Pretty Much The Best

I have to say, honestly, that I have the best friends in the world. I love every single one of them to death--but there are those very special friends that mean the world to you, you know? That are even specialler than the best friends?

I have a few of those. Any of them can be called my sisters. Jenna, Jordyn, Haylz--any of them.

But there is one in particular that is my closest friend--soul-mate, bestie, sister, twins seperated at birth, whatever you want to call her.

Meet Hannah.

I went over to her house today from 2 to 5:30 (thanks, Daddy, for being an hour and a half late to pick me up!! :) and it was a blast.

We see each other a lot during scheduled activities, but we don't have get-togethers (hate the term "play-dates") very often. Hardly ever have time just with me and her--but when we do, those times absolutely define the word fun.

There's something about the word fun--it sounds like what it means. It sounds like a time of happiness and joy; it is carefree and innocent; it is beneficial and intimate; it is a time of hearing secrets and telling them.

It is impossible for me to hang out with Hannah without realizing further what the word fun means--because Hannah and everything associated with her is fun.

She is pretty much impossible to describe, however sappy that may sound.

Today we talked and took pictures, we laughed so hard we snorted, we sang songs so loud siblings complained and we made/looked at graphics.

It was incredible.

I am amazed at how similar Hannah and I are--we complete each other's sentences, form the same opinions, talk in unison all the time, and seem to know exactly what each other is thinking.

God gave me so many friends, and I am thankful so much for them. I cannot imagine how different I would be without them. They have helped shape me forever, and I am completely in their debt.

Friends are amazing.

Hannah is amazing.

God is amazing.

I am so blessed.

Hannah and I.

Catching Up

I feel like I haven't written a real post in such a long time. Neither am I promising a real post now--just finished writing an essay, so I'm creatively-drained. (Yes, an essay does require creativity. ;) This post is simply to catch up.

Isn't my new blog-design beautiful? And it was a complete surprise. Hannah is so awesome in that way. She's super talented, and I get to benefit from it. ;) (And this was done with paint.net. Which is the lamest photo-editing software out there. Be prepared to be amazed when she gets her laptop and Gimp/Photoshop CS4. [She's unbelievable with Gimp...with Photoshop CS4? Even better....if that's possible... ^^])

Last night, I went to a place called Crisis Nursery for my service-environment (the mentoring program clumps "pods" [groups of mentor-mentees] together and sends them off once a month to serve). My mentor, my two friends Rachel and Kelli (and their mentors), and I drove to the Nursery. We got a tour of the place, and then made snack for the eighteen kids (from 3 months to four or five). After we made it and served the kids, we got to sit down and hang out with them. I sat by the sweetest girl ever--Lillian Trost (she showed me her wristband that had all her information on it). She was three, the sweetest thing EVER! She sat on my lap, and I fed her apple-sauce. (yes, she wouldn't eat it unless I was feeding her. ;) And there was this other three-year-old, who had this odd name, like Darajon, or something like that. He jumped into my arms, laid his head on my shoulder, and just let me hold him for a long time. Then he took the pony-tail around my wrist and "did" my hair. (It looked ridiculous--it was a high, sloppy bun on the top of my head--but it was so cute to have him doing it ;) He wouldn't let me un-do it for a while. Kelli would look at me and crack up--it was pretty funny. ;)

Lately, I've been listening to Superman by Five For Fighting, over and over again. I heard it on the radio, loved it, bought it on iTunes, got it on my iPod, and have been listening to it ever since. I've memorized it. ;)

This Monday I'm going to start on the first song of the next violin Suzuki book, and the old one will retire to an honored place on the shelf--to be thumbed through when I feel the need to review.

I'm going to leave you with this picture (in appreciation of Hannah's efforts on my design, of course ^^)...we're such dorks sometimes. (We weren't laughing about anything; Hannah just wielded the camera and we both cracked up...over nothing. ^^)

SURPRISE!

This is Hannah from Aspire...just wanted to SURPRISE Bekah, (and you, readers) with a blog makeover.

Feedback? Comment HERE as well as on my blog...hehehe...would love to hear what you think about it.

Hope you like it, Bekah! :)

--Hannah

*Yawns* And Fantasy Names

My sleepover Saturday night-Sunday with Hannah, Jenna, and Jordyn was amazing. It was tons of fun. So much fun that I can't even try to relate it. ;)

And yeah, I'm dead tired. Even though the sleepover was a few days ago. ^^

According to This Site, my hobbit name is Ysungwen Ness of Fair Downs; my elvin name is Caleviel Serindë; my dwarf name is Sidda of Moria; my human Tolkien name is Sevallan Neithan; and my wizard name is Curumo Stormcrow. Those names are...okay, they just make me thankful of my name. Who wants to have your friend come up and say, "Hey Ysungwen Ness of Fair Downs"?!

