Goodbye March

Oh, March. March was more normal than February, but insane. I'm really not too sad to see it go, considering our April is supposed to be much calmer. *knock on wood*

our beautiful redbud

Life

We have an oven again! We hired a friend of ours and he did a super job reworking the cabinets to put in a range. We are really loving the new features and the bigger oven came in super handy for the gigantic ham we ended up with. It probably wouldn't have even fit in our last oven. It was that bad.

I also worked elections for my first time, which was actually really fun. Even if I was the only girl and I had to come from choir. And we actually got paid and everything. *gasp* Anyway, for those of you who haven't had your primary election yet, it's a neat way to see how everything works and gain a new appreciation for all the election staff.

I went to Kansas and got some awesome pics for my novel:

Inspiring, right? You can read all about the actual purpose of that trip and its dramatic ending here.

And I got a gun from my grandmother! I haven't taken a picture of it yet and it's off at a workshop getting sights put on it, but it's a left-handed .22 :) On that same note, I won the impromptu competition my Gun Club held! No prizes or anything, but it was fun nevertheless. I was 3/6 on time, but the most accurate :)

And then there was Easter. Which you can read about here.

Words

~Vocabulary~

soporific: adj. tending to induce drowsiness or sleep
triturate: n. ground into a fine powder
thews: n. muscular strength

I didn't read books quite so deep this month. But the one time I sat down to try and plow through Adella Cathcart Volume 2, I hit like12 new words. WHAT?! So I just picked a few :) One of the others was "somniculose." I couldn't find a definition anywhere! It was used in the sentence as a "somniculose condition." I imagine it means something like "unattentive." Let me know if you have any better luck!

~Quotes~

So I kinda forgot I wanted to do this, so take some of my favorite quotes from To Kill A Mockingbird :)

Books

~Cover to Cover: 1~

I read Where Treetops Glisten and loved it! I already ranted about it in one of my other posts, so suffice it to say here that I was very glad to find a book to blow through for my trip :)

~Middle to End: 1~

I finished To Kill A Mockingbird after playing tug-of-war with my library for it.

~Front to Middle: 2~

I didn't ever completely finish Proofreading Plain and Simple by Debra Hart May. But I had gotten all I wanted out of it, so . . . *shrug* And I started A Spool of Blue Thread and promptly returned it to the library after 1 chapter. Hehe.

I'm still planning to finish about 6 others.

Writings

This should go a lot better this month since I know what I'm doing now.

~Words: 13,957~

I am impressed with this number. This includes drafting and editing words for my WIP. On average, my number of words a day was 450. My all-time low was 0 and my high was 1,612.

~Chapters: 4~ 

I reached my goal!! I am very happy about this. Thank you 300/4/30! Although you about killed me, you fulfilled your purposes. (Okay, so I actually missed two days, but I did it for 31 days, so it all evens out.)

~Progress Update: 80%~ 

I've worked on some general outlining which I ignored and then wrote like crazy. I don't really have any idea how many chapters I have left to write, but I've working on #20, so not too shabby :)

~Biggest Problem: The Ending~

I was so excited to get going on my novel again, that I sorta forgot that I haven't decided where I'm ending this thing yet . . . Hehe. I know what's happening, until I don't. So that's probably where I'll end it. Prayers for the ending not to be super lame would be appreciated!

Blogs

Behold, the new section! I didn't include it last time because my blog was so new (and I didn't think about it.)

~Followers: 29~

I only count 28, but whatever. Either way, I hit my goal of reaching 25 this month. Thanks, everybody!

~Views: 3,100~

Rounding down, over 3,000 page views! That is utterly crazy, if you ask me. But it's kind of flattering at the same time. Thanks again, peeps! I don't have much to do with this one :)

Goals

I had 5 goals for March

1~ Write at least 4 chapters

Boom. 4 chapters with days to spare.

2~ Read at least 3 books

Well . . . I finished one, read one, and DNF two others, so . . . I pass?

3~ Finish editing Katie's book

*screams* I did it! We did it! She sent me a chapter almost every day like a saint! We were even able to wrap it up with a few days to spare, so she can follow or not follow my advice and then send it out to all her eager little betas. I'm so excited for where she's going as an author!!

4~ Reach 25 followers

I'm so happy I made this one :D I worked hard for the first week or so, finding new blogs and nudging their authors. That got me to around 20. Then, I just waited for another 5 to show up, and show up they did!

