Literature

“Into The Dragon’s Lair” #1

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So: this is the exciting thing I promised you all yesterday! 🙂  I’m going to be posting a story I wrote a while ago on here, chapter by chapter.  Below is the prologue.  I will try consistently post every Tuesday (I think they’ll be 6 parts), but if I miss a day I’ll fudge and post it late (or early, if I see it coming).  I thought you guys would appreciate that more than my skipping a week for the sake of regularity. 🙂

This story takes place in 2012, which was current when I wrote it!  I think my writing style has improved: at least it’s more emotional; this seems a little dry when I read it now! 🙂 (which I did last night–yes the whole thing… at one time.  I’m afraid you guys will have to be more patient.)  They’re also longer now–don’t worry though, the story parts are longer than the prologue! 🙂

This book is dedicated to Spencer, who gave me the inspiration for this story while he and I were having an adventure in the woods.  We were actually geocaching and I happened to be holding the G.P.S. so he called me his “navigator”–which you’ll see later in the story.  Which I guess would make me the tech-savvy one–which is a great joke, as I’m helpless around computers without Spencer or Dad.

Thank you, Spencer; for inspiring a great (if a little dry) story and for all the tech-support you give us girls while Dad is at work.  You’re awesome!

Special thanks also to my readers Savannah, Ariel, Skylar, and Jaidyn.  I came up with this idea on my own, but their stories motivated me and gave me inspiration.  Thanks, girls!

Now without further ado and probably-boring-for-the-rest-of-you acknowledgements, here’s the story:

 

:-: INTO THE DRAGON'S LAIR :-:
:-: INTO THE DRAGON’S LAIR :-:

PROLOGUE:

The year was 1866 when grandfather Rothfuss found a gold and diamond mine only a mile from his home.  But in 1867 a very large and terrible dragon called Grizzled stole all the gold and diamonds, and flew away with it to a place in South America called Bolivia.  Traveling was very hard back then, and Bolivia was very, very far away, so the Rothfusses thought they would never see their treasure again, and Grizzled would lose it in the jungle, and it would never be seen or admired again.  Were they right?

Life

Winter Wonderland

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Here are a few pictures I got of the snow!  It was so pretty when it started falling: great big, peaceful flakes drifting down.  I took some pictures, but you can’t see the snowflakes.  🙁

It wasn’t sticking very well, and I was hoping so desperately it would get real deep…

 

Wish granted!

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Look how deep that drifted up!

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Just look at that!  I love how this turned out!  Couldn’t this so totally be Narnia or something?

You know me: off in raptures again.

Happy February!

P.S.  Come back tomorrow: I’ve got something exciting to post! 🙂  Hint: I know I’ve talked to some of you about it already, but maybe not all of you.  Don’t forget to check in!

Life, Literature, My Writing

Thank You!!!

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I actually got 26 comments on my last post!  That might be a record!  Thank you for your in-put!

Most people said that they liked hearing about China, Michael and Lucy–which is what I post about the most anyway, I think.  Someone said they liked the quotes I post; and I got votes for my tags “Adventure,” “Middle Earth,” and “Frozen.”

Thank you all for your help, I’ll keep this in mind as I post in the future!  In the meantime, I received a request recently for a quote from “Searching For His Name”; and, as I’m never tired of dumping things I wrote on people, I thought I’d give you all a whole list of quotes from things I’ve written.  Here goes:

This shows that the King… (though a very wise king) did not have much experience with dragons: for all of them are greedy and none of them are likely to go away when they know there is something left to get if they stay (8).

-“The Captured Princess Series: The Great Battle” 2013

In it he now kept the dark, eastern sword… this sword was strong and deadly, and Joshua had decided not to use it for practice or for play-fights (31).

-“The Ebony Sword” 2013

(This is one of my favorites of all the things I’ve written.)

And I just finished writing one of my favorite parts of my work-in-progress:

They all had their hair down now; and it was flecked with shimmering pin-points of white, like snowflakes on a black mitten or stars in a dark sky (103).

-“Searching For His Name” 2015

Sorry, guys; I know this is kinda’ girlie.  The whole book’s not like that.  Honestly.  Just read these!

Hmm… 2013 must’ve been a good year for writing!  I started S.F.H.N. that year too! 🙂

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We got a TON of snow last night.  All seven (SEVEN!!!  Whoot whoot!) of us went out this morning to play in it; and Mom made hot chocolate when we came inside! It tasted SO good! 🙂   You can see pictures here, and though I didn’t get any of us outside, I’m hoping to post some I took of the snow soon!

Random: have any of you noticed that when we say this morning (see above, which is why I thought of it) we say it like “thi’ smorning” not this_morning.  Weird.

Yes, that’s the kinda’ thing I think about.  Call me crazy.

Adoption, Life

Two Weeks

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You know that scene in “Frozen” where the king and queen are packing, and Anna comes skipping in and is like “See you in two weeks!” all bouncy and cheery?

Well, two weeks is seriously a LONG time, Anna!  Don’t be so chipper about it!

We ordered Jimmy John’s like weeks after we got home from China or something, and there was a piece of lettuce stuck to my sandwich and I had this wait-can-I-eat-this? moment, before I realized: I’m in America, I can eat anything!

And after we got home I didn’t want say thank-you to people: I wanted to say xie xie–which seriously would have made me look crazy back here! 🙂

Two weeks is truly an awfully long time–but even after two weeks things wear off fast.  I’m honestly glad we have pictures so I can’t forget how things were!

