Abroad (Continuation)

More pictures!  Almost home... but it's been an epic journey!

From NE, I traveled to KY for the nationals SkillsUSA competition.  :)  I love KY, I think I could live there.   

Louisville, KY (the locals said it's pronounced Luval...)

This competition was so insanely huge (approximately 6,000 competitors and 10,000 staff members)!  It was held in the Kentucky Expo Center and they used every square inch of indoor space... 1.3 million square feet.  There were competitions being held in everything from Aviation Service Technology to Esthetics and Cosmetics.  :) 

SkillsUSA, Automotive Technology.

SkillsUSA, Commercial Baking.

SkillsUSA, Team Fabrication

Skills USA National Competitors

SkillsUSA, Closing Ceremonies

Between the last two picture, I went to Kentucky Kingdom, but the camera stayed in the car... good thing, too, because the Raging Rapid River Rafting ride just about did me in, haha! 


One of the afternoons was free, so to the racetrack I went!  I bet on three horses, and every one of them came in either dead last or second to last... ha!  I think I need to work on my strategy a tad.

Churchill Downs!!! 



Such beauty!



Claim race on the turf track. 

Last race I watched, I stood down by the railing at the finish line.  Definitely worth venturing into the sweltering heat for a few great shots!

Largest Bass Pro Shop, Memphis, KY.  Pretty impressive! 

Nashville, TN.  I've always wanted to go there, but this is as close as I got today.  I'll go back and get the full effect someday... instead, I soothed myself with country music on the radio. 



That was my week in a nutshell!  What are some of your favorite things you've done while on vacation?   

Abroad!

Well, not actually abroad like out-of-the-country abroad, but more like just simply out-of-my-house abroad.  Here's what I've been up to the last couple weeks!

Wichita, I think... haha, I can't remember!

Looks like a deer or two decided to bed down in this ditch!

I got to visit my great uncle's grave for the first time since his passing last summer.
He served in WWII and was my birthday twin.  RIP Uncle Less.

This, my friends, is what a $500 jackpot bingo card looks like!

Going exploring.

I have a thing for old buildings, especially barns!

The Dinky Diner... it lives up to its name!

Visiting Amish friends.
Couldn't resist grabbing a shot of the hats and jackets lined up.

Lo, Strategic Air Command Museum!  

SR-71 Nose View.

Side View.

Under View.  This one really gives you size perspective.  

Spectators at the National Formula SAE Competition in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Visiting Homestead Monument National Park.

Just driving through Lincoln, Nebraska.   

Those are the highlights so far.  Do you have any fun memories of the last couple weeks?

**Please don't take my pictures.  If you want them, just ask! 

Book Review - The Book Thief

The Book Thief

by

Markus Zusak

Wow. Can that be my whole review? No, of course not, but it's enough to start with. I'll do my best not to reveal any spoilers along the way. :)

If you have not yet read The Book Thief, I urge you to run out and grab yourself a copy, order it on Amazon, buy it on Kindle... ANYTHING! You must own this book.

The story. Liesel Meminger is just a decade old when she arrives at the doorstep. The beginning of her story. Hitler already wields his power like a red hot iron, and war rages all around Himmel Street. Just not on Himmel Street. Not yet. However, that changes, and so does Liesel as she not only learns to respect the Furher, but also hate him. To sleep, and then to wake up. To steal, but also give back. To be loved, and to love. To write, to read. To be lost, and to lose. To forgive, and be forgiven. To sacrifice, and to be the sacrifice. She knows Death personally, yet is not afraid of him. Her simple grief stricken life changes Death's sorrowful existence.

From the beginning, I was a little surprised by the unorthodox formatting. It's very different from any book I've read and I will readily admit it took a little getting used to. I am a very visual person – yes, I have no problem judging a book by its cover or by a quick glance through the pages. However, despite the strangeness of this book's appearance, I picked it up at Walmart (it was on sale... did you also know that I'm cheap??). I do not regret the $10 I spent on it.

As I assumed, I did get used to the formatting and soon didn't even notice how different it was. It seemed to fit with the book, the writing style, the very story itself. Everything about this book was different, strange, new, fresh... to start off, it's narrated by Death. This threw me for a loop, at first. This being said, I firmly believe the book wouldn't have been half as good if Mr. Zusak hadn't done so. It's a perspective I'm not sure has ever been told and he did a stunning job. Death, a harsh character at the beginning, softens throughout the story, and by the end you just want to take him and hold him tightly.

