What Not To Say To Your Mother

   Have you ever wondered how to double your chances of living under your parent's roof until your 18? Have you ever asked yourself the question, "If I actually say that, will I be kicked out?" If one of your biggest fears being unceremoniously thrown out with the bath water, then you've come to the right blog post. Here are some things not to say if you enjoy free food:

   1: When that music came on the radio, I thought it was you banging on the piano. 
If your mom practices the piano random times of the day and she sometimes plays at church, this phrase should be avoided at all costs. Especially if it's on a Saturday night. Instead, try something like, "That sounded really good!" or my personal favorite, "If I sing loud enough tomorrow, no one will be able to tell you're skipping those sharps!"

   2: How's that laundry coming? 
Even an idiot could tell you this is a bad thing to say. Parents don't like to be asked how things are going if they are grudgingly doing that task for you. If this doesn't get you kicked to the curb, it will at least get you sorting your whites.

   3: Can I go to the movies today? *ten minutes later* Can I go to the movies today? *five minutes later* Hey Mom, can I go to the movies today? *fifteen minutes later* So, is it okay if I go to the movies today? 
"Hey Brenna, did you know you're annoying me today?" or "Hey Brenna, if you ask one more time you won't be going anywhere!" Don't annoy your mom. She doesn't appreciate it, trust me. Ask once every hour or so, and do it subtly. Or else all you town folk won't be going to your midnight showing of Twilight.

   4: Somebody is crabby today.
Freeze. Put yourself in your mom's shoes. If you're in an especially foul mood, you don't like it when people blatantly point it out, do you? Neither does she. In fact, it usually makes her more irritable, even angry! Ephesians 6:4 says, "Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath." This could be flipped around to say, "Children, provoke not your Mother to wrath.... especially if she is chopping vegetables for dinner."

   5: Mom. Mooooooooom. MOOOOM. MOM! Mom.
This is what irritates my own mother most. She says we sound like bucket calves. Moooooom! Mothers hate it when you say their name over and over and over..... and over again. This common phrase is usually responded to with a loud, "WHAT?" If you absolutely have to use this phrase, please, please don't reply to her "what" with "We're out of toilet paper." At least make it worth her while.

I speak from experience. I have received the threat, "Do you want to move out before you graduate?" If you take my advice, you'll finish out the rest of your years at home in peace. Well, unless your mom is completely psychotic. No guarantees there.


In His Service,
Brenna

A New Year Begins

   2012 is finally here, and the jokes about the end of the world just keep getting better and better!
    The last year was really awesome. I joined my first sport, attended my favorite camp, got my first real job, met a bunch of people, went to Disney World, and started my Sophomore year of high school. I learned a lot, and had a really good time learning most of it.
   I'm really excited about what this new year will bring, but really nervous too. In February our class gets to do a neat little thing called "Job Shadows," in which we go on a trip to learn more about our careers. Cool, except I have no idea what I want to do after high school. There are just so many jobs available, and I'm interested in a lot of them. It's especially frustrating when someone asks you what you plan on doing with your life, and you're forced to reply with, "that's a really good question that I don't know the answer to."
   Even though I'm anticipating much of what the new year brings, I'm also dreading some things. What about you, readers? What are you looking forward to and cowering from? I would love to pray for any of you.
   My imaginary New Year's Resolution is pretty simple: Do well in school, grow closer to God, and be a witness for Him. Reaching our goals can be a struggle, but through God we can do it (Matthew 19:26.)
   Starting a new year reminds me of a line from The Fellowship of the Ring: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."  Haha, sorry, I'm a nerd. But seriously, new years are scary things. They are new chapters in your book, new launching points for your life. The decisions that come with them can be intimidating. If any of you would like prayer to start out your new year, please let me know. I would be more than happy to oblige.

