In Which I Blog About The Ice Storm

I probably shouldn’t be wasting precious computer battery life.

But I am.

I mean, 6 hour battery life – you can’t blame a girl, right?

Staying up watching movies….piles of blankets, movies with my brothers, candle flames…

I know pretty much every parent in the world (as well as every internet-geek in the world) hates it when the power goes out, but I kind of like it.

Granted, the branches creaking and crashing down around my house every 10 minutes isn’t the most comforting feeling in the world, nor is the fact that I can’t sleep in my own bedroom due to a Very Large Tree just outside my bedroom window.

For those of you who don’t live within a 50 mile radius, allow me to explain:

The snow mentioned in the previous post actually all melted within a day, forcing me to attend school on Tuesday. However, it soon reappeared – much to my thrill and delight, in time for them to cancel school on Wednesday. It did the same thing again on Thursday, where I proceeded to have many sledding adventures with Very Awesome Neighbors.

However, it then froze over, rained, froze over, snowed, and any growing bit of nature is now 20 feet closer to the ground than its natural state due to the heaviness of the aforementioned frozen rain/snow/ice/rain/snow.

The power, sadly, could not hold up against all of the falling bits of nature, and I am now forced to use my battery life and walk around with my cell phone light so that I don’t trip and kill myself.

I’ve gotta say though – nothing is more fun than getting to talk on a phone that has a cord on it. Okay, maybe I’m young and techy but it’s COOL! Also, so is sleeping with lots of blankets, crunching through ice, and watching movies because you really can’t do anything else with the lights all off.

Yep. So of course you won’t read this until the power comes back ON and I have wifi again.

Living without power is kinda fun. I’m sure I’ll be tired of it at some point, but hey – life is an adventure and I might as well live it, right?

Day 2 of the ice storm!

Well. Living without power sure is freezing COLD. Praise the Lord for gas powered water heaters and stoves!

Also for neighbors with power. Who let me dry my hair and charge my laptop at their house. :)

It's kind of fun to wear 10 layers of clothing. Plus warmer outdoor temperatures have manifested themselves today, so it's not so bad.

Everything is melting all over the place now, a gigantic branch fell off our tree, and everything is drip drip dripping, with snow lopping off of all of the trees with a crunch as it hits the ice. It’s like Narnia when spring was coming!

24 hour power outage...it's good to have lights and heat again. But it's also really, really nice to not have it. I know that sounds strange, but it's nice to take a break from the internet and just let my world quietly revolve around my neighborhood. I got to hangout with my neighbor a lot this week, and we don't get to do that often.

To not have electricity makes me really grateful for it, but there's something quietly...peaceful about not having electrical wires radiating their....electricity....all around me. It's not all busy busy.

When all of the electric-things are gone, and all I'm surrounded with is the power of nature, the beauty of a storm, and the cold nipping at my nose, it leaves me in awe of the strength and might of God. I can just sit in quiet wonder of his beauty.

It was a good week.

I just have to say....

Okay, so everyone everywhere who lives within like a 50 mile radius of me has probably posted about the weather in some way.

BUT THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S GLORIOUS!!!!!

I don't care how many adults or grown-up children there are who hate the snow, I will shamelessly continue my love for it. I refuse to let my sheer delight for tiny white flakes die.

I will dance in the snow, even if it means my boots get soaked through....

I will make snow angels and sled and have snowball fights till I'm freezing...

I'm going to build a snowman, I'm going to run up and down hills and delight in it like a child.



Also add to that that there's NO SCHOOL TODAY?! Yes I am happy.

Mhm, that's right Seattle.

Guess what?

Tenth Avenue North is coming to Seattle again!

March 3rd, everyone, guess where I'll be?

...Because I know you wanted to know that bit of information. ;)

Live What I am Dreaming of

Yeah, I'm posting another Trading Yesterday song.

Yes, I just posted about them last time. But I had to share with you another awesome song.

