Everything's Boring Now ...

... A Rant :)

 “I had no idea how much these quiet pleasures had retreated for my life while I was rushing around, and now I’m inviting them back in: still, rhythmic work with the hands, the kind of light concentration that allows you to dream, and the sense of a kindness done in the process”

- Wintering, by Katherine May 

I recently cancelled my Apple Music subscription to save money (following our decision to quit my full time job, as detailed in this post). 

As a result, on my way to work twice a week, I have resorted to listening to a total of 3 Owl City CD's that I obtained as a teenager. They have lived in the little in-between-the front-seats-compartment (I don't know what that compartment is called, LOL) in all my cars since my first Buick when I was 17. 

Even though the days of CD's are long over, I just never got rid of them. Partially because of sentiment (after all, Owl City Ocean Eyes was the first album I ever listened to that wasn't completely and obviously "Christian", and paved the way for me to experiment with music until I have the tastes that I do today), and partially because I was just too lazy/or didn't care to. 

The albums are Ocean Eyes, Mobile Orchestra, and Maybe I'm Dreaming, and even though these albums in their digital form are apart of my Apple Music Library, I haven't listened to them in their entirety in a long time. 

So I was surprised to find that, when listening to them for the first time in my car on the way to work, how utterly enjoyable it was. How happy it made me! 

It got me thinking... why is it that when I have unlimited options - a digital arsenal of practically every song I could ever dream of listening to - I am so much more... stressed?? Overwhelmed? Unsatisfied? Some of my favorite songs are on Apple Music that I can access, after all. But a lot of times, I won't even listen to the whole song. I'll listen through the first chorus, then skip!

I think a huge reason for the decline in many people's mental health in recent years is the introduction of unlimited media. But not just music. YouTube has every video about every topic you could ever imagine. Streaming services have practically every movie and show that you could ever care to watch. Social Media has every profile of almost every person you know, with endless updates about their lives, and endless opinions on politics, pop culture, health, parenting.... etc. 

Don't get me wrong, this is great and all. This is all very valuable and helpful in it's own way. 

But it's not just the problem of decision paralysis from all the unlimited choices and information overwhelm, something that I believe our brains weren't designed to handle in the first place. No, it's also the fact that we are all being robbed blind by subscription services. 

Think about it. A year of my Apple Music subscription cost me $10.99 x 12 months = about $130 bucks. 

You are telling me, after paying A HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLARS - that if I cancel the "subscription", I don't have the choice or the option to access ANY of my favorite songs anymore? 

So in essence, nothing is really MINE. Nothing is OWNED. 

In the olden days, you bought a CD, and then that CD was yours FOREVER. Even my Owl City CDs, TO THIS DAY are still MINE! I can still play them, I don't have to continue paying to continue enjoying them, and what's more, the songs aren't going to change if the world decides it's offensive for some reason for 10 years. 

So while driving along hearing my CD and having my thoughts. I thought to myself - this is the life to strive for. 

A life that owns instead of rents. A life that is grateful for what I have, which isn't everything in the world ever. 

There is no striving for everything I can't have, because I'm content with what I do have. And what I DO have, I'm grateful for and I take care of. 

A life that doesn't dull the pain of the mundane with hits of dopamine just to get by and feed the need of more more MORE. 

Because here's the thing ... the internet never ends. If I have an addiction to scrolling, here's the scary thing. There is no end to it. There is no limit. You could literally go on, and on and on. But it will never fully satisfy! 

I remember when I was a young teenager and I was getting into nail art (side note.... my mom didn't approve of the nail art. She thought nails should only be painted red, pink, or nude colors only. When I tried different colors such as purple as well as designs, she was gravely disapproving! I have no idea why, but it makes me chuckle today. LOL), I remember I would log onto Pinterest, which was still new and hot at the time, and search "nail art". And I WOULD ACTUALLY EVENTUALLY SCROLL TO THE "BOTTOM" OF THE PAGE because that was the END of the search results for "nail art"!!!! Nowadays, that just doesn't happen. 

It is my belief that a big learning curve for my generation (Gen Z, or the micro-generation, "Zillenial") was how to manage our own screen time, because it's not something our parents grew up with. 

