A Snippet {9}

So, yeah, it's been forever since I posted a snippet. This isn't even something that I wrote recently, but it's something. I really need to get back into writing again...

He felt sometimes that words complicated things too much. With words, you had to find a way to arrange them to convey the things you felt so that everyone else would know. The only problem was that often, and especially when it came to her, words couldn’t possibly describe the way he felt. When her arms went around him, when she kissed the tip of his nose, when she smiled up into his eyes, when she whispered the words “I love you” into his chest- these were the times when he simply could not find the words to tell her how he felt. When “I love you” didn’t quite cover the depth of emotion he felt for her. What can you say when there are no words?

♥♥Kristin

I'm Ready.

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I want this so badly right now. For the past four days it hasn't gotten above 20 degrees. It's absolutely miserable. The cold wind stings your face, your fingers feel like they're frozen even beneath the mittens and your toes soon go numb. Long story short, I've had enough of this winter business. I say, full steam ahead to Spring and Summer. I'm ready for warmth and vacations to the mountains and trips to the lake and hikes through the woods. I'm ready for green and sunshine and warm rough sidewalk beneath my bare feet. I'm ready for fresh juicy watermelon and ice pops and grilled hamburgers and lemonade. I'm ready for a breeze that caresses my face instead of stinging it, for the smell of spring wafting through open car windows, for warm grass, a blanket and a book. I'm ready.
♥♥Kristin

Of Books and How They've Captured My Heart (Again)

Lately I'd been in the hugest book rut. I just couldn't seem to find a book that truly caught my attention and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't bring myself to actually start and finish a book. Even some of my old favorites weren't doing it for me. Then, one of my friends offered to let my borrow the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series that I'd been wanting to read for a while. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get into it. I even thought they might bore me, considering the fact that they were written for 12-year-old boys. Oh, how wrong I was. I was hooked from the first few chapters of The Lightning Thief (the first book in the series).
If you haven't read them, they're about a 12-year-old (in the first book) boy named Percy Jackson who finds out that he's a demigod, the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and a mortal woman. His best friend, Grover, turns out to be a satyr whose mission was to protect him. He's taken to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for half blood children of the gods like himself, where he meets Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. All the while, the world of the gods is on the cusp of a great war which Percy very quickly gets wrapped up in. He and Annabeth and Grover (along with other friends they meet along the way) are sent on numerous "quests" to try to save the world of the gods. There's also a prophecy involving Percy, but  I won't give too much away! Really, I highly recommend you read them. I'm not saying I believe any of that stuff about the Greek gods and such, of course, but the mythology sure is interesting and I feel that I've learned a lot through reading the books. It's so fascinating to me.
Anyway, long story short, I am now obsessing over this story and these characters. I've read more in the past few weeks than I had in a while. I'm already compiling a huge list of books to read once I've finished this series and the one that comes after it. You can find the list here on Goodreads. Between those books and my new tumblr, I'm falling in love with books all over again.
♥♥Kristin

My Faith.

Lately I've been thinking an awful lot about my faith, where I am and what it truly means to me. I was born in a Christian family and I am a Christian. I accepted Christ as my savior when I was 7 or 8. I was baptized when I was 13. I have gone to church every Sunday and youth group every Wednesday and on missions trips every Summer. I'd say I have a fairly extensive knowledge of the Bible. I have strong morals and am what would be considered rather conservative. I'm pro-life. I value modesty and purity. The problem is that that's really where it ends. Too often I feel like I'm just going through the familiar motions. I don't really feel like I have a personal relationship with God. I don't have that spark. I often neglect to read my Bible and prayer is so difficult for me. This is the faith I was born into and it's all so familiar and average to me that I can't get excited about it. I know that this is not where I'm supposed to be and I tell myself that every day, but the motivation to change just isn't in me. I want so badly to change that and I guess that today is as good a day as any. I'm hoping that getting this all down, getting it out, will be the motivation I need to finally make the change for the better. I'm certainly going to try.

♥♥Kristin

Life Lately

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 My second semester of college started on Tuesday. I managed to schedule it so that I only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that means that my Tuesdays and Thursdays are packed. Both days I have Psychology, Anthropology and the dreaded Geometry. Then on Thursdays evenings I have Arts and Play (A class for my Elementary Education major). On the days I'm not in school I'll be working and doing homework and hopefully doing some much-needed reading and tea drinking and relaxing.

Some guilty pleasures I've been indulging in lately:
The Percy Jackson series. Honestly, they were written for 12 year old boys, but I just can't get over them. They've got me hooked like no book has been able to do for a while.
Mainstream music. I know, I know, the content and language are often far from ideal, but I try not to listen to that. I just love how catchy some of it is. How singalongwithable the songs are. (Yup, I just invented a word).
Buying my favorite drinks and snacks from the vending machines at school (Gummies! Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade! Salt and Vinegar Chips!) even though they're frightfully expensive and hardly healthy.

How's life been treating you lately?
♥♥Kristin

p.s. I feel as though I've sort of been neglecting this blog. You know how it can be. Hopefully a real, planned out post will be coming soon!

My Christmas Break in Review.

