Bluebirds and Birch trees

 When I was younger, I used to dress up on a regular basis. When I got older, it changed from dress-up to dressing up, and I used to do it more frequently than I do now–why?–because, why not?  Dressing up for fun without any plans other than wanting to look particularly fine on a given day is something I did when I got new pieces of clothing. I would spend the entire day sometimes, just going back and forth and trying on new outfits just to see what worked, and what didn't.  The act of taking the time and the care of what it was I was putting together was very relaxing, and in a way, I suppose it could be called therapeutic.  Why I have suddenly not done this is for one reason–I became lazy.  I don't have a lot of pictures taken of me, and as a result I usually end up taking pictures of myself on those particular days so I have some decent photographs. Those photos typically end up becoming profile pictures on social media. But for me, the getting ready a...

 That's to say, I hope we all are! Who here doesn't like books?  If you said me, well my friend, you will learn.   I don't say that to be mean or creepy, no no no! I say it to say, you don't know what it is you are missing.  My love of books began before I could even read. But the day that I learned how, though, I remember that vividly. I was three years old, and I remember the book that my mom used to teach me how to read. Thus, the family's next bookworm was born. (Have you ever heard the term bookdragon instead of bookworm? It's kind of interesting, but I do love a good classic.)  Books ever since then have accompanied me through time. Good times, bad times, fast times, slow times, busy times and quiet times. All of this, and still it can happen that one can either A) Continue searching for more books, or B) Run out of books that fill you up inside.  'A' happened for a long time, but gradually it seemed that no matter what I looked for or pulle...

 On one jacket I own, is a pattern of various stars. Some of them large, others small. While it might not be the warmest or even the prettiest, it's special to me because of those small stars.  I don't know when exactly stars started being so special to me. Maybe it was on one of those days when I realized that compared to somewhere I'd once been, the sky I see outside my window now holds so few.  Was it the day I saw the moon. Or the night the light came streaming through my window, bathing my bed in clean moonlight. The day I saw the full moon with clarity in its pale fullness. Or the night when the pale light eased my fears.  I do not know exactly when the night sky came to be so important to me.  All that I know is, I would not trade it. Not for the glow of the city nor spotlight.  Nothing manmade can yet compare to the serenity of that comforting moonlight as it spills through my bedroom window.

I have a guitar. Have I ever told you that? She's a lovely cherry red, I call her Aurora. Well, I do now anyways. It wasn't until recently that she had a name at all. You see, I wanted to name her something to do with gold because that's the color of her strings. And if it's one thing that school has taught me, it's that AU stands for gold.  AU for gold. Aurora for Aurora Borealis. When I think of the Aurora Borealis, I think of space and how beautiful it is. It's so full of colors that capture the eye and can take you beyond imagination. Words dare to describe the sheer terrifying beauty of space and all that it contains.  Space contains so many stars. Stars that sailors used to sail by. I often now wonder what it would be like to lay awake at night and stare up at the stars. For the night is not as dark as it seems. I wonder what it would be like to lie awake on the deck of a ship as the waves rock me to sleep while I gaze up at the sky. I wonder what it...

Hopefully, you've noticed that I changed both the name and look of my blog. But fear not, it is still the same!  While it's last name was 'A Touch of Euphoria' it had actually begun to wear on me some, despite the fact that I do love the candy like appearance of the last design.  'Bluebirds and Birch trees' is a name that came to me most recently, and I decided to give it a try. I hope you enjoy it too!  So a few things to talk about in the light of the new month:   NaNoWriMo 2016 has ended. Although saddening, it has finally reached the last day, as well as the first day of the month.  Many of my friends and a few of my readers did complete the 50 thousand word goal, set upon in the early hours of November 1st. Though now, we welcome in the beginning of a new month, and a new season. December is full, full of people and editing as well as scrambling gift giving as people like me do their best to try and figure out just what to get their friends and fam...

