In Which I Say “So Long, Farewell” To Summer

A sad fact: It’s been ages since I’ve posted anything on here.

A happy fact: The reason being, I was off on the other side of the country playing violin and (on occasion) buying books.

But now I am back. 


A crazy fact: School starts soon (bebother summer homework 😠) and so do college auditions, and I shan’t have much time.

But!! I will be posting and sharing still (as time permits) on both blogs, which is very exciting because it’s been so long since I’ve been able to.

Summer was amazing. I got to do so many amazing things while at music camp, and I’m SOOO grateful for my experience there. 

After the six weeks I spent there, my family and I went vacationing and (as one does) we stopped at a bookstore. I acquired many delightful books (nevermind I had to carry them home on the airplane) and so here’s a brief outline of my post-summer-reading TBR: 

The sequel to Little Women and a journal to go along with Gatsby 🤩

A book with love poetry and a historical fiction, which I’m super excited about!

And of course, who can go wrong with Dostoyevsky?

Adieu,
Hannah

Chasing Sunbeams: A Summer Book Blog Tag

    Exciting newsflash: I was tagged by Cecilia from Craft, Coffee, and Cake for a Summer Book Blog Tag not too long ago, so here are the rules and my responses!

    The rules are: 

1. Acknowledge who tagged you! (Thanks muchly, Cecilia :D)
2. Answer the questions!
3. Tag friends!
4. Have fun!

    The questions:

1. What's a book you read with summer vibes?
2. If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?
3. What's a poem or quote that reminds you of summer?
4. Describe your favorite summer memory.
5. Your ideal summer is filled with _______, _________, and _________.
6. What is your favorite summer food?
7. Favorite summer activities?
8. How do you usually celebrate 4th of July?
9. What's a song that reminds you of summer?
10. What are you most excited for this summer?

    Answers!

1. What's a book you read with summer vibes?

It has (sadly) been a while since I’ve read this, but Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery always felt rather summery to me. It’s such a beautiful book—and actually, the entire series is lovely. Please go read it.


2. If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?

I’ve wanted to travel around Europe for a long time. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Norway, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, France…


3. What's a poem or quote that reminds you of summer?

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” (Predictably, this is Tolkien. The first lines of The Hobbit. Don’t ask me why it reminds me of summer. I don’t know.)


4. Describe your favourite summer memory.

Oh, dear, why must this be so difficult?? I’ve so many. For the past three summers (this’ll be the fourth) I’ve attended an intensive violin program. We get so many amazing experiences there; meeting famous conductors and artists, getting leadership experience, making friends with other passionate musicians. Some of my favourite memories are of us making music together and improving as musicians and people.


5. Your ideal summer is filled with violin, books, and God.


6. What is your favourite summer food?

Watermelon. I don’t think this needs any explanation.


7. Favourite summer activities?

Besides practicing? Reading, pretending to be a lizard in the sun, sleeping in (too much), walking at the beach.

8. How do you usually celebrate 4th of July?

So I’ve unfortunately been gone at aforementioned summer camp during 4th of July for the past three years, so I haven’t really celebrated it, other than texting HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to various group chats. But before I started doing this, my family and I would usually go see fireworks and all that fun stuff :D


9. What's a song that reminds you of summer?

Not exactly a song per se, but Dvorak’s New World Symphony, perhaps because I played it at camp last year as concertmaster.

10. What are you most excited for this summer?

Violin, reading, writing, spending time with family and friends, and actually, getting up early and spending time with God. I’m terribly bad at both mornings and consistency, so I want to develop the habit now :)


    I tag…

Anyone who would like to fill it out! I’m not picky ;)


Blessings,
Hannah

It Is Finished

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)

it is finished


the dirt is red.

bright red, soggy

with His blood and sweat and tears.

can’t you see? can’t you see

you foolish people crucifying Him, can’t you see

Who you are killing?

an innocent man.

“king of the Jews”.

King of the world.

He breathes a ragged breath,

stares up 

into the blackening, lonely sky. 

“it is finished.”

and then 

He breathes 

no more.



Good Friday is only Good because by dying, Christ gave us life. Soli Deo Gloria!

- Hannah


Don't Go Where I Can't Follow

    I felt it right to share a song I wrote a few weeks ago, based on dear Sam Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. Enjoy, if you wish! It’s just the words because I haven’t recorded it yet, but I have been inspired to do some more songwriting.


don’t go where I can’t follow


“don’t go where I can’t follow” - Samwise Gamgee

[verse 1]

said I’d follow you to the end

said I’d never go from your side

a poor man’s child

but all the while

I’ll stay with you, my friend

so don’t go where I can’t follow

don’t go where I can’t follow


[verse 2]

how I loved you, now you’re gone

how I need you, at the end

we’ve travelled far

beneath the stars

don’t leave me here, it’s wrong

so don’t go where I can’t follow

don’t go where I can’t follow


[verse 3]

now your eyes are closed, please wake up

now your skin is cold, please come back

I’m with you here

I’ll stay right here

though end of times should come

but you’ve gone where I can’t follow

you’ve gone where I can’t follow


[refrain]

please, don’t go where I can’t follow

don’t go where I can’t follow


Soli Deo Gloria,

Hannah

Sunshine Blogger Award #2

    Hullo. Hi. Greetings.

