Monday, August 31, 2015

From the Ashes

Hey there dear readers!
   How has your week been? Wonderful, I hope. :) I've had a good week, I really have. Last week in the most pathetic blog post of the century, I showed you what I was entering in our county fair. And this last Saturday, we went to said fair and I found out how my entries did.
   They actually did good!!! Meaning, they both got first place in their respective divisions! Which was something I wasn't expecting at all. XP So yeah, that was pretty exciting!
   But that isn't the reason I'm blogging today.
   I'm going to assume that we've all heard the story of the phoenix? For those of you who haven't, or if you need a refresher, allow me to tell you a little about it.
   In Greek mythology, the phoenix was a bird with brilliant fiery-colored plumage. It lived a long life, but eventually that life came to and end. When the phoenix knew it's time on earth was coming to a close, it would make itself a nest. It would then set the nest on fire and let the flames consume it, and then finally the great bird itself.
   The story doesn't end here, though.
   The phoenix would then rise from the ashes of its old body, raised up again from the flames that killed it, alive and well and new. 
   So, this blog post is about my love of the phoenix?
   Not really.
   Though I do love the phoenix and most other mythical creatures, that's only the first part of this post. There's actually a parallel I'd like to draw between this mythical bird and the human being. You in particular, maybe.
   Bet you didn't see that one coming. Or maybe you did...
   Anyway.
   If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you another little story. Use your imagination for a moment. Pretend that you are no longer a human, but are now a great, fiery phoenix. You've lived for over a thousand years. You've experienced so many things, things you regret, things you want to live again. Sometimes it seems like hardly any time has passed, sometimes you can feel the weight of your years bearing down on you.
   ("Wait, did phoenixes have actual thoughts like this?"
   I don't know. I'm drawing a parallel, remember? And you're supposed to be using your imagination.)
   Either way, you know your end is near. You've lived a long, full life. And you know that you will just rise up again, but you're still afraid. What is this new life going to be like? Will it hurt when I pass through the fire?
   So many questions, not enough answers.
   You continue to put it off. Every night, when you nestle down in your nest and tuck your head under one massive wing, your mind is plagued by these fears. If you don't give in soon, you might not have another chance. If you wait until tomorrow, it might be too late.
   ("So the phoenix only had a certain amount of time to, er burn itself before it died forever?"
   I have no idea! Remember, parallels? Imagination? Do those words ring a bell?)
   But the unknown is a scary thing. Horrifying, in fact. So you don't do it, and you don't do it. You push it aside and you put it off, until you can't anymore. Your body aches with age. You can hardly lift your great wings and take to the sky, you can hardly move. There's no more putting it off. It's now or never.
   You make your nest. A thick, cocoon-like nest made of sticks and bark and dried grass. Anything that will burn. You fold up your great wings and slowly squeeze your way into its dark depths as the sun sets in the west. Heart racing, you watch the sun in its descent. You watch as its last beams stretch across the sky, and you wonder if you'll ever see it again.
   Is new life really worth the risks?
   Yes, it is. You close your eyes. You clap your red and purple wings together, creating a sound that echoes all around like a clap of thunder. Fire leaps up from the bottom of the nest. It consumes it ravenously, eating away at the wood like paper. It starts biting at your feathers, and you draw back, suddenly afraid. It's going to hurt! You don't want it to hurt, you don't want to give up your beautiful plumage. What if it doesn't come back the same?
   Do you honestly care anymore, though? Your ancient body can hardly move. You're so weak and tired. You want to stop fighting this and let yourself be born again.
   So you do. You embrace the flames and let them cover you whole, let them burn away your old life, your old body. Your fear is gone and you look into the face of death with courage and relief and... Peace.
   Then it's over.
   The old body is gone. The flames are dead, reduced to a pile of ashes. But you have become something greater. Something more than you were.
   You spread your wings out to their furthest extent. Your proud head shoots up from the ground and leads your new body upwards into the night sky, leaving a trail of fire in your wake.
 