As a new mom, I see plenty of online advice about not letting your kid have too much screen time, because there's actually some research on the subject now. 

But I'm still struggling with my OWN screen time, after 10+ years of cultivated habits from when I was a social media and internet-using teenager! My generation's parents didn't know how to deal with this phone stuff, because it all became available after they were adults.

It's something that I want to better in myself, so that I can raise my child with the tools he needs to be self disciplined. 

This is ONE of the reasons that I have avowed myself to start blogging more and regularly. To, in a sense, bring back the enjoyment of "slow internet". I have no idea if anyone still even reads my blog. Every one is out watching short form videos! Including myself, at times! 

But I want to get back to the slow, methodical, even ritualistic practice of the delayed gratification type of media, the type that takes awhile to put together, that helps me share thoughts and even understand my own values while I type them out. It takes practice, and honestly, a whole lot of unlearning and RE-learning. But I think it's worth it! 

Well, friends, that is all. This was a rather rambly, rant/vent sort of post. It was something that came to mind for me recently after actually giving up some things that I used to have "limited" options of. It got me thinking and so I wanted to share. If you haven't taken a break from your subscriptions lately, I recommend you give it a try! It might be "boring" for a bit, but that's where you start to see the magic! Not to mention your wallet will thank you. 

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think that the introduction of streaming and the "unlimited" nature of the internet, has ultimately improved society or harmed it? 

Until next time :)

 

how to talk to people (and not die)

Here are some questions I've thought of to start deep conversations with people if you're an introvert like me and are deathly afraid of dislike small talk.

p.s. they actually work- I've tried them myself and it really helps me when I'm in a social situation and I don't know what to say or how to start a conversation.

--

What's your favorite way to appreciate God? 

Should you ever regret caring, even if it made things worse in the end or it seemed to not matter?

How do you maximize the positive and minimize the negative without ignoring the negative or pretending it doesn't exist?

How do you tell if your way of 'helping' someone becomes enabling to them and their toxic/bad behavior? 

What does spiritual and emotional maturity mean to you?

Do you think we choose God or did He choose us?

Do you think that miracles run out for a person or situation? 

Do relationships define a person? What about a person who doesn’t have a lot of friends? 

Do you think a person's personality changes as they get older? Or do you think it just advances and evolves, while remaining still the same mainly?

What's the best way to learn about something? 

Do you think hatred exists or is it just the absence of love?

At what point do you give up trying to be friends with someone?

What do you like about (or dislike, if they're not a believer!) Christianity? 

Is sharing an opinion worth the risk of embarrassment if you’re wrong? At what point do you think you have enough information to share an opinion and stand by it?

Do you see video games as ultimately good or bad for a person/s character? 

In your opinion, what makes a good movie?

--

Photo Credit: Me

Well, that's all you guys. Let me know if you use any of these and if they help you at all/what you think of them.

~ Amaris // ☆

Sunshine Blogger Award ☆ (warning : wordy)

Hello, friends!
Emily from Altogether Unexpected tagged me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! I kind of feel like I've maybe done this tag before, but I don't really care if I have because, 1. I'm too lazy to search my published posts and see if any post comes up under "sunshine", and 2. I wouldn't care anyways because the questions change with each blogger!
With that said, here we go!

Below are the rules for this award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them. See above! :)
2. List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post.
3. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
4. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and notify them by commenting on any of their posts. I can already tell you it's not going to be 11 bloggers XD
   
5. Ask the nominees 11 new questions.

The Questions:

In what city were you born?
St. Louis, born & raised, and still living here. I've always liked STL!

Which book made you a bibliophile?
All of them. Haha, just kidding. But for real, there was no single book that created a love for reading in me. My love for books really began to take off when I was around 12-14, and some of the most notable books that I enjoyed during that time were the Anne of Green Gables series (which I adored), The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Elizabeth George Speare's books (she only wrote four in her lifetime.. which I am forever remorseful about).

Photo Credit: Me

What is your favorite film?
FOR-REST. GUMP. (*claps on each syllable for emphasis*)
Seriously tho, it's the best, in my opinion. At least so far. There are so many amazing movies out there that I have yet to see.

