The Get to Know Me Tag: Writer's Edition

I have another tag to do!  YAY!

The lovely Gray (go check out her blog, guys, she's so cool) tagged me for this... tag... I've been writing all day, okay, I need more words. xD  Anyway, this one is super fun because y'all get a glimpse into my writing! :D

The Rules

~ Link back to the person who created the tag ~ that would be Savannah (whose blog I also love)

~ Thank the person who tagged you ~ Thank you, Gray :D

~ Share the tag graphic (optional) ~ I made my own, but the original is gorgeous o.o

~ Tag eleven bloggers ~ oh dear, do I even know 11 people? xD


LET'S DO THIS

Vital Stats / Appearance

[pen] Name: Abigail McKenna

Nicknames: Abby is technically a nickname, but it's what I've been called by most people since birth, so a lot of my close friends/close family friends will refer to me as Abs, which I find hilarious as it's a nickname of a nickname.  xD

Birthday: September 29

Hair color and length: Dark brown with a good amount of red, that goes to just past my shoulders as of now, but I may get it cut after all the end of the year dance stuff that's easier with longer hair is done.

Eye color: It changes depending on what I'm wearing, but on normal days, it's blue-green with brown around my iris.  My eyes are special, but I love them.

Braces/piercings/tattoos: Never had to have them, don't have any, and no.

Righty or lefty: Righty

Ethnicity: Caucasian (very, very white)

Firsts

First novel written: It was a story about three siblings who discovered something cool in their grandmother's attic... I don't remember what it was, actually...

First novel completed: ^ that's it.

Award for writing: I've never won one, so I guess I'll have to get back to you on that one xD

First publication: Also have to get back to you on this one...

Conference: The One Year Adventure Novel Summer Workshop last year.  It was fantastic, and I absolutely recommend it if you're an OYANer.

Query/Pitch: None yet! (in case you haven't figured it out, my writing has always been pretty personal.  I rarely even share it with my family... honestly OYAN is one of the few places I've openly posted it to be read by other people)

Favorites:

Novel (that you wrote): I have a feeling it might turn out to be my WIP... but I haven't completed a novel in so long that I don't really have one.  I have special places in my heart for several of my stories, but none of those have actually been finished, so....

Genre: I know it's not so much a genre as it is an age category, but anything and everything middle grade!

Author: Ohhhh lots.  Melanie Dickerson, Avi, Lois Lowry, C.S. Lewis, Rick Riordan...

Writing music: Whatever I'm in the mood for at the moment.  Or my story's playlist.  Or movie soundtracks, or Broadway soundtracks, or Disney soundtracks, or... I listen to a lot of music.

Time to write: I wish I could say midday or morning or something but no, my brain always decides it's writing time at night.  Which does not help with sleeping because then I'm thinking about plot twists and next thing I know it's three and while I've gotten a lot of words down, I'm also exhausted.  *sigh*

Writing snack / drink: Anything salty (or candy) / water, for the most part.

Movie: uhhhhh at the moment, it's probably Star Wars... or Narnia... or pretty much anything Disney, but to be honest, I haven't watched many movies lately, so...?

Writing memory: It's not really about actually writing, per say, but it's probably one night when I was driving with my dad and we were talking about our stories to each other, and he was saying how he'd love to take me to a writer's conference someday, and it was just very peaceful and gentle and it's a nice memory to hold onto now. :)

Childhood book: I was obsessed with all things American Girl, so I guess I'll go with that, but I had too many to list here in any sort of timely fashion.

Currently

Reading: Rereading "The Mark of Athena" and loving it.


Writing: A story about a girl whose mob boss father has her infiltrate the palace, but she and her best friend become close to the princess and she doesn't want to betray the royal family.  Which is a terrible way to explain it, but I really love this story, y'all.

Listening to: my spring-themed playlist :D


Watching: Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street, The Autobiography of Jane Eyre (which is a YouTube vlog-style adaptation of Jane Eyre and it's really good so far), and the usual suspects (MacGyver, Bull, OUAT, etc.)