In His Service,
Brenna

Replication: The Jason Experiment by Jill Williamson

   Lemme tell ya something: If you don't want to read this, you must be crazy.
   If you're looking for an exciting adventure, filled with Christian values, incredible characters, and scenes that can make you laugh and cry at the same time, then look no further. Replication is a must-have if you loved Jill's Blood of Kings series. If you haven't read those yet, I would strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of each (By Darkness Hid, To Darkness Fled, From Darkness Won.)
   Replication is a story about fifty-five clones living in a secret lab in Alaska. More specifically, it is about clone J:3:3, otherwise known as Martyr.
   The clones believe they have been created to expire on their eighteenth birthday, and through their deaths save hundreds of people from the toxic air. But when Martyr escapes to see the sky just once before his death, he discovers the truth about the Jason Experiment with the help of a highschooler named Abby Goyer. Together, they must unveil the true reason for the Jason Experiment, and expose the man behind it all.
   This is such a cool book. The storyline is very original and intriguing, and the characters are very believable and well-created. Of all the characters, Martyr has to be my favorite. His innocence and funny lines, as well as his sacrifice for others, really makes him stand out. I just couldn't get enough of the guy :)
   One of the things that just really brought the book to life was how real everything was. Fishook High didn't have a whole lot of students, so there was co-ed PE and a rotating schedule. There was only one African American person in the whole school. OH. MY. GOODNESS. It's Lusk, Wyoming! In Alaska! How cool is that?
   The powerful story and character combined result in a laughing so hard you double over and crying so much you need a box of tissues experience. If Jill Williamson wasn't already near the top of my "favorite authors list" she definitely shot right up there when I finished Replication. This book definitely gets five stars.

   Replication: The Jason Experiment is available on Amazon.com in hardcover form and for the Kindle, and on Barnes & Noble in hardcover and Nook format. More information about it can be found here: http://www.replicationbook.com/

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

     I had patiently awaited the DVD release of the fourth Pirates movie. When it finally I arrived, I forgot about it. Go figure. However, Mom saved the day (and a very boring night) by having it sent to us via Netflix. I was very excited to see the latest installment of one of my favorite movie series, but having seen it, I would warn you not to get your hopes up if you are a Pirates fan.
     The movie starts out as almost all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have: Jack is in a sticky situation, and he finds some overly creative and far fetched way to get out. This is actually repeated many times in the film, and each time the method of escape becomes harder and harder to believe.
      There is, of course, romance to make up for the disappearance of Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly's characters, Will and Elizabeth. The love between the missionary and the mermaid is interesting and entertaining, but that between Jack and Angelica was just.... uhg.
      On Stranger Tides provides the same amount of action and daring-do as its predecessors, but there was quite a bit of down time. Sure, it was filled with backstory and dialog, but it wasn't anything you'd really care about missing. In other words, you probably wouldn't even bother to tell someone to pause the movie as you took a bathroom break or replenished your popcorn. Especially considering you wouldn't be missing anything "LOL" worthy. I think my brother and I only laughed during 3 scenes.
      The whole film was ultimately disappointing, especially the endings, which were awkward cliffhangers that left you unsatisfied. The film had three separate endings: one for the missionary and mermaid, one for Jack, and one for Angelica. All three were quite poorly written, especially Angelica's. In At World's End, the ending was well done, in my opinion. Elizabeth and her kid are living happily together on their little island and we see Will sailing towards them. Cool. Good ending. Kill it there before it suffers a long, painful death, unless you're really confident the next movie will be a hit.
      Go ahead and rent it and kill three spare hours, but I wouldn't recommend buying it, unless you've seen it already and thought it was awesome.

Camp Grace 2011

Well, this post is slightly overdue.
June 26-July 2 I was at the most amazing and blessed camp in Wyoming: Camp Grace (put on by the American Missionary Fellowship.)
You may remember my post from last year. (Camp Grace 2010) This year wasn't so different from the last, except for different classes, new memories, closer relationships to friends, and a stronger walk with God.

The Classes

The titles of the classes I had this year were The Christian Atheist, Slave To...?, and Being Who God Has Made Us.
In the Christian Atheist we were given the books "The Christian Atheist" (by Craig Groeschel), and we discussed how we can be Christians but live as though God isn't in our lives. I think that hit home with a lot of the senior high class. It did for me, anyway.
Our next class, Slave To...?, taught about how we switch from being a slave to sin to being a slave to God.
Being Who God Has Made Us we learned about who God is and finding His will in our lives.
Each of the classes were soo fun to go to and I learned so much. Being at a Christian camp is awesome, because you get to be in fellowship with so many other Believers.