What is your favorite Bible verse?
I don't really have one specific verse. The LORD has used so many unique and wonderful passages in my life during the last few months to speak to me in a special way.
A few that have been close to my heart lately are:

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:17-18

Many plans are in a man's heart,
But the counsel of the LORD will stand.
Proverbs 19:21

Photo Credit: Me

Favorite episode of Sherlock? (I know you have all seen it)
UUugh I can't even really talk about my favorite episode cause I know I'm gonna spoil it.   O.o
But I loooove the one in Series 4: The Lying Detective. I haven't seen that particular episode in awhile but the acting is so brilliant and the plot so riveting it gives me chills just remembering it. The Final Problem was also astounding. Stunning. Awesome. Just... all the amazing adjectives. Bless that show.

First foreign country?
I haven't traveled much; I went to Niagara Falls when I was, like, 5. So, Canada. That's it. I'd love to go to Paris someday.

Favorite food?
That's a very hard question! I have many foods I like. The LORD has been laying it on my heart to eat healthier the past few months, so my tastes have all rather changed! I still love me a good bowl of ice cream. And I've been cooking more, so homemade foods are always good. I love cooking with limes. Just, anything that has lime juice in it, I love.

British accents or Scottish accents?
I can't really say because I haven't heard enough of Scottish to distinguish it from British. I can tell you this, however: whenever I watch a show with a British accent I have to put on subtitles. *shrug*

First Marvel film?
I tried Captain America a few years ago and *hated* it. In fact, I kinda hate the whole Marvel franchise. I feel like it's just a big money-maker anyways. But there are some things I like. Spider-Man, for one. Take any Spider-Man and I could watch it on any evening chilling at my apartment and that would be an enjoyable time for me. Any other Marvel movie.. can't say the same thing.
But anyways, to answer the question, the first Marvel movie was Captain America, but the first one I liked was the first Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire.

Who is your favorite British actor/actress?
Aiden Turner // Ross Poldark. I never thought he was great as Kili, and then when I saw him as Ross I was absolutely sure of it. The man was BORN to play Ross. UuGgh I just get chills thinking of how freaking good he is as Ross. Let me put it this way; you haven't gotten the full Aiden Turner experience until you've seen him as Ross Poldark.
With that being said, here are a few notable others:
Helena Bonham Carter (A dazzling and uniquely lovely woman of the industry)
Benedict Cumberbatch (because Sherlock and The Imitation Game)
Among others. I know I'm probably forgetting a few that I love.

Photo Credit: Me

When did you start blogging, and why?
When I was around 16-17, my best friend told me about Hayden Wand's then current blog, The Story Girl. If you can believe it, at the time I didn't really know what a blog was. But I started reading Hayden's and soon others, and became fascinated with the book-reading, period drama-watching, story-writing girls who put their thoughts and little tags on blogs to share with their small corners of the internet world. I thought "I like to write, I like to read, I like period dramas. This looks rather fun, I could do it." I was a bit nervous to start and wanted my writing to be like everyone else' I read, so I set everything up and published my first post in September of 2015 (here it is if you're interested notice how much different and rather fake and airy the writing is compared to now because back then I was writing like all the blogs I loved because I didn't know how to express my own voice [which I'm still learning, btw]).
So yeah. I've been blogging since without being consistent at all, but I think I've come a long way, and I'm happy with my current 30 followers. It's never been about numbers for me; I definitely wanted the bloggers I loved most to love my blog (namely Naomi Sarah from Wonderland Creek and Hayden Wand from her blog back then The Story Girl), but as the years have gone by and God has taught me many things about the various social medias I have been apart of, it doesn't really matter who loves me or my writing and who doesn't.
I'm blogging and writing what I want to say because I enjoy it and God sometimes speaks to my heart things to write. Maybe you're encouraged by what you read here, maybe you're not. I will keep blogging until the LORD says stop. <3

Well that turned into a huge backstory, haha.

But anywho, that is the end of the list of questions from Emily! Thank you again, Emily! :)

For this award, I nominate:
Tessa // This Great Adventure
Natalie // Starry Eyes
Abbie // Chronicles in Bloom
Lissa // An Attempt to be Classic
Mary Liz // Sunshine and Scribblings
Rachel // A Girl's Place

I'm very behind on my blog-reading (I've got all I can handle just to post on my own blog every once in awhile, haha), so I don't know if any of the above bloggers have answered the questions for this award before! If you have, feel free to skip. Or you can do the award again with my questions!