Learning: Spanish! (or rather, trying to learn)

Future

Want to be published: I'd love that!  If it's in God's plan for me, of course.

Indie or traditional: I'm going to copy Gray's answer here and say that I'm cool with indie, but traditional would be a dream come true.

Wildest goal: I kinda want to write a non-fiction Bible study book at some point? (which, I know, that's just wild xD)

I Tag...

Genuinely, I don't know who to tag, so I'm just going to tag YOU lovely people!  Tell me down below the answers to the "Currently" section!  Inquiring minds (okay, actually, it's mainly just me) want to know!  If you could recommend to me one song that you've been listening to recently, what would it be? :D

~ Abby

YouTube, Flowers, and Easter Songs {a look back at March}

March is over, and I... feel better about it than I have about past months...

HAPPY EASTER, YOU LOVELY PEOPLE



He is risen indeed :D

((and yes, I'm posting this a couple of days late but you can celebrate Resurrection Day all year round soooo))

So March.  It went by rather quickly, and to be honest, I spent most of the month really tired, but I got a lot done by ignoring sleep, lol. 

Some things that happened this month include:
~ I read a lot and I wrote a lot and I spent a lot of time at Disney World and with my family.
~ I found some cool plot twists for my story and my characters finally gave up more information that I needed so I'm happy with that.
~ Also on the writing front, I wrote [slash edited] all of the narrations for our church's Easter musical program and I can't tell you how happy I was when I finished.  (kind of surprisingly, it's hard to find different things to say about the cross when 11 songs have a similar theme -.-)  But I'm really proud of them and I think they came out pretty good. :D
~ Speaking of the Easter program, I sang in five songs and danced in one and ran a video on two songs and all of this to say, I tried to do everything I could with the gifts God gave me.  I feel blessed (and also tired... but really blessed)
~ And the big news of the month: MY SISTER AND I STARTED A YOUTUBE CHANNEL!  *confetti fanfare*  It's mostly about Disney, but we post vlogs and other fun stuff and it's mainly just us being dorks and having a grand old time.  So if you'd like to check it out, here's the link!

~ What I Read ~

(click on the collage for a link to the Goodreads shelf where you can see further reviews of all of these books :D)
~ The Lost Hero ~  This was the only Riordan book I got through this month *winces*  But I really loved rereading this and I've missed Jason, Piper, and Leo.  {5 stars}
~ The Story of Doctor Dolittle ~  I enjoyed reading the source material behind the musical (which I've loved for a long time).  It wasn't my favorite, but it was still fun.  {4 stars}
~ Dissemble ~  Oh my word, I adored this book.  I need book 3 asap, please.  {5 STARS}
~ As Easy as Riding a Bike ~  Adorable, heart-warming, fluffy, and comfortable, this felt like a Hallmark movie in a book and Bell's books have captured my heart.  I loved it.  {5 stars}
~ The Night Gardener ~  This book freaked me out in the best way.  Probably should have saved it for Halloween, but I couldn't put it down.  {5 stars}
~ Bound ~  I really loved this book!  Such a powerful story.  {4.5 stars}
~ Greetings from Nowhere ~  This had the potential to be a new favorite but unfortunately fell a little short for me.  Still an enjoyable, super fast read, though.  {4 stars}

~ What I Watched ~ 

Bull:

(yes, he is talking about a child xD)  This showwww.  all the feeeeels.  ahhhhhh.

The Greatest Showman:

I FINALLY SAW IT.  I wasn't one of my favorites, but it was still really really fun and the songs have pretty solidly been stuck in my head since I saw it.  (And none of my family has seen it so... it's kind of awkward singing it around them, lol)

Black Panther:

yes hello i love my son T'Challa and my daughter Shuri and I cannot wait for Infinity War.

