Garnet... again

Most of you know I've been working on a story. Well, it's called Garnet, and for those of you who have read Dracula, it's about the character Lucy Westenra. Or at least, it's the story from her point of view, meaning she has NO idea what's going on, although I do have her understand a few things. (Random, I know, but people are like, "She has to know what's going on." Well she doesn't. :P)


Anyways, I had taken a break from it, because I had writers' block, and in the middle of the second revision, and it's hard to write if you have the block. It's been a couple of months, but now I'm back to working on it. So far, I'm maybe halfway through chapter 4, well, little over half with the revisions, and I'm at 27 pages. I believe the prologue, plus the first four chapters will make an amazing 30 or 31 pages. Which, is almost half the story. Granted, with my revision, I've added a lot to the first 5 chapters (including the prologue).

It's been fun to work with the characters. There are some that I started with that had a minimal part, but have been given more. There are others that got completely reworked and/or removed/replaced from the story. From all the things I've seen/read about Dracula and others' interpretations of it, they've made Lucy seem like a ditzy blonde. And well.... that just didn't seem like the person I imagined her to be. I thought, yes, she's rich, so she's a little spoilt, she's got a carefree attitude, and a touch of blondeness (like me), but she's not a total ditz. I've given her some depth so she's not just a little random, gorgeous, rich girl that Dracula randomly chose. Remember, he thinks methodically, so he can't have said, "Oh, she's gorgeous, I think I'll just pick her." I'm sure he had to study her character, he had to work on her mind without her knowing. For goodness sake, she went to school, why not give her a decent brain? lol ANyways, I'm gonna end that rant. XD

It's amazing to me how much work goes into a story. Just a story that's like 70 pages takes a lot of effort. And I can't wait to see where this story heads. I've got so many different ideas plaguing my mind for stories that want to come out. With those ideas are one that isn't related, but I think I'm going to make a to do list of things before I die. I mean, seriously, I think it'd be good to have goals. And if I can complete even a few of them, I think I could be happy. I mean, I'll be happy no matter what, but you know what I mean. :P

Anyways, I'll post my list later. (I've only got maybe 4 or 5 right now. :) It'll grow.)

2 weeks

Alright, I was bad. I didn't keep up with my blog as I should have liked to.

Basically, England was a BLAST! :D lol I loved it. We saw so many cool places, like Whitby and the Preston temple. And there was so much more, I could about write a novel on it. XD Two things really stuck out, though.

First off, I SAW THE QUEEN!!!! Yes folks, I saw the QUEEN of ENGLAND! lol Anyways, it was amazing. We think we got video of it, but we aren't sure yet. We'll just have to wait and see.

Secondly, I SAW WICKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best musical ever written!!!! I LOVED it! We had pretty good seats, though we weren't in front, we weren't on the balcony either. It was.... I can't even describe it. I got this cool shirt that has the island with England on it (England, Scotland, and Wales) surrounded by green on a black background, and it's in the shape of a witches hat with a brim and everything, and it says London. It was an awesome shirt, and I just had to get it. So I did. (Cost a whopping 38 BUCKS ((19 pounds)) but I got it.)


And now for my most recent news. I'm getting a new cell phone!!!!! Alright, mine isn't all that old, but I got jealous because my sister got a cool one, and I wanted one like it. So, I'm getting the same phone as her, only in turquoise so we don't confuse them. And OMG I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited!!!! I'm getting it tomorrow! :D

Anyways, that's it for now. I hope you enjoy reading this! :) C'ya!

England 2008 - Halfway

As I make it to the halfway point of my stay in England, I look back to the fun I've had, and the rain I've got to see. XD I also look forward to seeing Wicked, London, and several other things. 

England, so far has been a blast! (Besides internet costing big buckos. -_- Not happy.) I've seen rain, shine, minsters, ruins, Dracula setting, and so much more! Today we even went hiking in the rain.... (Not very pleasant, due to the enormous amounts of stairs and the wet puddles.) But it's been fun all the same. I've seen people we met last time, and I've met new people this time. (There was a WAY cute missionary in the Chelmsford ward we went to on Sunday. ;D) hehe

Anyways, I'm missing home, with it's warm weather, and the nightly thunderstorms. But it's amazing the new experiences I've had to deal with. (For instance, jet lag and 8 hour time difference. lol) But I've learned a LOT about the history of different places. And decided if I wanted to move anywhere, it'd probably in near Manchester or Yorkshire. ;) Very beautiful. I've got a few pics I've taken, and I'll post 1 of my favorites so far. :D I hope you enjoy it! 

The pic was taken at the Manor House at Beamish, which is an open-air museum (meaning it's outside) of how people lived in 1825.) Just a little artistic thing I did. lol

Thought of the day

So, I just finished the Chronicles of Narnia series, by C.S. Lewis, and what an eye-opener it was. There were so many wonderful morals and parallels, it was just interesting. I especially noticed the major parallels in the 7th book, The Last Battle, it's amazingly like the times we live in now. It's still having a hard time sinking in it's that deep.

