A Long Awaited Vacation

I have a good reason for not posting the past few days. My mom and I went to Tennessee for a few days! It was great to go because we haven't got to go anywhere far from home in over eight years because of my health. We stayed at a friend's cabin on the river. I thought I would do an update in pictures.



This was the view of the mountains and sky as we drove to Tennessee. It was a beautiful sunshiney day!


This was our view every morning when we woke up. The sound of the river is very peaceful, but it takes a little getting used to at night. The name of this river is Pigeon River.




We went to the Titanic museum. Since we both loved the movie, we thought it would be interesting. We got to see tiny replicas of the different floors (first, second, third class), stamps, letters, and even photos of people who were on Titanic. The above photo is a replica of Titanic's anchor. Sadly, no pictures were allowed once you were inside. I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area!

These were some giant trees!



I thought this sign was hilarious! I know lots of things are for sale, but I never knew husbands fell into that category.

That's a little snippet of our vacation. It was fun, but it's always good to come back home!

A Day in my Life

I won't be publishing Memories Rewind posts for awhile because I'm incorporating them into a school project and don't want to give everything away. Don't worry, they are not going away.

One of my readers recently suggested that I do a post about what a day in my life is like. I thought it was a great idea! Jillan, I've been trying to think of more ways to incorporate some personal pictures. :)



I listen to history lectures online and take notes. We have lectures in class, too, but this is a great resource because it enables me to really soak in the information. I do this from the comfort of my own bed. :)






Here lately, you can find me editing photos in Adobe Photoshop because I'm working on a final project for my graphic design class. The above picture is an example of one of my edited images.







My long time readers will know that physical therapy is a big part of my life, so I couldn't do this post without including that. I'm there for about an hour each time.





I also write. The montonous sound of my fingers hitting the keys is almost a therapeutic thing for me. I write papers, short stories, etc. If I'm not on my laptop, I'm either sleeping, eating, in the shower, or at church.


I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my life!

A Digital Story about NYC

As promised, I'm going to share the digital story that a fellow classmate and I have been working on with an education major at our school for about the past month. A digital story is a short video with narration and special effects, thanks to iMovie. We edited the pictures in Photoshop and created the pages using a software called InDesign. (If you've never heard of InDesign, I highly recommend it for creating brochures, magazines, etc.)

Our education major loved history, so we incorporated different landmarks in New York City throughout our story. The story is called My Trip to the Big Apple. Bobby and his family decide to take a trip to NYC over the summer, and now he is telling his class all about it! Click the link to read it!

This was a fun, yet sometimes stressful project that combined communication with multimedia. I'm really pleased with the finished product, though. :)

Guest Post: The Secret to Having a Successful Blog

"The greatest oak
was once a little nut
who held its ground."

~Author Unknown~

A walnut seed, if it could feel, might start off in a huge forest totally intimidated by the walnut trees that stand high and have lived many, many years producing beautiful nuts. The hard shelled, tiny walnut seed that can fit in the palm of your hand may feel overwhelmed with the task ahead.

There are so many obstacles to prevent the walnut from growing into a mature, fruit bearing tree.

Fire.

Drought.

Hurricane.

Tornado.

Bugs.

Flood.

Man.

Animals.

Mold.

The list might make the walnut feel like giving up.

We are not, however, walnuts.

Sitting in front of a computer monitor that shows a totally blank blog can be daunting. However, bear in mind that every blog, no matter how large or popular, began the same way.

Blank.

Empty.

Zero followers.

No readers.

The secret to succeeding with your blog is to keep things in perspective. When you were just a small child, you went to school and started at kindergarten. You might have thought, "It is going to take forever to graduate," and it probably felt that way too.

Each year, as long as you did the work, you moved up a grade until finally the day arrived and you graduated. There you stood, holding it in your hands...the coveted diploma.

Accomplishment.

Your day had arrived.

