Another Update of Sorts + The #AwesomeBloggerAward!

*Suddenly noticing my blog and how neglected it's been lately*

Oh... well, hello again!

I greatly apologize for my absence lately. Again. Yes, I've been busy with school and church and life and everything else...... But I don't want this just to be another update post on why I'm not posting regularly (especially since it's basically for the same reasons as I said last time), so I'll just provide you with some quick updates, and then get into a fun award that I was recently tagged for -- how about that? :)

Firstly, not too long ago I completed an online college course that had tight deadlines. These deadlines, while they were sometimes quite inconvenient and annoying, were actually very helpful for me, especially since I haven't in the past always been the best with time management. So anyway, this got me to thinking about my 3rd year blogiversary Q&A post that I was supposed to do *cough*abouteightmonthsago*cough*. (I know, this sounds like I'm totally going off topic, but just stay with me...) So, I put these two things together in my mind and realized that in order to truly get this Q&A post finished and posted, I probably need to make some sort of deadline for myself in order to truly get this accomplished.

So... That's why I'm letting you guys know that I will be posting my answers to y'all's Q&A questions that you asked me back at my 3rd year blogiversary by July 31st! (I guess it's now more like my 3rd and a half year blogiversary... but it will still be fun. :) )

"But, Faith, why not post it just next week??"

Well, that's the another thing I was going to tell you guys about...

You see, there's something very exciting happening this coming week! No, it's not as exciting of a thing as someone getting married or having a baby or something like that. Definitely not. But in the blogosphere world, it's quite a fun thing... to anyone who likes westerns anyway. XD

Okay okay, I'll stop beating around the bush...

I'm going to be participating in a fun blog party, the Legends of Western Cinema Week!

My good blogging friend, Olivia over at her blog, Meanwhile in Rivendell shall be hosting it along with Heidi of Along the Brandywine and Hamlette of Hamlette's Soliliquy. I participated in this blog party a couple years ago, writing one post for it, so I'm excited to be able to be apart of it again! I'm rather looking forward to this, I must say. xD (And if you'd like to participate as well, I'm sure you can! Just let one of the hostesses know you'll be posting something for the blog party!)

Alrighty! Now, I think that's all the updates I have for the moment. Let's get on with the tag! :)

Kaitlyn over at her blog, Twin Thoughts tagged me for the #Awesome Blogger Award! Thank you so much for tagging me, Kaitlyn!

Here are the officially official rules for this awesome tag:

-Tag your post with #awesome blogger award

-Answer all the questions given to you

-Nominate at least 5 bloggers and inform them of their nomination

-Give them 10 new questions to answer

Sounds reasonable enough. Alright, let's get started! :D

1. What is one thing that make you sparkle? (Something that you get excited about)

There are a lot of things. XD One thing I always get excited about is hearing people's testimonies of either how they came to know Christ or how He has healed or helped them in some way, etc. I get so excited on the inside when I hear testimonies like that, especially someone's journey of how they found Jesus!

2. What is your favorite musical instrument?

The piano's probably my favorite (since it's the one I can play best), but I really enjoy hearing people play the violin and guitar, and would really like to learn how to play them someday.

3. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?

AHH, there are so many places I'd like to visit! I'd especially enjoy visiting some place in Europe, like maybe Switzerland, and see the Alps!

4. What is your 'theme song'? (This could be an all-time favorite, or a song that describes your situation)

Hmmmm... Sunday School Rock by Carman has always been a favorite of mine. I grew up with the song, and it's always kinda been my jam. ;)

But, as for more of a "theme song", like one that describes my situation or one that's really touched me... I'd have to say Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin. I had heard this song for a while, but then, one Sunday a while back at church when we were singing it, one of the lines just really struck a chord in me. Now whenever I hear that song it just really resonates with me. God's such a good GOOD Father!!

5. What's your favorite thing about blogging?

One of my favorite things has been being able to get to know other Christian bloggers through my blog!

