So...um....well....

It's been a while, hasn't it?  Well, school and other things have come in the way of 2Thine again....sadly.  I have a bit of time to catch all of you, my lovely friends, up with what's been going on with me.
1.  School has been crazy.  We're kinda cramming in a way, because May is coming and we have a LOT going on in May. :P
2.  I JUST auditioned in my orchestra.  I feel pretty confident, but also kinda nervous as to if I'll get chosen to move up or not.  I'm hoping that the odds will be in my favor.  (this leads me into the next point...)
3.  I am officially a fan of The Hunger Games.  I'll discuss this more after my list.  I like lists.
4.  Pinterest occupies a lot of my time.  My username on there is @FallonSkywalker (same as Twitter) if you care to follow me.  I am enjoying it immensely.
5.  The Avengers is in TEN DAYS PEOPLE.  TEN.

Okay, now I shall write my thoughts on The Hunger Games, from MY WORLDVIEW.  So haters and other people who do not like my worldview, chill.  My thoughts, my words, my opinion.  Just getting that out there. XD

First off, to quiet those who might call me a "follower" or a "sheep" or whatever, due to the popularity of the book series, which partly is due to the fact that the movie had just recently come out (I really want to see it now XD), I have been meaning to read these books for some time.  My lovely cousin Embie read them about two years ago, and recommended them to me back then, with the warning that they were somewhat disturbing and very violent.  At that time, my exposure to sci-fi and more horror-ish things in general was very non-existent, and I had no desire to read something scary.  And thinking about it, I probably wouldn't be able to tolerate it.  But after Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and several super-hero movies, I am quite immune to violence and such things, and also very good at getting attached to characters whose fates are doomed. XD
Thus, with the popularity of these books that I hadn't even thought about for two years, I was very intrigued to know WHY the rest of the world liked them so much.  I wanted to know what the deal was about "Team Peeta" and "Team Gale" and why "I VOLUNTEER" is such a popular meme.
I have had multiple people recommend the books to me, friends from the internet, "real life", and random acquaintances.  Finally I took the plunge about a week ago, breaking open The Hunger Games on Wednesday night of last week.

Two words.  Four Thirty.
That is how late I stayed up reading that gosh-darn book.  I read the first page with curiosity and speculation, and after that, I could NOT put it down.  There were ZERO stopping points in the whole thing. I read and read until I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I was 3/4 of the way finished with the book when 4:30am rolled around.  I had to wake up at 7am, do Presidential fitness at P.E. the next day, and then teach dance and do dance for 5 hours that afternoon.  To say the least, I got home and literally crashed and burned. XD

I was able to pick it up again on Saturday and I finished the book in one sitting.  I sobbed through the entire ending, because I was devastated that it wasn't even a spark of happiness.  I was miserable all night (and then had to deal with drama on The Lakehouse) so my emotions were in torment all night long. XD  It didn't help that on the same night I chose to watch trailers for the movie (I sobbed like an idiot) and then reblog every THG item in sight on Tumblr.  And look at merchandise, and listen to the soundtrack for the movie (BEYOND BEAUTIFUL.  EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A FAN, GO LISTEN NOW).

To end that pathetic story, here are my overall thoughts of the book.

Overall Rating:  9.5/10 stars.  I take off a half-point for it being too gory in one scene for me to read (I skimmed part of the Tracker Jacker scene XD)

Rating from a Christian perspective:  7ish/10 stars.  Depending on how Christian you are judging this by, the book was gory, violent, and scary, and the worldviews in the book were not exactly ideal for all.  I personally was not too bothered by it, because it is in fact, a story.

Summary of the book (without spoiling anything):  The continent once known as North America is now simply Panem, broken up into 12 (once 13) districts.  Each district does a job, mining, agriculture, factories, technology, etc.  The immensely oppressive and controlling government, known as The Capitol, proves their power over their citizens once a year with an event entitled "The Hunger Games".  The Hunger Games involves two children between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district (one boy and one girl), to be entered into an arena where they all fight to the death.  The last person alive is crowned victor and is famous among all of Panem.  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are entered in the games, and into a new world they never thought they'd get to know, The Capitol.  Peeta, who has had a crush on Katniss since childhood, is suddenly forced to kill her.....or is he?  Peeta, (being the incredibly sweet and perfect person that he is), makes his plight of the Games to be to save Katniss, and help her win.  The two team up when the game suddenly changes, and through unlikely circumstances, they are forced to be in love.  But it's all just an act.....right?  Find out what happens.  ;)

Goriness level:  10 XD  It was pretty bad....kids killing kids.....lots of injuries.....fire......death (a lot of it), warfare, blood, bugs, hallucination, etc, etc, etc.