Here are my 11 questions: 
1. What is your favorite season of the year and why?
2. What do you want to be "when you grow up"? (and if you're already grown up, what are you doing or what do you want to do someday?)
3. What's the most obscure and unique song you love to listen to?
4. Do you prefer sunshine or rain better? (I expect a detailed explanation as to why you feel the way you do! *insert intellectual emoji here*)
5. How do you usually listen to music (Spotify, YouTube, Google Play, Apple Music, etc.)?
6. Favorite black-and-white 'old timey' movie?
7. A fun fact that most people don't know about you?
8. Best memory of 2019 so far?
9. What's your favorite thing to do on the internet?
10. What's the longest you've ever gone without internet?
11. What's the most obscure piece of information you remember from school?

Photo Credit: Me

~ Amaris // ☆

Too Great to Fathom

(Note: This isn't a song, nor is it a poem. It is an overflow of praise in my heart; inspired by the greatest love ever shown.)

It's freeing, it's sobering.

It's humbling, it's satisfying.

It's gratifying, it's loving.

It's timeless, it's wonderful.

// There isn't anything like it. //

It rights every wrong.

It bridges every gap.

It makes grown men weep.

It makes the weak strong.

 

In my worst days, it is there.

In my best days, it is there.

It is the foundation of every good thing.

// There isn't anything like it. //

From it flows love.

From it flows peace.

From it alone flows redemption.

Redemption.

What a sweet, sweet word!

  Like sugar on my lips.

Wrong has been made right.

Defeat has turned to victory.

Timidity turns to power!

// There isn't anything like it. //

Hate becomes love.

Resentment becomes forgiveness.

Pride becomes humbled.

Simple enough for a child.

Yet it baffles the wisest man.

It is a comfort to the lonely.

It is power for the weak.

It is prosperity for the lowly.

It is refuge for the condemned.

It is delight for the oppressed.

// There isn't anything like it. //

.

.

.

You might have already guessed it; it's the gospel. 

  ~

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

Psalm 42:1-3 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous. But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Psalm 34:19

O LORD, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.

Psalms 51:15

~ 

-Amaris

// 2018: A Summary //

Hello, peeps! I have returned with a 2018 review... and I'm only about two weeks late, hehe. :)
But that's ok. This year, I decided that I will do the 'New Years Tag' thing that I've seen floating around various blogs for the past couple of years.
Let's get started.

From my Instagram @amaris_todd

// The Year 2018 // 

What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?
I went to an outdoor theater for the first time!!! It was such a fun experience.

Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make one this year?
I only had one goal, to try to watch more movies. And I succeeded!! I watched over 50  movies this year! I am planning on publishing my 'big epic movie list of 2018' soon, so that you can see what I thought of each movie I watched this year.

What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?
I would like to have more education in art, and a laptop. :)

What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory?
This might sound dumb, but that would be the day I got my first smartphone, the iPhone X. The day we got it, we went to Lion's Choice afterward, and every time we go to that same location, I remember the mood and the vibes I had from that first day I got my phone.
Oh, and also May 20th! The day we officially moved! I remember what it was like to spend the last night in my old room.... a very unique feeling. It's like going away for vacation, knowing you'll miss your home but you'll soon be back... except you won't be back. And you know it.

@amaris_todd

What was the best month?
Possibly July, because the VBS that I taught in was absolutely amazing. October was also really good, because I attended an art class and did a lot of other fun stuff with my best friend that month. :)

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Probably just the things that God taught me this year about Him, and how that will affect my teaching children about God.

What was your biggest failure?
That I didn't read more books.  :( I really love books, but unfortunately at the end of many stressful days this year, I just didn't feel like a book. I hope to improve on this more in the coming year, though!

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing a moon exhibit at our local science center! They had the entire command module from Apollo 11. :) It was really fun to see. I also just got generally more excited to hang out with friends more, which is more than I ever used to do.

