20 by 20

So, I was trying to get together a list of 20 things to do/accomplish before I turn 20 (since I just turned 19), but it's really hard! So far I have...eleven I think. :P I had wanted to post the list on my birthday, but I think I will just have ti prolong this until I can think of twenty things. :P Until then...be waiting.

{new giveaway winner}

I am sorry to say that the girl who originally won the prize of earrings never contacted me, so I have had to choose a new winner.

The winner of your choice of earrings from along for the ride is...


Comment #7: Savories of Life!

Savories of Life said...
I follow your blog
and 366 moments captured and along for the ride.

Congratulations! I will give you until the end of the week (Saturday, March 3rd) to comment below with your email address (I will NOT publish it). If you don't comment before then, then I will have to pick a new winner. 

Today is just another day

It's a cloudy day. I feel like doing something Pinteresty.
I am babysitting with my older sister while everyone else is out. She is coloring. Yes, that would be Anna, the one we babysit.
Danish for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and out for supper with our uncle. It's going to be a yummy food day.


Previous read: {Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson}


Currently reading: {Start Here by Alex and Brett Harris}


Next read: {Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand} New York Times Bestselling book & my sister talked on the phone to the guy the book is about


Current music: {Let it Be - The Beatles}

Lovely quote:  I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest

                    The trees keep the tempo and they swing in time
                    Quartet of crickets chime in for the chorus
                    If I were to pluck on your heart strings
                    Would you strum on mine?

                                   - Plant Life, Owl City

Lovely song: 

(Can you tell I've been loving Owl City lately? I got another CD for my birthday. :) )

Birthday post

Today was my birthday. Well, it still is, but the day is practically over.


Do you ever get those "birthday blues" after your birthday is over, and you realize that it won't come for another whole 365 (or 366) days? I usually feel that way. There's rarely a year where, after all the happiness and fun, when I'm about to go to sleep at night, I have a good cry. Sad that I won't be anticipating little surprises from my family, special phone calls from my friends, paper chains hung around my bed, the special supper and dessert I picked out, and not to mention the fact that everyone seems to love me on my birthday. 
     But this year was different. I prayed that God would help me to have a nice day, and he did. It struck me this morning that most of the time people seem to think that on your birthday you have to be happy for every second of it, and you have to make the right decisions about what to do on your birthday, or the whole thing is ruined. I realized that I might not be happy for every moment of the day, but that's okay. Ultimately, it's just a really good day. It's only twenty-four hours long, and honestly, have I ever had a day where I was happy for every single second of it? ;) 
     So after realizing that this morning, I tried not to agonize over what to do. I let myself not be entirely blissful the whole day. I spent time being happy at the little things, even if they might not have been the most fun things that I've ever experienced. And it ended up as a wonderful day. One of the best birthdays, I might add.

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     I woke up to donuts that my brother got from Dunkin' Donuts (okay, my dad actually paid for them, and they were just leftovers from a Men's group my brother attends, but he tried to get extra for my birthday) and a homemade breakfast sandwich by my dad. Not to mention the fact that my family bombarded me (in a good way) with 'happy birthday's. :) 
     After getting ready for the day, I played a little on the Wii with my four-year-old sister and then watched a couple episodes of a T.V. show with my siblings. My oldest sister then took me out, and we stopped at Dunkin' Donuts (Hot chocolate with a shot of espresso = YUM) and then went to a few stores. Anthropologie was the first store we went to, and I think I pretty much browsed every inch of it. I wish I had tons of money so that I could buy things there. Or that the prices were cheaper. That would be nice too. ;) She bought me a really cute mug with my initial on it, and we went a couple other places before heading home. The rest of the day was pretty leisurely. For supper I had chicken pot pie and my family went around the table saying what they like about me (a birthday tradition). We did presents (one of which was a Ravelli tripod!!!) and then had Oreo cheesecake for dessert. :) I went on my computer for a little while, took a couple pictures on the tripod, and then watched a movie with my two older sisters. It was a wonderful day, and I wouldn't trade a second of it. 


Thank you so much to everyone who made my day brighter! I love you guys! :)

(taken on my tripod :) )

Cookie-making

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you ladies so much for entering my giveaway, sponsored by Along for the Ride on Etsy!! 
I am pleased to announce that the winner of your choice of earrings from Laura's shop is....










Carli Nicole!!   Congratulations Carli! Please comment below with your email address (I won't publish it) and I will get you in contact with Laura about which earrings you would like! If you don't contact me by Friday, February 24th (one week), I will choose a new winner.


Stay tuned for another giveaway... :)

Odds and Ends

^^My first ever pictures of the moon! And that little thing in the upper right hand corner of picture #2 is indeed, a blurry star. :)

handmade lace.

