Hello, New Decade!

My 50th post, and the first of the year 2010! It's also the beginning of a new decade! Huzzah!

In honor of all my blog followers, I'm giving away this award to all of you. The "Good Times" Award! I made it especially for you wonderful people.

I'm looking both behind and ahead. 2009 was a pretty good year, even though I didn't accomplish many of my original goals. Let's review my "Big, Fun, Scary Adventures" list from the beginning of last year...

1. Read the encyclopedia
2. Build a treehouse
3. Edit my novel
4. Memorize Fighter Verses
5. Finish geometry
6. Get a driver's license
7. Start a card-making/altered book business

So... The only thing on my list that I actually accomplished was number 5= I did finish geometry. *joy upon joy*

However, I did memorize most of the fighter verses for 2009, and I read half a volume of letter "A" of the encyclopedia. And I did edit some of my novel, just not all of it.

Even though I didn't really finish all my goals, I did have a few unexpected highlights. For example:
-I graduated from high school
-My family drove down to the Grand Canyon on an epic road trip
-We made an award-winning movie
-I took first place in archery
-I wrote another novel, this time by hand.

And now, my goals for 2010, also known as Big, Fun, Scary Adventures!

1. Attend my first writers conference! 
I am all signed up for the Florida Christian Writers Conference, and I'm excited and nervous about it. My mom and I are going together, and I'll be doing the Teen Track with Bryan Davis, the author of the Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire series. I encourage any of you who are interested in writing to come! I don't think it's too late to sign up.

2. Get my driver's license!
I've been putting this off for too long.

3. Write at least one song every month!
Ever since I got my keyboard, my interest in songwriting has grown, and now I've recorded a few short pieces. If I can figure out how to post them, I will.

4. Start a photography blog!
This is a last-minute idea I got from Hannah. I'm not yet sure what form my new blog will take, but I love photography, and she has inspired me to step out and try something new. I'll let you know more as this gets started up.

So these are my goals, my dreams, my adventures for the year 2010. I continually dedicate my life to Jesus my Savior, and I give all the glory to him. Soli Deo Gloria!

A Quick Tag...

Happy last day of September! Wow, this month has just zoomed by.

I've been tagged the Honest Scrap Award by... Jare & Lib, ElizabethMarieKauffman, and IvoryDancer! Thank you, all!

Here are the Rules:
1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.

2) Share ten honest things about yourself.
3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving.

1. I'm sort of a picky eater. I don't like meat, but I'm not a vegetarian, per se. Just picky.

2. Ever since my horse died, I've been reluctant to get back into horse stuff.

3. I'm procrastinating right now as I write this.

4. I don't have any "real life" friends besides my family. I wish I did.

5. I won blue and purple ribbons at the state fair in 4-H, for photography! *squee*

6. I've stopped reading The Bones of Makaidos. I don't know why, but I can't get into it like the other books.

7. I'm weak, but I'm trying my derndest to get stronger.

8. Acne is my worst enemy. Die, acne, die!

9. I always have trouble writing about the bad guys in my stories. They always seem cliché.

10. My eyes hurt when I use my computer, so I'm going to handwrite my novel this year!

Some bloggers who have inspired or encouraged me are:

1. Earwen

2. Elizabeth J.

3. Bracie

4. The Reluctant Dragon

5. Bekah

6. My brother, DTH Rocket

7. And my sister, Hepzibah, who has three blogs.

Everyone, be sure to check out these awesome blogs!

Note: If you are one of the above and have already done this tag, you don't have to do it again. I'm just letting you know that I like your blog. :)

Archery at the State Shoot

This past weekend I participated in the 4-H State Shoot! Other years, my whole family has been involved in events from shotgun to the wildlife knowledge bowl, but this year, it was just me. I competed in the senior class for bare-bow, no sights or releases. I've always competed in this class, but this was the first time that I went with a recurve bow (I always used compound Genesis bows before), so I was both excited and nervous. Back to the way Robin Hood might have done it!

There were a LOT of kids there, from little fourth graders all the way up to graduates from high school (13th grade). I was put right next to kids with fancy compound bows equipped with sights and weights and all sorts of doo-dads so that they hardly look like bows anymore. At least I wasn't really competing against them, but they made my scores seem pitiful. I got 187-- not bad, and a lot better than I've been getting while practicing at home, but it didn't seem like much. 300 is a perfect score.