5~ Blog at least 5 posts

How about 8? Easy peasy.

Now for April's goals

1~ Edit my WIP

I kind of abandoned the editing phase for the writing phase this last month, but I'd like to get back to it.

2~ Finish at least 2 books.

Pathetic? Yes, it is. But I am sick of being in the middle of 2 gazillion books! I'd be very happy just to complete two this month.

3~ Finish editing Jesseca's lovely story :)

Now that I finished Katie's, I want to finish hers this month. I fully intend not to abandone Lydia and Ivy's stories just because I'm honing in on one. (I have been known to do this). But have no fear, ladies! This is good practice for me :P

5~ Do/host a guest post

I don't know. I don't have trouble blogging a lot, obviously, so this would be something different. Volunteers?

There you have it. I think I can do that.

~~~~~

How was your March? What are your goals for April? Did you notice I skipped goal #4? Don't worry, that was intentional :P

Easter Celebrations

Ha! Just as you thought the flood of Easter posts was over, I bring you yet another! Easter is awesome. (And let's just establish right now that by Easter I mean Resurrection Sunday.) Even the pagans love it, but for different reasons. I love Easter not because it celebrates spring, heralding in a bout of terrible allergies and bright colors, but because Christ died on the cross and rose again. Life would be pointless without the resurrection.

Everyone celebrates Easter differently. And for Christians I think it can be hard to find the balance between celebrating the world's version of Easter and our version. My family tends to change it up a little each time, but here's what happened this year. :)

For us, the festivities always start on what my brothers call Easter Eve. Mom went to the store on the night of Good Friday and already our HEB Plus was out of most dessert and smallish hams. A friend gave us a lamb roast because she said there was something wrong with eating ham on Easter ;) But Mom still wanted ham, so we ended up with 20 pounds of it. 20 pounds! And we have to lug it up and down the stairs to our garage fridge every time we want some . . .

Anyway, we had plenty of meat :) Saturday afternoon we dusted off the plastic Easter eggs and opened the bags of candy. We limited ourselves to Reeses Eggs, Robin Eggs, mini KitKats (added later), and jelly beans in sour and Jolly Rancher flavors. All of this candy I can pass up without much trouble . . . until I get started. Hehe. We dumped all of the candy into a large bowl and stuffed the many, many eggs.

Next up was dying eggs. This is my favorite activity and I was quite proud of how mine turned out this year! Nothing fancy, just boiled eggs and a dye kit, but so much fun! After they were all displayed in the egg carton for a few hours, we peeled all the pretty shell off so Mom could make deviled eggs and seven layer salad (lettuce and spinach, green onion, bacon, frozen peas, Miracle Whip and sour cream, boiled egg, and Parmesan cheese!).

I'm pretty sure that's all we did for Saturday.

Sunday morning we made resurrection rolls. We started this tradition a few years ago and oh my goodness! They are so yummy. Crescent rolls with butter and cinnamon that you seal around a marshmallow. When you bake them, the marshmallow melts leaving an empty tomb when you tear it open :D

Then, of course, was the church service. I was a little bummed my allergies had stolen my voice because we sang some good Easter songs. Everyone was all dressed up; the men in full suits and the ladies in new dresses. (Yes, I still like to get a new dress for Easter). This year mine was a gauzy white maxi that I wore with a pink belt. We had lilies at the front of the church (gag!) that everyone got to take home after the service was over. I had the nice excuse not to touch them because I didn't want the pollen all over my dress ;)

After the service came the lunch, of course! Ham, lamb, and seven layer salad with deviled eggs, all of which Mom managed to prepare that morning and somehow she still made it to church (but we did take the baby for the Sunday School hour). Oh my heavens, it was good. The adults opted for the egg hunt before naps, so we "big kids" got on that.

It became the tradition a year or two ago for the three oldest kids to get to hide the eggs for the younger four. Then we dump all the candy into one big bowl instead of keeping it divided. Hiding the eggs is really fun. I like to make them difficult. I put one on top of a supposedly dead ant bed and another I dropped down into our tangle of dewberry vines. And then there's always putting them out of reach, too :) But we had to make some a little easier for the little boys. Everett (18 months) loved the hunt. It took him a while to get the hang of putting the eggs in his basket, instead of just holding them all. And every few eggs he stopped to eat candy.

That basically sums it up. We had lemon cake and candy afterwards and then naps. We didn't watch an Easter movie this year, but we have watched Jesus of Nazareth in the past. We had seen Risen several weeks before, and I highly recommend it if you're wondering about it! It encapsulated the importance of the resurrection and the effect it might have had on a centurion who crucified Jesus. And that is the true meaning of Easter. He died and rose again that He might give us life! The rest of the world will never be able to understand just how important Easter is.