6. Of all of your hobbies, what is your favorite and how did you get started on it?

Writing and coming up with stories has always been a favorite hobby of mine (that hopefully I can turn into more than a hobby someday!) I'm not sure how exactly I got started with writing stories as I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. Some of the earliest stories I wrote were written on several folded pieces of paper stapled together, made to look like a book. And, when I was younger, I'd like going out in our yard and come up with pretend scenarios for movies or tv shows that I would then act out to myself. :P

7. Who is your favorite author, and which of their books is your favorite?

I honestly don't know who my favorite author is... there are so many good ones! One of my favorite books right now though is Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. I enjoyed her writing style  a lot in this one, and hope to look into some of her other books.

8. Which is your favorite book of the Bible, and why?

I'd probably pick John right now. (But again, like authors, there are so many good ones!) I love reading about Jesus and what He did and taught while He was here on the earth. I want to learn to follow Jesus as best as I can, and one of the best ways to do that I think is to read and learn about Him, Who He is, and what He did while on the earth in the Gospels. :)

9. Which of the four seasons best describes your personality?

Ooh, hmm... Maybe Spring? I get excited and happy over little things, want to make others happy and feel appreciated (I hope I do that), I always like to laugh, always enjoy a happy ending, and like brighter and pastel colors. You will rarely see me wear black unless I'm wearing it with another color. 

I guess though I don't always show my excitement or "springyness" like that ^^ xD on the outside as much as I want to sometimes. If I'm really happy about something, it seems like I tend to hide my full excitement on the inside because I'm concerned about what other people will think of me. But that's one thing that God's been dealing with me about lately -- to not care so much about what others think, and just encourage people and say what the Holy Spirit is leading me to say or do without concerning myself with what others will think.

10. What is one thing that God has taught you recently?

Well, I suppose what I said up there for one thing, hehe. But along with that, another thing that God's taught me recently is that He lives inside me. I know it sounds simple, and I've known all of my life that when I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior that His Spirit came and now lives on the inside of me. But recently, God has just been making that more real to me. I've been learning to not put faith in just my own faith or what I can do, but put faith in God, and focus on Him, because He is going to do the work He wants done through me, not me. I just have to obey and trust. That's it. I don't have to do what God wants me to do all on my own. I just need to listen and do what He's telling me to do, and let HIM do the healing, the restoring, and the transforming!
(Hmm, that was maybe more than one thing, but oh well. xD)

That was fun! I tag.......

Christina @ Light Unto My Path

Olivia @ Meanwhile in Rivendell

Emma @ A Bookworm's Majestic Adventures

Faith @ Stories by Firefly!
Abby @ Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors

And here are your questions, ladies!
1. What is one thing that makes you sparkle? (Something that you get excited about)
2. What is your favorite color to wear?
3. What is your favorite song right now?
4. What is a favorite Bible verse of yours at the moment, and why does it resonate with you right now? 
5. What is a book (besides the Bible) that you would always recommend to someone?
6. What is a movie and/or book that you've wanted to watch/read for a long time, but haven't gotten around to it yet?
7. What is one thing that not a lot of people know about you?
8. How did you come up with your blog name? 
9. Which of the four seasons best describes your personality?
10. What is one thing that God has taught you recently?

I look forward to reading all you awesome bloggers' answers to these questions! (Of course, though if you'd rather not do this tag, that's completely fine, too!)

Okay, well I think that about wraps it up for today! It's so great to finally be back to blogging again after my rather long, unexpected hiatus I took there. I hope you enjoyed this post, and hope you're having a wonderful day!

Write to ya later, and God bless!

~Faith

Hello September Tag

You know what I need to do better at? Keeping up with tags for one thing. There are several different ones that I've been tagged for that I've copied and pasted the questions/rules for in drafts in my blogger post editing thingy that have just been sitting there, collecting proverbial dust for months... or even as much as a year. So, I think it's about time I get down to business and catch up on all these lovely tags that you guys have so graciously awarded me with. But I've come to the conclusion that I probably shouldn't go about doing them all in one post... If I did, that post I'm sure would be so dreadfully long that the person who would actually read the entire thing in one sitting without obligation should be given a standing ovation.