Finally, the writing style. Good heavens to Myrtle Troy (as my grandmother says). I've never read such powerful writing before. At times, it breaks every rule in the grammar book, but it fits. It flows. And oh my gosh, does it get to me. I might as well melt into a puddle as soon as I open its pages. My favorite thing? The way Mr. Zusak assigns colors to things that are previously acknowledged as colorless.  I can't say enough good things on this subject. He literally paints a masterpiece with his words; it set a new standard of good writing in my mind. Words aren't just merely letters – or rather, they shouldn't just be letters. Every single word means something, if you take the time to write it correctly. Words are powerful. Kudos, Mr. Zusak. Okay, moving on... *wipes drool from the floor*

Prepare for a tear-jerker, but it's 100% worth it. Trust me. :) Here's a little more about the book:

Cleanliness Ratings:

Language – 4/5

          Fairly strong language is used, although over half of it is written in German. Swearing is used with frequent repetition throughout the duration of the book. Suggested for ages 18 and up.

Violence – 3/5

          While I wouldn't classify this as a violent book, keep in mind that it is set in Germany during World War II and with that comes the mistreatment of Jews, war injuries, killing, and suicide. Suggested for ages 16 and up.

Sexual Content – 1/5

          Kissing is mentioned just a handful of times and only halfway carried out near the end of the book... sorry if that is vague, but the truth would contains spoilers. :) Suggested for ages 12 and up.

Literary Ratings:

Writing Quality – 5/5

          You already know my thoughts on this. :P

Reading Difficulty– 2/5

          There are patches of German interspersed throughout the story, which are quickly clarified... I have a light knowledge of German so had no problem with this, but others may find it a tad more difficult. Over all, a very easy read.

Storyline & Flow – 5/5

          Epic. That's all I can say... except for the fact that Death drops some major spoilers throughout the course of the story. It helps to soften the blows at times, I suppose...

Book Quality – (paperback) 5/5

          Bought my copy brand new from Walmart and I am very pleased with the quality.

Over All Rating: 5/5

There you go. Now to watch the movie that is sitting on the shelf.

If you've read it already, what did you think of The Book Thief? Does the movie do it justice?

Jenna Lynn

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I've been remiss in blogging recently.  However, I'm dropping in to show you what I've been working on in my writing lately.  I've started the second book in my series, and while I'm still working out logistics of the plot and so forth, I couldn't keep myself from jumping into the writing.

Here's a little sneak peek at my brand new character Jenna Lynn Bradley and her handler, Agent Tael Dante.

“Jenna Lynn Bradley, meet your new babysitter.”

Jenna wrinkled her nose as she looked the tall stranger up and down. “I prefer bodyguard, but you know... babysitter works, too.”

The first man scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Technically, he will be your nanny, because babysitters are not used for extended periods of time.”

“Technically he would be a manny.”

“Manny?”

“You know, a male nanny... Jeff, you are so behind the times.”

The middle aged man shrugged indifferently. “Why do you think I'm trying to get out of this racket?”

“Oh!” Jenna laughed, slapping her knee with added drama. “What a relief, I though I was the reason you were leaving.”

“Don't flatter yourself.” He pulled her into a hug and she breathed deeply one last time of his sweet cologne. He had been a constant in her life when everything else crumbled down around her. “I'm going to miss you.” His whisper melted her heart.

“You better.” She pulled back and forced herself to smile one of her charismatic twinkling smiles... the one that raised one eyebrow and crooked her smile sightly to the right. “You take care.”

“I think I might witness myself a crime so I get to be part of this Witness Protection Program. I think it looks like fun – I may see you around sometime.” He winked playfully at her.

“Sounds like a winning idea. If I hear of anyone needing a witness to their crime, I'll give him your number.” Jenna tried to keep the joyful ring in her voice, even though not a single part of her felt joyful. She would miss the hours upon hours of sarcastic banter she had shared with her handler.

“Take care.” He reached out and patted her shoulder before turning and walking across the parking lot to his car.

Let it go, move on. You're good at this. She turned back to face her new handler, whose name of which she was never actually informed. He stood stoically before her, an epitome of a stick in the mud. Dark hair – almost black – was cut short but left just long enough to comb back in an attractive Italian fashion. His brown eyes were perceptive, the window to an eager mind, though he effectively trained them to focus on his target. Despite a close shave, she could still see a shadow of dark stubble adding character to his chin and jawbone. Six foot-two. Of average law enforcement build. Not a day over twenty five, she guessed.

