Okay, so it's day 26... a childhood memory.

*stares at the screen*

People, I'm suffering from writer's block. Blogger's block. This isn't supposed to happen!

Well, one of my favorite childhood memories is going camping in the mountains with my family. Making s'mores, cooking hamburgers. One camping trip in particular, we ended up hanging out with a family that we knew but weren't very close to. We had invited other families, but they had all canceled for one reason or another, and we weren't sure why we had ended up spending time with this one family. It ended up that a few months after our camping trip, they ended up losing their six year old daughter. That was one of the hardest years of my life, especially because we had watched a family lose their 3-month-old baby due to an underdeveloped brain earlier that year. But God pulled me through it, and I am here to say that he never lets go.

I also love (or still love) watching train DVDs with my dad, watching chick-flicks with my mom, swinging in the backyard, playing Barbies with the lil' sis, going outside with my brother, & playing in the sandbox.

Ahhh... I miss those good old days. :)

Okay, so I'm not really that great in the kitchen. Mom would like to change that fact, but for now... I don't cook.

However, here's a recipe to have a day just like mine!

Here's what you'll need:

1 Polyvore account
1 Lazy Saturday afternoon
1 Dinner at Chipotle
1 Imagination
1 Blog

First step: Mix your Saturday afternoon, Polyvore account, and imagination together, which will create a set. Or two. Or five. In the end, it should look something like this:

Hayden & Tori's California Days

Inspired by Reese's Pieces

Violet Eyes by MountainFireflower on Polyvore.com
[^ this is probably one of my favorite sets. Ever. Even though I didn't make it today. Shh! Don't tell anyone!]

Step two: Once you have achieved the desired effect, go get a Chipotle dinner, sit down, and enjoy yourself.

Step three: After eating, go to your blog and post about it. I want to hear your recipes too! :)

I don't know why, but I obliged. ;)

(If you're reading this post in an email or blog reader, you'll probably have to visit my blog in order to see the video.)



The story behind this song is kind of strange. I had been upset about something - what on earth it was, I have no idea - but I was in my room, and I just picked up my guitar. I started playing random chords, and somehow they formed themselves into a song. I guess you could call it 'freestyling'. I had been recording on my mp3 player, but to this day I don't remember why. The first version I recorded was really, really rough. Because I was just playing to get the emotions out, a lot of the chords were messed up and buzzed. So I rerecorded it to sound better - but I still think it kept a lot of its feel. Hence the title 'In the Valley' - it was written when I was as far from the mountaintop as I could get. I hope that maybe it encourages you, if you're in the valley too. ♥ Remember, you're not alone in this fight. Jesus will walk with you.

I'd appreciate any comments you have! :)

A Hobby

Goodness gracious, there are so many! Writing, reading, Tweeting, playing guitar, listening to music...

I will not talk about the above subjects, though, since they're pretty obvious, and I feel like I'd just be repeating myself. So, I'll tell you something I've never told you before:

One of my hobbies is sitting on the couch in front of the television, watching movies or TV shows.

No joke.

Okay, I only do it about once a week, or in the evenings to watch Dr. Quinn. But I really like watching movies. It's getting to the point where I'm running out of movies to watch! :-/ I love momentarily being transported to another world, and a lot of times, movies inspire me about things I can write.

Movies I've watched & enjoyed lately...

1. Julie & Julia (I kind of liked this one.)
2. Penelope 
3. Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Can't say that all of these would be good family movies. I watched all three of them with just my mom and I. (Mom, I love our mom/daughter times together!) But they're all really great movies with positive messages. Anyway, I'll stop my movie rant now. I kind of feel lame that that's my only hobby. I do crochet and do productive things, in sporadic amounts. ;) What are your hobbies?

Funny story... last night, I was up till midnight, searching for one particular notebook for about an hour. I was so up tight about it, because I was super inspired to write and I couldn't. (I have a thing about keeping certain stories in their own notebooks.) Finally, I just went to bed without it. Tonight, I was upstairs in my room and found my notebook on my windowsill, soggy with condensation. Sheesh, who leaves their notebook on the window sill? Apparently I do...

My other hero would have to be my mom.

She has sacrificed so much for us. She has done everything in her power to stay home with us, no matter what the cost. She is beautiful, kind, and loving. I love her so much, and she is truly my example for the kind of woman I want to become. She loves unconditionally, and always has the best words of advice, no matter what's wrong. She listens to God and truly is a follower of him. She has such a way with little kids, and ministers to them like her own. She cooks the best food ever, and she's always there for me. I am so glad God gave her to me, and my dad. Thank you, Mom, for being so amazing, beautiful, and following God's own heart. I love you!