"That's the Stressful One." -Anna

The wizard war has officially hit the fan. Spells and people flying everywhere. Poor Harry realizing he will never lead a normal life as he looks around at his fellow students enjoying the last few years of their childhood.
Aspects I Love About Book Five:
-Harry seeing his arrogant father and outspoken mother in Snape's memory. Isn't it just great that Harry's father grew up into the great man that he was....and that Lily fell in love with him. Lily Evans....L.E. I love it.
-Harry's temper. Rowling did a great job conveying both the height and the depth of Harry's failing efforts to deal with anything and everything that had and was going on at the present time. Now that he knows about the prophecy, it'll be his decision whether or not he wants to grow up, just like his dad.
-Hermione's ability to put Harry in his place. She successfully rebukes Harry when he is upset and taking it out on them, never letting him get away with the satisfaction of thinking he made them feel as awful as he does. She also is able to completely remedy the situation (when the situation included him feeling left out in the Order of the Phoenix even though he had fought Voldemort three times now) by making him the leader of the Defense Against the Dark Arts group. You go, Hermione.
-Ron believing in himself. After his struggling quidditch career, he finally told himself during the last match that he could do it....and he did. Gryffindor won. Now he has a chance to grow up as he has overcome the greatest obstacle in his path at the moment, and thus become a better best friend to Harry.
-Rowling's development of Ginny. We have begun to see the sassiness that is Ginny Weasley, and I quite like it. It's easy to see how Harry is going to start to like her with that attitude. Stubborn, brave, and sassy....plus red hair and a way with boys. She's going to be a hot commodity in book six. And I know this reader is excited to see Harry, looking exactly like his father, interested in a girl that resembles his mother. : )
-The scene for the battle against the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix took place in the Ministry of Magic. So symbolic.
-Rowling using aspects of this magical world that we've taken for granted, such as the portraits. Did we know they could travel to other portraits of themselves? Nope, but the portraits hanging in the Headmaster's Office proved quite useful. I'm excited to see what Rowling uses in book six and seven. Does the two way mirror come back into play that Sirius gave to Harry? Do we ever find out what exactly some of those things were in the Department of Mysteries? She's so good.

There are so many other things, such as the emphasis on the strength of the mind, the back story about Snape (will Harry ever remedy that? can he?), and the very real stress I felt during the O.W.L. examinations that I could talk about it. But it all ends in the fact that I aspire to be like J.K. Rowling when I tell stories.

Speaking of that, besides being sure that this summer is supposed to be for rest and for spending a lot of time in prayer for next year, I might make it a goal to really dive head first into this idea that I think would make a really good book: The Dark Ferret Society. I've never been this serious about actually finishing something.
I've realized that not only do my five strengths revolve around people, but they revolve around story telling as well.
Restorative-Present and problem and show how it's fixed. Translation: Create a plot line and resolve it.
Intellection-Think about a lot of stuff. Translation: Spend time thinking about the world I'm creating-a Midwesterner viewing a South Western world. : ) The topic of conversation for the last few years with my friends.
Input-Gather information. That's what writing is all about.
Empathy-Look at something from another's point of view. Translation: Put myself in the place of the characters and write from their standpoints.
Connectedness-See that everything has a connection to something else. Translation: The beginning of stories are the most important; they show you what information to use to interpret the rest of the book and usually what to expect at the ending. It all connects.

I'll let you know how it goes.
I guess I've never given it a shot because I've been afraid of failure. What if you suck at something that you've dreamt about doing since you were four?
It's high time to write and learn to be at a place where I can constructively praise and criticize my own writing. And to be brave enough to let other people actually read it. From start to finish read it.
To see if fiction writing is an avenue I can glorify God in : ). Translation: If I can reign these rampant thoughts shooting through my mind and my crazy imagination to a point where I can actually communicate something.
Pray for me. Seriously. What if I've been trying to be something I'm not all this time when thinking about future careers. What if it's just about being who I am? Seems simple.

I'm thinking about you all when serving God and being ourselves comes into play. I've been thinking it's one in the same.

