the hunger games tag

Ok, so Hannah from my {beautiful} nutty life tagged me in this awesomely awesome tag. I mean seriously, tags are already awesome, so to have a Hunger Games themed one is even more amazing. But anywho, I was tagged on Thursday, I do believe, and I was super excited to do this. However, I got swept up into the monstrous amount of schoolwork that haunts me everyday and was unable to devote enough time into writing a post. {At least one that sounded at least somewhat intelligent.} So this brings me to where I am now, sitting under the magnolia tree in my yard, listening to my happy playlist, and ignoring the chemistry test I should be taking.

So long winded and pointless excuses aside, lets begin!

Warning: Spoilers are throughout this tag!

1. Who were your favorite male and female characters and why?

Well my favorite male character is a no brainer, it's Peeta obviously. I loved his selflessness and his sweetness. He was most definitely my favorite male character, if not my favorite character in the entire book. As for my favorite female character, I'm really not sure... I honestly didn't like Katniss all that much in Catching Fire or Mockingjay, in fact, I kind of hated her. {Cue gasps and shocked exclamations!} But if I had to pick a favorite, It'd probably have to be Rue. The part were she dies will probably the one point in the movie where I may cry. But I digress.

2. If you were placed in the Games, would you be more likely to let yourself be killed rather than attacking other children, or would you try to win?

This is a hard one. I don't think I'd just roll over and die to avoiding hurting anyone, but I would under no circumstances kill someone who was defenseless, younger, or handicapped. In fact, my instinct would be to protect such people, not to eradicate them to ensure my own survival. {Especially with the younger kids.} Now it would be a completely different story if I saw a 150 pound guy coming at me with a spear.

3. What kind of strategy would you try to use if you were placed in the Games?

I'd probably just lay low and try to avoid being murdered. I'd avoid one on one confrontations and only fight when I was attacked first... I'm pretty strong, but lets just say it's a good thing I'm good at climbing trees and can run like the wind.

And without further ado, I tag Jana from Sunshine Songbirds & Blueskies and Paige from The 828 and Katie from Dramatic-Rants-Of-An-Intellectual-Teenager! {And anyone else who would like to do this of course.}So what are you waiting around here for? Tag, you're it! ;)

~ Abby

P.S. Be sure to link back up here... I'd love to see your answers! :)

P.P.S. You're supposed to come up with your own questions, but if your brain is fried like mine is, I won't judge if you use mine. :P

everyday adventures

Really, there is just something about packing up, and spontaneously going somewhere for the day. My family and I did that this past Saturday, beginning with a trip to a museum, and concluding with pizza and ice cream. (We did manage to stop at a cute little book store, and even squeezed in a trip to the mall -- what more can a girl ask for?) To put it quite simply, it was lovely.

This one was mesmerized by the toy dinosaurs; I do believe that he would have stayed there all day playing with them if we had let him.

I saw this sign and immediately thought "I suppose this would be Hagrid's pet dragon's scientific classification." (+3 points if you remember that dragon's name. +5 points if you even know what I'm talking about.)

Yes, it was quite lovely indeed. :)

~ Abby

p.s. His name was Norbert. :P

and the rain fell

"Life is hard, but so very beautiful."

- Unknown

That quote has really resonated with me lately. I have a couple of different friends that have been going through some rough times, and I have honestly felt at a loss of how to help, how to be there for them. In addition, I have also been struggling with several things, and have really just felt empty.



I mean, I've just been rather depressed. It's hard to see your friends hurting, and not knowing what you should say -- not knowing what words will bring them healing. It's even harder when you're hurting yourself, and then you ache for them on top of that.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Over the past few days, that verse has brought me comfort beyond words. Knowing that I can trust in His infinite wisdom has brought me immeasurable peace. I know that if I keep trusting in Him, things will all turn out, and healing will come.

"So baby hold on, just another day or two. I can see the clouds are moving faster now, and the sun is breaking through."

- "Hold On" by TobyMac

This is an amazing, amazing song. This particular verse kind of spoke to me last night, reminding me that no matter how hard the rain falls, the sun will always eventually break through.

All of those words have been so comforting to me. But I feel as if I should stop rambling now. :)

~ Abby

ho hum

{image courtesey of weheartit}

I spent the last 48 hours without the internet. Yes, I am alive, but I may or may not be suffering from a severe case of PIDT. (Post internet deprivation trauma.)

I never quite realized just how much I use the internet. In fact, I sort of took it for granted. But going two full days with no texting, flickring, tweeting, IMing, instagraming, blogging, or video calling has completely cured me of my ungrateful spirit. However, spending two days without such a huge amount of distractions also gave me a sort of break. I'm honestly feeling quite refreshed and inspired.

In fact, the quiet gave me a chance to do things that I don't often have time to do. I had more time to spend reading my Bible and praying, baking, and reading. I even found time to make my new banner! (I feel so proud and productive. :P) Perhaps some quiet time is good for a person.

That being said, I didn't seem to find enough time to clean my room. Hmmm...

~ Abby



photoshoot {a almost wordless post}

Which is your favorite? :)

~ Abby



i love

Loving

Twitter

Ring pops

Photography <3

The Voice

Wishing

I had my own library.

Prom would hurry up an get here.

It were raining.

