Wait, wait, wait, that's not nearly as excited as I want to sound. Take two.
TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY AND I'M NINETEEN GUYS!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D
Better.
So today, you're going to get a few fun facts about the number 19, a look at what I was like as a child writer (including some cringe-worthy works from my six-to-eleven year old self), and 19 facts that you probably don't know about me.
Ready? Let's jump in with both feet.
~Random Facts About the Number 19~
RF#1: Apparently, the number 19 is THE luckiest number out there. So I'm expecting good things this year. (Just kidding. ;P)
RF#2: This made me chuckle: 19 is a "masculine" number. I guess that's a thing? XD I had to wonder though, what makes a number masculine/feminine?
RF#3: Did you know there's a bronze anniversary like there's a silver and gold one? Yep. And guess how many years marks your bronze anniversary? 19.
RF#4: The number nineteen, being made of the first and last number (1 and 9) makes it a number of completions; the number of beginning and end.
RF#5: In a 24-hour clock, the 19th hour is in conventional language called seven, or seven o'clock.
~A Look into My Past as a Writer~
>>Early Poetry: composed at age six and a half
The Pond:
Waddle, waddle, look! There's a pond!
Waddle, waddle, SPLASH
Paddle, paddle, look! There's a fish!
Paddle, paddle, GULP
>>Early Writing:
First short story composed at the age of eleven: Sam and the Scalliwogs
Because it's so short, I'll give you the whole thing. I honestly can't remember why I wrote this story...but I found it in my archives so I thought I'd share it with you all. ;)
“Sam!” A loud cry jerked Sam’s attention away from studying
the far horizon with his newly acquired telescope, given to him by his older
sister, Olivia. He quickly closed it up and scooted towards the sound.
As
he neared the house, he yelled out: “Who calls me?” "I do,” and from around the corner of the house came his older sister Olivia. “I say, Sam, where have you been? I’ve been calling and calling for you.”
Sam apologized, explaining that he had been looking through his telescope at the horizon.
Olivia grinned and told him that she was glad that he liked it. “However,” she added, “we’ve just been sent new orders from Birds of Prey Headquarters.”
Sam’s eyes lit up. “A new order?” he asked. “Great! When do we start?”
Olivia grinned again. “Hold your horses, Pal, we’ve not received the entire message yet. It might take a while yet, but I thought I’d call you anyway, since you always have enjoyed getting a new order.”
Sam nodded his head enthusiastically. “Sure do!”
“Come on then, it may be finished now.”
It was. Sam waited, somewhat impatiently, for his sister as she scrutinized the note.
“Well?” he finally asked. “What does it say?”
Olivia laughed at his impatience. “Hold on a sec. I’ve almost got it…” she paused and continued scratching out the message again onto a new piece of paper. Soon She gave the triumphant declaration; “Ah ha! I finished. Here’s what it says:
To Olivia and Sam of
the Birds of Prey Scouts:
I am afraid that I need
to have you switch jobs for a moment. I have had terrible news that the Scalliwogs,
whom I am certain you have heard of, are being yet again found outside of their
borders, in which our scouts had contained them for so long. I will need you
both to chase back the Scalliwogs into their own territory, which is known as
“Rattlesnake Country”. Do not think that this will be an easy job. On the
contrary, it will be difficult. You must stand strong Scouts! Never let them
know your fear, or else, beware! You will have to cross the Swamp of Death in
pursuit of them which has not been done by any in over a hundred years. But
stand strong Scouts, and, if in dire need, use the Lasers of Light which we
have given you for self-defense. Be brave! Be strong! For you are Birds of Prey
Scouts!
Yours, with Faith,
Birds of Prey Headquarters
Sam gulped and looked at his sister. She returned
his look grimly. “Sc-Scalliwogs?” he asked fearfully.
Olivia nodded. “Yes, nasty critters that have eyes
as big as dinner plates. Their teeth are huge and they are the ugliest looking
critters that you’ve ever laid eyes upon.” She shivered. “Best to let them not
know our fears, or else, as the
Headquarters said.” Sam quivered, but stopped himself and showed a brave face. “Well,” he took a deep breath and smiled shakily, “Let’s go get us some Scalliwogs.”
◊◊◊◊◊◊
After suiting up to go out into the rain again, Olivia packed their packs with provisions: crackers, sliced cheddar cheese, two chocolate chip cookies each, a ham sandwich to split between them, two water bottles full of good well water, and both of their Lasers of Light.
Sam shouldered his pack, as did Olivia, and they headed out. Olivia didn’t forget to pack two pocket knives just in case, as well as the Birds of Prey Scout Map.
They trekked quietly for a while, until they had gotten quite far into the woods, and came to a three-way fork in the path.
