2009 Reflection...

Two-thousand and nine has been a year of good and bad experiences in my life. My year started off horribly with the death of my Great Uncle Jerry (whom I was very close to), only a month after his mother’s death, my Great-Grandma. Also, Barack Obama was sworn into office. In February I finished a major scene in my novel, and also celebrated my parents’ fifth anniversary.  In March the Twilight DVD was released. In April I had my Ohio Achievement Tests. In May I went to the state Power of Pen competition. In June I turned thirteen and went to Myrtle Beach. In July I finished draft one of my novel. In August I returned back to school and As You Wish and Blood Promise were released. I also began re-writes of my novel (draft two). In September I learned about Leanna Renee Hieber and her novel The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, and I also met Ms. Hieber. Also, Catching Fire and Bran Hambric: The Farfeild Curse were released. I also went though the ten year anniversary of my mom’s death. In October nothing huge happened except for Halloween. In November I had a mini meet for POP and New Moon came out in theaters. In December I had a mini meet for POP at my school and scored first, I received the news that I had made the traveling team for POP, and of course Christmas passed.



That’s just a brief summary. Let’s run through some highlights.

Let’s start with going to the state Power of the Pen. It was an honor to be chosen to go, well, I wasn’t ‘chosen’ I qualified. My friend who went with me, the only other one, did the math and figured out that we had to be in the top 7% of writers in Power of the Pen to make it that far. It was truly an amazing experience and I’m going to try my hardest to make it back there this year. I would seriously consider going to college at the College of Wooster, but Ohio State will always be my first pick.

Next, finishing draft one of my novel was a huge experience for me. I cannot even explain to you the feeling that overcame me when I finished that last sentence--that last word. I suppose it’s something you would only know the feeling of if you’ve actually gone through the same thing. The idea that I can actually say ‘I’ve written a novel!’ was something that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. Then starting rewrites a little less than a month later was very exciting. So far, I don’t have much to show for four months writing (about 100 pages…), but I’m really liking where the story is going now and I really like the changes I’ve made. (Oh, by the way, the day that I finished my novel is the same day Jane Austen died…weird, huh?)

Perhaps one of the most major perks to this year has been meeting Ohio author, Leanna Renee Hieber, and reading her book. Ms. Hieber has given me so much encouragement and faith in writing that I truly do feel better and more comfortable in my writing and sharing it with people. As I’ve said, she has set the standards high for Ohio writers…which would happen to include me. Truly, the only Ohio author I knew of was Sharron Draper, and Leanna Renee Hieber is so much more of a better author in my opinion. I love how she writes and what her stories are about. And I most absolutely LOVE Alexi Rhychman. I recently ran into Ms. Hieber’s mom at the book store while buying Strangely Beautiful for my teachers, which was a cool experience. I hope that one day I can send my book to Leanna Renee Hieber and I hope that it makes her as happy as her book has made me.

Seeing New Moon in theaters on opening day was amazing and the movie was so much better than Twilight. New Moon left me with the impression that it was a ‘real’ movie whereas Twilight was more like…a ‘small-not-really-important-totally-underestimated-the-attention-it-would-get-film’. My love for Robert Pattinson as a person and actor grew with watching that movie. He’s truly talented and I can’t wait to see him do other movies outside of the Twilight Saga.

Placing first at the Power of the Pen mini meet at my school gave me an extra boost in my confidence that I really needed. It told me that I really can be good. I went into that meet thinking that if I didn’t place at this meet that there was no way that I would make the traveling team, therefore I wouldn’t go to districts, regionals, or state. I kept telling myself that whatever happened that night was God’s will and all I could do was give it my best. Then receiving the letter on Tuesday the 22 that said that I had made the traveling team was just like “Yes! You did it!”. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Of course bad things have happened this year, but I’d rather not go into detail about them--just because I want this to be a reflection of good things.

I guess I should probably mention the people who everyday give me support and love. My parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, and siblings, of course. My writing mentor, JoAnne. My friends and teachers. Leanna Renee Hieber. My Power of the Pen coaches Mrs. Gottfried and Ms. Davis. And most importantly God and Jesus.

Truth be told, 2009 has been a whirlwind. It seems like just yesterday that I was at this time of year and reflecting on last year. I hope you’ll all continue to read my blog and be a part of my life this next year as you have been this year. Not only is this the end of the year--it’s the end of the decade! Can you believe it? I hope that God will bless you and your family and I hope that you and your family have a wonderful and blessed 2010.