Jenna evaluated him quickly, taking it all in with a single swipe of her eyes. He was definitely something to look at, she would not deny it. However, he had yet to say a word.

“Does the man speak English?” She raised her eyebrows in question and he shifted slightly on his feet.

“Ms. Bradley.” He nodded politely to her, not even a hint of a greeting smile touching the corners of his mouth.

“I could call you Manny, but I figure you probably have a name.”

“Agent Tael Dante, ma'am.”

“Nice to meet you, Agent Dante sir.” She wasn't sure this was going to work at all... the man had no sense of humor. His personality appeared as dark as the black shirt he was wearing. Lifting her arm to her mouth, she pretended to talk into her watch. “We've confirmed the panjandrum speaks English, however the existence of a sense of humor is still unknown at this time.”

He stood, watching her, un-amused.

Well, this is going to be just worlds of fun.

Well, what do you think?  Did Jenna and Tael grab your interest?

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Oftentimes at highschool and college graduations, and then again sometimes at weddings, you will hear the phrase "This is the first day of the rest of your life."  While this paints and interesting picture in the mind of those who hear it, I believe it points out the fact that we've lost sight of the real lives we live on a daily basis.

I've recently noticed the rush to grow up, the rush to graduate highschool, the rush to graduate college, the rush to get married, the rush to have kids, the rush to have a 25th wedding anniversary, the rush to have daughter/son in laws, the rush to have grand kids, the rush to have great grand kids... and then what?  By the time you get there, your entire life is gone.  It's been spent constantly racing toward the next big thing.

As a homeschool graduate and a staunch Christ follower, I have be raised to be a stay-at-home wife and mother.  From the very beginning, I learned thing to do things now that will improve my future life.  I learned to cook so I can one day cook for my family, I learned to sew so I can make clothes for my kids, I took Advanced Mathematics so that I can teach my own children up through highschool (and beyond, if needed), I even run the house and "babysit" my siblings for weeks on end to afford me practice for what my future may hold.

I highly recommend traveling...

However, I would venture to say this mindset of preparing for a currently-nonexistent future, has severely damaged my outlook on life.

My eighteenth birthday came and went, but there isn't a reasonable marriage prospect in sight.  (In reality, it takes the guys longer to "get ready" for marriage than it does the women, but that doesn't change the fact that my life is currently prospect-less.)  Pretty much, I've just been waiting... waiting for my knight in shining armor, waiting for my life to start, waiting for a chance to use all these skills I've learned.  But should I be waiting?  And more importantly, should I be rushing toward my future?

... and cliff jumping!

In reality, today is the future of your yesterday.  And tomorrow is the future of today.  Future doesn't have to mean five, twenty, or fifty years.  But how many of us wake up in the morning and think, "Yes!  This is my future.  This is what I've been striving for my whole life!"?  You may if you've suddenly woken up to the sun rising over your college graduation or your wedding day.  However, how many of us do that on a daily basis?

To all the single girls out there, you are precious for who you are and what you do on a daily basis - not because of the wife and mother you will one day be, not because in a year you will be a published author, not because you have graduated with honors and plan to achieve great success in your homeschooling... you are an integral part of God's plan right now.  You are the key piece to your neighborhood, school, choir, and family.  You don't need a man to make you worthy of life, you don't need a family to make you important in God's grand plan, you don't need children in order to be a success in your Christian community.

This is your life.  Here.  Now.  Today.  Not tomorrow, not next week, not next year.  This is [hopefully] the only time in your life you will be single.  Do you embrace your singleness as fully as you should?  This is the only time in your life when you can earn anything and everything you want without fear of failing your overwhelming familial duties at home.  Are you taking this opportunity to experience life?  This is the only time in your life when you can serve God with your abundant time.  Do you clear your schedule to make way for His work?  And most of all, are you living life fully, without a doubt experiencing, living, loving, and learning everything you possibly can?  You will never ever get this day back, you will never ever get this phase of your life back.  Don't waste it waiting for your future.  You are living your future right now. 

I strive to embrace my life, one day, one hour, one minute, one second at a time.  I encourage you to do the same, because if you don't... it will pass before you know it.