~~~~~

I hope everyone's Easter was as good as mine! How does your family celebrate? Have you seen Risen yet? I'll be doing my monthly wrap-up on Thursday, so stay tuned :D

How I Write A Chapter

Bumming off of Katie Grace's thoughts on how she writes a blog post, I'm here to present to you:

~Step #1: What to Cover~

This isn't that hard. This is where I decide what needs to happen in a chapter. Because if I don't go in with goals . . . it'll just be a bunch of cool and pointless conversations between my favorite characters. Not that I mind, but it's not quite fair to the reader . . .

~Step #2: Outline- Optional~

Yep, you read that right. Outline- optional. I like to outline, I do. But sometimes it's better for me just to let the story go where it wants to as long as I weave in everything I needed to. I can't come up with anything besides the big picture until I actually get down into the story. So I'm half plotter, half pantser, just to make life complicated :)

~Step #3: Begin Writing~

Starting a chapter can sometimes be the hardest thing for me. Because I know where I'm going and how I finished last time. But where do I start? Gemma getting out of bed every morning gets redundant pretty fast ;) This is why I'm doing the March Challenge. I just have to write and see what happens.

~Step #4: Dry Spell~

This is a step I would love to be optional, and, trust me, it's unplanned. But every chapter, from the first to the nineteenth, has had at least one section that I just didn't know how to write. I don't know how to make it fit, or don't know what needs to come next. You name it, something will always throw me for a loop. 

~Step #5: Procrastinate~

Without a challenge breathing down back, forcing me to write every day, this is where I usually take three days off to "think" about what to do next. Or not. Sometimes just having a few days off does the trick. I don't usually come up with anything and end up forcing myself to sit down and give it another shot.

~Step #6: Keep Writing~

If I don't get back to it, there will never be a completed chapter and that would be awful. This is where I finally sit down, crest the hill, and go racing down to the bottom, aka: the end of my chapter. A very glorious moment, where it is deadly to interrupt my work. Deadly.

~Step #7: Research~

Since I hate being interrupted,  I can't even stand to interrupt myself. Stopping mid-sentence to go look up a definition or person's name can be catastrophic. I have come back from that Google search with my answer, but no clue where I was going with that thought one too many times. So I research the big blanks I left myself at this point.

~Step #8: Fill Plot Holes~

There's usually some crucial detail I remember at this point that has to be skillfully woven in. Not a huge deal . . . as long as I do remember. Something always slips my mind, but that's okay. That's why I have my faithful team of alphas.

~Step #9: Finally Finish~

Huge sigh of relief and sink back in my chair. By this point my eyes hurt, my wrists are jammed, and my brain is mush. But I finished. That's all that matters. Everything is just how I want it. Then comes the last minute details.

~Step #10: Read Over- Optional~

Hehe. Yeah, so sometimes I'm so weary of a chapter when I finish that I don't even want to see it for weeks. So I just forget about all the potential grammar bombs and plot holes and leave them to my trusty alpha team.

~Step #11: Share~

Aren't I a nice person? In all seriousness, though, sharing my work is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Ever. All the questions about how these people will react to my brain child run through my head. Or at least they did the first time. Now I have people I love and trust handling my work. And there is nothing quite so satisfying as sharing the love of your work with someone else :) It's the step that upgraded me from a scribbler to a writer.

