Weather Woes and Other Such Things

Okay,
is it just me or does anybody else think that Indiana weather is the weirdest ever? Seriously, on Wednesday I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, totally ready to go outside and wade in the creek or something, and then yesterday I had to pull out my fleece because it was so cold! This morning it was 39 degrees...I'm sorry, but that is just not acceptable. The poor daffodils are like, "What happened?!" I feel so sorry for them...they waited all year to be able to pop up out of the ground and show off their dainty yellow petals, and then, "BAM!" they get blasted with marble-sized hail and then shiver in the cold. So sad.

My sister Sarah is off at the Hoosier Horse Fair this weekend, where she will spend her time shopping, watching horse training clinics, doing 4-H stuff, and eating pork BBQ sandwiches. Meanwhile, I'm working at the shop as usual. Today we completely switched around the back room and cleared off two tables. Tomorrow will probably be more of the same. I finally have gotten confident with the cash register, and rang up two sales yesterday all by my little self. That may seem a small feat to some people, but for me, it was a giant leap for Hannahkind.

That's the basic update I suppose...unfortunately, I have yet to think of a thrilling topic for a post. BUT, eventually, one shall be thought of, and there will be an entire, creative, thought-provoking, amazing post for you to read. Aren't you excited? You should be. I am. And I don't even know what I'm going to write about yet!

Oh, did I mention I finished Sense and Sensibility a few weeks ago? Ah, lovely book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ooh, also, this is fun: I also wrote an article for the Miniature Gazette, a magazine for dollhouse miniaturists across America. I was told to write about myself...so I wrote a 2-page article about-- well, my 'journey in miniature' I guess you could call it. No pressure, right? So this will be my first time getting published! It's pretty exciting. I shall finally, officially, go from 'writer' to 'author'. The difference being, of course, that an 'author' is actually published. :) Well, I suppose that's all for now. I must now say farewell.

--Hannah

Ahhh, life. Such an incredibly interesting thing, isn't it? Yes, quite. One could write for ages on how utterly interesting it is. It simply boggles ones mind.
Yes, completely.
I say, I'm sure that anyone who has lived recently will agree with me that life is indeed quite mind-boggling and incredibly interesting. For those of you who have not had the joy of experiencing the joys of life, you have my pity.

Yeah.
Really.
Anyway.

So my amazingly ninja friend Jessi spent spring break with us. And it was pretty much awesome! We went to Jungle Jim's (Which Sarah kept calling Jungle Joe's) which, if you didn't know, is like a super-humongous absolutely gigantic------drum roll please-----------



*Grocery store.*


Weren't expecting that, now, were you? No, seriously, it's pretty crazy awesome. They have an entire olive bar, an entire section of just butter from all over the world, a ton of cheese, some bigger than your head, AND a Starbucks. And that's just the beginning. They have sections with tons of food each from a specific country. We went to Italy and bought pasta and sauce, cut through Mexico past this random talking robotic dude named Pedro, then stopped at England for some candy. Om nom nom.

Other fun activities during Jess' stay were camping out in our Mom's vintage trailer, which was freezing most of the time, cooking random yumminess, bowling, jogging, shopping, and totally rocking out to Barlow Girl.

Sadly, Jess went home today, and Sarah's off at Purdue for the State Hippology Competition, so all is quiet on the home front. So, until something else thrilling happens, I remain sincerely yours,
--Hannah

Ah. It has happened again. No inspiration. How sad. Well, at times like this, there is simply nothing to do but post an interesting photo and write a few random paragraphs about how interesting it is. Except for one thing: No interesting photos have been found recently. So, now what? Well, in such circumstances, one can only use one's imagination. This will be good for you, get those brain cells rubbing together after a winter of letting them sit idle...no offense, or anything. Okay, look at this amazing photo of beautiful English countryside:
____________________________________


*amazing photo of beautiful English countryside,
including a lovely English manor,
complete with a barouche in the courtyard.
And a pasture of horses,
and a wishing well,
with magical sparkles floating around it,
and also a rabbit hopping about.*
_____________________________________

I love that photo. It's just so awesome! The lighting is fantastic. The manor looks very Jane Austen-ish. Speaking of her, I've actually started reading Sense & Sensibility. I'm at chapter 10, and thought I was like reading super-fast and would be done in no time till I realized the book has 50 chapters. It's an excellent book though, as you probably have heard. Reading it makes me feel very literary.

In that photo though, it's amazing how much detail is in it. Like you can actually see Big Ben in the distance if you look hard enough. And if you look up to the second-story window of the manor you can see Cinderella hanging out in her room, listening to her iPod and brushing her hair.

Speaking of hair, I don't think I've mentioned on here that I am growing out my hair to donate to Locks of Love. I still have like four inches to go before it's long enough to cut and send, so I'll probably look like Rapunzel for a while.

Oh, and by the way, a barouche is a fancy four-wheeled carriage they had back in the day. (Jane Austen will totally improve your vocabulary; it makes me feel smart when she uses a big word that I know. Like 'sanguine' or 'acquiescence'.)