   Now, let's stop pretending your a phoenix. Just go ahead and go back to being a human.
   ("But being a phoenix was fun!"
   I know it was, but it is time to move on with the story now.)
   Are you feeling up for one last story, one last parallel?
   Now there's you. For so, so long you've fought it. You've fought the guilt and conviction with every fiber of your being
   I'm fine, you say through another church service. I'm fine, I'm good. I'm not a bad person. This is what you tell yourself after pushing away that utterly lost feeling that rises up in your soul day after day.
   But your conscience tells you otherwise.
  You can think of all the sins you've committed. Every lie you've told, every time you snapped at your parents, every time you've spoken to someone out of turn. They're all burning at your mind and driving you mad. When you try to sleep, it's there. It's telling you you're hopelessly lost and that every day you put this off is another day closer to an eternity of burning, an eternity without God.
   But I can't! You argue. What will my friends say? What will my family think?! My life is going to change forever if I do this. I'm not ready yet.
   So you put it off. Every day the weight grows heavier and heavier, and the fear grows stronger, but so does your desire for peace. You're being pulled in a million directions until you feel like you're being torn apart. You're faced with the harsh reality that the rest of your life is going to be like this if you keep fighting. And one day, that conviction will be gone and you will never have another chance. That scares you more than anything. But the thought of change scares you too. It's a continuous cycle, an endless circle, going around and around and around.
    Until one day you're done. You are done fighting, done putting this off. You don't care what everyone will say or think. You don't care anymore. All you know is that if you have to go one more second with this fear and guilt, you are going to lose your mind. You're so tired and weak. You want to stop fighting and be born again.
   So you do. Maybe you fall on your knees, maybe you sit at your counter, maybe you kneel at a church alter. Maybe you cry, maybe you're emotionless. It doesn't matter. All that matters is you open your heart to God. You confess your sins, you show Him the darkest parts of your life that you would never let anyone else see, but you know He needs to see it. You tell you Him what you've done, and you tell Him you know what His Son did. He died for you, for every single sin you've ever done, and he did it willingly, and you know He is alive. You can feel your sin nature struggling against it, but you don't care. You push against the flames and let it all burn away You confess and believe.
   Then it's over.
   All of the fighting. All of the fear. It's gone. You feel so relieved and complete and... at peace.
   God has taken away your old life and burnt it. You are a new creature, something much more than you were.
    You are new and more awake than you've felt in a long time. More alive than you've ever been before.
    But you're not supposed to stay the same. You're not supposed to go back to those ashes and live in them and long for that old life you had. No! Don't forget the guilt, don't forget the tears. Rise up from the ashes of your old life and fly on the wings God has given you. Through his strength, rise up and live for him. Stop wallowing and be the magnificent human He has always wanted you to be.
   You were made to be so much more than you are. Now go and be that person.

   And those are the parallels I thought of. I hope this touched you in some way and that it wasn't too horribly long.... *Stares upward at enormous post looming above*. Wow.
   Have a wonderful week, little phoenixes!! Until next time!

MR
 

 

Sunday, August 23, 2015

A Post of Nothingness

Hey dere! :P
   Well, I kind of had something planned for today's post. But, I procrastinated. Again. What a shocker. So, now it's too late for me to write up what I had in mine. Instead, I'm going to give a general update kind of thing...?
   I don't really know, to be honest.
   Well first off, I'd like to start with saying that our county fair is this weekend. And this is my second year actually entering things. I entered something in the art division and in the crochet.
   Honey Lemon is the picture I entered....



   And Hiccup and Toothless are my crochet entries!


