I have a new tumblr, whoever cares to know.

http://twobrotherstwovessels.tumblr.com/

I'm on it frequently! Send me a message or something! I even have anon on, if you'd like.

Okay, guys, I legit haven't posted anything in months. It's because I don't really see the point to it anymore, for me at least. Honestly, I'm more of a story lover and maker than just writing about my life. My life is pretty boring. So hey, I'll post the link for my tumblr so you guys can still see that I'm alive every once in a while. Warning though, I post a lot of fangirling on my tumblr. But hey, you were the one that came to my blogger in the first place and wanted to know about me. And my tumblr is more me, with all its different stories and gifs and sadness and loveliness. Sometimes I post my artwork too, if you wanted that. http://thepencilcaravan.tumblr.com/
Take a looksie! The ask box is always open and always has the anon option.

Heroes

My mind has officially been blown.

I’ve been asking myself for a while, why does it matter if we follow what God says instead of what we say? I’ve been trying to challenge myself to give an honest answer. Yeah, I do love God. But if God loves me, why is it a big deal that he wants me to do strictly what he wants? If he loves us, why doesn’t he want us to do what we want, what makes us happy, if only for a short time? I mean besides the whole parental “he knows what’s best for us” thing, what’s God’s reasons to want us to lead a good life that’s meant for him? So I was thinking about it just now. 

Laying in bed, with a hugely stuffed nose, still a little drowsy from a few hours of nap. A situation that’s happening in my life right now isn’t going how I expected. But I’ve been trying to make it turn me into a better person. Therefore, I’ve been asking myself how I can make this situation better by changing myself for the better. What are the things that I can work on about me that would make me a better person? How can I make my attitude better? How could I change for the better how I talk to people? Or how I think of things? Or how do I get better at being strong? How do I get better at being loving or compassionate? How do I get better at being calm? Or listening to people? How do I get better at portraying in my words the love that’s in my heart?

And then I realized. We all want to be better people right?  We all strive to make people comfortable around us. To be noble people. To be people that others can love. We all want love from people. We have to make ourselves lovable. If we follow God, that’s, like, the best thing we can do to try to be better people. If we dedicate our lives to something that’s better than just us. Just plain old me. If I dedicate my life to something bigger than me and just myself, that’s step one on being a better person. Sure, I’ll have to work to maintain it. But if I give up my life for a noble cause to fight for, that’s already showing the kind of person I am. That’s already showing that even though right now I only have a pinpoint of patience, in the future I can have worlds of patience because I’m not living just for myself. I’m not being self-serving or selfish, I’m giving up my life for God, for Jesus, because (1.) he gave up his for me. And (2.) That’s what will make me a better person that can grow, evolve into someone noble. That’s what’s worth it.

I have no idea if that made any sense at all. Take a soldier for instance. Someone who’s fighting for our country, fighting for us. He’s giving his life for a bigger cause than himself. And everyone knows that that is seriously one of the most noble things anyone can do. And rightly so. The soldiers that lay down their lives for us every day is astounding and heartbreaking to know that someone who doesn’t even know us will go out and fight for us like that. So why don’t people see missonaries and people that sincerely live for God like that? It’s the same thing. People who lay down their wants and their desires for what God wants, because it’s effecting the whole world, it’s being completely selfless. God wants us to follow him because he wants us to be good and noble people! People who will fight for each other, people who are selfless! So if we do what we want, how good of people are we really? Do we want to be noble people? Or are you a selfish person? Do we want to live for God's bigger purpose? Or do we want to live for ourselves?

I have no idea if that even made any sense.

Rivera

So I have this friend, Liz, that wanted me to draw her so she could hang it up at her graduation party. I think I'm pretty satisfied with it. It looks a lot like her.

Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against. When we judge the wounded. But if we put down our signs, crossed over the lines, and love like you did. Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners. Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers. Let our hearts be, led by mercy. Help us reach with open hearts and open doors. Oh Jesus, friend of sinners. Break our hearts for what breaks yours.

Baby When All You See Is Darkness, We All Need Forgiveness.