Yes, this is a random question, but does anyone else like running? For me, running is a lot of fun. I like it so much I'm thinking about doing cross country next summer/fall, along with soccer and golf. Last night I ran for forty five minutes at my town's Community Center. I was listening to Handel's Messiah on my iPod; my favorite song is definitely Unto Us A Child Is Born--I think that's the title. ;)

Later,

The Last Day

Kind of crazy to think that today is the last day of 2009, isn't it?

The change of the year brings a lot of new feelings: determination to fulfill my New-Year's Resolutions, excitement, and a bit of irritation because now I have to get used to writing 2010 on all of my papers and such.

While speaking of my New-Year's Resolutions, my family and I decided to go sugar-free (by sugar I mean sweets, desserts, that sort of thing; but also we're going to attempt to cut out most sugar from our diet, excluding natural and unavoidable sugar [such as the sugar in bread]) for the entire year of 2010. I'm kind of publicizing this fact in order to eliminate the possiblity of quitting after the first month. ^^

Christmas break has been so nice, hasn't it? My family and I have gone to two plays, eaten out several times, hung with extended family, watched movies; I've had numerous phone-calls with my friends, came up with two new plots (I wrote the sequel to the plot mentioned in the previous post, and am really excited to start writing), listened to the same songs over and over again, and relaxed. The thought of starting school next Monday is slightly scary, but as I'm having a sleepover with three of my dearest friends (Jenna, Hannah, and Jordyn), the excitement of that overrules the dread of school.

Happy New Year! :)

How I Love...

...opening an old notebook, seeing a forgotten idea jotted down months ago for a story, elaborating on it, getting a brilliant plot with some holes, calling your best friend who sews up your holes with stunning ideas, and creating a whole new world of characters just itching to be written.

Best Christmas present ever. :)

Freedom!

I just came back from my orthodontist appointment--I now have a mouth completely braces-free!

Wow, it feels incredibly weird. When they were taking off my braces, it felt like they were yanking out my teeth; they would grab onto one of my brackets with a big tool and pull. The pressure would keep building until it was almost unbearable, and then the bracket would come off. After the brackets were all off, I thought, I have no teeth left! And then I thought, (when I walked out of the orthodontist building, running my fingers and tongue over my teeth), Eiu! They're so slimy!! And they still feel really...weird--but in a good way. Like, I would never go back to having braces after feeling what it's like to not have them.

I have no "hardware" in my mouth right now, but tomorrow I'll be getting a removable retainer, which I'll have to wear for a year. So I'm enjoying feeling completely free--even if it's only for a day.

I just discovered something about myself--I like reading series backwards. I read the seventh Harry Potter book about a week ago, then the sixth, then the fifth, and so on: I'm now in the last pages of the second book. It's not confusing, contrary to how it may seem. When Sirius Black was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange (hate her...) in the fifth book, it was awesome to read the fifth and see him alive again.

I also discovered that I love spending money on awesome gifts for my family and close friends. It's so much fun to pick out gifts that I know the receivers will love...though I am tempted to keep the gifts and use them. (especially the one I got Hannah...I was about THIS *holds fingers a centimeter apart* close to keeping it. I wrapped it up before I had second thoughts. ^^) :)

Merry Christmas!

Photoshoot

(Note: this post is mainly for Hannah...Hannah, you can save all the pictures to your computer and wah-lah! You have them. ^^)

Okay, so yesterday, Hannah came over to my house and we had a "photoshoot" (that makes us sound like professional photographers, but we're in reality just two crazy girls running around with a camera). Also mixed in here are some pictures that we took (sometimes its me holding the camera, sometimes her) at the teen-center we went to with a whole bunch of people we knew. (Among those present were my brother, Jake, Hunter, Alex,and Tanner.) Also, I put the captions above the photos, for clarification. (Click on photos to see large image)

This was one where Hannah was twirling, and I caught her mid-turn:

This one was at the arcade....

Me preparing to jump.

Hannah about to climb the wall.

Hannah gazing into the eyes of a cute little straw man.

Ha, back at my house, Hannah cracking up.

Hannah listening to me (her sister taking the photo)

Hannah skipping. *laughs*

I love this next one. Chloe (Hannah's sister) and Hannah were talking about something, and I, in a burst of inspiration, snatched up the camera and took a picture. ^^

Ha, Hannah was obsessed with taking pictures of the candy at the teen center. This was the best one.

I love this next one! I love the tiles.

My hand is the one with the black hair binding around the wrist.