The other day I got asked to do my first photo shoot! I'm planning on doing it in the spring (that is when the client wanted to do it) so I haven't talked about what exactly or where the couple wants the shoot, but I am just super excited to have been asked! I don't know if it will be at all possible, but I have heard lots and lots of good things about the 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 lens, and I would really like to be able to get that before the shoot. But it's up to God. :)

Something that was a really wonderful blessing to me today has to do with my watch. (Oh please, you're saying as you roll your eyes. A sob story about a watch??) Okay, you can skip this if you were rolling your eyes. ;)
Last year for my eighteenth birthday my uncle gave me an expensive watch. It was beautiful and then in the summer, it stopped working. I thought that the battery had died, but I took it to a watch place and apparently, the battery was fine. It was just the watch that was broken. Thankfully there is a ten-year  warranty on the watch, so I sent it in a couple weeks ago. Today I received a letter. I expected them to give some odd excuse of why they couldn't repair the watch for free, blah blah blah, but no, that's not what they said. They did say that they could not repair the watch, but because they didn't have the parts. Because of the warranty, though, they were telling me that I could give them my top four choices of a watch up to an even higher price than my uncle bought the watch for.  Isn't God good?? I am so so happy that he had this happen for me, especially since I've been feeling down lately. :) Anyway, I just wanted to share that. :)

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the free pair of earrings from Along for the Ride! It ends on the 16th! Hurry hurry. :)

Last Week's Latest

A sneak peek from 366 Moments Captured (go check it out):

One fine day I went for a walk. Something about this picture strikes my fancy.

This was in the car on the way to play Ultimate Frisbee and Football with our friends. I'm not normally that sporty, don't worry. ;)

-End of Sneak Peek-

(A cool book I read recently)

(Another super cool book. A.k.a., The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman.)

Dunkin' Donuts trips with a big sister are always the best. Especially when you get a hot chocolate with a shot of espresso. Yum!

Hopefully I will post more soon! But until then, don't forget to enter my fabulous giveaway! (If you haven't already.)

Photo Challenge

Lucia is having a b&w photo challenge with the theme of love. Now, I knew that I wanted to enter this challenge as soon as I saw her post, but of course the question popped in my mind, What picture do I have that defines love? And which one have I edited or can I edit into b&w?
Sheesh it was hard, but I finally decided. And yes, it may not be the right decision, but it's the best I can come up with at the moment. So don't judge me, because I'm sick. No, literally, I have a cold and a slight fever. ;)

LOVE. This is not your ordinary picture of love from a wedding, but I think it still represents all the beauty of a wedding in a tiny detail. You see this, you think love. 

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway! :)

Liebster Award

I recently received an award from Nela at Beloved Star! Thank you Nela! :)

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. 

Here are the rules:

~Copy and paste the award on your blog. 

~Link back to the blogger who gave you the award

~Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers,and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award. 

~Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

1.  Simi at In Search of Beautiful                                                                   
    I think Simi is a very talented photographer, and I love seeing each new post that she has. :)

2. Gloria at Discover Captivating

    Gloria also has some really lovely pictures. I especially enjoyed her photos of the harbor--gorgeous!

3. Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

    I love seeing Madeline's photography and her love for the Lord! 

4. Mary Ann at Sunny Sixteen

    Okay, technically this is just Mary Ann's 366 blog rather than her main blog (which has just over 200 followers) but this blog is still amazing! She is a really great photographer and I really get a lesson in photography just by looking at the settings she uses for each picture. ;)

5. Kaeleen at Carrying an Umbrella During a Drought

    Kaeleen has a wonderful blog full of what she calls "heart stories", great photography, and challenging thoughts on what you believe. I also love it that I get to be personal friends with her. :)

So go check out these gals' blogs, and click 'follow'! I know that I have enjoyed seeing/reading what they have to post. :)

Blog Announcement and Giveaway!

Hello Everyone!
I am pleased to announce that today is my one-year anniversary of my blog! And guess what? That means it's time for a giveaway.  Laura at along for the ride has so kindly agreed to sponsor it! I am thrilled. :)

Would you like to know what the prize is? All right then!

One winner will receive her choice of earrings from Laura's Etsy shop! Here are a few of my favorites.

Pink Bouquet fabric-covered earrings

Light Pink Garden Rose Earrings

Lace Button Earrings

Rules:

• The giveaway will end two weeks from today, on February 16th at 11:59pm, and I will announce the winner on the following day. 
• One comment per entry.

Mandatory Entry:

Follow A Glimpse Into My World {1}

Extra Entries:

Follow 366 Moments Captured {1}

Follow Laura's blog along for the ride {1}

Heart Laura's Etsy shop {1}

Post about the giveaway on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter {1 each}

<a href="http://pagesandkeys.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-announcement-and-giveaway.html"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/5IhNo.png" /></a>

<a href="http://pagesandkeys.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-announcement-and-giveaway.html"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/37HpY.jpg" /></a>

Happy entering!