Well...that's all for now. Oh and I do have copyright on that photo, so if you copy it, you will be fined 133,986,586,695 hundred, 83,445,63 thousand million dollars. Just so you know. :)

--Hannah

This picture is entirely unrelated to the subject of this post; but it is just a seriously awesome picture. I couldn't resist sticking it on here. This is like a visual of the mood I've been in lately (weird, I know, but true). It's hard to explain. Like very happy and bright and unexpected. VERY unexpected. :)

The real subject of the post you are reading is this: The Screaming Clementines.

"What?" you may think, "The subject of small orange-colored fruit crying out in distress is quite out of character for this Author."

But I must explain myself. The Screaming Clementines is, in fact, a 'chick band' in which I, your humble Author, play/sing in.

Now you are quite confused. "I say," you might... (erm,) say, "How utterly strange. I never would have guessed that this Author would be the type to be in a chick band."

But I beg to differ. You will be quite surprised to know that not only do I sing and play guitar, but I am learning to play drums as well.

I can just hear you gasp. "No! What on earth has become of the world?! Where innocent, quiet little Authors go and learn to play drums! How absolutely horrendous."

But anyway, I really must go and stop daydreaming about how my fictional prim-and-proper Victorian followers would respond to my life. I do think though, that they would be quite horrified. But I shall return again soon. Farewell, dear readers,

--Hannah

Snowball fights, guitar lessons, and the woes of being a Bluestocking.

Okay, yeah I know I haven't blogged in a while because of...life.

But, I assure you my time not spent blogging has been spent wisely.

?

Yeah, anyway, I had a really long tiring day, that ended in an even more tiring snowball fight with my sister. We weren't angry at each other or anything it's just that when the snow melts enough to make snowballs, you have to have a snowball fight. It's pretty much THE LAW. I mean, I go outside, test the snow, it's nice and sticky--yes!--I look around, 'Oh look, there's Sarah', smack! Actually, my aim isn't the greatest, so the first couple times I pretty much missed her entirely.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tomorrow will be way fun because Sarah and I are starting guitar lessons again, this time from an amazing guy named Dave...he is an awesome guitar player. He tuned my guitar in about 30 seconds; IT WAS INSANE. Sarah is also wanting me to learn to play piano, so we can start a chick band...with Dave. :)

Other than that...not much is happening around here.

On another subject, you cannot possibly comprehend the abuse I endure day after day. My family is under the impression that my use of what somewhat superfluous words is humorous. Today I was in the back seat of the truck, trying to reach a bag in the front seat. I was about a half an inch from reaching it. "Fail," my sister with the large vocabulary said. "Hmph," I replied. "This coat is restricting the natural length of my arms." And for some reason my dear mother and sister thought this terribly amusing.

Hmph.

One would think they would have better things to do with they're time than ridicule my speech.

But most unfortunately, though this post in quite short in comparison to others, I must leave you now to go view a film with my lovely family.

Farewell,

---Hannah

While I'm Waiting...

Psalm 37:34 (The Message)
‘Wait passionately for God, don‘t leave the path…”

I really like that. Everyone always thinks wait patiently for Him. Patience, patience. There comes a time in everyones life when the word ‘patience’ just really loses its appeal. I mean, just look at the definition:

Patience.
1. Capacity for waiting. The ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to perservere calmly when faced with difficulties.

Nothing in there really looks…well, like something you would use in the same sentence as ‘God’. I mean, do we really want to say, “Endure waiting for God without getting annoyed”?
That just doesn’t sound right to me. Waiting for God shouldn’t be something you have to endure, but something you can actually enjoy. It should be something you can have peace through, not have to persevere through. But if you look at the definition of passionate…

Passionate
1. showing intense emotion: expressing intense feeling
‘a passionate speech on human rights’

2. enthusiastic: having a keen enthusiasm or intense desire for something
‘a passionate equestrian’

3. having strong emotions: tending to have strong feelings, especially of love, desire, or enthusiasm
‘a fiery, passionate personality’

Well, that’s more like it! Instead of waiting with endurance, wait with enthusiasm! Some of you may think, “What’s wrong with endurance?” but do you know what the very first definition of ‘endurance’ is? “The ability to bear prolonged hardship.” Hardship?! Is waiting for God hardship? It shouldn’t be! Getting your legs amputated, that is hardship. Waiting for God? No.

Okay, okay, I’m not going to lie. Waiting for God can seem pretty difficult sometimes…especially if it’s a long wait. And it totally doesn’t help when everyone is like, “Oh, be patient, be patient, patience is a virtue.” Because we’ve only heard that 600,000,000,002 times…
But had someone told me, “Oh, be passionate.” Well, that would have caught my attention, to say the least. People say, “Be patient,” and whether they know it or not, they’re really saying, “Endure delay without becoming upset.” Is that really helping? Waiting on God should be a delight, not a delay.

I think that about wraps up my sermon for the night…True, in some cases the word ‘patient’ cannot be substituted, but as far as waiting for God is concerned, I’ll be waiting passionately. <3

On the Subject of Abnormal Normality

WARNING: The following post you are about to read may be surprisingly different from previous ones. With this knowledge, you may proceed to read this post. You have been warned.

