Some Words Just Because.

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I know it's not time for a snippets post yet, but I felt like posting some writing.

As time spun ever on, it seemed the days slipped, like grains of sand, too quickly through her fingers. The brevity of life pressed on her soul, causing her to frantically grasp at each moment in futile attempts to keep them a while longer. Thus she spent the last precious days: reaching for what could never be. Despite her efforts, minute slipped to hour and moment to memory. She realized, too late, the irony of her desperation: in trying to hang onto her life, she'd neglected live it.

This is something that's been on my mind a lot lately: too often I find myself too concerned with making the time stretch rather than making the most of the time that I have. This is a reminder to you - and to myself - to live life.
♥♥Kristin

Summer Is...

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The sunshine-and-happiness scent of clothes dried on a clothesline.
 A sun-dappled forest floor.
Watermelon seed spitting contests.
 Iced coffee, a good book, and a blanket in the yard.
Summer is Simple. Unplanned. Extraordinary.

The Wood Between the Worlds.

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For those who have never read the Chronicles of Narnia, or specifically The Magicians Nephew, this is the wood between the worlds. In the books, it is a wood (obviously) with small pools, each leading to a different world. The wood is an intersection of all the worlds, but at the same time hardly a place in itself. It is transitory. A resting place. That's where I feel like I am right now: The "wood" between the worlds of childhood and adulthood. I'd hardly say that I'm an adult (I'm far too dependent for that), but nor am I a child anymore. I guess that's what the term "teenager" is for, but I don't feel that that's quite adequate either. At times I feel pulled to be part of one world or the other, but neither is quite right. I don't feel the same connection with my younger cousins, and I find adult conversation to be frightfully boring at times. (The economy? Politics? Blech.) In this place, I have so many responsibilities and expectations. Sometimes I'm treated like a child, and others I'm expected to act like an adult. At times it's frustrating.
I also recognize the importance of this time period. Who I am now will greatly influence who I will be as an adult. I know they say that who you are is almost completely developed by the age of 18 or 20. While I don't believe this completely, I know that many of my habits and morals right now will carry over into adulthood. At the age of 18, teenagers are expected to choose the career path that they will follow for the rest of their lives! If that's not daunting, I don't know what is. This "wood between the worlds" is at times exciting, frustrating and intimidating, but it's where I am right now and I aim to make the best of it.
♥♥Kristin

Thank You!

I just wanted to thank everyone who commented on my last post. I honestly don't know why I was feeling so down-in-the-dumps but you were all so encouraging! I'm not going to delete this blog, I don't think that I could really go through with it. As for right now, I'm going to work on post ideas so we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

On another note, I'm not going to finish that photography challenge. I feel bad that I committed to something that I didn't finish, but I suddenly have a lot more on my plate than I bargained for, and what with college starting in less than a month, I have more important things to focus on.

A real post soon, I promise♥
♥♥Kristin

Help?

Hey girls, can I ask you for some advice? I'm kind of starting to feel like no one is reading my blog anymore. I don't have many followers or much feedback. What am I doing wrong? What do I need to improve on? What kind of posts do you want to see more of? I'm feeling kind of discouraged right now, because this blog isn't nearly as fun for me anymore. I know that numbers don't matter, and I'm not saying that I think my blog should be immensely popular, I just wish I had more followers. Everyone else who started a blog around the same time as me seems to have a lot more followers. Any advice you can give me would be greatly, greatly appreciated. I have actually been seriously considering deleting this blog, because I don't feel like I'm getting anything out of it anymore. I enjoy blogging, but it's no fun when it's completely one-sided. I feel very selfish and whiny right now, but I just wanted to let you guys know how I'm feeling and that I would appreciate your help!
Kristin

At the Cabin.

((or, the post in which I overwhelm you with photos and words))

The cabin is probably one of my favorite places in the world. Every year, we go for a week in the summer and a weekend in the fall. Every year, we do pretty much the same things, but I always enjoy it. I'm going to try to break up all the pictures with some words...

The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon: It's quite different from the actual Grand Canyon. For one thing, it's not nearly as deep, and for another, it's completely covered in trees. We go to the same overlook every year, and the view never ceases to amaze me.

As well as going to the overlook, we also hike on a trail that goes along the bottom of the canyon, called Darling Run:

Of course, we had to stop and wade in the stream.

(more photos like this on my photography blog)

We also go on other hikes, and the woods are so beautiful:

At least one night, we have sparklers and fireworks:

And we tour this old caboose next to a gift shop:

So, that's the cabin. Do you have any family vacation traditions like this, that no matter how often you do them they never get old?
♥♥Kristin

Snippets {2}

So, today I was going to upload a ton of pictures and write a rambling post on my vacation last week. I'm not really feeling up to that, so I decided I would post another snippet instead. This first one was inspired last week. (I was with my mom's side of the family at a cabin, in case I never mentioned it.):

We walk on a road that looks as though it had sprung up with the trees and the grass around it. It is narrow and silent. Time stands still. No cars pass- we could be alone in the world. Yellow leaves litter our path. (But, it's summer, isn't it?) A stream appears and with it, a pull. Naturally, we stop. Skip a few stones. Wet our toes. All too soon, we turn. Make our way back to the world. Moments, we decide, are too fleeting when we could be alone in the world.

And a second one:

Love at first sight was not for her. Why, she wondered, would anyone want to be loved that way? It seemed, somehow, shallow. To latch onto the curve of a smile, the tilt of a nose, the curls of hair, and call such sudden infatuation love? Foolishness. Any boy who loved her would prefer a beautiful soul over a pretty face. She'd make him prove his love and earn hers. A more solid love is built slowly, and not all at once. Love at first sight was not for her.

What do you think?
♥♥Kristin