Of convention, cameras, and competition

Have you ever heard of the American Rabbit Breeders Association? Its kind of like an AKC on for rabbits. There are over 47 different breeds, and each breed has what is called 'a standard', which is basically a description of what a perfect rabbit of that breed would be. (Sometimes referred to as "The Bunny Bible" :P)

                                                     A small sample of some of the breeds.

Anyway, once a year the ARBA puts on a National Convention. This is the largest rabbit competition in the world, and where you go to compete with the proverbial 'top dogs'. (Errr, I mean, top rabbits that is). At any one convention, you can expect up to 30,000 rabbits!  But just as importantly, they have youth competitions: judging, royalty, showmanship, and breed ID.

                                                  This explains the youth contests a bit more. :)

Guess who qualified for a breed ID team this year?! Yes, moi. :P I've never competed at a national level, so I'm kinda unsure of what to expect... But it'll be fun nonetheless!

And guess what?! My camera is working again! (It hadn't been working for the past week and half... I was very sad). I had been using my brother's old camera, which looks like this:

                                                               Isn't it great?! *rolls eyes*

But its been such a blessing that its working again... I didn't exactly have $500 to blow on an SLR. Plus, its working just in time for me to take pictures for a photography contest I signed up for a while ago! Isn't that such a God thing?

~ Abby

Dear boys

Dear daddy,

Thanks for being somewhat cool about me going to that dance this week. I really appreciate it. :)

Love,

Your daughter

Dear concerned brother,

Chill. You seriously need to switch to decaf. :P

Seriously annoyed,

Your sister

Dear "Gale",

Please note that I just want to be friends. You're not my type, and I mean that in the most un-offending way possible.

Sincerly,

Your friend :)

Dear "Yellow and Blue",

It was good seeing you again. :D

Best regards,

A girl

Dear Dr. Pepper,

Why are you so awesome?! I mean, sometimes you just brighten my day. :D

With much love,

An admirer

~ Abby

 

Autumn days :)

Today, at our homeschool co-op, we went exploring in the woods behind the building. It. Was. Awesome.

It was absolutely perfect outside. The air was crisp, the streams were clear, and the colors were GORGEOUS. It looked a bit like this:

A good friend of mine and I explored an old ruin that was right smack dab in the middle of the woods, I tried to find a similar picture, but I couldn't find one that would do it justice. Picture this building in the middle of a fairy tale woods, falling apart at the seams, and looking about 100 times prettier.

We were surprised to find one of these hiding inside:

Ok, so maybe it didn't look quite this bloodthirsty... (It was actually pretty cute). But hey, I'm just trying to add a little excitement to this post. :D

We screamed and then proceeded to slip and slide on the wet ground frantically trying to get away from something that moved in the corner of the building, which ended up being a mouse. Oh yes, we are a fearless pair. :D

One of my friends pointed to his muddy shirt and said "This is a sign of a day well spent". He was absolutely correct.

~ Abby

P.S. We are planning on doing a photoshoot at the ruin in another week or two, so you can expect some pictures.

Today i am...

Enjoying these:

you can find the recipe here. these actually have cookie dough on the inside, can you say yum? :) and yes, that is a sombrero in the background in case you are wondering. :P

Listening to this:

Loving this:

Dreading this:

seriously, who's the genius that came up with this fresh terror?!

Happy Tuesday!

~ Abby

Photography 1/52

"Which of the photographs is my favorite? The one I'm going to take tomorrow."

~ Imogen Cunningham

Photography makes my soul happy.

I love taking pictures and seeing other people's pictures. I love seeing vivid contrasts, interesting angles, and unique subjects. I love seeing emotion in a photo. I love a photo that tells a story.

Photography has really opened my eyes to the small details that make life so beautiful. In the past year I've begun to see things that I never would have noticed before, and I love it.

But I'll be honest, though I've greatly improved in the past 6 months, I have a long way to go. :)

Several of my friends are doing '365 projects', when you take one good picture a day. Unfortunately, I feel like if I were to take a picture every day it would begin to become an obligation, not a hobby. So I'm going to try to take one satisfactory picture a week, and post it on Saturday or something.

