Hola

Oh my!! I looked at my last post and saw that it was written on the 8th of September. That means that I haven't blogged in ages!! Heaven help me, that is just not acceptable.
Anyways. We are in Florida!! The sun is shining. The boat is rocking and everything is nothing short of bliss.
We actually had a Manatee at our boat today and we were able to swim with him, feed him, and rub his back. It was amazing!!! I don't even have words to describe it (A rarity for me to be sure).
The boat is in the water and all systems are wonderful. We are waiting for a weather window and then we're hoping to take a sail over to the Bahamas. They were hit pretty hard by a hurricane a while back, so we are going to take in some clothes and other items (Bibles of course) into them. I'm super excited.
Unfortunately I don't have any more time to blog :( I need to be running, but I will try my best to blog more, okay?
I have also started another blog. This blog is my author blog and I would love for you guys to follow me over there. I'll leave the link at the bottom of the most here.
Blessings

Here's that link :)
http://hannahauthor.blogspot.com/

Trees

Okay. This post is random and short. I love trees. I think they look absolutely wonderful. No two trees are the same and every single one is special and beautiful. I just love them.

New Blog

Hey Check this out...... :)

http://hannahauthor.blogspot.com/

Home Again

Nashville was amazing! We didn't spend a whole bunch of time there, we were in Franklin (just outside Nashville) for most of the weekend, but it was still spectacular.

The Ragged Edge (That was the writer's conference I went to) was so wonderful. I learnt so much and was unbelievably inspired to write and do what I love doing.

I met some of the most wonderful people while I was there. I met these two young ladies that were so encouraging and fun to be around.

I also got to meet some of my favorite author's. Eric Wilson and Ted Dekker. It was so cool to be able to learn so many things from these people. It was incredible.

Every word that was spoken that weekend was so encouraging!! I can't wait to go again next year.

On a totally different note ;) Here are the last five dress photos...

Can you imagine wearing something like this. Or better yet, MAKING something like this.

I LOVE this dress. look at that color and those stripes. I also think this whole photo is brilliant. It definitely one of my favorites.

I think the cotton and silk mix on this dress is really cool. Dressy meets casual.

Again. Wonderful dress, wonderful picture.

The buttons running down this dress is the only reason I like it. Other than that it's pretty plain and basic.

Which dress was your favorite???

Books and Dresses #3

OH MY!! I just finished one of the most amazing novels I have ever read. No word of a lie. It was spectacular. The characters were so... *sigh*... I just need to pause here and have a moment of bliss as I remember these characters...okay, I'm good now. The characters were so believable. They had "real" struggles and "real" feelings.

The setting was incredible and the whole way it was written was just amazing. Definitely one of the best books I have read in a looooooong time. I'm SO going to read it again soon.

hahaha. I forgot to tell you what book I just finished. hahaha. My bad. It's the new Laura Frantz novel called "The Colonel's Lady" and it was spectacular. It was one of those books that made me realized why I love reading. I was transported, enthralled, and all-together over joyed...I even cried a time or two :"(

It was Such a sweet tale. It was most definitely her best work yet. READ IT (if you haven't all ready)

Okay, to end off this post I will share five more dress photo's with you. I hope you don't mind being bombarded with all these crazy dress pictures :)

Could you imagine wearing a dress like this?? Look at all those ruffles and lace!!

Oooo. This is one of my favorites. I love the red lace over the cream silk. It's so dainty and beautiful.

Another one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for white lace and the blue sash just makes this dress to die for.

OH MY!!! This dress is nothing short of stunning (not to mention that red hair). It's just beyond words!

I know that this dress is on a doll, but that just makes it look more adorable. I would love to see it on a someone...like a book character maybe ;)

DRESSES #2

I thought I would post another dress blog just in case I got really busy again tomorrow and didn't have the time. So here you are, another five.

I think this dress would make a beautiful wedding dress. I really love the color and the style is SO princess like.

This dress would be a wonderful summer dress. The print is wonderful and the ruffle underneath makes it very feminine. I would buy and wear this dress in a heartbeat.

this dress isn't fantastic but there's something about it that's sort of eye catching.

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!!! Such exquisite detailing. Imagine this for a wedding dress except in cream instead of green. Again, It would make a great dress for a book character to wear.

This one is quite lovely as well. I could see a refined lady from the 1700's wearing something like this. Maybe in a navy or rose color.

And there you have the next five. Which ones were your favorite out of this set??

DRESSES #1

Many of my friends in the past year have been engaged or married. It's quite ridiculous really. My ears are full of wedding plans and visions of wedding dresses.

Just the other day, I decided it would be great fun to look at wedding dresses online and see what's popular right now. That didn't last long. I ended up looking at all and every types of dress photo that's floating in the internet.

So, I thought it would be fun to share some of the photo's I found through out the next few weeks.

I head to Nashville on Thursday (SO nervous) and therefore my blogging will be on halt for five or six days, but maybe I will be able to shoot out a quick message while I'm there.

Okay, here are the first five pictures...enjoy :)

I love this dress for some reason. I don't love the color but the style is super cute. I would love to see this in a deep ruby, or an aqua blue.

