My story in elevens // a tag... or three

I was tagged by two different good friends (with the same tag) last week, and I decided to do them together, to save a little time and repetitiveness. :) 

The rules for this tag are simple, Post eleven random facts about yourself, answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in return. Tag eleven fellow bloggers, and notify them of the award. And most of all, have FUN!!!!


So, eleven extremely random facts about myself... this can't be that hard!! :)

1. I have 10 siblings, and when i tell people that they are usually completely shocked!! :)

2. I love Christmas so much I wish that it came around once every month.

3. Big trucks are really fun.

4. I got my permit on Thursday, and i am in love with driving.

5. I am terrified, really terrified, of heights. That's part of the trouble I had climbing Mt. Adams this year.

6. I work once a week cleaning for a lady. And I think it's really fun.

7. This is harder than i thought.

8. I love wearing rings and earrings, but other jewelery than that is mostly just a bother.

9. Teal is an awesome color. :)

10. I'm only on number ten?!?

11. I just bought the cutest pair of boots. And now love boots so much.

So, these are the questions from a friend I've known for twelve years now!?! Sierra, from Musings of an Inkheart.

1) Which literary/movie character reminds you most of yourself? I don't know how to answer that question honestly. :) I've taken the Jane Austin Character test multiple times, and have always been told I am Elizabeth Bennet, and while I will agree that I do form rather hasty judgements of people, I don't think I am exactly like her. So I suppose I must go with that answer, as I can't seem to think of anybody else that I am particularly like. (I'd love to know who you think you are most like, Sierra. :)

 

2) What is your favorite music genre? Currently I am really enjoying Opera, even though that seems kind of weird for me. :) I really love singers like Sarah Brightman and Jackie Evancho

3) When creating characters, do you name them first and then come up with the character (Tolkien style) or do you create the character first and then name them? I name a character first, and then start to develop them. Somehow it seems more realistic that way, like how you name a child before he is born, a parent doesn't wait until he is twenty-one to decided what to name him based on his character. :) 

4) Do you collect pictures/models of your characters (I most certainly do)? I've never done that, although I do think it would be helpful.

5) When writing, do you start at the beginning and work to the end (same way you read) or do you just write whatever scene fits your fancy? It depends, I suppose on what I am writing. Mostly I've just written short stories, most of which I threw away, but I think that I would probably end up writing the parts that interest me at the moment, which would be way more convenient than trying to write all the way though.

6) What are your opinions on adding mythical/fantasy creatures (elves, dragons, etc) to a story? I don't really know. If it's a fairy story, such as ones by George MacDonald, there should, obviously, be fairy's and elves. And adding dragons to a medieval storyline is fine, as long as you don't overdo it, like making them talk. But just adding mythical creatures to just a normal story would probably annoy me most of the time. Unless they were really, really interesting and mysterious, and then I'd probably be so drawn into the story I might even consider changing my opinion. :) Although I don't think I would ever consider writing about them, personally.

7) Do you play any musical instruments? Yes, I don't think I could live life without my piano. And I also play flute, although that's not such a big part of my life.

8) If you were to use a weapon, which one would you choose? I've been in love with swords for the past four or five years, ever since I read my first medieval book, so I probably would choose that. But, on the other hand, I have always loved bows, (to the point of wanting to get my own someday.) so I might choose that as well.

9) Are you a part of any fandoms (ex. LOTR, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Marvel, Jane Austin, Percy Jackson, Inheritance Cycle, etc.)? Not officially. but I am a pretty big Jane Austin fan. Really big Jane Austin fan, that is. I love her, have seen a lot of her movies, and just read P+P for the first time. Awwww. Yes, I'm a fan. :)

 

10) Sunshine or Rain? I love sunshine, but I am in love with rain. There is something captivating about the way rain falls from the sky, it's beautiful and quiet, then it's loud and stormy, rain is always changing, always beautiful.

