An Important Artsy Update

Hello, dear friends.
   How have you been? I hope you've had a fantastic week, that you were able to compliment someone, that you were able to laugh at something. Please remember to keep going, and find that thread of hope that's always intertwined in the big picture.
   I feel like I haven't written a nice, deep blog post in awhile, and that makes me rather sad. I really, really want to do that, and I'm going to do it soon. But today I have some very important artsy updates, as you may have gleaned from the title.
   So. Let's not beat around the bush. In the past week or so, two people have approached me about illustrating cover art for their books. The first one is a friend of mine who is self-publishing her book and is having me do the cover and the frontispiece. The second is the author that had the illustrating contest for her books that I ended up being a part of. But instead of doing illustrations inside, I'm doing the lineart for. The. Cover.
   I honestly can't believe this is happening? I'm very excited, super freaked out and slightly overwhelmed. Because I'm also starting school again this Monday, and I'm trying to get started on Christmas presents, and also run an Etsy shop, not to mention that I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. I've never done anything close to this!

   But the only way to learn is to start, I guess. And that's what I'm doing. Starting.
   So yeah. I've been busy. Well not really yet, but I'm about to get that way. It's like that calm before the storm feeling, you know? I kind of just want to jump into it and tackle everything as fast as I can, as perfectly as humanly possible, because that's how I like to do things. I'm just trying to prepare myself at the moment, 'cause I know it's coming soon.
   So yeah. This all happened, like, right after I started the 30 day drawing challenge. I'm going to try and complete that, and still post videos on Youtube and everything else I'm doing at the moment. I kind of missed/adjusted the last two days in the challenge, because a.) I had no idea what to draw for day 11, and I'm doing this and sharing some concepts for the picture for my friend's book for day 12, along with filming a video tonight. I'm going to try and get back on track tomorrow.
   And that's it. That's all I have to say for now. Sorry for my lack of quality content as of late. I am going to have a real blog post very, very soon, I promise. Forgive me! I will be back soon, dear readers. Thank you for taking the time to make your way through this post and for sticking with this mess of a blog. I love you all dearly. <3

MR

Liebster Tag!!

Hello again, my frens!!

So, the wonderful Abbie from Chronicles in Bloom tagged me in this Liebster tag thingy. She has a great blog, you should totally go check it out! This tag looks like a lot of fun though, so let's hop to it. :)

First, the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Answer the eleven questions
3. Tag eleven bloggers and let them know you've done so
4. Ask your tagged bloggers eleven questions

I think it's already been established that I do not follow enough blogs, so I will be breaking the eleven people rule. But yeah, whatever, let's do this thing.

1. Is there any story as to who you were given your name? 
You know, not that I know of? I'm pretty sure that my parents just liked it, so they went with it. I do know that if I had a sister they would have named her Molly, so there would have been a Maggie and a Molly which would have been pretty cute. :D

2. Or you a night owl or early bird?
Absolutely, 110% night owl. I would be nocturnal if it was socially acceptable. But, I also feel like I could enjoy the morning? I really like the concept of getting a cup of coffee and watching the sunrise and listening to the birds tweet and feeling like you're the only one watching the world wake up. But I hate waking up early, and I just love nighttime so much... I don't  think I could give that up.

3. What is your favorite breakfast? 
TBH, I'm not too big on the whole breakfast thing. I usually just skip breakfast and go straight to lunch. That's usually because I sleep in too late and miss breakfast, but that's beside the point. I do, however, enjoy some warm, freshly made waffles. Like, when they're soft, but have just enough crispy-crunch to them, when you have the perfect ration of butter to syrup. Maybe there's a bit of fruit topping. You've got your orange juice and some coffee to drink... Mmm, yes, that is a level of perfection that puts me in a good mood just thinking about.

4. How would you describe your style? 
This question could be taken in a few ways, so I am going to answer all of them. My style in general, like, how I roll, what I do, who I am... That could only be described as weird, extremely eccentric and very socially awkward. Art style could be described the same way, though I'd like to think it has a little more of a classic feel. And honestly, my clothing style is the same as my art style. And yes, I am aware that was probably the most confusing answer you've ever seen, I'm so sorry.

5. What is your dream occupation? 
I really want to work in illustration. I'd love to do freelance, children's book illustrations, storyboarding. One or all of them would be great. :) I'm actually working toward that goal, so we'll see how it turn out, haha.

6. 3 favorite boy names?
David Arthur, Joshua, and Nathaniel. (If I have a boy, he will be named David Arthur, there is no arguing, it will be so)

7. 3 favorite girl names? 
This is a bit harder for me for some reason. But I'm going to say, Annette, Gwen, and... I don't know? Jenna, maybe? I like Jenna, I think Jenna is good.

8. Where would you like to travel? 
Okay, listen up because this is going to happen one of these days if I can make it. I want to go to Ireland, Scotland and England. When I get out of school, I'd say when I'm about 21, I want to go to all three of these places. I want to just live there for a few years, explore every nook and cranny and become seeped in the culture. I want to take it in and live and breathe it for as long as I possibly can. I'd like to go there for a couple weeks beforehand to get a taste, but I'm not going to bore you all with my in-depth travel plans, haha

9. Favorite part of your daily routine? 
Gooooooooood Mythical Morning!
No, haha, I'm just kidding, though I do love that show.
IDK, honestly. It's probably coffee? Coffee makes me happy. :)

10. What song gives you the most feels and why? 
I LITERALLY CANNOT ANSWER THIS, THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY OH MY GOSH!!!! 'The Last Goodbye' gives me a lot of feels, though I wouldn't say it gives me the most feels.