Moving Into Uncharted Territory In Both the Literary and the Real Worlds

I'm left with a feeling of foreboding as I finished the Goblet of Fire, as I'm sure is normal. Voldemort is back. Nothing returns to happiness at the end. Even Dumbledore is talking about taking sides.
As the book became darker and darker, I was happy to get to my favorite part: Harry and Voldemort's faceoff in the graveyard (towards the end, I know-iconically me). As it became more and more apparent that Harry was going to die, I felt the soundtrack from the Return of the King pop into my head-that first french horn that sounds out as the dawn breaks on the battleground of Ministerith: the Roherim has arrived. It wasn't the end in either stories; Harry fought back and was again visited by his past, this time his father and mother.
That marks the last Harry Potter book I have actually read. The next one waits for me on my brother's shelf after I finish this blog.

I applied at Wal Mart yesterday. That's right, I sat at a computer screen for thirty minutes in front of everyone checking out and filled out an application to stock shelves. Maybe I'll hear from them, maybe I won't. At this point it's important for me to enjoy my summer, which I'm glad for. I'm glad that it's important for me to sit at my house, be around my family, read as I listen to the music coming from my brother's room, and love that we have the windows open because it gets down to 70 at night which is neither cold nor hot. It's not even technically summer yet, but I have no idea what I'm doing for nine weeks. Maybe I'll actually have a summer vacation-what a concept. This is weird for me because there has never been a time where I haven't worked over the summer....since I was thirteen.
I might go out to California and visit Corrie for an extended weekend. The beach sounds amazing at this point.
Oh, one more thing about Harry Potter-probably the only book that makes me laugh out loud at the awkwardness between members of the opposite sex. I love that J.K. Rowling lets Harry, Ron, and Hermione awkwardly be fifteen.....hahaha love is in the air. And I love that Ron and Hermione have this love/hate relationship that is so archetypal that even the Harry Potter books couldn't escape the love pattern. But I guess that's what makes them great, because we expect that, right? : ) I'll see if J.K. is actually hinting at what I think she is.

I love and miss all of you who are reading this.
: )

The Prisoner of Azkaban is Fini

Done with number three onto number four....
My favorite moments come at the end of the books. For example, I love that Harry was able to conjure a patronus that was his dad, because, as Dumbledore puts it, "You've found your dad inside of you." Not to mention the fact that Harry looks exactly like his dad and he is a great friend and has great friends like his dad and Sirius says that he truly is his father's son.
Man, why don't you just rip my heart out there? I wanted to cry....emphasis on wanted to.
I also love that, even though this is a series of books, Rowling wraps up each individual book quite well. I love that Ron gets the little owl at the end sent by Sirius, described by Harry as a 'very furry snitch.' : ) Sirius gives permission for Harry to go to Hogsmeade, shows himself as a great guy by saying he was sorry for scaring Harry at the very beginning of the book, and says that he wants Harry to view the Firebolt as 13 birthdays worth of gifts from his godfather-all in one letter. A nice little denoument, if you ask me. How does she do it? : )
Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering, books really are better than movies, specifically shown in this book. I've seen the movie for this book once and it really doesn't do it justice at all.

Two words: The Office
Three words: Jim and Pam
"Ok, it's a date."
"I'm sorry, what was the question again?"
!!!

"Shannon, what am I going to do with my summer?" -Emily
"Whatever you want!" -Shannon

Thanks, Shan.