@amaris_todd

What was an unexpected surprise? 
God brought a few friendships to me that I didn't know would be so important to me, and I'm so glad He did. <3 I also started going to a different church. It was difficult, since I'd been going to my previous church for 10+ years, but I'm so glad I did and I know I'm supposed to be at this new church.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had gotten out and exercised more. :/

How did you spend Christmas?
It was just a small party of me and two others. We spent the day inside relaxing and doing activities. I worked on drawing. It was rather nice.

How did you spend New Year’s?
We pretty much did the above answer, but add watching 'Forrest Gump' and eating homemade chili. :)

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:
I don't have to do or be anything to make God love me more. He already loves me, once and for all, whether my day is good or bad.
Also, if you pretend to be something you're not to impress/make other people happy, it's gonna get old eventually. Be you. If you don't know what 'you' is, figure it out and don't be afraid to be it. Negative people are everywhere. Even people you think are close to you might be a source of negativity in your life. Watch out for them, and don't change who you are for them unless you know God is using them to change you. <3

@amaris_todd

Compared to this time last year, are you: 
Happier or sadder? Sadder.But don't be alarmed... I'm a sad person in general. It's the way of things for me right now. Nothing has directly caused me to be sad.
Thinner or fatter? I have to admit a bit fatter. But I am hoping to walk more this year, and also eat more vegetables, to live the best life of taking care of the body God so graciously gave me! :) 
Richer or poorer? Well, I'm definitely making more money than this time last year, but I also have more expenses now... so it kind of evens out. 

Five things I want to do in 2019:
1. Make memories with my friends more, and be there for people.
2. Keep drawing!
3. Take overall mental and physical health more seriously.
4. Keep growing closer to God and learning from Him.
5. Explore more of my hometown- such as best restaurants, places to go, attractions, etc.!

What kept you sane?
God, my best friend Tessa (This Great Adventure!), and my good friend I made through VBS, Maggie.

Did you move anywhere? 
Yes! We moved about 20 minutes away from our old house on May 20th, 2018. The good thing is that I am now 2 minutes from my job, which is right down the street!I love that setup, hehe. I also quit my job at Michael's in April. But that was a good change.

Did you try anything local from your hometown that you've never tried before? 
I'm planning on exploring more of my town this year, but I did go to an outdoor theater during Summer 2018, and I really liked it! :)

What countries/states did you visit? 
Absolutely none. This, unfortunately, was a source of depression for me this year, because I love to travel and see things and go places (my mom calls me a 'free bird'), and I didn't have the money or the time to, nor was I in a position to travel, which makes me rather sad.
The saddest part is, this is the 4th year in a row I haven't traveled far from my home. I feel kinda stuck sometimes. Also I'm poor.
...
Ok that answer was depressing. *fake laugh*

Where did most of your money go?
Other than general expenses from living in an apartment (which are b o r i n g), probably clothes. I kind of figured a style for myself in 2018 too... but I'm still learning about that.

What was the best thing you bought? 
You know the answer! :) My iPhone X.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully, no.

What did you want and get?
Better drawing skills. :)

What did you want and not get?
So many things...like an iPad to start drawing digitally. :|

@amaris_todd

Did you fall in love in 2017?
Nope. I'll admit a few people caught my eye tho (*nervous laughter while hoping they never read this hehe ehe*), but nothing came of that.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 20 on my birthday, and.... if I remember correctly, I think we went shopping. I bought myself some clothes and makeup and stuff.

Did anyone close to you give birth or get pregnant?
Nope.

Did anyone close to you get married?
Nope.

Did anyone close to you die? 
Thankfully nope.

Who was the best new person you met?
I actually made some good friends online, once I got my phone. Several who actually read my blog, but blogging is kind of impersonal as far as chatting back and forth individually, so I didn't know what great peeps they were until I started chatting with them on Instagram! Social media also helped me re-connect with people I used to know when I was younger and doing homeshcooling, and I'm so glad because I never knew what great people they were and now we can hang out.

@amaris_todd

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?
Trying, haha.
Actually, towards the end of the year I started taking my person fashion style more seriously. As mentioned previously, I'm still figuring things out and learning with fashion, but overall I'm more confident about my clothing choices than I was this time last year, and I'm happy with a number of clothing items I acquired in 2018!

What was the best book you read?
Show Them Jesus, by Jack Klumpenhower. Second most influential book I've ever read so far, hands down (the first being the Bible, of course). I actually read it twice in 2018, hehe.