Olivia turned to Sam. “Which way do you think we should go?” she asked.
Sam shrugged and they decided on the middle one, thus going straight. Olivia used her pocket knife to hash a mark into the nearest tree to the middle path. They trudged on.
Suddenly Olivia halted in her tracks and pointed a shaking finger at a tree branch, tucked between two trees, resembling an N. She looked at Sam. “That’s a sure sign of Scalliwogs. That’s how they mark their trails.
Sam nodded. “This means we’re close on their trail!”
Now, with more determination than ever, the two of them continued.
Suddenly, just ahead of them they saw a Scalliwog. It reared up onto its back legs and charged at them. Or, I should say, right at Olivia.
Her face went white, and she froze. “Sam,” she whispered urgently, “while I have it distracted, you go behind and get it with you Laser of Light. Quick! There’s no time to lose!”
Sam nodded and set off on his duty. He evaded the creature pretty easily, and got behind it. Swiftly and silently, he opened his backpack and drew the gun. Carefully, he aimed at the critter’s back, and fired. The creature let out a horrendous scream and did a double flip backwards, landing on its back. It let out a gurgle of rage and died.
Olivia’s face slowly regained its original color, and she smiled gratefully at Sam. He grinned back, and they continued on their way.
They met a few more Scalliwogs, but they were easily disposed of…except one other, a stubborn thing, that ran away from them across the Swamp of Death so Olivia and Sam had to follow it. Carefully, Olivia put one foot out and gingerly felt for solid ground before grabbing Sam’s hand. Sam helped spot solid ground along the way, and so the two of them didn’t get sucked down into the bog.
The Scalliwog, however, was not so fortunate, and got sucked into the mire, screaming as they do all the way down, with vigor. It was a truly horrible sound, and almost made Olivia and Sam’s blood freeze just listening to it.
By the time the two Scouts had safely crossed the Swamp of Death, they were exhausted, physically and mentally. They found a stump to sit upon, but no sooner had they sat when they had another Scalliwog came upon them, and, tired but determined, they fought it.
It was a long and dirty battle, but the two Scouts were able to at last extinguish the creature with their Lasers of Light, and were victorious again. They were also able to rest at last, and, when rested, they were able to tackle the next few Scalliwogs with much more vigor.
Soon, Olivia and Sam drove the Scalliwogs back to their territory, and hooked the gate with a special clasp with a numbered code, so secret that besides them, only the Chief of the Birds of Prey Scouts knew it.
So, with the Scalliwogs now locked in their own domain forever, Sam and Olivia returned to their hometown as heroes, although they were very modest and replied to the praise of the people that without their trusty Lasers of Light, they really couldn’t have done it.
They were both promoted to Super Scout and were able to help the Birds of Prey Scout Masters to train up further generations of Scouts.
First "novel" composed at age ten: The Mysterious Five and the Search for the Lost Dinosaur Leg Bone
(I left the following snippet unedited so you can appreciate -- as I do -- how far I've come in my writing. *shudders*)
Snippet:
Hello, my
name is Seth. I am the oldest child in my family, my age: seventeen. I have
four siblings, and we are all orphans. From oldest to youngest it goes: Me,
Seth Swanson, age seventeen, then Rachel Swanson, age fifteen, next Amy
Swanson, age fourteen, after her Adam age eleven, and last but certainly not
least, Kenneth age ten. We all have our own personalities, so altogether we
make an interesting mix. My own personality is that of most older children, responsibility
first! Rachel and Amy have similar personalities and are good little mothers
for all of us. Adam is our adventurer and sometimes does not think before he
does. Kenneth has more of my personality and is the quiet one of the family. We
can always count on him to solve our problems and heal our hurts. All together,
we love and support each other in all that we do.
We live in
a small cottage at the back of our step-uncle’s Museum. His wife died just a
few months ago, and since then, he has become extremely absent minded. We make
our keep by helping our step-uncle with his many displays. Often we have to
figure out our days work by ourselves because he is far away in his mind. Our
personal favorite exhibit is the Triceratops leg bone. It is the best-preserved
leg bone ever found in history. My step uncle and all of us are very proud of
it. Therefore, it is probably not a surprise that this is also the most
expensive display. Rachel’s first job in the morning is to check on that
exhibit to make sure its glass is shimmering with cleanliness by the time the
museum opens at 7:00 am. She is the secretary of the museum and, if I may say
so myself, a very good one. I am my step-uncles everything staff, and make
myself useful during the day. Amy, Adam, and Kenneth are the clean-up crew at
the end of the day. They are the ones who sweep and mop all the floors, dust
the windowsills, and dust some of the less important exhibits. Our story starts
here, at the back of this small town museum.