~ What I Listened To ~

So many wonderful Broadway-related things came out, obviously I listened to The Greatest Showman soundtrack a lot, I watched a few other movie musicals, and overall just had a great music month.

~ What I Posted ~ 

Thoughts on the Psalms  {about some of the things God has been showing me}
My Life in Books {book tag}  {about some of my old favorite books}
When It's Too Much  {about when it's overwhelming and you need a promise}


And with that, three months of the year are over!  Wow...
So who's doing Camp NaNo this month?  I'm going to attempt it, we'll see how it goes.  Let me know in the comments if you'll be participating!

~ Abby

When It's Too Much

Lately, I've been tired. 

Just plain exhausted.

Physically, emotionally, let's just say that Sleeping Beauty's situation of sleeping for a hundred years sounds pretty fantastic. 

My sister is injured, my brother is going through his "I'm a teenager so I know better than Mom does" phase (and my big sister self is trying to keep him out of trouble), Mom is going through a lot, and my health still isn't great. 

It's a lot, you know?

For 8 weeks now, my Sunday School class has been doing a study on 1&2 Thessalonians.  It's been fascinating and so insightful.  It's one of those curriculums that has the main Sunday lesson and then daily studies for the rest of the week.  (those are super helpful in getting into a schedule of reading your Bible, I highly recommend them)

So the other night, as I was thinking about how tired I was, I decided to do the daily reading (which I usually do at night because it helps me sleep).  And this was the verse it studied:

And that's when it hit me:  That's my problem!  I've grown weary in doing good!

As many of you are aware, I'm sure, Easter is quickly approaching.  And like the brilliant person I am (sarcasm here, folks), I'm involved in a whole lot of stuff surrounding our church's Easter musical program.  I'm in the praise team, I'm in both the youth and women's ensemble, my sister and I are dancing in the finale number, I'm helping Mom with the stage settings and the cues and the video and it's a lot.  

Add to that stresses about school (like college and the question of whether I should be doing college now and if so where), about health (and whether or not I'm actually doing as well as I think I am), about dance (and the recitals and competitions that are rapidly approaching), about writing and about reading and about reviewing the things I read and the bajillion other things I have to do. 

It's a lot. 

None of it is necessarily bad.  I'm shining His light everywhere I can, I'm waiting for His voice on the things I can't control and don't have an answer for.  I'm leading others in worship, I'm praising Him with all I'm worth, and I know God has put me in this place at this time. 

But that doesn't mean I can't be tired.  The Bible is chock full of people who got tired, who grew weary under the weight of living in this world. 

One I've been thinking about a lot lately is David.  As y'all may know from my recent post, I've been reading through the Psalms, and the same night I came across that Thessalonians verse, I came across this:

That last part made me cry, because I realized that I wanted it.

I want the joy of salvation restored to me.  I want a willing spirit.

I want to remember what I'm doing it all for. 

So Psalm 51:12 is my prayer for when it's too much.  For when I'm weary in doing good.  For when my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.

And I'd like to pray that prayer over all of you, too.  That you find the joy of salvation, and if/when you do grow weary in doing good, you'll go back to the rock that is higher.  <3

~ Abby

My Life in Books {book tag}

Hello friends!  It has been awhile and it's good to be back!  Today I bring you a super fun tag that I stole from Faith who stole it from Lindsey, and it seemed like a good time so I thought I would take it on!  So let's do this thing!

1. Find a book for each of your initials.
  
Yes, my initials spell the word arm.  I like them a lot :D

2. Count your age along a bookshelf.  What book is it?
Book #19 on my shelf was "Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea" by Frank Peretti... which isn't actually my favorite Cooper Kids book, but this series holds great memories.


3. Pick a book set in your country/state

Not only is this set in my state, it's set fairly near to me!

4. Pick a book that represents a destination you'd love to travel to

There are several places in this book that I'd love to go to, including London and Scotland (I reeeeally want to go to Scotland), so this is a good pick!