~Step #12: Panic Attack~

It's amazing how every time, without fail, as soon as I click the share button and my chapter zips off to all my alphas' inboxes, something punches me in the stomach. This is where I scramble to add that little detail before they lay eyes upon it. But sometimes, when I really don't care, I just put it on my to-do list and move on. My apologies, dear alphas.

~~~~~

So there you have it. How I write a chapter. I hope you weren't bored out of your skull and are still reading ;) You are? Good for you! Let me know what you thought! And now I want to know how you write a chapter. Or blog post. Either one works for me :D Also ('cuz there always has to be an also), check out Tessa's great link-up idea! Have a lovely Easter!

The Spectacular Book Tag

I got tagged for the Spectacular Book Tag and I think it's very nifty. Thanks for tagging me Jonathan! (Finish reading my post and then you have to check out his blog. It's really cool.)

Without further ado . . .

(Get it? He's tagging something? No? Okay.)

~The Rules~

1. Tag three to five people.
2. Answer the questions.

~The Questions~

1. What are your favorite book covers? 
So I had to think really hard about this question. And I came up with an even dozen I have to share. I'm proud to say that I own all of these books and took some of the pictures myself (so forgive the bad lighting :P)

2. What are your favorite book titles? 

Oh heavens. Hind's Feet on High Places, Gathering Blue, Treasures of the Snow, Alone Yet Not Alone, Once Upon A Summer, and I Capture the Castle all come to mind.

3. Have you read a book and didn't know why they named it that and what was the title?
I can't think of any that haven't made sense. However, I can think of a few like Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado About Nothing, and Great Expectations, that were so familiar to me as titles that I had never actually thought about what they meant and how they related to the story.

4. Have you read a book with a character that made you mad? 
Haven't we all? Gale in The Hunger Games, Tris and Caleb in The Divergent Trilogy, Boromir in The Lord of the Rings . . . They just kept frustrating me because they all made harmful decisions that I thought were stupid. But that's okay :) Characters can't always do what you want. I've also gotten really, really mad at authors when they unexpectedly kill a character I loved. Especially when I can't see any reason for them killing that character.

5. Is there someone or something from a book you would never want to come across?
All of the mutts from The Hunger Games, the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia, Sauron and Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings, and basically any other cruel and disturbing individual or entity.

6. If you could meet a character in person from a book who would it be?
Oh dear. Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird is high on my list, but he reminds me a lot of my dad, so that one is sorta fulfilled. Wynn Delaney from Canadian West, Peeta Mellark, Aslan, and Peter Pan would also all make my day :D

7. What book are you currently reading?
I am giving A Spool of Blue Thread a shot, although I think I must have confused it with another book and it's going to be a DNF.  I am also in the middle of Where Courage Calls, Nehemiah, Sentinel, Proofreading Plain and Simple, Adela Cathcart Volume II, and 1776. It's my new bad habit to start too many :P

8. Have you read a book that made you cry?
Well, I get emotional sometimes, but as far as actual crying goes? The list is longer than I would like, haha. The Hiding Place, Mockingjay, Allegiant, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Insanity of God, and When Hope Springs New. In short, moving true stories and the end of series I enjoyed.

9. What is the weirdest book you have read?
The Giver wasn't the weirdest, but there was just something really different about it that I found strange and I hear that Gathering Blue is even more that way. Boomtown and Series of Unfortunate Events are both really bizarre, but in a good way :) Animal Farm and Brave New World I really liked, but they both left me feeling disturbed, since they are both supposed to give an image of the future. Have I answered the question yet? No? Oh well.

10. What is the worst book/series you ever read?
Honestly, I did not like The Divergent Trilogy hardly at all. I thought her characters were dry and really hard to relate to (at least for me). Her plot/premise were good, but I felt that they fell flat. Even though they were deeper than other dystopian books, I didn't enjoy them when it came down to it. I also got a little lost in the middle, so I am enjoying watching the movies for clarity's sake.

I'm also having a pretty hard time getting through the A Wrinkle In Time Series, which is unfortunate because I really want to like them . . .

11. If you could only read one more book the entire year what would it be?
Hmm, something long. Probably The Count of Monte Cristo, because that's been on my reading list for a long time and I feel like I would have to put a lot into it, but that's just what I've heard :)

~The Tags~

And now I have to tag people. I have no idea why I dislike this part so much. Tell you what. If you want to do the tag, consider yourself tagged. If not, no sweat :)

~~~~~

What do you think about the tweaks I made to my blog design? :D Are you going to take up the tag? Also, I'll be updating my Recommendations and Reviews page soon, so keep your eye on it ;)

Playing Catch Up

Oh my goodness, has it been a crazy week. I've been out on a choir trip and now comes the lovely phase of life that follows any trip: playing catch up. So, instead of stretching my brain to come up with any brilliant post, I'm simply going to update you on what's been up :)

And the reason I have ketchup for my picture, is not just to make a pun. I actually got really excited one day when Mom said we were going to play ketchup in school. I was really bummed to find out it was catch up :P Now for the post.