Chapel

Wow, talk about passion! Tears were shed and lives were changed. I was so thrilled that Scott Stinson was the speaker, because when he talks about God and the gift of salvation he fills the room with electricity. God was definitely speaking through him that week.

Missions

I chuckled when I learned that the missionary went to school and camp with my mom. She and he husband worked with DELTA ministries. They taught on how Acts 1:8 is basically the game plan for spreading the Gospel, and how we can evangelize in our neighborhood, country, and world. It was neat to see my mom (who was a cook again this year) get to know her old friend again.

 Recreation & Surprise Time

For recreation again this year we played volleyball and human stratego (if you've never played that game before... go do it!!) But we also got to enjoy some very creative relay races. Unfortunately, we didn't get to climb to the cross this year.
Surprise time, like always, was hilarious. I volunteered the first night and got chosen. I wonder if I have some sort of mental problem, volunteering myself for public embarrassment over and over again?  I walked up there and was shoved to the front of the line of high school girls. The gig was "The Bachelor." And the bachelor was none other than this single guy named Travis, who I've known for years. I step up to the plate and my minute to woo the bachelor starts ticking.

Now, in order for my amazing pickup lines to make sense, you must know that Travis is a science teacher.
Here goes. "The speed of light... It's really fast, and um... Shines like your eyeballs. You know, I didn't do so well in science this year... with scientific notation especially... But I know that together, we can figure out scientific notation!"
Ten seconds left. I scramble for anything that might impress Travis.
"The Lord of the Rings are my favorite books AND movies!" I shout just as my time runs out.
Next up was Laura (who I competed against last year). Then Kirsten. When it came time for Travis to give his flower to the girl he choose, he handed it to a girl in the crowd because he couldn't make up his mind.

All In All...

It was another fantastic year at a fantastic camp. I feel so blessed that I have been able to attend six years in a row. I had wonderful cabin mates. Great classes. Best friends. A post-camp neck ache. It was marvelous.
But it wasn't all fun and games. It was deep. Spiritual. Reviving. Maybe it's just being up on a mountain, but when I'm at Camp Grace, I always feel closer to God. This year, I'm taking that closeness down off the mountain. It's coming with me. I hope others made that decision also. Don't leave your closeness with God, the time spent in devotion and prayer, up on that peak.

In His Service,
Brenna

(go to Facebook if you would like to see more photos)

SDW: Day 7

Ah, it has taken me long enough to get this posted, no? What with Camp Grace and all (a post on that coming up shortly), I would say my delayed posting is excusable. ;) So, I now present to you the long awaited seventh piece of writing. Enjoy.

The Redemption

Another wave comes crashing down
Upon the distant shore
Scattered memories lie all around
Upon the hardwood floor

Of all the dreams I've had of late
This one is the worst
Because of violence, scorn, and hate
Rest cannot come first

Salvation cries from hills afar
Hearken to its call
Doors once closed now stand ajar
Enter now or fall

I can take the broken, beat-down path
Many oth'rs have trod
Though friends and family would laugh
I could walk the empty sod

The road less traveled could give me peace
From my life's lonely schemes
Perhaps this road would cause to cease
These horrid, restless dreams

I sink to my knees, cry out to Christ
And hope He's heard my prayer
Sweet rest comes with my sacrifice
And I know He has taken me There

Thank you for reading, to all of my faithful followers. I hope you liked the seven days of writing. :)

In His Service,
Brenna

SDW: Day 6

Ah, sorry it has taken so long. Seems like all I've been doing for the past two weeks has been riding, branding, riding, and.... branding. And then going different places in between. Anyway, this piece is one of my personal favorites. Enjoy.



I don't want to go home and face the music,
Because the symphony they compose
Isn't beautiful.
Everyone is playing a different song
That no one can follow.
Two instruments duel for the main role,
Each trying to play the loudest.
Their noise causes an unbearable clamor
And even the most resolute must cover their ears.
Angry notes, full of contempt, are thrown back and forth
Until they can play no more.
The crowd waits in collective silence.
Who will play the next hate filled note?
Who is angry enough to continue?
The crowd still waits with bated breath,
And when they raise their instruments again to their lips
The audience cringes.
There is no telling what may come next
Until it happens....
And suddenly it does.
Now, the battling couple turn to their audience of one
And unleash all of their fury on the crowd.
The crowd is silent, but tears trail down its face
As it takes its undeserved punishment.
Who would have guessed that this would be the end,
There being to victor, but instead prey?
And it will continue on this way until the ticket expires,
And the crowd must leave.
A pity that such an innocent audience must endure
A discontented symphony.




In His Service,
Brenna

SDW: Day 5

While I should be studying to take my driver's permit test, I sit here. Typing.  You had better enjoy this.... :P



I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't even be without You.
I am in no way complete or perfected when You are not within me. At times I can't even breathe, because You are not here.
You consume my soul and my very being. Yes, my whole life. All that I am and ever will exist to be! You own everything I am. You are my Master, and I Your humble servant.
What am I without You? A shell. A living, breathing, cadaver. Cold, heartless, dead, and completely undone.
Never leave me! Never cause me to be cast into such a state of despair, of helplessness, selfishness, and hate!
Never leave me, and don't let me leave You.


In His Service,
Brenna

SDW: Day 4

We're already to day four?!?! Where has the time gone?


I lay quietly upon the naked earth.
The smell of the flowers fills my nostrils,
And the green grass tickles my face.
I am completely at peace in in this field.
I sigh contentedly as the breeze tousles my hair.
There is no time here... no deadlines.
There are no busy people milling about, and yet I am not alone.
There is a presence, so serene,
And so powerful.
The presence, it is the source of the peace.
The presence grows stronger, and I can feel it behind me,
As though it is human.
I roll over and smile when I find that
It was no human at all.
No, because the presence that stood before me
Was not of the flesh.
He is perfect, completely unsoiled
By an earthly thing.
He smiles at me,
And I laugh with pure joy.
He lies down beside me
And whispers in my ear.
We lie for unmeasured amounts of time
Just talking.
Finally, we both stand.
He gently takes my hand,
And we walk towards the never-ending sunrise.
I am home.



In this, I decided to use sunrise instead of sunset, because it represents a dawning of a new, glorious day. I didn't want to put sunset, because it seems to foreshadow a coming of darkness. Even though I love evenings and sunsets far more than sunrises, I figured a sunrise sounds more hopeful.

~Brenna

SDW: Day 3

See, I told you I am a very busy person. So, after missing a day of posting, here is your third bit of writing to savor:

Who shall call upon the Lord?
He who has a heavy heart?
He who longs for comfort and strength?
He cries upon the grass,
He whose sorrow reaches below the sea,
Who has lost his dearest possession:
His son.
The Lord cries with the wounded man,
For He has felt his loss.
"Sons!" God cries out, "What loss can be equaled?"
The Lord knows His creation's sorrow well.
He sympathizes with the son-less man.
He weeps with and holds His child.
But then the mourning must end,
When the hope of morning dawns.
The Lord lifts the chin of the man,
And smiles softly at him,
Though His eyes tell of pain.
"It must stop, this mourning.
But never forget your loss.
Your son is as Mine,
He resides in My land now.
They shall be together,
And both shall come down from the Heavens
With a grand host.
We shall all be reunited again
In the clouds." 

Hope you enjoyed. :)

~Brenna

P.S... Don't like it in poetry form? Let me know! The only reason I format it that way is that I believe it is easier to read.

Seven Days of Writing (SDW): Day 2

Now for the second installment of SDW. Not as good as the last. Mostly a bit of rambling, really. But, here goes...

 I see the clock upon the wall
And wish it would just move faster.
I wish that time would pass much more quickly
For so many reasons.
I'm stuck here in this boring class
And the only thing I have to do is doodle
And write rhyme-less poetry.
I cannot listen to this man
Who claims to be a teacher.
He must have ten-year
To keep on babbling.
On and on he talks,
Speaking words that fall on deaf ears.
I think of freedom and I sigh.
If I gained freedom
It would be much sweeter were it spring.
Since I began writing these pointless words
Several minutes have passed
But not enough.
I beg the hands, "Please!
Oh, please pass by those tiny points
Just a little bit faster."
Beautiful
Pointless
Meandering Poetry. 

You've probably guessed that this was written in that dreadful third hour science class, haha. :) Hope you somewhat enjoyed it.

~Brenna

Seven Days of Writing

I haven't written a blog post in months. I send my sincere apologies to all of the people who are bored enough to check and see if I've posted anything new. Sorry.

Although writing at the moment is seems to be just outside of my grasp, I can supply you with things written in the past. In a third hour science class. (The only reason I will miss Mr. Brackeen's science is that is where all of my best poetry was written.) So for seven days (because I could only find seven pieces worthy of sharing) I will show you what was accomplished during school. Each night in the following week...or two (I am a very busy person, you know)... I will post a new piece of writing. Everything from rhyming poetry all the way down to story-like pieces, some in the form of poetry.


This one is one of my favorites. It actually rhymes, and you guessed it, was written in Mr. Brackeen's physical science class. I don't have it named, so I would love suggestions. :) It is a bit dark, but of course has a spark of light in the end. The darkness was an experiment, to see how well I can generate and portray emotions in my writing. I hope some of it also relates to experiences people have had. Anyhow, please enjoy.

Breath of the darkness
Envelopes my heart
Escaping this emptiness
Could tear me apart

The demons, they claw
To gain sway of my life
I have this one flaw
That will bring me to strife

This knife-like pain
Cuts deep into me
It's Satan's gain
That no one can see

On the outside I smile
Like everything's fine
Yet, all the while
I'm crossing this line

To step into evil
The easiest path
My fast-fading will
Heralds much wrath

I long to turn back
Redeem myself
But hope I lack
Even love itself

Is it all right
To fumble in dark
Dark like night
Unwelcome by lark

Or is it far better
To tread in light
Where shackles and fetters
Wrists do not bite

I don't want to be captured
By things I should fear
But instead be enraptured
By Christ's suff'ring tears

Please excuse my lack of rhythm and meter in the poem. It's something I haven't yet mastered... or much been taught. :)
Six days to go!


~Brenna

A Saga of Many Things...

Ah! My first blog post in months! I have to say, it's nice to finally have the inspiration to sit down and write once again. My recent completion of some truly amazing novels have helped to fuel it, I believe.

School-wise things have been going quite well.  Although I sometimes miss the perks of homeschooling, I still love public school. Getting to see and meet people has opened many doors for me, and getting to see friends is fun everyday. I can honestly say that I have become much more outgoing and more confident in social situations since I started.

The other day I finally got around to finishing the book my brother gave me for Christmas, Kestrel's Midnight Song. It was spectacular, and truly breathtaking, which was no surprise after all of the raving reviews I had heard. It deserves a post of its own and a full review, which hopefully I will someday produce. If not, I will leave you with this: J.R. Parker will not leave you disappointed or angry, but fulfilled and happy and waiting for his next work to hit the shelves.

I also just finished, literally a few hours ago, Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker. You all know that I'm a HUGE Dekker fan, and this latest work just proved to me why I am. I was a bit.... puzzled by the first part. Puzzled is not quite the right word. I don't know what would be. But as I neared the 50% mark (yes, I was reading on my Kindle :D ) I began to see things more clearly. The ending delivered a powerful message that left emotion clogged in my throat until just recently. After I had read the final word of that book I wanted to run around the house screaming, "I've been saved by the blood!!"

Oh! Saturday, I went to a monster truck show in Rapid City with the family and found it quite.... disappointing. :(  I guess I just went in with too high of expectations. A couple of trucks roared around in a circle and drove over a pile of cars a couple of times. I was expecting a few more cars to be crushed, but I suppose.... The arena was awfully tiny. The motorcyclists were pretty cool though! They performed some amazing tricks. 

