updates and such

i suck and i know. i really do want to blog all the time, i just can't find enough time or something interesting enough to blog about most of the time.

and on top of it all i'm busy.

but i thought i'd give an update on my family since it's been such a while.

UPDATE #1

i have another sister, rachel. she was born a couple days ago. i suppose that is the biggest update.

UPDATE #2

our youth pastor here in NC (of where we moved back to....) asked me to join the student leadership team. of which i did. now i am trying to stay out of announcements as often as possible. but i'm enjoying it and learning a lot.

UPDATE #3

i suppose this one should have been above #2, but oh well. in july we moved back to north carolina bc my dad needed to work. so here we are.

UPDATE #4

i made a lot of friends here really fast it scares me. i am usually the person who will take a while to adjust and then make friends. but like i had new friends within the first two weeks. and i got comfortable with them very fast. it's scary. so this update concludes to be that i am starting to adjust quicker than ever before.

UPDATE #5

and little things here and there are happening. like having guy friends. busy, busy weeks. more school. drama. facetiming. homework. i guess they're shaping me into who i'm supposed to be.

yeah. so. yeah. my life is chaotic. and i'm not going to promise to be back soon, but hopefully i will be.

here are some pictures that are describing what has happened since last time i posted.

this was a highschool girls farewell ice cream get together for one of the leaders who was retiring. (she was taking the picture)

we had leadership training and kind of went mudding afterwards.

this was camp back in june. fun times.

our youth pastor in tennessee. he's awesome btw.

we went to the beach. it was really nice and fun.

celebrated my birthday with these friends that i've now known for eight years 

The Creative Blogger Award

So I decided to come back from the dead with a post, hopefully, I will post more often. For real this time. I'm tired of saying it and not doing it. So this time I will post at least once a week and I will deprive myself of things I like otherwise (but not school. no. not that.)

I was tagged by the wonderful Opal over at Opal Swirls. And I seriously don't know why you would follow me and not her.

It just doesn't make any sense people.

RULES

Nominate 15-20 blogs and notify all nominees via their social media/blogs
Thank and post the link of the blog that nominated you
Share 5 facts about yourself with your readers

FIVE FACTS ABOUT ME

1. I used to go to bed at eight every night and wake up at five every morning, whether I wanted to or not. I laugh at that now. Now I go to bed at 11--if even that early-- and force myself to wake up at seven. If I didn't have a wonderful thing called an alarm clock, I would sleep the day away and get no school done. 

2. I like school. If you've read past posts, you are probably confused. I hated school. And then we got stuck in America and I had nothing else to do. Soooooo I blew the dust off my history curriculum and everything else and haven't stopped yet. School and learning is such a wonderful thing. 

3. I like to watch the news. I'm not joking. I've found few other girls that are finishing up 8th grade that like to watch the news (in fact, I think I only know one...). And I like to keep up with what's going on--everywhere. So. I have discussions with my dad (a lot) about who's running for president, what Obama has done now, Clinton's email situation. (By the way, you should check out this video)

4. I was supposed to have braces for 2+ years, but because I followed all the rules (and was scared to death 99.99% of the time that my teeth would have holes in them when the braces would come off) I got them off after only SEVEN MONTHS with perfectly straight teeth. 

5. This is half announcement, half fact. As of October, I will be a big sister for the SIXTH time. :)

I tag ANYONE and EVERYONE who wants to do this tag :)

But comment and tell me a fun fact!
(do you like the news...?)

Monster Introduction

Hiya!

I know, I stopped posting again. :P

I've been overloaded with school recently because we weren't able to get a lot down last semester due to all of the traveling and visiting. And then this fall I am going to a private school in Indonesia. :) So I have to catch up by then.

But.

Whatever. :)

Sooooo, I can't remember if I mentioned this or not. :P But I am going to start writing a book (for a second time) that Mary gave me the idea for last June. I'll do ten minutes of writing it everyday since I'm still editing Underground. :)

Oh, wait! I just remembered :P It's the story that I last posted. haha :)

Here are some pictures from Pinterest that are going to be woven into the story :)

This is Mariyah

And this is Manwell

Mariyah and Manwell are my two main characters and also my POVs.

Yah

I just said double POV

I'm scared

lol

It'll be fun. O.o

The working title for this is Monster. I'll probably change it in the end. :)

 

I WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK.