  Today, November 1st, 2016. A massive group of writers have begun coming out of the woodwork and overloading servers, all under one conquest, one goal–NaNoWriMo.  And today, also marks the day in which many of the website's pages, servers, internet providers and data plans alike will skyrocket in numbers.  Suffice to say, we're sitting at our computers, but this time with a purpose! I include myself in that sentence there!  Hello there! Many of you know of the fabled mythological time known as "NaNoWriMo" and some of you have even participated! Well, it's begun once again. Out bright and early, some of us started writing as soon as the clock hit midnight. Others, (like me) just got up a little bit earlier. Though I do applaud those who began straight away, I myself had a full night of Halloween-ing, and crashed almost as soon as I got back. (What was your favorite thing that you got last night?)  So today, I tried out a little experiment with my writing...

 So much seems to have happened already this year. And although we have so much of it left, we've already seen so much.  I feel like I've suddenly grown-up, and even though I know I have a long ways to go still, I can't help but feel like it's not as bad as I've come to imagine.  Here I am, in my last year of high school, getting ready to land my very first job. Prepping to get a drivers license, and finally figuring out that I do in fact want to dye part of my hair.  It might sound normal to everyone who's already gone and done it all, but the fact of the matter is that for each and every person who's about to go and do it--it might be more than a little scary.  I find myself thinking more and more lately about the past, when I would play for the whole day with my beanie babies (you had at least one I'm sure!) and play dress up with my imaginary friends. But also, not much has changed since then.  I still play with my beanie babies because I did...

Blag, Blog, Bloooooooog. Tell me, did you read that last one with a oo like blue sound, or a long drawn out oh?  Either way it's still ridiculous and I love it because it messes people up and some days it's just a little fun to mess with people :) I really want this mug - awesome mug<---clickey clickey I also really want to write during Camp NaNoWriMo. That might sound strange but I am really pumped right now to write, and I am seriously messing up so many words right now that if I did not go back and correct them this would be a totally illegible blog post.  Someday I will post without any proofreading just to prove my point. That day I shall lose many writer-followers for being willing to post such a terrible monstrosity.  I shall therefore continue to use words like therefore and regain their trust.  In short right now, WRITING IS SO MUCH FUN! LIKE SERIOUSLY. IT'S SO AWESOME. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT BUT I'M SO EXCITED AND PUMPED RIGHT...

I was reminded earlier today that you really can do the impossible. Who was it that reminded me this? Myself. From five years ago. All to often lately I can feel my dreams and imagination getting smaller and smaller, shrinking just ever so slightly every single day.  But of all things to remind me that I have an imagination and can truly and really with all honesty do the impossible, was old artwork.  I remember how I felt when I drew those drawings, I remember how proud I felt of myself for accomplishing all that I did when I colored them and drew them with such confidence.  That is what I lack now. Confidence.  Confidence can be something you have, or something you learn. For me, it is something I had, and then lost, and needed to learn once again.  I've been contemplating selling artwork lately, to try and earn money and to gain something, what exactly I have no clue. But all I can think right now is that all I'm doing is I'm sitting on my hands and ke...

 You ever hear of working a problem backwards? I can't remember the exact wording for it, but it's when you're having trouble with any given problem and decide to work at it from the opposite direction. I'd like to say that I had tried this before with things, but actually I haven't. Not until today.  I tried to break a tried and true method for writing a story, and as a result have been stuck on this story for more than two years. Yesterday during church, I had a realization. I'm writing my story backwards. Not just, how I'm doing it, but the fact that the ending is all I have, is actually my beginning. And my beginning, is the ending. I tried to start a story where it didn't begin, and the further I'd go back, the more it seemed to be an ending. But the moment I turned this story around, and have started working at it from the opposite side, it's falling into place. Slowly, and then all at once. The way the story is meant to be written...

 Or not even that long. I hope to be graduating by this coming Fall/Winter as well as a good number of my friends, and if that alone is not enough to get me or you excited to work even faster than I have been, well then... Remember that you're Out on the Verge of it all! So keep going!