And so as this day draws to a close, so does my spring break. My nights of staying up until three watching movies and reading and lounging about all day. So ends my freedom from school and homework. So ends my freedom of the never ending bus rides! So ends my freedom of wearing sweat pants all day! So ends my freedom of!....... Ahem, well, yes. Anyway. I am very sad that my spring break is coming to a close, but it does mark the beginning of that last final stretch before spring actually begins. Before the snowing finally becomes more and more infrequent, before the tiny blades of green grass begin to push up from the soil, before the meadowlarks begin their constant singing, and before I can finally stop wearing a sweatshirt all the time because it's so cold EVERYWHERE. Sadly even in the school. >_> Yes, I am very much looking forward to spring and summer. But until then we shall have to be content with the current conditions of many things.

Farewell for now!

In His Service,
Brenna

What in the World is Going On? by Dr. David Jeremiah

From the Back Cover:
The Bible has plenty to say about end times. But until now, there has been no other book that-in straightforward prose that's easy to understand-gathers ten scriptural prophecies, lays out a chronological checklist, and offers a guideline for sorting it all out. In What in the World Is Going On? Dr. David Jeremiah answers the hard questions, including these: How is prophecy playing out in modern Europe? Why does Israel matter? How are oil reserves and Islamic terrorism related? Does the United States play a role in prophecy? How should we live in the end times? 





Events unfolding in today's world are certainly unsettling, but they need not be confusing or frightening. Now you can know the meaning behind what you see in the daily news-and understand what in the world is going on!

~--------~

By the time I had finished reading the first page- no, the first sentence- of What in the World Is Going On? I was completely sucked in. When I stayed up late into the night reading the first chapter, I felt as though I knew more about Biblical prophecy and the end times than I ever had in my whole LIFE. And that was only chapter 1 of 10!
Everything, from the rapture to the return of Christ, was explained in a simple and cohesive manner that never confused me or caused me to have to stare at the page for ten minutes before I finally understood what Dr. Jeremiah was trying to get across.
If I ever need to explain to someone what will take place during the end times, I know I can always pick up What in the World Is Going On? and the Bible and be totally equipped to make a clear explanation.

Easily, this book has earned itself 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.


This complimentary copy of What in the World Is Going On? was given to me by Booksneeze.

Six Reasons Why Magazines Are Stupid

Okay, so that's actually quite an exagerated title. Magazines aren't really stupid... just some things about them are. =P In fact I used to LOVE getting my American Girl magazine in the mail every other month... I even now like flipping through my little brother's Lego magazine and looking at the Star Wars sets. But as we were traveling to Nebraska yesterday my mom was reading a few magazines and these things popped into my head.   6 things about magazines that I find silly:

1. You can read a 200 page magazine in about fifteen minutes to half an hour. It takes about 1-4 hours (just a guess) to read a 200 page novel (small print)

2. It's about the same things over and over again, basically. (How to shed 2 pounds in two weeks; How celebrity moms handle kids, husbands, and life; What the First Lady thinks about stuff; etc.)

3. The cover model's head usually covers part of the title.. I mean, what if a foreigner came over and was looking at the magazine rack in Wal-Mart?  They'd be like, "Goodeeping? [GoodHouskeeping] Reok? [Redbook] Outoorife? [OutDoorLife]"

4. You've got at least 30 pages with ads on there, and some of it isn't an ad! It's the side affects for Advil or something! And who wants to read THAT?

5. There usually aren't any useful columns... (unless you're reading something like a hunting magazine that tells you how to clean your duck decoys)

6. The recipes are beyond my cooking skills.


**This post is not meant to slam any magazines or offend their readers. It is for entertainment and amusing purposes only**

Haha, this post is more of a filler. I couldn't think of anything else to blog about XD

In His Service,
Brenna

I Was Tagged by This Crazy Dude....

Wow, I mean, WOW. This is SO awesome. TWO blog awards??!? Dude. This. Is. Wicked. Lol =P But seriously, it totally made my day when I found out I had been awarded twice by Nathan. These are what he gave me:

(I felt especially honored by this one)

Okay, now I'm supposed to answer these questions:

If you could write one word, what would it be?

Frolic

Use one word to describe yourself.