What were your favorite books of this year?
I sadly didn't read a lot of books this year. :P I am working on 'Where We Belong' by Lynn Austin right now, which I started late in 2018, and I'm halfway through! It's pretty good. :)

What was your favorite TV show?
Poldark seasons 1-3 (we're gonna catch up and watch season 4 soon!). I also started randomly watching Victoria (with Jenna Coleman) one evening, and I kept watching because I looovee it. I am sad there was only a couple of seasons. Apparently they are making new episodes for 2019 and I can't wait! It's a beautiful, beautiful show. :)

@amaris_todd

What were your favorite films of this year?
I'm going to save that for my 'big epic movie list of 2018' post. :)

What was the best concert you’ve been to this year?
I don't really enjoy concerts very often because I get sensory overload (and big dark loud rooms with flashing lights kinda trigger my anxiety), but I did go to see MercyMe and I loved him. <3

What song/album will always remind you of 2017?
Owl City's Cinematic album came out on June 6th! I loved listening to it this year.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
The old band, Queen! I saw the movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in theaters and loved it, and it further assisted my growing Queen obsession. :) I don't recommend all the titles, but there are a lot of songs I do love. :) Same goes for Michael Jackson, whose music I also 'discovered' this year!
It was a good year, musically. I also started listening to more oldies (Dean Martin... ahhh... *heart eyes*), and reconnected with how much I love vintage. <3

@amaris_todd

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Tell me why I look back and I want to cry,
Sometimes I feel like we grew up too fast
You and I had the time of our younger lives
Sometimes I sigh and think about the past

But it's alright, cause everthing changes.
Owl City - Firebird (Alt. version)

// The End //

Well, peeps, that about sums it up. It was the craziest year of my life, and I changed more this year than I ever have. You know how there are some things you think will never change? Well, if you're between the ages of 15-25, think again, because it probably will. Almost everything I thought would never change, changed in 2018. That's the biggest reason it was such a crazy year!

It was a lot of change, but somehow I'm ok with it. I can always look back with fondness on the things I used to love and on the way things used to be, but there's so much more ahead. So, so much.
I read a (rather basic) quote on Instagram the other day.
 "Don't look back, you're not going that way"

Even though it's kinda basic and cliche, it inspired me.
I can't wait to see what 2019 holds. I am so excited.

Until next time, friends.
-Amaris

Time Passes

It's funny how humans make their little plans, and they have these little expectations for what they hope things to be like, as if they really had any control over the way things will actually turn out.

*a rather deep opening sentence to this post, i know*

For instance, this year went absolutely nothing how I expected it would.

There's only one thing that happened this year that went how I expected. My movie-watching plans! I determined to watch more movies this year, and by George, I definitely did! That I am glad of. There were many movies that really needed to be watched by me.
I kept a movie log throughout the year, and I plan to hopefully post it some time in December... if I can actually DO SOMETHING I PLAN, FOR ONCE.

Did you know I expected this year to be one of my biggest blogging years yet for The Storybook Journal? I had so many post ideas... I even planned to do some special blogging with my best friend, since she finally got a blog. But it turned out this was one of my smallest blogging years instead.

That's why I'm writing this post right now, actually. Just to say 'hello' to you all. I miss you, to be honest. I miss my blogging life.

But as one of my personal favorite influential Owl City songs states: 'Everything changes' (Firebird, Cinematic album).

Everything changes.

And you know what? I'm ok with that.

Change is... sad.
But it's good.
It can be bad too, of course, but when change is bad, you don't have to be hopeless because the bad will come full circle and change, yet again, to good.
Which, of course, grows faith in God the whole time.
It's really quite a good system.

I think I've changed more this year than any year in so far in my life. Both for good, and for bad.
Thankfully, God has remained the same. I've learned that I can always count on Him.
I'm still learning that.

Well, this post is a whole lot of nothing. As I said, I'm just popping in to say 'hello'. I am not gone; I'm still here. Just not blogging much.
That's all. I guess I'll go now.. but I suppose you want a little update on my life.