I recently read the Hunger Games. Well, before Christmas. I read them all in about a week, less than that really. Not gonna lie, they were really, really good books. I loved how brutally honest they were. How much pain was in them. My favorite character was Peeta. Not because he was especially dreamy, even though he was, but because he had so many things happen to him and he had so many sides. In the last book he had to deal with so much, and didn't get anything good out of it but having to work through it to get himself back. He just ahh. . . He's a really rounded, well developed character. He's not even just my favorite character of the series. He's one of my favorite characters ever.

The above most picture is Peeta himself, his leg closest to the perspective isn't actually his full leg. In the first book he got his leg bit off, so.

And these second pictures were the work-in-progress and then finished picture of another Hunger Games character, my second favorite one, Finnick Odair. I just altogether loved his character. His love story, his actions, who he was, his full story, everything. 

Labelle

I got a tablet for Christmas. So far I really love it, and it's super addicting. I usually am just a black and white sketcher, but with my Wacom Bamboo Craft named Bill, I've learned to color not too badly. I really like the airbrush and watercolor tools.

It's A Girl!

The new baby.

I shall name her Molly.

Mighty Men.

Romans 8: 24-28.

Magneto's Theme.
I'm sick, peeps. So just listen to that to tide you over. I'm not one for instrumentals but I can't really not like this. It's too epic. And from the best movie ever.

Secret Blogger 2011

So it's December! The season for giving and loving.

Let's spread the love this Christmas season!

In what way exactly do you ask? 

Through Secret Blogger (AKA Secret Santa)! 

Don't know the rules of the game? Tis fine, my lovely. You shall soon learn! 

Here's what we're gonna do:

1. Comment if you'd like to participate before 10 AM on December 7 on my sister's blog Ivory Giraffes. The post to comment on his entitled Secret Blogger 2011.

In the comment please include your email address so I can get your mailing address.

2. I'll email you a person's name, address, and more information on December 7. 

3. You'll get to send something to another person and receive some goodies too! It can be anything, but let's keep the price under ten dollars. The best things to give are homemade so keep that in mind! You may send as many things as you'd like during the month of December, and remember letters or notes are just as great! 

Make sure to let other people know about Secret Blogger through your Blog and Twitter and any other means you have. When tweeting use @IvoryGiraffes!

Let's have some fun and get commenting!

Why Is It Always Me?

About Me Questions:
1.Do you have a middle name?
Yep.
2. What was youur favourite subject in school?
History. History of the Church, World History, anything but American History.
3. What's your favourite drink? 
Mountain Dew, Nantucket Lemonade, or just plain water.
4. Favourite song at the moment? 
Hmm... X-Men soundtrack, or... Providence by Abandon. Or This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.
5. What would you name your children? 
Top boy name: Xavier. Top girl name: Charlotte or Caroline.
6. Do you participate in any sports? 
Ick. Never.
7. Favourite Book?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Son of Neptune, and maybe even Flames of Rome.
8. Favourite Colour? 
Well, I feel most comfortable wearing black. So that. But I love green, too.9. Favourite Animal? 
 Turtles, owls, tigers, peacocks, red pandas, and platypuses. Platypi? Platypeople?
10. Favourite perfume? 
I actually don't wear perfume. I like the smell of strawberries. And I've been told I have a natural citrus flowery smell. And I love the smell of almond and shea butter. 
11. Favourite holiday? 
Halloween. And... birthdays. I like birthdays. Mine and others.
12. Have you graduated High School?
Not yet. x)
13. Have you been out of the Country?
Um... not that I remember.
14. Do you speak any other Languages?
Greek. 15. Do you have any siblings? 
Lauren, and a younger sister. And I always call Hunter my sister, although he's a lot like a big brother..
16. What's your favourite store?
Forever 21 and the Oden Antique store.17. Favourite Restaurant?
Hmm... Does Arby's count?
18. Do you like school? 
Noooo. Honestly I do it because I have to. Not because I think it'll help my future career or anything.
19. Favourite Bloggers?
 Kaylah... Do tumblrs count? Haha.
20. Favourite Movie?
X-Men First Class, How to Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter.21. Favourite Tv show? 
 Smallville, Teen Wolf, Glee.
22. Pc or Mac?
I have a PC.
23. What phone do you have?
Tracfone Samsung. 
24. How tall are you? 
No idea. 5 3? 5 4?