11. If you could learn to do one (creative) thing perfectly, what would it be? 
I honestly think it would be art. There's something that I enjoy about learning to write, and I can feel the same with art, but... It's so much harder to learn for some reason? I'd love to be able to just translate what's in my head right onto paper through art like that.

Boom, all the questions have been answered! Now I will be tagging...

Bronze the Sling: http://squigglyrambler.blogspot.com/

Chloe Womble: http://afangirlsfantasy.blogspot.com/

Mikaylea O'Brien: https://cometotheinkwell.wordpress.com/

And that's it because, as has already been established, I'm a loser who doesn't follow enough blogs. Also, if any of you have done this tag before, please ignore this and forgive me. I have a terrible memory, so I've probably forgotten if you have, I'm so sorry.

The questions are...

1. How does the rain make you feel?
2. What's the song that never fails to make you feel better?
3. What's your aesthetic? 
4. Is there anything that scares and entrances you at the same time? 
5. What's your favorite book of the Bible and why? 
6. What's your favorite fruit smell?
7. Which animal is the cutest? 
8. What do you want your bedroom to look like in ten years? 
9. What's the strangest sentimental thing you own? 
10. If you could change one thing about your physical self, would you, and what would it be?
11. Does the prospect of spending one night alone in the woods scare or excite you?

And that's it. If any of these questions don't make sense, please let me know and I will do my best to explain what I was trying to say. If I didn't tag you and you still want to do this, PLEASE DO SO AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT TELLING ME YOU DID BECAUSE I WANT TO HEAR YOUR ANSWERS.

That's it for now! I want to write up a blog post about everything that has been going on in my life recently, 'cause I have some exciting things going on. By the way, my artist alley table went great! If you'd like to know more about it, I have a vlog-type video on my channel. Be forewarned, it is very, very cringey because vlogging is hard.

I'll see you soon, my frens.
MR

Thought Process: Pieces

I think it's so funny.
   There are things that a person keeps to themselves. Some parts of them that are so deeply ingrained into them, some parts that define who they are, some parts that are so deeply personal. Parts that hurt, parts that are dark, parts that reveal too much of themselves. Parts that you feel like you can't share with another soul because then they would know every piece of you, what makes you you. Parts that you don't even fully understand yourself.
   But sometimes, you have to do something with these pieces. And since you can't share them, you write them down, You journal, you keep a diary, whatever you want to call it. It feels good to get them out there, to get them off of you and onto something else. You've shared them without actually sharing them.
  That's the part that's so funny to me. We can't share these pieces, because then someone would know us, who we actually are beneath whatever it is we present to people. Instead of sharing them with someone we trust, we put them in a place where anyone could pick it up and read it. Why is the latter okay, and not the former?
   Maybe that's it, though. Maybe there's something more okay with someone knowing, then having to explain it to someone. But maybe you just need to put the pieces somewhere, and the best you can do is write it down and hope that no one finds it. Maybe. I don't know.
   I just think it's funny.

This is short, and dramatic, and a little strange, but it's been on my mind. Sorry if it's confusing. 
MR

I Have an Artist Alley Table????

Hello, my dearest readers. :)
   How are you? I know I ask you that all the time, but I truly want to know. I hope you're doing well and that you've taken some time to enjoy life a little bit.
   As for me, I've been busy. Very. Busy.
   I've been catching up on my Mabel sweater orders, I've been playing piano, I've been trying to prepare my mind for another year of school. But this last week has been completely bonkers. Why? Well, if you've read the title or saw my little announcement on Pinterest, then you'll know...
   I HAVE AN ARTIST ALLEY TABLE AT A LITTLE LOCAL CONVENTION!!!!!
   And I have been preparing maniacally ever since I found out last Monday.
   Like, I've had to order prints. I've decided to stick with just 4x6 prints this time around, since all the other sizes are a bit too expensive and I'm running a little low on cash, hahaaaa.
   I've been making homemade stickers. Which took a bit of figuring out at first, but now they're loads of fun.
   I've been trying to finish this final Mabel sweater. Which I succeeded in doing tonight, haHA!
   I've been buying and making things for my table. Like a tablecloth, signs, stands, boxes for prints and stickers, all that stuff.
   I've been  printing business cards. Which took FOREVER, but I'm done with them, thank goodness.
   I've been frantically drawing and painting in an attempt to have more originals and prints to sell.
   I'VE BEEN INSANELY BUSY.
   AND I ONLY HAVE ONE WEEK TO FINISH GETTING READY.
   SO I AM ALSO GOING A LITTLE INSANE.
   Not to mention that I am suuuuuuppppper nervous about the whole thing, and hoping that I can make a bit of money, at least enough to pay for what I've put into this.
   But I've also been suuuuper excited. BECAUSE I AM GOING TO HAVE AN ARTIST ALLEY TABLE, WHICH IS LIKE SO COOL. Granted, the con is itty bitty teeny tiny, but this is such a great opportunity, and I'm hoping to meet some other artists, and gaaaah, it's gonna be so much fun!
   So yes. This isn't much of a post, but I just wanted to let you all know about what's been going on in my life. And if it wasn't for this, then there wouldn't have been a post at all. So there's that too.
   I'm hoping to make a vlog kind of thing going over how I prepared for the whole thing and how it went and all that, so keep an eye open on my youtube for that sometime next week. And whatever doesn't sell at con (which us probably going to be most of the things, ahha :') ), I will have up on my Etsy for a discounted rate, so keep your eyes open for thaaaaat...
   And yeah. That's it. That's all I have to say. I have to go and cut out stickers and edit a video and package a sweater and paint and draw another picture. So goodbye, my frens, and I'll see you on the flipside!