This next one was back at my house; I use it as my profile picture.

Hannah and I at the teen center.

Hannah in the car on the way to the teen center. (I was originally in this picture, but half of my face got cut off, so I just cropped all of it out)

Hannah cracking up yet again (I have so many pictures of her laughing, because the minute I would hold up the camera, she would start giggling and then so would I, and... *throws up hands in despair* it would be several minutes before either of us could calm down)

Her jeans (she took this one).

Me. (You can see the colorful arcade games in the background). This isn't the best picture because it's blurry, but I like the coloring.

Hannah talking with somebody. Thought the lighting was AWESOME. Plus Hannah has an awesome side-profile. ^^

Yep. Hannah laughing again.

And again (love this one. This is what Hannah looks like most of the time).

Both of us love this one!

And this one.

Okay, click on this one to get a bigger version. Both of her legs are off the ground! It's so awesome!

This one is of me sitting on the porch. Thought the coloring was cool (the contrast between the white pavement and my blue jeans).

Me lousily trying to climb our tree.

Ohmiword, both of us love this one!

Hannah and I smiling.

Me grasping the wall.

I love this one!!!

And this is me, Hannah, and two of our friends. From left to right, Hannah L., me, Hannah, and Delaney.

It was so much fun taking these pictures.

I'm getting my braces off December 22! I'm actually really excited. I've tolerated them for two years, and it seems like I can't wait another day now that the end is actually in sight. ^^

Later,

Tag

Yes...another tag. I've seen this one about ten times in the last few days on all the blogs I follow in my dashboard. ^^

And it's for this lovely award... (I actually think it's really pretty ^^)



Here are the rules...

1) Do a post about the person who awarded you, and their blog.
2) Give the award to 5 of your favorite blogs, give a reason, and leave a comment telling them they have been awarded.
3) Answer the 10 random questions.
4) Have fun!
I was awarded by Emily Shae and JT and Emily.
Emily Shae--I love your blog! Your design is so pretty, and your posts are full of fun, yet once in a while, there's a serious one thrown in just to balance things out and shade in your character a bit more.
JT--I love being a Warrior of Light. You remind me constantly who this life is all about, so thanks for that. :)
Emily--*Grins* the font used consistantly through your blog is one of my favorites. Isn't it called the King and Queen Font? (at least on my laptop, it is ^^) And besides, your posts are so interesting, and your siblings are so cute. ^^ And I love the snowmen. :]
1) Have you ever ridden an elephant? Not that I can remember, no.
2) Have you ever eaten squid? Are...you...kidding...me. No. Way. *thinks then gulps* actually, I might have eaten it when I was in China nine years (or so) ago. I ate chicken legs, and perhaps squid.
3) What is something crazy you have done with your best friend? Well, at my birthday party with my bestest friend in the world and two amazing friends (Jenna and Jordyn), we stayed up until like three o'clock, eating cold noodles (and throwing them everywhere), squashing bugs, and talking (and talking...and talking...). Also, two Halloweens ago, the same bestest friend and I went trick-or-treating while singing Give Me Your Eyes. That night, we stayed up until about five in the morning. Which is crazy. ^^
4) Have you ever held an alligator? Uh...no.
5) Have you ever let a snake slither through your fingers? What Kind? Yes, a mere gardner snake. When I was younger, I was obsessed with snakes. I even let them bite me.
6) What is your first and foremost dream in life? Glorify God and continue to grow closer to him. And, of course, I wouldn't mind publishing a book or two.
7) What is your dream vacation? England. Hopefully it's long enough to obtain an English accent. ^^
8) What is the funniest movie you have ever seen? Night At The Musuem 2 or The Apple Dumpling Gang.
9) What is your favorite song? Agh...okay, I'll list several of my favorite songs. Fireflies by Owl City, What Faith Can Do by Kutless, You Belong With Me and Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift, Again by Firefly, and Whatever You're Doing by Sanctus Real.
10) If you could change the world in one way, what would you do? Ohmiword...I want to change the world in so many ways. Probably say bring everyone to Christ, but everyone else is saying that, so I'm going to say stop all poverty and bad trafficking (as in drugs and worse).

Alright, so now I'm going to award 5 people (don't be obligated to do this if you don't want to, and I'm trying to tag people who, to my knowledge, have not been tagged yet):

Abigail Kraft, 'cause you're so darn awesome. ^^

Marissa, for the same reason.

Jake, 'cause you're always willing to read Midnight and critique honestly; plus, when I need something to read, you send me Call of the King (Ash'del is SO awesome ^^).

Seth, 'cause you're writing is so much fun to read. :]

Chloe, 'cause you told me about... *clears throat*. 'Course I won't say what you told me...But thanks. ^^

Namarie,

I Can't Believe...