13 Personal Questions:
1. What do you order at Starbucks? 
Ick. Starbucks = grody.
2. One thing in your closet you cannot live without?
 Umm... my comfy ripped jeans.
3. What's one thing most people probabaly don't know about you?
That... Gosh, I'm trying to think of a quirk or something deep... I plan on being super tattooed? That...hmm, I used to be really angry when I was little because I would eat bags and bags of carrots and then I had to have glasses. And I used to want to be a ballerina. I used to want to be anything other than an artist. Cause, you know, that just wasn't showy and cool. And then I realized I don't need to be cool. And I realized I'm not a very showy person anyway.
4. Name one thing you want to do before you die?
Take photos of sharks up close. Like. Big bad sharks. Like. Great whites and tiger sharks.
5. What's one food you cannot live without?
Pizza and peanut m&m's and chicken and rice.
6. What quote/phrase do you live by?
"Not all who wander are lost." JRR Tolkien. "The less you reveal the more you can let people wonder." Emma Watson. "We all have both light and dark inside us, it's what we choose to act on that defines us." Sirius Black. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." Albus Dumbledore.
7. What do you like/disslike about the Blogging community?
That there's so many misinterpretations. I mean something, and you think it's completely different than what I actually meant. And in a way, I find it harder to make people realize what I actually meant.
8. What's your most listened to song on iTunes?
You're gonna laugh... Born This Way the Glee version. Haha. Second is The Fatal Wound by Switchfoot. Third is Thriller, fourth is Don't You Want Me, both by Glee. Fifth is Comatose by Skillet. Then Hedwig's Theme x) This is funny.
9. What kind of style would you define yourself as having?
Um. I honestly don't know. I'm just me I guess. I'm quite diverse. I wear red skinny jeans. But have elegant long earrings and big sweaters. I love my comic book t-shirts and my not lazy sweatshirts. I adore my ripped jeans and Hiccup boots. I dress how I want. It's inspired by a lot of stuff.
10. Favourite number?
Four.
11. Two Hobbies?
Art and antiquing and photography and writing.
12. Two Pet Peeves?
 When there is hot pizza fresh out of the oven and someone leaves the scissors to cut it with on the pan so you can't use them because they're so hot! Hate that. When someone likes their own status on facebook. I'm sorry, it's just super annoying. Like please. Get over yourself. Anddd when people say "haters gonna hate." That's so dumb. Ha! That's just so dumb. Everyone's a hater. Do you hate Satan? You're a hater. Do you hate bananas? You're a hater. Get over it people! Don't say that unless you are perfect and don't hate anything. For real. That's dumb. ALSO when people say that other people with tattoos or piercings are immodest. Uh nah. Please get your facts straight. That's like saying all Christians hate gay people. That's like saying all homeschoolers wear floor length denim skirts and white caps. That's like saying all Star Wars fans are weirdos. Oh wait... That last one... Heh.
13. Guilty Pleasures?
Umm... I like to cut paper not on the lines and I feel guilty about it sometimes? Kidding! I really have no idea.

I think this basically is showing people that I can't just pick one or two.

Glass Marbles

My pretty new grey sweater! Along with my new huge peacock earrings that I forgot to mention. I feel almost grown up when I wear these earrings. Maybe not grown up, but sophisticated. I wore them when we went to Traverse City, along with that black sweatshirt from a few outfit posts ago and my winter boots that I now call my Hiccup boots. Because? I realized last time I watched How to Train Your Dragon that Hiccup and Astrid have boots just like mine. Makes me proud. No longer do I want new boots.
I guess I don't feel grown up. I honestly don't think I'll ever feel grown up. Definitely in the way that I'm learning how to let things and people go and move on, that kind of growing up. But I still have Peter Pan and Wendy in me.
I didn't get to watch X-Men or HTTYD today. But I did just get done watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. They all look so entirely little. It's so cute.
But I'm quite in the mood to draw fanart. So maybe I'll try again at Hiccup and Astrid, or maybe Charles and Erik.