11) What is your favorite type of character (cheerful and bubbly, spirited and saucy, uppity and snobbish, or dark, angry/sad and mysterious) I find the angry, sad and mysterious characters the most intriguing. They are confusing, hard to decipher, and most of the time are found to be amazing if you can only figure them out. Spoken like an Austin fan, thinking of a certain Mr. Darcy, I suppose. :)

 

And Hannah's questions, from Simply Hannah Elise:  

 

 

1) Have you read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit? No, my parents don't approve of either. :)
2) Who is your favorite author? My favorite author... Charles Dickens, Catherine Marshell, Alexander Dumas, Louisa May Alcott, etc... :)
3) Do you use Pinterest?  No. my mom is afraid that I'll spend too much time on the Internet if I do. :)
4) Do you have a common name, or a rare one (e.g., as in Hannah is extremely common)? I believe that Rebecca is a common name... I know at least four or five of the top of my head. :)
5) Do you like your middle name (you don't have to give it out)? Yes, I like my middle name. I'll even tell you. It's Ann... with an E. :) Anne... I love sharing names with Anne Shirley, even though I am pretty sure that my mother didn't pick that name because of her.
6) What's your favorite animal? horses? dogs?
7) What's your favorite number? 12... Just as my mom. :)
8) Do you have any weird pet peeves?  I have to be really warm while I sleep, so I pile on the blankets like crazy, but I can't sleep in lots of clothes. So I'll end up having seven or eight blankets, and only be wearing a tank-top and shorts.... random?! :)
9) Do you like the city or the country better? I am a complete country girl, and always will be, but right now I think a city experience would be really fun for a while. After living in a little hick town, I think living in a big city would be pretty awesome. But only for a while.
10) Are you a fan of the "tall, dark, and handsome" or the "pale, wan, and blond"? Tall, dark and handsome, of course... but I think I would be fine with pale, wan, and blond if he was the right guy.
11) Do you like linkups or book reviews better? I have to say link-ups. They are so interesting to look at, going from blog to blog seeing all the different post that are different, yet the same. :)   

 

And while I am at it, i thought I'd link up to Hallie, from Hallie Jo Photography, who is doing the tag in a link-up. :) 

1) Are you a morning person or a night owl? I am totally a night owl. Mornings are perfectly awful. You have to get out of bed (the first awful thing) and then you're supposed to eat sometime between 7-9:00. that would just ruin my whole day right there in a hurry! Eat before 10:30?! Seriously, those people have issues.

2) What is typical December/Christmas weather like where you live? Very cold, and wet, and beautiful in every way (except the mud. :)

3) Can you speak any second languages? My parents would say that I do. I can speak teen. :) (example: It was like, totally amazing, and I was like "this is totally awesome!" :)

4) What is the biggest traditional meal at your house during the holidays (e.g., Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas morning breakfast)? we don't really have a big traditional meal. We should though. :)
5) What were the three best parts of your week? Turning sixteen, getting my permit, and driving a little car for the first time ever.

6) What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? You mean there's flavors other than chocolate and vanilla?!? lol Um... I like coffee flavored basically anything, and chocolate-chip mint is great to.

7) What fictional character do you think you’re most like? This question is so hard, but I think that I can relate with Jo March, Christy Huddleston and Anne Shirley the most.

8) Would you rather take a vacation to the tropics or to Europe? forget the tropics, let's go to Europe people!!

9) What was the last thing you tried for the first time? Driving!!

10) Do you get a real or fake Christmas tree? We don't get a Christmas tree. My parents didn't like the mess, and the whole "put the presents under the tree" thing.

11) Are you making any New Year’s resolutions? If so, what are they going to be? Yes, but I haven't begun to think about what exactly they are going to be yet.

So, my questions for the future tagees. :)

1. Do you have a favorite name (besides your own)?

2. If you had to be transported into any time period, which would you choose?

3. Lemonade or Dr. Pepper (and coffee or tea is not an option. Those are a given! :)

4. Favorite person, fiction or otherwise?

5. Best day of the week?

6. If you were given the opportunity to visit two country's for a month each, with your trip completely paid for, which would you choose, and why?

7. What are your thoughts on ice-cream? Is chocolate the only flavor worth mentioning, or do you have a favorite?

8. How many siblings do you have?

9. What inspires you to write the most?

10. You are given the chance to visit New York. What is the first thing you plan to do?

11. Favorite book by your favorite author?

And as I have spent so much time on this post, anyone who wants to do this tag may do it, but be sure to comment with the link to your post, so I can read it. (and I do know that was a cop-out. I apologize! :)

 xo, 

I did something incredibally crazy today (yesterday)

This post, (actually my journal entry.)  was written three days ago. We've been having trouble with our internet, and I haven't been able to post it.  And I can't post any photos either.  I have a serious love/hate relationship with computers right now. I love them most of the time, but sometimes they just really bug me. Like right now! Just in case you were wondering that. J 

          The house is quiet, the children fast asleep, and it’s officially my favorite time of day. The clock says it’s 10:15 and 45 seconds, and I am wide awake. Not from coffee, (although that would have been my first guess to,. J), no it’s from complete excitement.        

