
I GOT MY LEARNER'S PERMIT!!!!!
It's almost surreal. And it's kinda sad too. I mean, there's something about now being lawfully able to get behind the wheel and control this huge hunk of metal that drives childhood right out of you. =(
Anyway, that's really all for now. I just wanted to share that huge milestone with you guys.
How has NaNo been with anyone else?
Oh, by the way, NaNoWriMo's going pretty well. There have been days where I haven't written at all, but I've always managed to catch up. I'm liking my book, and as I write the plot is turning out even better than I expected. But this is the first year that I haven't wrote a book in a little series I was writing. This year the setting and plot and characters are completely brand new. It's kind of like going on vacation for a little bit, if you know what I mean. Fun, exciting, but in the end you get home and you sigh in relief.
I've also developed a knack for long, run on paragraphs. And omitting contractions and that little dash that sometimes connects words.
But anyway...
Guess what I did today!
I GOT MY LEARNER'S PERMIT!!!!!
It's almost surreal. And it's kinda sad too. I mean, there's something about now being lawfully able to get behind the wheel and control this huge hunk of metal that drives childhood right out of you. =(
Anyway, that's really all for now. I just wanted to share that huge milestone with you guys.
How has NaNo been with anyone else?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Aargh. I give up.
Yes, I came back. I think it took me less than two weeks to really start missing you all. I miss sharing things here, just getting stuff out of my brain. So, here I am.
Not that you'll see too much of me, because NaNoWriMo starts...tomorrow. AAAAAAHHHH!
That was a shriek of pure joy. Pure joy, y'all. I am so excited for November, because it's the month that I can actually live like a crazy person and get pep-talks for it (plus a novel in the bargain).
The only problem I'm anticipating is...*sigh*...life. I have a ton of things to do with school work alone (mainly public speaking), but I've heard that the busier you are the funner NaNoWriMo is.
So November is the month of frost and orange-yellow-red-brown trees and Thanksgiving and crazy writers. It is the best month of the year.
By the way, you all should have totally seen the frost this morning. It was this gorgeous white, and then the trees were all orange and red, and the sky was this light frozen blue, and some of the houses had smoke coming out of the chimneys.
I love November.
Is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo?
Izori
Not that you'll see too much of me, because NaNoWriMo starts...tomorrow. AAAAAAHHHH!
That was a shriek of pure joy. Pure joy, y'all. I am so excited for November, because it's the month that I can actually live like a crazy person and get pep-talks for it (plus a novel in the bargain).
The only problem I'm anticipating is...*sigh*...life. I have a ton of things to do with school work alone (mainly public speaking), but I've heard that the busier you are the funner NaNoWriMo is.
So November is the month of frost and orange-yellow-red-brown trees and Thanksgiving and crazy writers. It is the best month of the year.
By the way, you all should have totally seen the frost this morning. It was this gorgeous white, and then the trees were all orange and red, and the sky was this light frozen blue, and some of the houses had smoke coming out of the chimneys.
I love November.
Is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo?
Izori
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Decision
I have made a decision. (duh).
I'm going to take a break--return date yet to be decided--from this blog. I'm not sure when the break's going to end, but I can almost guarantee it's going to be a month...at least.
You see, life is really great right now. But it's so busy that I can't keep up a posting commitment with this blog. Blogging is not fun if it's forced, and lately that's what my posts have been. Forced. Because I have to say something before too much time passes.
I'll still be posting on Anecdote and Traveling Tales, because I know that there's enough people involved with those other two blogs so that if I really can't post every other day, they'll pick up the slack until I can devote more time.
Don't worry. I'll probably be back. Just without having to worry about keeping up with things on here, my mind will hopefully be a little freer.
Hope to see y'all soon,
Izori
I'm going to take a break--return date yet to be decided--from this blog. I'm not sure when the break's going to end, but I can almost guarantee it's going to be a month...at least.
You see, life is really great right now. But it's so busy that I can't keep up a posting commitment with this blog. Blogging is not fun if it's forced, and lately that's what my posts have been. Forced. Because I have to say something before too much time passes.
I'll still be posting on Anecdote and Traveling Tales, because I know that there's enough people involved with those other two blogs so that if I really can't post every other day, they'll pick up the slack until I can devote more time.
Don't worry. I'll probably be back. Just without having to worry about keeping up with things on here, my mind will hopefully be a little freer.
Hope to see y'all soon,
Izori
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Define A Good Day
Different people mean different things when they say, "I've had a good day". Sometimes they mean that they got a lot done. Or they made a new friend. Or they felt happy. Or they had a really fun time.