See, a lot of my life recently has been along the lines of:

School planning
Debate about economic security vs. personal freedom
School planning
Debate about economic security vs. personal freedom
Wonder what in the world God is doing with my life
School planning vs. personal freedom
Wonder what God's will is for my life
Debate about economic security
School planning
Wonder about what God is doing with my life
School planning

....you get the idea. It's rigid, kind of intense, and full of all the kind of structure and organisation that I kind of enjoy. (not the stress, the organisation)

But even us non-free-spirited people who love organisation feel a little stuffy at times, and especially after having a deep conversation with your father and brother about personal freedom vs. economic security, long conversations with your mother about school schedules, and long conversations with God about what is going on in your life.....yeah never mind.

(your brain quits working, that's what)

Also what happens after you read books like "Just Do Something" by Kevin DeYoung. (more about that later, I think)

It's like that excitement you get when you start to feel that all that rigidity and organisation and stuff might be paying off, but it hasn't actually happened yet so you aren't sure.

It sparks something. I'm not sure what, because it's too late in the night. But it's in this song. So if you want to know, listen to it. That is, if the above even made sense to you. Which it quite possibly didn't. I'll never know unless you comment.



I'm taking my chances as I go // Life is more than just survival // Love will be the thing that sets me free // Just a little faith is all I need // To live what I am dreaming of.

OH MAH GOODNESS.

As much of a Narnia-nerd as I am (yes this is a Narnia post, deal with it, it's only 5 lines long.) I didn't really know they *had* a Narnia exhibition - at least a traveling one, anyway.

BUT THEY DO!! and even better, IT'S COMING TO PORTLAND!!!!

Check it ouuuut!

Yeeeeahhhhhhhhh. :D

IT'S TRUE!!!!

Rarely does something like this hit my blog moments after it hits the Narnia fan-base. But here it is.

Magician's Nephew is officially going to be the next movie.

That's right. Only a couple hours ago, The Christian Post published an article confirming that Walden Media was planning to make this movie next in the series. You can read our post at Aslan's Country HERE.

My first reaction: YES! WE GET ANOTHER NARNIA MOVIE!
My second reaction: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I really really really really want to see Silver Chair made. I think it has fabulous potential if they market it correctly. It has a plot, contrasting characters, an evil guy too! It even has lessons, Aslan appears, and the opportunity to build characters is amazing.

While they're going to be able to market this as a prequel, they're going to have to be REALLY careful...with a lot of stuff. The Magician's Nephew has a magic to it that the other books don't - and while I could abide more plot changes in Silver Chair because of it's nature, I will not abide much for this one. They'd better get it right.

Hear that, Walden? You be careful this time. Aslan's Country is watching you.

What are your thoughts?

Happiness. A lot of it.

Because tournaments are just that amazing.

And most unfortunately I don't have time to post very much right now except that...

I QUALIFIED FOR REGIONALS IN DEBATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And therefore have met the first of my large-ish goals for this year. Score.

I also made it to finals in impromptu, which I'll talk about more later, but it was very amazing. And I have lots of other amazing tournament things to tell you, but I have to scoot off to be productive, since I got behind on a lot of productivity during the tournament (most specifically productivity as it relates to educational...things)

Yup. Alrighty. That's all for now!

-Hnanah
because I typed my name wrong and then decided to leave it that way. who types their name wrong anyway? I'm guessing I'm not the only one, just most people backspace before making such an embarrassing mistake.

AAHHH!!!

Hey everyone! Last week I entered in my local radio station's music competition - and guess what????

I made it to SEMI FINALS!!!!

The winner gets to play a solo in Benaroya Hall, and the top 10 get to play intermission music or something grand at Benaroya as well. Ahhhh how I would love to do that. :)

Please click HERE to vote for my video!

Currently I am #3 on the first page - this doesn't mean anything placing/vote-wise, because they rotate people through the first page each week. It says you can vote only once a week, but they sent out an email to clarify and you can actually vote once a day. :) And you can tell your friends!!

It's not really my best time through it, but ah well. One of these days I'll get a nice version up with no cuts and on a NIIICE piano.

In other news, I leave for Idaho tomorrow! Prayers would be appreciated. :D

Ahh! super excited right now. Heehee. :)

~Hannah

Excitement TO THE MAX!