   So, I'll find out the results sometime this weekend and tell you all how they did then. :)
   I also thought now would be a good time to update on my book. As of right now, I have 138 1/2 pages, 90,854 words, and I'm in the middle of chapter twenty-three. I have only eight outlined chapters left before my first draft is finished. But, that number is bound to change before this thing is done. And it's pretty unlikely that I'm going to have it done before school starts. So I am now going to shoot for having it done the end of September. BUT I'M PRETTY DANG EXCITED ABOUT HOW CLOSE I AM!!!! Not to mention that I'm getting into the "fun chapters", AKA the ones I've had almost fully planned out since I started this whole thing. THAT IS ALSO EXCITING!!! :D:D
   But, umm... Yeah. 
   Next week I'll actually be posting what I was going to do this week. And in the weeks after that... Who knows! Would anyone be up for more Big Hero 6 fanfiction?? 'Cause I've got more! Plenty more! Along with that six-part Merlin fanfic I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. And possibly a HTTYD book fanfic. 
   I know it's a lot! I've come to really enjoy writing fanfictions, hehheh. I've even been thinking about starting a whole blog dedicated to fanfictions of mine.... 
    Yeah! This is probably the lamest thing I've ever done on my blog. But it is what it is, I guess. Have a fantastic week, faithful followers! ((And please don't hate me for this pathetic post))


MR


Monday, August 17, 2015

Washington Coast Trip: Part 3

Ahoy!!!
Here we are, three weeks later, having come to the end of this second post series.
   Before I begin with the pictures, I wanted to re-emphasize just how wonderful this trip really was. It was one of the greatest week of my life thus far. I mean, it really was. It was perfect. Completely and utterly perfect. The forests were beautiful, and the ocean.... I won't even try to describe it. Oh, it just stirred my heart, every time I heard the waves rush at me, or when I looked at the wide beach, or when I stared at the endless ocean. Mmmm...
   And I got to capture a lot of that through my pictures. Will you join me as I share with you all the last few days of our adventure?

Alright then! Let's get going. I finished off with Second beach last week. And now you find us at Ruby beach to watch the sunset over the ocean...

Here we are, walking into Ruby beach. LOOK AT THAT GREEN FOREST!!! GAH!!

Some of the surrounding landscape of the beach. And a few other people who had the same idea we had...

S'more landscape.

Here's the sun, at phase one of its setting. Gash, I just love the shots I got of the sun!! I love how bright it is, and how it glistens on the water.

More curving water, beach and clouds. And look at that naughty rock photobombing my picture!

Ooooooo!!!! Here goes the sun!!! 

It's going deeper now....

Another shot of the landscape  and the beautiful pastel sunset. And those clouds!! This was seriously one of my favorite parts of the trip!

The glorious sunset!!!!! 

I decided to stack up a bunch of rocks and take a picture of the sunset with them. It was a spur of the moment thing, but I'm glad I did. I love this shot. :)

More landscape and PASTEL COLORED SUNSET!!!!!  AGH!!!

Yes, I took an unreasonable amount of pictures of the sun as it slowly progressed downwards. 

A larger view of the area. 

Oh! Oh, there it goes!!!! Almost gone.... 

And woosh! It's gone. Disappeared into the wide Pacific ocean. Nothing left of it but its last golden breath painting the clouds and blending in with the sky.

Landscapes, pastels, rocks, green, sand.....

Another shot. Mmmmmmm...... <3

Here are the colors getting darker and deeper. 

Ah, I love this picture too. So beautiful. :)

After we had walked out, I took this final picture of the sunset through the trees. And it turned out to be another one of my favorites. 
Our very last day of vacation. And we decided to go the Hall of Mosses. This was partially because we wanted to and partially because my dad may have hurt his leg whilst skim-boarding with my brother and couldn't really hike the beaches for miles.....

Greeny mossy greeny  moss....

Or not. The poor rain forest was so dry. It definitely wasn't at its greenest for us. 

A root clump that I am particularly fond of. 

A mossy, spider-like tree. It looks even more like a spider considering the angle I took it at.

A mossy arch!!!! Yeeessssssss!

Trees of moss discussing the dry weather.
Mossy log with little trees growing out of it. there were quite a few of these, actually. 

A picture of the trail.

A towering tree....... 

And one last shot of the mossy forest of mossiness. 

So, the story is complete and everyone is satisfied with the ending, so on and so forth. We picked up our car without any trouble and made it home safe and sound. Here is a picture of the shells I found along the beaches. This does not include the driftwood I found,  the rocks, or the seashell pieces. 