...that NaNo starts in two days!!

I've seen several NaNoWriMo Survival Kits and decided to do one.

1. My Laptop. Thank goodness for it. Did I tell you that I love you, Araldar? ("Araldar" actually means "Evil One" in the language of one of my stories...hm...maybe "Araldar" isn't such a fantastic name for my laptop...)
2. My Notebooks. My main notebook is this tattered one that holds about five plots, random quotes, Bible verses, great books, and excerpts from my stories. I have several others, however; unfortunately, I am very unorganized, and, if I have a "brilliant" idea, I just grab the notebook that's nearest to me. Therefore, I have several notebooks and I have to search all of them to find something specific.
3. My Bible. I have it sitting on my desk so when I get "nano-drepression", I can just look up an inspiring verse.
4. Coffee/Tea/Chocolate. I will most definitely be drinking a LOT more decaf coffee and green tea this month. *grins* The occasional cup of hot chocolate, perhaps. And a LOT of chocolate from the stash my mom got specifically for Halloween, but whose leftovers may be used for more productive purposes. ^^
5. The Work-Out Machine. Working out is a stress-reliever for me, so that contraption will be getting a lot more use this month. ^^
6. Gmail. All my friends on gmail better get prepared for some venting. *laughs*
7. Hannah. Hannah, I'm going to call you a LOT, and most of the conversations are going to be complaining about how far behind I am. And yes, we can always bury names if we get depressed. :) (Inside joke...)
8. My Family. Definitely. Where would I be without them? *grins*
9. My Diary. Oh my word, almost all the entries from this time forth until the end of November will be freaking out about NaNo.
10. My Characters. There would be no story without my awesomely-cooperative characters. One of my main characters, Jole, agreed to die without so much as a soft shriek. And another, Arayna, resigned to being stuck in jail for twelve years. And, of course, my evil character, Imandr, is really a good person at heart, but is determined to impersonate a deliciously-evil character just for me. *sighs* But of course, it's my eminently main character that's being stubborn...she's refusing to let Jole and Arayna die, and says she doesn't need to listen to me. *rolls eyes*
11. Books. Insanely inspiring books.
12. Gimp. *grins* thank goodness for Gimp.
13. Music. Lots and lots of music. I have a song for every mood. ^^

AGH! I'm so excited!! :) On Sunday, I'm setting my alarm for around six, so I can get a few pages done before church. ^^

Since I'm only doing 20,000 words, once I achieve that goal, I'm going to keep pushing and hopefully get 50,000 words so I'm ready for full force NaNo next year.

Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to be doing a lot less eating/playing/hanging out and a LOT more writing/scribbling/screaming? :D

One last thing (Note: this is an edit): An AWESOME giveaway at the Elvish Maiden!! Go enter! :)

Animated Avatar!

Recently, Hannah showed me the last step that I couldn't figure out on how to make an animated avatar, so here is my experiment... (thanks SO much to Jake for finding the last picture of Arwen/Aragorn's kid for me)



Feedback please? I know it's not incredible, because it's my first animated avatar, but I thought it was semi-cool. :D

Rock

I just came back from an awesome meeting at my friends' house about this service/social co-op thing called Rock. We talked about the co-op, suggested ideas, had ice-cream, and Hannah and I went outside and walked around talking about random things...we got really wet because it was raining outside. :P
Anyways, it was pretty cool.
Tomorrow I'm going to one of my friends-from-church's birthday party sleepover (should that be sleepover birthday party? :]) so yeah I'm pretty excited for that,

Header!!

Isn't my header/ background AMAZING?! *scream* I love it!!!!!!
Thank you Hannah!!!!

This is Hannah from Aspire...

...who has gone onto Bekah's account to surprise her with a blog makeover! Consider it a late birthday present, Bekah. :)

Hope you like it! :D

~Hannah

My Bestie

Alright, I'm going to take a moment, and talk about my best friend, Hannah.
She has strong views on many things, so I can always talk about heavy things like marriage and dating, and every time I do, I find that we both have exactly the same opinions. I can always talk with her, cry with her, and I've discovered the other half of my soul in her.
She's such an awesome person, but she is not afraid to tell me plainly if I'm being stupid; she always tells me the truth. She also has been a HUGE help in my writing. She's edited my stories without complaint, and given me assistance when I'm stuck.
Hannah, I love you!! Thanks so much for everything...you're awesome.

Today...

...I talked with Hannah on the phone for about an hour. Hannah, you're AMAZING!! Thanks so much for being my best friend. You're awesome!

I also did chores and Chinese. And that's pretty much it :D