I've been at camps for the past month.
First there was VBA. (which could be a whole series of blog posts by itself, but I think I'll spare you on that one.)
Then there was Debate camp. (Firehose of information in my debate-novice face :D )
Last week there was speech camp. (Exhausting. Insane. Totally amazing.)
And today I leave for awana camp!!
....be back in a week! (:
Saturday, July 31
Saturday, July 17
A dream to believe in
This darling little post has been sitting in my drafts folder ever since before Nationals, begging to be posted. I've hesitated posting it for a long time because it's long, has no pictures...and well, it's long. But it's a huge thing that the Lord did in my life with speech & debate, so I hope it's a blessing to all who make it through the whole thing... (:
I've wanted to post for a long time about my experience with getting to Nationals. The whole trip was/is rather....surreal. I suppose it's because I'm such a novice, and on top of that, I've never competed in anything outside of the state, (besides Idaho this year), much less a Nation-wide competition.
I've always felt, for a long time, that National competitions were for the super-smart people. The people who were really good and had the perfect opportunities and coaches and were just...well. Super good. And aside from the distant (now pretty much shattered - but that's okay) dream of going to Awana quiz nationals (which you don't have to qualify to get to), I'd never really wanted to do anything big.
Nationals is big......but not that big. It put into perspective for me the kind of potential God has given people.
My thwarted views of "who" could go to a National tournament kind of pushed me down a little for awhile. That is, until I discovered that the National tournament was in Virginia - where some of my amazing friends live. Now I've really wanted to see these friends for a super long time, and this was a HUGE motivation for me to work harder.
I can tell you right now, I have never thrown myself into something - anything - with as much passion as I did for this tournament. I wanted more than anything in the world to qualify for Nationals - and see these friends - and suddenly, all the time I spent doing other things (anything besides school) seemed like a waste of time if I could be practicing my speech. (okay, I wasn't that obsessed. But you get the idea.)
I have other friends who have gone to national competitions before, and one in particular has a passion for working towards something like I've never seen in a person. This friend has a saying of "Don't be the best you can be - be the best there ever was." And while that can seem vain sometimes, it was another one of those things that reminded me that I have so much more potential in Christ. Not that you are the best, but that we should strive for more. Reach for more because God has so much more He can do through us.
Anyway, this friend of mine went to DC for a competition - and what it put into perspective for me was that qualifying for a national competition is a very big thing - but also a very real, attainable goal. Not just something for the "good people". (I shall note, this friend is super good)
It's humbling when I look back on the work I did to "get there". Because I know I didn't actually give my best. I gave more than I usually did - but I don't think I gave my best. I mentioned in the post about my IO being dq'ed (disqualified) that I put a lot of things off and didn't work on speech when I should have. But I think there was also a focus somewhere in there - stronger than my horrible procrastination habits - that drove me.
Another thing is that this was a very small goal in comparison to the larger-picture things I seem to do....not just "becoming a better pianist/flutist" or "doing well in school" or "managing my time better"...I guess I could see the end of the tunnel a little better. Nationals was set in my mind as June 7-11, in order to get there I had to be prepared at Regionals in March.
Some people have asked me what I've learned in speech. And my answer is....too many things to count. But one of them is this: I can do anything I want. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that in the rebellious/wild/crazy way. What I mean is this: We have potential in Christ. If you have a dream, and God gives you a green light, don't hesitate to throw yourself into it. We are created to do so much more for Christ, to impact the world for His Kingdom. And nothing should stop us. No, not even a disqualification. (:
We, the children of God, saved by His sacrifice for us, have incredibly potential to reach others for His glory. What can we do but give it back to Him in total surrender? To reach higher, for all that He has created us to be - living entirely for Him.
When I look back at that speech & debate year, I can only gaze in awe at the wonder of how God works.
-He provided the means for 2 Washington qualifiers
-He gave me 2nd place in my first qualifier
-He enabled me to memorize my speech & finish my boards the night before the tournament - well enough to place 2nd.
-He provided the means to travel to the Idaho tournament where I placed 2nd with my IO
-He provided the time and creativity to cut and block the duo Raymond and I did which ended up qualifying for Regionls. (just a quick!let's-throw-this-together-duo)
-He put Regionals in Washington. Often enough it's out of state or a 2-hour drive away - but not only was it Washington, and in Renton,
-He put it 5 minutes away from my house. As if that weren't enough,
-He put Regionals in a church I had grown up in and was familiar with.
-He disqualified me from Regionals. I know that sounds crazy, but it ended up being a blessing, because I learned what it means to accept God's will.
-He gave me the at large slot for Nationals. You have NO idea how positively thrilled I was!! ;)
-Weeks later, He gave Raymond and I the roll-down slot for our duo to Nationals. (How many novices qualify for nationals in 2 events?! God is AMAZING. Because it's not my skill, it's how He worked through me. And it simply leaves me in awe.)