Scare Factor:  8 or 9.  I made the mistake of reading these at bedtime/nighttime and ended up having a near-heart attack in my sleep and falling out of bed at 5am. XD

Sadness level:  For me?  1000.  For others?  It depends.  Some can read it without being sad, or you have me who sat in a puddle of her own tears sniveling for hours because of the ending to this book. xD

From a literature standpoint:  This book was fantastically written.  It was written in First Person POV, which was different but also really kinda cool, and very descriptive.  It's vivid and fast, and impossible to put down.  The dystophian world that Suzanne Collins created is just incredible.  I understand so many internet jokes now.  xD

Movie?  Yes, I really want to see it.  I've heard very good things about it.  The only thing that tips me off of the movie is that some people read the books AFTER seeing the movie.  I want to read the books and be depressed over the characters so i can go to the movies and sob watching my emotions play out on the big screen.  If you know what I mean.  XD

My recommendation?  If you haven't tried it, or are being defiant like I was, just cave and read it.  It's so good guys.....I loved it.  Very well written and such a great storyline too.  Enjoy, and May the Odds Ever be in your Favor. ;)

Well, to round up this post, I am almost done with the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, with only three chapters to go.  I am literally dying to find out what happens.  This book might be as good as (if not better than) the first.  :)

May the Force be with you, May the Odds ever be in your Favor, and God Bless my friends.  :)  I'll be back with more quality posts soon!

Rest and Relaxation....

*sighs, fans face with palm frond*

Guess where I am?  ;D

I'm on vacation.  My family takes a trip to the family vacay-house every year (sometimes more than once a year,) and we decided to spend the week here for Spring Break. :)

Consider this an inspirational post perhaps.......

I realized today that I am a very stressed person.  I usually am constantly busy, whether it be for school, stuff on the internet, more school, or helping out people with their problems, I am often really busy.  On top of that I have chores and duties to attend to as a daughter and sister, and that's important too.

Yesterday I went to the eye doctor and was totally blind from being dilated.  I realized how much I take my vision for granted.  I ended up finding out that I DO need glasses, but I'm not too worried about that.  Once I was dilated, I literally could not see ANYTHING.  I couldn't read my text messages, I couldn't read my tweets, my computer screen, NOTHING.  I had to rely on my cousin Embie to read everything to me, because I was literally blind.  (she did hack my phone and ipod, but still....xD)

Later last night my eyes were already much better, and today they were cured.  I feel SO accomplished and relaxed and happy!!  I read an entire book, (FREAKED OUT OVER THE BOOK) and wrote a bunch.  I cleaned our room (Embie's and mine's) and we played tons of games outside.  We went out for dinner, and then came home and slept.  I read more of my book, took a nice nap, and was totally carefree.  Soon it was sunset-time and we went outside to witness God's beautiful world by the ocean.

Ember, Glory and I went outside and had a badmitton tournament, Glo was our announcer, Embie and I the players, and Canada Dry Ginger Ale our "sponsor".  It was hilarious, and we even brought our radio outside so we could listen to music while playing the game.  We had instant replays, halftime dance shows, and commercial breaks.  It was awesome.  We finished our game with an epic Michael Buble dance show from me and Embie, where we tangoed to our hearts contents. XD

Now.....I'm looking forward to more fun.  Take away this my friends, no matter how stressed you are, and how busy you are, every once in a while, take a step back and praise God for the goodness and beautiful things in your life.  I've been doing that all day, thanking Him for my family, my eyesight, my book, my iPod, the weather, the sun, everything!!

It's fun to relax, and to step back and realize all the goodness in your life.  ;)

II'll be relaxing for the next two days guys....see ya on the flip side. ;)
And Happy Birthday (tomorrow) to my best friend Savanna from Pandas, Lightsabers, and Cameras oh my!! ;)  Love you girly!! <3

Love you guys!

From the Eyes of a Writer

As a growing writer, I tend to see things differently than the average person.  I don't always notice that I do, but yet, it happens.
I find myself thinking of a story for something as small as a little flower growing as a weed in a flower garden, to a random person in the mall eating a cheeseburger.  It's a little weird, and quite funny.
I have bizarre hobbies too, like people-watching (AKA stalking, lol), and character discussing.  It's fun!