MR
 

Lists, Living Life and Lane

Hello, dearest readers. :)
   How are you? Well, I hope. If not, please remember that you are never alone in whatever issue you're going through. God is always there for you even when other people can't be, even though it really can seem like He is not. He always is. And He is always more than ready to listen to you and take your burdens as his own. <3
   I for one have been alright. My life has mostly been consumed with making Mabel sweaters, which is both a blessing and a curse, haha. Aside from that, nothing too exhilarating has happened.
   To start things off in this post, yes, I am late once again. Yes, I didn't post last week. Yes, I'm going to try to do better.
   Which kind of ties into what this post is about.
   I made a list the other day in my little journal. A list of things that I'd like to do more of in my life, a list of things that I want to start doing. A list of things that will makes me a better person, a person more like who I want to be. A list of things that will make life better in general and keep my outlook more positive. Seeing as how these things might benefit you all, I thought I would share this list in the hope that it would help to encourage and motivate you. So here it goes.

1. Be a lot cleaner

2.Draw everyday

3.Keep a blogging schedule

4.Pray everyday

5.Start collecting art prints

6. Look into getting a job

7.Schedule things

8.Write/journal everyday

9.Read everyday

10.Get up earlier

11.Plan outfits everyday

12. Do hairstyles

13.Use my book-nook more

14.Drive a lot more. 

   The majority of these things are somewhat silly things that I enjoy and want to do more. Some of these things are going to help me as I become an adult and start preparing myself for "the real world". And other things will, as I said earlier, help me become more of the person that I want to be, the person that I want to become. (Also, when I say 'be more clean' I mean keep my room clean, I am a very clean person, my room is just a nightmare, haha). By no means do you have to do anything on this list. I just thought I'd put it out there in case you were feeling a little 'blegh' in life or feeling like you want to do something different. I wanted to encourage you to make a list of your own and follow it. Do the things that you want to do, become the person you want to be, become the person that God wants you to be. Just do it. 

   Secondly, I want to ask you all for something. Do you remember awhile back that I posted about the little girl in my church fighting cancer, the little girl that I asked you to pray for? Well, she needs your prayers more than ever now. A lot has been happening, a lot of very difficult decisions have had to be made. Gah, she just really needs your guys' prayers. Her name is Lane, by the way, and I'm going to link you to her mom's blog so you can get a bit more info on everything that's been going on and all that stuff. So please, please pray for her and her family. Please share this blog and tell other about her and get them praying as well. Because they desperately need it. 

Here's the link: https://chargingthemountain.com/ 

   So yes. That's all I have to say for now. I hope you have a fantastic week, remember that God is there for you, that I love you and I think you are awesome, and that if you ever need someone to talk to I am totally cool with being that someone. :) Until next time, frens. 

MR

Thought Process: Humility and the Over-Abundance of it

Humility is a very important thing in life.
   Pride can so easily prevent you from making that decision you need to make. It can prevent you from doing that thing you know you need to do. It can keep you from reaching out to that person you know you need to reach out to. Thusly, many a sermon and many a blog post on pride has been preached on and and written about. And rightly so, seeing as how we all struggle with pride from time to time.
   But I'm writing this post for those of us who don't. For those of us who, as a matter of fact, struggle with the exact opposite thing. You could say that we have a little too much humility. Or to put it a little more bluntly, we think lowly of ourselves. I'm writing this for those of us who think we aren't worth much or that we could never be good enough. I'm writing this for myself. I'm writing this for anyone who thinks and feels the same way I do. So if you wouldn't mind, please take a moment and listen to what I have to say. Take a seat, get comfortable. I want to talk to you as personally as you will let me.
   Comfortable? Good, I'm glad. Now, there are a few things I want to say in regards to this issue of self worth that I've been thinking about lately. I know you're a busy person, so I'll make it quick.
  To start things off, I feel like the only way I'm going to be able to approach this post correctly is to talk about what you might call "the cliche answer" first.
   I want you to remember that no matter how you feel about yourself, no matter what others tell you, you are good enough. Why? Well, because God made you good enough. Jesus loved you so much and believed in what he created so much that he willingly gave his life on the cross for you. God made you with a very specific purpose and plan in mind, a plan that only you are able to complete and no one else. Don't try and tell yourself otherwise, because it's true.
   That's the most important thing to remember. But the other thing I want you to think about and consider, is that in a way, you aren't good enough. You're probably either freaking out right now or grinning and nodding because you know where I'm going with this. Without God, none of us are good enough. Without God we could never hope to be what we're supposed to be, there would be no point in living. So aside from remembering my first point, I want you to think about this one. Try to use how you feel about yourself, use those insecurities and that low self-esteem in what could be called a positive light. Remember that the only way you could ever be good enough is with God. Without Him, you aren't good enough. So use those feelings as a stepping stone to get closer to God, to realize more and more how much you need Him.
   And also, please remember that you are awesome, and lovely, and great and there are so many people who love you and I love you and yeah. :)
   That's the end of the post. I told you it was short, didn't I?
   So yes. That's all for now, but I will see you again on Friday! Keep pluggin' along, my friend, and have a wonderful rest of your week.
   MR

Into the Woods

Hello, my dear friends. :)

  I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day. Whilst you were having fun lighting off fireworks and barbecuing hamburgers, I hope you took some time to think about our country. I hope you took some time to think about how great it is, but to also think about how deeply in need we are. Most importantly, I hope you took some time to pray. Because oh my, do we need it, as I'm sure you are aware.