There are numerous reasons why this post shall be different. Reason Number 1 would be that, considering the number of my followers consists of about 4, all being closely related to me, I should have free rein with my writing regardless of whether or not the topic is popular and/or politically correct. (Strike terror in your heart?) I should be able to state my opinions bluntly, without fear of some random person reading it and being offended.

Because honestly, what are they going to do?

Sign up to follow me, write a nasty comment and then not follow me anymore? Well, my friend, comments can be easily taken care of by that convenient little 'DELETE' button, which I have the power to control. (Moooowwaaahhahhhaha!!!) And secondly, I say without fear that the majority of people in the world are much too lazy to do such a thing. Should someone actually perform the above-mentioned scenario, I would most likely congratulate them on their achievement of overcoming the general slothfulness that so often ensnares the hearts of the people on this Earth.

Or else I would simply chuckle, press the before-mentioned legendary 'DELETE' button, and go on with my life and my writing.

Perhaps you are wondering what caused this sudden, wild, rebellion that is so uncharacteristic of your quiet and polite Author? Well, the answer to that could be many things. In fact, I had planned to start this little 'rebellion' as I imagined that you might call it; weeks ago. But the main reason I chose this early morning is that at present I am quite angry, which in my mind is the only state of mind one can have when starting a rebellion. Of course, mine is righteous anger, which I'm sure is a quite different emotion then those who rebelled before me.

But I shall not say what is the cause of my anger, but only go on the explain Reason Number 2 of this change.

You see, any normal, average, fearful and quiet person can write details of their normal, average, fearful and quiet life. But everyone else has a life just as normal. So what's the fun of reading about a normal life, when it is no different from your own? But there are some distinctly abnormal, unique, courageous, and magnificently noticeable people out there. And likewise, because of their singular personalities, the lives they lead are equally abnormal, unique, courageous, and noticeable. I can see you thinking, 'Man, I wish I could be one of those people. I wish my life were like that. But I'm just average, like everybody else'.

So now I am going to contradict myself. You see, there are very few of those unique and noticeable people in this world. But everyone is unique and noticeable. Confused? Well, let me explain. We are taught that normality is something to strive for. That if you don't want to be looked at funny or talked about too much, you should be normal, just like everyone else. But let's see the very first definition of 'normal':

nor⋅mal

1. Conforming to the standard or common type; usual, not abnormal, regular, natural.

Do you see that? Conforming to the standard! To 'conform' means 'to act in accord with the prevailing standards' or, 'to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.'

What I'm trying to say is that everyone is unique, or abnormal. But then the world tells them, "You have to be normal, or people will look at you funny, and talk about you behind your back". So they conform to the standard and become like everyone else.

But tell me, when did being abnormal become a bad thing? Why is it an insult to have someone say, "Oh, she's not normal."? If someone said that to me, I would say "Thank you! You're right, I'm abnormal." Because if being normal is conforming to the standard, being abnormal would be setting the standard. Am I right? What's wrong with that? And yes, if you're abnormal, people will look at you funny and talk about you behind your back. But in my experience, they look at you funny because they're trying to figure out what makes you different. What you have that they don't. And when they talk about you behind your back they're saying, "What is it about her that makes her stand out?"

It just seems so funny to me and yet so sad that people don't want to be abnormal, but then, living they're normal lives, they wish that they could have an interesting, adventurous life. But adventurous lives are for adventurous people. And adventurous people are the ones who escape what's normal.

Now I want you to notice something I wrote up there. One of the definitions of 'conform' is 'to act in accord with the prevailing standards' Do you see that? Prevailing standards. In this world, the standards are prevailing. The standards are becoming dominant, the standards exist everywhere, the standards are becoming superior, and the standards appear to be the most important.
But whose standards are those, God’s or the worlds? If the prevailing standards are the standards of the world, then as far as I'm concerned, the standards can go jump in a lake.

Inside everyone there is a unique, abnormal, noticeable heart. But the world will try to cover it up with standards and fear. Fear is always at the core of everything. If you can overcome fear, you can overcome the world.

There are those few who take the step, receiving that stamp of abnormality for all to see. But they are the ones who, straying from the standard path, find the most beautiful one. And though that path has many obstacles and setbacks, we realize that every obstacle we can overcome and every setback makes us stronger. The standard path is wide and easy, and the one we choose to take is narrow and difficult. But without difficulty there is no change, and without change, there is no growth.

So many people are stuck in the standard, with fear barring them in. Us abnormal ones have a job, breaking down the barriers that hold them back, helping them escape. In doing this, the world may think that we are the villains, breaking its fugitives out of jail, and daring them to think for themselves. But the real villain is anyone or anything that keeps someone from reaching their full potential, abnormal as it may be.

Those who keep people locked in the standard are operating in fear. Fear that, should they're prisoners escape; they might do bigger and better things then them.

And so now I say to you, overcome the fear. Dare to go down the narrow path. Escape the ordinary. Become abnormal. Deny the standard. Be yourself. Be free.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; (KJV)