You Said Wouldn't That Time

Remember "A Slobber A Day"? Boo? Yep. That's him.
It was his owner's birthday present, my Aunt Trish. It's a little stiff, but I'm definitely proud of the wrinkles. It was my first real time drawing an animal, so give me grace. I started this two Thursdays ago, and gave it to my Aunt Trish fully completed on last Monday. It was on mat, not paper.
-Sigh- My Sunday has been amazing compared to the previous week. Well, it was amazing comparing it to nothing too. We had a very good bible study about judging and forgiving and giving. I've come to the conclusion that I've forgiven a lot of people lately, and I'm glad because I don't want that baggage anymore. But that doesn't mean everything is back to how it was, because it won't be that again. Be grateful for the times we had, but that's just not how it is anymore.

Me and Tanner and Lauren and Hunter and my mom went to Traverse City Wednesday! Do you like Tanner's hair or what? I did it! Remember, it was bright blonde before so last Sunday I did my first dying job and turned it bright blue! It's like, two different shades of blue, black, and a little darkish green on the roots. Anyway, we went to Traverse City, and Lauren and I got matching best friend necklaces, and I got a huge grey sweater from T.J. Maxx. I don't have any pictures of either one on my camera, so maybe tomorrow I'll post new pictures of those.
Also, I think it would be quite relaxing if tomorrow after school I watched X-Men First Class and How To Train Your Dragon and maybe some Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix too. Those have to be my top three favorite movies of all time, so maybe I'll just take a chill pill after school and watch em all.
Blog post tomorrow! Or I'll try my hardest.

First Five

The top five things that make me feel better/less grim. (Not including God, because come on. We all know he'd be 1-5.)

1. Tanner. Sometimes he's a handful, but the truth of the matter is when he is, and I have to cheer him up, it cheers me up. And the fact that he lets me vent is no small thing either. All the little things are actually the biggest.

2. It's also a fact that absolutely anything How To Train Your Dragon will cheer me up almost immediately. I was having an absolutely horrid week and one day I found the link to HTTYD: Gift of the Night Fury on tumblr, which (1.) I never knew about and (2.) was perfect quality. Needless to say, the moment it started I felt that much more cheery. There is everything right going for this movie. I also get that much more cheery with fanart.

3. When my kitty is in a cuddly mood. It's rare occasions, let me tell you. But somehow she just must know when I'm down, because that seems to be when she kneads my arms, nibbles my nose, and lays on my chest.

4. The happy parts of Harry Potter. (Not a very fitting picture...) Like the lovey dovey, inspirational, get you right there parts. Like when I see Luna/Neville fanart. When I read about the trouble making twins, or the Marauders, or patronuses, or the wise words of Albus Dumbledore, or when Harry laughs despite his circumstances, or basically anything that's either after Deathly Hallows, before Sorcerer's Stone, or anything that's not 100 percent depressing in any of the seven.

viria

burdge

5. When someone else's drawings, or pictures, or words, or websites, or anything inspire me to draw something.

WaddleWaddleWaddle

The thing lately I'm completely amazed at: animals. Baby. Animals. I don't know what's up with me lately. I just adore baby animals. I look up pictures of certain babies on pinterest. (Okay, embarrassing fact number 102,932,23923.) Baby manatees are so cute with their bald grey heads and their sparse few hairs. Eeee! Just so cute even thinking about it. Baby otters! Baby otters I can't even explain with their whiskers and eyebrows and paws and mouths and squeeee! Sooo cute. Baby owls I can't even stand with their big eyes and fluffiness. They just make me giggle they're so innocent and vulnerable. Baby monkeys too. I've always loved monkeys, ever since I was a baby myself. But they're just so cute. How could you not? Chimps, orangutans, spider, baboons, I don't care. Their bellies, their tails, their itty bitty fingers, their intelligence, their pureness, squeeee! But lately my infatuation are red pandas. EEEEEE! I never gave them a notice before, but THEY'RE SO CUTE. At first I just looked at pinterest pictures, and that was enough to be like okay I want one. Their foreheads, their fluffiness, their whiskers, their paws! How they lay, how they play, how they walk! Then I looked stuff up about them, and I found out, wait for it, sit down, be prepared to cry from cuteness overload....