Our camp from a distance

   What did you do to celebrate the holiday? This year, my family and I decided to take a camping trip up a river not too far from where we live. We decided to go the week before the 4th, so that we could avoid the crazy holiday traffic. Which was both a good and bad idea. 

   It was good because it worked. 

   It was bad because it was so. Stinking. Hot. 

I wasn't too overjoyed at the prospect of camping, I must admit. I like to get outdoors and go up in the mountains, and I like the concept of camping out in the woods, sleeping under the stars, etc. But it's everything else that deters me. Everything else, as in, I hate not having my own space/room to sleep in. I don't know, there's just something about sharing my sleeping space with someone else that really freaks me out? Is that just me? I also enjoy being clean, and when you're out in the woods for a week with no running water available.... I'm sure you can put the pieces together. Not to mention there's the constant thoughts going through my mind of everything that could go wrong and how far away from civilization we are which also means that we are far away from a hospital if something were to happen, yadda yadda ya, you get the point. 

   But there are a few things I do like about camping. One of which is that it forces me to actually go outside and enjoy some of God's beautiful creation. I love being able to go and breathe some fresh air, open up my mind a bit. I love being able to spend some time with my family, making new memories, creating new inside jokes. (*Fondly remembers a certain "passing babies" joke that will always make me laugh*). I love being able to set aside some time to draw and read a LOT. I like to take pretty pictures, I like to take walks, I like to relax, I love to look at the shining beauty of the stars at night. So yes, there are plenty of things about camping that I do enjoy.  

I was hoping to get a lot more work done on this camping trip than I did. But, as previously mentioned, it was just too dang hot. The thought of picking up my yarn and actually making something was too much for my poor sun-baked brain to handle. So instead I drew a lot...

Although, I didn't draw quite as much as I would have liked. Though I always feel like I could do more, so that isn't anything new.

          

I took plenty of pictures too. I really liked the one directly below of the sun and the river and the trees. It was so pretty, and I'm glad I could capture it.

                                                                

I also drank an unholy amount of coffee, but again, nothing new there, since I do that on a very regular basis.

Due to the warm weather, I did a lot of swimming. Well, I mostly put my feet in the water a lot and read, but it was still nice.

This is a terrible picture, but there were a ton of animals that came down by our camp to get water. There was one night where a herd of about 13 elk with little tiny babies came down in the meadow. I got it on film, so that was neat. :)

I did a lot of thinking and writing on this trip too. Which, yet again, isn't anything new for me, but getting out in the woods away from everything can be a good way to sort through some stuff. Which is why I think this picture to the left might be one of my favorites. Last year in the area we were at, there were some pretty big wildfires. Nothing to damage the woods too severely, just enough so that you could actually see three feet in front of you in the trees, haha. We were camped really close to the river, but about 200 yards or so away from our camp were two big trees that provided some shade in an otherwise shade-less meadow. I went over there a few times, and was met with this view. Now, I'm the kind of person that will find analogy and symbolism in everything. Don't question my abilities, because I genuinely can and do. And the instant I saw this, it got me thinking. Isn't life a lot like this? Part of it can be beautiful and full of like, flourishing and happy. And the other part can be dead and twisted, burnt and broken. When you look at them separately, one is obviously more desirable than the other. But together, it creates a contrast that is startlingly beautiful, something that you wouldn't have if you took either side away. Both parts of life are there for a reason. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and realize that the dark parts make everything a little more beautiful.

So yes. I hope you enjoyed that bit of analyzing of the day and this blog post. Do any of you have a love/hate relationship with camping like I do? I'll be back next week (hopefully) with another blog post, so see you then.

Have a wonderful week, dear readers.
MR

Botanical Buddies

Hello dear readers. :)
   I hope you've had a wonderful week. I hope someone was kind to you, and that you were kind to someone else. I hope that you're enjoying your week and that you're looking forward to the next one and the exciting opportunities it will bring.
    This week I thought I'd blog about some of my "botanical buddies", as the title suggests. In the past few months, I've really gotten into houseplants. I feel like they can really brighten a space up, and there's just something about nurturing something and watching it grow that makes me feel so happy. But due to my current living situation, I didn't really know how a houseplant would fare. And by current living situation, I mean I live in my parent's basement and I have a itty-bitty teeny-tiny window that doesn't even provide enough sunlight to keep my whole room lit.
   But my grandma was moving from her old house and wanted to get rid of (what I believe, though I'm not sure. I'm not a plant specialist, okay?) is a ficus plant. So I accepted it. And took the plunge.
   Sounds dramatic, but it really just means that I bought some plants.

Aren't they purty? 

So let's talk about these little guys. Remember that post I did awhile back about flowers and playing in the rain and coffee? The one where I showed you my one teeny-tiny shamrock growing?? Remember that one??? Well, this is how they're doing! I'm actually really surprised and quite impressed that they're doing this well with me as a caretaker. :P

And here we have the succulent from WalMart that has no name. Seriously, I have no idea what kind of succulent this is. It had no label or anything. But it's doing great, so... *shrugs*. I really love this one, though. It such pretty. If you any of you all know what this is, feel free to let me know.

Hello, my supposed-ficus.  Is this a ficus?? I don't know. It's not really vine-y, soooo.... I have no idea. Again, if you know, let me know! Please. :)

Oh, dis one is maybe my best plant fren. It sits by my desk and keeps me company, It's so pretty and it's growing well, in spite of the nearly complete lack of sunshine it receives this far from my tiny window. I believe it's a pink vein fittonia. And I. Love. It. 