*
* * * *
Early in the morning, I awoke to Rachel
violently shaking me by the shoulder.
“Seth!”
she whispered urgently, trying not to wake the two other boys next to me, “I
have something important to say!” Having had all the grogginess shaken from me,
I sat bolt upright, nearly upsetting the small cot that I shared with my two
brothers.
“What is
it?” I replied as Rachel gasped for breath. (I could tell she had been
running.) Finally, she gasped out,
“Seth, our
triceratops leg bone is GONE!” She gave especial emphasis on the last word, and
made me jump. Kenneth and Adam stirred in their sleep and Adam grunted before
his breath evened out again.
“Have you
told Uncle?” I asked after regaining my composure from the shock. Rachel shook
her head and replied, “No, He is awfully absent minded today, he walked right by the display it used to be in and never noticed that it was gone.” I shook my head in disbelief.
“I can’t believe it! Have you told any of the other kids?” Rachel again shook her head. “Good, let’s keep it that way until breakfast. I will tell them then. Wake up Amy and the other boys and let me have some quiet time to think. Thanks.” Rachel did as she was told, while I sat and stewed in thought.
Soon, Rachel came in to say Breakfast was ready. I thanked her for the information and headed to the table. Quietly, I rehearsed my speech in my head until the opportunity came to tell them. It took awhile for the noise to die down some, but at last it did and I stood from my chair. All eyes were riveted to me. I did not usually stand up in middle of a meal. Clearing my throat, I began.
“Brothers and sisters, I have just this morning heard the dreadful news that the triceratops leg bone has mysteriously disappeared. I will need all of your help to find it before our step uncle finds out that it is gone. I am afraid that would kill him. Are you all willing to help me in the search?” All heads nodded, though Amy looked a little unsure. Pleased, I continued. “Wonderful! Kenneth, you are to come with me as soon as breakfast is over to help me try to find clues. Rachel, you stay here with Amy and Adam. Are your orders understood?” All of my siblings nodded again, although Adam looked not a little disappointed. Kenneth sat with his eyes on his plate. A look of puzzlement was on his face. I smiled inside for he did look rather comical. “What is it?” I asked. Kenneth looked up, a little startled, from his musings.
“Oh, just a little puzzled about this robbery. Who would want to take a dinosaur leg-bone from Uncle Devon’s Museum? There are so many other museums, why ours?” These questions I could not answer.
“That is what I am hoping to find out next, let’s go.” Kenneth gave me a quick nod, and gulping down the rest of his breakfast, in a manner that was so strange from his usual manner that I was almost worried for his health; He pushed his chair backwards and pulled his boots on. In no time at all, we were hurrying across the lawn still wet with dew. Kenneth opened the double doors; the squeaky hinge seemed deafening in the still morning air. Almost stealthily, we tiptoed through the museum to the dinosaur display at the back. It seemed so strange with no people in it. The hollow thump, thump, thump, of our feet added to the eeriness.
Suddenly, Kenneth froze in his tracks. I followed his example and stopped.
“What?” I whispered.
“Someone is in this Museum and coming our way.” Kenneth replied.
“I can’t hear anything, perhaps you were mistaken.” I said trying to sound more confident than I felt. Kenneth shook his head.
“No, I heard some footsteps coming our way. Listen close, than you might hear it.” Since he insisted, I turned my head to the side to catch all possible sounds, and listened closely. Yes, now I could hear it.
“It’s just our echo, I think.” Kenneth shook his head.
“No, if it was our echo it would have stopped by now.” Embarrassed, I felt my cheeks turning red.
“I-it might be Uncle Devon.” I stuttered, trying to think of another possibility. Again, Kenneth shook his head.
“Uncle Devon’s footsteps would be heavier. These footfalls are lighter; perhaps they belong to a girl.” Shocked, I replied in a loud whisper,
“What! A girl? Impossible. What would a girl be doing in our Museum? Rachel and Amy are in the House, what other girl has keys to the Museum?” Kenneth shrugged.
“Let’s get
hidden, and maybe we might get the clue we’re looking for. Come on lets hide
behind this.” Following Kenneth, we both managed to wedge ourselves between a
suit of armor and the brick wall before the person came.
>>Early Journaling:
I went through stages of writing in my various journals from time to time...but I was never a steady journal writer. However, I found an entree in my 2011 spree that I found a little entertaining and a little cringe-worthy, so I thought I'd embarrass myself for you. (I wrote comments in parenthesis to give you a little bit of my reaction when I read this out loud to my siblings as tester material.) I can't believe I'm doing this...I can't watch...HERE.
I sit here now, writing in my journal. Thinking. My brothers always wonder why I like to be alone. Good question. I often wonder that myself.