And no! It's not a Narnia post!! Nothing makes me more excited than an opportunity to seek Christ, meet other Christians, and grow more. Oh my word. I am so excited!

THE REBELUTION CONFERENCE IS COMING TO OREGON!!!!

Which means we can FINALLY go!!! Last year they didn't come to Oregon or Washington, or anywhere in the northwest, so it was sort of out of the question. The year before I hadn't quite gotten into it or really understood the vision.



This year is possibly their last tour x( buuuuut I am really really excited for the opportunity to be able to go. So, so excited. AAAHH! Can you just see me now?? Oh. My. Goodness. :)

Check out the site HERE. AHH. I really, really hope it works out because I would give so much to go to that conference.

That'll Show 'em

OH MY WORD!

THREE DAYS UNTIL DAWN TREADER!!!

Excited, people? It's going to be so amazing!!!

Guess what else?

Michael Apted (director), Mark Johnson (producer), and other important people at Walden making this movie are going to make a decision about making the "Silver Chair" into a movie based on opening weekend.

That's right. We determine whether the movies continue.

Dawn Treader *almost* wasn't greenlit, and it took a LONG time for them to start on it because of how terribly Prince Caspian did in the box office. Dawn Treader is GOOD - and I (again) definitely recommend seeing it. On opening weekend. Even if you don't go with me. Or you don't live in Washington state.

Go see it. Opening Weekend. December 10-12.

Let's go show those producers that we care about this film.

I should not be this easily entertained.

But you know I am anyway.

Remember this post and this post? I am here to present you with another PURPLE FOOD!!

It's a Chinese purple yam pastry. And it's soooooooo good. (:

In other news, Dawn Treader was AMAZING. And it is also SNOWING outside. That's right. Snow, in Seattle, in November, sticking on the ground. In fact, as I speak, there are extremely large flakes coming down at a very fast pace. ::grin:: I went dancing about the house today and then for a romp in the snow with my dog. No co-op! And I leave for my grandma's house tomorrow.

Life is good! [=

What we've been waiting for

DAWN TREADER COMES OUT IN 23 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!

But guess what??? I am going to see it in TWO days!!!

Hear that echo? TWO!

I honestly can't believe it myself. This entire movie has been nothing but anticipation for years. And all of a sudden I'm going to go see it. It's sort of surreal.

So you're probably wondering why I'm seeing it 20 days before the release - basically I was invited to a special pre-screening. I am basically excited BEYOND WORDS. It's going to be amazing.

In the mean time, Carrie Underwood's new song (which will appear in the credits of the movie) was released today.

I was pretty skeptical about it at first, but so long as it's only in the credits, I think I'll be fine. Dawn Treader is, in a lot of ways, extremely different from the first two movies - and I think variation in the credits music is okay too.



In other news, there is also a Narnia exhibit in malls across the US called the "Ice Palace", and last weekend they had the Grand Opening Ceremony at the Ice Palace in LA - and one of our mods got to go to it AND, get this, MEET Georgie Henley (Lucy), Will Poulter (Eustace), and Michael Apted (director). Anyway. That was pretty exciting, even though I wasn't there. :P We've got exclusive reports and videos on Aslan's Country.

And, stay tuned, I'll soon have a review of the movie for you. :)

AHH! Life is so exciting. DAWN TREADER! yeahhh.

Fight Another Day

Last Friday evening I had the opportunity to go see Tenth Avenue North in concert for their "Light Meets Dark" tour.

This was sort of a...I really don't know. Little sparkle in life. And a very bright one at that. I don't get to do these things too often - in fact, I've never been to a non-classical/piano/symphony concert before in my life. (there's a homeschooler for ya) It was a totally new experience but a totally amazing one. I can't seem to get it out of my mind.

Part of it is the total amazingness of being in the same room with Addison Road and Tenth Avenue North...the hubbub of people everywhere...the massive amounts of lights and fog machines...the total excitement/awe/noise of first-time-at-a-concert.

That was all I was expecting to come away with - but there was more, and it was....amazing.

