10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 10

For the final day of the challenge...

...here  is one picture of myself:

Thanks for sticking around for the whole of this challenge! I had fun writing it. Now I need another one...

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 9

We are nearing the final day; time to share two of my favorite songs:

1.  God is Bigger than the Boogie Man 
A VeggieTales classic that, to this day, keeps me (a 15 year old) calm whatever the situation may be.
Hey, don't even lie; adults get scared too. VeggieTales is not for limited for little children.

Current favorite:
2.  Of the Night - Bastille
I switch back and forth from favorites in a matter of days. I will literally listen to a song on repeat until I can't stand it any longer, then listen to it even more.
#logic

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 7

Ah, it looks as if day seven is upon us. Time to share one four of my favorites: books! :D

1.  The Children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkein
I love love love this book. I can't get over it. I have read it twice over, and I need to read it again to re-enlighten myself. Tolkien was and is the greatest novelist whose works I've read. This book is one of those that one can read over and over and still uncover something new every time.

2. The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron 
I held high expectations for this series, because a friend raved about it to me. This first book was incredible. I couldn't put it down, and I held further expectations for the rest of the series, but after the second one, I wasn't personally as interested any longer. I skimmed through most of the fifth one; I read half of it, skipped to the ending, and moved to the next book. I'm almost finished with the final trilogy (The Great Tree of Avalon) but I no longer hold my expectations high.

3.  In the After by Demitria Lunetta
If this book ends up being made into a movie, I have the main characters casted already. Just sayin.
I adored this book like no other. I'm itching to read the sequel because this book ends in a cliffhanger.
I.can't.stand.cliffhangers.

4.  The Bible
a.k.a. the only non-fiction book I have ever loved. Technically, the Bible is composed of many different books - in which case, Romans is my favorite book, and Esther is my favorite story.


This may be against the rules of this challenge, but I have to make an honorable mention.
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott is the only book I have ever cried after reading. I legitimately had to leave the room and sit on the floor, weeping, because the ending just left me so heartbroken.
I don't recommend this book if you're sensitive to things like sexual abuse and extreme psychological distress. It's a short read - I finished it over the course of three hours - but even in such a short number of words, it did not fail to leave me scarred. It's an incredible eye-opener, because the things that happened to the protagonist have happened (and are still happening) to real people in the real world, and that sickens me.
I will most certainly be reading more from this author.

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 8

Agh! Once again, I let the day's hubub get to me and I didn't post on time. (I missed this weeks Spill it, Sunday too. :'(   I need to set up a blogging schedule!)  On the bright side, you get two days' worth of Challenge posts in one. 

Films - another favorite category of mine! And once again, the difficulty of choosing a small amount has arisen... hmm. How about we count trilogies and related films as one, eh?  ;)

1.  The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Granted, the third Hobbit film hasn't been released, so I can't vouch for it just yet. I'd have to admit, I was a little disappointed with how the storyline went so far off what Tolkien originally wrote. Don't get me wrong, I love the actors and the writers and Peter Jackson and everyone involved - their delivery had no flaws whatsoever - but come on, Legolas wasn't supposed to be there, Tauriel wasn't supposed to exist, there should be no romance between Fili and anyone else, just... No. Nope. Sometimes there are lines you should not cross.
I commend Mr. Jackson (and Andy Serkis) for his phenomenal work as director; but the whole Fili-Tauriel and Legolas-Tauriel thing just isn't working for me and I can't get over it.

2.  The Chronicles of Narnia.
I have seen these films many times over. I can't remember exactly how young I was when I first saw "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Young enough to be occasionally confused, but old enough to enjoy.
I've probably seen it two dozen times, and I still find things I've overlooked every time I watch it over again. (I may have had a thing for Peter way back when...then Caspian when he came around).

3.  War Horse.
I sat here for the longest time trying to pick just one more favorite. I should really calm down on the movie-watching. There are far too many on my mental list of favorites to simply pick three.
I think my love of War Horse really speaks for itself; even if you're not a fan of historical storylines and European men (really, though, who isn't a fan of that last one?), this movie will draw you in. I didn't cry but I was on the verge during multiple circumstances. If you're prone to producing eye-waterfalls when watching movies, this is one you're gonna need a whole box of Kleenexes for.

Someday I'll have to write out a list of my favorite films because listing three (correction: nine) isn't going to cut it.
'Til next time.

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 6

I came to the realization (much too late, obviously) that I have been doing this entire challenge backwards.
See, a normal person would look at the picture below, upon which the name of the numbered days are highlighted, and say "okay, on day one, I post one picture of myself; on day two, I post two songs..." but me? What do I do? I look at the picture and say, "ah, I get it, it's a countdown!"
Maybe I've been doing it right and it is a countdown. Hmm. I'll probably never know. Either way, day six, here I come!