With eternal love and blessings, (for the last time in 2009/this decade)

Officially Inspired

Christmas In Re-cap...

Tomorrow I will be posting a 2009 reflection, so today I guess I need to post my Christmas re-cap.

I woke up early and realized that Santa had brought me a new phone!   I got the LG Zenon!  From my parents I got some clothes, some Twilight stuff, How To Be, some books, and the Wii Fit!  My Uncle and cousin came over and from them I got the New Moon Movie Compainion, blank CDs, and CD slips.  I went to my Grandma's house and my Gandparents gave me a coat and gloves, a shirt, and a pair of jeans.  My Aunt and Uncle gave me a New Moon blanket and a new cardboard cut out of Rob!  I went to my other grandma's house and I got some New Moon shirts, a New Moon Edward Cullen action figure, the Edward and Bella Twilight Barbie dolls, the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe, the complete works of Jane Austen, some bracelets, the New Moon calendar, the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie, and an ornament.

Wow, that was a lot quicker than I thought it would be.  I also got some pens and sharpies. :D

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

How Many of Us?

(As promised...)

New Years has been celebrated

The snow has all cleared

The spring flowers have died

The summer storms have brewed and left.

Autumn leaves have fallen

And Beggar’s Night has passed.

Thanks have been given

Black Friday has been shopped

And now ‘tis Christmas Time.

But how many of us remember

The true meaning of it?

The answer, I’m sure,

Would shock you.

How many of us say

“Merry Xmas” in our haste?

If we remembered the meaning

We would never take

Christ out of Christmas.

It’s not about the presents or the snow

It’s not about Santa or even the tree

Christmas is a celebration

Of Christ, our savior’s birth

And all of the opportunities

His sacrifices gave us.

The chance to be with

Family and friends

At this hallowed and blessed

Time of year.

So why do we make

Santa our icon of Christmas?

When in fact ‘tis Christ

Who is real and to be celebrated?

But soon New Years will have been celebrated

The snow will have all cleared

The spring flowers died

The summer storms brewed and left

Autumn leaves fallen

And Beggar’s Night will pass.

Thanks will be given

Black Friday shopped.

And we shall meet back here

On Christ’s birthday once more.

Christmas.

Newfound Love

For Christmas this year I asked for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as well as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  So I got Jane Austen's complete works (as well as Edgar Allen Poe's) but I also got the movie of Pride and Prejudice (the one with Kira Knightly) and I absolutely adore Mr. Darcy!  I've seen pictures of the other Mr. Darcy from later movies, but I think Matthew Macfadyen is the cutest by far!    I'm totally in love with the story (and Mr. Darcy) so I'm probably going to start the novel soon. 

I was recently on another blog that I follow (Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops) and noticed that she has a log of all the books she reads in a year.  I'm going to do that.  Just to see what books I read and exactly how many I read in a year.  2010 is going to be a very fun year, I think, and it's going to be full of my favorite thing--change.  But, so far, the changes I see coming are pretty good ones. 

Yes, dear readers, I am well aware I have yet to post How Many of Us? but it's not on this computer--it's on my laptop--or I would post it today.  I'll post it tomorrow and then Tuesday (or the next post) will be telling you what I got for Christmas.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Christmastime...

Today is Christmas Eve, as you're surely well aware.  I could go into what Christmas means to me, but to be honest the list is so long that I don't have enough time to share that with you.  I just wanted to post a quick article to wish you  and your family a very Merry Christmas and I hope that you remember what Christmas is truly about.

Not about the presents or the tree.  Not about Santa or snow.  Not about shopping or giving the best present.  And it's not about having the most decorated house on the block or sending out the cutest Christmas cards.  It's about Christ's birth and everything his sacrifices gave us.  And it's about being with family to celebrate these opportunites and to become closer as Christ would want us to be.  Not fighting over the little things.

Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas Eve and Christmas.

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired 

Oh-Wait-that's MY name?!?

So yesterday my school hosted a mini meet for Power of the Pen--which I was totally excited about and totally nervous about (it was my last chance to make the Traveling Team--kinda)!  So when we went to round one of writing, we were given this prompt:

Seeing is believing.  Use this as the central theme of your narrative.