Anyways..... right now I'm just going to focus on one part from the book Prince Caspian, from which the movie is made. Now that I've read the book and seen the movie, I don't remember if they had this part, but I don't remember seeing it. Aslan is talking to Prince Caspian, and he says:

"'Do you feel sufficient to take up the Kingship of Narnia?'
'I-I don't think I do, Sir,' said Caspian. 'I'm only a kid.'
'Good,' said Aslan. 'If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been proof that you were not."
-Aslan and Prince Caspian (Prince Caspian by CS Lewis, Ch 15)

And it's so true. If someone says that they're ready for something, that usually means they aren't. But when people tell them that they are ready, the insecurity brings humility, making them good enough for the job that they will weigh all their options and listen to counsel that they need to hear to make a good decision.

I assume it works, because it makes sense. In relationships, if someone is like "Oh yeah, I'm ready!" then they usually aren't ready for that relationship or certain step they're taking. Just thinking about marriage and having a steady relationship, I don't feel like I'm prepared..... and of course I'm not. I need more experience. But it's humbling for me to feel like I don't have any idea what's going to happen. It's the same with my horse riding lessons. At the beginning, I could have told you that I wasn't ready to lope, or to ride bareback on an Arabian that occasionally tosses her head, but since the teacher has told me I can, I know I can do it, although it's really humbling because I have some fears that are almost always present in my mind. "What if I fall off?" is the chief one, yet I manage to stay on and improve.

That's just one of the many thoughts that popped into my head while I read, and in the thinking about it afterwards.

Soooo......

Well..... Kara seems to be the only one that reads this..... that I know of. hehe And she begged me..... alright, she asked why I hadn't posted in a while. XD I have no idea why I haven't. I guess I haven't felt like I've had much to talk about. =/ 

Sooooo..... my life since the end of school has been mostly quiet...... I work 3 days a week, although that might get bumped up if I get too bored. I do the same filing, getting bills ready to be mailed, and other odd jobs. Recently I started relabeling the inventory room. And this week.... I kinda start taking over helping at the front desk, too. Which means, I'll probably have to answer the phones...... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! Sorry. Anyone that knows me knows that I have an ungrounded and subconscious reason as to why i am terrified of phones. I'm not talking, I hate calling people, it's..... I am TERRIFIED...... have a nervous break down and cry...... FEAR of phones. Cell phones, telephones, they all scare me. Which is really depressing. =/ Anyways.... random venting.

I had a lovely time with Kara walking, and I have a feeling I'm going to be a bit sore tomorrow. And not just where I stubbed my toe earlier. But it was good for me, and I enjoyed it. 

My sisters are going to be gone for the next few days because of Girls' Camp, so I get the car, my mom, and the house to myself..... and the big screen tv. XD Alright, it's not that big. But it's bigger than what we had, and HD, too. :D Very exciting. A 1200 dollar tv..... basically for free. :) Now that's bargain shopping. ;) Or just being smart. hehe

Anyways.... I've babbled now. I hope I've entertained those of you who are reading this. It's one of my goals in life..... to entertain people. hehe But.... it's after midnight, and I'm tired, so I'm gonna head off to catch a few winks. :) Cheers!

Day of Happiness!

Alright, so I totally have had one of the best days ever, to date. Now if only I could ride a horse. Then my day would be perfect. XD Alright, not quite perfect, but it'd be pretty darn wonderful!

So, first off, I'm done with school until the end of August. WOOHOO!!!! PARTY TIME!!! :D

lol Secondly, I found out at dinner today, something that made me extremely happy. :D:D:D:D:D:D 

I found out that my dad put in a bid or something to see Wicked while we're in London! I wish I could see it here in America, either LA or Broadway, but England is pretty darn cool! I'll have to get used to listening to people besides Kristin and Idina. And OMG speaking of Idina, I totally didn't realize that she was in Enchanted! Anyways, random, I know, but w/e. lol Anyways, I'm SOOOO Happy about being able to finally see it! I love the music, and Kristin and Idina do a wonderful job at their roles. Hence the pics on my page. (Which I'm trying to get to follow my url of being a phantomlover. XD) But yeah, that makes it a good day.

And I got a paycheck. I mean, seriously, who doesn't love making money? 

Thought

I remembered last night about an experience I had one day last week.  I told my sister, but she didn't really respond.

So I was on yahoo.com checking my email, and I guess the cursor landed over the weather section, so it opened up. Now, I have it set up to Mesa, AZ, because that's the weather I need, since that's where I am pretty much most of the time. But this time it didn't say Mesa. The crazy thing it said was Budapest. The only Budapest I know of is Hungary, and the only person I know of in Hungary is James. So I don't know what that's supposed to mean. The other weird thing is that I made sure I hadn't set it to Budapest when I wanted to see what the weather was like there, back in like LAST YEAR. So, I don't know if it's a sign or what. But I've checked my email before and after that one time it said Budapest, and each time it says Mesa. :S

Just a random thought. Could it mean something? Or do I just want it to mean something? 

(Oh, and I'm SOOO Excited for horse lessons tonight. :D I get more pics hehe.)