Gosh, just five foods?...this is gonna be over way too quickly. How about we change 'five foods' into 'five combinations'?

1.  Various cereals and vanilla soymilk

For the longest time, I have been having at least two different cereals in one bowl. I can't remember when the last time was that I ate just one kind of cereal at one time...
Call me crazy, but it's the way of life. I am a cereal person and shall be forevermore.

2.  Cottage cheese, sliced banana, and cinnamon

[I'm well aware these are apple slices...]

A classic fave of mine. I've been obsessing over cottage cheese for a good while now, pairing it with different fruits, and bananas seem to be the winner for this combo. I've been told that apple butter is pretty good with it as well, but I haven't had the chance to try that one just yet.

3.  Rice cakes and coconut peanut butter

I cannot get over how incredible this coconut peanut butter is(!!!!). I was skeptical about it at first because Mom's good at finding weird things at the scratch & dent store; but I kid you not, as weird as it sounds(/looks), it. is. so. delicious.

4.  Ry Krisp crackers and homemade hummus
I found the crakers at (you guessed it) the scratch & dent store. I heard Amanda talking about them in one post and when I saw a box on the shelves, I decided to give it a go. Same as the rice cakes; I had never tried those before, either!
Personally, I don't like them very well plain, but they are perfect with some homemade hummus.

5.  Chai tea and cocoa powder

You know me; I loooooooove me some hot beverage in the early morning hours. I ran out of chocolate protein powder, so I've been subbing it with Carnation Breakfast Essentials chocolate powder, or hot cocoa mix. Either one does the job just fine.

That is all for today. Return tomorrow for day seven, if you so desire. If not, you suck.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But seriously. I'll love you forever and a day! <3 <3 <3  ;)

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 5

Today's part of the challenge is to state six places...I'm not sure if that means six places I've been or six places I would like to go; I'm assuming the latter.

1.  New Zealand/Australia - I'm counting these as one.

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I want to see New Zealand because of the filming that took place there for LotR and The Hobbit. The landscape is gorgeous and you've gotta admit, their accents are pretty cool.
Australia is high on my list because the accents are awesome there too I had a pen pal from Australia whom I haven't heard from in ages and I feel really guilty for it because I haven't been writing to her either. I figure traveling to Australia and meeting up with her could somehow make up for the years of silence between us. Also, I really really really want to see a kangaroo.

2.  South Africa

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My friend Kennedi has stressed to me that she wants to visit South Africa someday. The more she talks about it, the more I want to go too!
I would love to explore new countries and cultures, and I think South Africa would be a great place full of various backgrounds.

3.  Hawaii

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Typical dream vacation; I know, I know! But just look at it.

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I haven't ever done so much as travel to Florida - the closest I've been to a large body of water is when I went to see Lake Michigan, and even then, all we did was drive along the road and peer through the trees when we could.
I think Hawaii would offer great opportunity to get a nice tan...

4.  Mexico

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A group from my church recently embarked on a missions trip to Mexico, and now I'm incredibly interested in going when another opportunity rolls around.
Plus, from what I've heard, authentic Mexican food cannot be beat.

5.  Ireland

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My cousin went to Ireland for a school trip last year; she came back and gave all good feedback. I'm more than happy to see it for myself.
Just look at the sheeeeeeeep!

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6.  Everywhere else in the world. No really, I want to see everything and travel everywhere.
But to be fair, I'll pick just one, for now...

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Canada has been associated with the U.S. for as far back as I can recall, and farther then. We share likenesses and not-so-likenesses, but Canada is probably the closest in culture as the U.S. than any other country.
If I'm getting my facts so over the top inaccurate, please excuse me. I hate geometry and I never was good in history. All things logical, historical, and scientifical are not at all my forte.
(yes, I do understand 'scientifical' is not a word.)

That is all for day five. Thank you for reading, come back tomorrow, and all that jazz.  ;)

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 4

'Tis the fourth day of the 10 Day You Challenge, on which I shall share my seven wants.

1.  A Macbook laptop

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2.  A smartphone...

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...because I am the only person in my friend group left with a crappy flip phone.

3. A job.

[source: Tumblr]

Really, what I want is money, but I would like to work somewhere like Dairy Queen where they supply an abundance of ice cream. I've heard employees get free food. Free ice cream is best. <3

4.  Mugs - I have a collection of mugs started, so if you happen to find a cool-looking mug, please send it to me and I will repay you with a batch of cookies of your choice flavor.

5.  Spring/summer clothes. I am - in fact - a girl, and I do - in fact - enjoy new clothing. I hate shopping; it stresses me out for reasons unbeknownst to me. But if and when I get lucky, new clothes are worth the stress that goes into finding and trying them on, and losing money over.

6.  To be healthy and get in shape. Not just because summer is approaching, but because my life is ending (I'm not depressed, I'm just speaking the honest truth) and I want to be the best version of myself I can in however much time I have left on this earth.

7.  A driver's license. I enjoy driving (not as much as riding) and the only reason I want to be 16 is so that I can take my permit test and get started on my hours.
Ahh, to be a legal driver...

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 3

Day three of this challenge brings me to confess eight fears... here we go:

1.  Possibly my deepest fear is rejection/abandonment. While I believe that one is never truly alone - thanks to our great Savior - I still cringe at the thought of never again having friends or close family or anyone to hug. Imagine the rest of my lifetime without hugs. That is the equivalent of leaving a child without his little safety blanket, like Linus from Peanuts.

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2.  Pain - I have low tolerance for pain, and watching graphic movies and television shows doesn't exactly help (I'm talking World War Z and I Shouldn't Be Alive).

Believe it or not, I don't have a huge fear of needles. I've been through so many medical injections in my lifetime that I'm almost numb to the whole concept. I can't watch them do it though; I had blood drawn once and that was the scariest thing of my life, watching my own blood flow into those little vials. *gag*

3.  This is a weird (and gross) one: I'm afraid of being constipated. I've had experiences in the past that I hope never ever to experience again. I won't go into detail.

4.  Performing - I get such bad stage fright before I perform anything that in the last few minutes before I walk onstage, I'm convinced that I'll either black out, throw up, or quit, all of which I have yet to do. I really don't understand why it still stresses me out.

5.  Heights - flying is the exception. I enjoy flying. But I saw my friend break his arm after jumping off a swing and I am still petrified to this day. 

6.  Fast driving - my dad likes to make fun of me with this one... he's a crazy driver and when I'm unfortunate enough to be in the passenger seat when he's driving - especially when the roads are icy - he makes sure to go hard on the gas and fast on the wheel swerving. 

Mind you, he has never been in a major accident. He doesn't drive like a maniac on the highway, over hills, or on busy roads; as contradictory as it sounds, he's smart about his crazy driving. 

7.  Public restrooms - it's not the thought of how unsanitary everything is, it's the thought of another person listening to me relieving myself. 

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True story: I thought I had to pee while in a restaurant, so I went to the restroom at the same time as another woman. I was all prepared to pee but nothing happened (this is a regular occurrence for me, please tell me I'm not the only one). So I sat there while the other woman did her thing, and I waited until she left before I was able to pee. I had to mentally recite to myself  "we're never going to see each other again; she won't remember this encounter, don't even worry about it" because I don't think many people go into a public restroom and just sit there for two minutes waiting for something to happen. You just don't do that. 

8.  The future. I'm both excited and anxious about what my future will hold, because I have such high hopes. I've learned over the course of many years that you can't have such high expectations for everything; once you do, all of your hopes come crashing down on top of you in a heap of disappointment. Therefore, I am terrified that my future will be less than what I anticipate and I'll end up more disappointed in myself than I ever have been. 

Also, I'm afraid I'll end up being a 900-pound lug who does nothing with her life and has virtually no hope anymore. Maybe then I'll have my television debut...?

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 2

'Tis day two of the 10 Day You challenge!

Day two ~ nine loves

1.  Jesus Christ - I strive to make my Lord and Savior the center of my life; I don't live the ideal Christian life, but I would much rather be here now than to be lost for eternity. God is constantly at work in my life, and I thank him for his never ending forgiveness and grace. Without a doubt, it takes a lot of patience to deal with this girl.

2.  My family - I love my parents, my siblings, and my church family (friends included). I have been immensely blessed to have so many great people in my life and I couldn't ask for a better group of people to call my family.

3.  Sweets - I have a huge sweet tooth. Seriously. I could live off sweet tea, cappuccino, and all kinds of pastries and cakes.
I don't recommend that, of course...

4.  Music - I love alternative music, orchestral music, Celtic music, dance music, and certain contemporary Christian songs. In all honesty, I'm not a music junkie like a lot of people who I know, but I do appreciate the effort and persistence that musicians go into making their magic.

5.  Cooking & baking - both are a stress-reliever for me. I love seeing different ingredients and textures come together to make something incredible (more or less, depending). It gives me a great sense of worth when I make something that other people can enjoy; and what better way to win someone over than to make food? ;)

6.  Photography - there is such beauty in the ability to capture incredible moments in the blink of an eye, and save them for centuries to come. Photography is art, and art is a way of expressing oneself. All of the arts fascinate me; photography is just one of my favorites.

7.  Books - without books, I would probably be in a more stable form of mind because I wouldn't be constantly stressing over the unfortunate events regarding fictional characters...then again, I would be so much less creative and imaginative than I am. Books have helped me learn how to think on my own and to create things of my own, and to escape reality when a temporary escape is necessary.

8.  Travel - the farthest from home I've ever been is 14 hours away at my cousin's house in Mississippi. I love traveling (if I can get past the homesickness), and I long to see the world before my time is up.

9.  The great outdoors - I love being outside. The only time I will refuse to go out is if it's blistering cold (like this last winter. Bleck!) The scent of the fresh air, the sound of the breeze in the trees and the birds chatting amongst one another; everything is very calming.
Sometimes the birds get on my nerves, and the breeze is too cold for comfort, but for the most part I'm happy with being outside.
Funny story: I opted out of wearing sunblock and laid out for an hour. My back and stomach and part of my thigh are all a nice shade of reddish pink. If you share the same pale complexion as I, please wear sunblock and spare yourself the pain.

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 1

I heard about this challenge over on Peanut Butter Fingers, and was interested in giving it a go. 

Day one ~ Ten secrets:

1.  I used to love running. I went through a phase where running was something I did every day (albeit I ran on the treadmill which is twice as easy as running on non-moving ground).
Needless to say, walking is my thing now. After being scared into the dangers of arthritis in the knees, which my mom has, I decided to lower the intensity and switch to walking/biking/swimming/dancing - things that still leave me breathing hard, but with less risk of knee problems in the future.

2.  I used to be in love with Orlando Bloom...

[source: Fanpop]

...particularly William Turner.
Also, before Pirates, I loved him as Legolas in Lord of the Rings.

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I think the long hair was what sold me.  I receive a superabundant amount of teasing from my friends for this. -_-

3.  I still watch America's Next Top Model. The earliest I can remember was cycle 7 in 2006. I was eight years old then, and I vaguely remember the twins, Michelle and Amanda Babin.
Now, I've started watching ANTM Girls and Guys (cycle 20). Yikes; either I remember very little or the show has changed a lot since I last watched. They're all a lot more risque than I recall...

4.  I took acting/modeling classes with a company called Barbizon, back in 2012. Less than halfway through the classes, I determined that modeling was not something I was interested in ($3,000 too late). I finished the classes and have since never received any jobs.
I haven't auditioned for anything since then, either, which could be the underlying cause of my current unemployment.

5.  I used to put strawberry syrup on my scrambled eggs. Don't knock it 'til you try it; it's delicious, I tell you. I can't recall when exactly I stopped eating them that way, but that was my favorite thing ever for a very long time. That and Reese's Puffs.

6.  I hoard my favorite foods. I have one shelf in our little cabinet full of my stash of nut butters, Luna bars, cappuccino sample packets, and a bunch of odds and ends that aren't really worth mentioning, but are worth being hidden from the rest of my family.
I'm prepping for the day I have a house-mate and we have to label our own foods so that the other doesn't devour it. (I'm talking to you, Kaylee)  ;)

7.  I pre-write all of my blog posts. There has almost never been a time where I've written up a post and immediately published it. I have an actual waiting list of drafts that are just waiting for the right day to roll around for them to become public.
I doubt that's an abnormal thing, but I'm running out of secrets and you'll have to excuse me.

8.  I slept with a teddy bear until I was a teenager. Not just any old teddy bear. My most beloved, favorite teddy bear George. I received this teddy bear for my second Valentine's Day (Mother has confirmed this - I don't actually remember); I literally could not sleep without him until I was 13 and decided "enough of this, I'm a big girl now!"
Worst decision ever. But I've since recovered from the trauma and sadly have no clue where George is now.

9.  Whenever I got scared at night, I would sleep on my parents' bedroom floor. I was never a squeeze-in-the-bed-with-mom-and-dad kid, I was always about sneaking into the room with my bedding in tow, shaking Mom awake, and curling up on the floor. Eventually, by the time I was ten or eleven, Dad put his foot down and I haven't slept on their floor since.

10.  This is such an evil secret... prepare yourselves:
I used to pinch my baby brother's legs to make him cry. I can't explain why in the world I was so cruel, but before he had the incentive (read: ability) to speak for himself, I would pinch him once or twice, wait for him to cry, calm him down, then repeat.
I think I was training myself on how to react in a situation where the baby starts crying. Of course, when I'm an actual mother I'll keep the pinching to a minimum...
Gosh, I was mean.

That is all. Day one is complete; you can expect more from me in the days to come. :)

~JK