OH MY!! This dress is different, bright, and absolutely adorable. One of the best one's I found. It looks like it should be on a ballerina or a a fairy. It's just incredible. And how about that color??

Now THIS dress I LOVE!! I am a HUGE fan of vintage and this dress is a wonderful blend of vintage and modern. Enough said.

Once again, huge vintage fan. I think this would make an adorable outfit for a book character to wear. I saved a lot of these pictures for that reason.

Do I really need to say it again?? Vintage. The polka dots on this dress are so cute and feminine. *sigh*

So there you have it. I still have plenty more to show you. I was going to try and post five pictures a day but with Nashville coming up, I'm not sure how devoted I will be to that idea. We will have to see. Which dress was your favorite out of those five??

I WANT TO BE HERE...

This is our boat anchored just outside Key West Florida. My big brother had come down for a visit and we spent two whole days out basking in the sun, fishing, swimming, and spending time together. It was wonderful.
This is a picture of my big brother, big sister, and myself, waiting to jump off the bow of the boat into the warm water below.
This is a picture I found online. I wish I had taken this photo, it's amazing.

And I LOVE this picture. Again, it's from online. I would love to take a picture like this of Emmanuel.

BOOKS and MORE BOOKS

You all know how much a adore books. I read WAY more than the average human being and I'm starting to realize that maybe I have a problem. No, books are never a problem ;)

Anyway. The other day I called my local bookstore and asked if a certain book by a certain author was in....they told me no. I pouted for a bit, thought about how much I wanted that book, and read the reviews on CB.com before finally picking up another book. Unfortunately this book didn't quite measure up to the one I was waiting on pins and needles for.

So yesterday, I traveled to my local bookstore for a CD and was overjoyed, ecstatic, thrilled, stoked, surprised, and completely happy to see the TWO books I was waiting for sitting on the shelf. I fear that nothing will get done now besides the enjoyment of a good book. OH JOY!!!! :D

Now, would you care to know of what two books I was anxiously waiting for??

The Colonel's Lady by the brilliant Laura Frantz

AND

Out of Control by the amazing Mary Connealy

If you have yet to read EITHER of these authors, I suggest you do. Both woman are so wonderful and they both have wonderful blogs and websites. Make sure you check these ladies out :) I know you won't be disappointed :)

my BIG news

Okay. I had told quite a few people (even ones who never checked out this blog) that I had some BIG news to share, but first, let me set the stage.

There are a few things that I feel VERY passionate about. They are as follows.

- God (like duh)

- Writing

- Reading

- Crafting

- Family

not necessarily in that order

Now, there are also some author's that I really enjoy reading. They are as follows.

-Ted Dekker

-Eric Wilson

Okay, I have WAY more fave authors, but for this post you only need to be aware of these two ;)

You will also need ONE more key word....Nashville!!!

Have you figured it out yet??

No??

Really??

Oh, alright, I'll tell you..............

I'M GOING TO TAKE A WRITING COURSE......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but wait, it gets even better.

This course takes place in Nashville....the music and writing hub.

BUT WAIT, it gets even better.

TED DEKKER AND ERIC WILSON will be TWO of the speakers and I'LL get to MEET and SPEAK with them. Do you have any idea the kind of writing advice I will glean from these two geniuses???? It's gonna be CRAZY!!!

And the REALLY crazy part??.................I leave on the 11th of AUGUST!!!! I leave in like TWO WEEKS.....SO EXCITED!!!

Cross-stitch

Okay, so I am really quite boring. I don't do a ton of stuff that's all that exciting. My favorite things to do are as follows.

= reading

=writing

=listening to music

=and cross-stitching

I know. You're probably thinking "Who cross-stitches anymore?" and "That can't be fun."

Sorry to disappoint you, cross-stitching is really fun. I guess what I love the most about it, it that you never really know what it's going to look like until it's done. You can guess and sort of see where the picture is going, but until you have stitched the last stitch, you have no idea.

I'm working on a really large cross stitch right now. It's going to be a gift for my parents. It's so difficult but I think, that in the end, it will look really fantastic.

This is the first cross-stitch of this size that I have ever attempted. In the end it's going to be a girl, flowers, and all this other stuff...I don't want to tell you too much because I want you to see it for yourselves. So, I was thinking, that as I slowly stitch towards that last stitch, I would post about my cross-stitcher journey. I will only be able to post a couple times a month because I don't have much time to cross-stitch very much with all that's going on right now....darn work, it really get's in the way of my having fun ;)

So I posted my first picture and hopefully their will be plenty more where that came from.

Happy Day to you all

Thanks

obviously this whole blogging thing has eluded me for the past few weeks! I must apologize everyone.

I sat down at my computer today and just felt like writing, this is not unusual for me, but I couldn't think of what I wanted to write about. Then it hit me. I wanted to share what this blog means. I wanted to tell you why I write what I write here at "Banana Blog".

This blog had started off as a joke. It was Canada Day and a bunch of friends thought it would be fun to start a blog, blogging random thoughts and tidbits about ourselves. Well, over the years, I developed this passion for writing. I wrote about everything and anythings. I love words and the blog ended up being a perfect place for me to write about the random thoughts that I have. I can write about the things I love and I can share how I feel through all these posts.

I love this blog. I have made some really concrete friendships and I have loved every moment that I have been typing away.

I want to say a HUGE "thank you" to all who have faithfully read these crazy, and on occasion very silly, wall posts. You are all so wonderful.

I look forward to writing more posts and sharing my thoughts with you.

Blessings on your day all :)

A Birthday and Anniversary

Today, Canada turns 144 years old. Happy Birthday to one of the most wonderful countries in the world...I am SO proud to call myself Canadian. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

This is also my two year blogaversary (is that what everyone calls it??). I can't believe I have been blogging for TWO years already. Crazy :)

Title??

Oh My!! Where has the time gone people?! I haven't blogged in ages and I can't find any other excuse other than the fact that I have been crazy busy. I got a promotion at work...yes, this also means I got a raise :) This pleases me very much.

I sent my book out to an agent and now I'm just waiting to hear back from them. If I don't hear as of the 15 of June than it got rejected. I know that this whole thing is all up to God, but I can't help but hope that this novel takes off the way I want it to. I believe that God gives people gifts so that they can use them for his glory though. I hope that my writing is a gift that will go beyond my laptop and my brain. I think that this story can change lives and I really hope it works out.

We just got back from YC Alberta and had an amazing time. There was some very encouraging speakers this year and I took a lot away from their sermons. There wasn't tons of rock bands this year (a little disappointing) but the bands that were there were amazing. Disciple was one of the most amazing concerts I have ever been to. Hawk Nelson and the Almost were also incredible. I can't wait for next year!!!

Before I sign off for the night...I want to let you know that I will have some exciting news to share with you once I know a little more :)...hopefully soon

Short

I know I haven't been blogging lately, I am sorry, but I have just been too busy. We have been moving into the house (it's amazing by the way) and I have started back at work and have been working crazy hours. I just wanted to write and say that I haven't forgotten you and I will write a longer post soon.

Sorry everyone.

Quicky

Hey Everybody

This is just a quick post to tell you all that we made it home safe and sound. The flight was a piece of cake, we got grounded in Houston for an hour or so because of storms, but other than that, everything was good.

The new house is GREAT!!! It's small (to most people) but to me, a girl who hasn't had a house in years and years, this place feels huge. I almost get lost...okay...I do get lost. It's only three bedrooms, two floors...don't ask.

I would love it if you all would keep my family in your prayers as they travel home. They are going right through were the tornadoes hit and I pray that they have a safe drive home.

Blessings all

Goodbye

I fly out tomorrow morning...CANADA HERE I COME!!! Can you tell I'm excited?

Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!!! I hope you have a wonderful day with family and please don't forget the true meaning of this special day. He has risen!!!

I just had to put this picture on. It's SO cute :)

Flying Home to My High Tops

What a busy week!! I fly out of Key West to Calgary in only four days. I'm getting more and more excited every minute and I really can't wait to be home. Six months is a long time to be away.We went and did some last minute shopping today (the little brother needed new runners) and while we were looking at the shoe store I remembered something that was waiting for me back at home...my high-top runners. I LOVE high-tops. Ever since we started watching 80's TV I have loved the high-top look. I decided to show you some pix of some really cool ones that I found online. None of these pix are mine (except for the picture below of the shoes on the person...that person is me ). I really like the black pair, I really like the slimmer look that they have. The ones with the wings are a little weird but sort of cool at the same time. And my favorite of all time....the classic white. *sigh*. It was the shoe to have in the 80's. All the cool people on TV were wearing them and after watching countless episodes of 80's TV I knew that I had to have pair. I think they're cool but they are definitely not for everyone :)

I should be going to bed, not blogging

Oh my, there are so many things that are forcing me to lose sleep at night. I'm not sleep deprived because I'm worrying, it's actually quite the contrary, I'm losing sleep because I am so excited. (PS: Can you tell that we are back in the USA?? We arrived really, really, really, early this morning.) *taps finger against chin* Where was I? Oh yes. Sleep deprivation.

The reason for my high level of excitement is because my life is taking some very unsuspecting turns and I am going through a big pool of change. I believe that these changes are for the better though, so don't you worry. I figured I could list these changes and it would save me from having to stay up all night writing an extra long post about them. Cool? Good.

1) My family and I have lived in RV's and now a boat for most of my life. I can only remember ever having one or two houses. This summer, it's official, we are renting a town house. This means I have a bedroom, bathtub, and a kitchen where more than one person can work in. I am very excited. This means that I can also buy furniture :) and I can decorate.

2)I FINISHED MY FIRST BOOK!!!! I can hardly believe it myself. I feel such a deep sense of accomplishment but at the same time I'm sad to see it come to an end. Am I going to try to get it published? Absolutely. I think this is God's calling in my life and I am going to follow this right up until he tells me otherwise.

I am literally falling asleep at my computer here. I need some sleep after sailing all night last night and into the morning. It feels really crazy that I'm flying home in only six days. Maybe I will post about this some more tomorrow. Sweet dreams all :)