Unbalanced

What is something random about you/your writing that you'd like to say right now?

I hate writing from prompts. Besides the fact that I'm terrible at it, I think real, pure stories come from God, not other humans.

Think up an absurd title for a book.

The Lame (Current) Thoughts of Doofus, A Dead Dingo

What is the strangest sentence you can think of?

"Used to be I'd scream like a mashed cat when you wanted to spend that kind of money." (Something my dad said once...)

What do you write?

Mostly Christian fiction and fantasy, though right now I'm outlining sort of a love story *hears guys gagging in the background*

If you had a weird disease and could only make one sound over and over, what would it be?

Woof.

Here are the rules all ye tagged people must abide by:

1. Post about the award

2. Award 3 other people

3. Answer the tag

I hereby award these people: Brayden Hirsch, Silver Angel, and Jacob Parker



Now for the next one:


Awesome! I have a stylish blog? Neato :D

I have to list five random things (This is going to be fun...)

Pickles are tasty
Napkins are overrated
Skillet is amazing
I can't wait to get through "The Last Battle" so I can move on to "Venom and Song"
Night is the best time to read

I now give this award to: Seth Reid and Millard (you can post it on your regular blog, I just used this blog cause I couldn't remember the url to your other one =])

Same rules as last time apply.

That's all of 'em! Thanks again Nathan!

In His Service,
Brenna

Camp Grace 2010!!! WOOT!!!!

Last week I was at the most amazing, fun, cool, awesome, fantastic, enjoyable, great, and all around spectacular Christian camp in the whole wide world. It's located on a sort of smallish mountain in the Laramie Peak mountain range in Wheatland Wyoming. This was the fifth year I've attended the camp, and guess what? I was in the senior division! (and will be for the next three? years) 'Twas awesome =] I had the greatest cabin-mates, team-mates, class-mates, and teachers.

What do you do at this camp? That's easy: Learn about God and have a boat load of fun!

You have three classes throughout the day (mine were "The Revelation", "Grace U", and "Wild or Wise; What Will YOU Choose") You also have your three meals, recesses, a Singspiration time, a time to learn about missions, and crafts or recreation. Later is a clean up time, a rest and study period, and after that... SURPRISE TIME!!!! (will later go into a story about that...) Then you have cabin devotions, evening service, and then bed time.

Surprise time: This is where the counselors and camp helpers perform super funny skits AND it is also a time where campers can volunteer to do crazy things. What did I volunteer for? Camp Grace FEAR FACTOR! Me and a boy were chosen out of the crowd of campers and were sat on a bench and given, guess what, SPAM. Whoever ate the most spam in one minute won.
Now, for those of you who have never eaten spam or don't know what it is, it's this: DISGUSTING. It's this ground up mysterious stuff (kind of like no one knows what's in a hotdog) that's really greasy in a can, that old people tend to enjoy.
Anyways, I just started shoving the stuff in my mouth, and at one point I was sure I was going to give into my gag reflexes and vomit the stuff, but I used my awesome will power and continued eating it. I didn't have much competition though, because the other kid was just nibbling at it, and by the time a minute was up I had about two thirds of the stuff eaten. I won that round! Yay! But for the rest of the day my stomach wouldn't stop rolling. >_<
So then for the finals, I went against two boys and another girl who had won other rounds. The plate they gave us to eat off of had a dog biscuit on it, some oysters (thankfully not the Rocky Mountain kind, hehe), pickled beats (which I detest), and mashed pea baby food. I went for the dog biscuit first because that was a familiar food (I had eaten dog food as a little kid), then attacked the baby food, and got a few oysters eaten, but I looked over at Laura and all she had left was the baby food. So I quit eating then and she won. Yay Laura!!! =) I was very impressed by her iron stomach, because she didn't puke after all that.