~Life~

Is life ever not crazy? I memorized the alto (lowest female part) of around 15 full harmony songs in two months and performed them all around the states of Kansas and Colorado last week. It was SO fun, but it was also really exhausting. I have no idea how I managed the Washington DC tour two years ago, because this one was a breeze in comparison and we were all wiped out! 

Anyway, it was very fun because two of my siblings went as did all four of my grandparents and three of my cousins! It's my grandfather's choir and my cousins are in it, so that explains it :) We went to the Air Force Academy, my aunt's church, multiple retirement facilities, Pike's Peak, the Royal Gorge, Garden of the Gods, Focus on the Family, and probably some other places I've forgotten :P It was all very fun and low key, so it really wasn't a big deal that Papa forgot to give me and my sister one of our songs. We just "watermeloned" our way through it. (For some reason if you mouth the word "watermelon" in choir, it's supposed to be very hard to tell that you don't actually know what you're doing) ;) It was a new experience to have absolutely no idea what I was doing in a performance!

Unfortunately, the altitude finally got to me after being blown away at the Royal Gorge. I had already decided I was not going to succumb to peer pressure and cross the bridge because I had done so before. But the theatre was on the other side and I really wanted to see the video about the building of the bridge and the fire that came through. So I crossed despite the 50 mph winds and the slats that you can see through 1,000 feet below. Not my idea of fun. Just to give you an idea:

Needless to say it was really scary and hard to breathe and I felt pretty queasy from the motion once I finally made my way back across. I gave our last concert of the tour a shot that evening, but ended up stepping off after the second song. I threw up in the hall and then twice more once I made it back to the hotel. It didn't phase me that much because that has always been my body's response to anything new or painful. I just felt bad for the nurse who got stuck with my mess, but she was really sweet about it :) Seriously though, there were only two doors in the entire hall. No bathrooms, trash cans, and all outside doors were locked, of course, because they don't want residents drifting. Oh well. It really helped me catch up on rest and make memories!

~Goals~

Hehe. So when I signed up for the 300/4/30 challenge initially, I didn't take into consideration that I was going to be on the road for a week. Unfortunately, I did miss March 15 due to a crazy schedule and then altitude/motion sickness in the evening. And my very prestigious self doesn't even care :P I have forced myself to write every other day, though, and have always exceeded 300 words, averaging more around 4-500. It took me much longer to get my 300 words in on the trip than it should have since I was without a laptop and was writing by hand in a van of crazy teenage girls. But my brain's word generation speed tends to be about on par with my handwriting speed, so it worked out :)