Immediately I loved it!  But then I thought--now everyone is going to write about Santa.  I should probably put the Santa idea back in my vault and write about vampires or something.  But then it also occured to me that the judge isn't going to want a Twilight repeat.  She's probably sick of vampires by now.  So back to the Santa idea I went.  My pen was ablaze as I wrote about a 16 year old girl who didn't believe in Santa anymore.  But on the night of Christmas Eve she wakes to the sound of hooves on the roof.  She runs outside and Santa is on her roof.  She doesn't believe it's Santa, she thinks he some kind of clever Christmas robber or something.  She climbs up on the roof and finds it is Santa.  But he's yound, skinny, and has jet black hair.  He tells her that the image of Santa was created so faulsly so that he could live with humans without being noticed.  His workshop is really a popular toy store.  Ever heard of Toys 'R' Us?  He's 16 too.  Been that way since 201BC.  And they fall in love.

Describe what happens when enemies are forced to work together.

This was our second promt.  Again a genaric idea came to mind about two school girls, but I quickly pushed it out of mind.  Instead I wrote about a girl having to cook Christmas dinner with her witch of a mother-in-law.  Her mother-in-law yells at her for everything she does, no matter what.  She snaps and decides to leave, but her husband convinces her to stay.  So when they all sit down for dinner and uncover the food, everything is as dark as Snow White's hair--it looks like burnt charcoal.  Everything is silent, but then she and her mother-in-law start cracking up.  Neither of them really knew why they were laughing, but it didn't matter.  All she knew was that her mother-in-law was no longer her worst enemy.

So, my Santa story won Best of Round 1.  Scoring a 1--97 quality points.  Story number two scored a 1--98 quality points.  Giving me FIRST PLACE FOR THE EIGTH GRADE!  When they called my name for Best of the Best my jaw dropped and my heart stopped.  It took me a minute to realize that they had called my name.  So I jogged up there and got my journal and my coach's dad gave a little speech about my story and I sat down.  They announced 8-1st place for 7th grade.  And then 8th grade.  They got all the way to 2nd place, and I knew I wasn't getting 1st.  But then they called my name.  It still took me a minute to realize that they had called my name.

My reading teacher from last year was there (she took a year off to be with her new baby) and she knew I had gotten first because she worked in the judging room.  She said she had to stay to watch my reaction.  My librarian was there too.

My parents and siblings were there and I recieved this trophy: (sorry not a great picture--lighting's bad.

The picture at the top is of my Best of Round journal.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

P.S.  Leanna Renee Hieber, if you by chance read this--I have your newspaper copy, I just need to send it to you.

Snowflakes...

Snowflakes

Hanna

We are each unique

As we land here on Earth

A destiny all our own

Ever since birth.

Sometimes we’re small

And sometimes we’re not

Delicate and frail

Intricate and wrought.

Little cold flakes

Amount to so much

Perhaps that was God’s plan

The way he made us and such.

Like the snow that falls each winter

We are each unique in our own way

Alone we are but a beautiful flower

But together we’re a magnificent bouquet.

As we fall,

Each a gift from God

We land on Earth

Which, at first, is quite odd.

A lot of adjusting,

As you’re well aware

But it’s all quite worth it

Though life’s not fair.

Our icy beings

But warm hearts

Who we are

Sets us apart.

One of a kind

Never the same

As if we’re finger prints

Or a full name.

Each a treasure

As we fall from the Lord above

We meet new friends

And we’re always loved.

We cannot change the world

All on our own

But together we can

And, my, how we’ve shone!

Yes we may but be small snowflakes

Here on God’s big Earth

Be He has a destiny for us

Ever since birth.

This is one of the two Christmas feeling poems that I wrote this year.  I hope you enjoyed it!  The other poem will be posted soon.  It is called How Many of Us? and is a free-verse poem.  Please let me know what you think of this piece! 


Well, I must get back to writing--though I won't say what I'm going to be writing because it's actually a surprise for someone who may or may not read this post but the might is what keeps me from saying.  I should shut up now before I say too much, no?

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Read my post...

Hey!  I posted a new post on my brother's blog http://www.swosports.blogspot.com/ You should check it out.

I also made the new logo/blog header at the top of his page.  Here's a look at it:

So anyway, I really like how it turned out. :D 

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

I lied...

If you'll recall back to my post about seeing New Moon on opening day I said that I couldn't wait until June 10th, 2010 which I said was Eclipse's release date.  Well, I was wrong.  So far I've heard June 10th, June 23, and June 30th.  Well--the official release date of Eclipse the movie is June 30th, 2010.  Here's how I know for sure:

<--Please note the June 30, 2010 printed here.

So there you have it.  I don't have much more to say than that.  I just thought I should let you all know incase you're relying on me to know when to get your tickets or something.  Which, why would you?  lol.  But June 30th is the release date!  I'll be back from Myrtle Beach just in time to go see it!!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Christmas Feelings...

