Vintage swimsuits for the modesty freak.

I love vintage swimsuits. Seriously. If everyone had one of these there'd be a lot less troubles in the world. (Okay really I could go into the whole deal about how girls of this time don't know modesty and how we need to cover up for the sake of our guys' innocent minds (right) but that's another discussion).



LOOK. AT. THIS.
The reason I'm posting it here is for personal future reference & because my "Favorites" folder is disabled on this computer.


I found that swimsuit HERE and the price tag is only $130.

And speaking of vintage things, how nice is this:

Definitely goes with the beach theme.
& I had no idea it was called a 'parasol'...I guess that makes sense in Spanish

Okay that's my shopping rant for the day.
--E.A.

Awesomeness.

Thanks, Norm, for so timely updating the deCycles website. It never ceases to be a source of entertainment for me.
For example:

This makes me think of that scary kids' show where they sing,

"There's a party in my tummy. So yummy! So yummy!"

That reminds me of this:

Not really. Maybe I just miss Michael Jackson. Maybe I'm just weird. I don't know.

"The Yankees are coming!" This is a very inspiring picture.

And this last one where he looks like Eeyore. Off by himself. See, this is when you get out your phone and call me, silly.

There's more where that came from but those are the highlights.

--E.A.

Fun at the mall (a rare treat).

After 2 hours, I was glad my parents finally came to pick me up: the people were starting to think I was insane.

Seriously. This is the worst way to spend the morning of your 4th-of-July: Stranded at the mall, at Starbucks to be certain, with "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" stuck in your head. Nothing can be worse.
Okay, well, there is one thing that can be worse: in addition to all the above, sitting at the mall for so long that you decide "maybe I shouldn't return to that store and hit that sale again". NO! BAD GIRL. Thinking like that is not allowed in the modern society.

So I gave the people there a reason to think I'm insane by laughing hysterically every time someone went into the "Do Not Enter" doors in Target. Because the thing is, they will open for you even though you're not supposed to go in there. So there'll be a group, 3 or 4 people, and one goes through these wrong doors and there's always that one other smart-alleck who points out the "Do Not Enter" sign. The hilarity then begins when the person who already walked through the doors looks around, lost, backs up (you can almost hear the "beep-beep" like on the dump trucks), and walks out a laughingstock.
Seriously, highlight of my day.

I went in to buy new hair color (I'm going through that season where Mom finally realizes that I'm almost 19 and that I'm going to college). I ended up buying 4 new B&BW mists (sweet pea, vanilla noir, midnight pomegranate, and wild honeysuckle) as well as 2 lotions (sensual amber (my favorite!) and midnight pomegranate) and two mini-lotions (warm vanilla sugar and butterfly flower). Now, trust me, I won't have a reason to go back to that store for about 2 years. Thank goodness.

And then I bought these shoes at Charlotte Russe, although I don't know where in the world I would wear them.
Some days I feel like I should be living in New York, the heart of the publishing industry, bustling with agents and editors and people who will read my books.
Then, on other days, I realize that this is just what happens when Logan & I are apart for two long: I get my head stuck in the clouds and continuously change my personality. When he's here I'm more reluctant to change.


But I feel different still. I feel more like a writer. I'm well on my way to my first manuscript, a writing job, and a college education. Odd how our circumstances can do that.



Stay awesome.
--E.A.

Doing a lot of stuff & getting there.

I'm getting myself (still & again & yet) into the world of publishing. Here are some general details:

1. I've been reading a lot of PWs in the library. In fact, I schedule a "library hour" early in the morning, combining it with my bike exercise--bike to the library, read, bike around, and bike home. Perfect.


2. Writer's Digest is better than PW, although I do enjoy PW's reviews.


3. Been catching up on a lot of reading--various Christian chick-lit authors, Meg Cabot's journals, serious authors, some Ted Dekker, Ken Follett, Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook is soooo much better in movie form), & many others.

4. I bought an Alphasmart 3000--seriously, best thing ever invented, and it's definitely going to be awesome, because all this time I was thinking "I wish I had something to type on on-the-go," and here it was! And I got a chance to get really in-your-face competitive on eBay.

5. Been honing my writer's craft with some books by Noah Lukeman. Amazing man.

6. Been collecting ideas from any and all sources, as well as possible ideas for my future works. I want to write both serious and humorous, but I don't know how to combine both quite yet. And the Christian chick-lit market is wide open for someone (read: me) to come in and steal the spotlight.