But anywho.

I probably won't be posting a bunch of tags in a row, but I hope to get to doing most of the ones I've been tagged for this fall/winter.

So to start off with, I'm doing this fun fall tag that the lovely Brooklyne tagged me for over at her blog, Showers of Blessings! :) And since it's called "Hello September" I figured that I'd better get to doing this before September flies by! So -- here we go!

The tag rules:

1. Please copy these questions (below), answer them, and then write out new questions (or just copy these) for the people you nominate below your answered questions.
2. Please nominate at least 3 bloggers, but try to avoid ones that you know have already been nominated. 
3. Lastly, include these guidelines in your post, and use the tag picture (above)! 

Alright, let's answer some questions!

Windy or rainy autumn?

While I like a rainy day here and there, I think I'd much rather have a more windy autumn. I really enjoy sunny, windy days. :)

Do you like chai tea?

I don't believe I've ever tried it. So, I'm not sure!

Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or apple cider?

Well, I actually don't think I've ever had apple cider before, and I'm not really a coffee person. ("Yes, I can still be a writer even if I don’t drink coffee. I’ve tried it, I just don’t see what’s so good about it. *runs from all the coffee loving authors*" ~Brooklyne :P) So, I'd have to go with either hot chocolate or tea, depending on the mood. :) If I had to pick just one, probably hot chocolate. Chocolate's my fav! :D I actually am not a super-fan of hot tea honestly. I like a couple flavors, but I guess I just don't drink it that often. Now, ice tea... yes! I like the flavor of the ice tea we get (which I guess is technically just black tea) and sometimes I'll heat that kind up, and I like it a lot that way, too. I don't think that it's really the tea being hot that I don't like, maybe it's just most of the flavors of hot tea that I've had I don't like as much? Anyway, sorry, I'll stop rambling about my deal with tea and move on now... :P

If you could go to one state in the U.S.A just for the autumn scenery, where would you go?
Ooh, well, since traveling out to Colorado this summer, I think that it would be a lovely place to go for autumn scenery, with all the trees and mountains. So I'd probably choose Colorado! (Well, either there, or some state in New England... like maybe Vermont. :) )

Do you like soup in the autumn? If so, what kind is your favorite?
I do like soup! (especially my mom's! :) ) I don't know if I particularly have a favorite kind though. I like a lot of different ones! But if I had to choose... maybe vegetable... or potato... or chili... one of those! ;)

What color of leaves do you like best? 
I like them all really! But I especially enjoy orange and red leaves. Bright orange leaves are so pretty to me!

Okay, so I suppose one could argue that these are more yellow than orange... but they're still pretty, so. ;D

If you could go to another country just for autumn scenery, where would you go?
OH MY. So many choices! Well, (as Brooklyne said in her post) I'd want to go somewhere with a lot of trees with changing leaves of course. Probably a country in Europe... Maybe Switzerland! I'd really like to visit Europe some day, and I think Autumn would probably be a nice season to go. :)

Sweater or hoodie?
Can I say both? :P It really depends! I like sweaters... but hoodies are really nice, too, and they have convenient pockets as well, so... Both. Yeah, both.

A hazelnut or apple cinnamon candle?
Hmm... I'd probably go for an apple cinnamon candle. :)

Cookies, brownies, or both?
BOTH! But if I had to choose between the two, I might pick brownies over cookies. (I'm a chocolatey girl, what can I say? *makes note to self to not go overboard on chocolate this fall* :P) But I absolutely positively enjoy cookies as well! So yeah... since I can, I'd definitely choose both!

So apparently this picture I found on Pinterest is of "pumpkin cheesecake swirled brownies"! :O I think I shall have to try this sometime!