And finally, a bit of an extra. I picked some sweet pea flowers the other day, so they're also keeping me company. They are also very pretty. :)















That is the extent of my collection at the moment. I have some supplies that I want to use to make a moss terrarium, but I have no clue how to make one of those. One day soon that will happen.
   Hope you enjoyed this post. Do you have any plants? Do you also live in the basement? Do you have any tips for growing moss terrariums? What the heck are all of these plants called? Feel free to comment and share your advice/knowledge. Thanks for reading, my frens. See you next time.

MR

Thought Process: Decisions

I let people's decisions affect me far too much. 

   People are always, always going to make bad decisions. They have from the beginning of time, and they will continue to do so until the world ends. People will always be inconsiderate, people will always be ignorant, people will always be selfish. No matter how much I wish I could stop it, no matter how hard I try to stop it, they always will. 

   There is nothing I can do. 

   And I'm trying to accept that. 

   But I'm done letting those bad decisions affect me. I'm done letting people's inability to deal with their own emotions, their ignorance, their constant wallowing in the mire to drag me down with them. Even if those people are unable, excuse me, unwilling to rise above their struggles, rise above their darkness, get themselves out of the mud and be the best person they can be, I'm not going to be affected by it anymore. 

   I'm done. 

   No more. 

   I am going to be the one who is willing, who wants to face up to my fears, my darkness. I am going to be the one to fight what's inside me, to fight the voices who want me to stay in the mud. I am going to grab hold of the rope of salvation, and I am not going to wallow anymore. I will not bury my fears and darkness, I will not be content to push my emotions, my sins, my struggles aside, bury them beneath something else, pretend they don't exist. Even if other people, people who are close to me are doing the same thing I'm trying not to do, even if things are taken away that make it harder to fight, i will fight. I am not going to make decisions I regret anymore. I am not going to be angry and bitter, I will not look back on my life and wish I had let myself live more, wish I had been a better adversary to my evil, to my darkness, to the evil and darkness in the world. God help me, I am going to stand up, rise above the mud everyone else seems to love so much in spite of how they complain about it, and I am going to be the person He wants me to be.  The person He made me to be. Even if it is harder than anything I have ever done and all of my darkness and fears are going to fight me with everything they have.  Even if no one else is willing, I am. 

   I'm sick of it. 

   I'm sick of not being who I'm supposed to be, I'm sick of not helping people how I want to, sick of not being who I know I'm supposed to be, sick of others chaining me down with their bad decisions. 

   No more. 

   I will still fail. But I am going to fight with every ounce of strength I have, every ounce of strength God gives me and I am going to be who I am supposed to be. I will still try to help those people who don't want to get up, oh yes I will. But I will no longer be what I'm not supposed to be because of them, for them. I will fight, even if they won't. And I will pray that they will see that it isn't that hard to get up, if you're just willing to take a step, willing to face your darkness. I will face mine and I will light a candle for others to face theirs. 

MR

    

A Note From a Fren

Hello, my dearest, sweet readers. :)

   Let's just clarify: No I did not blog on Friday. I know, you've probably died of shock. *Insert heavy sarcasm here*

   But since I feel rather bad about bailing AGAIN, and 'cause I'm in the mood, I wanted to write a quick note to ya'll. It's not gonna be long or fancy, but it will be heartfelt. 

   I love you guys. 

   Like, I really do! I don't care if you're subscribed or not, if you follow my Pinterest board, you just check in on my blog every once in awhile or you just popped in here for the first time. I love you! You're awesome! You guys are always so nice, even when my posts are messy and weird and just probably not worth your time. You guys always brighten my day, whether I see my view count go up or one of you leave a sweet comment. You guys are just so special and sweet and I love you all so much!!!! <3<3<3<3 

   I hope I can encourage and help you guys the way you do me. Like seriously, I am totally up for blog post suggestions on things you guys might need/want some help with/thoughts on. And I am TOTALLY 100% SERIOUS when I say that if you guys ever, ever need someone to talk to, please don't be afraid to message me or shoot me an email or anything. Because I would love to talk to you guys and do the best to help you with whatever you need. SERIOUSLY. Please never feel like you can't do this, because I genuinely want to help and talk to you all. Even if you just want to talk to someone about the day you've had, whether it be awesome or terrible. I would love to be that person. :)

So yes. I love you all so very much. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY AND GOOD IN THE WORLD, I WILL HAVE A BLOG POST ON FRIDAY!!!!!! And it will be a good one. SO YES. No going back now. 

I will see all of you lovely people then.

 Have a wonderful, fantastic week! :D 

MR

A New Day

Hello dear readers. :)
   Happy weekend! I hope your week has been fantastic. I hope you've tried something new, done something challenging, had a little fun, smiled a whole lot, and that you do the same in the weeks to come.
   Everyday, dear reader, you wake up. Your mind is pulled from sleep, your eyes are opened, and you have a whole new day facing you. Sometimes you don't want to wake up, sometimes you wish you had woken up sooner. But it doesn't really matter. Because whether you want it or not, whether you like it or not, here you are, the day is started.
   Seeing that this happens to us everyday, I think that we kind of lose sight of what a new day means. Maybe things were pretty sour yesterday. Maybe you messed up big time, maybe you kept making little mistakes all day, maybe someone was unkind to you, maybe something terrible happened. Or on the flip-side, maybe yesterday was great. Maybe you had lots of fun, maybe you were in a great mood all day, maybe people were nice and wonderful things happened. Those things are still fresh in your mind, but in essence, they're gone. In no way does this day have to be like yesterday.
   Everyday, you wake up and you have a choice. Am I going to repeat yesterday, or is today going to go completely different? Am I going to dwell on the bad things that happened to me yesterday? Am I going to strive to have the same positive attitude I had the day before? It's your choice.
   The fact is, though, that it can be hard sometimes. When people are still unkind to you, when things are even more of a train wreck than they were yesterday, the last thing you want to do is put a smile on your face and be thankful for this new day that you do have. Even if ignoring the unkind things and focusing on what God has done for you helps you feel better, it's hard. It's hard not to snap at people, not to totally lose it, not to cry and ask why this is happening.
   It's your choice to do with your day what you will. Sometimes you're going to have a bad day no matter what, but you attitude makes a hecka lot of difference.
   So make your choice, reader. And step forward, asking God for his strength, and live your day with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.