China at its fullest
China at its fullest

Yes, those are eggs! 🙂

 

P.S. And no pressure, but seriously if there’s something I’ve posted about that you want to hear more on, comment.  Any time, any post; if there’s a tag or just a subject you like the best, by all means tell me.  I write because I like to, but this blog is for you.  There’s no point in it, if you guys are bored.  I want your in-put!

Happy Wednesday! 🙂

Life

In Case You Were Wondering…

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it just so happens that today (Jan. 27)…

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Is Chocolate Cake Day.

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How do I know this?

I got it off my Calico Critter calender.  So it’s accurate.  🙂

But you probably weren’t wondering.  This is probably the randomest thing you’ve heard all week.  But I thought I’d mention it.

Actually this was all just a ploy to post that adorable picture of little brother pointing at the candle on Mom’s birthday cake.  I wasn’t even trying to get his hand; I was trying to take a picture of Mama’s cake, and he happened to point at it.

If you don’t know me, I say random things all. the. time. so I thought I may as well post something random.  Someone should seriously start Chocolate Cake Day traditions.

Happy Tuesday!

P.S.  Check out the tag-cloud on my side-bar that I installed yesterday (sorry, tech-savvy people, if “installed” is the wrong word).  I’ve spent a lot of time going back to previous posts and tagging them today and yesterday.

What is your favorite thing I’ve posted about so far?

Adoption, Family, Life

It’s a wonderful, wonderful life!

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I’ve got a double-helping of sweetness in my life (literally—double) and I thought I’d let it overflow a little here!

It was really warm today, and Mom and the littles went outside.  I posted this on here and then joined them.  As soon as I came outside Lucy grabbed my hand and took me around back to swing with her.  While we were walking L asked me to sing a song I’d played on the piano that morning with her.

Walking calmly in the sun hand ‘n hand, singing together–the sisteriest thing in the WORLD!!!  Sweet.  Beautiful.

“Lucy is a sister.   She belongs; as much as I do. And someday I’ll probably forget sometimes that we had to do without her for eight years. Someday she’ll just there. The seven of us. And it will be the most natural thing in the world.” -Yours Truly, “Broken”

(always “Broken”)

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And after Mom and Lu went in, Michael and I stayed outside and played Hide ‘n Seek–little brother’s new Thing.

M would cover his eyes, move his hands just enough to see me hide, then count to ten, and wander around saying, “Hmm, where’s Hanna?” while he went right to me.  Okay, okay, fine: I’ll allow it. 🙂

And when I was It he would make me wait to count until he hid… I think you’re missin’ the point, Michael-boy.  Maybe he didn’t like the pressure of being timed.  🙂

My favorite was when he hid  in (pretty plain sight) and I looked up from “searching” and made eye-contact to say, “Have you seen Michael?”  He laughed pretty hard about that one. 🙂

P.S.  Do you feel out-smiley-faced?

Me neither! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

Literature

Another Quote

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“Once, long years ago, I thought I could set a canoe-load of my people free by breaking the bands at my wrists and killing the white man who held the weapon.  I had the strength in my hands to do such a deed and I had the fire within, but I didn’t do it.”  “What held you back?”  Amos shook his head.  “My hand was restrained and I’m glad that it was, for the years between have shown me that it does a man no good to be free until he knows how to live, how to walk in step with God” (161, 162).

-“Amos Fortune, Free Man” by Elizabeth Yates

Literature

Forever Right

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“…Once I heard His voice, I could not endure the thought of living without it.”  The king leaned forward.  “Now you truly interest us.  How do you know it is the Infinite [allegorical God-figure] who speaks?”  Did Tek An believe she was deluded?  Most likely.  “I know the Infinite’s voice because He tells me everything I don’t want to know, sends me where I don’t want to go, and asks me to fulfill tasks I consider impossible.  Above all, He is forever right” (101).

-“Prophet” by R. J. Larson

Adoption, Life

What we did and didn’t eat in China

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A while back Dad did a post on the family blog of pictures of things we ate in China.  You can read it here.  And just for my own bragging-rights, I did eat one of the fermented shrimp chips.  In all honesty though, I didn’t know what it was.  I thought it was just some ordinary potato chip, so when Lucy offered me one I ate it–and then got a drink as fast as I could!  Though considering, it wasn’t that bad; as I realized when Dad read me the package! 🙂

And then last night Dad did a post of things we didn’t eat.  And (for some odd reason) it’s shorter! 🙂

P.S. The little pita-thing and the live seafood and amphibians (except the salamanders) are from the restaurant I said was our default.

Adoption, Life

Sweetest. thing. ever.

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We were listening to A Little Mandarin last night with Lucy.  Most of the songs are traditional Chinese kid’s songs, and Lu had heard some of them before.  Several of them went along with little games or dances, and Lucy started trying to teach us the actions yesterday!  It was SO sweet!

For one of them she had Mom hold onto a chair and “pull” and then started pulling on her shirt; proceeding to tell me to pull on her dress, etc.  From the English lyrics we found, we were apparently pulling a radish.

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Lucy loves dancing!  It’s beautiful.  She was dancing to Daddy’s guitar music the other day with a couple of ribbons hot-glued to wooden skewers.  She doesn’t appear to have a lot of depth-perception, and she was getting a little too close to her audience while waving sticks…

But go ahead.  Poke my eye out–just don’t stop dancing.

Never stop dancing.

My world through my eyes