-He provided the means to get to Nationals. Plane tickets. Hotel room. Rental car. God did that. He kept us all healthy.
-He took me to semi-finals in my IO, gave me 10th in the Nation. And when I look at that, 10th in the Nation is pretty cool. But when I walked across the stage to get my medal, I didn't get the thrill I thought I would. I thought I'd feel amazing for being 10th in the Nation. But I didn't. What I think was amazing was what God did - to take me there.
-And, at the end of the week, He gave me a wonderful time with some of the most amazing friends anyone could ask for.
Us with our friends in Charlottesville. The time we spent with these wonderful friends was probably one of the best weeks of my whole summer - so far! =]
Nationals was not all I expected it to be - yet here I am, at the end of the tunnel titled "Hannah's Novice NCFCA Year". It's been a journey I'll never forget, because God knew what He was doing when this ignorant novice walked into the Silversmith club in September of '09. He knew it would end like this, even though I didn't. And I can tell you, my time in Virginia was completely worth every bit of the heart, tears, hours, magnets, and gluesticks I put into it. (:
I've wanted to post for a long time about my experience with getting to Nationals. The whole trip was/is rather....surreal. I suppose it's because I'm such a novice, and on top of that, I've never competed in anything outside of the state, (besides Idaho this year), much less a Nation-wide competition.
I've always felt, for a long time, that National competitions were for the super-smart people. The people who were really good and had the perfect opportunities and coaches and were just...well. Super good. And aside from the distant (now pretty much shattered - but that's okay) dream of going to Awana quiz nationals (which you don't have to qualify to get to), I'd never really wanted to do anything big.
Nationals is big......but not that big. It put into perspective for me the kind of potential God has given people.
My thwarted views of "who" could go to a National tournament kind of pushed me down a little for awhile. That is, until I discovered that the National tournament was in Virginia - where some of my amazing friends live. Now I've really wanted to see these friends for a super long time, and this was a HUGE motivation for me to work harder.
I can tell you right now, I have never thrown myself into something - anything - with as much passion as I did for this tournament. I wanted more than anything in the world to qualify for Nationals - and see these friends - and suddenly, all the time I spent doing other things (anything besides school) seemed like a waste of time if I could be practicing my speech. (okay, I wasn't that obsessed. But you get the idea.)
I have other friends who have gone to national competitions before, and one in particular has a passion for working towards something like I've never seen in a person. This friend has a saying of "Don't be the best you can be - be the best there ever was." And while that can seem vain sometimes, it was another one of those things that reminded me that I have so much more potential in Christ. Not that you are the best, but that we should strive for more. Reach for more because God has so much more He can do through us.
Anyway, this friend of mine went to DC for a competition - and what it put into perspective for me was that qualifying for a national competition is a very big thing - but also a very real, attainable goal. Not just something for the "good people". (I shall note, this friend is super good)
It's humbling when I look back on the work I did to "get there". Because I know I didn't actually give my best. I gave more than I usually did - but I don't think I gave my best. I mentioned in the post about my IO being dq'ed (disqualified) that I put a lot of things off and didn't work on speech when I should have. But I think there was also a focus somewhere in there - stronger than my horrible procrastination habits - that drove me.
Another thing is that this was a very small goal in comparison to the larger-picture things I seem to do....not just "becoming a better pianist/flutist" or "doing well in school" or "managing my time better"...I guess I could see the end of the tunnel a little better. Nationals was set in my mind as June 7-11, in order to get there I had to be prepared at Regionals in March.
Some people have asked me what I've learned in speech. And my answer is....too many things to count. But one of them is this: I can do anything I want. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that in the rebellious/wild/crazy way. What I mean is this: We have potential in Christ. If you have a dream, and God gives you a green light, don't hesitate to throw yourself into it. We are created to do so much more for Christ, to impact the world for His Kingdom. And nothing should stop us. No, not even a disqualification. (:
We, the children of God, saved by His sacrifice for us, have incredibly potential to reach others for His glory. What can we do but give it back to Him in total surrender? To reach higher, for all that He has created us to be - living entirely for Him.
When I look back at that speech & debate year, I can only gaze in awe at the wonder of how God works.
-He provided the means for 2 Washington qualifiers
-He gave me 2nd place in my first qualifier
-He enabled me to memorize my speech & finish my boards the night before the tournament - well enough to place 2nd.
-He provided the means to travel to the Idaho tournament where I placed 2nd with my IO
-He provided the time and creativity to cut and block the duo Raymond and I did which ended up qualifying for Regionls. (just a quick!let's-throw-this-together-duo)
-He put Regionals in Washington. Often enough it's out of state or a 2-hour drive away - but not only was it Washington, and in Renton,
-He put it 5 minutes away from my house. As if that weren't enough,
-He put Regionals in a church I had grown up in and was familiar with.