See you soon.
MR

(( Yes, I know, I didn't post yesterday. But at least I am here today. Although, this post wasn't what I had originally planned to post, but I had the idea and I didn't want to throw it aside. I will do my very best to have the other post up next week!!))

Thought Process: Ecclesiastes

   Have any of you ever read Ecclesiastes all the way through? Have you ever just sat down and read it, studied every word and verse and really thought about it?
   That's what I did today. Well, technically yesterday, since I'm writing this the day before.
   I've loved Ecclesiastes for a long time. I've been re-reading it recently, a chapter every once in awhile when I felt like I needed it. But yesterday I really needed it, and I started from the beginning and read all the way through in one day. Which was definitely one of the better choices I've made in my life.
   One thing I've recently learned and am awed by is that, apparently, some "scholars" think that the book comes across as cynical, as if the writer had lost his faith in God. Which I personally think is one of the biggest hunks of garbage I've ever heard of.
   Lemme tell you why.
   I used to love Ecclesiastes, even before I was saved. Because even then, when I was so young, I wondered why we were here and if it was all just some big, stupid game. And Ecclesiastes showed me that there was more than that.
   And now that I'm reading it again, knowing more about myself and who I am and still having those same old thoughts among many others... I almost couldn't believe what I was reading.
   These aren't the words of a cynic. They're the words of a man who is pouring out his darkest fears on paper, his harshest realizations. He also wonders why we're here, he wonders why we spend all of our time on these things that won't even mean anything later on. He wonders the same things I wonder, the things other people wonder as well.
   And he gives a solution that every single person in this world who is struggling with depression, the meaning of life, their own thoughts and insecurities, just every person in general needs. We're here to live our life to the fullest, to seek out a higher wisdom, and to love and fear God with all of our hearts. This is what our purpose is. This is how we will impact people. This is how we will be remembered.
   This is one of the two main reasons I love Ecclesiastes. The other one is this.
   I often feel like no one understands me. That if I were to actually open up my heart and mind, that people would just look at with confusion, call me crazy, tell me to stop. I feel like I'm the only one who thinks this way. That's why whenever I find someone or the product of someone else that thinks like this, I cling onto it tightly and with such passion. It's because I've found someone who actually understands me, who I can actually relate with on a non-empathetic level. That's something very, very special to me.
   And that's why I love Ecclesiastes. Not only is it something I can relate to in that same way, but it's something that God himself put into the Bible. Of course I know that God knows me better than anyone else ever could. But the fact that he put something that I could relate to on such a personal level, in a world where I often feel like a freak for thinking the way I do, touches me in a way I can't really explain. He's showing me and people like me, the thinkers, the feelers, that it's okay to think this way. He's showing us an answer to our questions. He's telling us to live well and to fear Him.
   Because that's what life's all about. It's all about living and fearing God, and helping as any people toward this path as we can.
   And the fact that God himself knows how I think, that He knows how confusing and hard it is, that He knows that I feel like I am completely alone sometimes. The fact that He knows all of this and He put this book specifically in the Bible for a reason so that people like me would come along and read it and know that they're not alone...
   That makes it so much easier for me to accept and love myself, to step forward with hope for a brighter day in my heart, and to know that with God, I am never, ever alone.
   So reader. Thinker. Feeler. Dreamer. I challenge you this week to sit down and read straight through Ecclesiastes. I don't care if you're a Christian or not. I challenge you to go and do it. And I promise you that it will make you feel a lot less alone if you do.

MR

The Piano Guys... LIVE!!!

Hey, hey, hey, look who's late!!!!
It's me!!!! I'm late again!!! What a shock!! I mean really!!!

Yeah, back again with no excuse aside from I just wasn't really feelin' the blog post I had written. But I shall continue on with it and hopefully have it up by this Friday.
   Ah gee, I hope you all are doing well. Hope your week was great and that this one is going alright too. And if not, my advice to you is to just keep going and try to focus on the good. Try making something, try drawing something, try writing something. Keep going, my friend. :)
   So yes, as the title might have revealed, I did something very special this week with my dad. We went and saw The Piano guys live!!!! And let me just say. It was... Awesome.
   Steven and Jon were amazing. Man, they just put their heart into it and it went spectacular!! I took a lot of pictures, so prepare yourself for this photo dump.

Here's the arena before the concert. Dad and I got there about 1 hr 45 min early, so we had plenty of time to get in, find our seat, get some merch.

The stage before the concert

And so it begins! 

I think it was right about here when something quite startling happened. We were seated about 5 seats from the stairs. There are three people seated right next to the stairs, which also means that I didn't have to sit next to a stranger, thank the Lord. :) But so, about three songs into the concert. We're sitting there listening to the music and already having a good time. You should be able to see in the next few pictures that there isn't much of a guardrail between the seats and what must be about a 10-12 foot drop off to the next row of seats. And this lady. This poor lady slips on the stairs and falls backwards into the people sitting by the stairs. Thank goodness they caught her so she didn't go flying off into oblivion. :P She was alright, a little shaken up. But yeah, that was quite the fright of the night! 