As far as reading goes, I accomplished a whole 300+ page novel on the trip! I was so excited, because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to read in the car, but my medicine did the trick :) I was so happy, because it's been months since I've felt like I could really sit and read. The book I finished was called Where Treetops Glisten and contained three novels each by a different author about a different sibling during Christmastime of WWII. I thought it was a very nifty idea and had been told to check out Sara Sundin, one of the authors, anyway. I had been wondering how co-authored novels worked, and now I know a little more :)

~~~~~

I hope you had a little more low-key Spring Break than I did! What did you do? Anything that needs to go down in history? How is your 300/4/30 challenge coming? Have you ever survived the Royal Gorge? If you haven't . . . you just have no idea ;) 

I also added a short story to My Writings page (you'll have to skip (or read) all my WIP stuff first). Or you can read all the entries over at Bethany's. She does some really awesome writing challenges :D

Authors Who Use Their Initials

I may not be able to post this Saturday because I will be out of town, so here's something for you earlier in the week!

I got to wondering the other day . . . what names exist behind the renowned authors who go by their initials? I'm sure most of us know C. S. Lewis and J. K. Rowling, but as I delved in, I realized just how many there are!

Via Pinterest

A. A. Milne~ Most famous in my mind for penning Winnie the Pooh, this gentleman's real name was Alan Alexander. Sounds pretty classy to me, but initials were the way to go in that era.

C. S. Lewis~ As I'm sure you all know, this inspiring writer wrote everything from The Chronicles of Narnia to Christian theology and Greek mythology books. His real name was Clive Staples. I can understand why he might want to go by his initials :)

E. B. White~ I know this man for Charlotte's Web and The Elements of Style (which I highly recommend). His true name has to be one of my favorites: Elwyn Brooks White. How neat is that?!

E. E. Cummings~ I know him for his poetry. Again, he offers some name inspiration with his Edward Estlin Cummings.

F. Scott Fitzgerald~ Known most prominently for The Great Gatsby, this gentleman was named Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald after . . . (you guessed it!) the man who penned The Star-Spangled Banner.

H. G. Wells~  Author of some pretty clever Sci-Fi, such as The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, his actual name was Herbert George Wells.

J. D. Salinger~ Known for The Catcher in the Rye, which I do not recommend even cracking open, his first name removes some of the uniqueness of his last: Jerome David. His father was of Jewish Lithuanian descent, shedding some light on his naming :)

J. K. Rowling~ Whether you read Harry Potter or not, I'm sure you know that is what made this author famous. These initials stand for Joanne Kathleen, the middle name being added only for publishing purposes and taken from Rowling's grandmother. Like most women pseudonyms, she didn't necessarily want her readers knowing she was a woman.

J. M. Barrie~ He tends to be less well known, but was the screenwriter for Peter Pan and is the character portrayed by Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland. (I heartily recommend this movie!) His name was James Matthew Barrie, which sounds very British in my opinion.

J. R. R. Tolkien~ Obviously the author of The Lord of the Rings and good friends with C. S. Lewis, this author's full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. His third name reminds me of the style he used in naming his own characters.

L. Frank Baum~ Author of The Wizard of Oz, his first name was Lyman. Not being favorable to his first name, he used his initial. I personally don't find it much worse than Frank . . .

L. M. Montgomery~ Another female author who made the list, Lucy Maud Montgomery was known for writing Anne of Green Gables and its many sequels. I'm not exactly sure why she used her initials because she is known just as well by her full name.

P. L. Travers~ If you saw the movie Saving Mr. Banks, you will know that this woman penned Mary Poppins. The interesting thing was, these were initials for her pseudonym, Pamela Lyndon Travers. She was actually born Helen Lyndon Goff. Her father's name was Travers and Pamela was her own choice.

T. S. Eliot~ While I'm not certain I've ever read anything of his, I am familiar with his initialed name. His full name was Thomas Stearns Eliot. It always throws me for a loop that his last name has only one 'l'.

W. B. Yeats~ A beautiful poet whom you should all research, his initials stood for William Butler, which sounds to me like a great character name. Down by the Salley Garden is one of my favorites!

W. H. Auden~ A name I am less familiar with, this man was an American poet. Quite frankly, his name was poetic: Wystan Hugh Auden. He was born to be an artist!

~~~~~

I have to say Elwyn, Estlin, and Wystan are all very awesome names! Reuel, Lyndon, and Travers all offer interesting choices as well. I may have to pull some of these out as character names! If I had a name half that unique, I think I would use it instead of my initials.

That aside, how many of these were new to you? Are there any of your favorites that I forgot?

The Liebster Award

Okay, so after desperately trying to think of an award I'd won in my tag from Rachael, I got nominated for the Liebster award by Hosanna. Thanks so much! I love these kinds of things. I hope you do, too, because I have another tag pending that will be posted soon ;) And also, check out how well this award matches my blog?! I think that's very awesome.

~Rules~

• Link back to the person who tagged you
• Answer all 11 questions
• Tag 11 bloggers who have less than a thousand readers 
• Ask them 11 questions
• Let them know you've tagged them through social media

~Questions~

1~ Why did you start a blog?

Because I wanted the experience, the challenge, and the network :) (see my first post)

2~ What was the last book you read?

The last book I opened to read some of was To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The last book I finished reading would be Adela Cathcart Volume 1 by George MacDonald.

3~ What is your favorite word that starts with a "t"?

Transcendent is the first one that comes to my mind. I like its sound, spelling, and definition. It also happens to be a characteristic of God :D

4~ Violet or Green?

Oh, heavens, you had to ask. I've mentioned before that my favorite color is purple, so I'd probably have to go with Violet. However, green is my second favorite color, so . . .

5~ What is a country you would love to visit?

