"Stories wanted to be read."

Today I find my self sitting out side, on the swing, reading a book. While reading this book, I came across this passage:

"...(stories) without a human voice to read then aloud, or a pair of wide eyes

following them by flashlight beneath a blanket, they had no real existence in our world.

They were like seeds in the beak of a bird, waiting to fall to earth, or the notes of a

song laid out on a sheet, yearning for an instrument to bring their music into being.

They lay dormant, hoping for the chance to emerge. They could take root in the

imagination, and transform the reader. Stories wanted to be read... They needed it.

It was the reason they forced themselves from their world into ours. 

They wanted us to give them life."

-The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

I am not very far along in this book so I can't yet recommend that you read it but, I will say what little I have read is very good. 

As I was reading this I was taken on a journey. It gave books new meaning. It gave them life.

I am found reflecting.

Reflecting on how little I actually read. 

Four books a year at best.

I find that rather sad. 

I aspire to be a writer and yet I don't read books?

What is with that?

And to be frank. 

I wouldn't even know where to begin.

There are so many book.

Today after I dropped off my dad at the airport, my mom and I went to Borders to browse. After surveying the selections, I came out with two new book. One I am very pleased with. The other, however, I am not so pleased with. But, I will press on for another chapter and see if my opinion will change. 

With there being so many books to choose from...

...I would really love some suggestions.

What are your favorite books?

The long and winding road.

Upon arriving at our first destination, The Hanner's house, my sister and I found out that they had a golf cart. We were soooo excited! Before we knew it we were entrusted with the keys and we were off! We arrived at the Hanner's late sunday evening and so we could only ride for a little while. But, we had a blast!

Lindsay was kinda nervous. This was her first driving experience. Although, I think I should be the one nervous! 

After Lindsay's failed attempts to catch a lighting bug and the tragic death of a little frog we retired the golf cart for the evening and headed in for a late night swim. 

The next morning we were either in the pool or riding in the golf cart ALL DAY! 

Can you blame us... I mean look at this pool...

Diving board, slide, cool water, warm weather... yeah win,win,win! 

Lindsay and I had so much fun exploring on the golf cart that we wanted our parents to join in on the fun. Plus, Lindsay wanted to show off her driving skills (what little she had). 

There were only 2 seats and a little "bed" in the back. If you have ever seen a golf cart you know what I am talking about. So because of that we could only take one parent at a time. And because lindsay wanted to drive, I got stuck holding on for dear life in the back "bed." 

It really wasn't that bad. I actually enjoyed it. The view was fantastic, there was a lovely breeze, and because I was facing backward I didn't have to worry about bugs assaulting my face. 

As I was riding, looking at the beautiful georgia landscaping, I had a weird moment.

I found my self thinking about the Pioneers. I felt as if I was one of them. Riding in a uncomfortable, bumpy wagon. Looking back at vast land. Watching everything you know fading into the distance. Riding into the great unknown.

I can't even imagine how that would feel. Knowing that you would face a challenging and hard life. Knowing that you may not survive. And yet... you still get in the wagon. Nothing more then the promise of new land and a bible to help you thru.

When we think of heroes names like... Neil Armstrong... George Washington... Abraham Lincoln... and Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger come to mind. But, why do we never think about the Pioneers. To me they were some of the bravest people I know of. They advanced our boarders. They faced challenges head on. Plus, they were strong in their faith.

From now on, when I am asked "Who are some of your heroes?" I will make sure to include the Pioneers. 

Random Thoughts About Nothing.

Whoever said "doing nothing (or just sitting around) is a colossal waste of time" was plain and simply, wrong! I have found that 9 times out of 10 it is in these times of "doing nothing" that my best thinking in done. My mind often speaks the loudest when everything else is silent. The times of "doing nothing" are my times to recharge. My mind is clear, my body is still, and I am alone.

Fresh Air.

I have been at my second destination for 2 days now. I am so enjoying the fellowship!
The Fout's (our old friends from california) have a huge property! There are 3 barns, 1 chicken house, 1 garage, and a large house. On top of that they have a lake (with a dock), 3 chicken coops, a large wooded area, a 6000 sq. ft. garden, and not to mention all of their animals! Needless to say, there is a lot of fun stuff to do.

Even with all of this to entertain me, I find myself just sitting. Watching as the clothes on the clothes-line sway back and forth in the wind. Listening to the birds sing their melodious song. Smelling the fresh, clean, unspoiled air. Feeling the wind on my face.

 Lindsay (my sister) and the two oldest girls when on a walk thru the woods. They hope to find some good branches with which to make bows and arrows from. They invited me to come but, I declined.