What's your favorite fall activity? (Like a fall photo shoot, knitting, crocheting, baking, reading, etc...)
Oh, there's so many fun ones! I really enjoy doing things with family and friends, like going to pumpkin patches, doing corn mazes, hayrides, picnics, hiking, and things like that! :)

~~~~~~~~~

This was a lot of fun! Thank you so much, Brooklyne for tagging me! :) I'm so excited that fall is now officially here! Though I'm kind of sad summer is over, autumn is such a lovely season as well, and I'm glad for it to be here again!

Now, I'll tag...
Christina @ Light Unto My Path
Olivia @ Meanwhile in Rivendell or Towards Indecisive and Palpitating Stars
Abby @ Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors

And here are your questions!

Windy or rainy autumn?

Do you like chai tea? 

Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or apple cider? 

If you could go to one state in the U.S.A just for the autumn scenery, where would you go? 

Do you like soup in the autumn? If so, what kind is your favorite?

What color of leaves do you like best? 

If your could go to another country just for autumn scenery, where would you go?

Sweater or hoodie? 

A hazelnut or apple cinnamon candle?

Cookies, brownies, or both?

What's your favorite fall activity? (Like a fall photo shoot, knitting, crocheting, baking, reading, etc...)

Bonus questions!
Pumpkin or apple pie?

Have you ever had a pumpkin spice latte? If not, do you think you would like it/want to try one?
Would you rather go on a hayride or do a corn maze?

Have fun, gals! But if you'd rather not do this tag, than please don't feel obligated! It's totally up to you. :) And also, I realize that it's already nearing the end of September, so even though I'm pretty sure this is maybe possibly probably breaking the rules, I just made up a new rule that states  you can still fill out this tag after September if you can't get to it before then.
And ALSO -- if you are either wearing a sweater or drinking a hot beverage whilst reading this right now... then consider yourself tagged, too! ;D

I hope all of you are having a wonderful September! God bless, and I'll write to y'all later!
~Faith

The Liebster Award?!

Hello again, everyone! So, Olivia -- dearest Olivia over at her lovely blog, Meanwhile in Rivendell... nominated/tagged me for this Liebster award thing about... six months ago.... and I didn't realize that I had gotten tagged for it until just the other week... D: My deepest apologies, Olivia.

I've never done one of these before, so bear with me.

OH, but before I get started, I'd like to give out the bit of information I obtained about the Liebster Award because I found it interesting and I like to learn new things. :) The word "liebster" is actually a German word and has several definitions, including: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, pleasant, valued, etc. And so the Liebster Award is supposed to be an online award given by bloggers to other bloggers to "spread the love we all so desperately desire," (as worded by the first thing that popped up when I Googled "Liebster Award.") It is said that the Liebster award was created to recognize and/or discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere. 
See, doesn't this now add much more meaning to this award when you actually take the time to get to know a little deeper into something about it? :D

Anywho, to move on, here now are the Official Liebster Award Rules:

1.) Link back to the person who tagged you.

2.) Answer the eleven questions.
3.) Tag 11 bloggers, and let them know you tagged them.
4.) Ask your tagged bloggers eleven questions.


The Questions:
1.) Tell us four names (if you don't know the answer to any, just tell the ones you do know): one that your parents would have given you if you were the opposite gender, one they considered once they knew your gender, one you would choose if you got to choose your own name, and one you would NOT like to have.
I'm not really sure what my parents would have named me if I had been a boy... possibly Ethan.
My parents had considered Ana-Faith, but they didn't want me to only be called Ana, so it turned out to just be Faith in the end. :) 
I really like my name, but if I had to choose another one... oh, there are so many choices... Maybe Grace. Or Sarah. Or Virginia. (That's more than one, I'm sorry...) 
One name I wouldn't like to have would be Ryan.

2.) If you were to adapt one of your favorite stories, what story would it be and how would you tell it? (movie, musical, webseries, play, book, etc?)
Ooh. Again -- many possibilities. It would be really cool if the true stories told in More Than Conquerors by Terry Mize was made into a movie. Especially the hitchhiker story at the beginning. (By the way, I heartily recommend that you go get and read this book.^_^)

3.) Tell us four of your favorite words. 
