The Tag of Happiness: With a Touch of Duck Dynasty

Opal, who makes me incredibly happy happy happy, tagged me in this happy happy happy (if you didn't just read that in Phil Robertson's voice, we can't be friends) tag, The Tag of Happiness. Opal can make you happy happy happy too, but you have to go to her blog. 

Rules:

• Take the banner and put it in your post
• List as many things as you want in each category
• Come up with more categories if you wish
• Tag as many people as you want

Songs that make me happy happy happy:

Musicians that make me happy happy happy:

Echosmith, Needtobreathe, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, Johnnyswim, Us the Duo, Eddie Vedder, The Civil Wars, Kodaline, Vance Joy, Ingrid Michaelson, Taylor Swift, Bethel, Steffany Gettzinger, Jesus Culture, Tenth Avenue North, For King & Country...I should probably stop now.

Places that make me happy happy happy:

Rita's Italian Ice (Erie, PA) | Down the street from my old house.

St. George Catholic Church (Erie) | The church I grew up in, for the most part.

St. Joseph Bread of Life Community (Erie) | Spent a lot of time here...beautiful, beautiful chapel.

Presque Isle (Erie) | Stunningly gorgeous peninsula featuring amazing beaches and hiking.

Blasco and Millcreek Libraries (Erie) | We went so much that we became besties with the librarians.

Frontier Park (Erie) | My siblings ran many, many races there.

Dublin, OH | Where my grandparents live.

Charlotte, NC | Where I vacationed with my family (immediate and cousins).

Books that make me happy happy happy:

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, The Help, Harry Potter, The Secret Life of Bees, Sense & Sensibility, The Fault In Our Stars, The Book Thief. 

(Well, lots of books make me happy, but these make me the happiest.)

Classes that have made me happy happy happy:

9th Grade Theology Class | Became very close with the teacher.

Latin I (freshman year) | Best teacher I have ever had, he made everything so clear and was so sweet.

English II | SUPER hard class, but learned so much (still look at my binders from it!).

American History (sophomore year) | Taught by a brilliant football coach. Awesome discussions.

Medieval History and Literature | Loved the history/lit combo!

(holding off on mentioning my classes this year, because we'll see how it goes...but absolutely loving my American Economics and Government, Literature 12, and Catholic Doctrine classes!)

Shows that make me happy happy happy:

Merlin, Duck Dynasty, Downton Abbey

Movies that make me happy happy happy:

Pride and Prejudice (BBC), The Young Victoria, Tangled, Avengers (I & II), Captain America (I & II), North and South, Cranford, Wives and Daughters, Cinderella (WHICH IS OUT TODAY!)...the list goes on. 

(We recently saw Little Boy which was amazing, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed When The Game Stands Tall!)

Colleges that make me happy happy happy:

Belmont Abbey | North Carolina

Franciscan University of Steubenville | Ohio

University of Mary | North Dakota

Ava Maria | Florida 

(Just a few) Bloggers that make me happy happy happy:

Opal | Jessica Wolf | Ashley G | Katie Grace | Cortney Pearson | Elizabeth Seckman | Emily | Faith Hough  | Rebekah Joan | Sky | Skye Hoffert | Jay Noel | Leandra Wallace | Grace K | Candice Williams | Jenny | H.M. Wilson | Wendy Paine Miller | Chrys Fey (and many, many, many more...probably you, too!)

I know that everyone has a million tags to do, so I'm not going to tag anyone. But if you feel like doing this, consider yourself tagged!! What makes you happy happy happy?!

My Weekend With A Three Year Old: Roar Back

Little kids, man. They're crazy.

I spent this past weekend with some cousins, including little Catherine. Catherine is three and has vivacious curly blonde hair that matches her personality. Her big blue eyes exude spunk and sass. Every other word that comes out of her mouth is "why?"

I admire Catherine so much, and perhaps even envy her a bit. She is so filled with wonder at everything...she doesn't have to worry about the SAT or student loans. She's not concerned about her weight or how people react to her personality. She doesn't know how to be anything else...besides who she is. Besides who God made her to be. She hasn't been hurt by other people, she doesn't know really know how to do anything besides love unconditionally. She's so trusting, reaching her pudgy arms out to anyone who will take her.