All I want to do to stare at the beautiful and majestic land that lays before me.

In so many way I feel almost as if I am the main character of a book. I find my self narration my experiences as if reading them from a book. For instance this was my experience this morning: "As she walked down the creaky stairs she was pleasantly surprised to be hit by a gust of cool wind. This wind was a welcome change from the heat of the upstairs bedroom where she has been sleeping. As she walked down stairs she was even more pleasantly surprised to find that the cool air was not just a gust but, a steady stream.  Looking at the thermometer located on the back porch she found that the temperature was a lovely 70 degrees. This was a vast improvement from the previous day. Yesterday it had been 85 degrees with no wind at all."
You get the picture. Its weird and yet oddly fitting.

That atmosphere is very conducive to a creative mind. Words come so easily. Thoughts are so clear.

I am finally starting to understanding why they choose to live in the middle of nowhere. On a farm.

1.4.20.3.4.

Wonderful I must say.
Wonderful is the adventure that I am about to embark on.
Great is the road ahead.
Filled with promise.
An experience to be sure.

What is this magical journey I speak of?

I know what you must be thinking.
But, contrary to speculation
No: It is not my birthday.
No: I did not get my license.
No: I am not going to collage yet.

ITS BETTER! 


Its a road trip!!!!!
Can you say EPIC?!?!


My family is loading up the van and heading off.
We will be gone for one whole month. The end destination is Decatur, Illinois but, we are going to make 3 stops along the way. 

          1. In Georgia to see some friends who went to collage with my parents.
          2. In Ohio to see old friends from California who we haven't seen in 5 years.
          3. In Indiana to go to Trader Joe's. THE BEST GROSERY STORE EVER!!


1 car.
4 people.
20+ hours of driving.
3 stops.
4 weeks of fun!

5. Candy. Lullabies. That's all I can remember.

It is freakin' 5 in the morning and I still haven't fallin' asleep!
I have tried everything for 7 hours.
Lights on. Lights off.
Music. No music.
Fan. No Fan.
Heavy blankets. Light sheets.
You get the point.
My eyes are puffy from exhaustion
My brain won't turn off.
My thoughts are whizzing about.
I feel like an adhd kid in a candy store.
Overwhelmed!
I can't even keep my eyes open.
Yet they won't shut.
The best part about this... I have to get up at 9 to be at the doctors by 10.
Yep.
Sleep why do you allude me?
Why are you aloof?
I guess its time to break out Plumb.
Its like children's lullabies on steroids, for adults.
Look her up on itunes.
Plumb don't fail me now!
AHHHHH!!!
What in the world is going on?!?!
Am I getting punked?
Prediction time. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day!
Coffee? I think yes.
Oh Lord!
What did I do???
Tell me?
I'll take it back!
Just please send down sleep.
I want to dream.
Oh.... to dream.

An ABAB pattern.

As of last, I have found myself drawn to poetry.
No rhyme or reason for this.



Here is a list of some of my favorite poems currently.
(In no particular order)

1. "Sonnet 116" - William Shakespeare
2. "The Road Not Taken" - Robert Frost
3. "Richard Cory" - Edwin Arlington Robinson
4. "The Red Wheelbarrow" - William Carlos Williams
5. "Sonnet 18" - William Shakespeare 
6. "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" - Emily Dickinson
7. "Annabel Lee" - Edgar Allan Poe
8. "Sonnet 43" - Elizabeth Barrett Browning
9. "Poetry" - Marianne Moore

The fantastic thing about these particular pieces of poetry is the depth they have. You have to read them several times, chew on the ideas, and sometimes use a dictionary to fully understand, or at least better grasp, they works of art. 

While compiling this list, I re-read each of these wonderful poems. And somehow I felt refreshed. If you take the time to read just one, you will understand why I love them so. 

"I'm under arrest for what?"

I saw this article the other day and loved it!!! 

---------------------------------------

I’m Under Arrest for What? Fifty Bizarre U.S. Laws

By: Annie Tucker Morgan 

Alabama
It’s illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.

Alaska
Whispering in someone’s ear while he’s moose hunting is prohibited.

Arizona
Cutting down a cactus may earn you a twenty-five-year prison term.

Arkansas
It’s illegal to mispronounce the name of the state of Arkansas.

California
You may not eat an orange in your bathtub.

Colorado
It’s unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor (Denver).

Connecticut
A pickle cannot actually be a pickle unless it bounces.

Delaware
It’s illegal to get married on a dare.

