30-Day Blog Challenge, Final Day!

Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days.

 

 

 

 

Three Good Things That Have Happened in the Past 30 Days:

 

1. I finished school for the summer.

2. I created my official Tumblr art blog.

3. My boyfriend and I hit the 2-year mark.

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 29

Day 29 - Something you could never get tired of doing.

Pushing "START"!

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 28

Day 28 - Your favorite movie.


I don't have a favorite movie, but I have several favorites, which I will discuss briefly here.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy has a special place in my heart, being one of those things that I grew up with and was such a source of inspiration to me as a child and even now as an adult.  The Two Towers, the second movie of the trilogy, was the first movie I remember seeing in theaters.

Recently, I've had the chance to fall in love with Middle Earth all over again.  I went to the midnight showing of The Hobbit, and I absolutely adore that movie.  I can't wait to see the second one this December! (And I'm definitely dressing up this time. :p)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King also has one of my favorite movie scenes ever, the scene wherein Aragorn is crowned King.  It just gives me the warm-and-cozy feelings every time I watch it.

I couldn't write this post without including some superhero movies.  I'm definitely a comic book nerd (among other types), so I'm always excited when I hear about a new Marvel movies coming out.  I'm not a huge fan of DC, but I did love The Dark Knight Rises.  I mean, who didn't?  That movie was spectacular.

But my favorite superhero movie so far has been, you guessed it, The Avengers.  I don't know what to say about it.  I just love this movie!  Although I have to say that I am mighty excited about November's Thor: The Dark World.

Disney and Disney-Pixar movies are also very near and dear to me.  In fact, I love almost all of Disney's movies!  Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King (all 3 of them), Monsters Inc., and Mulan are among my most-loved.

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 27

Day 27 – Put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs.

 

 

Delanie – The Midsummer Classic

A Whole New World – Aladdin Soundtrack

Dare You To Move – Switchfoot

May It Be – Enya

Over Again – One Direction

Missing – Flyleaf

Teir Abhaile Riu – Celtic Woman

Look After You – The Fray

Hospital Flowers – Owl City

Yours To Hold - Skillet

 

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 26

Day 26 – Think back to how you were 5 years ago.  How have you changed since then?

 

 

Oh boy, this is getting really personal…a whole heck of a lot, I’ll tell you that much!  I could go and give my whole life story, but I don’t want to do that.  The only reason why I’m writing this is because I know that it could help someone, somewhere.

 

As I have mentioned before, I went through a period of depression that peaked between the end of my junior year of high school to just before I graduated.  For me, it was all internal.  I didn’t self-harm, or take it out on anyone else.  I didn’t talk to anybody about it until much later.  In fact, most people thought I was alright because I showed no signs of it.  I’m one of those people who are wary of hurting or burdening others.  So I forced a smile on my face.  I tried to be social.  I kept my grades up.  Not even my parents knew about it for a while.  I didn’t hate anyone or anything.  I hated myself, for reasons even I can’t explain now.  It was just me in my dark little world.

 

A lot of people don’t—or can’t—really understand depression.  They think it’s an “all in your head” sort of thing.  They’re right.  It is.  But all of that in one’s head can accumulate and weigh him or her down.  Depression hurts physically, too.  The stress caused my acne and psoriasis to flare up, and I was constantly aching and getting headaches.  I offered these pains up as sacrifice and penance.  I begged God to show me what He wanted of me.  I begged Him to show me that I was worth something.

 

If I could only give you all one piece of advice, it would be this:  Trust in the Lord.  He will never let go, even if you do.  He created you for a purpose.  If you ever feel like you can’t find a reason to love yourself, remember that God loves you for no reason at all.  He loves you because you are you, the way He intended for you to be.  If you feel lost or uncertain, ask God to help you.  He WILL guide you, but you have to believe that He will.  You have to accept His grace.

Everything that I've gone through made me who I am today.

 

If you’re feeling depressed, know that you aren’t alone.  God is with you always. 

 

I know this is clichéd.  And I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I know this to be true: it does get better.  Look up to the heavens.  Close your eyes, and whisper Deo gratias.  Feel His love wash over you.  It will get better.