Maturity is a beautiful gift. But how often do we willingly give up aspects of childishness that we should keep? 

Catherine kept calling the boys (there were about seven total, ranging from seven to sixteen) "hedgehogs". I'm still not really sure where that came from. The word guys has officially been replaced by hedgehogs in my vocabulary. Sorry, hedgehogs.

My sisters or I would be holding her and say "Hey, Catherine, what do you want to do?"

She'd lift her arms towards the sky, as if preparing for battle. Her ever-present grin would widen as she would shriek: "LET'S GO TICKLE HEDGEHOGS."

Lots of hedgehogs got tickled this weekend.

When they would try to tickle her back, she would scream, "BAD, BAD BEHAVIOR!"

Catherine also has figured out how to play her parents. It often occurred that she would ask Mommy for something, only to be told no. Then she would go find Daddy, who would absent-mindedly answer yes. 

The sass that this child has is unparalleled. She was giving her mom a hard time Sunday morning, so I attempted to help put her shoes on. While doing this, her mom wiped some powdered sugar off her face.

"HEY!" Catherine yelled. "DON'T DO THAT!"

"Your mommy is just trying to help make you pretty!" I explained.

"I was talking to Mommy not you." came the response. 

"I'm scared for what she'll be like in ten years..." my aunt shook her head.

Catherine sat on my lap during church that morning, which was so fun. She started out with my sister (also named Catherine), but at age thirteen, she weighs only like two pounds (not joking at all), and Catherine nearly broke Catherine's arms. Make sense?

Anyway, Catherine was super good for the most part. She sang along and stayed put. At one point, the church was completely silent, and she looked at me and whisper-yelled, "HOW OLD ARE YOU?" (I swear, she only has one volume.)

"Seventeen," I answered, holding back giggles. It wasn't even that funny, but her little voice and intense stare killed me.

"OH. WELL I'M FIVE AND I'M IN KINDERGARTEN AND PRESCHOOL." 

I could not get a grip. Again, it's not even that funny, but she's just such a stinker.

There was one point in the course of the weekend when my dad was talking to her parents and asked when they were going to come visit us. Catherine looked up from her watermelon and cocked her head thoughtfully, saying, "But my mommy and daddy would miss me too much."

One night, we were being really silly and I told her my name was Ed Boots. (Isn't that the most fantabulous name ever?! I have a step cousin on the other side of my family named Ed Boots and I'm eternally jealous of his name. My cousin and I want to write a whole series on him, even though we've met him like three times. And that was like...ten years ago. But still. That name, though.) After that, everyone became Ed Boots. 

"Nice to meet ya, Ed Boots, how ya doin', Ed Boots," she kept saying every three minutes out of the blue. It became a chant of sorts, accompanied by a little hip shimmy and head bob.

Catherine is also quite talented in the art of fake crying. We had a fake outburst at least every hour, which was cured with a good tickle. 

This weekend, I was wrapping up Sense and Sensibility (GREAT GREAT GREAT BOOK!). My uncle keeps their house literally below zero, so though it was over ninety degrees, I spent the weekend wrapped in a blanket and covered with pillows.

Saturday afternoon, I was reading when Catherine came over and demanded to bury me. Then, she issued a decree that I was "never, ever, ever, EVER allowed to move ever ever EVER again, Ed Boots". I obliged for a bit before peeking my head out. She was curled up on the other couch, holding my book up to her nose and occasionally page turning. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. 

With a mighty roar, I broke lose of the pillow dungeon. She shrieked and reconstructed it, giving the same orders. This repeated itself two or three more times, each occasion ending with her back on the couch, reading Sense and Sensibility.

Perhaps my most profound thought of the weekend occurred when the boys hedgehogs kept saying "RAWR" to get Catherine to scream. And scream she did. I've never met a child who loved screaming so much. Except maybe myself, I feel like I was a screamer. Anyway, my eardrums are still ringing.

Eventually, the strain on my poor ears was too much to handle, so I told her to counter their roar with an even louder one. It took her a few tries to get it, but eventually, she was roaring rather than screaming. 

She would inhale half of the breath in her room, so much that her lungs were probably bursting and let out a roar larger than herself.

So many people try to get us to scream. They roar at us, try to scare us...and, oftentimes, we do. To quote Catherine, "Why?" Because it's what's easy. It's what is socially acceptable. We would rather not fight, we would rather just nod and move on. We submit, cower, and scream.