7. Plan on attending the Write-to-Publish conference next summer in Wheaton, IL to meet some agents.

8. Bought a "book" I wrote when I was 15. Finally. "Ships in 10 to 12 business days".

Speaking of which, I'd like to publish the "note from the author" I added to the last page of my "book":

I never thought the day would come when I would be able to look at this script again. You know how it goes: after you’ve done so many drafts of something and you can quote the text so well that it’s practically oozing out of your ears there comes a time when you say “Enough!” and run screaming. That’s how this book finally made its way to print. Someone (read: I) said, “I just want to have this thing on my shelf already so I can hold it in my hands and say, ho-hum, this is my first unpublished novel which I wrote at age 15. now let’s move on to better things.”
So finally printing this book (quite an expensive venture, I must add), is like a comforting gesture to me. Like saying “AH-HA!” (to be said in one of those Mickey Mouse-type voices) “been there, done that!”
And, as the Russians would say, the first pancake is always in a ball. Or ball-shaped. A mess, basically.
So this book is a pancake. Mmm…that sounds good right now.

However, there remains to be one person to be thanked, and he is too blindingly amazing for the acknowledgements section. The mastermind behind all my work, from the beginning on April 2nd, 2004, through this book, and till now. The genius who has the best plot ideas. The comedian responsible for all your rolling-on-the-floors and laughing-out-louds. The wiz of characterization, suspense, and, basically, the one who writes every single scene for me. He is my AwesomeO-4000 life partner, my super-ninja writing buddy, my splendiloquent insider and adviser, and overall my best friend. The name’s Christ. Jesus Christ. I tip my hat to you, Sir.


Indeed.
I get a lot of my inspiration for writing here.


--E.A.

What we are is God's gift to us.

In the midst of confusion and nearly crying over the frustration of having to decide the rest of my life by choosing my college schedule, and in a sudden flash of perhaps divine inspiration (during a written prayer for showing me what to do) I wrote the following:

To each of us You give our own unknown. You know each of our paths of life the best,Transforming our heart into your ownIn ways you know we will be blessed.I never would have guessedYour throneCould have been reached through ways you’ve shown,But faithful walk of life remains my test.


What we possess is nothing in Your eyes.We live in darkness that we think to be the light.We feel our way, and we like blind men riseTo fall away again; it is our blightTo think our flight a glorious fight.To think we’re wiseBelieving easy lovely liesWhich tell us that our blood-stained clothes are white.


Thus nothing good can be apart from You.And thus we must accept the hand we’re given.And know that we’ll be carried throughAll lies by which we’re driven,And our blood-stained clothes are white because we’re forgiven:Because of You.And not to us the glory’s dueBecause, apart from You, we’re just relivingPast mistakes; Through which we’re shown:To each of us You give his own.

I found this illustration and I think it's really fitting.

--E.A.

1/2 A YEAR.

I'm somewhat at a loss of words, simply because the best things in life either go unspoken or don't need to be said. Therefore I will not attempt commenting any further on the event itself but will rather report the facts:

a half a year doesn't seem that long but at the same time the time seems to have stood still.

if it is God's will, i hope half a year becomes a year, and then many more.

(travel update: I'm somewhere by British Columbia and I have no idea how I got there...

on a similar note, Glacier National Park seems to have one fatal and critical flaw: no phone service. And no phone service means I was near tears the whole day (despite the breathtaking views) because I couldn't call a certain someone.)

--E.A.

"What did a fish say when it hit the concrete wall?" -- "Dam."

The day is ending the same way it began: with me sitting with a wad of tissue up my nose wondering why it's bleeding. Maybe it's payback for the two times I successfully elbowed Logan in the nose? Maybe it's the mountains? Maybe it's just my stupid nose.

Our rafting guide from the trip actually said this today as we were merrily floating along:
"So when you all write in your diary today you have to say this:
Dear Diary,

I had a lot of fun on the rafting trip today with our wonderful guides who did a great job even though we were almost smitten by lightning."

Indeed.

All through the day today I kept having all these great things to say pop up in my head but, unfortunatly, I did not have pen and paper nearby and my short-term memory is...oh look, a squirrel. Especially since I have to use another one of the hotel computers in the lobby and the first time I came down they were all taken. So I went up to the front desk and asked, "Are these the only guest computers you have in your establishment."
The guy gave me a we-get-that-question-a-lot look and said, "Yes maam."