I can't watch movies the same way anymore.  I look at the deeper plot more than the special effects and acting.  I look into the background of the movie and the depth of the different characters. I can think of new plots and storylines and feelings of the characters.

I love it.  It makes for a good writer, to be able to come up with things on a whim like that.  I am constantly getting ideas in my head. I am constantly needing to write stuff down. Just ask my mom, many times a day I'll stop what I'm doing and run into my room to write down a story idea.  Many of them aren't developed (at all) and some of them are just fanfic ideas, but I still write them down, just for the sake of getting the idea out of my head.

I dont' think there's ever been a time where I HAVEN'T been writing a story in my head. Seriously!  I remember even when I was a little kid (my earliest "story" memory is probably from when I was six...) I'd walk around the perimeter of the playground at my school (this was before I was homeschooled, obviously) and just think of story ideas in my head. Back then, I called it my "Imaginary Friends". Now, I call them my "Characters".  ;)  See the difference?  I believe that all good writers once had imaginary friends.  I know I still do.  Their names are Luke Skywalker...Princess Leia....Han Solo.....Mara Jade......Corran Horn....etc.  ;)

AND STEVE ROGERS. (okay, i'm done now xD)

Seriously though....I was the queen of angst before it was cool.  I was always writing, coming up with, and thinking up very depressing or angsty romances, stories and ideas.  I was pretty pathetic actually.  (this may end up leading into a post about my social awkwardness that has risen to become a problem as of late...we'll see.)

In short, what I'd like for you to take away from this post is this: If you are a writer, and you see things differently too, that's okay.  Embrace it.  It just might be your future.  Everything happens for a reason, and ultimately, God doesn't make any junk. ;)

Write on....

November: A Month of Literary Abandon

NaNoWriMo.

Only 2 days, 8 hours, and 36 minutes until the start of National Novel Writing Month.

My email to my family and friends has been sent.

My profile has been set up click here.

My plots are outlined.

My characters have sketches.

My binder is ready to go portable.

My laptop will be ready by this afternoon.

And I am totally ready for NaNo.