Washington, D.C.
It’s against the law to post a public notice calling someone a coward for refusing to accept a challenge to duel.

Florida
If you tie an elephant to a parking meter, you must pay the same parking fee as you would for a vehicle.

GeorgiaIt’s illegal to change the clothes on a storefront mannequin unless you draw the shades first.

Hawaii
All residents may be fined for not owning a boat.

Idaho
A man must not give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing fewer than fifty pounds.

Illinois
It’s illegal to take a French poodle to the opera (Chicago).

Indiana
The value of pi is 4, and not 3.1415.

Iowa
One-armed piano players must perform for free.

Kansas
It’s illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits (Natoma).

Kentucky
Every citizen is required to take a shower once a year.

Louisiana
Biting someone with your natural teeth constitutes simple assault, but biting someone with your false teeth classifies as aggravated assault.

Maine
If you keep your Christmas decorations on display after January 14, you’ll be fined.

Maryland
It’s against the law to wash or scrub a sink, no matter how dirty it is (Baltimore).

Massachusetts
No gorilla is allowed in the backseat of any car.

Michigan
A woman may not cut her own hair without her husband’s permission.

Minnesota
It’s illegal to paint a sparrow with the intent of selling it as a parakeet (Harper Woods).

Mississippi
Walking a dog without dressing it in diapers is forbidden (Temperance).

Missouri
Children may buy shotguns in Kansas City, but not toy cap guns.

Montana
It’s a felony for a wife to open her husband’s mail.

NebraskaBar owners may not sell beer unless they brew a kettle of soup simultaneously.

Nevada
It’s illegal for men with mustaches to kiss women.

New Hampshire
It’s forbidden to sell the clothes you’re wearing to pay off a gambling debt.

New Jersey
It’s against the law for a man to knit during the fishing season.

New Mexico
Females may not appear unshaven in public.

New York
While riding in an elevator, you must talk to no one, fold your hands, and look toward the door.

North Carolina
It’s against the law to sing off-key.

North DakotaIt’s illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

Ohio
You must honk the horn whenever you pass another car, according to the state’s driver’s education manual.

Oklahoma
It’s forbidden to take a bite out of another person’s hamburger.

Oregon
State law requires dishes to be drip-dried.

Pennsylvania
It’s illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors.

Rhode Island
You may not bite off another person’s leg.

South Carolina

If a man promises to marry an unmarried woman, he is required by law to keep his promise.

South Dakota
It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory.

Tennessee
Selling hollow logs is strictly forbidden.

Texas
You may not shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.

Utah
It is illegal not to drink milk.

Vermont
Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

VirginiaTickling a woman is unlawful.

Washington
It’s illegal to pretend that one’s parents are wealthy.

West Virginia
If you make fun of someone who does not accept a challenge, you risk a six-month prison sentence.

WisconsinUnless a customer specifically requests it, margarine may not be substituted for butter in a restaurant.

Wyoming
Unless you have an official permit, you may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April.

This Court Is AdjournedWhew! With all this legislation, it’s a wonder we’re not all sharing a prison cell right now. Granted, something tells me the Los Angeles Police Department has bigger fish to fry than popping people who dare to eat oranges while bathing, and that most people who saw me catching some shut-eye on top of a fridge in Pennsylvania wouldn’t call the cops on me, but you never know when you might come across that rare whistle-blower who wants you persecuted to the fullest extent of the law, so it’s probably better to be safe than sorry. The next time I tie up my elephant at a parking meter in Florida, I’ll be sure to bring a pocket full of quarters.

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22323/99603-i-m-arrest-what-fifty-bizarre

Sleeplessness.

I hate those night where you close you eyes at 11 p.m. and open them expecting the clock to say 11:04 p.m. but, instead you are shocked to find the clock actually reads 10:00 a.m. It has been eleven hours and it passes by in the blink of an eye.

You don't feel rested.
You don't feel refreshed.
You feel more worn out.
You feel more tired.

Is there a name for this?

This has been going on for, what feels like, forever.
7 Days actually.
1 week.

Its almost like a never ending day.
My question.
Will it ever end?

Free Write

The teacher wants us to write.

"Write about whatever comes into your mind," she says.

But when my mind is blank, what then?

She's reading a poem now...

I think.

"I'm often straying. . . I have a failure to use. . . thy glory is. . ." etc.

I must be dumb, because I don't know what any of that means!

So for now, I will write about... nothing...

Is this what free writing means?

I feel like a crazed lunatic;

or like the writer of Frankenstein. Always questioning what the point is to anything.