So here is last weeks's:

one of the last flowers in my garden. it looks a little weather beaten, but i think its still gorgeous. <3

~ Abby

Raindrops on roses and wiskers on kittens...

bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,

brown paper packages tied up with string,

these are a few of my favorite things...

Not long ago, my family and I went to go see The Sound of Music at our local theatre. I've since decided that The Sound of Music is most definitley one of my favorite things. :D Ever since going, my sisters and I have been singing several of the songs at the top of our lungs and have been learning to play 'do re mi' on the piano. (Much to the delight of our extremely annoyed brother).

But really, how could you not like TSOM? I know some people find musicals less than wonderous, but how could you watch one like TSOM and not smile? I know I smiled multiple times, especially at the adorable little girl who played Gretle.

I've also come to a very important conclusion: I want to be Liesl

I mean, c'mon! Who wouldn't like to have such a beautiful singing voice? Not to mention such a handsome beau.

I sat there watching the 'gazebo scene' and thought about being 'sixteen going on seventeen'. I used to think that sixteen would be some kind of magical age where you'd get your license, become stunningly beautiful, and fall in love. Obviously that isn't how it works, but sixteen is still a pretty monumental age. (At least for me).

And now, to end on a sweet note. (Singing, note, get it??? :D I'll be quiet now.)

~ Abigail

In which i make an attempt at sardonic humor

*Warning: the following was written about 8 months ago whilst the author was incredibly bored*

Motivation.

 

Something most of us could use more of.

Unfortunately, I fall into that catagory. I really really want to 
stick to that diet, ace that test, etc. But I don't try hard enough. 
Yes, this is one of my shortcomings; but I have been working on it. I 
have improved though. But there are some things people use to justify 
their lack of self motivation. Such as...

1. I'm too busy.

Yes, I know. You are to busy checking your facebook, reading that 
magazine, or watching that tv show. You're right, all that is much more 
important than getting amazing grades so you can one day get into 
college, get a job, find the cure for cancer, and invent self tying 
shoes. Gotcha.

2. I'll do it... Tomorrow.

Ah, the famous 't' word. Did you know that tomorrow will be today and 
that the next tomorrow will also be today? So by using that 't' word, 
you are actually saying "Yeah, I'll do it never". BUT, it sounds like 
you are legitimately going to do it soon, thus getting out of doing it 
ever.

3. I'll get to it right after I finish _______.

Yes, I'm sure you will. But after you finish _________, something 
else, such as _________ is bound to come up.

I'm in no way trying to degrade the fine individuals who use these 
excuses, I use them myself more than I ought to. But, it might be an 
issue that might need some attenention in you're life.

I know, you'll give it some attention right after you finish 
___________, maybe sometime tomorrow. I get it, your busy.

So, did you like it? Did you hate it? Comment and tell me! :D

 

~ Abigail     

Autumn

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosiac of them all." ~ Stanley Horowitz

In my opinion, autumn is the best time of year. I love the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, the taste of pumpkin pie, and the crispness of the air. I mean, how could you not love this season? Here are a few reasons why you should love fall if you don't already:

hot drinks

gorgeous colors

cornfields

apple pie

school

{psychology = best subject ever}

peacoats

Of course, there are some not so great things about fall, such as...

the PSAT. which i took yesterday. it was not fun. :P

Whats your favorite thing about autumn?

~ Abigail

Oh hi there! :)

Stop a second.

 I want you to read the following words and absorb their full meaning.

You are awesome because you are reading my very first post ever. You are awesome to witness the start of my blog, which may or may not become a regularly updated thing. (Which could go either way, I'd like to say that I always start what I finish, but lets face it, if I did I'd be lying.) But anywho, you are most awesome for being your unique awesome self. Yes, I do sound cheesey, but whatevs. :)

I've always wanted a blog, but have put off getting one for a long while. The reason being because I was afraid to open myself up and share what I have to say. But I'm finally taking that first step. I may never have a single follower, but in reality, thats ok. I'm writing for me, not for anybody else.

But should I ever have any followers, I feel like I should apologize in advance. I'm sure that the first few posts will be rough and that I'll probably tend to ramble. I definitely need to try to 'personalize' my writing style a bit. But hey, I'm sure it'll come in time.

So, I guess its best to start with an introduction.

Hello

I'm Abigail.