My mom was a cook again this year, so that was fun to have her around (and get to shower in her private shower! Even though the only temperature on it was ice cold, I would much rather be cold than not have any privacy)

Oh, and we actually had a mouse in our cabin. ACK! So I had a couple of Oreos in that tube plastic wrapping, and I'd had it on my bed, but when I found out there was a mouse living with us, I put the oreos (in the wrapper) on the floor so the mouse wouldn't climb on my bed to get the tasty morsels. Thankfully when morning came I discovered that my oreos had made it through the night un-nibbled. YES!! =D

For recreation (I never do crafts) we got to play volleyball and an awesome game called Human Stratego (VERY FUN). Then on Thursday we got to climb up a hill for rec, and on Friday we got to have a water fight.

Two of the nights during the week were dress up nights where you dress up fancy-like, and then on one of them there's a talent show before chapel. I didn't participate, but some of my friends did, and they had some really cool stuff that they did!

On Friday night after chapel we all gather around a bonfire and people can come up and share their testimonies or tell about what God has been doing in their lives. It's a really neat event.

To view the rest of my CG pics, go here: http://img25.imageshack.us/g/life058.jpg/


Well, that's about all I have to say about camp. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings!

In His Service,
Brenna

Tribe Building!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper are doing Tribe Building again to promote their book, Curse of the Spider King, the first novel in the Berinfell Prophecies, and the second one in the series that you can pre-order on Amazon called Venom and Song.
This is an amazing opportunity to make friends, have something awesomely fun to do this summer, and get tons of great PRIZES!!!!!!
I'm participating in the SilverTree tribe again this year, led by Nathan R. Petrie (aka Keeneye). We heartily welcome new members! For more info on how to join you can go here: http://www.heedtheprophecies.com/theunderground/
Or shoot me an email! 1tallcowgirl@wildblue.net

In His Service,
Brenna

Top Five Books for April

5. This is a very difficult decision, but I think that Nightmares Edge by Bryan Davis has earned fifth place. I might not have enjoyed it as much because I had stopped it in the middle and then restarted a while later, but I also felt a little confused at times about what was happening. It moved super fast, and sometimes I had a hard time picturing what was going on.

4. BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker. Okay, so the beginning of this one was great. And so we're all excited for the grand finale, the huge twist, and.... it just went pwooosh in the last few chapters. So I was left sitting there, thinking, "Wait, that's it? Wha- What happened? Where's the giant BOOM?" I don't know, but it seemed like it was just too easy for the main character, Ryan Evans, to defeat BoneMan.

3. Blink of an Eye by Ted Dekker. This book was amazing, and I learned a lot about Saudi Arabia =D It was just great. Nough said.

2. Green by Mr. Dekker. It made the Circle Trilogy come full circle. (I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself from the cheesy pun) It filled in so much stuff from the other Circle books and especially the Paradise Novels. Although it seemed to lack the strength the previous novels in the Circle had shown, it was still magnilicious. (Lol, Circle joke :D)

1!!!!. Numero Uno goes to..... *drum roll* Thr3e by Teddy Dekker!! Yay for mister Ted! *confetti*
Thr3e was just... just... breathtaking! It kept you guessing throughout the whole novel, which is what I love about Mr. Dekker. He is an amazing contemporary writer if there ever was one.

Thanks for reading!
In His Service,
Brenna

The Bridges

I was walking along the edge of an extremely wide crevice one day, when I noticed a bridge up ahead. I quickly ran to it to see if it could take me across the crevice. When I reached it I noticed several things: There were many people gathered together on the bridge, it only extended a little ways across the gap, and there was a sign posted by it. The sign read, "Appearances". It was then that I saw what was on the other side. A very large sign that read, "God".
I saw another bridge up ahead. I hastily made my way towards it, and I saw that it too only came halfway across the crevice. Again many people were gathered on it, and again I saw a sign posted by it. This sign had the words, "Good Works" on it.
Disappointed, I ran on and on from bridge to bridge, searching desperately for the bridge that could take me to the other side of the gap. Finally, just as I was about to give up my search, I saw a bridge with not as many people on it as the others. This bridge, however, stretched from one end of the crevice to the other. I was elated. I had found it! I had found the bridge that could take me to God. The sign by this bridge had letters written in blood red. The letters spelled out the words, "Jesus Christ".

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Who likes my epic doodling skills? And the stick people? Awesome, I know. :P


In His Service,
Brenna