I thought I would get a close-up of this GARGANTUAN MUSSEL SHELL I FOUND BURIED IN THE SAND OF A TIDE POOL!!!!!! These are usually about 1-2 inches long, some being bigger or smaller. But this one..... Just look at it!!! It's bloomin' huge!!!
And there we are!!! I'm all finished! :D Hope you enjoyed looking at these pictures.
   This trip to the coast enabled me to check off one of my dreams from my dream-list. Not I just have to go sailing, go to Great Britain for an indefinite period of time, and buy a horse. :)
   I've got a couple of things planned for the next few blogging weeks. Some of which might include the Merlin fanfiction I mentioned a few weeks ago.....
    So, thanks for reading, and have a spectacular week!!!!

MR

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Washington Coast Trip: Part 2




I'm back! :D
And ready to get some blogging done. I hope everyone's had a great week. :) I haven't had anything too exciting. Aside from me getting a second pair of Converse.... *Laughs maniacally*
   But yeah. Let's get on with this thing, shall we?
   ((So, I left off with us at Second beach...))

I might have drawn a certain nurse-bot in the sand....

Behold!!! Our mighty sandcastle!! 

Rock in the ocean with a little forest growing up out of it. There were many of these. And also a piece of driftwood peeking around the corner...

This is either a shrimp or some kind of weird bug whose name I can't remember....

Oh, how I love those waves!! 
One of the many jellyfish pieces we found. This one was little teeny tiny.

Misty green landscape... *Drools*

Okay. Look at this thing. You know what this is? It's a float. I don't know my languages very well, but is that writing not Japanese?! This thing floated all the way from Japan or somewhere to the Washington coast!! What?!

Misty rock and ocean... *Continues to drool*

I took so many pictures of this spot as we got closer and closer to it. So I did you all a favor by not posting all of them. XP
A sea cave. And a blurry photograph of my parents. 


I couldn't resist another shot of the landscape. 

There's a bit of a story behind this. One day, my mother and I were in the Walmart near where I lived. And I saw a Big Hero 6 towel. I showed it to Mom, and she endured my nerding with patience before we moved on. I thought for sure that I could bring some money next time and buy one. The next time we came, they were gone. Gone. So I continue to search fruitlessly. Until we go on our trip. In the Walmart in Port Angeles, I finally find another BH6 towel. We were actually in the Walmart to buy towels, so this was the perfect opportunity. I didn't pass it up this time around.


I just loved the mist and the ocean and the rocks and pretty much everything. 

From inside the sea cave. This was a really cool moment. The tide was coming in, so the waves would rush in through the crack and swirl around my ankles, trying to get to the back of the cave. Before they would be pulled back in on themselves and pushed aside by the next wave... I could have watched it all day. :)

The sun came out for just a minute, but it was still foggy, but everything was blue, and THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOTS, OKAY!!!!! 
Birds, rock... Gorgeous view... 
The surrounding landscape. And some random lady who got in the way of my picture. *Shakes fist at lady* 

Heading back from Second beach. So, I actually touched this squirrel. He was so cute, and so focused on the nut he was eating I don't think he even realized I was there. I got about as close as my camera is in this shot, and put a finger to his fluffy little tail.  He then jumped a little, hesitantly took the nut out of his mouth, and eventually made his way into the undergrowth. 
The sunlight filtering through the trees

On Wednesday, my dad and brother took a day to do some fishing. So, we went to this river, and here are some strange and cool flower type things I took a picture of on the hike.

Another strange and cool flower thing

That evening we went back to Second beach. Today, the sun was actually shining! So, blue, blue, blue everywhere. :)


Foam and blue.... 
Family. <3

Behheh! I miss the ocean!!

There were so many cool tide pools. We saw so many starfish and sea anemones.... It was lovely.  

A sea arch.... 

Some sunshine and ocean.
And one last shot to wrap up this post and Second beach. :)

   There we go! Next week is the last part in this little series. I'll cover watching the sunset at Ruby beach, the Hall of Mosses, and heading home. Using no more than thirty pictures.... I might go a little over the limit I set for myself next week. 
   Thanks for reading/looking! :D Have a great week!

MR