An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook #2

Well, it's Saturday again, so here is my second entry of An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook. Click here to see the first one.

Oh, and by the way, a couple nights ago I had a dream where I met all of you bloggers who I've become friends with. It was really cool! I'd love to actually do that in real life. :)

Find out how to do An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook here

Today I helped my dad paint our hallway
I'm feeling motivated (though slightly overwhelmed)
My outfit is jeans and a blue shirt under a brown sweater
Outside my window are huge icicles dripping down to the snow-covered ground.
A song that's stuck in my head "The Call" by Regina Spector - and also "Pizza Angel" (VeggieTales) lol!
Something (a book, song, movie, person...) that's inspired me recently is the Olympics - it's amazing how they can be so driven, and so good at what they do!
A prayer of my heart this week is that I would focus less on me, and more on Christ.
I am creating a short story which is an allegory of the salvation story. It is called "Redeemer."
I am reading all the same books as last week, plus a few more. (Hopefully I'll finish at least one of them soon!)
I am thinking about the delicious peaches and cream I just ate!
A scripture verse or passage that's stuck out to me this week is Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
A spiritual lesson I'm learning is to not be a procrastinator (which applies to all areas of my life)
An attribute of God I've seen this week is His love for me in sacrificing His son on the cross for my sins. I know this may seem elementary, but I so often forget what a huge love God has for me!
A picture I’d like to share of the icicles out my window:

A creative goal for next week is to get cracking on my editing for NaNoEdMo!
Did I complete my goal from last week... yowch! nope :/ I'll try to do better this week! :)

Brown

If you know me at all, you know my favorite color is brown. Not pink or purple or blue or some other normal color - brown. Chocolate brown in fact. So here I'll share with you some pictures I've taken that are brown.

 

me looking out the window 

 

Much like LotR... except there is a car :P

 I did some interesting edits on this one.

One of my favorites

And for a bonus, here's a picture of the delicious banana bread I made yesterday!

Wanted: Novel Readers

I want you, yes YOU to read my novel.

Why?

One word: NaNoEdMo.

NaNoEdMo may not be an actual word, but it has everything to do with words. It stands for National Novel Editing Month, and basically, the goal is to get up to 50 hours of editing logged in by the end of March. It's a somewhat similar idea to NaNoWriMo, which is writing a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Since I'm pretty excited about my NaNo 09 Novel, I thought I would have a go at editing it in the month of March (which is only five days away!).

And this is where you come in.

I need readers who are willing to read a novel with a critical eye, and help point out weak areas, things that don't make sense, parts that could be improved. (Not just the fluffy "Oh it's so great, such an awesome book!") Are you interested? Think you can do it? Here's some background on my novel so you can know what you're getting into. My novel is titled "Rescue My Heart", and just shy of 200 pages. It's a fantasy-esque story about a 13-year-old writer named Anna, who goes into the world of her story. Here's a little excerpt from my novel to pique your interest.

Anna looked up from her writing, teary-eyed. Her heart was pounding, and she knew she was walking on dreaded ground. This was where she needed to stop, before she began feeling the pain she knew was buried deep inside. This story, like all the other ones, was starting to tug too hard at her heartstrings. What if it made them break? She had thought that she was safe, but somehow, someway her story had twisted itself around to fit her heart. Dare she go further?  
 

She set her teeth. She would close the book, and forget about it and her characters. After all, they were only figments of her imagination… their story wasn’t important. She could just close the book and bury it, just like she had done with all her other books which had come to this point. She would bury it deep, just like she had done with her mother’s death. That way she could still function. There would be no pain.

But when she glanced back at the page, Anna’s heart melted at the princess’ last words. “Will no one rescue me?” 

Anna sighed deeply and scrunched her eyes shut. She knew she had to move on. Even though she hated the thought of having to expose her heart. Her story deserved to be written. Even if it hurt. There was no backing away from the pain now.

Anna opened her eyes slowly, willing her heart to stop its frantic beating. Then she took a deep breath, and set pen to paper. As she did so, the tear that had been held back in her eyes slid down her cheek. It dripped onto the page, right onto the word “rescue”. 

And before she knew where she was, Anna was actually in the place that she had always dreamed of: the world of her story. 

So, if you'd like to read my novel and critique it, please leave me a comment with your email so I can send it to you. Rest assured, I won't publish your comment with your email unless you're okay with that. I can also give you some guidelines for critiquing when I send you the novel. And if you're doing NaNoEdMo too, be sure to let me know so we can do this together!

Thank you so very much! You guys are awesome!

An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook

Well, I've seen alot of young woman's or teen girl's daybooks floating around the "blogosphere", and I thought they'd be cool to do. But none of them quite had the questions I'd like. So to remedy that, I thought I'd start my own! This is the inspired young woman's daybook, specifically for those young women who love the Lord and enjoy doing creative things.