I am a WriMo.  And I am going to write a novel in 30 days.

~~~~~~

That kinda sounded poetic.  :)  I like that.  XD
I have a to-do list.  It MUST be finished today.  The first half is school-related, but the other half is NaNo realted.  Here is that half.

NaNo Half Of To-Do List:

1. eat
2. wrap up fanfics to get ready for nano
3. prep binder (again)
4. buy a memory stick (again)
5. fix printer
6. go over outlines and add to them
7. pick a tense to write in (no i haven't done this yet!) 
8. eat

What do you think?  I've got procrastination down really well on that list.  XDDD  My first thing is to finish up school, so I'm going to do that now.  ;)  

I know many of my TLF sisters and Blogger friends are doing NaNoWriMo this year.  :)  Feel free to add me as a writing buddy!!! :D

I'll do the NaNo edition of Beautiful People, to get even more in the mood.  ;) 

Sum up your novel in 5 words or less:  Homeschooler changes the world

Novel Title?  Project:  Public School

Sum up your main characters in 1 word each: Evelynn: ....special.  Luke (yes, he's got a very original name for me, xD):  Sweet.

Advice for newbies in 3 words?  Stay On Target

Tell us about your secondary characters, how do they affect the story?  The secondary characters will help the main characters develop, as well as cause conflicts and create progression throughout the story.  ;)

Do you plan to stay up until Midnight on the 31st?  Heck Yes.  XD  I will start writing at 12:01, and probably won't crash and burn until about 3, after all the candy I'll be eating.  XD

How many years have you done NaNo?  One.  :)  This will be my second year! 

What came first, characters or plot idea?  Actually, this is rare for me, the plot came first.  I came up with it in the shower and wrote it down for future reference.  Little did I know that I'd actually turn it into my NaNo Novel!  :D

How much prep do you do before November?  As much as I can, this year, last year I had NOTHING.  Barely a plot.  XD  This year I've got lots of stuff lined up and ready to go for writing.  :D

Now be honest, how do you really feel about NaNo?  I love it.  I get so excited for it.  :)  I've been anticipating November for the LONGEST TIME.  ;) 

So ends my NaNoWriMo post....I will be writing a few short posts throughout the month, as well as some epic guest posts I have planned!!!!  :D  

Write on, Wrimos!  ;)  

Is it really the Last Week of October?

Seriously?  Part of me is eager for November, and the other part of me is dreading it.  XDDD

Huh.  Well, I'm gonna give you all a quick update before I get to the 'point' of this post.

First thing:  I will be disappearing for the month of November.  It is fact (~Tenel Ka).  But do not fret!!!  I have a few good ideas that will get through the month and still have a few posts out there.  ;)

Second thing:  I am happy.  We are playing Christmas (and Hanukkah) music in orchestra.  I had a bizarre smile on my face during "The First Noel".  XDDDDD  All I could think about was the holiday season.  ;)

Third thing:  I went treasure hunting on Saturday, and got 64 action figures and action hero toys for only $15!!!  :)

There are two layers of action figures, so there are more than there appear to be. ;)

Love this shot!  (XD literally) 

CUTEST. ACTION FIGURE. EVER.

YODA.  Y-O-D-A.  YODA!

Now....

I have a new 'obsession'.  XD  Yes.  Yes I do.  Wanna know what it is?

Rogue.  Squadron.

Oh my word, I am in LOVE with the Rogues!!!!!  :D

Hobbie, Tycho, Wedge, Corran, and Wes especially.  ;)  Hobbie is MINEEEEE.  <333

Art from here: source

Also.....CORRAN HORN.  I have just discovered the AMAZING that is Corran.  ;)  And MIRAX!  OH MY WORD, MIRAX TERRIK HORN IS SO COOL!!!!!!  I love her!!!!  Maybe not as much as I love Mara....but she's coming to be a close second!  :D

Mirax Terrik-Horn

Corran Horn.  source

Who doesn't love X-Wings????  They're iconic and just AWESOME!!!!  :)  I am soooo addicted to this series.  I read the first X-Wing: Rogue Squadron book on Audio Book, and am now starting the second in paperback.  ;)  I'm also reading I, Jedi (which stars Corran Horn and Mirax Terrik-Horn) and it is FANTASTIC.  :)

Humnahumnahumnah.....Hobbie......Corran.....**dies**  <3333

Okay, okay.  That's enough fangirling for now...I'm going to read some stuff for school, and then maybe work on a fanfic, time permitting.  ;)  

Goodnight my lovlies,

My Weekend/Meeting Timothy Zahn (Picture Post)

I am exhausted.  My hair is /really/ messy (from having open car windows most of the day), and it's pretty late.  (9:30 pm on Sunday when I'm typing this).

**sigh**  And this was the best day ever.  :)

I decided to post about all my adventures from the past two days, since I only gave what happened in the car last post.  ;)

Well, you read about getting to Cracker Barrel.  ;)

Here are a few pictures from that experience (and before hand).  XDD

My view...for about one and a half hours worth of driving.

Nutmeg, with her pillow...>.<

My Baby, who I wrote on for hours, until she took a /nap/.

CRACKER BARREL!!!  We spent a long time looking at the candy.

And the canned goodies...

And more candy!!!!!!!!!!  :D 

Famous Peg Game....

The view from my seat...a GUN!  XD

The root beer I told y'all about.  ;)

Nutmeg with her menu.

Captain Rex Pose!!  XD

And then we drove some more, until we FINALLY got to the hotel, where I posted that last blog post.  ;)

My view from out the car window...