The played Five Secrets, which was awesome and beautiful, and probably one of my favorites of the night. And one of the coolest parts of it was that they had one of the local youth orchestras come out and play some of the symphony part!!

"Through a Father's Eyes"

And here's the arena during intermission. According to Steven and Jon, there were about 4,500 people.

Another shot that shows more of the back of the room, and also the head of the man who was sitting in front of us. 

Steven's solo

Jon's solo

Ah, here was another interesting part! Jon actually broke one of the piano strings! A member of the crew had to come out and cut it off. 

They played the Amazing Grace and Fight Song mashup for their last song, which was another one of my favorites. And there were live bagpipes, which was so cool!!!

And for an encore, all of the guys came out and played "What Makes You Beautiful". I really wanted to record the standing ovation, because it was awesome. But I was too busy clapping to record. :P

And finally, here's my merch. I got a sweet sticker that I'm planning on putting in my new sketchbook when I get it. And also a t-shirt that was actually for 2015's tour, but I was too cheap to spend $5 more. :P

And so ends my awesome night. There were actually a lot more songs, but I tried to take a picture of every one of them, but I didn't want to take up too much of your time, heehee. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon.

MR

DAILY QUOTE CHALLENGE: Day 3

Boop!
   I'm back for the final day of this challenge! :D
   Seriously, I'm having really hard time finding just one quote, and I am seriously thinking about making this a month long thing at some point. We shall have to see.
   So without, further ado, here's the last one.



I think this sums up my feelings about the night very nicely. :)
   I'm really thinking about going through all of my quotey boards on Pinterest, and typing/printing all of my favorites out and putting them in some kind of a notebook or something....

Thus ends the challenge. Have a wonderful day, everyone. Hoping to be back on Tuesday with another post, but maybe not. I'll be back for sure on Friday, though.

Until next time, dear readers.
MR

DAILY QUOTE CHALLENGE: DAY 2

   I can't even tell you how hard it is for me to wade through all of the quotes that I love to pick ones for this challenge. I could do, like, a month long challenge, maybe even a year long challenge. Hmm, you know, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll hold onto that one...

Here's the quote:



   This one kind of, in a way, ties in with my last Though Process. We don't want to cast aside hurt people and we don't want them to think it's bad that they're hurting.Same with ourselves. There's nothing wrong with being a little beat up, a little bruised. I'm going to add to this quote and say that we can't forget that we are the ones with the light, with the healing, and we either need to show that to other people or remember it for ourselves.
   Why don't we start helping people out instead of throwing them in the garbage?  

See you tomorrow!
MR

DAILY QUOTE CHALLENGE!!!! (Day 1)

Hey lovlies!!! :D
   So, yesh, I'm alive and well. The last two weeks have been kind of crazy, what with a bunch of things that weren't all that good. But things are going a bit better now, thank the Lord. :)
   Along those lines, lemme update you on my prayer request from a few weeks back, the little girl with cancer. Her surgery went great! They were able to get all of the tumors out of her face without damaging it. However, she's run into some pretty big bumps in the road. The cancer's pretty bad this time around, and her family was having a difficult time finding someone willing to treat her. But they have, and now they are in the process of getting paperwork to this clinic and getting over there as quick as they can. They really need your prayers as this is a very scary time. So please, continue to pray for this sweet girl and her family!
   And now to get to the post. :)
   The wonderful Bronze from over on her blog has tagged me in a three day quote challenge.
 
   Here be da rules:
   1. Thank the person who nominated you
   2. Nominate 3 new bloggers everyday
   3. Post a new quote everyday for three consecutive days

   Aaaannnnddd, as has become the norm with me and these tagging posts, Imma have to tag only three people total, because I STILL DON'T FOLLOW ENOUGH BLOGS!! Ya'll don't be afraid to send me some recommendations, 'cause I need them!!
   THANK YOU Bronze for tagging me in this!! I have an obsession with quotes, so it's going to be hard to narrow this post down to just three. :P

So yes. Here is my first quote to kick things off.



This has got to be one of my favorite writing quotes of all time. Seriously, I have it printed out and hanging on my wall. I love it. This was the quote that gave me a kick in the butt and made me start and finish my first draft.

And now for the tags...

Nina: http://ponderousthoughtsairiefeelings.blogspot.com/
Emmarayn: http://writinginrivendell.blogspot.com/
Darrion: http://sincerelydarrion.blogspot.com/