<-- "Snow Flowers" by me. :D

So, I'm a Christian, so I naturally celebrate Christmas. Which, I'm sure you're well aware, is coming up. Every year around Christmas time I get certain feelings that I am never sure how to express--and I'm not sure I'll ever find a way to do that truly. I'm working on a 'poem' and so far, I'm liking it. I'll post it here when I'm done with it.


Last year, however, I wrote something called The First Snow--a year ago yesterday to be exact. I'm going to paste it here, just for you to read. I have no hopes of publishing this truly, so spread it around to your friends and family if you want--but try to get the message from it. It's a short passage, so it won't be too time consuming, but I think the little time you take to read it, will be well worth it.

The First Snow

Hanna

The snow started falling in blissful patterns. Lightly then harshly. Flakes then puffs. As I walked outside I could feel the chill of the morning creep upon me. I could see the puffs of my breath. Winter was here and along with it came the first snow fall of the season. I bundled my coat tighter and rubbed my hands together forcing more circulation into them. I got into my car and turned the heat on high. As I drove off to work the sun's bashful beams came timidly from behind a cloud that looked as though it was made up from thousands upon thousands of the purest snowflakes.

By the time that I had reached my office the snow was glistening with the sun upon it. I was awestruck by this. All I could do was stare out my office window.

That was when I realized it. The snow was so peaceful compared to this chaotic world. In a world where wars rage and people fight, where people die at the hands of their peers, where we lose dears ones to diseases with no cure, where children's parents neglect them so much they must beg for food, where people, good people, lose their jobs because the company can't afford to pay them anymore. And then there's snow.

The snow comes and goes as it pleases. It doesn't need worry about the little things the we humans do everyday. It's blissfully happy as it is. There was a time, I'm sure of it, when we were, too, like the snow. Maybe centuries ago, but what changed? What happened to make us like we are now? Blood thirsty, power seeking, money greedy, people? Not that all of us are that way, of course.

So what does the snow represent to me? It represents hope that one day we will return to being like the snow and all wars will end along with all fights. Maybe one day we need not fret over the little things and rejoice over the important things.

Why do I feel this way?

Because snow brightens our world.


Maybe one day we will be snow.

© Copyright 2008 HannaTheWriter (UN: hannathewriter at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
HannaTheWriter has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.

Musings...

Okay, so I'm not exactly sure what I wanted to post about today--I just felt I needed to because I haven't posted in a while.  To be honest, I can't remember my last post off of the top of my head which tells me that it's been a bit too long.  Hmm...that's really going to bother me until I can remember it...Hang on, I need to see. *Opens a new Internet Window*  Whoa!  It's been since Thanksgiving!  (A week and one day ago!) That's quite a while--still not breaking my amazing record of I can't remember the total.  

Like I was saying, I'm not sure what to post about mainly because I haven't had a whole lot going on.  Writer's Block, fighting with Mr. Brunk, hanging with family, reading--same old, same old.  But I did start a new book, which I feel guilty about because I still haven't been able to push through the Bill O'Reilly book, nor have I yet to finish Seer of Shadows by Avi.  But we had a book talk at school yesterday and The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan happened to be on the list and (I'm going to go against everything I've ever believed in...) since I saw the preview for the movie--I had to read this book!  So, I'm going to read it.  I'm on chapter 4 and so far, it is hilarious and I love it!  There's just one problem with this--it's a series, so I'll probably have to read those books after I finish this one.  Plus add the other books from the book talk to my list of multiple books to read.  *Sigh* The life of a reader.

I got my mid-term today!  I can't believe we're already half way through the second quarter!  I got straight A's.   Yay me!  We also went to our local career center today and that was really cool.  We got to see the labs of different programs and some of them are really great opportunities--but I'm not sure if they're really for me.  The Teaching program seems really great, but teaching isn't my main career goal now.  It's writing.  Although, there's not program I can take that's writing (journalism maybe...but...still...) and there's no degree that qualifies you to publish--or for that matter--that promises you publication.  So...If I did go to the career center--I would go for teaching, and that's what I'd go to college for--but I wish there was something that offered a creative writing lab at the junior and senior level instead of waiting until college.  But teaching would be a great fall back, and it's something I think I'd enjoy.  But writing shall always come first because that's what makes me who I am. 

So, since this post has been very...random, I'm just going to pick a random picture to go with it.  Ah, I do love this picture of Rob.  It's actually on a button I have and that's actually what lead to the 'fight with Mr. Brunk'.  Ha-ha.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired