Approaching a Christian Worldview of History

When an individual hears the term "a Christian worldview of history," there are probably several interpretations that may present themselves in one's mind. Perhaps the idea created will focus on biblical history from thousands of years ago. Or perhaps the said individual may determine that this idea focuses specifically on the history of the Christian religion. While these ideas are understandable, the term itself goes much further than the history of Christianity. This term focuses less on the past event and focuses primarily on the historian conducting the research. If this historian is looking at history using a "Christian worldview," their way of approaching and working with the subject will create a unique result that will remain beneficial to the historian even after the research has concluded. 

A step that should be considered when studying history with a Christian worldview and perspective is how Christians can use the guidelines found in the Bible to approach the subject. While many secular historians can quote sections of the Bible, the advantage Christian historians have is that the Bible to them is the living word of God that holds truths that are alive today. When a Christian approaches any kind of history, they should do it in a discretionary way, wanting to follow the teachings of the Bible. This can be seen in many different ways, but working unto the Lord rather than men, and concepts involving integrity, honesty, and morality should be vital to a Christian historian. 

By making these virtuous traits a top priority in our work, our Christian approach will be clearly seen by our peers and the rest of the world, regardless of whether one is studying the life of Jesus Christ, Henry VIII, or Abraham Lincoln. If a Christian historian put the practice of a Christian in their work it will be noticed and seen by the world. While there are many other examples that can be used when determining what a Christian worldview of history is, I believe it ultimately starts with the heart, and wanting to follow the Word of God by doing their work to the best of their abilities, "Unto the Lord, not men."

Written as assigned for Liberty University's HIST-491 Senior Capstone Seminar Assignment

Chapter 2: Kaleb

Another day, another chapter.

I apologize for any grammatical errors. I don't have time to edit today.


"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We'll be fine, I promise."

The weather was too perfect for anyone to be inside. The sun was high in the sky, shining its rays on the thousands of people walking down the streets of Kaspar. Vendors with fresh bread, flowers, and brightly dyed fabrics were doing very well selling their items. The booths themselves were dressed with brightly colored signs, persuading the people passing by to stop and purchase the items on display.

Amidst the busy streets, two young boys blended in. Their cloaks were similar to those being worn by many others, and their tunics like those being sold by vendors they passed. The only difference between these boys and those around them was the fact that the hoods of their cloaks covered their heads. On a day as beautiful as this, it was a wonder why anyone would want to hide from the sunshine.

Kaleb, the taller of the two, walked briskly through the busy streets. The look of joy on his face was almost too bright to hid behind the hood draped over his dark hair. It had been months since he had had the opportunity to explore the streets he had always known as his own. The noise he heard could not be described. One might try, though their description could not give it justice. The sounds of people talking and laughing was most audible, but the music being played in the kingdom's square could certainly be heard for miles. The songs were lively, causing anyone within earshot to want to dance. It was not uncommon to see a couple dancing hand in hand in the streets. Even children too young to speak were clapping their hands to the music.

"Glücklich sind die Menschen im Reich lächelnd. Singen ein Lied so froh , Gott, unserem König segnen."

"I don't know Kaleb, I think we should go back."

Dominik had to run several feet to catch up with his cousin. Although the two were related, their features shared no resemblance. While Kaleb's features were dark, Dominik had hair that could almost be seen as white in certain light. He stood nearly eight inches shorter than his cousin who was actually several months younger than Dominik. It would be hard to pick Dominik from a crown of Kaspar residents, unlike Kaleb who took after his mother's Greek features, which were uncommon in the area.

By the time Dominik caught up with Kaleb, the song being played had concluded, and claps were heard around the two. Dominik took hold of Kaleb's arm to keep him from taking another step. Although Kaleb stopped, he certainly could have kept walking even with Dominik trying to hold him back. "Come on, Kaleb," the blond haired boy said. We visited the town like you wanted to. You got to hear the music up close. We did what you wanted to do. Now can we go back?"

"Where's your sense of adventure, Dominik," Kaleb asked. "This is something we never get to do. Don't you want to enjoy it while we can?"

"But if anyone finds out we're here, you know how much danger we will be in? There are people who want us dead!"

Kaleb rolled his eyes. "Please, they don't care about you. People only want to cut my head off."

"Genug!" Dominik cried. "That's not funny!" 

Another difference easily seen between the two cousins was the fact that in all of Kaleb's years of living, (which was quite a few, considering he was going to be thirteen in only three weeks) he never showed any fear. Even in situations that may have caused brave men to quiver on their knees, Kaleb's emotion never seemed to change. "Nothing scares me!" He would say whenever someone or something might happen that could cause one to be afraid. "Nichts macht mir Angst!" Dominik, on the other hand, was afraid of a common stink bug. Many who knew the boys often wondered how the two of them could possibly be related at all. 

"Let's go back," Dominik said again. Kaleb could see the tears forming in his blue eyes. Kaleb sighed. "Alright," he said turning around, back in the direction of his home. "Let's go back. I knew I should have asked Helene instead to join me."

"Good thing you didn't!" Dominik said, picking up his pace. "Fraulein Magdalene would go into shock if I put my sister in that kind of danger!"

"It's not dangerous out here, Kaleb said surly. Nothing is going to happen to-"

BAM!

Not looking where he was going, Kaleb walked directly into a vender's sign. Frische Blumen it read; Fresh Flowers.

"Ach neim!" The woman behind the booth exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Ah," Kaleb sighed, reaching up to touch his nose. He tasted blood in his mouth.

"Let me see if your nose is broken!" The large woman said as she came out from behind her  table of bright flowers. She tried to take a look at his face, but Kaleb pulled away. "No, he said nearly out of breath. "I'm okay."

"No, she said again. Your nose is already swelling. Please let me look at it so I can help. Where is your mutti?"

At that moment, the woman pulled the hood off of Kaleb's head. His dark hair and tan skin was revealed, along with his nose which was now an interesting shade of blue.

It took the woman all of five seconds to realize who was standing before her. "Oh mein," she said under her breath. "Is it really..? Is it actually...?"

Dominik looked as if he were about to pass out. "No, no no..." he was saying. "I knew this would happen, I knew it would!"

"You're Kaleb!" The woman exclaimed loud enough for anyone in the direct area to hear. "Du bist der Prinz!" she cried. "You're the prince!"

Chapter 1: Briella

Because I am bored at school...

Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Briella. She lived in a kingdom called Caspar, filled with merchants, peasants, and rich people. Briella was neither rich nor poor, though compared to the rich folk, she was quite poor, and compared to the poor folk, she was quite rich. Nonetheless, Briella had everything she needed; nothing more, and nothing less. 

To many who knew her, Briella had the ideal life. She lived in a decent sized house on the edge of the kingdom. She shared the house with her parents, who were both kindhearted, and quite lovely individuals. Even the servants and staff that lived on the property adored Briella and her parents. Everyone was treated fairly. The staff were not treated as lower class individuals by their employers. Rather, they were treated like family. For example, if one of the servants were sick or injured, they would receive the decent care and treatment they needed to recover. They would also not be expected to work until they were fully functional once again. Every staff member working for the family truly appreciated this, and worked their hardest to see that they could please their employers, and satisfy them. 

Because Briella lived several miles from the heart of the kingdom, she rarely had the opportunity to visit on her own. Although her parents were very lovely people, they were both rather protected when it came to their daughter. She was only allowed outside when she was being watched by someone. And going to the kingdom was a definite no if no other was accompanying her. And it was very rarely that anyone had the need or desire to travel to the bustling town. "It is far too dangerous," Mrs. Holloway, the head housekeeper would say whenever Briella would bring it up. "The kingdom is very big, and you are much too small. It would be ridiculous to even consider travailing to the kingdom. Think of all the trouble you could get into! Someone your age and size would certainly fall into a trouble much bigger than you could imagine."

Briella heard these same words her entire life. She always assumed the older she got, the rules would become less. But no matter how old she was, the answer was always the same. This of course made Briella very upset. She would see carts and carriages going up the road to the kingdom day after day. They were often filled with people her size and smaller. They always looked so happy and excited to visit the large town. When she would see them return, their faces would be just as bright. In their once empty cart, beautiful items were seen. Smells of sweet candy and warm almonds often trailed behind the carts. If that was just a hint of what she would find in the town, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to be their on her own. 

Briella would often look out her window at night toward the kingdom's center. Even though it was far away, she could oftentimes see the warm lights from a distance. If she listened hard enough, she could even hear the sounds of people laughing, and the bright music being played somewhere far away. If she was lucky, she could catch the bright beautiful fireworks that would dance in the sky above. How she wished she could see it all up close. 

"One day," Briella would whisper to herself on those nights looking out her window, watching people come and go as they please. "One day, that will be me."

To be continued...

Movie Night: Double Indemnity

Sorry it's been a few days since my last entry. I totally intended to write about the movie, but I kind of forgot. :p

Anyway, so I am going to try to give a little bit of info about the movie. It has been over a week since I saw it, so if it seems my summary is a little foggy, that's why.

So, the movie I saw was called Double Indemnity. It was released in the year 1944. Up to this point, I had never heard of the movie, and knew very little about its plot line.

Basically, it's about this insurance salesman named Walter Neff (played by Fred MacMurray) who meets a woman named Phyllis Dietrichson (played by Barbara Stanwyck) who is interested in buying car insurance from him. The two both seem to like each other. The only problem is that Mrs. Dietrichson is married. Her husband, she tries to explain to Neff, is very mean to her. She says that he doesn't love her and only cares for his daughter from his first marriage.

Neff feels bad for Phyllis and decides to help her get out of her "abusive" relationship. Their plan? Buy life insurance for Mr. Dietrichson and then have him end up dead. The two would then be able to share the money they made from the life insurance, and be able to live happily together.

Well, it seems to start out alright. Their plan to get rid of Mr. Dietrichson seemed to work just as they had planned. But they soon realize that it was not exactly the best thought out plan to start with.

Even though this movie is pretty old, I actually liked it quite a bit. The acting could have been a little better, but the story line itself was very good. I didn't see the ending coming at all; I didn't think it would end the way that it did.

All in all, this was a good movie. For the most part, it was pretty family friendly. I mean, I know the plot line of an affair and murder aren't necessarily wholesome, I felt it was made as clean as it possibly could. For example, you don't even see the murder take place. You just know it happened. If this movie had a rating today, I think it would be rated PG. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under the age of 10, but 10 and older would most likely have no problem with this movie. (I don't really know why any 10 year old would be interested in watching this movie, though.)

I'm glad I went to see this. Next month they are having another movie night at the college. It is a 1950s film. I can't remember the name at the moment, but I figure if I end up going, I will review it on here.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now!

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Sam

Yes, Another School Post

Once again, I am writimg from a computer at the college. I usually wouldn't be at the college this late in the day, but in about a half an hour, there is going to be an old movie playing at the theater here on campus. Usually I wouldn't stay for things like this, but this movie sounded interesting. Plus, it is free, which I am all about. :)

I will make another post either tonight or tomorrow with a little more information about the movie and what I think about it. Like I said, I really have no idea what it's about, but this is a new film series they are starting. I guess they will be showing an old black and white movie once a month in the nice big theater. It could be intereting, but I will let you know for sure.

Also, today I gave my speech in Speech class. I think it went pretty well. I mean, I am not a huge fan of public speaking, but I worked hard on this speech. He filmed each of our speaches, so if it isn't too embarassing, I may post the video up here.

I was afraid that I was going to go over the time limit (six minutes) since every time I practiced it at home I was usually about thirty seconds too long. But as far as I know I was under six minutes. There were two other students I know who went over the time limit. It's only a small percentage of points taken away if over or under the four to six minute range, so I don't think it'll be a big deal if I happened to. But of course I want to keep as many points as possible.

So all in all, my day went really well. I am ready to go and watch this movie, and then go home and possibly do some writing on my own, since I am actually sort of almost caught up on all my homework. (!!!)

I guess that's it for now. I hope you guys are still reading these. I'm sorry if they're so boring. I'm still getting back into learning how blogging works. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will have something a little more interesting to write about other than speeches and old movies.

Have a good hump day!

Tuesdays with Sam

Tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. I only have one class that day, which means it is a little shorter than my Monday/Wednesday schedule, where I'm on campus for eight hours. Tuesdays are also nice, because I don't have to wake up too early. My class starts at 11:00am. I have to be at the college at 10:00am, because I am working as a Writing Fellow, and 10-11 is one of my tutoring times. The rest of the week I have to be at the school at 8:00am.

So today, is of course Tuesday. I had my time in the Writing Center, which was pretty simple, since I didn't have an appointment. I got to work on a little homework, and left with just enough time to stop by the library before I had to be to the band room for music class. On my way into the music room, I was informed by a fellow student that class had been cancelled. That is the reason why I am writing this rather random blog post. I returned to the library and decided to write this.

If I didn't work at the book store at 12:30pm, I could leave right now. But instead I thought I'd relax a bit. I am writing this right now, and once I am done I will probably browse the library a little longer, and try to find something that looks interesting. I have learned with college libraries, that they rarely have fiction. It's all opinion on fiction. I tried to find something as academically accurate like the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn, but all I could find was a study guide to go with it. Needless to say, there are no science fiction or John Green books on any of these shelves. I'm sure I can find something, though.

Then, I might go down to the cafeteria, and treat myself to some overpriced food. I didn't pack anything to eat today which is a mistake, and I'd rather spend my money on something that will fill me up than something from the vending machines that will just make me even more hungry.

I will have to be at the book store by 12:30pm to work, and then I get off at 2:00pm. And that is probably how I am going to spend my day at school. So if any of you were wondering, this is the life of Sam the college student. Don't ask my about my Monday and Wednesday schedule, though. You will probably wish then that you will never have to go to college ever.

So, I guess that's it from me. Sorry about the random post. The first thing that came to mind when I sat down at one of the many computers here in the library was "Let's write a blog post." So I hope those of you who still follow me have enjoyed this little "Story of my life."

Have a great day!!

Classified Information

What's this, a second post in less than 24 hours? Sam, you must be sick.

No, but seriously, I forgot how much I missed blogging. I remember when I had no life, and would write everything on here. On Monday night, some of my friends decided to go back and read some of my old blog posts. That is really what got me thinking of starting back up again.

If anyone were to go back and read what I had written years ago, they would clearly see that my life revolved around American Girl dolls, and Nancy Drew. I won't dare say that these two parts of my life are still not a huge part of it, but I guess over the last few years I've had to prioritize. I can love Nancy Drew by owning every single book, playing every single game, and knowing the dialogue of every character, but what would that prove? That I'm a mega fan? I think that's already been determined.

That's not just what you are going to be seeing on this blog anymore. I still absolutely adore Nancy Drew, along with many other geeky fandoms including Star Wars, Sherlock, and Marvel. And although it may be something I write about here and there, I want this blog to be about my life. So if my life includes fangirling over the new Sherlock trailer (which, by the way, looks incredible.) Than that is what I will post about. These posts could be based on thoughts I've had, or places I've gone, or hopefully even videos I've made. (I would love to get back into making YouTube videos.)

I can't classify this blog in any other way than saying it is about Sam, the weird, semi-neurotic, geeky, fangirl from Michigan.

I hope that's a good enough explanation.

Take Two

Well that didn't take long.

Yes, I know I said I was finished with this blog, but a girl can change her mind, can't she?

After thinking it over, I've decided I don't want a new blog; I want to finish where it all began. And so today, I am re-establishing my outdated, random blog.

I've said this a dozen times, and probably will say it a dozen more, but I can't promise I will be posting very much. I am a college student working two jobs right now. But I want to say that I tried, even if it was a lame try.

I also want to thank Abby, for encouraging me to keep this blog up. You made me realize that someone out there actually wants to hear what I say. (I'm so glad there is at least one person.) :)

So, let's start this again. I'll be giving it my best shot.

Here's Sammy's blog, take two.

Our California Adventure (Day 1, Part 3)

So...we just got to California. The palm trees are swaying to the warm, gentle wind. The snow capped mountains in the background stood in pure beauty, while we stood at the baggage claim, looking for the bags that were't going to show up.

It had to be a joke, right? Like, we had to have been put on some hidden camera show or something. Or maybe, I wasn't completely wrong when I said my life was becoming that of a Nancy Drew mystery story. The only thing missing now was a thief who steals my carry-on bag, and a ghost dog or two.

We stood as the bags went round and round. One by one, people would grab their bags and walk away. The three of us were left standing there for close to twenty minutes, watching in horror as one by one, our bags didn't show up.

Let's face it, I was a wreck. I was exhausted, I was hungry from something other than mini Ritz crackers and pretzels. My stomach was still in knots from the bumpy ride over. We were in a strange place thousands of miles away from everything I knew, and to top it all off, we couldn't find our bags. I was about to have a mental breakdown in the middle of the airport.

But alas! All is not lost! For whatever reason, our bags were moved to a different place in the airport. They had gotten to California before we did, so they had been put away behind an office desk. I was thrilled.

We carried our newly discovered luggage bags outside of one building, onto a bus that took us to another building, where we got our rental car. Thank goodness there were no issues with that. (Well...wait until day three for that story.)

So we were now on the road towards my aunt and uncles house! Before nightfall, we will be with people we recognize. (And not just super villains who clean off tables)

Being from Michigan, I'm used to straight roads. Not many turns, not many hills. Just flat land. Well...California isn't exactly like that. See, those mountains I saw at the airport aren't just in the backdrop. So we had to drive up and down, twist and turn through these mountains. Once again, not too good on my already upset stomach.

After about an hour of driving, we decided to stop for dinner. Although my stomach didn't seem interested in food, I decided to give something a try. We went to this restaurant that, on the outside, reminded me of Outback Steakhouse. I though I would find something that would settle my stomach and make me happy. But when we walked in...the place was much more like a trucker's diner. I knew right away that I wouldn't find anything that would help my stomach.

We sat down, and noticed that at three tables surrounding us, there were three groups of people speaking three different languages. (Again, not something you would see everyday in small town Michigan.)

Mom and Grandma ordered their food, and I went without. It was a good thing too, because I ended up throwing up in the bathroom soon after we arrived. Thankfully, I felt a little better after that. (Sorry if this is TMI..)

After another thirty or so minutes on the road, we finally reached Yucca Valley CA. We checked in at our hotel, which was only a mile from my aunt and uncles' house. (We didn't stay with them the first few nights because they had other company in for the wedding, and that house was already too full.)

I took a shower at the hotel, which felt wonderful. I wanted to get in my pajamas, and go to sleep. Close my eyes, and forget about the longest day of my life. But no...it was only 6pm. (9pm what I was used to) And Aunt Janel was expecting to see us that night. So, we left the hotel, and drove the very short one mile drive to Aunt Janel and Uncle Mark's house. It was so nice to see them. (It had been four years)

We talked for about two hours, until I could barely keep my eyes open. We left a little after 8pm, and finally I got to get in my mickey mouse pajamas, and just slept. I don't care if my bed was nothing but a pull out couch. I was extremely happy to be able to fall asleep. And fall asleep I did.

That first day was definitely the longest of our trip. I'm happy to say the trip did get better for the most part, from then on.

If I learned anything from my first day out west, it's that,

1. Never assume everything is going to work out the way it's been planned.
2. Always have a plan B in case your first plan fails.
3. Nancy Drew is a very patient person if she deals with this sort of thing day after day after day.

~Sam

Our California Adventure (Day 1, Part 2)

So after a long morning, we made it to Phoenix. I have always wanted to visit Phoenix. Actually, I've always just wanted to visit Arizona. Ever since playing Nancy Drew #10: The Secret of Shadow Ranch, the old west became very fascinating to me. In fact, I even wrote two books about it!

Just stepping off of the plain and onto the airport floor, I felt like I had accomplished something. Even if we were only going to be there for twenty four minutes, I could now say I had been to Arizona. (I'm sure you Arizona dwellers are rolling your eyes at my total nerdness right about now.)

I had to take a picture of the airport too.



Which made me think of this...



This is the scene when Nancy is at the airport in Phoenix. (They must have renovated some since 2004)

So far, my day had been excellent. The plain ride was very smooth, I was now in a city I had always dreamed about going to, and now were were only hours away from California. What could go wrong?

I've learned that's something you NEVER say at an airport.

Remember that storm I told you about in my last post? The snow storm on the other side of the country? Yeah...well, because of that storm...our plane got in late. And because our plane got in late, the plane we were supposed to get on to go to California left without us. And because the plane left without us, we had to wait four hours until our new plane showed up. Oh joy.

None of us were too thrilled. Turned out Arizona really wasn't as awesome as I was expecting. (Well, the airport anyway.)

We walked around a bit, stretching our legs after such a long ride. We went to a few gift shops. I got a package of arrowheads. I'm never getting that money back...

We also went to a very expensive cafe that sells $7.00 yogurt and granola, and $12.00 coffees. While sitting there, I noticed one of the employees looked just like Loki. I mean, they were very strangely identical. I tried my hardest to get a picture of him without being overly "creeperish" but the only picture I got focused on my mother's empty $7.00 yogurt container, and not him.



If you're ever at the Phoenix airport, find this place and look for Loki the bus boy. You'll see how right I am.

Anyway, so the next like...three and a half hours we just sat. We all had our iPads with us, and thank goodness the airport had wifi. Seeing Loki the bus boy got mom in the mood to watch the Avengers on Netflix. My grandmother spent the entire time reading on her tablet, and I decided to watch a movie I hadn't seen in a very long time.

High School Musical.

If only I wasn't at a public airport. I could have burst out singing all those overly dramatic nostalgic songs. But no, I did not make a total fool of myself. (At least, not intentionally.)


Finally, finally, FINALLY, we were able to get on our new plane to Ontario, California. Since of course, we didn't originally have seats for this flight, each of our tickets were random, which meant we didn't get to sit together. My grandmother was placed up front by a younger couple. My mother was placed near the back by an older couple who talked the entire time about Disneyland, and I sat in between two women. The one near the window who looked just like Mrs. Dabney from Good Luck Charlie slept the entire ride...that is, until the flight attendant came out with snacks. She woke up to that. The woman to my right spent the entire flight reading. I didn't say a word to either of them the whole time. And frankly, I think all three of us were glad we didn't have to be social.

The ride to California was very bumpy. My stomach kept feeling like it was dropping, which isn't a very reassuring feeling when you're in between two strangers in a cram packed airplane. I tried to ease myself. I watched Judge Judy on the tv, and then listened to Lindsey Stirling on my phone. I tried reading like the one lady, but it certainly doesn't help your upset stomach to try to focus on words while bouncing up and down.

I was very glad when we landed. I think everyone on the plane was. We got there four hours later than we planned, which reminded me of Shadow Ranch again. (Bess and George's plane was delayed several times.)

I just kept saying to myself "We're here, we're here."

But honestly, we weren't. Yes, we were in California, but we still had a long day ahead of us. That's right...my day was turning into that of a Nancy Drew mystery.

Our California Adventure (Day 1, Part 1)

This past April, I went with my mom and grandma to California for a week. I had never been out west before, so I was very excited for this trip. The reason we were going, was because my cousin Andrew, and his girlfriend, Elisenda were getting married. This was sort of a "Happy 18th birthday/graduation" trip. I looked forward to this trip for over sixteen months - at least thirteen of those months unsure if the trip was actually going to happen.

But finally, we got all of the wedding details, and were able to buy our plane tickets. Our plan was to leave Detroit on April 3rd, and return home on the 9th. (We had a few things planned to do while we were there, but I'll talk about those later.)

So on Thursday, April 3rd at 3:30am, I woke up and got ready to leave for the airport. My grandma showed up at the house about 3:45, and my uncle (who was going to drive us to the airport, since my dad can't see very well at night) showed up about 3:50. About twenty minutes later, we had all of our bags in the trunk, and we were on the road.

The trip to the airport in Detroit takes about a half hour. So for the first twenty five minutes, it doesn't feel very real. I mean, yeah, it's still super early in the morning, and I'm not completely awake yet, but it wasn't until we started seeing signs for the airport that I started realizing that it was finally happening.

After Uncle Jon helped us get the bags out of the car and to the check in station, he left, leaving the three of us in a very large building with hundreds of other people who were about to do the same thing we were...except to places all over the world.

We went inside and stood in line for awhile, waiting in line for security. When it was finally my turn, I went up, and stood in that weird machine, and all of a sudden, a large "ERROR" flashed across the screen. My heart nearly stopped when the woman said that I may need to go back to another room to be searched. I had no idea what was going on. I knew I didn't have any weapons or explosives in my pocket, but the machine said otherwise. We tried again, and then it said I was clear, but it did give me a mini heart attack. I still have no idea why it did that.



Anyway, so once we were through security, we did more sitting in a small area with dozens of others who were going on the same plane we were. I tried to read, but my mind was wandering, too excited and anxious for the five hour plane ride to Phoenix ahead of me, and another hour trip to Ontario.



Our plane left at 6:35am...or at least was supposed to. We boarded around 6:15am. We got seats right on the wing on the right hand side. The plane was packed with people. Not one seat was empty, which of course made it feel extra stuffy.



We took off just as the sun started to rise. It was so beautiful. In fact, I spent the next fifteen minutes just taking pictures.







There was an app you could download that showed you where you were, and how high up you were, and how fast you were going. I spent a lot of the time watching it on my tablet.



I also brought some books and magazines to keep me entertained.


The plane ride seemed to take a long time. One of the reasons why, was because of a snow storm. We had to fly around it, which meant going through Minnesota, instead of right down to Phoenix. Although I knew that it was taking a little more time, I didn't think much of it. But let's just say that because of that storm, the rest of our day was going to turn out completely different than we ever would have planned.

Growing Up is Hard to Do

    Hello Old Friend[s]!

     I know it's been awhile. I'm here again, and [I promise] it won't be the last time. 

    Okay, okay, I'll stop quoting Francesca Battistelli, but seriously...hi everyone!! Yes, it's been far too long since I've posted on here. And seriously...I miss it! It feels like I am letting all 100 of you down! I know for  a fact that even though it says I have 100 followers, probably only 10% of you will actually read what I post.

Anyway, I'm just stopping by to say that I haven't quit blogging completely. I still intend to post on here - especially now with all the changes that are going on in my life. When I started this blog back in 2009 I was just entering my freshman year of high school. And now...I'm getting ready to go to college. What's up with that?

A lot has changed since then, obviously. I've grown up. I've learned lessons. I've made new friends, and have said goodbye to old ones. My life has turned around almost completely since I posted my first carefree blog post on here about my "love of American Girl dolls." I do still love my dolls, and I know that will never change. But I have recently learned that growing up requires maturity. In my mind, I am laying my foot on the proverbial brakes in life. 

  

"No!" I say. "I don't want to go college! I don't want to get a job! I don't want to give up my free time where I can just do my own thing!"

Ever since I started high school, I have been dreading this time in my life. Unlike the majority of my friends at the time, I didn't want to grow up! I was very happy with being a carefree thirteen year old who's biggest challenge in life was deciding what color rubber bands she wanted next time she went to the orthodontist to get her braces tightened.

The whole idea of college, and making decision on my own, and thinking about my future scares me. Even though I have known it was coming for years, I am mentally not ready for it.

It's not that I'm afraid of the future - I mean, why worry about things you can't change? It's not going to make you feel better by thinking about it every waking moment of your life. I guess what I'm most anxious about is changing who I am as a person. I love my life, and for years I have tried to live my life to its fullest. I didn't want to waste my childhood trying to grow up. While my friends were shopping for clothes for themselves, I was shopping for clothes for my dolls. When they were spending their time talking about the drama and trouble at school, I was busy reading about the trouble that super sleuth Nancy Drew was getting into after being locked in a closet.

See? I don't want to change what I love to do. I see how people have changed for the worse as they grew older. They changed who they were. I don't want to do that. I want people to still know me as who I've been for the past eighteen years. This is the time in life where you have to make the most decisions you'll probably every have to make. I'm ready for a challenge, but at the same time...

I just wish things were back to the way they used to be.

Ah...well, enough complaining. I'm sure you have much better things to do with your time than to listen to me ramble. I just thought I'd pop by and say hi to all you loyal followers. I have a few ideas of things I'd like to accomplish on here during the summer months. We'll see how that turns out. :p

Thanks!
~Sam

April 2014

Magazine Interviews

Have you ever been interviewed by someone before?

I remember years ago when I had my own "newspaper," and I would interview people (my friends) on all sorts of different topics. (Though, they usually revolved around Nancy Drew and American Girl.) I had never taken part in a real, professional interview. I had seen them go on before. About four years ago, we went on a field trip to a TV station. We got to sit in a very small studio and watch the show's host interview several guests. I remember thinking how calm and laid back the one being interviewed was. Something told me that if I was the one in that spot, that I would stumble over my words and make a fool of myself. 

Last November, I had the opportunity to participate in my very first real interview. This one was over the radio. It was a promotion for my book, and I had a few minutes to talk about what it was about, and answer some really easy questions. The thing that made this a little intimidating was the fact that it was being done live. That meant that if I messed up, there was no going back to fix it. Let's say that I was a little nervous. But, I did get through it. It wasn't the smoothest talking I had ever done. (Seeing that big red "on air" light can be a little nerve wracking) but I think I did okay. I mean, how much can you really mess up in five minutes? (Okay, probably a lot if you tried.)

Like I said, that was in November. But just the other day, (yesterday, to be exact) I participated in another kind of interview. This one was a lot different than the previous one.  

I was interviewed for a magazine.

So, the reporter came over. It helped that she was very friendly, and that she was a woman. (The DJ that interviewed me for the radio was in his sixties, and had this really long beard and hair. Not necessarily something you see everyday.)

The woman had a recorder that she sat down on the table, and then she started asking me questions about my book. The questions started out like, "How did you get into writing?" and "How did you hear about NaNoWriMo?" These were pretty basic questions that were easy to answer. Occasionally she would write something down in her notebook, or ask me to spell something, but really, it just seemed like a conversation between the two of us.

The interview went on for about 45 minutes. Although the interview was mainly about my book, she asked other questions about my piano playing, my school, my plans for the future, etc. Some of the questions took a little time answering  because I really wasn't expecting them, and weren't sure about my answer. But I think it all went okay.

I don't know if I'll ever be asked to be interviewed again. It surprised me that I was interviewed by a magazine before the local newspaper, but you know, I find that kind of cool. If having an article about myself in a magazine was ever on my bucket list (which I don't think it was) I could scratch that off now. I don't know what issue of the magazine I'm going to be featured in, but I will make sure to share the interview on here once I receive a copy of it. 

So, that was the highlight of my week. 

~Sam

Resolutions and a New Year

At the end of each year, I come up with the ridiculous resolution that I want to keep for the new year. I will always pick something very hard, and way over the top, expecting to do it, but dramatically failing in the second week.

This year, the same thing might happen, and just like every year, I am going to try my hardest. But unlike every year, I am not going to give up when it gets too hard. I have made the wise decision to not give things up as much as I have tried in the past. About five years ago, I decided to give up soda. I've never been much of a soda drinker, so it really wasn't that hard. I haven't had an soda since. It isn't even a temptation to me anymore, so I know that I need to add something to give me something to actually work for.

Instead of picking something to give up for the whole year, I am choosing things to give up for a month at a time. I guess you could all it "mini resolutions." Each month I will either add to whatever I have been giving up, or pick something different, depending on how hard of a challenge it is for me.

I debated a few different things to give up, but I think I finally have a good idea, at least for the first few months of the year.

January-No Sweets, and nothing to drink but water. I know that I have a hard time with both of these, but especially the second one. Since I don't drink soda, I always grab the juice. And although fruit juice isn't bad, it is filled with sugar. For one month, I am going to drink nothing but water. My mom was a little concerned when I told her this, because she says that I need milk. And I will still have milk if it is in the food I'm eating, but just for drinking when I'm thirsty, I will only drink water. And as for sweets, I have done this for lent for the past few years. It is a challenge during Valentines Day and my birthday, (which are both during lent) but since I am only doing this for January, it shouldn't be that big of a problem.

I have an idea for February and March, but I am going to wait and see how I do with January before I decide for sure.

Another thing that I want to do this year, is the 365 challenge. I have seen several people on my facebook do this, and I want to give it a try. What you do, is take one picture every day, and then at the end of that week, I will post all seven pictures here on my blog and give a little information about each picture. Since I am always carrying my iPod or camera around and taking pictures anyway, this shouldn't be that hard of a challenge...at least, I hope not. We'll see though, I guess.

So, what do you think? Are you planning to start, or give something up for the new year?

~Sam

Christmas 2013

Happy Day after Christmas!

How was your holiday week? Mine was great! Unlike the past few years, I had absolutely nothing that I had to do Christmas week, beside record for my CD, but that really wasn't that big of a deal. For as long as I can remember, I either had a Christmas concert to rehearse for, a Christmas program that stressed me out, or some other thing that I was obligated to fufill. I never usually minded doing those thing. I had the choice to say no in the first place, but to me, being busy was what made the Christmas season so memorable.

This year however, I spent most of my Christmas time just relaxing. I'd watch Christmas movies, wrap presents, and bacially, just hang out around home. You'd think being much less busy would make the time super slow, but actually, Christmas seemed to creep up on us very quickly.

My day was very enjoyable. We did our annual Christmas morning routine, where we read the Christmas story, (This year, we read the KJV, so we could say it like Linus in a Charlie Brown Christmas.) Then we open our gifts, and finally, finish off with a coffee cake breakfast.

All of that went perfect. But shortly after, (around 10am) I was hit with what I call, "a dizzy spell." I absolutly hate these. What happens, is I all of a sudden start feeling very dizzy. I can't seem to focus on anything. My head feels like it is spinning. The dizzy feeling in my eyes quickly start making my head hurt very badly. The pounding is incredible, and makes it nearly impossible to do anything without having to sit down, being afraid that you're going to fall.

By this time, I am so dizzy that I couldn't even see out of my left eye. It was like a very blurry camera. This causes my stomach to start feeling weak. This happens once ever few weeks. I went to the doctor because of it, and I was given glasses, and they have worked wonders. But even with them on, sometimes it still happens. And out of all the days for it to occur, it had to be on my favorite day of the year.

I thank God that it only lasted a few hours. (The last time this happened in early November, I was sick in bed for two days.) By 2pm, I was feeling almost totally healed, and beside from just a tiny headache, which I am assuming were sinus related, I was all better.

By that time, we had driven to my aunt's in Ohio for Christmas dinner. I was not up for eating, since I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep it in. A little after noon, once I was feeling a little better, I ate a few grapes, and that seemed to help a lot. It wasn't until that night when I got my share of a real Christmas dinner, and could actually enjoy it. Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn pudding, macaroni salad, and homemade rolls. (Since it was leftover from lunch, all of the meat was gone, but I didn't mind. Everything that I ate tasted amazing!)

When I woke up this morning, I felt even better, along with the surprise that it had snowed some over night. It looks like we did have a white Christmas after all.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I had a great Christmas under the circumstance. When we got back home, I decided to make a video showing everything that I got for Christmas. I guess it is a good thing I edited it, because it was 19 minutes at first! I'm glad I was able to shorten it to 11.

Anyway, if you decide to watch, I hope you enjoy. You'll notice that I am very strangly white in this video. Not only am I like that all of the time, but it doesn't help that I am sitting next to my open window, (which, like I said, had snow on the other side of it.)

So...I guess that's it for now. I am going to be posting a lot more on this blog as 2014 comes to a start. I will tell you why, and my plans for the new year in the next week.



Have a great last week of 2013 guys!

~Sam

Chapter from "The Eye of the Storm"

Hi readers!

If you didn't know, I have a facebook page for my book. You can like the page to get updates on my writing. Well, when I first made the page, I said that once I reached 50 likes, I would share a small portion of my second book, "The Eye of the Storm" with my followers. Well, a few weeks ago, I reached 50 likes! Thank you to everyone who was apart of making that happen.I am going to post the excerpt here on my blog. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. It was very fun to write. If you read the first book "The Other Side of Me," then you'll already know the characters Molly and Jacob, two siblings. Molly has always been my favorite character to write about, because she has a lot of spunk for an eleven year old. And I also like writing for Jacob, because he doesn't know the first thing when it comes to girls and their "drama." I thought it would be extra fun to see how clueless Jacob really is. I love this chapter, and I hope that you do too. Like I said previously, this is a small excerpt from book two in "The Other Side of Me" series, "The Eye of the Storm," which will be out sometime in the beginning of 2014. Enjoy!

   One of those problems happened about a month after the accident. Molly started going back to school, which was good for her. She had a lot of friends her age. The schoolhouse was about three miles away from where we lived. Most mornings I would take her using the wagon and horse. Sometimes though, if the weather was nice, she’d walk. I wasn’t sure how comfortable I was with her walking three miles to school, and another three back, but she said it was very calming to her. I won’t argue. The road between our house and the school was very quiet and peaceful. There was only one other farmhouse along the way, but it was far enough back from the road that the only sound you might here while passing by is a cow’s moo, or a barking dog.

     This day in particular I had driven her to school in the wagon. So when I went to pick her up that afternoon, I was surprised to see her sitting by herself on the front of the schoolhouse’s steps. Usually I’d have to drag her away from playing with her friends. All of her friends were playing hopscotch on the other side of the yard, but Molly sat alone. When she saw me, she quickly got up, and ran towards the wagon.

    “Hey Moll,” I said as she climbed in next to me. She didn’t say anything back, which surprised me. Usually whenever I would pick her up, she wouldn’t stop talking about the great day she had at school. Whether it was about one of her friends, or something she learned in school, she usually wouldn’t stop talking for the entire three mile trip home, which usually took about fifteen minutes.

     I tried to get the conversation started. “So Molly,” I said. “How was school today? Did you pass that spelling test you were studying for?” I wondered if that was why she was quiet. Maybe she didn’t do well, and was upset with herself.

   “I got an A.” She said quickly and quietly. “Oh,” I said, now knowing my theory was incorrect. “Well, that’s great! Good job Molly.” She didn’t say anything else, so I decided to drop the subject. If she didn’t want to talk about it, trying to get her to tell me was just going to make her even more upset.

     “Fine!” She finally said when we could see our farmhouse on the horizon. “What?” I asked, a little startled at her sudden outburst. “What’s wrong?”

     “It’s Meagan and Morgan.” She said now,not as loud as before. “I know they hate me.”

   I am not necessarily the best when it comes to putting names with faces, especially when they are Molly’s little friends, and their names sound so alike like Meagan and Morgan. Honestly, they all look a lot alike to me. So when she told me these names, I knew they had to be girls she went to school with, but I had absolutely no idea which ones.

     “It all started when you dropped me off at school this morning.” Molly said. I went in the schoolhouse, and saw Meagan and Morgan near the front of the room. They were wearing the exact same dress. I mean, the same blue flowered fabric, the same pattern, even the same little buttons up the front. They had their hair the same way also. They each had it in two French braids. And at the ends of the braids, they had ribbons that matched the dress’s fabric.”

   “Alright,” I said, not exactly sure why Molly was upset about this. “What’s the problem?” When I asked this, Molly nearly jumped up out of her seat. “What’s the problem?!” She asked as I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back down, afraid she was going to tumble out. “Don’t do that!” I said, catching my breath. Although my sister isn’t the most daring person ever, she rarely thinks before she does anything. Sometimes, she ends up in worse trouble then she started.

   “What do you mean what’s the problem?” She asked me, still as loud, but at least now sitting down. “You can’t see where this is going?”

    We were now pulling down the dirt road to our house. I tried my hardest to think what the problem was. I finally said the only thing that make the least amount of since, but the only thing I could think of. “They are borrowing fabric and patterns from each other?” Molly rolled her eyes. I knew then that I obviously didn’t answer correctly.

   “Jacob,” Molly said annoyed. “Meagan, Morgan and I are supposed to be best friends. And they are being mean to me. Can’t you see it now?”

    “How is that being mean?” I asked, now even more confused than I was before. The way Molly looked at me then made me feel like I was the stupidest person on earth. She took a deep breath, and then continued. “Jacob,” she said. “Best friends don’t leave each other out. They wore matching blue flowered outfits to school today, and I was left out just wearing this red plaid one. You see now? They are trying to leave me out on purpose.”

    I now definitely felt like the stupidest person on earth, because I had absolutely no idea what the big deal was. “Molly,” I said. “That is so dumb.” She looked surprised at first, then mad. “Why is that so dumb?” She asked, looking like she was ready to stand up again. It wasn’t as big of a deal now, because we were near the barn, but I still grabbed her arm to keep her from getting up.

    “I mean, you shouldn’t care that these girls are wearing the same outfit. In fact, I don’t even know why you’d want to wear the same outfits as them. Why on earth would you want to look like someone else? In my opinion, being different is much more respected than being the same as others.”

     I was rather proud of what I said. It sounded good to me, and I thought that maybe it would help Molly understand. She was silent as I stopped the horse, and put the break on the wagon. When I looked back at her, the expression on her face told me something different.

    “You just don’t get it, do you?” She said standing up to get out of the wagon. Once she was on the grassy ground, she picked up her schoolbooks which were sitting on the wagon seat next to me, and walked towards the house.

   I sat in the wagon for several more moments until I heard the house’s door slam shut. “No,” I said to myself. “I suppose I don’t.”  

~Sam

A Life Changing Night

It's past 11:00pm. I want to go to sleep. I need to go to sleep. I am exhausted, but I can't. Not after all I just went though. The past few hours of my life have changed me, and I'm here to tell you about it.

I just saw Catching Fire.



Yeah, yeah, I know. That probably doesn't count as "life changing," but seriously, I went in excited, and I came out with my jaw dragging on the floor. I expected it to be good, but not that good. I mean, seriously. When Hollywood gets its hand's on a perfectly good book, most of the time, they ruin it. Although the first movie was very good, the book definitely was better. But with this one, I'm not so sure.

First off, I hate when I read a book, and then see the movie, and everything is completely different. For example, The Percy Jackson movies. Sure, those books were great. The two movies were also very good. But the movies (especially the first one) didn't have the magic the book possessed. They took out all of the best parts in the book, and added their own hint of "Hollywood magic." 9 out of 10 times, they fail. But not with this movie. Not at all.

Another thing that I loved about the movie, was that it was like my mind was projected onto the screen. Everything I pictured in the book-the settings, the characters, the arena, all of that, were exactly how the movie screen portrayed it. I mean, it was almost scary how similar they both were!

Recently, I picked up the Catching Fire book again, so it was still fresh in my mind when I went to see it. I noticed pretty quickly that a lot of the quotes used in the book were used in the movie as well. Even the part about Katniss and Peeta's favorite colors. I was for sure they were going to take that out, but they didn't.

I don't want to give anything away if you haven't already seen it. Since I did go to the premier, it technically isn't even suppose to be out until midnight tonight. But I really encourage you to go see this if you are in any way a fan of the books or the first movie. I am pretty positive you won't be disappointed coming out of the theater. I am picky when it comes to what I like on the movie screen, and I am thrilled to say that Catching Fire did this book justice.

November is a Crazy Month.

November is a crazy month for me. You may already know that if you have read my posts from last November. I am participating in NaNoWriMo again this year. That's National Novel Writing Month.

   If you don't know what that is, it is when you make a pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. This is how my book, "The Other Side of Me," was published last year. (You can buy that book by clicking on the book on the right hand side of this page.) This book that I am writing now is the sequel to my first book. This one is going to be a little longer than the first one. Book one was about 53,000 words. This one is going to be close to 80,000, because I started it during the summer camp program where I wrote over 20,000 words.

It is going pretty well right now. I just passed the 50% mark, so I am about a day ahead of schedule. Last year at this time, I was probably 3k behind schedule.

Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? How are you doing? What are some tips you have on staying on track? I'd love to know!
~Sam

Busy Life

Hey everyone....remember me?

Yeah....

I  apologize for not posting on here much. I know it's a bad excuse, but I really have been busy. I started my senior year at the beginning of September, and with that comes a crazy schedule.

I am now teaching a writing class of 20+ students this year. I am so glad the kids are well behaved. Otherwise, I'd be in a ton of trouble.

Speaking of writing, I am working on my second book, which I am hoping on having out Spring 2014. This one is going to be a little different than the first one in the series. Once I get closer to having it finished, I will be able to share some of it with you.

I am also heavily involved in my 4-H group. I am the club Treasurer this year, which is a few steps down from my position as President last year, but I wanted it that way. I knew that this year was going to be a little crazier, so I didn't want to put so much responsibility on my shoulders.

Aside from that, I am also teaching piano to several students, working on composing some of my own music for an album my teacher is helping me record, and, it's possible that I might be involved in a play this winter.

Yes, my life is a little on the hectic side this time of year. But, I really wouldn't have it any other way.

I will try to write on here more, but you know that I say that all the time, yet always go back on my word.

I'd write more, but I have to leave to go to the Nursing Home for a community service project with my 4-H group now.

~Sam

The Long Expected Doll Video...

Alright...You all have waited long enough. I proudly present my newest American Girl doll...(You have to watch the video to see which doll I chose.) It really isn't that big of a secret. If you had gone on my YouTube page, you would have found a video of me showing all of my dolls, including this one. But...posts like these keep you guys coming back. Thanks for reading! (And watching!)



Oh yes...and thank you to my friend Julia for filming this video for me. :D
~Samantha