5. Pick a book that is your favorite color

This isn't my favorite shade of purple, but it is a nice one.  (Also... this title... more like "How to Break a Reader's Heart" am I right?)

6. Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

Either of these books is definitely this answer for me.  I grew up on these stories, and they hold a special place in my heart.

7. Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

Confession time:  I didn't actually finish reading this.  And what's worse, I watched the movie and stopped reading.  But it was boring and confusing and my dad said it wasn't the best Shakespeare play (and I always took his reading advice), and I'm an auditory learner anyway so hearing the lines spoken was much better for my understanding of the material.  And I mean, I got As on all the projects relating to it so clearly it wasn't a problem.

8. Which book in your TBR pile will give you the most accomplishment when you finish it?

This book is a beast, oh my goodness.  I really want to read it, and soon, because it's my grandfather's favorite book and he gave me my copy (which was his copy), but good grief this book is big.  It's very intimidating, but I think it will give me a sufficient amount of satisfaction once I've actually conquered it.


And there you have it!  This was such a fun tag to do! 

I'm going to tag... anyone who reads this post while a television is on somewhere in their house. :D

~ Abby

Thoughts on the Psalms {part 1}

Moment of honesty here - I've been really bad at reading my Bible.  I can recite a ton of verses and know exactly where a good majority of them are, I can win a "get to this book fastest" contest easily, and Sunday School studies aren't a problem for me.  But on the whole, for most of my Christian walk, the amount of time I spend with just my Bible and a notebook is sad.

I'm working to rectify that situation.

Thus, at the beginning of February, I started reading the Psalms.  I've never read it through straight, and I'll admit that I haven't opened it every day, but I'm almost 40 chapters in, and I'm loving it.  I got a new notebook for Christmas, and I'm steadily filling it with the promises I'm finding.  So I thought that today, I would share some of these discoveries with you.  Because who can't use some comfort in this crazy world?

{tiny note here, all of these verses are from the HSCB translation, in case you wondered}

As Sarah pointed out recently, we're tiny.  We're so small.  

Minuscule, in comparison to the vastness of the universe.  

And yet, He loves us.  Somehow, He loves us.

"He has treated me generously".  I love that line.

Some of my favorite names for God are found in this verse.  

They portray such a picture of strength, of foundation, of safety. It's beautiful.

This one goes hand in hand with the last one.

We have no reason to fear.

We have the creator of the universe on our side.

This is just amazing to me.

He's seen the affliction, He knows the troubles,

and He's held me through it all.

Obviously, I'm going to find more beautiful things in this book.

Thus why I named this "part 1".

There will likely be more parts to come.

But for now, hold fast to these promises, and maybe consider the Psalms next time you're deciding which book of the Bible to read. :)

~ Abby

Grade Exams, Broadway Soundtracks, and PyeongChang {a look back at February}

Well, it's good to know that 2018 plans to keep up the pace of 2017, I guess.  Flying by.  Oh well.

February was a month of Broadway obsessions, reading old and new favorites, and digging into God's Word.  And, obviously, watching hours upon hours of Olympic coverage.

Don't think my family is capable of doing nothing but watch sports for two straight weeks?

(i just really like this gif okay it's hilarious)

Other things that happened this month include:
~ Irish dance grade exams (which, if one passes all 12, can lead to teaching certification).  My sister and I both got an A- on our Grade 1 exam and a B+ on our Grade 2 exam... and the points came from different areas... but we got the same scores... it was weird.
~ My bridesmaid dress came in, was too small, and is now being exchanged for a bigger size.  But it's really pretty and I really like it.
~ My sister has a dance injury that's kept her from dancing at all since the grade exams, and she's just now getting back into her dancing shoes (including brand new shiny pointe shoes that I like looking at because they're really pretty).  The doctor's order of "no dancing for two weeks" was really hard for her (she would just sit in the corner of the classroom all miserable and it made me sad), so I'm glad she's on the mend.
~ And though I promise you my whole life doesn't revolve around dancing, another thing that happened was that we started our recital dance for tap and I'm very happy about the song.  (Literally, because it's "Put on a Happy Face" by Dick Van Dyke)

Let's get into the actual wrap-up, shall we?