My Heart

Listening

What I Wouldn't Do - A Fine Frenzy

All The Pretty Things - Tenth Avenue North

Enchanted - Taylor Swift

owls make me happy

I have discovered something.

Owls make me happy.

Sparkly hearts make me happy.

Reading The Fault in Our Stars while sipping coffee most definitely makes me happy.

{WARNING: do not read the following paragraph if you have yet to read TFiOS, as it contains spoilers.}

John Green, I love you. Except I also hate you. I mean seriously, how can one person possibly be so full of literary wit? TFiOS made me cry, then laugh, then cry some more. Which is why I loved it. But I'm afraid I can never forgive the author for killing off Augustus -- that was just cruel. {Was it just me, or was Augustus just as amazing as Peeta in the Hunger Games?}

Plus, I kept wondering if the book was going to end mid-sentence. It's really a good thing it didn't, because I would have gone all Hazel Grace on John Green, and stalked him until he finished the story. I'm not the only one who feels this way either, go ask this girl.

But really, if you haven't already, go get TFiOS. It's simply spectacular. {Though it does contain some not-so-good content. Reader discretion advised.}

Ok, mini rant over. Now for some owl pictures, because they really are happy things.

{images courtesey of weheartit}

Happy Monday. :)

~ Abby

Those days

Occasionally, we have the glorious chance to experience "one of those days."

You know what I'm talking about. The kind of day were everything is wonderous and enchanting. The kind of day when you feel like you could burst from the sheer amazement of being alive.

Today was one of those days for me.

Every Friday, I attend a homeschool co-op. {For those of you who don't know, co-ops are kind of like schools for homeschoolers.} Anyway, I hadn't slept at all the night before, due to the fact that I was frantically trying to throw a history project together. My first two classes, U.S. History and Criminal Justice, absolutely crawled along. I think those were some of the longest hours I have ever endured in all of my vastly experienced sixteen years of living. However, one of my good friends {who is a genius,} had an excellent solution to our exhaustion: convince one of the senior boys to take us to McDonald's for some serious rejuvenation. {a.k.a a carmel frappe run.}

So in between classes, we went and got us some carmel frappes.

Pure. Heaven.

All of the sudden, the world became bright and beautiful. My friend Jana, {the said genius,} and I grabbed our camera's and hiked out to the woods behind our co-op building. We took pictures, danced around, took pictures, and took more pictures. It was the most lovilest time I'd had all week; I am so very blessed to have her as a friend.

And just in case you're curious to see what happens when the two of us are caffinated and armed with cameras:

xoxo,

~ Abby

Valentines day

Valentine's Day.

 One of the most hated and  loved holidays in our society.

You see, you can look at this holiday in three different ways. The first way being The Young Child View, in which you see this joyous occasion as an opportunity to make cards out of construction paper, to dress in red and white, and to eat those cute yet disgustingly chalky heart shaped candies. The second way Valentine's day can be viewed with is The Twitterpainted View. If you have The Twitterpainted View, you can probably look forward to being showered with chocolate, flowers, and the like. But the third view is probably what quite a few teenagers and young adults see Valentine's Day with: The Single's View.

For a lot of people, tomorrow will be a day of loneliness. Of being reminded that you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend. Of watching happy {twitterpainted} couples enjoy each other's company.

And what does society generally have to say about those who are single?

You must not be worthy of being loved.

Our culture puts a lot of pressure on people {especially teen girls} to constantly be in a 'relationship'. If you do not have a boyfriend, there is almost always that underlying feeling of inadequacy. You are not beautiful unless a guy thinks you are attractive, and you are not witty unless a guy tells you that you are funny. You most definitely are not good enough to be loved, that is, unless a guy pursues you.

But that kind of thinking is completely and totally wrong. You. Are. Beautiful. God created you with a specific purpose in mind, and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are one of a kind, extraordinary and unique in your own way, and you don't need a guy to prove it.

So even if you are single this Valentine's Day, don't be depressed. Valentines Day is a wonderous holiday that gives you the freedom to consume large amounts of chocolate and watch Disney movies without shame. Do not judge me for writing that sentence.

As for me, I shall be re-watching Tangled as I wait for my future best friend. Because really, waiting to have a relationship with someone you truly love will make it so much more special.

Happy Valentine's Day. :)

~ Abby

I am so very blessed

Things have been absolutely crazy lately. But even though life has been hectic chaotic busy, I feel so filled with joy when I think about the amazing life I've been given. There are several things that I have especially been appreciating lately.

Image from weheartit

Books.

I mean really, they're marvelous. The sound of turning pages, the dry smoothness of the paper, the words that carry you away for a while. Really, books are wonderful.

Journaling.

Yeah, this probably is proof of my homeschool weirdness. But really, writing about my day has really helped me to get my thoughts organized. Plus my journal has a zebra on it, so it's pretty epic.

Hot Chocolate.

One of the best stress relievers known to man. Enough said.

And most importantly...

My friends.

God has blessed me so incredibly much, but especially in this respect. I have friends that have stuck with me, even when I've acted like a spoiled kindergartner. I have been blessed with friends that know me better than I know myself, and who I can "spill my guts" to. And I also have friends with which I can spend two hours discussing the intricate nuances of skinny jeans and jelly beans.

Yes, I am blessed indeed.

~ Abby