I guess today was a really good day, but not by any of the definitions above.
I went to church.
The funny thing about your church family is that you're often drawn together by a sad event--a tragic loss, in this case--that effects you all. That's when you really know that you have a unifying bond in Christ: when something happens you all turn to Him together.
So that's what I mean when I say that today was a good day. A couple people were called home to Jesus, and the rest of us who remain behind are faced with really mixed feelings. Like, sadness at the loss but joy because they don't have to experience any more of this paradoxical, mixed-up world. Or like crying in a pew but not feeling embarrassed because practically half of the congregation is doing the same thing.
For me, a good day is when I feel a little closer to God.
Izori
I guess today was a really good day, but not by any of the definitions above.
I went to church.
The funny thing about your church family is that you're often drawn together by a sad event--a tragic loss, in this case--that effects you all. That's when you really know that you have a unifying bond in Christ: when something happens you all turn to Him together.
So that's what I mean when I say that today was a good day. A couple people were called home to Jesus, and the rest of us who remain behind are faced with really mixed feelings. Like, sadness at the loss but joy because they don't have to experience any more of this paradoxical, mixed-up world. Or like crying in a pew but not feeling embarrassed because practically half of the congregation is doing the same thing.
For me, a good day is when I feel a little closer to God.
Izori
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
3 Tips on How to Survive an Extremely Busy School Year
This is especially geared toward anyone who's making a school-adjustment, like if you're a high schooler for the first time. I can give you a personal testimony by pointing out my freshman year--goodness, what a nightmare. Okay, in some ways it was fun, but in other ways...let's just say the tips I'm giving y'all are from bitter experience.
#1. Organize yourself as soon as possible. When you're making an education leap, all of a sudden this stack of textbooks is thrown in your face and you find yourself splashing around in the deep end of the pool. With your crowded schedule swimming around in your head, you need to get it in a form that you can remember it painlessly. A list might work best for you--maybe a to-do list of all your commitments for the day (or week). Or perhaps a full-fledged schedule is best.
This is what I like to do for schedules. First, I take a piece of paper and draw a line horizontal-wise. Next, I add notches on that line for however many hours I need schedule-ized in that day. Usually I have a 15 hour schedule from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Then, over the notches that signify the hours, I write the commitment for that time. It's probably not the most common schedule outline, but I like it because it's easy to read and not very confusing. And if I say something is not confusing, you can believe it. =)
Anyway, finding a way to organize your events is crucial--crucial with a capital C--to getting through a crazy school year.
#2. Prioritize all your activities to get the most out of your day. Honestly, there are just some days where you have so much to do you just need to sit back and think about what's most important. A general rule of prioritization is to figure out which one needs to be completed first. Say that you're really stressed about an upcoming math test, but you also have a Spanish test that's due two days before. You may feel the strong urge to plunge into your math test because it's really wearing on your nerves, but the wisest thing to do is focus on the closest thing at hand. If you try to do everything out of order, you're just going to end up going absolutely bonkers before three weeks have gone by. Trust me.
#3. Don't push yourself past your limit. Yes, we've all heard about how young Benjamin Franklin spent hours up at night studying and hardly ate anything...but not all of us are Benjamin Franklin. If you wear yourself down trying to check things off your schedule without taking care of yourself, you are going to crash and burn and dissolve into flames. It's a huge temptation to stay up until midnight studying really hard. But what's better for you--a late night of study or an alert and active mind after a good night's sleep? This was a huge mistake that I made in my freshman year. I am not a science person, and my gigantic biology textbook with the towering stack of flashcards to memorize daunted me severely. I spent many a late night grinding down my brain trying to push through each lesson. In the morning (as my family can testify) I was a real grump. My worst days were the ones following late study nights. Do not make that same mistake.
I hope this helps you all, particularly those who might be overwhelmed at this new school year.
See ya round!
Izori
EDIT: You know when you make a post draft and then you finish it and publish it, it automatically is posted back on the date that you made the draft? [does that sentence make sense?] Well, that's what I did. Sorry for any confusion!
#1. Organize yourself as soon as possible. When you're making an education leap, all of a sudden this stack of textbooks is thrown in your face and you find yourself splashing around in the deep end of the pool. With your crowded schedule swimming around in your head, you need to get it in a form that you can remember it painlessly. A list might work best for you--maybe a to-do list of all your commitments for the day (or week). Or perhaps a full-fledged schedule is best.