~ What I Read ~

~ Letters From Home ~  This gave me all the feels.  It had been awhile since I read a Civil War story, so this was a nice change of pace.  {4 stars}
~ Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ~  This is one of my new favorite classics, I absolutely loved it!  It was charming, it was fun, it was such a sweet little story, and it was great.  {5 stars}
~ Sleeping Handsome ~  Check out my review for more thoughts, but I really liked this a lot.  {5 stars}
~ Breadcrumbs ~  One of my new favorites, my aesthetic in a book, absolutely adored it.  {5 stars}
~ The Battle of the Labyrinth ~  I had forgotten a lot of what happened in this book since the last time I read it, so all of the feels were fresh.  It was great.  {5 stars}
~ The Last Olympian ~  This was the first time I read this and I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob.  {5 stars}

~ What I Watched ~ 

To be completely honest, most of what I watched was the Olympics, so...  OH but I also watched Pride & Prejudice (the miniseries), Emma (both the movie and the miniseries), and North & South (which was soooo sad).  Also I've been rewatching Timeless because SEASON TWO IS COMING.

~ What I Listened To ~

I pretty much listened to nothing but Petra for the first week of this month, I discovered both the "Bonnie & Clyde" (which has been stuck in my head for weeks now and I am 100% okay with that) and "Bandstand" Broadway albums (but Bandstand isn't on Spotify, so...) and I loved both of them (though there is language, so). 

~ What I Posted ~

The Blogging Olympics Tag {about blogging and the Olympics}
Sleeping Handsome Blog Tour {about the aforementioned review}
The Literary Dinner Party Tag {about a fictional dinner party}
The Sunshine Blogger Tag 2.0 {about sunshine and blogging}

And that's all for this second month of the year!  How was February for y'all?  Favorite thing that happened to you this month?

~ Abby

The Sunshine Blogger Tag 2.0

Have I already done this tag?  Yes.

Am I doing it again?  Also yes.

Well, when the super sweet D.G. Snapper tagged me, I couldn't very well say no, now could I?  So here we are.

LET'S DO THIS.

AGAIN.

1. If I asked you whether this glass was half full or half empty, what would you say?
Half full!

2. Cereal or bagels?
Depends entirely on what kind of cereal and whether there is strawberry cream cheese to spread on the bagel.

3. Take all your personality traits and flip them.  What would you want to be when you grow up then?
Ooh interesting.  You know what, I think my alter-ego would be a good politician.  Outgoing (versus shy), charismatic (versus awkward), a people-person (versus shy and awkward).  Yeah.  Maybe a mayor or something.

4. Pancakes.  What would you do to get them?
Well... not much.  I don't... actually like... pancakes.  *hides from the onslaught that is sure to come*

5. Do shiny, sparkly things describe your life more?  Or would you say you like things more Hobbit-like?
Now this is tough because I went through a phase where anything sparkly had to be FAR away from me, but now, I'm the complete opposite.  But on the majority, I think I've got more of a Hobbit-like life.

6. What song would you choose to play when you've reached a huge life goal?
this one, to be honest.  And I'd dance along with the tap break, obviously.

7. Which children's book was your favorite?
Oh goodness, I don't think I can choose.  I was an avid reader as a kid.  But some favorites were any American Girl books (particularly Felicity), the Magic Tree House series, and the Magic Attic Club series.  Apparently, just anything having to do with history or time travel, haha.


And there we have it!  These questions were so cute!  I don't know who to tag... so if you want to do this tag, take it on! 

For everyone else in the comments, go check out D.G.'s blog, and then let me know which children's book was your favorite!  (I want to read more children's "classics" in the coming months, so tell me what I should add to the list!)

~ Abby