Mike Donehey is the lead singer for Tenth Ave - and he is a phenomenal speaker. I've said to quite a few people if he was a pastor, I would totally go to his church. He gave a short little message before they all came on...wow. Maybe it was just that I haven't heard anything like that for what feels like forever, and it was so powerful.

He talked about our how God accepts us in our brokenness, shame, and pain...and how great, awesome, and infinite His grace is that covers us despite our failures. How can we not live our lives for Christ in light of the sacrifice He made for us? His grace makes us new, it lifts us up and changes us from the inside out.

Agh. Right now, I really don't have words to say anything else about it. It was just...really, really good and I haven't had that in a long time. We'll cut to the pictures. =P

Super excited for our first concert!!!


Chris August opened up the concert - he was so funny. And he sang "Starry Night". I love that song. (go look it up.)


This is Addison Road. You can't really tell. =P But it is, I promise. That's Jenny Simmons, the lead singer, in the blue shirt under the green light. ;) I was super excited when I heard they were touring with Tenth Ave, and it was awesome to get to see them. Favorites among their songs: Hope Now, Sticking With You, Collide, Fight Another Day....


:D :D :D :D

Tenth Ave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The worship was SO amazing. Especially on "Satisfy". If you haven't heard that song, you need to. Actually, if you haven't listened to Tenth Ave. at all, you need to. Their music is so powerful and so open. One thing I loved about it when Mike was speaking was how he saw himself as no different than any other person out there.



Okay.

Favorite Tenth Ave. songs that you MUST listen to.

You Are More (this music video is powerful. If you listen to none of the others, listen to this one.)
Strong Enough to Save
All the Pretty Things
Any Other Way
Empty My Hands
Satisfy
Break Me Down

Well. That took just about everything in me not to post the entirety of both of their AMAZING albums. So. Go listen to it. I don't think it's often that I so highly recommend music.

And so this post ends. Without grace or inspiration or anything super nice sounding because I'm completely out of it right now. I'll let the music do that. :)

Coming soon...

...to a DVD near you!!!

Brand new DELIVER-E trailer! Check it out over on our facebook page and our blog

Must-See

There are several movies coming out this year/next year that I'm particularly excited about.

If you don't know already - I'm a huge fan of quality, Christian movies, and whenever they come out, I give them as much support as I can, and there are a LOT of good movies coming out this year.

Coming up first (although not explicitly Christian) is the one and only The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader



While I'm not positive on how well this is going to follow the book, (the closer we get to the release, the more nervous us Narnia-fans get) I am positive it will be a fairly decent movie. Plus, I am just SO. EXCITED. for it to come out!!!!!! December 10th, everyone.

Next up is Courageous, from the Sherwood Pictures, the people who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof, some of my favorite movies. They don't have a trailer that I can find, but here's where the Alex and Stephen Kendrick explain what it's about.



I'm really excited about this, because Sherwood Pictures have a great reputation and have made some really amazing movies that have inspired and encouraged me. I'm not terribly overly obsessed with it because it's looking slightly like Fireproof in that it's really targeted at adults and not really for the younger generation. However, I have no doubt that there will be something in it for everyone, even if it's targeted towards adults. It's coming out in 2011...not quite sure when.

Next is Rogue Saints



I don't know a whole lot about this movie, because the descriptions on the site aren't all that detailed, and I've never heard of these people before. But I personally know quite a few people who have worked on this movie, and the basic storyline is a Christian one. It makes me really excited to see more and more movie makers coming out with Christian movies - because our culture so badly needs it!

I heard about What If on the radio, so I checked it out. I'm excited for the message this movie is sharing, and especially that it's showing in theaters. The general feel I get from the trailer is that it's not the greatest movie ever, but I've never seen it, so I could be wrong.



And Upside.
The plot is almost exactly the same as What If, but it's got a hilariously original twist and looks like it is much better written. I don't think it was ever in theaters, but it's coming out on dvd soon, and I'm super excited for it.