 

 

Stay Positive

The Jewel You Are

Words Are Fascinating

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 25

Day 25 – Something that you miss.

 

 

This wasn’t a difficult one, I have to admit.  To be perfectly honest, the thing I miss most is my childhood.  I miss the days when things were so simple.  When I didn’t have the thoughts and burdens of an adult.  The weights on my shoulders were as small as household chores and squabbles with my siblings over trivial things. 

 

Back then, I could dream and not have my vision blurred with the harshness of reality. I was happy, healthy, and free.  Pure.

 

Growing up, you see things and hear things and do things that you can’t unsee, unhear, or undo.  It’s permanently a part of you unless somehow you manage to forget about it, which is uncommon.

 

It truly is an incredible thing to look back on your life and realize how far you’ve come and how much you have changed.

 

I’m not in any way complaining about my life now.  I’ve gone through some rough times, but those difficulties have only made me stronger.  I’m content with where I am and what I’m doing.  God has blessed me so much, and I am very grateful.  But if I were given the chance, I would certainly want to relive a single day of my childhood.  Just to experience that feeling again.

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 24

Day 24 - What's in your purse?


Here is what is usually in my purse or backpack:

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 23

Day 23 – 20 facts about you.

 

 

Alright then.  I’ll try not to sound like I’m bragging, or repeat the obvious (such as "I'm a nerd.").  Ha ha ha.  Here we go.

 

1.     I was born in Santa Maria, California on the first day of summer, 1992.  It was also Father’s Day. Explains why I’m such a daddy’s girl!

2.     My hair actually isn’t black.  It’s a combination of black, browns, and red.

3.     The first video game I ever played was Parasol Stars on the TurboGrafx-16.  I was three years old.

4.     As a child, there were many things that I wanted to be when “I grew up.”  American Idol, pastry chef, video game designer, concept artist, Disney Princess, or president of the biggest Zelda fanclub in the world.  Guess some things never change.

5.     My first anime was Inuyasha, which I started watching when I was twelve.  I’ve seen every episode, movie, and have a bunch of related collectables such as manga and a pillow.  Yes, an Inuyasha pillow.

6.     I started writing when I was thirteen.  My first project was a Zelda fanfiction (no surprise there), titled The Legend of Zelda: Farore’s Melody (who remembers this?).  I didn’t actually pursue writing as a career until I was seventeen, inspired by my high school Literature teacher.

7.     I graduated high school as valedictorian, with a GPA of 3.8

8.     I’ve read several hundreds of books over the years and have written many reviews.

9.     I don’t have a primary temperament.  I’ve taken many different tests and the results are never the same.  I guess I’m too random!

10.  I was a victim of minor depression for almost two years.  We all have had that phase.

11.  My patron saint is St. Teresa of Avila.

12.  I have a short story and a poem published, titled One Word and Senseless, respectively.

13.  I’ve had psoriasis on and off since I was eleven years old.

14.  May 14^th marks two years with my boyfriend.

15.  My biggest character flaw would be that I’m indecisive and can’t be put “on the spot.”  I have to think things through thoroughly before making choices.  However, I’m always up for an adventure!  It has more to do with little things like when a friend asks where I’d like to go for lunch.

16.  I value creativity, imagination, and moderation in others.  People who are overly realistic, pessimistic, or optimistic get on my nerves!

17.  I’m a very romantic person, in the true sense of the word.  It’s just the poet side of me.

18.  My favorite school subject is English.  My least favorite is…math!  Just kidding.  It’s science.  Too much of the “real” world for my tastes.

19.  I play piano, guitar, and ocarina. I’m also a soprano in my parish choir.

20.  Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour, and I’m not afraid to tell the world. Deo gratias per omnia!

 

 

21. I'm a dork.

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 22

Day 22 – Bullet your whole day.