Anyway, we came back on Sunday to see where I placed and maybe attend the awards ceremony. I went up to the boards and scanned it carefully. I found my name and blinked rapidly a few times...

I got first place.

What?!?

I just about fell over. Luckily, my parents were behind me. I checked again. Sure enough, my score was the highest in my category, and the next highest score was 145, not even close!

The only disappointment in the whole event was that I'm just a few months too old to go to nationals. And they're in Texas this year, too. *sigh* Oh, well. I had plenty of fun at State.

Now I just need to get my own bow, and I'd like to start working on my medieval dress, and if I could get my hands on some leather, maybe I could make a new quiver, belt, and arm-guards...

An Award and a Tag and Good News

First off, MY LAPTOP IS FIXED!  *rejoicing in the streets* I had to pay dearly to get my precious data recovered, but now my trusty MacBook Pro is whizzing along fine with a new 500 GB hard drive. I have finally given it a name: Phoenix, because it rose from the ashes of computer purgatory.

And, I got my first award! This is The Artistic Writer's Award," from Bethany. It's beautiful, Bethany. Thank you!

And finally, I was tagged by Isirian. This is the "30 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me" tag. This excludes all family members who read my blog, by the way.

1. I'm an INFP (and proud of it!) Did you know that J.R.R. Tolkien was an INFP? And Peter Jackson, Helen Keller, Princess Diana, Anne of Green Gables, and Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes?

2. I hate driving. A lot. Why can't I ride a horse everywhere?

3. But, since driving is pretty much a requirement these days, the vehicle you'd most likely find me in is a Jeep Wrangler, preferably yellow.

4. I'm a reluctant night person.

5. For my birthday I'm going to ask for old books, a recurve bow, and leather.

6. I recently discovered that archery is not easy to do when you're wearing a cloak. How did Robin Hood manage? Or Faramir, for that matter?

7. I once met a yak.

8. The book I've read the most times is probably Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie.

9. Besides piano and flute, I also play the ocarina.

10. At this moment, my cat is either happily sitting on my lap, or meowing at my bedroom door, or cranky because I'm not home.

11. I think it would be awesome to have a pet hedgehog, but my mom doesn't agree. Besides, my cat would  probably get jealous.

12. I'm not strictly a cat person, by the way. I also love dogs, horses, flying squirrels, birds, and pretty much everything except spiders.

13. I have a crooked toe.

14. I like to whittle sticks into Beanie Baby swords.

15. I was unable to whistle until I was 14 years old. I discovered how while walking the streets of Washington, D.C. in the rain.

16. I can touch my right ear with my right hand, but with my arm all the way around my head.

17. I love languages- and all forms of communication except the telephone.

18. I tried the Harry Potter series, but quit after book five. Pointless to keep going, really.

19. I'm a shelver at the library. A lot of people know that already, but what they don't know is what REALLY goes on there. For example, did you know that the library is only a cover for a top secret government operation, and that most librarians are actually undercover FBI agents? My mission is to infiltrate the underground network and make sure that a certain book makes it to the 8oo's. Now you know why I keep my identity a secret!

20. I like to name trees.

21. My brother and I like to play "The Random Game." Rules: You take turns blurting out random words that are NOT related to each other. It's harder and funner than it sounds.

21. I am deathly afraid of bees. 

22. I can read and write Anglo-Saxon Runes, also known as "futhark."

23. I wish I could fly.

24. I used to always use a pencil, but I was finally lured over to the dark side. I now use black gel pens for almost everything, even drawing! 

25. I sometimes worry that I have too many interests.

26. I've written over 430,000 words of fiction.

27. I'm a Mac person. My mom calls me a Mac "snob." How can I help it if Mac is the best?

28. I have too many story ideas to know what to do with. I can't possibly write them all!

29. I like my middle name. I modified it to use as my main character's name.

30. I am enrolled in the Imagination Institute of Creative Arts and Self-Directed Studies. In other words, no, I'm not really going to college, but I'm learning all the same. :)

And, a special BONUS, because this is my 31st post:

31. I'm planning a new trilogy, and this time, it's going to be Christian Fantasy!

I now tag Hepzibah, my little sis!