A Visit From A Friend

SOME of you have been looking forward to this post for awhile... Sadly, life has kept me busy up until now. :(
But hey, I finally had some time and decided to give you the long expected post.

Saturday morning...October 17th...
Our family cleaned our home, cleaned Dad's study/the guest room, cleaned the bathrooms EXTRA well, and got food prepared for the next morning.
Emily McConnell was on her way to visit us!

Emily and I
right before our "Good bye".

I had been eagerly awaiting her arrival (Emily will tell you how we counted down weeks, days, and hours) for a LOONNGG time.

It was SO fun to finally meet her face-to-face and get to really know her! I mean, actually talking to a PERSON, not just e-mailing a girl you've seen pictures of is completely different! And MUCH better in my opinion! She was able to show me her Mornelly siblings in better detail and I was able to show her some of my characters for a future book...you all will hear more on THAT later... Also she brought some fascinating WWII espionage books that are now on hold at our library for me to read! ;)

I know I'm making you all jealous now. *sheepish grin*

Sunday morning she was able to go to our church! I dragged her around and introduced her to all my friends (except one who was down in California at the time...and very disappointed that she would miss meeting Emily) and then took her on a tour of our house and woods, as well as some various neighbors. And yes, she got jam from the Kernans. (Inside joke to those of you who have met the Kernans. Jesseca will understand...her family also got some jam from them. ;P)

Ironically, we were having such a great time talking and showing each other characters and books that we only took one picture together. And that was right before she left!

Sorry to you guys... :(

I really meant to take more.

Anyways, we had a fantastic time!

Emily will probably tell you her perspective soonish, so I won't spoil everything by giving you ALL the details. ;)

God bless you Emily! It was so cool to meet you! (And your brother and sister. B-)

A Hobbit House

Ok, I have to apologize about this post. It is WAAAYY over due. September 19th...as in almost a month ago...some of my siblings and I went to The Brother's Greenhouse  in Port Orchard (you can visit the link by clicking on the name) with mom for a surprise visit of their Hobbit House!

Isn't it adorable? ;)

 
We had a lot of fun going inside the Hobbit House, taking pictures, besides exploring all the exotic plants and trees they grow there at the greenhouse.

A couple hobbits posing for me.
(Actually, these are my little brothers Sam and William)

Another posed picture of the inside of the Hobbit House.

Sam, who I nicknamed "Sam Gamgee", stoking the fire.

ALMOST the perfect height for me! ;)

Also, it was my little sister (well, she's not so little now) Tabitha's twelfth birthday! So this was a special treat for her. :)

Mom and the birthday girl! ;)

There was even a mini Hobbit House inside the gift shop that was even more cute than the big Hobbit House! (If such a thing could be possible) I almost wished I could shrink to the size of a large beetle and make it my home! ;)

Tiny, but adorable... ;) Wish it was life sized. *sigh*

Group Photo!

 

All in all, it was a really fun outing! I would love to go again at some point. We had a blast! :) Again, sorry for this post being a little late. I'll try to get you some more updates on life later.

 

Besides...I have a surprise post up my sleeve for sometime next week, so come back soon! B-)

 

God bless you all!

THE ANSWERS!!!

Any one else excited?? ;P Once again, you guys all did really well. I was impressed how many you got right despite some of them being a little vague. ;) Nice job to everybody!

Here are the promised answers:

Little House on the Prairie
1. "A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small babies, or perhaps not even born..."

Misty of Chincoteague
2. "A wild, ringing neigh shrilled up from the hold of the Spanish galleon."

Pride and Prejudice
3. "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

The Bible (or Genesis works as well)
4. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

The Silver Flower
5. "It all began when..."

The Hobbit
6. "In a hole in the ground there lived..."

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
7. "Once there were four children whose names were..."

A Wrinkle in Time
8. "It was a dark and stormy night."

Robinson Crusoe
9. "I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country..."

The Red Badge of Courage
10. "The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting."

Thistle the Dragon
11. "Once upon a time there lived a dragon. His name was..."

Mary Poppins
12. "If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the policeman at the cross-roads."

The Pilgrims Progress
13. "As I walked through the wilderness of the world, I came to a place where there was a den."


And here is how you all did! (Remember, each correct answer is worth 10 "points")

Anonymous: 40
Lydia Scott: 60
Faith P.: 20
Blessing Counter: 50
Sarah Eddy: 80
Rebekah: 50

And this means that my book nerd sister Sarah "won". And Lydia Scott came in as a close second! Like I said before, you all did a FANTASTIC job! :) I know I wouldn't have done nearly as well!

Would you be interested in doing it again?

God bless!

Fantastic Beginnings: The Contest

After an unanimous "yes, do this game" from all you, here it is: the Fantastic Beginnings Game as created by yours truly.
For those of you who didn't read my last post, here are the rules:

1: Read all story beginnings. (They would be numbered for your convenience)
2: Decide which book you think they came from. (Give a title next to the number of the story's beginning in your comment)
3. Publish your comment. (I would not publish any of the comments until the contest "time" was over.)
4: Each correct answer will be worth 10 "points".
5: Please don't look the answers up until AFTER you publish your comment. It wouldn't be fair, or fun, if all of you get 100% on this. Be honest.

And now, without further ado: here are the fantastic beginnings:

1. "A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small babies, or perhaps not even born..."

2. "A wild, ringing neigh shrilled up from the hold of the Spanish galleon."

3. "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

4. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

5. "It all began when..."

6. "In a hole in the ground there lived..."

7. "Once there were four children whose names were..."

8. "It was a dark and stormy night."

9. "I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country..."

10. "The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting."

11. "Once upon a time there lived a dragon. His name was..."

12. "If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the policeman at the cross-roads."

13. "As I walked through the wilderness of the world, I came to a place where there was a den."

On Monday (maybe a smidge later, depending on how busy I am) I'll post the answers as well as how many questions you got right and how many "points" you earned. Please make a comment as soon as possible or you might end up not being able to participate. Have fun coming up with answers! :)
God bless!