          You see, I did something incredibly crazy, (technically yesterday. But we celebrated today.) I would even dare say insane, today. I still can’t believe it really happened, even though I’ve been counting down since 67 days ago. J

     So, what did I do? I didn’t already mention that?! Man, my head is in the clouds for sure…   

          I turned sixteen today.  I know. Unbelievable, right?? Everybody on earth turns sixteen, (except for those that don’t… yah, whatever.) but for some reason, sixteen seems really big to me. Like I’ve gotten somewhere with my life. I know everybody always says “don’t rush your childhood,”: and “once you’re an adult you’ll always be one, so be happy where you are,” but I am so happy to have reached sixteen, and be well on my way to adulthood. J 

          In this new year, I want to grow deeper in my relationship with Christ. I want to become a better pianist. I want to start an etsy shop. I want to learn to drive. I want to take my hobby of photography to a much bigger level. I want to start (and finish!) the novel I have written inside my head. I want to start making journaling a part of my life, (instead of just an occasional thing.) I want to improve my blogging, both in my writing, and my photography, making my blog more interesting, thought provoking and fun. I want to improve my relationship with my siblings. I want to learn how to capture what I see, think and feel, and put them into words that are powerful, captivating, basically I want to learn to write things that can emotionally move people, making them feel what my characters are feeling, see what I am describing. I guess you could call these my resolutions for my sixteenth year. J

          This year is going to be so full of opportunity’s, and I don’t want to miss them. 

     I recently ran across a wonderful quote that I have come to love. I actually bought a 365 day journal (that I plan on starting January 1^st. J) and this quote was on the front: “When one door of Happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” Helen Keller.

     That’s what I don’t want to do this year. I want to move on with my life, to the new door that God brings me, and with his mercy and grace, walk through that door and pursue all that he has for me.   

          This past year has been a rough one for me. I’ve had to adjust to having both my older brother gone, and being the oldest at home, and that’s been extremely emotionally hard for me. Thomas, Andrew and I have always been really close, even though I am 3 and 5 years younger than them, and it’s been crazy hard to not have them around, but I’ve realized, mostly in the last two weeks, that felling upset and angry isn’t gonna help any, besides making me miserable. They have moved out and moved on with life, I need to stop staring at that door. It’s closed, all the way shut, and sitting here staring isn’t gonna open it. J 

          Anyway, I ‘m rambling, as I tend to do, mostly completely unsure of what I’ve been talking about anyway…

      

          God,

                  I ask you to bless this new year for me. I ask you to put a thirst in my soul for you. I ask you to show me yourself in ways I can’t even imagine. Thank-you for the blessings you’ve given me i; my family and friends… a home, an amazing country to call mine.

          I love you, Jesus.   

               Amen

 

 

 

                                                                                    Love,

gift exchange // thank you, Emma

  I entered in a gift exchange, over at Katherine’s blog, earlier this month, (auctually last month. o-O is it really already December?!) and I had a lot of fun with it. I was assigned a girl from Maine. Talk about opposite sides of the country!!! I don’t think we could live further apart, while still living in the US, (excluding Alaska and Hawaii, of course. J) I get her box in the mail yesterday morning, and loved it.

 

 

Emma knew how to make me happy!! ^ 

 And I love big coffee mugs, ‘ cause then I don’t have to go back for more coffee or tea nearly as often

 A coaster to go with the mug. Brilliant!! I needed one for my desk, as I am always drinking something or other while I do school.

This ornament is so cute. My family doesn’t put up a tree, but it will look adorable in my room. J

A cute note pad for my purse. I am always writing something down, the name of a song I want to look up, or something I really don’t want to forget. (A tendency I seem to have. STMLD is something I battle constantly. And that stands for Short Term Memory Loss Disorder. J yes, I have issues. lol)

 

 

These are too cute, Emma! My family loved them. J  Pumpkins are something I really love, and I have a feeling that these are gonna be out for display in my room for quite a while after the holiday season is over.

 

Isn’t this fun? ^ I’ve never seen a pencil like that before. Very creative.

Emma is a card-maker, and this was the lovely card she sent me. Cute, yes?

*dies and goes to heaven* I could exist completely on GHIRARDELLI Dark and Raspberry chocolate (and White Mocha Lattes. ) for an entire month, and be perfectly content. J  This is wonderful, Emma.

(I thought this was funny. The serving size is three balls. Don't those people try to save the cocolate and make it last as long as they can? Isn't that the fun of having a chocolate stash? Dying to eat a piece, but telling yourself that you don't really need it, and you don't really want to go through it as fast as you have been?! :P)

 

 And I already ate some of the chocolate, Emma. :) It was lovely, and delicious and made me feel happy. :)

 

Thank you, Emma, for the thoughtful gifts. You put a lot of thought into putting the box together and everything was perfect. J I enjoyed being your partner a lot. J

 

And yes, I was lazy and took all those photos on the floor. But hey, it was a clean background. :) That's always nice.

xo,

Becca Anne

rambles about my smoothie

My friend Hannah commented on this post about the photo of my smoothie wondering what I put in it. So, I am about to unleash the secret. Actually, it’s pretty simple, and pretty boring, considering I’ve made it nearly every morning for the past year. J  Mom and I were diehards about green smoothies every morning for almost a year, but then I just started making them without the spinach and other green stuffs, and was I happy!! I’m really a wimp when it comes to nasty food, even if it’s good for me. (I could care less about whether it’s good for me. J If it tastes good, it’s good. lol) Anyway, mom’s been having me add the green to hers after I take mine out. There, we’re both happy. J

 

So… the smoothie. 

Nectarines

Bananas

Nancy’s plain yogurt

Kiwi (added it for the first time today. Yum!!)

Lemon cube (we freeze fresh squeezed lemon juice in ice cube trays. )

Homemade grape juice (We can it every year, and it’s heaven on earth, people.)

And a little water.

 

And for mom’s, I added,

Kale

Spinach

Chia seeds

And heart health powder, from the Bulk Herb Store

 

These two ^ are of mine, before I added all the green stuff. :) Delicious, yes?

 

And this is mom's.  :)

Mine was amazing. I loved the lemon and kiwi in there. They gave the smoothie a wonderful sour pop. :) (Funny story about why I added the kiwis... I was talking to my uncle yesterday on the phone, and somehow we got on the subject of foods with weird textures. And kiwi's were on his list of foods that are to be avoided, due to awful textures.  He said that if he was on a planet that only grew kiwi's he'd starve... My solution was to make a kiwi smoothie, 'casue then you don't have to taste the texture. And that's why I added the kiwi. 'Cause I would have never thought of that all by myself. I'm just not creative like that. :)

 

I didn't taste mom's, but she said it wasn't bad.... or good either. :)  But it was definantly very healthy and all of that good stuff. :)

So now i'm curious, what do you eat for breakfast normaly?

 

xo,

 

these are a few of my favorite things // at this moment

 

// My nearly every morning smoothie //

 

// my official favorite mug (I  feel very strange inside when a guest takes my cup, all I can think is

“that’s my cup!!”)  //

// my bible // 

// adorable cuteness, yes? //

// pretty pink nails, and canon; it doesn’t get much better than that //

// an up-to-date portrait of me, complements of John //

// dark chocolate kisses; life would be so boring without dark chocolate kisses, yes? // 

 

// macro water droplets //

// I am downright obsessed with clouds //

// I love this boy // 

// water // 

// it’s a berry. J //

 



// and this is water too, it just doesn’t look like it. It looks more like melting crushed plastic. But that’s beside the point. //

 

I love familiar things.

      Like waking up in your own bed after being gone on vacation, and the way it just feels normal. Making myself a cup of tea on a crisp cold fall day. Picking my camera up and snapping photos of James. Reading Caleb books that were my favorite when I was his age (3), or watching Bambi with the little ones, and laughing hysterically, and ohhing and ahhing over the cuteness that the produces managed to pack into it. The smell of rain, coming in the distance,  for the first time in the fall. Looking up at the stars, and realizing that they are the same stars I’ve always looked up at, and the awesomeness and majesty doesn’t change at all; I am just as impressed every time I look up at the sky on a clear night as I was the very first time. Listening to my favorite Christmas CD, that we’ve had practically all my life. Seeing shapes in the clouds.

    I love familiar things and I hate change, so I guess that’s why I hate the thought of moving. I am comfortable where I am, and this is where I want to stay. I have friends here, memories here, and this is my hometown. The thought of leaving makes my throat get tight, and my chest hurt. I’m a shy girl, but once I make friends with people, which takes me a while, I’m fine, and the thought of having to start all over again seems impossible.

 

     This isn’t what this post was going to be. It was just going to be a happy post, but I guess I just needed to ramble for a moment. And I’ll take a moment to explain while I’m rambling.

     My dad got a job up in the Coulee Dam area of Washington, driving a bread truck for Franz Bakery. Grand Coulee is about 4 hours from here, and when you drive big trucks and a fifteen-passenger van (like we do. J) it costs a lot to drive back and forth. So as a result dad is only able to come home (most of the time) for twenty-four hours once a week. So my parents are looking for a house, and hoping to move up there as soon as possible, which could mean the end of next month.  And I needed a moment to ramble about what’s been on my mind for the last while. Sorry. J

     Anyway… back to the happy I was planning.

     Can you believe that it is the Christmas season already?! I am terribly excited. Christmas is my very favoritest (Microsoft Word doesn’t like this favoritest. I don’t understand it… it’s a word I use all the time!? :) time of year. I love the smells, the colors, the snow, the cookies  and candies, the festive spirit that flies through the air and magically makes everyone cheery and happy, the music, and the whole meaning of Christmas. It is just a special time of year, and it’s my favorite. I am really hoping that we get snow soon. That is just an essential for Christmas, yes?

     What are you doing to prepare for the Christmas season? Are you baking anything yet? (I am planning to kick off my holiday cooking by making Peanut butter cookies, to send to Thomas’s roommate, Caleb. It’s an attempt to prove to him that I’m not the creep he must think I am. I’ve been on speaker phone, unknowingly, and said things several times that I wouldn’t have said if I had known he was listening in.J) 

     What are some of your favorite familiar things? Things that are a part of your daily life, and you’d feel like there was something missing if it wasn’t there.

xo,

Becca

Thankfulness // a to z

I have a confession… I didn’t take a single photo of anything today (except a mini photo-shoot with my older brother, but I ‘m gonna post about that sometime in the future.) So, this post is going to have to be Thanksgiving photo free. That seems sad. J

     I decided to do a Thankful A to Z list, because I think that lists are so much fun, and this was something that would be entertaining as well as a wonderful reminder about things I am grateful for.

~ ~ ~ ~

Linking up with Hannah at Aspire

 

 

  Another lovely Thanksgiving with my family. I love Thanksgiving, people.

Birthdays—my sixteenth is fast approaching and I am so excited this year.

C- Christmas—is official the very best season of all. Fall is close in second, but Christmas is so beautiful and fun and amazing. J Coffee— Chocolate—

Dickens—Because he is the very best author (besides GOD, of course) who ever sat down at a desk,  picked up a pen, dipped it, with care, into ink, and proceeded to write a novel. He was brilliant, and his books are so amazing.

Everything-- That was my Gramndpa's answer to the question "what are you thankful for. :)

Family and friends, people that love me.

Goldendale—I love my little hometown, and the people here. I live in a very beautiful place, although I just discovered that recently, about six months ago actually. I realized that I live in a beautiful area, and I love it here. J

Home – My house holds all my memories, and that is so amazing to think about.

Inside a warm home, watching the rain fall in sheets outside the windows, and being cozy inside reading. That is the beauty of fall right there, people.

Jesus. I am so grateful for the salvation that he gave to me.

Kisses from my little brother. Even though he offers them only after much coaxing.

Letters—I love writing and receiving letters. There is something extremely exciting about opening an envelope and reading the words someone wrote on the page. Love—because it’s such a lovely thing.

Music—something that I truly could not live without.

November – It’s been a wonderful month so far. I think that November is going to end beautifully, and although I will be sad to see it go, I will be extremely excited to see December again.

Opening an old book for the first time, and smelling that delicious old book smell and just knowing this is going to be a good book.

P- Piano—In my humble opinion, the piano (and the violin. J) is the most beautiful instrument of all. A pianist can do so much on that amazing instrument. Photography—because this is my other passion. I expect Maria and I will have a lot of beautiful experiences this next year together.

Quiet—the beauty of stillness in a chaotic world.

Rings—I am finally getting my purity ring sized, it’s gonna be a size and a half smaller!!! I am so lucky I didn’t lose it.

Starbucks runs with friends after church. Salt—I know it’s weird, but I seriously love lots of salt on my food

Tea – Because it is warm and delicious—Technology—because it makes life oh so convenient. (Gotta admit it does. J)

United States of America – I am so proud to be an American.

Valking in the woods with my little sister. (you gotta say that with a German accent. ‘Kay? Okay.)

Waking up late in the morning, and laying there for a while longer, because my bed is just so warm and lovely.

X-- I can honestly not think of a single thing beginning with X. This is the sad reality.

Yesterday’s dinner. It was that good. J

Zany little siblings. They’re the best. J

I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, lovelies.

xo