I can't believe that my Christmas break is over already. It went by so fast! Now it's time to see how I did with my to-do list:
1. Re-read the Wrinkle in Time series. I've been thinking about them a lot lately, and though I've read them all countless times, I'm ready to do it again. Well...I finished A Wrinkle in Time, and then lost some steam. I ended up skipping the next two and going straight to Many Waters which I never actually finished. Shame on me.
2. Spend as much time as possible with my bestfriend
3. Go shopping with my Mom and aunts (It's kind of a tradition)
4. Bake/make things (especially these hot chocolate truffles and these brownies). I'm usually not much of a baker, but the holidays really put me in the mood.Both recipes are fantastic, by the way.
5. Go sledding (that is, if we get a substantial snowfall... here's hoping!) This one didn't get completed, but it wasn't really my fault. You see, it didn't really snow.
6. Take some photos. That's one thing that I've been REALLY slacking on lately. I can't remember the last time I got out my camera just to take a few pictures. You guessed it. I didn't even touch my camera.
7. Write something. Or lots of little somethings. I don't really care so long as I'm writing. Eh... I wrote, but not as much as I could have I suppose.

So, I have to say that even though I never really finished some of the things that I wanted to, I still enjoyed my Christmas Break immensely. I had fun with friends, I was just as lazy as I wanted, and I started reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series on recommendation by a friend. That would be the reason I never got through the Wrinkle in Times. Now, school starts on Tuesday and I work four days a week from here on out. No more laziness for me, but honestly I think I'm ready for some structure again.
I know many of you may have started school already, but how was your Christmas Break?
♥♥Kristin

Reader Quirks

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I like reading quite a lot, in case you haven't already figured that out. Yesterday I was shocked to learn that my friend didn't even know who Jane Austen was. There are things like that that I just take for granted that everyone knows. How can you live 18 years and make your way through high school without learning about or at least hearing mention of Jane Austen? It really made me think. I love being a reader. I love knowing things, little tidbits that I've picked up from the different novels I've read. I love knowing the answers to the literary questions on Jeopardy. I love feeling intelligent when people ask about the books I've read and the authors I'm familiar with. I love knowing the plots and being able to quote the "classic" books. I have this constant need to read more books. Any kind will do. Classic. Modern. Dystopian fiction. Fairytales. Even some horror books (more in the vein of Dracula and Frankenstein than Stephen King).
I'll be the first to admit that I have some reader quirks of my own. I rarely, if ever, use bookmarks. I know it's a horrible habit, but I just fold the corner of the page down. I often read a bit from the last few pages before I get there, or sometimes before I even start the book. Sometimes I read something important and spoil things for myself, but sometimes it gives me a reason to keep reading at a certain point in the book. I'll carry a book everywhere I go, even if I'm sure I won't need it. Because really, you never know. It's a large part of the reason I even carry a purse. I don't feel at all comfortable writing in my books, even to underline a quote I like. It just feels wrong to me somehow. I do like reading what others have written or seeing what they've underlined though.
So that's me. Bookworm. Lover of words. Reader. I wouldn't have it any other way.

In other news, and somewhat the inspiration for this post, I've started a book blog on Tumblr. I've wanted to for a while, and two days ago I finally went ahead and did it. I like to think of it as sort of making up for the 365 blog that I left miserably incomplete. I mainly reblog pretty book pictures and quotes I like, but I plan on posting reviews from time to time.
Check it out if you'd like: nofrigate-likeabook.tumblr.com
♥♥Kristin

The Farm Show

It happens for a week every year. I don't know if it's just a Pennsylvania thing or if every state has something similar. It's basically like a fair, but indoors. There's a huge building (called the "farm show complex") in Harrisburg that was built solely for hosting the farm show every year (of course other events are held there as well). There are all kinds of different farm animals to see, a butter sculpture, rodeos and draft competitions in the arenas, and of course stands selling fair food. I suppose you could say it's a little redneck, but it's always a lot of fun. The milkshakes are to die for. There are a lot of stands with free samples of everything from spaghetti sauce to popcorn. It's often very crowded but if you're there with friends it's a lot of fun. It's something I look forward to every year.
♥♥Kristin

The Mountains

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Amidst the constant tumult of life, there was one thing that never failed, one thing that never left her. The mountains were always there, as close as her next heartbeat. She’d fallen in love with their jagged tree-covered peaks, cool green in the summer, caught on fire in the fall, stripped bare in winter only to grow green and new again every spring. Their every mood was as familiar to her as the rhythm of her own breaths. Her favorite was when they were dappled with cloud shadows and sunbeams on a late summer day. Even if she ever left them, they’d still be in her heart as all constant friends remain.

♥♥Kristin

Suggestions?

Once again I'm in a bit of a blogging rut. Is there anything that you guys want to see? More writing? My thoughts on a certain topic? Anything? I'm completely open to suggestions!
♥♥Kristin

Oh, Hey January!

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Here's what this month holds for me:

-Going to the PA Farm Show, basically like a really big indoor fair complete with the best milkshakes on earth (and animals of course)
-Starting the second semester of my Freshman year
-journaling
-hopefully spending more time with my bestfriend
-snuggling in blankets and reading Percy Jackson

Happy New Year, friends!
♥♥Kristin