The Chamber of Secrets is Closed Again

Can I just say that I love when Harry pulls Godric Gryffindor’s sword out of the sorting hat? I’m pretty sure I’ve cheered both times I’ve read it. I also love that Harry’s second year of school sucked. That sounds pretty harsh, but my sophomore year at Greenville was really hard, but I learned a lot.
That year has come up a lot lately in my mind, and for good reason. I’ve been at Senior Staff training these last couple of days at GC. First of all, let me just say that I feel like I fit in so well with the Senior Staff-talk about finding your niche. I love being around all of those people. It’s kind of like what my friend Anna talks about (I know I mention her a lot, but I really like what she has to say) concerning mentors: it’s not someone that you go to for advice once a week, but someone that you live around and gain knowledge from being in their presence all of the time. That’s the way I feel with the Senior Staff, especially Kelcey, Joy, and Hadessa. Besides counting every bit of furniture on campus and talking about next year, the staff did things like go out to eat at P.F. Changs in St. Louis (oh my goodness, so good), go to Ted Drew’s together, eat breakfast together, and generally have a really fun time. This time with the staff was like food for my soul (to be completely cheesy, but also completely honest). We were riding back from St. Louis last night and I realized that I was excited for walkabout because it’s become part of my existence. This will be my third year and I’m excited to go back and add to the experiences that I’ve had before. (Hopefully it will be better than last year, but like I said, second years suck, at least for me).
I didn’t get the camp job that I was looking forward to. As I was listening to the lady explain that the selection process was hard and that they were looking for people with more experience with children, I felt peace. It’s fine that I’m not doing it. I just don’t know what I’m doing with my summer right now, which lead me to realize that everyone around me doesn’t know some important aspect of their summer: Shannon doesn’t have an internship/job, Anna doesn’t have a place to live in Nashville, Corrie doesn’t know what the next step is, Ryan doesn’t have a summer job, Hadessa doesn’t know what the next step in her life is. I am overwhelmed with empathy on this subject despite the varying degrees of our circumstances. We all seem to be kind of waiting and thinking that everything will work out.
This led me to my journal and my mom. I journaled all of my feelings and prayed, and then I talked to my mom. I cried when I hugged her. I love that I have this support system around me-at home and at school. I feel so loved. When I went to look up the scripture I was supposed to read for today through these little books Shannon gave me (I started reading the one on guidance yesterday haha) it started off with a quote from C.S. Lewis: “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” He still went because it was ‘the will of the Lord.’ I read in Acts 20 about Paul being called to Jerusalem even though he and everyone else around him was pretty sure that he was going to die, and they were warning him not to go-even claiming that it was ‘through the Spirit’ that he was not supposed to go. To quote the Fray “sometimes the hardest things and the right things are the same.”
The book asked me to reflect on a time that God prepared me for something hard. I thought about Shannon singing me to sleep when I cried really hard for a week and Joy giving me guidance at the hardest time of my life and God always being faithful as I cried and journaled at the same time to strengthen me and give me peace. These were concrete examples that I could feel at one of the hardest times of my life through the Holy Spirit Himself and through the people closest to me. This was all during my sophomore year at GC.
So Harry Potter, I raise my glass to you and drink to your perseverance. You have not failed to do the right thing.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone-Check

First goal of the summer: read all of the Harry Potter books before the seventh one comes out.
I've read to book four a while back, so rereading the first one was quite exciting because I read it from a 21-year-old's perspective instead of a 14-year-old's perspective.
A couple of thoughts that I had on the way through:
1. Harry loves Hogwarts. I'm pretty sure that I can say the same about Greenville. As I was sitting in my empty dorm room, the sun streaming in, the bells playing in the square, I realized that I had the same feeling toward my school. All of us are, in my mind at least, characters with different agendas and personalities put in the same setting (GC).
2. My friend Anna (blog to the right, read it) was saying last night that her teachers sorted everyone into houses in high school. What house would I be in? Although Ravenclaw would seem like a nice fit, I feel like I would be in Gryffindor. Maybe this is because I think that I am braver than I actually am...or maybe it's my tendency to always side with main characters in everything, not just in Harry Potter. I could see myself in both houses--what's funny is that they both comprise my friendgroup at GC-the intellectual kids and the brave kids.
3. What would I see in the mirror of erised? I found myself coming to a blank on this one And then I was sad to admit the real answer: finding a guy, no, the guy, and having a family that lives in a big house. Ok, so that's not that sad, but it is the truth.
4. I'm pretty sure that I would be Ginny in the books....although I'm cheating and talking about the second one before I've finished it. I'll let you know if this is true or not.

I'm at home now (on summer holiday, if you will). I so look forward to everything this summer has to offer. As I drove home today it was hot and my living room is filled with all of my stuff from school and Ryan is vacuuming out his car with the radio playing really loud and the air conditioning isn't on in the house yet because we just have the windows open. My mom's going to come home and we'll go somewhere and it will be like I never left. Except for the part where this is my last summer at home with everyone. As I pulled into Litchfield today, it felt so much like home. I love being here.