But what if we roared back? Roaring doesn't mean being hateful, and it doesn't mean being rude. But what it does mean is standing up for ourselves and what we believe in.

Catherine challenges us to be ourselves. To love fully. To be ourselves. To be silly. To tickle hedgehogs. To be fearless. To bounce back. To roar back. 

Children are such a beautiful gift. They bring us joy, they bring clarity to our lives, and show us deeper truths. And they don't even try! So how do they do it?

Simply, by just being themselves. 

Let us never take them for granted. 

Summer Goals and ANNOUNCEMENT.

So I finally sat down today and drafted up my goals for this summer. Actually, I had already put them on paper a few weeks ago, but the paper decided to go MIA (paper has a mind of its own, doncha know). This is take two.

1. AWAKEN-- my MS that I finished months ago. I'm still in love with it, which is a good sign, but it seriously needs some work that I've been putting off. It's like a room in my brain that I'm not ready to demolish but needs such a cleaning that it's exhausting to even open the door.

2/3. WILD-- probably not the actual name, so I should probably shoot for finding a name for that one, too. Anyway, I'm about fourteen chapters into the draft and have no idea what happens next, so I should probably get to outlining...

4. TBN-- is totally outlined. I love this story so much and I'm about six-ish chapters into it. It's kind of a companion to AWAKEN (which is the first in a trilogy--TBN will stand alone), so that's fun.

5. 1950s Concept-- I love the '50s so much. Thinking of doing a mystery/thriller kind of thing involving that time period along with deserted places (probably aquariums). I have a Pinterest Board for it (sort of), but I can't wait to discover the story further.

6. READ-- "What?! Anne Marie, you said these were Summer 2015 Writing Goals." Someone once said that a true writer is always writing. For me, that's so true, and the time that I'm most writing (besides when I'm actually writing) is when I'm reading. I really want to get into lots of classics this summer as well as some (non-raunchy) adult lit and nonfiction (think memoirs) as well as, as stated, writing books. Right now, I'm reading (writing related) Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card and Now Write! Screenwriting edited by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson. If you have any suggestions (for any of those categories, but especially writing), I'm all ears! ...erm, or rather, eyes...

7. Blog-- so this really isn't anything new, I already try to blog three times a week.

BUT WAIT. 

THERE ACTUALLY IS SOMETHING NEW. 

WHAT THE HECK IS CLAMORING TO BE VISIBLE!?

Well. Let me tell you a story. 

Once upon a time there was a magical writing goddess named Jenny who also happens to be incredibly humorous. Said goddess stumbled (do goddesses stumble?) upon my blog during the A-Z Challenge. Her blog is definitely one of my favorite stops on the internet, literally every time I visit I smile. ANYWAY. She has another blog, where she posts stories (I'll post the link when it's up and running again, right now she's taking a break) and I think that that is such a good idea.

I've tried out Figment and Wattpad, but it's all "oh you read mine and I'll read yours", which I really don't like. I feel like a lot of "writers" who use those sites don't particularly care about anything besides views. Also, a lot of it is just boy band fanfics (REALLY!? I hate fanfics so much, I'm sorry--but that's another post for another time) and porn, neither of which are my thing. 

Personally, I wouldn't care if nobody ever read or commented on my blog...I write for me, y'all are just a bonus. But a really awesome bonus. 

Anyway, one of my journals is completely dedicated to stories. Just random, free written stories. I decided, because of Jenny the Goddess, that maybe I should share some of said stories.

SO! Here it is. Blog number two, which will hopefully soon be filled with lots of stories, fictional and nonfictional and exaggerated and non-exaggerated (but you're going to have to guess which is which, because I'll never tell!).

Head on over to Clamoring To Be Visible and see Story No. 1: THE PROMISE OF COFFEE.

Love you guys.

Kidlit Blog Tour!!!

I'm so excited to be participating in this Kidlit blog tour!! Actually, I'm a bit late. . .I was supposed to post on Monday, but life's been a bit crazy lately, with school and Nano prep. Sorry about that! Anyway, I was asked by R.T. Finneran (and you need to check out her blog, as she is an epically amazing writer: http://imaryder.blogspot.com/)  to participate. This blog tour couldn't have come at a better time, since I get to explain to you guys what I will be writing this November.