 

 

 

May 10^th, 2013 (yesterday)

 

·         9:00am – woke up

·         9:45am – ate breakfast

·         10:00am – graded papers (I’m a teaching assistant)

·         11:15am – internet time

·         12:35pm – impromptu writing session

·         1:05pm – got mail

·         1:10pm – ate lunch

·         1:30pm – writing + sketching

·         3:20pm – went to the school to drop off graded papers

·         3:45pm – ate snack

·         4:00pm – started watching October Baby

·         6:30pm – ate dinner

·         6:45pm – watched the second half of October Baby, and then sobbed for a half hour

·         8:30pm – more internet time (a.k.a., reblogging therapy)

·         9:00pm – Wii U; watching funny YouTube videos with the siblings

·         10:00pm – rosary

·         11:30pm – night prayers with the family

·         12:30pm – I “go to bed,” which means that I’ll be on my iPod touch for an hour or until I fall asleep.

 

 

(^This was a stunning, absolutely beautiful movie. I highly recommend it.)

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 21

Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.

 

 

 

 

I see God in everything that is beautiful; I see Him always, everywhere.

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 20

Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.

 

 

Music is one of the loves of my life.  Besides God and people, it is what inspires me the most in my daily life.  I play piano, guitar, and ocarina; and I am a soprano in my parish choir.  I love to sing.  Music affects me as a person, my work, and my art, and my hobbies.

 

The theme of many of my books, poems, and drawings is music.  Last year, my NaNoWriMo project was Fleur Valse, a fantasy novel that takes place in a world wherein music channels all magic.

 

Resonant Song is a song deep and rich in sound, and never ends—rather, one that repeats itself for eternity.

 

 

 

 

“And he put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God. Many shall see, and shall fear: and they shall hope in the Lord.” – Psalms 39:4

 

“His remembrance shall be sweet as honey in every mouth, and as music at a banquet of wine.” – Ecclesiasticus 49:2

 

“I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.” – Psalms 7:18

 

 

 

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 19

Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.

 

 

Again?  Really?  Fiiiine.

 

 

 

I have really bad allergies. (╥﹏╥)

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 18

 

Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.

 

 

I assume that we’re talking about food here, although there is no such clarification.  In that case, I often crave sushi or sweets: pineapple, ice cream, chocolate.  I’d say that the food (beverage in this case) I crave the most is Starbucks coffee.  Regardless of my mood and/or the weather, a drink from Starbucks always sounds good to me.

 

Those coffee cravings double in the summertime, because hot weather means Frappuccinos.

 

Caramel Frappuccinos. /drools

 

Oh Ashley, you're so attractive sometimes.

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 17

Day 17 – Your celebrity crush.

Hmm, let's see...Andrew Garfield, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, James McAvoy, Tanner Patrick...so there's a few.  But if I had to pick one, I'd say Ben Barnes.  I fell in love with him after watching The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.  He was also fantastic in the sequel, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  I hope he lands another fantasy-type role before he gets too old.  Ha ha ha.

I mean, look at this man.  He's flippin' gorgeous! 
O u O

Here's his IMDb page, if any of you are interested in learning more about him and the movies he's been in.

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 16

Day 16 – A photo of you and your family.

 

 

To be perfectly honest, we haven’t taken any photos of the whole family together in a loooong time.  I wouldn’t feel right posting a photo that’s missing one of my siblings.  Ha ha ha.

 

Sorry about that!

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 15

Day 15 – Something you don’t leave your house without.


There are 3 things that I always make sure that I have:


1.  a rosary

2.  Burt’s Bees lip balm

3.  my wallet

4.  pepper spray

 
...Just kidding about #4.  Who needs pepper spray when you've got ninjutsu.  (And yes, that is an Akatsuki wallet.  Be jealous.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30-Day Blog Challenge, Day 14

Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.

I’m going to split this into two categories: live action and anime.

First, live action.  It was tough for me to move on and find a new show after my Sherlock and Doctor Who obsessions, but I’ve really been loving Once Upon A Time.  Also, just yesterday I watched the first two episodes of Supernatural (yeah, I know, I’m a little late with jumping on that bandwagon, ha ha ha), and I’m actually really liking it so far.

 

 

As for anime, I’m still watching Naruto, although I have to admit that all of the emotions involved therein are really getting to my head.  I’ve been trying to take a break from it and since I’m been in such a nostalgic mood lately I’ve been re-watching classic anime from my childhood such as Sailor Moon, Pokémon, Rurouni Kenshin, and Inuyasha.

I’m also on the lookout for new series (both live action and anime) to try, but haven’t had much luck.  If anybody has any suggestions, leave me a comment!