Lastly, and one that gets me the most eager to support, is from HeuMoore Productions, who made The Widow's Might. These people really inspire me, because they started out as just a homeschooling family making amateur films, just like us (Snowtop Studios), and they've grown so much in just a few years. The Widow's Might beat Fireproof at the SAICFF (San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival), and it's an amazing film. (So's Fireproof, but just saying.)

Their next movie is set to release in Summer 2011 (like Courageous), and I'm SO excited for it. It looks really exciting and very promising.



Gator Moore (who plays that little detective guy) is such a fun actor.... hee. And I'm just super excited not only for this movie, but for this company: God can use them to do huge things, and I'm so excited to see what He will do with this movie.

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. (:

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! =)

Nationals! [part V - That's going in the book]

Yes, Hannah still does author this blog. And yes, she has returned from Nationals quite safely, thank you. Yes. I'm finally posting about nationals. :) I have about 10 billion thoughts swirling in my head in relation to my trip. And I really do like it when people post thoroughly about their trips, so I'll try to do the same. But it will probably take me a month, so bear with me. :)

In my perfect little world, I was hoping to get a picture of Regent just like the one off their website that I've been using for the past few Nats posts. Except with me in it. Wouldn't that have been cool? Except that I never did. So here's one of another part of the campus. That I did take. :)

And now, for pictures of Nationals. Most of these are from my camera...hopefully my friend will send me hers and I'll have a few more to post.

It's impossible to capture my nationals experience in one post with a few pictures. And as Gray said later, "after four years of communication studies, I've still found that occasionally, music just says it better."

So here's a song for you to listen to while you look at the pictures. Yes, I know I'm obsessed with it. Listen to it for me, please? :P

This is the sign at the hotel we stayed in. I like it. And that the "W" is an upside down "M"

(at the banquet) We. Want. Breaks!!!!!!

My new friend Christiana, whom I met at the beginning of the year. We had a fun time at Nats. :)

Audrey! :)

The crazy guys of our group. X)

I always wanted to do a feet picture.... :P

If they don't announce breaks soon.....

This is what we're gonna do!!!

Oh, no, we're not nervous for breaks AT ALL....

Okay, maybe a just a *little* nervous....

Not quite sure what Sophia and I were thinking here. I have a feeling Rebecca grabbed my camera, said "make a face", and...uh. We did. :P

BREAKS!!!!!!!!! (note the 2009 banner. Yeah. Fail, NCFCA.)

After the banquet, with the joy of having broken to semis putting a skip to my step, we went dancing in the pouring down rain. In our speech clothes. It felt better than I can describe. ::sigh of contentment::

Friends. Forever. :)

And geeks forever too. 8)

Now we fast forward through all rounds, panic, running-around-in-dress-shoes-and-80-dgree-weather, turmoil, meals, sleeping, (or lack therof), getting lost, frantic food cramming, breaks, getting lost, breaks, getting lost..... to the awards.

Mr. Larimer and a bunch of gigantic trophies

After awards.

We walked to Shoney's for a ballot party - and were rather amused by the uh....descriptive nature of this sign. :P

I love these girls so much.

This is a cool picture. =]

A lot of laughing went on that night....

This is it! The end. NCFCA year is over. Yes. This was the best part of the tournament; the only ballot party I ever went to; with some of my best friends ever.

Nationals! [part III]

Yep. I leave tomorrow. I'm super excited and super nervous and 10 other things rolled into one.

Slowly, it's becoming a reality now.

It's sinking in.

Anyway! ::comes out of cloud::

I would really appreciate prayers over the next 2 weeks during the tournament...and today as we try and pack everything and make sure we haven't forgotten anything and all that.

I give speeches on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.....and Thursday and Friday are up to God! He's done so much in the past 4 tournaments I've been in, and I'm excited to see what He has to teach me through this, whether I do well or not.

I have no idea whether I'll have access to the internet or not, so you may or may not hear from me for the next two weeks.

Oh. In case you've been wondering, the picture I've been putting up at the front of all these nationals posts is Regent University, where the tournament is being held.

AAAHH!! Virginia, here I come!!

Nationals! [part II]

That's right. I leave a week from tomorrow.

This is unreal.

::runs off to practice speeches::