Writing a blog is not much different than growing into a fruitful walnut tree or graduating from high school. They all require the same attitude and action.

Perseverance.

To become a successful blogger, you must keep your eye on the goal and continue posting in spite of obstacles, difficulties, lack of knowledge, or discouragement. The main ingredient is to be steadfast while moving towards a blog filled with exciting, thoughtful, interesting, informative, and helpful information.

Don't worry about the lack of readers, the blunders you will undoubtedly make while typing or coding, or the continual negative or pessimistic comments by others.

Just keep blogging.

Keep your blog well watered with new material and before you know it...

You will have a blog filled with post after post of information that attracts many readers, enhances the lives of others and is an outlet that provides a source for your creativity.

Thank you, Madison, for the opportunity to be your guest blogger today, but most of all for your beautiful friendship.

The Redhead Riter authors multiple blogs, a successful forum, and has a weekly series of blogging tips entitled "Woo Us To Your Blog" where you can also link your blog as a helpful way to increase your own exposure on the internet.

7 things you probably don't know about me...

I have been super busy with school. I've been finishing a paper and working on a digital story. I can't post it yet, but I will when it's done! I'm really proud of the work me and me classmate did. Stay tuned for that. I wanted to take a minute to thank Barbra from Chasing Metamorphsis for the Stylish Blogger award. It's been awhile since I received an award, so thank you!

Here are the rules:

Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award .

Share 7 things about yourself.

Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

7 Things About Me

1. I don't eat candy very often.

2. I love jazz music!

3. I'm strong willed and sometimes stubborn.

4. Given the choice between watching TV or a movie, I'd pick a movie any day.

5. I love to read, but lately I've just been reading textbooks.

6. I wish I could rock a super short hairstyle, but I don't think it would suit me.

7. My daddy wanted to name me Scarlett Rose.

I pass this award on to: all of you! I can't pick just 15 blogs right now, so if you want to participate, go ahead. :)

Breathe in, breathe out

Some days, you just have to put one foot in front of the other. Well, that's what I'm doing. These past few weeks have been tough. I'm not going to sugarcoat things and make you think my life is all roses because it's not.
I'm very restless with where I'm at right now. I want to be able to do more in physical therapy. I absolutely hate it when I don't have the energy to do my work. Some people think I'm crazy for having to lay in the bed and rest, but what they don't realize is I'm trying to recoup from the previous day's activities.
Each day, I try to remind myself that God gives grace for the moment. I'm so glad He has mercy on me, even on my weakest days when I'm a little too snappy about little things that shouldn't bother me.
No, I'm not satisfied with things right now, but I'm trying to be content. Oh, that is easier said than done, my friends. I know that even when it seems like I'm not getting anywhere, I am. If I can just hold on a little bit longer, I know I'll turn the corner. My prayer is this: "Lord, help me to be patient. When the work seems endless, help me to realize how much I've already accomplished. Most of all, help me to always remember to be thankful for where you have brought me from." Amen.

Thanks for letting me vent today. :) That was like taking a big sigh of relief because I know I don't have to keep everything inside of me.

What do you need to let go of?

P.S. Don't forget to vote for me! I'm in a contest for the top cerebral palsy blog. Go here (link removed) to vote. Just type in http://dropletsonajournal.blogspot.com/!

Book Review: Eat Your Peas Faithfully by Cheryl Karpen

I've just finished reading Eat Your Peas Faithfully by Cheryl Karpen. This book is a very short read. This gift book has empowering messages on each page. It is a great little pick me up anytime of the day because it reminds you of God's simple truths that are so easy to forget.

I loved the colorful pages. I was surprised that she included Bible verses that went along with each page. This would be a great book for children or adults. It can be read in just a few minutes, which is great since we all have busy lives. Overall, I thought the book was very inspiring, and the author managed to pack a lot of helpful insights about life into just a few pages! I would love to read her book for young adults as well!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program in exchange for a review. I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.