 

PLEASE :)

Monster

It echoes in my mind.
Monster. Monster. Monster.
They had to be joking.
They just had to be.
Monster. Monster. Monster.
I pinch my eyes together.
But the word burns itself there.
Monster. Monster. Monster.
"I'm not a monster!"
My voice echoes into the vast darkness.
I fall to my knees.
Monster. Monster. Monster.
"I'm not a monster..."
I draw my knees against my chest.
My throat tickles. I feel the first tear trickle down my cheek.
Monster. Monster. Monster.
No. No. No.
"Broken. I'm just broken..."
No, you're a monster.
It's all you ever were.
Monster. Monster. Monster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I'm going to be writing this story every day (from now on) for 10 minutes. This is the beginning.

 

What do you think?

Monday Minutes Challenge

I pull Amira, but she doesn't give.
"Gabe!" I screech.
He jerks his knee backward. I nod.
I kicked Amira's leg. She screams, dropping to the ground.
"Good, good," Gabe wrestles the orange backpack against Michael's back.
I jump on Amira. By the looks of her face, she might be about to lose her cookies.
God, keep him alive long enough!
I glance over my shoulder, Gabe's backpack is drenched through with blood.
God, we still need him!
"Gun, gun, get your gun out," Amira tugs at my legs.
I pull the gun out and wrestle it against her chest.
She stops moving.
"Stay. Still. Or I fire."
She really froze.
"Gabe?"
"He's doing fine, just keep her shut up."
"Michael?" I whisper, my focus on Amira.
He doesn't reply.
I glance over my shoulder, the gun shifts off Amira's chest.
She rolls over in the split second.
Stupid!
I call out in pain, her body on top of my knee.
She wrestles the gun from my hands, few shots sound.
"Gabe! Gabe! Gabe!"
"Do you want your brother or her?!" He shouts.
"Drop it, Amira."
Everyone freezes.
"Daddy?" Amira squeaks.
"Drop it."
"You're on my side." She manages.
"Drop it, daughter."
"No."
"Drop it."
"Must I repeat myself?" She holds the gun up to meet the man's.
"Must I repeat myself, daughter, for a fifth time?"
"You mustn't say another word,"
Two guns crack.
I can't tell who hit who first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Word Count: 242

abrielle lindsay

Sisterhood of the World Blogger's Award

I am the biggest loser with awards (everyone knows) BUT I AM FINALLY DOING ONE (I hope to get one or two more up soon :) )

And as Wild Horse said, this is an EXCELLENT name. She's in New Zealand, and I'm in 'Merica (though usually I'm closer to her.... lol)

Rules: 

• thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site. 
• put the award logo on your blog. 
• answer the ten questions they’ve set you. 
• make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer. 
• nominate ten people.

Many, many thanks to Wild Horse for nominating me! <3

 

What is your favorite story no one has ever heard of? We always need new, unusual books in our lives.

I absolutely LOVE Red Rain, granted, some people know about this. AND IT IS REALLY WORTH CHECKING OUT. PEOPLE. LIVE. ON. MARS. PEOPLES.

 

Your life is now the last movie/TV show you watched. What was that? And are you happy or worried? If you are the Doctor, I want to meet you.

HTTYD2, I cannot stand how much I love this movie or how much I cried or how much better it was than the first one. AHHH I LUUUUHHHVE IT

 

You are about to be marooned on an island. You get a pistol and a book. Which book? Pick carefully.

Favourite type of cookie? This is very important. 

BOOK: The Bible (but if it wasn't that, PLEASE, Captives by Jill Williamson)
COOKIE: AUNT NONI'S CHOCOCHIP COOKES. HOLY COW HAIR IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD THIS YOU HAVE NOT HAD COOKIES. PERIOD.

 

Do you dance in the rain? There is only one answer. 

UH YEAH

 

What do you look for in a friend? I know that you only really need me, but I will allow you to have contact with other mortals. 

That they are a Christian, (also that they will serve me when I want it, jkjkjkjk)

 

Now that I am King (or Queen, maybe), will you bring me cookies? I know you will.

If I have to. ;) JK, OF COURSE I WILL BRING YOU COOKIES MY QUEEN  

The longest you've gone without sleep? We should compare.

22 HOURS, it was a power outage. And my dad turned off the generator. I read an entire American Girl series that night #truestory  

 

What do you know about New Zealand? Be careful, I love my home.

I know: You live in New Zealand; It is GORGEOUS; It's Middle Earth; Is Chelsea from N.Z....?; It is THREE WHOLE HOURS into the future from Papua's timezone; KIWIS ARE THERE 

 

Tell me something you are scared of. I promise not to use the knowledge against you. 