If you'd like to participate in this (and I'd really love it if you would!), pick a day that you can write on your blog consistently (I'll probably be doing Saturday... we'll see), and then just post on your blog, filling out the following prompts. This is a sample form (please make sure to copy and use my picture and the link):

Find out how to do An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook here

Today I…
I'm feeling...
My outfit is...
Outside my window…
A song that's stuck in my head...
Something (a book, song, movie, person...) that's inspired me recently...
A prayer of my heart this week... 
I am creating… 
I am reading...
I am thinking... 
A scripture verse or passage that's stuck out to me this week...
A spiritual lesson I'm learning...
An attribute of God I've seen this week…
A picture I’d like to share…
A creative goal for next week... 
Did I complete my goal from last week...


So here's my first entry.

Find out how to do An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook here

Today I was antisocial - I was in my room on my computer practically the whole day (bad, I know)
I'm feeling tired, but still happy.
My outfit is my favorite comfy jeans, and a sweatshirt. (pretty much my favorite attire, unless I'm going out :P)
Outside my window... Unfortunately I can't see outside because it's nightime and dark, but I did notice a gorgeous sunset earlier!
A song that's stuck in my head "Viva la Vida meets Love Story" by Jon Schmidt (it's in my music player on the sidebar)
Something (a book, song, movie, person...) that's inspired me recently is my parents. They encouraged me when I was feeling overwhelmed about my audition at Cedarville, and inspired me with their love and sacrifices they've made for me.
A prayer of my heart this week is that I would have God in the forefront of my thoughts, not myself or my desires.
I am reading too many books at once... "Emma" by Jane Austen, "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens, and "The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
I am creating a novel (or working on it) called "Alphyri". Currently I'm still figuring out details, but it's set in a Medieval-type landscape, about a peasant who doesn't know she's the rightful princess, and a prince who just wants to be a peasant. And they fall in love :D
I am thinking about my book I ought to be writing. :P
A scripture verse or passage that's stuck out to me this week is John 15:4 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." A spiritual lesson I'm learning is to seek God first above all else.
An attribute of God I've seen this week is His peace. He granted me an abundant measure of it for my audition, and I'm so thankful!
A picture I’d like to share from a recent trip to our grandparent's. It's an old abandoned schoolhouse.

A creative goal for next week is to write, oh, let's say 4,000 words in my novel (nothing like word count goals to motivate one's writing!)
Did I complete my goal from last week... n/a

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about me. Please feel free to participate in this on your blog as well!

God is so good

Remember singing that song in Sunday School "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me."? Well I want to shout it off the rooftops right now! I'm just overflowing with happiness!

Okay, so the reason for all this exuberant joy is that I passed my audition at Cedarville!!!!!!! Here's the story:

We drove down to Ohio last night so I would get a good night's sleep (it's about a 4 hour drive), and then had a day at Cedarville doing different things like theory testing, aural skills, meeting the professors & music faculty and stuff like that. My audition wasn't until 2:00, so I had a long time to wait and get nervous. But the professors tried to make me feel at home. One of the piano professors, Dr. C, let me use his office to practice in. There are 19 practice rooms, but he has two Steinway grands in his office! So that was really nice. For those of you who don't play piano or know much about it, playing on a grand (any grand) is much different from playing on an upright. And to the listener, the sound a grand piano makes is so much more beautiful!

Anyways, I practiced in his room for a while and got used to the feel of the grand. It was really good that I was able to practice, because I hadn't been able to practice much the two days beforehand. I had actually been pretty overwhelmed and stressed out, because I was having to teach students, pack and prepare for the audition, and also my teacher had given me many things to work on for my songs (which there was no way I could integrate in the short amount of time I had). But my parents helped me calm down and re-focus. They reminded me that I'm not playing for my teacher, or even for the professors. I'm playing for an Audience of One.

So when the time finally came for my audition at two, God granted me peace. I was able to relax and actually enjoy the pieces (instead of dreading the hard parts). I still messed up, but somehow it wasn't as important anymore. What was important instead was that I was playing for God. 

The two professors told me they were very impressed, and they also told me some things I'd need to work on. They really encouraged me to come to Cedarville (obviously), and told me how it would all work if I did decide to go there. It was really neat to be able to get the answers to a lot of my questions, and just talk with the professors. I could see it all fitting into place, and I just knew that God was opening the door. There was no question.

Isn't my God so good?

~Melody

Paper Heart

I have not been writing much poetry recently, so I thought I would share the poetry of a friend, instead. I found this beautiful, vivid poem at the blog of my good friend, Celebrilomiel. She is an awesome writer - and I think an even better poet! I highly recommend that you check out her blog http://melodyofthemiscellaneous.blogspot.com

The words of this poem drew me in - each one picked so perfectly and crafted so carefully. Savor it slowly:

Paper Heart

Pretty lacy paper
Frail pink heart
Delicate, blushing flower
Spring’s first kiss

Vivid, cheery paper
Bright pink heart
Heavy-scented, open rose
Summer’s warmth

Tattered, dirty paper
Torn pink heart
Bloodied, trampled, fallen rose
Fall’s last breath

Shredded, frozen paper
Dead pink heart
Winter’s icy, fatal touch
Death’s cold kiss
© 2010, Celebrilomiel

Sigh. Don't you love it when something is heartbreaking, yet so beautiful at the same time? 