A country. How about a couple? I really want to visit a Dutch country, probably the Netherlands (but Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland would all work, too). And Canada. It's close, but colder. And I just learned you don't have to have a passport?!

6~ Who is the most inspirational blog you follow?

Another hard one. Katie's A Writer's Faith is the one that originally captured me and inspired me to write my own blog and connect with others through that medium. And since I am not the most bubbly person, I like that her energy and awesomeness rubs off on me. I mean, I am an INTJ. They're not always the nicest people. ;) Katie is an ENFP. Yep, pretty different. Even our writing styles, but we work really well together!

I follow a handful of blogs now, but I haven't been here long enough to know how much you all will inspire me :) But I would have to say the little I have read of Anne Marie's AM Station has been inspirational.

7~ Do you have a story behind your blog's name?

Not really (my bio pretty much sums it up), but I'll tell you anway. I am left-handed and very proud of it. I also really like to write, which I always draft by typing. And I own a typewriter (it's in my header) that really inspires me :) So I combined all of that to give a little bit of information about myself and what my blog would be about :D

8~ In one word, describe one of your story's main characters (and explain why you picked that word!).

I'm going to go with Gemma Ebworthy, the main character of my WIP. In one word, resilient. Why? Because she comes from difficult circumstances and is headed into a whole different sort and yet, no matter what she goes through, she remains herself and becomes the better for it. (You can read a little more about her on My Writings page.)

9~ What is your favorite time period of history?

I really love the Pilgrim era. I do. And by Pilgrim era, I mean 17th century America. I love the bravery of the people who came to settle in a foreign country all because of their determination to follow God. And I would really like to meet Priscilla Mullins and know what happened to the Roanoke Colony :)

Otherwise, early 20th century. I would have loved to go to the Great Exposition and be a part of a rapidly changing world. (I would have been a telegram/telephone operator :D).

10~ Do you prefer fantasy or mystery?

Ach, another tricky one. As you can tell by my bio, I really love to watch detective shows. Like a lot. And the funny thing is I didn't even realize that until recently. But I will totally do a Hunger Games/LOTR/Harry Potter marathon, too (reading or watching!). Soooo, I guess I prefer to read fantasy, but like mystery in shows as long as it is tied up quickly :D

11~ Favorite Bible verse?

Oh dear. I'll give you two that I always go back to.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth!" Proverbs 46:10

~Nominations~

Anne Marie from AM Station
Hannah from Ink Blots and Coffee Stains
Jesseca from Whimsical Writings
Jordan Sky from Fox in the Woodlands
Morgan from The Day the Lord Has Made
Olivia from Plot Therapy

And that's all I want to mess with :P But if you have never been nominated and really want to do it, go right ahead. For those of you I nominated, you are not obligated to do it.

~Your Questions~

1~ What's the story behind your blog's name?

2~ What is your favorite stage of writing?

3~ Where/in what conditions do you write the best?

4~ What is a country you would like to visit?

5~ What is your favorite historical period?

6~ What is your favorite dessert?

7~ What's the furthest you've ever been from home?

8~ What is your earliest memory?

9~ What is your happy place?

10~ If you could pick one author/screenwriter to meet, who would it be?