But I am not really like that,

honest I'm not.

Just for now, as this assignment goes on, I sit here.

At a loss for words.

Not because I have too many words,

but because I have no words.

In time, I may become better at this. . . but for now I just sit here.

Wondering what to write. . .

Yes, Summer!

Oh... after the days of sitting in a classroom listen to a teacher drown on and on about what a molecule is or having listening to a story that I have heard a thousand time there is still something that makes me cringe even more.

It is the fact that after I have endured through that torture it still does not end. I can't just leave the classroom and be done with it. No! It couldn't just leave my life forever, it had to follow me! It would be just my like that my teacher would make me write a paper about molecules. Not only did I hear about molecules for the whole class period I also was forced to go home and do more research about stupid molecules. 

Don't get me wrong, I love school! I love my classes, I love my teachers, and I love what I am learning! But, its the homework that kills me! 

Sometimes I feel like I am being haunted! Haunted by the horror of homework! I can't turn on the T.V. without thinking "I should be doing homework!" My laziness wins out in the end and I sit there and start at the "tube" as my dad would say. 

Oh.. homework... WHY... why oh why must you be in my life? I am sure there must be a logical reason but, at this time I can't think of one. 

Well I must end here. I leave you. And I am left to decipher the motive behind giving homework!

------

Thank the Lord its summer! 

An Island Away...

To escape writing I write. 

I write in an informal way. 

No rules. No structure. 

I just let my heart and my emotions spill over on to the page. 

I don't know what will come out.

I never plan ahead.

I just type and hope for the best.

Sometimes I write gibberish.

Sometimes I write something inspirational.

Sometimes I write something that doesn't have any other uses than to just occupy time. 

Most of what I write will never be seen or heard.

I write to escape.

Escape the daily toils of life.

The low or high expectations that haunt me.

The assignments that I can't understand.

Just escape. 

When I write, that is when I am not forced to write in a particular way, I feel at home.

When my fingers stop tapping at the keys and I am truly satisfied with the words before me...

...I feel at home.

It feels rights. 

I can honestly say that I don't care if others like it.

I love it!

Can you hear me???

In my heart and my soul I know God is real! But sometimes my head tells me otherwise.

On days like today my head sometimes wins out and I allow myself to question God's value of my life and his involvement in it.

On a day when everything goes wrong, when your stuck between a rock and a hard place, when you wanna scream and you can't, and days when you have to keep still so you don't rock the boat, all you want is to pray to God and hear his voice or to feel his presence but, all you get is a silence.

The haunting kind of stillness that makes you wish it was hours earlier when the volcano of craziness erupted. The kind of silence that makes you feel alone. Like your only company is your echoing voice.

All day the only thing you've wanted was to run away from if all and go to sleep. Now that your away, you hate it. You think "If only God would answer me."

Eventually you close your eyes and drift off in to sleep and the whole experience seams far off and distant.

These are the days when I ask the question... "Can you hear me???"

Ink and trees.

Through colorful vernacular and vivid imagery a book becomes no longer words on a page, it becomes a story and it takes on a life of it's own. A good book makes you feel like you are apart of the action and the romance. You are no longer just on observer but, a participant. The ideas and themes presented in novels strike a chord with our emotions and challenges our intellect. It causes us to think and feel. The characters written aren't some impersonal, unreliable being. They are deep, rich characters with heart, soul, and personality. They often are so real that you, yourself could envision them walking down the street. By the end of a book you feel as if you know them and those characters have become you best friends. You know almost everything about them. And what you don't know, you make up. Most characters that we are drawn to, in great works of literature, embody qualities that we wish we had ourselves.

One author can achieve all of this with two ordinary and simple things.
A pen and a paper.
I hope to one day to be an author and to achieve such things.
I have a pen and I have a piece of paper... I am on my way.

Open Ended Questions.

Have you ever been surrounded by people and all you want to do is be by yourself but, when you finally are by yourself all you want is to be surrounded by people?
Did you ever crawl under a rock with the intention of hiding from the world yet, every night you secretly pray that someone would find you?
Do you ever scream out, in a way that you think is so obvious, yet no one notices?
Does your heart ever feel like its bleeding?
Like some one took it and threw it up against a wall, while you stood back and watched it shatter.
Am I talking to no one or am I preaching to the choir?

I can't keep my eyes open yet... I keep typing. Typing away. And to what effect? Will anyone ever read these word? Could it be that I am just typing to keep myself awake? Or could there be another reason? Is it because someone out there in cyberspace needs to read the words that have been typed? Will I ever know for sure?