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Edelweiss, Blessing, and Turquoise. (I have many more of course, but I thought I'd actually restrain myself this time and go by the rules, unlike with question 1. up there. :P)

4.) What is a life lesson you have learned in the past year?
Hmm. Well, one thing I've learned is that it's important to just be you. Not someone else, but you, because God made each one of us so unique and one-of-a-kind. But also not to JUST be you, but to be the person GOD wants you to be, not the person YOU just want to be or think you should be.

5.) Who is your favorite secondary character in a book you've read recently?
I've reread parts of Toliver's Secret recently, and one of my favorite secondary character's in it would probably be Mr. Higgins.

6.) What are five of the books on your TBR list right now?
A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon --- Heidi by Johanna Spyri -- Drummer Boy at Bull Run by Gilbert Morris -- Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery -- and Ten Hours to Live by Brian Wills (I've read part of this book before, but never got to finishing it; I really want to go back and read the rest of this, because it's so good.)

7.) Tell us one talent/skill you have, and one you'd like to develop.
One skill I have is being able to sound out the melody to pretty much any song on the piano. One I'd like to develop is........ wow, there's so many. O_O Well, I'd honestly like to learn how to tap dance really well. It just looks so much fun! Yes, I know it would take a lot of hard work, but I think it would be worth it. I mean, who wouldn't want to learn how to tap dance on a table top so effortlessly??

8.) What's the best joke you've heard recently? (Awful puns are highly acceptable!)
So the broom said, "Sorry I'm late, I over-swept." (from a Progressive Insurance commercial I saw recently. :P)

9.) Share a quote from the book you're currently reading.
Cassius: "Did Cicero say anything?"
Casca: : "Ay, he spoke Greek."
Cassius: "To what effect?"
Casca: "Nay, and I tell you that, I'll ne'er look you i' th' face again. But those that understood him smil'd at one another, and shook their heads; but for mine own part, it was Greek to me."
~From Julius Caesar by Shakespeare

10.) What song is stuck in your head right now? (Or just share one that's been bouncing around recently if you don't have one right now.)
Well, I don't really have a song stuck in my head at the moment, but we've had a lot of songs playing around here from Jordan Feliz's albulm The River. Here's one of them...

  
11.) What do you want your life to be like when you're a little old lady?
Well, of course, I'd want to be able to be able look back on the past years of my life with satisfaction, knowing that I've done so far what God's called me to do. I'd also want to still be quick in mind and in step, and have a loving, faithful husband to spend those golden years with. I would enjoy time with family, have the kids and grandkiddies come over, and grandma would read or bake cookies with them. :) I'd want to pass on stories from the past, give wisdom and advice and teach and build up the next generation in the Lord and in His Word.

Okie doke. Time for the tagging/nominating! Olivia (Because I want to give back some love and make it up to ya, and I realized that I'm supposed to ask new questions anyway. ;) ) Emma, Jane, Mia, Faith, Jonathan aaannnd.... so, I don't really know that I can think of five other bloggers that I really know at the moment..... D: so I might just have to bend the rules a bit and leave it at these six awesome blogger people. But if you're reading this, and want to answer these questions below on your blog, you're more than welcome to!

So, here's your 11 questions, tagged people:

1.) What made you want to start a blog?

2.) What does your first name mean?

3.) Did you know when you were younger what you wanted to be/do when you grew up? Do you know or have any idea now what you want to do?

4.) If you could see yourself from someone else's perspective, who's perspective would you choose and why? (It could be a family member's, a friend's, your local librarian's, etc.)

5.) What was the last book you read? What was your opinion of it? Did you like it, or not so much?

6.) What was the last movie you watched? What was your opinion of it? Did you like it, or no?

7.) What is your favorite movie adaptation of a book?

8.) What quote (from a book, movie, or YouTube video) do you find yourself saying often?

9.) If you could live in any other previous time period, which one would you choose?

10.) What would you consider your favorite thing to do in your free time? What do you ACTUALLY end up doing in your free time?

11.) What is one thing that you always want people to remember about you after you're gone?


Well, that's it for now, folks. If you read all that, I hope you enjoyed it. I quite enjoyed myself in answering and giving out questions anyway! Thank you again, Olivia for tagging me! :) I hope you all have yourself's a wonderful rest of the weekend!
~Faith