Oh yeah, baby, I said it. . .NaNoWriMo #3, here I come! I kind of think I'm completely insane, but whatever. BRING IT, NOVEMEBER!

Now, then, here we go. . . .

What are you working on right now?

I'm currently working on what I like to refer to as a book of multiple genres. It's a YA book that's basically a modern fairytale. The overview is this: when Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger on her sixteenth birthday, she falls asleep, right? But she never gets kissed. . .and my book picks up when she wakes up a hundred years later. Hopefully, I'll be able to post excerpts soon! I finished the first draft a few months ago, but some MAJOR revisions need to be done. . .oh yeah, and it's called AWAKEN. And it'll hopefully be the first in a trilogy. . . .

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Well, there are no werewolves of vampires, even though it does have a bit of a supernatural/sci-fi flare. Also, though it certainly isn't Christian fiction, faith plays a prominant role in the life of a rather significant character. I haven't really seen that a whole lot in the YA world.

Why do you write what you do?

I seriously think I've written almost every single genre, whether it be in the form of a novel, poem, or short story. I think I may be a little bit ADHD when it comes to writing. It takes a lot of self-control for me not to change projects the insant a new idea pops into my head. But no matter what I write, it is a reflection of my life. The characters are reflections of people I know and/or want to know. I write what I do because of what I've expirienced in my life. What has happened to me in life dictates what I do and don't write.

Also, what I read very heavily forms what I write. I attempt to try new techniques that I see used and steer clear of things that just didn't work. It's a lovely thing, learning from other people's successes as well as mistakes! 

How does your writing process work?

Ummm. . .well, I have the most random, unorganized writing process ever. Just to warn you. But it works, so hey, I'm happy as long as I write something! Usually my process involves me getting an idea (usually at an absolutely terrible time, of course, when I can't write it down right away) and then sprinting to the nearest writing utensil and paper/napkin/paper towel as soon as possible. I love turning the idea over and over in my mind, those minutes of anticipation before actually getting the first words down on paper.

And then, because I have no patience, I don't even outline. Once I get that writing bug, I can't outline, I just need to WRITE. Until about three chapters later, when I realize that I'm going absolutely nowhere and my characters are incredibly flat. THEN I outline. After that, it's write, write, write!

Any departing words of wisdom for other authors?

Three things came to mind and I just couldn't decide which one to do, so you get them all!

1. FORCE yourself to write. It's more important to push on in those moments when it feels impossible than in the times when it comes easy and the words flow like they were always meant to be together. It's in those "dry" days that make us writers because that is when other people would normally quit. Push on, stay strong, and WRITE ON!

2. DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T compare!!!!! You are just where you are supposed to be on the writing journey and you're not done yet. Don't be down on yourself because of the success of others. 

3. Friends are basically the best thing ever. Let them in on your writing life! Share your WIP with them, even if they're not writers. Their support encourages you to reach crazy heights you'd never believe you'd be able to reach by yourself. 

And next up, I asked fellow blogger Anna (http://thehomeschooledteen-anna.blogspot.com/) to answer these same questions! She's an incredible writer and friend of mine...stop by her blog and give her a follow =)

Just got back from the library. . .

. . .and it's going to be a fantastic week.

Well, when it comes to books, at least.

Also, this Tuesday (August 6th) is one week until school starts for me. Uh, can we say CRAZY?!

And good luck to Jen Wagner with BOUT OF BOOKS 8.0! Check out her blog here to see what it's all about=)

Have a wonderful week!

Fifty Shades of Grey

For a long time, pretty much ever since I've started the blog, I've wanted to write something about Fifty Shades. Unfortunatly, it has been rather difficult.

Probably mostly because I haven't read it and I won't.

However, I really wanted to get my feelings and opinion on the book out there. In my opinion, there are two kinds of readers in this world-- people who will read Fifty Shades and people who won't. I'm not jugding, so please, don't feel judged whether or not you have read the series.