Turning onto the street to go to the hotel!

The hotel!!!!  :DDD

From the Car Window....

Then we decided to go to the Beach!!!  :D  Siesta Beach was AWESOME!  :D  I loved the sand, I could just sit in that stuff all day.  ;)

The sign for Siesta Beach!!! 

The sand looks like snow.  ;)

Nutmeg walking in the snow-sand.  xD

See all those seagulls??  There were swarms of them.  XD

Seagull footprints...

The Ocean!!!  :)

Birdie......XDDD

Cute little lifeguard house thing...it had murals of sharks on it, much to Nutmeg's displeasure.  XD

The rolling surf..

Ripples in the Sand

MORE ripples in the sand...

Another pretty shot of the beach...

I love the sand ripples!!!!  XDD

I found a Sand-Dollar!!!!!  :D

Pieces of Sand dollars....

SPONGE  xD

The grasses by the beach were really cool, they were super soft.  ;) 

One of my favorite shots of the beach.  I love the sky in this picture.

The Lakehouse Forums was too long to spell in the sand.  ;)  This will just have to work.  XD

Cute-ish picture of me on the beach....my layers fell out of the hair-tie. xD

We found this rubber shark on the beach!!!!!!!  Isn't he awesome?!!

TEENY-TINY seashells!!!

It's true...I do love TLF.  ;)

I love this picture.  The sunset is sooo pretty! ; )

Look at the clouds!!!  XD

After a wonderful time at Siesta Beach, we decided to go get dinner.  We went to the most AMAZING restuarant.  It was the Dutch Heritage House, in the Amish part of Sarasota.  ;)  SO COOL!!!!!

**Angelic Choir here** 

Me being silly in the car. XDD

BEST. PICTURE. EVER.

BEST. SUNSET. EVER.  ;)

Homemade rocking chairs!!!!!  :D  They were so cool!

Inside the lobby

Part of the downstairs gift shop.  ;)

Our table.

The awesome chandelier.  Pic dedicated to Chibi*Chick.  ;)

Menu

Upstairs in this resturant was a HUGE gift shop!!!!  :D  They sold all kinds of cute crafts, bags, and LOTS of Christmas decorations!!!  :)  My favorite part of the Heritage House was that it was SO CHRISTIAN!  :D  They played Christian music, they sold Christian books and movies,, all the gifts upstairs were either Christmas or Christian related in one way or another, and it was really welcoming and sweet.  ;)

**facepalm**

We wanted to buy this for my mom.  ;)

I literally LOLed at that sign.  XDD

**sighs**  So true.  ;)

ESPECIALLY my Family.  XD

My Future Lamp.  Someday I WILL find one like this.  XD
One that isn't $70.  XD

Cute magnet with the legend of the Sand Dollar on it!  ;)

For all my Wolf loving TLF sistahs. ;)

The Nativity Scene.  ;) 

After having a HUGE filling dinner, we went back to our hotel, for some much needed rest and relaxation.  ;)

Another shot of the hotel.  ;)

Or, rather, my sister decided to sit on my while I was trying to get some rest and relaxation.  xD  ;)

Then we all (eventually) went to sleep, and it was Sunday!  :D  The day I got to meet Timothy Zahn!!!!  But we did lots of things before we even went to the bookstore.  ;)

This was just epic.  The car near where we were parked at the hotel had this Mandolorian Sticker on it, and I showed my mom in excitement.  She groaned and the following conversation occurred.

Me:  Mom!!  Look!  It's the Mando symbol!

Mom:  Oh no!  HAN!!!  FETT IS CHASING YOU AGAIN!

Dad:  DARN IT!!!  KIDS, GET IN THE FALCON!!

Me:  **facepalm**  XDD

Cute house.

Pretty beach en route to Anna Maria Island.

Grass.

My dad and sister on Anna Maria pier.  ;)

The following pictures are all from Anna Maria Pier, which was REALLY windy and fun!!  :)

One of the best shots all weekend.  ;)

And that picture would've been so perfect, had my thumb not been covering part of the lens...>.>

After that we headed to the Barnes and Noble, where I would spend the next four hours.  XDDD

One of my favorite shots of the books.  ;)

My view for the next four hours.

Me...taking pictures with my mom while waiting for four hours.  ;)

MINE!  :D  MY copy of the 20th Anniversary HttE book!!!!  :DDD

They had the 501st of the Tampa Bay Legion out!!!!  :D  Vader, Royal Guard and a Mando (as well as an Imperial Officer) joined us for Timothy Zahn's book signing!!!!  :DDDD

"Hello Citizens..."  XDD

There was a girl under that helmet!  XDDD

EEEE  MR. ZAHN!  :D

ME!  I got to meet him!!!!  :DDDDDD

Look at how happy I am....**sigh**

He signed my Choices of One book, and two copies of my Heir To The Empire 20th Anniversary Edition!  :D

Closeup!  :D  I was SOOO HAPPY I couldn't even breathe. XDDD

By the time I was done, my mom and I just waited around, watching other people talking with Tim, and we chatted with a few others.  I got interviewed for the local Sarasota newspaper, and my picture was taken several times!!  :D  All the "book ladies" knew our story of traveling 3 1/2 hours without a/c in our car so I could meet Timothy Zahn, and they all gave me hugs before we left. ;)  So sweet!!!!

Sorry it's so fuzzy....that's Sandi, one of the "book ladies".  :)  She gave me a hug and wished us a safe trip home, along with a "I'm so happy you got to meet him!!!!!"  ;)

It was honestly the best day ever. ;)  I was soooo happy.  Just thinking about it makes me soooo happy!!!!  :D  Goodness.....I had so much fun.  ;)

Okay y'all, well I hope you liked that post!!!!  :D

Sorry for the wait, it took a while to load all my pictures and then find time to write the actual thing!  ;)  Going to do school now.....at 10 o'clock at night.....>.>

Oh well.  ;)  May the Force be with you all!!!