THEY WADDLE. Squeeeee! Their front legs are shorter than their back legs so they waddle! Eeeeee! I'm giggling so hard.
I have to stop looking at these pictures or I'll pee myself.
So yes, now red pandas are right up there with peacocks, owls, turtles, and tigers. Ahhhh. I can't even. x)

Anyway, all these animals, and not just the baby ones, are just so amazing. At first people thought that red pandas classified with the raccoon family (I actually have much experience with raccoon babies, one summer my uncle had a pet baby raccoon named Anthony, us girl cousins found a baby raccoon named Snickers in the woods, my grandparents took three baby raccoons to a wildlife preserve named Buttercup, Wesley, and Humperdink, and we saw multiple raccoons in the woods. All summer we took care of raccoons.), then they thought they classified with bears, and now they've actually been classified as their own family. How incredible is that? (All I'm thinking is right now THEY WADDLE.) Monkeys are so smart they learn sign language. Otters sleep in the water holding hands so they don't drift from each other. Zebras have an instinct to stay together to confuse the predators. I could go on and on. I just think animals are so amazing. God creates amazing things.

It's Thanksgiving. So today I'm thankful for hope. I'm thankful that I can hope. I haven't posted in a while, I know. Sorry, guys. This past week has been awfully rough for me. But I'm glad that through it all God gives me the hope I need, the ability to hope.
"Without struggle there is no progress."
"A beautiful life does not just happen, it is built daily by prayer, humility, sacrifice, and love. May that beautiful life be yours always."
"The minute you think of giving up, think of the reason why you held on so long."
Today on Thanksgiving I'm thankful for hope.

Can't Stand These Stupid Muggles

What I wore today. Me and Lauren ran some errands, I went to a tiny antique store to grab a birthday present. Just my Viggo ripped jeans and my normal Eskimo brown winter boots below. That jacket is a sweatshirt, if you can believe that amazingness. I actually stole it from my cousin. I'm never giving it back. It has a popped collar and a hood, and it's black. And I feel so sophisticated in it. I also wore a black and white plaid scarf tucked in, so that added to the sophistication.
I also saw that Levi the Poet added a new poem on his youtube channel! I was so happy! I actually couldn't listen to it all at once because it was so intense. Memories. There's the link. I also saw he shaved his head. He's bald now. It's slightly weird to see him bald.
Bruno Mars - It Will Rain. I liked that song when it came out, but then Lauren and I went to see Breaking Dawn part 1 last night (I wore a Harry Potter shirt. Rebel.) and it was in the credits and I sang the whole first verse, much to Lauren's embarrassment, and I was quite surprised I knew it all. But it just made me love it more. I love the line about morphine.
-Sigh- Yes, I went to Breaking Dawn in theaters. No, not the premiere! Thank everything that is good and holy! It was a nightmare just then, so I can't imagine premiere night. It started off really bad, I mean the whole movie experience, just because when we went up to get our popcorn the lady who seemed really new burnt our popcorn. The machine was on fire. Her hand got burned. Yeah. We didn't get popcorn. And then we had to sit up very front, which kind of hurt my head. And then the lady came in and was like "There's a little fire in the front, but your movie will start soon!" Which kind of worried me. And then the movie was late in starting. And I just knew it was going to be a disaster because of everything that was pointing to run towards the nearest exit sign. But, alas, I stayed for Lauren. And the movie was actually pretty good. Definitely not as good as Harry Potter part one! But still pretty good, and very according to book. The actors and actresses were way, way, way better than at first. I'd recommend it. A few parts a little emotion inside me stirred. I know right! How weird!

Okay, guys, I'm telling you right now to get up off your freaking butts, go to a freaking Wal-Mart right now and go freaking buy Dragon Gift of the Night Fury. It's freaking AMAZING. I'm just shocked and amazed it was so freaking good. It's not like a sequel to How To Train Your Dragon, it's just like a freaking epic little half hour Christmas special. I watched it on youtube, but just now when I went to watch it again (yes. that freaking good) youtube had it deleted off cause of copyright issues. But now I totally and completely want to go out and freaking buy the thing because it was SO FREAKING GOOD. I am not going to spoil how epic it was by telling you what it was about. But I'll give you a hint: BABY DRAGONS and CHRISTMAS.