I came across an article on one of my favorite blogs, LifeTeen (lifeteen.com). It is written from a Catholic perspective and it doesn't just apply to Fifty Shades. But whether or not you are a Catholic, and whether or not you are a Fifty Shades fan, I HIGHLY encourage you to read this. There is so much truth in it for both readers and writers.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts=)

(http://lifeteen.com/fifty-shades-of-grey/)

WHAT GOD THINKS ABOUT FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

By Kristin Bird | JULY 30, 2012

A few days ago I was sitting at the pool and noticed five ladies reading Fifty Shades of Grey. I knew the books were popular, so I suppose I shouldn’t have been all that surprised. What surprised me though, was that three of these ladies were teens. I had heard that these books are called “mommy porn,” but it’s not just mommies who are reading them.

Fifty Shades of Grey is the first book in a trilogy which follows the relationship between an innocent virgin, Anastasia Steele, and a powerful, but emotionally damaged business man, Christian Grey. Like most romance novels, the books deal with the ups and downs and ins and outs of their complicated relationship, including his attempts to seduce her into his bed. There’s nothing normal about the seduction, though, as Grey tries throughout the books to convince Ana to join him in sado masochistic bondage sex.

Most romance novels center around an innocent girl who is overwhelmed by a powerful and more experienced man. Her innocence and virginity are lost (usually outside of marriage) and readers cheer them along never realizing that this “love” story misses the mark on who God has created us to be. The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy misses the mark as well. Christian Grey is a man who uses women for sex and misses out on the great Divine Love that human relationships were created for.

I decided to ask one of these teens at the pool what she thought of the book, and she turned bright red when I interrupted her. She even admitted to being embarrassed because I interrupted her at “a really naughty part.” When we talked about it, she said that she knew the sex scenes were “a little much” but didn’t see anything wrong with it. “After all,” she said, “It’s not like I’m sitting here at the pool making out with my boyfriend while I read.”

Let’s be honest: There’s only one reason why these books are so popular. It’s because of the steamy, lengthy, and ultra-explicit sex scenes that are found within the pages. It’s because they are scandalous and shocking. But those ultra-explicit and scandalous sex scenes are exactly why we should steer clear of Fifty Shades.

WHY ISN’T IT OKAY TO READ BOOKS LIKE THIS?

• Because sex is more than use. Sex – and all the things that physically, emotionally, and mentally lead to sex – was created by God to be shared between a married man and woman. Sex is an expression of love that reflects the Divine Love of God – a Love that is free, total, fruitful, and faithful. Pornography and erotica are a mockery of the intimacy and beauty of Sacramental love. It reduces the mystery of sex to mere use, turning something sacred and Godly into something profane and dark. As Blessed John Paul II said, “The opposite of love is not hate, the opposite of love is use.” The lust that these books infect us with is all about self-gratification – it’s all about use.
• Because the Church teaches us it’s not okay. Pope Benedict addressed the issue of pornography and erotic literature saying, “A relationship that does not take into account the fact that a man and a woman have the same dignity represents a serious lack of humanity . . . The moment has come to energetically halt the widespread distribution of material with an erotic and pornographic content, including through the internet in particular.”
• Because lustful thoughts lead to lustful actions. Pope Benedict and Blessed John Paul II both understood that erotic words and images (like in Fifty Shades of Grey) create lustful thoughts in us. Those lustful thoughts don’t just end there; they cause in us physical reactions which end in lustful actions. Even St. Augustine struggled with this disordered and vicious pattern in his own life. After his conversion he wrote about his struggles with lust saying, “Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity.”

If you want to live a virtuous life, you have to be vigilant about it. Evil only needs to find a tiny little chink in your armor of holiness to begin to work. Don’t let these books crack open your virtue and start you down the vicious cycle of self-gratification and lust. Avoid these books, this author, and authors like her (V.C. Andrews comes to mind).

Pray for the intercession of St. Augustine and Our Blessed Mother in remaining chaste and pure in all of your thoughts and actions.

“Of all inner conflicts the most arduous are concerned with chastity. These battles are of daily occurrence.” – St. Augustine

---

Editor’s Note: Kristin Bird is a youth minister from Wisconsin. Two things that Kristin loves are teens and books; so it seemed appropriate to ask her to weigh in on this topic and share her wisdom.

A Quote and a Note

How true this is. . . my family is moving to another state and I came home today to find many books packed up in boxes. My house feels incredibly hollow, I guess. I never noticed how much books bring to a home.

(Google Images)