I impulsively started watching a show on Amazon Prime. It's just called 'Victoria'. Starting Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria.
When it first began, the story line was rather slow, but I liked it. I always like some good, down-to-earth history drama. As the season went on (I just began watching Season Two), thing started heating up dramatically, and I am still really enjoying it! This is one of the only shows I don't watch with the rest of my family... so it's kind of 'my show'. :)

I've had a musical discovery as well... one which will quite surprise you. It's Queen. The old band. From the 70s-80s. I saw the movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in theaters (a movie not for everyone... view with discretion and a conservative movie review, pls), and to be honest I was really inspired by the creation of their hit music as well as the story behind everything they did.
Sure, I don't condone all of their songs (some of their songs have lyrics that are... *ahem* unworthy of my ears...) I only listen to the appropriate ones. I also don't support all the messages in the movie, which is why I recommend reading a conservative movie review about it before watching.
But still. Apart from those things, their songs have such a fun, chill vibe that I just can't help loving. <3 And I love the movie, too. In spite of some content. I would see it again in a heartbeat if someone asked me.

What else? Not too much has changed as far as significant events in my life since last I blogged. To be honest, it's been quite boring. :) But, a new year is coming, with new plans.
New ideas.
New expectations.

We'll see how it goes.

:) :) :) 

Goodbye, friends.
For now.

-Amaris

What Moving is REALLY Like

If you're in the middle of moving right now, or if you have ever moved before, you know what I'm talking about.

Exhaustion- Literally just putting my hair up in a braid these past few weeks has been enough to make me want to go to bedddd.

Getting Rid of Stuffs - What-ho, I am a minimalist now. Not by choice, mind you. To be honest, though, this part of moving is the least bother-some to me. I actually love getting rid of lots of useless junk.

No Time For Plans- There is no time to plan anything, therefore, there are almost no fun outings. I did go to an immensely enjoyable fundraiser a few weeks ago, and then a dance, but the dance left me awfully tired- so I thought, what's the point anyways.

The Hurry and Rush- When you are having to fix up your house and get your stuff organized on a time limit, there is constant unpleasant feeling of "crunch time", which begins to wear on your good spirits after awhile.

No Weekend Fun Times- Weekends are not fun like they should be, because they're the only time that most people are available to come and help you with your house, which means you have to work too. Weekend after weekend after weekend.

Nothing is Where it Belongs- All of my craft/hobby supplies and recreational activities are in storage; which means I haven't been able to simply do my makeup for like a month. Even my camera is nowhere to be found, so hopefully it's in storage as well; but until I find it I have to rely entirely on Pinterest to make my posts beautiful...*sigh*. Thank you, Pinterest, old friend *hugs pinterest*.

The Constant Smell of Paint- Or glue, or caulk, or soil (they had to do some digging in our basement so our house smelled like moldy dirt for one week straight)... lots of smells. Also wet walls. Everywhere.

~*~

Yes, I've used this pic in a post before... but Imma use it again cause I love it.

It's not all this depressing, though.
Other than packing boxes and moving junk everywhere, things look quite nice. All of the painting is almost done. Our basement looks nicer than I think it ever did, my room is white as snow (and quite plain, but that's making it look really lovely somehow), our yard looks great thanks to some friends from our church who helped clean it up, our bathrooms are bleached to perfection.
All I can think of is how proud Adrian Monk would be of our bathrooms. He might even go inside them.

I'm sorry for the rather depressed random-ness of this post. This is the first time I've ever moved (well, the last time my family moved was when I was only a year old, so technically I don't remember it, and technically I was too young to help, so technically this is the first time I've moved), and when I look back at this time, I want to remember what it was like.

I want to remember what God taught me through this. 

• That owning things isn't all there is to life. 
• That I can trust Him through the unknown.
• That hard times can have fun times mixed in.
• That change is inevitable, but He can make it a good thing.
  And most importantly:

Times will change, but He will not.

~*~

Also, on a separate note, I've got some exciting personal news; I have been saving (for like 6 months) for something special, and I think I will be able to afford it about two weeks from now! What COULD I be referring to?! *sly wink* I will reveal that in my March Highlights post. ;)

Until then, enjoy the change into Spring!
And thank you for letting me ramble... about life, and whatnot.  *shrug* Ya know how it is.
(Especially you, Natalie. *wink*)

-Amaris