~Melody

Amazing Love

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

(Jesus speaking) "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. " John 15:9

John Chapter 15 is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. In it, Jesus is teaching his disciples before his death about how they are to love each other just as He loves them. Jesus is the ultimate example of love - he loved us so much that he was willing to lay down his life. And he didn't just lay it down for his friends, he laid it down for his enemies as well! No wonder we sing of His "Amazing Love."

Jesus also calls us to love each other with the same kind of amazing love. In John 13:34-35, He says, "A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." [italics mine] There it is, clear as day. We must love one another as He has loved us!

This is a tall order, for sure. How can I love others as Jesus loved me? I can't sacrifice my life for them, can I? No, we can't actually die for those around us like Jesus did, but we can sacrifice things for them such as our time. Pray today and ask God how you can show His love, His amazing love, to those around you - even if they're not particularly lovable. Who knows what God can do through you if you're willing to show His love to others?

Audition Time!

Recently I've been trying to practice piano for three hours a day, and I think it's affecting me. Both yesterday and today, I've dreamed in vivid detail about practicing piano; with my dreams usually involving a mistake I made, or some part where my hands wouldn't obey my brain.

I bet you're wondering why I'm getting crazy about piano all of a sudden. Well, it isn't really all of a sudden. I've been preparing for this time for months, years even. You see, next Thursday I will be auditioning to get into the music school at Cedarville University.This is a big event for me!

Since I've been preparing these pieces for so long, I've kind of felt like I "had arrived". I mean, I've had a lot of instruction on them, and I think I can play them pretty well! But recently, through a new teacher, and a group class, I've found that I can improve a whole lot more. I've been realizing that I can't treat the piece like an untamed colt, to break and master and then move on. Instead, I must treat it like going on a journey: uncovering layers of sound, touch, technique, dynamics, phrasing, and beauty. And even after my audition the journey will not end. For when does music ever end?

The three pieces I will be playing are Bach Prelude & Fugue in B-Flat Minor (which is considered one piece), Haydn Sonata No. 59, and Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 No. 4. (I've given you links to listen to the songs so you can get an idea of how they go, though I couldn't find one of the Bach piece.) The Bach sounds like it's meant for organ, with slow, chordal passages and a very measured beat. It's very solemn and proud, in a tragic way. The Haydn is very jumpy and capricious, almost like Haydn is just playing around on the piano having fun. That one's probably the hardest for me, just because it's so fast and hard to maintain control. I much prefer slower pieces like the Bach. The Schubert is my favorite, because it's just so beautiful; like a vivid painting cascading down like watercolors from a painter's brush. I especially love the middle section where it switches to the minor key. It's so sad and touching - almost melodramatic!

So I am very excited, and of course nervous for this audition. I am trying to take the advice a good friend gave me: to keep my thoughts focused on God, and the beauty He has created in this music, rather than on myself. That way, I won't be as nervous. I would definitely appreciate prayer for all of this!

~Melody

Blue

Though my first loves are music and writing, my second love is photography. I bring my camera with me wherever I go, because I can find so much beauty everywhere! So, to share my love, and some of my pictures, I'm going to be posting some of my pictures on here for you to enjoy (but please don't copy them). And I thought it would be fun to group them by color. So this week, the color is blue.

(taken out of an airplane window)

This is me, but I edited it to make it so I have blue eyes ;)

 

This reminds me of the verse: "The Heavens are declaring the glory of God!"  

 

I also thought of a little challenge for you all. Since all my pictures are blue (or mostly blue), I'd like to challenge you to come up with a quote from a song that has the word "blue" in it (just make sure to keep it wholesome). Also, feel free to use my idea - but please link back to me! :D

~Melody

The Grey Havens

This last Friday night, my brothers and I watched The Return of the King. I do think that one is my favorite of the three movies, though The Fellowship of the Ring is a close second (I don't like The Two Towers as much - too many battles). I always cry at the end, when they're parting at the Grey Havens. Just that look that Frodo gives the other hobbits... and the sadness in Sam's eyes...

Anyways, tears aside, seeing the scene of the Grey Havens got me thinking about heaven. Just like at the Grey Havens, there will be partings, even of friends. Thankfully, though, Sam also went to the Grey Havens towards the end of his life. So he and Frodo were together once more. But I'm sure for many of us, there are people that we know, even good friends, who are not Christians and will go to hell. That will be really horrible - knowing they're going to the worst place imaginable and can never escape! When you think of it that way, how can we keep from telling them about God's salvation? It's pretty much a life or death situation!

In the song, "Into the West", one of the lines is "White ships have come to carry you home." For Frodo, the elves, and Gandalf, they were going home. Middle Earth actually wasn't the elves' real home - and for Frodo, Middle Earth was a place where he could never truly be at peace. After all he had gone through, he was permanently scarred with the burden he had carried. So it is with us. This earth isn't our real home; we are citizens of heaven. Though we can experience God's peace here on earth, it will always be at war with our flesh. We are never truly whole until we come into the presence of the Almighty God and worship at His feet.

Thinking about heaven really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? It makes me want to witness to others and put aside my insecurity about how they will judge me. Because really, the way people view me here on earth isn't going to matter in heaven. What does it inspire you to do?

~Melody