This is what I like to do for schedules. First, I take a piece of paper and draw a line horizontal-wise. Next, I add notches on that line for however many hours I need schedule-ized in that day. Usually I have a 15 hour schedule from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Then, over the notches that signify the hours, I write the commitment for that time. It's probably not the most common schedule outline, but I like it because it's easy to read and not very confusing. And if I say something is not confusing, you can believe it. =)
Anyway, finding a way to organize your events is crucial--crucial with a capital C--to getting through a crazy school year.
#2. Prioritize all your activities to get the most out of your day. Honestly, there are just some days where you have so much to do you just need to sit back and think about what's most important. A general rule of prioritization is to figure out which one needs to be completed first. Say that you're really stressed about an upcoming math test, but you also have a Spanish test that's due two days before. You may feel the strong urge to plunge into your math test because it's really wearing on your nerves, but the wisest thing to do is focus on the closest thing at hand. If you try to do everything out of order, you're just going to end up going absolutely bonkers before three weeks have gone by. Trust me.
#3. Don't push yourself past your limit. Yes, we've all heard about how young Benjamin Franklin spent hours up at night studying and hardly ate anything...but not all of us are Benjamin Franklin. If you wear yourself down trying to check things off your schedule without taking care of yourself, you are going to crash and burn and dissolve into flames. It's a huge temptation to stay up until midnight studying really hard. But what's better for you--a late night of study or an alert and active mind after a good night's sleep? This was a huge mistake that I made in my freshman year. I am not a science person, and my gigantic biology textbook with the towering stack of flashcards to memorize daunted me severely. I spent many a late night grinding down my brain trying to push through each lesson. In the morning (as my family can testify) I was a real grump. My worst days were the ones following late study nights. Do not make that same mistake.
I hope this helps you all, particularly those who might be overwhelmed at this new school year.
See ya round!
Izori
EDIT: You know when you make a post draft and then you finish it and publish it, it automatically is posted back on the date that you made the draft? [does that sentence make sense?] Well, that's what I did. Sorry for any confusion!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Things Change
It's kind of mind-boggling to think of how my past self had no idea what my future self would do, but now my present self is my future self and is looking back on my past self and remembering the expectations I had.
Can't believe how silly my ideas were back when I was twelve. PSATs and driving permits were scary, foggy, and definitely far into the future. College seemed like an ocean away. High school was for the big girls.
I read through some old journals of mine a couple months ago and could only laugh at them. Back then, I thought I was really mature. Some entries were just phrases that I jotted down to remember the day and others were me waxing poetic and thinking blissfully how important my words sounded.
Now I'm remembering back when I was five or so. I was watching Nickelodeon on TV and Mom went and changed the channel to the weather. I asked her why she wasn't watching the kid-sy little cartoons, and she said they didn't interest her. Then I remember saying, "When I get old, I'll always be interested in Nickelodeon!". Or something like that.
Needless to say, I don't watch Nickelodeon anymore.
If the seasons represented stages of human life, autumn would be the older years. The years when all your children are grown and you realize your life is more than halfway through. Everything is kind of cozy and settled and you've found your place in life, but at the same time everything's dying and you're sad.
Hmmm. Reading over this post, I get the impression it's kind of rambling.
Izori
P.S. For all you amazing commenters who have been honoring me with your typed words these last past months, I am so sorry I haven't replied to any of you. Blogger is no longer predominant in my life, but I just want to tell you how much I appreciate your comments even though I don't always acknowledge them. Thanks so much! =)
Can't believe how silly my ideas were back when I was twelve. PSATs and driving permits were scary, foggy, and definitely far into the future. College seemed like an ocean away. High school was for the big girls.
I read through some old journals of mine a couple months ago and could only laugh at them. Back then, I thought I was really mature. Some entries were just phrases that I jotted down to remember the day and others were me waxing poetic and thinking blissfully how important my words sounded.
Now I'm remembering back when I was five or so. I was watching Nickelodeon on TV and Mom went and changed the channel to the weather. I asked her why she wasn't watching the kid-sy little cartoons, and she said they didn't interest her. Then I remember saying, "When I get old, I'll always be interested in Nickelodeon!". Or something like that.
Needless to say, I don't watch Nickelodeon anymore.
If the seasons represented stages of human life, autumn would be the older years. The years when all your children are grown and you realize your life is more than halfway through. Everything is kind of cozy and settled and you've found your place in life, but at the same time everything's dying and you're sad.
Hmmm. Reading over this post, I get the impression it's kind of rambling.
Izori
P.S. For all you amazing commenters who have been honoring me with your typed words these last past months, I am so sorry I haven't replied to any of you. Blogger is no longer predominant in my life, but I just want to tell you how much I appreciate your comments even though I don't always acknowledge them. Thanks so much! =)
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