    …Remember me? 

    So I’ve been gone for a while—well, I was only actually gone for a week, but then Life and Other Somewhat Important Things accosted me and I surrendered (to some things, gladly, and others… not so much).

    But without further Ado About Nothing (see what I did there?) I would like to present to you my second Sunshine Blogger Award! I was tagged by the lovely Lizzie of Starlight and Saucepans, and I’m actually quite excited for this one because her questions are Marvellous. 

    The rules are as follows: 

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog. (Been there, done that :P)
2. Thank the person who nominated you. (Thank you, Lizzie! :D)
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
4. Answer your nominator’s questions.
5. Nominate up to 11 bloggers.
6. Ask your nominees 11 questions.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

And here are the questions!

1. What was your first word?

    Um. Respectfully, I have not the slightest clue in the world. It was probably something incredibly unromantic, like AHHH or FOOD and that sort of thing. Or perhaps it was BOOK. I’d like to say it was. 

    …Let’s just go with that, shall we?

2. It’s a rainy afternoon. Would you most enjoy going outside and feeling the rain on your face Marianne-Dashwood-style, curling up in a window seat with a good book, or getting your favourite music on and doing some housecleaning?

    Can I say all of them? Because all of them, in that order, excluding of course the housecleaning. Very few things can induce me to voluntarily partake in housecleaning. Books, however, are an entirely different matter, especially during rainy days :P


3. What does your handwriting look like?

    Very, very small. And cursive-y. And I’m not sure how else to describe it, so here, have a picture. (It’s an excerpt from my notes about Sense and Sensibility, if you were wondering :))

4. Which decade in history do you think had the best women’s fashion, and which decade had the best men’s fashion?

    Hm. That's a tricky one. I'd say (and I know this is really broad) but 1800-1900's, ish, for both!

5. What’s your dream career?

    A concert violinist, naturally ;)

6. Name three to five of your favourite fictional characters.

    Alas, no. Sadly that's quite impossible... I shall have to list all the ones I can think of at the moment, which far exceed five, in no particular order.

> Sam Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings)

> Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings)

> Lizzie Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

> Rudy (The Book Thief)

> Horatio (Hamlet)

> Eówyn (The Lord of the Rings)

> Faramir (The Lord of the Rings)

> Elinor Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility)

> Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)

> Beatrice & Benedick (yes, they must go together) (Much Ado About Nothing)

I would go on, but I've so far exceeded the limit already that stopping there seems wise. :P

7. What’s one virtue that particularly attracts you in other people?

    Um. Can I name more? Because I'm going to name more. 

  • kindness
  • devotion to God
  • curiosity/love for learning
  • sympathetic/empathetic
There are more, probably, but that's what I'll go with for now :)

8. If you write, which authors do you think have most influenced your writing style? (If you don’t, which authors’ styles do you most admire?)

    This is a wonderful question. I would say that I very much admire Jane Austen's writing--it's so beautiful and iconic. Though, I am more influenced by Tolkien and Lewis' style, as well as occasionally more modern authors like Jennifer Nielsen. 

    As for poetry (which I write most often recently) I'm mostly influenced by, again, Tolkien, as well as the wonderful Mary Oliver (if you don’t know, her poetry’s Marvellous.)

here, have a picture of Faramir and Eówyn, because our lovely Captain of Gondor basically embodies all these attributes :P

9. What are the three best and three worst period dramas you’ve seen? (Broaden this to movies in general if you’re not a period drama person.)

    See, I'm rather picky about the movies I watch, so I haven't really seen any period dramas that I dislike. I do, however, really love Sense and Sensibility (Ang Lee's film is rather wonderful), Emma (not the new one, by the way), and both versions of Pride and Prejudice (which both have their merits!)


THIS.

10. Who were some of your earliest role models (either real or fictional)?

   Uh, I'm actually surprised by how difficult this question. Of course as a Christian, I strive to emulate Christ in everything, but as for fictional role models, well. Jane Austen generally has lovely heroines that grow into characters very worth emulating in many ways. I'm thinking, for example, Lizzie Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, who, though they have flaws, are quite wonderful!

11. What’s one of your favourite prayers/Bible verses?

    I love Isaiah 40:31: but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint.

And as for people…

anyone who wants to take this tag, feel free! ;P

EDIT: Many Apologies, but I kind of forgot to add my questions before publishing. Please ignore the first email, and pay attention to this one, if you’d like!

Anyhow, here are the questions:

1. If you could somehow insert yourself into a fictional family, which would you choose?

2. What’s your favourite period of literature to read? (For example: Lewis and Tolkien lived in 1900’s England.)

3. I’m stealing Lizzie’s question a little, but changing it. What are your top three favourite and least favourite musicals? (Or movies, if you’re not a musicals person.)

4. What kind of music do you generally listen to?

5. I asked about coffee vs. tea before, but what about hot cocoa vs. cider?

6. What’s been the best newly-published book you’ve read?

7. What is your favourite dessert?

8. What do you generally do to relax?

9. Preferred manner of transportation?

10. How would your best friend describe you?

11. What does your ideal library look like? (This can be the physical place you keep your books, or the book collection you’d like to have, or both!)


Namarië,

Hannah

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