-He disqualified me from Regionals. I know that sounds crazy, but it ended up being a blessing, because I learned what it means to accept God's will.
-He gave me the at large slot for Nationals. You have NO idea how positively thrilled I was!! ;)
-Weeks later, He gave Raymond and I the roll-down slot for our duo to Nationals. (How many novices qualify for nationals in 2 events?! God is AMAZING. Because it's not my skill, it's how He worked through me. And it simply leaves me in awe.)
-He provided the means to get to Nationals. Plane tickets. Hotel room. Rental car. God did that. He kept us all healthy.
-He took me to semi-finals in my IO, gave me 10th in the Nation. And when I look at that, 10th in the Nation is pretty cool. But when I walked across the stage to get my medal, I didn't get the thrill I thought I would. I thought I'd feel amazing for being 10th in the Nation. But I didn't. What I think was amazing was what God did - to take me there.
-And, at the end of the week, He gave me a wonderful time with some of the most amazing friends anyone could ask for.
Us with our friends in Charlottesville. The time we spent with these wonderful friends was probably one of the best weeks of my whole summer - so far! =] Nationals was not all I expected it to be - yet here I am, at the end of the tunnel titled "Hannah's Novice NCFCA Year". It's been a journey I'll never forget, because God knew what He was doing when this ignorant novice walked into the Silversmith club in September of '09. He knew it would end like this, even though I didn't. And I can tell you, my time in Virginia was completely worth every bit of the heart, tears, hours, magnets, and gluesticks I put into it. (:
Monday, July 12
Announcing.....
Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Children of ALL ages! As of TODAY: Monday, July 12th, twenty-ten in the year of our Lord: Snowtop Studios is OFFICIALLY a legal Washington state business!!
Most of you are probably wondering "wha-?"
That's alright, it's not your fault if you don't know what I'm talking about. But no fear, I am here to explain.
Snowtop Studios is our movie company - founded in 2004 by my brother, Raymond, it began with a few silent, extremely amateur clips that we made just for fun. 6 years later, we are still extremely low-budget, amateur, but we have improved significantly in technology (besides being a lot older) and it's a passion I've been delighted to see grow in my brother.
He's talented, funny, smart, engaging, everything it takes to be a moviemaker, and I think he's going to go really far.
So far, we've made 4 movies. The first one is called "Super Pig" (a...::cough:: rather interesting movie, starring yours truly as the voice of stuffed pig) and the next three are part of an epic set called the "RISEN Trilogy" - starring my brother and his friend Jared Sweers. The two of them are the most hilarious duo I have ever seen and the movies are SO funny!
We've had a blog for a long time, but have hesitated to publicize it because it was not yet a legal company. Now it is, and we're SO excited to tell the world about it!!
So, if you are following my blog, read this blog, or anything else, I would be delighted if you would follow, comment, and read our movie blog as well!! You can find it at:
http://www.snowtopstudios.blogspot.com
For a couple more notes, our next movie, set to film this August and release on November 23rd is called "DELIVER-E". Plot is currently unrevealed, but it is going to be an epic comedy!! A trailer is up on the website ;)
As a little teaser/spoiler, I will reveal this: We are in need of someone to play a UPS truck driver! I know most of my blog readers are girls, but I know a lot of you have brothers - or even may know someone who could play this part. Here is the information:
All the parts including the UPS man can be filmed in one day, and we can work with YOUR schedule. We are looking for someone tall-ish, preferably 15-16 or older. No extensive acting experience is required: but we need you to be willing and able to play an outgoing, slightly dumb, funny, weird, and rather random character. An audition is not necessary but may be arranged upon our discretion.
We are so excited for this film and I hope you are too! =)
Most of you are probably wondering "wha-?"
That's alright, it's not your fault if you don't know what I'm talking about. But no fear, I am here to explain.
Snowtop Studios is our movie company - founded in 2004 by my brother, Raymond, it began with a few silent, extremely amateur clips that we made just for fun. 6 years later, we are still extremely low-budget, amateur, but we have improved significantly in technology (besides being a lot older) and it's a passion I've been delighted to see grow in my brother.
He's talented, funny, smart, engaging, everything it takes to be a moviemaker, and I think he's going to go really far.
So far, we've made 4 movies. The first one is called "Super Pig" (a...::cough:: rather interesting movie, starring yours truly as the voice of stuffed pig) and the next three are part of an epic set called the "RISEN Trilogy" - starring my brother and his friend Jared Sweers. The two of them are the most hilarious duo I have ever seen and the movies are SO funny!
We've had a blog for a long time, but have hesitated to publicize it because it was not yet a legal company. Now it is, and we're SO excited to tell the world about it!!