Okkk... I'm scared thatttttttt our plane back to Papua will crash. :/ #noairasiaforusmun

 

That was fun. :D I'm all hyper now. I could jump up and down or something. :)

 

MY NOMENEES ARRRRRE:

(if you were already tagged, BY ALL MEANS, you do NOT have to do my questions :) )

 

Mary//Elisabeth\\Britt//Ashley G.\\Brooke//Sarah\\Bernie//Bekah\\Rcubed//Athelas

 

1) What's your favorite book, LIKE EVER?

2) You're stuck on Mars. Alone. And you're holding something. What is it?

3) Do you have that one blog you check, like, EVERY DAY? What is it?

4) Your parents say you can pick any animal, ANY OF THEM, existent or not. Which one do you pick?

5) You find out you're going to die tomorrow at three pm, how are you going to spend those last (uh.... here it would be::::) 14 hours?

6) French braid or just braid?

7) Pinterest or Instagram? (Pleeease, there is only ONE answer. And it starts with a P....)

8) Favorite book of the Bible?

9) Favorite verse from the Bible?

10) Where is Papua, without looking it up on Google. I like to hear guesses. :)

 

 

THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT THIS FAR PEOPLES. I LOVE YOU :)

 

abrielle lindsay

Monday's Minute Challenge

I sighed.
I rested my chin on my knuckles. My dress was soaked. My luggage might be better off.
Thoughts ran circles. Pictures raced. Faces stayed perfectly still.
But nothing was as clear as Aunt Maria's face.
Her grin was perfect, just as always. Her compassion was clear. Her laugh echoed in my mind.
Yet I still wasn't there in this midst of crisis.
The train still wasn't here.
I sighed again.
A failure was all I had ever amounted to anyway. So did it really matter?
My thoughts started to fight.
Aunt Maria has always been there for you.
She just did it because she promised Mother she would make annual visits every month.
No, she really did care. It has always been evident.
I chased them away.
I might as well wait for the rain to cease inside at least.
But only an hour ago I had sworn to sit here until the train came.
But... was there really a train?
I screech had me sitting up in but a moment.
I rested the umbrella against my shoulder.
No, unbelievable.
I could see the train lights rounding the corner.
The loud engine had never been more welcoming.
I stood up and grabbed my bag handles.
Ready to hop up onto the train.
The train slowed to a stop.
Oh, how long did it take to stop and then open the doors? Goodness!
When the doors opened, I dropped my bags.
My eyes popped. But my vision blurred.
Aunt Maria jumped off the train.
I lifted a hand to my mouth, Aunt Maria wrapped me in a hug.
"Home to stay, my dear," She whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

276 words.
picture prompt.

 

abrielle Lindsay :)

Editing. The joy of it.

Hello sweet followers :)

Today is the first weekend of 2015.

Today I am at my house wanting to have friends here.

I wish that everyone wasn't sick (seriously, the flu here in TN is insane.) and I wish I had friends.

I wish that I wasn't such an introvert.

But.

Since I AM such an introvert.

And everyone IS sick.

And I DON'T have any friends (like next door, ya'll are great friends. :) )

I can start editing.

I can spend the whole day trying to edit a book I pray will change the world.

I can listen to music all day long that can encourage me greatly.

So, cheers to a whole day of editing that awaits me. *glasses of juice clank* lol

Thank you dear followers for following me. And commenting on my crazy posts that a lot of the time are for no reason. ha ha

Later,
  abrielle lindsay

2015 Challenges

It is going to be 2015 tomorrow ya'll! (unless you're Wild Horse, it already is January 1st.)

I want to give myself 15 challenges that I will hold up to.

And hopefully on December 31, 2015 I can come back here and say I completed them all.

My 15 Challenges for 2015

 

1. Read through my Bible

2. Edit Underground

3. Finish 8th grade and go to the international school in the fall

4. Pray constantly

5. Blog when possible (and not about nonsense)

6. Read more than 30 books (I epically failed that one this year)

7. Make new friends

8. Complete my 3rd NaNoWriMo while doing school

9. Focus my entire next Christmas on the One Who started it.

10. Pause and take in all of God's glorious creation around me

11. Stand up for what's right

12. Surrender myself to God and let His Will be done in my life

13. Write another novel in a short period of time

14. Take a photo every day of the year, a year in memories

15. Buy only Christian music

 

15 challenges of 2015. *rubs hands* Let's see if I can uphold to them.

 

What are challenges that you will be taking during 2015?

Hi. I am Alive. Even if you don't believe it.

I'm back from the dead.

haha, jk. I never died.

But I haven't been around here much.

Or at all.

I've tried I tell you! And I really was working on those posts (I SWEAR) that I kept promising I was working on...

So guess what.

Today is December 29th, 2014.

And that means there are two days left in 2014.

WHHHHHAAAAT.

2014 JUST GOT HERE.

IT CAN'T ALREADY BE TWO DAYS UNTIL 2015.

Is it just me that screams this?

If yay, ok then.

If nay, high fives to everyone who screams that it can't be 2015.

And now. I shall do lists, because every person does lists at the end of the year (and actually, they're quite enjoyable)

Top Ten Things of This Year

1) Getting to see my family after three years in Indonesia.

2) Traveling to many many (like twenty. Forrealsdoe) states to see my friends that I had not seen in longer than 3 years. We made new memories. And terrible pictures. Terrible I tell you. jk

3) Growing closer to God.

4) I went to a weekend somewhat like Disciple Now. IT WAS AMAZING

5)  I FINISHED A QUILT TOP (after having the fabric for like twenty million years (two amounts to that, right?) AND I'M ALMOST DONE WITH ANOTHER ONE.

6) I grew closer to my friends (online and uh, inline? lol)

7) I wrote two and a half novels! YAY. Totaling up to: 143,831 words this year!

8) Having the access to talk to my friends back home in Papua. :)

9) Books. When I was able to read, I realized just how great, and amazing, and wonderful, and incredible, books really are. :)

10) Having good times. Laughing. Making good, lasting memories.

(the embarrassments were worth it, lol jk)

 

Top Ten Worst Things of 2014

1) I had to leave Papua in order to come to America (Ironic, I know)

2) I had to say goodbye to my friends in Papua. *sobs* I miss them so...

3) I got to see a lot of friends, and we reacquainted... but then, we had to say goodbye. :(

4) Not reading my Bible more.

5) Not writing enough

6) Blogging next to never

7) Wasting time on things that never matter

8) Not talking about what really matters in life.

9) Not going to all the different youth groups simply because I didn't know anyone.

10) Missing my home. Wanting to know just when we will go back. I miss it so much.

 

My Top Five Favorite Characters of 2014

1) LIAM. LIAM. LIAM. LIAM IS MY FAVORITE EVER. He is a secondary character from my NaNo 2014 novel , BUT WHO CARES. I LOVE HIM. Sure he's a jerk at the beginning of the novel, but he grows out of it.

2) Catrinity, who remembers that name? :) Painted Skies was definitely my favorite novel I ever wrote. Catrinity was the main character with green dreadlocks and a curse. (Hence the green dreads)

3) Anaya, no I never talk about Slaved.  (I never talk about Underground either, but hey Liam's my favorite character ever so it makes up for it.) Anaya is more of a butt. (forgive my potty mouth) But with being a slave and American and both parents dead, it's kind of hard not to be. (I'm not saying that all Americans are butts, but it kind of seems to be that teenagers aren't very nice except to people way up in the status. But Anaya, *sighs* characters are like your children. You love them even when you know they do everything wrong. And you tell them what to do and they do the complete opposite.

4) Manic. Manic. Manic. He was also from Painted Skies. He was one of Catrinity's friends. Of whom sent her on the whole journey. Like if she didn't go, he was killed. And ya'll, unlike Anaya, she's got a heart. But Manic, how he acted. How he talked. And his brotherly love for Catrinity. I love it. :)

5) Scarlett. I love Scarlett so much. I was writing Slaved one day when I realized I was writing Scarlett instead of Anaya. *headdesk* I feel ashamed because Scarlett is NOTHING like Anaya, she's sweet and tries hard to love everyone (even Liam. I must be the only one to enjoy his jokes, I don't think there were many in the actual book, but I talk to him, we make funny ones. It's not as frightening as it sounds.). Scarlett has been the easiest first person POV ever. And I really enjoy that (HEY WHO DOESNT!?). Scarlett is this good kid, btw, she did what I told her to do--just about the entire time BELIEVE IT OR NOT. I love her so much. :)

 

Some of My Favorite Pictures from the Past Year (I have decided to hold back some of the really strange pictures. )

 

 

This was my birthday cake made by my amazing aunt! LOOK AT IT.

In August, I got to meet my critique partner, Mary, and her family! It was such an awesome day! :D

While we were in NC/SC, we got to see Sonny (pronounced Sony, like the company.)!! He was on his way up north to do some training. (He lives in Papua and works with my dad.)

 This is with our pastor and his wife (who was my Sunday School teacher for what feels like forever, like 3rd and half of 4th grade.). We love them to death and wish they hadn't retired from the church *sobs*

uh. We're weird, I guess. We were having fun at the pool side.

 Here we are again! :D Such lovelies we are. :)

  Our friends from Papua who now live in NC, it was SO much fun to see them again, even though I was sure it would be extremely awkward. Nope. We started playing and talking like we'd seen each other the day before.

 I got to go to Disney World for the second time! It's such a pretty place. And hot. It's very hot in September down in Orlando.

 Loved seeing these girls again! :)

 We're so sweet, and then I have a brother. She understood. She has one too. lol

 WE WENT AND SAW THE ARCH. AND IF YOU HAVE NEVER GONE AND SEEN IT OHMIGOSH IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST COOLEST THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE THANK YOU

 These are also our friends from Papua! (The two girls, far left and the dark headed one resting her chin on my head) It was a ton of fun to get to see them again!

 I hadn't seen these girls in LITTERALLY 7 years. And none of us had stayed in touch (like for reals, I learned it was my fault. :/ ) All three of us were five when I moved, but we got there and talked and acted like I'd lived there the past seven years. I only got to see them twice while we were there (we were in that town of Ohio for five days) but it was a fun two times. Including hiking and squeezing through a small part of a cave that made me think I was fat.

  I CARVED A PUMPKIN. Emily helped me. BUT HEY YA'LL. I've never even been allowed to touch a knife to a pumpkin around Halloween!

 When we were little, the two older boys in the back (or near the back), John, and I were close to best friends. ;) The moved to PNG, and we moved to Papua. And, again, didn't stay in touch. (Guess who's fault that is.) They moved back to America. And we got to go see them. The night we arrived it was REALLY awkward silence. Like really awkward. Like we said nothing. At all. Day 2. They went to school. We went to a chocolate factory. We got back right after the kids got off the bus. I know how I go about getting to talk to old friends. I play a game with them. Hey they like soccer too? We divided into teams. And hey it took us no time. When we walked in laughing and talking and pretty much out of control, our dads said something like, "I think they re-met."

  WE WENT TO THE OLDEST PRETZEL FACTORY IN AMERICA. SOFT PRETZALS YA'LL ARE AMAZING.

 

 We went to Washington DC. IT WAS SO COOL. And beautiful, everything was gorgeous. And I don't know if it was just me or not, but I pointed out every place that Nicholas Cage found a clue.

  My family says that they did not force me into doing this. They thought my hair would stick straight up. Lucky for me I condition it well. And. It has a natural wave to it. :)

 We got to be in TN for my cousin's 15th birthday! fun!

 I am the cute, annoyed teenage babysitter who must babysit the rather annoying baby. jkjkjkjkjkjk I love her to death :)

 

  On the far left is my eldest cousin, when I say we did this and that at my cousin's house, usually I'm referring to her because it's her and her husband's house. She was a Dalmatian (really?) because her husband is a fireman. It was cute. :)

Are we cool or what?

 So that DN (Disciple Now) like thing I was talking about, this was my small group from the weekend (yah, it was something real small, we had the largest group out of 300 teens) I had a ton of fun with the girls! We stayed up half the night talking about potatoes and squashes and Hank Murphy (he was the worship leader) and about how good Hank Murphy's music was and Instagram and more nonsense. (Yes we really did talk about potatoes and squashes.)

 This is my cousin and I with Hank Murphy! It was an awesome weekend! (And please, forgive my hair! I apparently only got ten hours of sleep in three days and cared not of what I looked like because there were three hundred others kids there that got the same amount of sleep)
But the album ONE by Hank Murphy is amazing. Like they are some well written songs. Ohmygosh, they are cool and really are some good worship songs.  

 

 LOOK. LOOK. WE MET LOVE & THE OUTCOME. We saw them at the Klove Christmas Tour. AHHHHMAZZZZING. I loved every moment of it and cared not that they went 20+ minutes over time. :)

 *squeals with delight* It is my second quilt top! My first is already quilted and binded, and my Granny is getting this one quilted. So excited!

on Christmas Eve, we played Dirt Santa, my eldest cousin had a talent of picking up little boy toys  

 LOOK. IT'S TOOTHLESS. AND HE ROCKS AN ANTHEM LIGHTS NEW ERA CAP. PLUS A BRACELET THAT SAYS "I CAN'T SHUT UP". He's just like his mama. I am so proud.

 

 

So hey 2014 was one of the best years I've had, but, who's to making 2015 even better?! I AAAMMM!

 

Editing my NaNo novel?! Whoo! Ha, not sure if I'm looking forward to that or not.

 

BTW, any advice on getting through a really hard to write novel? (Slaved is getting rather difficult.)

 

It was fun writing this post. :) I quite enjoyed it. If you made it to read this sentence, thank you for enduring my weirdness. :)

 

abrielle lindsay