The sky overhead is blue. (I must have been writing this outside? I honestly can't remember. This sentence is so completely random. I don't even know why its here...)
I was a helper in babysitting yesterday, perhaps that's why I want some quiet time today. I have nine siblings. (Why was I writing this down?! I knew that! I guess I just always write for an audience...even when I don't realize I am.) It does get tiresome at times. I must go inside now. Goodbye Journal.
>>Early Fable:
I wrote the following fable when I was about eleven years old. It turned out kind of clever actually, so I thought I'd end with this so I can face you again one day. >_<
One summer day, a cricket was jumping through the grass. "Look at me!" he would boast. "I can jump higher than all the other insects in the meadow!"
Soon the other insects got tired of his constant boastings. So they went to the wise ant to have him stop the cricket's boastful attitude.
The next day, the wise ant brought a tiny flea to the cricket. "Sir Cricket," the ant said, "this flea is the best jumper from the flea world. May he compete against you in a competition?"
The cricket laughed. "Certainly! I will compete against him."
The ant just thanked him quietly and retired to his home.
During the next few days, both the cricket and the flea practiced their jumping.
On the day of the competition, they both felt ready, they both felt ready. The wise ant was the judge on who could jump the highest.
First, the cricket took a deep breath, and then jumped as high as he possibly could. The onlookers gasped.
Next, the flea calmly stepped forward and jumped. Another gasp followed. As the flea landed he was proclaimed the winner. The cricket jumped again, this time in rage, and fell to his death.
The moral of this story is "Pride always comes before a fall."
~19 Facts You Probably Don't Know About Me~
1: I have a pinky finger that can't straighten completely. This is known as "Viking claw".
2: My dream car is a charcoal gray or navy blue Mustang like the one pictured above.
3: I haven't watched any of the Disney princess movies. Ever. In my life.
4: I have weak wrists, which can make writing difficult if I'm typing for long periods of time.
 |
| This was taken over a year ago...I've had three younger siblings out grow me since then. >_< |
6: I know how to make pretty amazing pizza. ;) If you have ever been to my house, you've probably had it.
 |
| I drew this when I was about fifteen or sixteen I think. His name is Justin and he's a character in one of my short stories called "Horse Island". |
 |
| Me n' Patrick. ;) |
9: I compose and write songs and occasionally preform them at church.
10: I have over 30 beginnings or ideas for books/stories in my author archives that I want to finish one day.
11: I published my first book when I was fourteen.
*
 |
| Bonus fact...I also had braces. ;) |
*14: My favorite childhood film was The Reluctant Dragon.
 |
| * |
*15: My favorite children's books when I was little were "Are You My Mother?" and "The Mitten".
16: I'm a terrible speller. I didn't learn how to spell alcohol until high school, and I still can't spell mosquitoes and squirrel without help.
*17: The longest book I've ever read in one sitting was "House Calls and Hitching Posts" at 622 pages.
18: I was saved at 6-years-old, with some coaching from my oldest sister, after listening to one of my dad's Easter sermons.
*
*
*Well, there you have it. How many of the facts did you already know? What did you think of my early writing? (If you've read any of my current writing, please tell me I've improved some. PLEASE.) Which random fact about the number 19 did you find the most interesting?
And before I sign off, I'm planning on doing a birthday Q&A (along with an exclusive GIVEAWAY!!!! *cue confetti and fanfare*) soon, so ask me as many random questions you want to have answers to, and I'll answer 19 of my favorite questions in my next post. So have fun with that! :D
Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God!
* All photos with stars by them were not taken by me. Credit goes to whom credit is due. :)
You've improved some.
ReplyDeleteThanks. That's high praise coming from you, sis. ;)
DeleteEEKK HAPPY BIRTHDAY. *BALLOONS AND CAKE* Nineteen is a big age, sheesh. Also this was a super fun idea to do for a birthday post? LIKE. TEACH ME YOUR CREATIVITY. This year I was going to post something on my birthday but I had zilch ideas and it was just like... no.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!!! *pops the ballons, eats the cake* I know, right? *faints* NEXT YEAR I'LL BE TWENTY! Like, WHAAAAT???!!!?
DeleteOh, thank you. I try. XD It sorta just came to me...so good luck coming up with something my way for your next birthday! :P I only hit on things like this accidentally, trust me. ;)
Yayyyyyy you've joined the 19 club!!! Welcome welcome! happy birthday sweetie!
ReplyDeleteYeah...still feel eighteen right now...but that will probably change by, like, next year. Right before I turn twenty. O_o But thanks. XD
DeleteHAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! :D Congrats, Rebekah. I hope this year and many more are wonderful for you. :)
ReplyDelete