11~ What is your favorite book adapted movie/show?

~~~~~

Well, I hope that was fun. I may do another more "normal" post before I do my next tag to break the trend a little ;) If you see that I tagged you, please leave a comment and let me know. I'll track down and notify the rest of you tomorrow. I have been helping set up for our local Pregnancy Resource Center's banquet all morning and my choir is singing tonight. Always something going on :P But I will  get my 300 words done (which has been going quite well, by the way).

How has your 300/4/30 challenge been? Have you been nominated for the Liebster award before? Do you even like to read tags, or would you prefer more regular posts? Bonus: on a scale to 1-10, 10 being the greatest and most highly recommended ever, how much do you enjoy my blog? And give your reason for that rating. I really want to know and will only accept the Gospel truth :D

Tag, You're It!

Rachael tagged me for the Get to Know Me Tag and I am very excited to do it. Thanks, Rachael!!

~Vital Stats~

Name: Abigayle. It's spelled different after my grandmother, Gayle.

Nicknames: Abi, Babs, and Blabbergayle (thank you loving grandfather. Apparently I was extroverted when I was little XD) I will not respond to any of these except Abi, so don't even think about it.

Place of Birth: Austin, Texas

Star sign: Apparently it's Leo, and the definition they had for it is pretty darn accurate. Creepy? Yes. Now a horoscope follower? Haha, no.

~Firsts~

Best friend: My twin cousin, Madison. No, we're not actually twins nor do we look anything alike, but I beat her into the world by 18 hours. I still can't believe she gets to graduate first . . . And my sis, Vivienne

Award: Um. Since I don't do sports or awana or anything competitive . . . I got an medal for participation in a Park Day once and another for learning a President's song. I can still sing all the way through, thank you very much. That's literally all I can think of.

Sport: I have never done any sports except at homeschool get togethers. I'm average at actual sports like baseball and basketball. I die in running and swimming.

Real holiday: The first legit vacation I remember was going to my great-grandfather's cabin in Colorado and singing hymns on a big hill to my grandfather's guitar. I think I was about 2 1/2 or 3. This is also my earliest memory.

Concert: I've heard my friend's orchestra once and have gone to see the opera Romeo and Juliet.

~Favorites~

Film: You've Got Mail, hands down. Her cute hair, the bookstores, New York, the seasons, and all the quirky music. It's just the best. PG for a reason (I'm kind of surprised it's not PG-13), but the best. It's a remake of The Shop Around the Corner (which I have never been able to track down, so if you have suceeded let me know!). Now I have to share a quote that sums up why I adore it:

Now I want to watch this movie

TV Show: Doctor Who, When Calls the Heart, Call the Midwife (and all the ones below that I am currently watching

Color: A neutral purple or anything the word "icy" could preclude

These are both from Design Seeds and you should really stalk them on Pinterest.

Song: Um, I get Josh Groban and songs from Les Mis or Phantom stuck in my head a lot. But one of my favorites of late has been Open Fields of Grace sung by Jackie Evancho. It just makes me want to go to Heaven and hear the angels sing.

Restaurant: Novelty cafes. We have an awesome Italian one in town and a French one near Austin that are both to die for, with authentic Italian and French owners, of course!

Books: Little Women, The Hunger Games, the Canadian West series

~Currently~

Feeling: Lathargic and sleepy :P

Single or taken: This question cracked me up. Because I'm sure you're all dying to know, I'm single

Eating: Nothing at the moment. But I had avocado toast for a snack and am having grilled pork chops for supper. (Actually, this took me so long that I had to have some chocolate.)

Watching: X-Files, Sherlock (finally!!), and Downton Abbey. That basically sums up all of my fangirl sides.

Wearing: A striped shirt, my favorite green skirt, and no shoes.

~Future~

Want Children: Yes. At least 5 :D I may or may not already have some names I love.

Want to be married: I think we can all assume yes, given my answer to the last question, but obviously it rely on God's plan for my life.

Careers in mind: Editing, writing, and maybe copywriting? Otherwise, continuing to help out with whatever I can. For example, I currently do bookkeeping for a local business, paralegal work for my dad, and lots of babysitting.

Where you want to live: In a state with cooler weather. My only complaint with Texas is that it is always so stinking hot! We have June bugs already, people. June bugs!! Have you any idea how much I hate them? Ideally, I'd live in Virginia because I love its history, or Washington because I love its weather (not that I've ever been). Or Pennsylvania, because I have a thing for the Amish. Or in a Dutch country with windmills, rolling hills, and frozen ponds. You get the idea.

~Do You Believe In~

God: Definitely.

Miracles: Yes.

Love at first sight: No, because attraction at first sight is a very different thing

Ghosts: No, but I do believe in spirits, demons, angels and any other inhabitants of the spiritual realm

Aliens: Nope, I side with Scully.

Soul Mates: No? I believe God intends and even creates certain people to compliment and balance each other out. But that's not what "soul mate" typically means ;)

Heaven: Yes, thank goodness.

Hell: That, too.

Kissing on the first Date: No. Actually, no kissing on dates at all :P

Yourself: I don't think I could be a writer without a little bit of faith in myself. But I greatly rely on other's faith in me (so thanks!).

~~~~~

Well, I think I made that way longer than it was supposed to be! I tag Jesseca, Ivy, Jonathan, and Morgan! Unless you really don't want to, but I really want to know your answers!

So, what did you think? Anything that shocked you? Anything we have in common that I HAVE to know about?