"But..." I started in a but-mom! voice, "I have my own business that needs prompt attention!" Yeah. The business of making sure the thoughts in my mind don't clog the blood supply to my brain.

Kidding. I wish I said that, but instead I went up to my room and helped myself to some more broccoli soup, orange chicken, and a reading of "Jackson Daily".

On our rafting trip today we had more fun than we imagined. Our 3-hour raft tour was caught in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. Even though we signed up for a "scenic" trip, we ended up taking a "whitewater" trip on the same route. Lightning was hitting about every 10 second and we had to have an emergency pull-off into some trees on the side of the river. It was actually kind of awesome, even though we were absolutely soaked (despite the raingear) and it was about 52 degrees. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, having to do all the survivor stuff and everything.

Our guide, Maria, was completely awesome. Apparently in the winter she teaches communication classes to "enginerds" at the University of Utah, so she kept us entertained through the whole trip. I listened closely to her manner of speech, and she used so many interesting metaphors and expressions that I wish I had brought along my notepad.

We saw a few pelicans but, sadly, the only moose I saw so far was on the logo of my Abercrombie jacket.

Now I'm just waiting for the deCycles blog to update. I really want to know what they're up to, as today is the first day of their wonderful trip. I got a brief from Logan, who mentioned that he got a wonderful butterfly kiss today.

"From an actual butterfly, I hope," I told him.

He laughed. "Yes, a butterfly hit me in the mouth as I was riding along the highway."
"Well," I said, "It was one of my messengers, to send kisses your way."
"Oh really?" he laughed again. "Then what color was it?"

I thought. "Yellow." My favorite color, of course.

"Wow, so it was from you."

And now I think I'll let someone else use the computer.

--E.A.

Woohoo for Wyoming.

So I guess we're in Wyoming. I'm writing from a hotel right now and at least I'm glad they have computers.
Plane ride was fun. To an extent. I'm sad I only got 1 bag of peanuts because I like those. :(
Driving was boring, but Ken Follett is a wonderful writer so I read quite a bit.
We'll be driving up to Yellowstone tomorrow. Whoo.
Okay I have nothing more to say so I'll go back up to the room.

Someone I'll miss a lot.

I won't get to see this face for 26 days.

He's going on his biking trip to the East until July 12th and I'm going to Yellowstone until June 29th. I'll miss you like a fat kid on a diet misses cake! Have a good trip, and please be safe.

& I'm sure you'll miss your boat. :)

1 Thessalonians 5:28: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."
--E.A.

My personal writing & file save win.

So, yesterday I wrote about the possibility of all my writing and pictures being lost because, unexpectedly, my computer decided to super-act-up and completely break. I stayed up really late because I had to come to grips with the reality that all my work has been lost forever, and that was very tough. I finally accepted it, and my day went as follows:
Get up, 9am.
Chat with HP customer service until 2pm.
Make a note of lack of professionalism.
Remove and reinstall hard drive/RAM.
2:30pm drive to Best Buy to get the Geek Squad to look at it.
Laugh because the Geek Squad guy reminded me of Micah.
3pm Geek Squad said it was a "motherboard" problem. Send it in.
4pm Get details from lady on sending it in.
Note lack of English-speaking skills of this lady, who took 15 minutes just to spell my last name.
4:30pm Go back to Geek Squad and dish out a beefy sum to get my memory backed up.
5pm Get picked up by Logan for dinner with his family.

This made me think about these things:
1. I payed quite a price to have my files moved to a disk before they get wiped out at HP. Is it worth that much for memories?
Answer: YES
2. What purpose do I write for?
Answer: I realized that my writings aren't personal journals, they're meant to be shared with an audience. Therefore...
3. Does lack of audience devalue my writing?
Answer: YES
4. Was I upset about losing all my writing because nobody got to read it or because it was my personal memories?
Answer: Most of my writing is the story of what God's done in my life. Therefore, not to have shared it takes out its value and purpose of sharing all He's done for me.
5. What upsets me most about the possibility of having lost my writing?
Answer: The fact that people might not get a clear understanding of what was going on behind the scenes or who I am.

Solutions:
1. You have a blog, use it. Publish.
2. Live so people don't have to refer to your writing to find out what you really think.

I think this was God's call to action. I've been on the fence about writing a novel for quite a while, so I think this is a clear pointer to "writing" and what needs to be done with it. So off I go.

--E.A.