Hope you  liked the quote and see you guys tomorrow!!
MR

Thought Process: Emotions

Let's get this out of the way.
   I am an extremely emotional person. I mean, I feel everything. Even stupid things. If I step on a flower, a pang of guilt shoots through me that I ended something so innocent. I still feel guilty if I can't keep all of my stuffed animals on my bed. Now I'm sitting here thinking about the two tubs of stuffed animals sitting in the garage alone in the cold and I'm feeling guilty.
   I am attached to everything. If something tragic happens to someone, I can imagine what it feels like. If someone's upset or having a down day, I can tell. Sometimes I can tell if someone walking by me in the store is having a bad day. You might think I'm crazy or exaggerating, but it's true. It's weird, I know, but I ain't lyin' to you.
   I feel everything. 
   But I don't often show it.
  And you know, sometimes all of those emotions, along with the ones you have of your own, can really bottle up inside of you.
   Now let's talk about other people.
   Other people have gone through some real junk in their lives. Some real hard-core junk that no one should ever have to go through, but that's how life is, and we just have to keep climbing upward, but that's a different post for a different day.
   Other people just have a hard time getting through this life. When you feel like you're drowning in yourself and your scared of everything, but most of all what's inside of you, that really drags you down to the point where you don't want to get up anymore.
   And that kind of stuff can really bottle up inside of you. It can get to where you feel rotten to your core and you don't know where to go or where to turn to, and you're scared and angry and you don't know what to do.
   In our society today, people are all about gettin' mad. Everyone's always offended about something, everyone's always mad about some "hate crime" or some "injustice". And the media loves it. People love it. The world loves false emotions and something they can rally behind and cheer for and put on a mask of false passion, when really they have no passion for it. As soon as the next "injustice" comes along they're running after that with guns blazing.
   Meanwhile, the people who are hurting, the people who actually have a reason to get mad are thrown to the side.
   And you know what else? Our society is all for being yourself and finding who you truly are.We're all for the homosexuals and showing them support and helping out the "transgenders" and all of that crap. But they really don't care about the people who actually need help. The ones who are deeply hurt and confused and don't have anyone to turn to. We just send them to a therapist and tell them to take these pills and they'll be fine. When that doesn't' actually help the real problem at all.
   And one day, the neglected people who have been rotting inside for so long, the ones who actually need the help that we are so willing to give to everyone else... They finally snap. They lose it. They freak out and scream and holler and let out some of the emotions that have been festering inside of them for so long. If we're lucky, that is. Some of these people have had too much. They reach the conclusion that no one actually cares about them, that they're just crazy, that they're just worthless, and they kill themselves.
    Oh, and guess what the world thinks of that.
   They are horrified. It's so sad that girl would do that, so embarrassing that guy did that. They shed a few tears, utter a few exclamations and shrug it off, giving their children a firm reminder to never, ever do such unspeakable things.
   When the only reason they did was because no one cared about them enough to take the time to help them!!!!!!
   This is horrible, is it not? But you know what's even worse?!
   CHRISTIANS DO THE EXACT SAME THING
   Dang it all, we are supposed to be the ones that are helping these people, we're supposed to be the ones with the answers, and you know what we do instead?? We step back, horror filling our eyes, holding a hand over our righteous hearts.
    We feel violated when someone screams a little bit, when someone shouts a little bit. We're disgusted at the things teenagers and the rest of the suffering people of the world are doing and saying and dressing and listening to. Oh, don't our hearts break when we hear about that poor boy who took his own life? Maybe if his parents had spanked him more as a kid or guarded him better that wouldn't have happened. So we build a higher wall around ourselves to keep all of the gross things out and pump our kids with some more good Christian things to make ourselves feel better.
   When someone we know says that they're depressed or have anxiety, our lungs freeze with shock and we wonder if that person is really saved. Because surely you can't be a Christian and have those kind of problems. Only people without the Lord have those kind of struggles.
   So we grab our kids by the hand and hightail it out of there as fast as we can before it starts spreading to us.
   Because that's exactly what Jesus did when they threw the woman caught in adultery at his feet, when he found the demon possessed man in Galilee, when the thief next to him on the cross asked Jesus to remember him in heaven, when his closest friends in the world ran away and Peter denied him three times, when the man who had killed countless Christians was laying prostrate on the road to Damascus.
   What in the heck am I trying to say in all of this??
   I'm trying to say that people are so afraid of emotions. Just take a look at this: Don't yell at your mother, Tommy, don't talk to the guy with tattoos and piercings, Jimmy, why don't you ever leave your room, Sally? 
   People, especially parents, say these things all of the time. We don't want to be around those kind of people,  And then when Tommy hits his mom and runs away, and Jimmy ends up doing drugs and living on the street, and Sally kills herself, we wonder why.
   We shake our heads at the sobbing shoulders of their mothers and the shaking hands of their fathers and we say they should have sheltered their kids more. Because surely it wasn't because the kids were confused and hurting and lost. They went to a good conservative church all of their lives and listened to good preaching every Sunday and Wednesday. They didn't need anyone to take them under their wing and tell them it was alright they were feeling this way and that they were willing to help them figure out why and show them they way out of it. Because they were around good, godly things all of the time, weren't they??
   Am I saying that it's okay for you to listen to death metal and get tattoos and piercings and yell at your mom because you're trying to figure yourself out?
   No, absolutely not!!!
   What I am saying is that the world and we as Christians are, like I said earlier, afraid of emotions. We're afraid of pain and hurting, and boy, are we really scared of things like depression and anxiety and self harm and all of the things that kids and adults are wrestling with today. What we aren't realizing, is sometimes the first step to fixing the problem is screaming and shouting and crying a little bit, whether it's at someone, by yourself, or maybe even with someone in person or in a song, and getting rid of some of the rottenness inside of you so you can start finally getting to the root of the problem. But all we want to do is skip over that first step and get straight to the next one. Because we're afraid of the dark parts inside of us, and instead of finding them and fighting them, we ignore them and hope it's "just a phase."
   So let me end with this. Scream a little. Shout a little. Let your kid do it if they need to. And when they've gotten it out, then get to the root of the problem.
   Because if we'd all stop being so afraid of emotions, the things God gave us as humans, one of the things that make us different than animals and a little more like God himself, those really important things that oddly enough no one likes...
   Maybe the world wouldn't be quite so messed up.

MR

((Sorry this post is such a train wreck. I didn't think it would be right if it was any cleaner.))