So, if you are following my blog, read this blog, or anything else, I would be delighted if you would follow, comment, and read our movie blog as well!! You can find it at:
http://www.snowtopstudios.blogspot.com
For a couple more notes, our next movie, set to film this August and release on November 23rd is called "DELIVER-E". Plot is currently unrevealed, but it is going to be an epic comedy!! A trailer is up on the website ;)
As a little teaser/spoiler, I will reveal this: We are in need of someone to play a UPS truck driver! I know most of my blog readers are girls, but I know a lot of you have brothers - or even may know someone who could play this part. Here is the information:
All the parts including the UPS man can be filmed in one day, and we can work with YOUR schedule. We are looking for someone tall-ish, preferably 15-16 or older. No extensive acting experience is required: but we need you to be willing and able to play an outgoing, slightly dumb, funny, weird, and rather random character. An audition is not necessary but may be arranged upon our discretion.
We are so excited for this film and I hope you are too! =)
Friday, July 9
to laugh like a brook when it trips and falls....
I don't often make blog posts about movies...mostly because I haven't the time to devote to writing a nice, long, analytical post about a certain movie I enjoy or dislike. (haha. Yay for being overly critical and analytical, right? no. :P ) Plus, being the...::cough:: OCD/perfectionist that I am, (besides being rather indecisive and unsure about my opinions) never often get the post just right.
But I'll make one here, to say that I LOVE the Sound of Music.
Lovelovelovelovelove. (:
We just finished watching it and it's still one of my all time favorite movies. When I was little I always used to watch it when I was sick because it made me feel better. I haven't seen it in so long, I almost forgot how much I love it....
Here is the main song...probably one of my favorites.
Of course, you can't leave out The Lonely Goatherd
And Edelweiss (:
....And, just because you can't leave out this song and this song. (:
(Note: the top song on the list of the links are the correct ones. It should start playing automatically.)
If playlist would cooperate and give me the original of sixteen going on seventeen, I'd post that too...dear me. I think I've posted nearly all the songs.
So here are some of my favorite quotes, in no particular order...
Captain Von Trapp: It's the dress. You'll have to put on another one before you meet the children.
Maria: But I don't have another one. When we entered the abbey our worldly clothes were given to the poor.
Captain Von Trapp:What about this one?
Maria: The poor didn't want this one.
Herr Zeller: I've not asked you where you and your family are going. Nor have you asked me why I am here.
Captain von Trapp: Well, apparently, we're both suffering from a deplorable lack of curiosity.
Maria: There were times when we would look at each other - oh Mother, I could hardly breathe.
[talking about pink lemonade]
The Baroness: Not too sweet, not too sour.
Max: Just too, uh... pink.
Maria: You know how Sister Berthe always makes me kiss the floor after we've had a disagreement? Well, lately I've taken to kissing the floor whenever I see her coming, just to save time.
Maria: When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.
But I'll make one here, to say that I LOVE the Sound of Music.
Lovelovelovelovelove. (:
We just finished watching it and it's still one of my all time favorite movies. When I was little I always used to watch it when I was sick because it made me feel better. I haven't seen it in so long, I almost forgot how much I love it....
Here is the main song...probably one of my favorites.
Of course, you can't leave out The Lonely Goatherd
And Edelweiss (:
....And, just because you can't leave out this song and this song. (:
(Note: the top song on the list of the links are the correct ones. It should start playing automatically.)
If playlist would cooperate and give me the original of sixteen going on seventeen, I'd post that too...dear me. I think I've posted nearly all the songs.
So here are some of my favorite quotes, in no particular order...
Captain Von Trapp: It's the dress. You'll have to put on another one before you meet the children.
Maria: But I don't have another one. When we entered the abbey our worldly clothes were given to the poor.
Captain Von Trapp:What about this one?
Maria: The poor didn't want this one.
Herr Zeller: I've not asked you where you and your family are going. Nor have you asked me why I am here.
Captain von Trapp: Well, apparently, we're both suffering from a deplorable lack of curiosity.
Maria: There were times when we would look at each other - oh Mother, I could hardly breathe.
[talking about pink lemonade]
The Baroness: Not too sweet, not too sour.
Max: Just too, uh... pink.
Maria: You know how Sister Berthe always makes me kiss the floor after we've had a disagreement? Well, lately I've taken to kissing the floor whenever I see her coming, just to save time.
Maria: When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.
Tuesday, July 6
Pray.
Most of you probably know Alex and Brett Harris, and their books "Do Hard Things" and "Start Here" (they started the rebelution)
Last Sunday, July 4th, their mother died of cancer. Please pray for all of them as they make adjustments to a new lifestyle - and for peace and comfort.
You can read Alex and Brett's post here.
Last Sunday, July 4th, their mother died of cancer. Please pray for all of them as they make adjustments to a new lifestyle - and for peace and comfort.
You can read Alex and Brett's post here.
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