I love this song so much . In case you weren’t aware, Caleb is from the band Anthem Lights (whom I may or may not have posted about ext...

I love this song so much.

In case you weren’t aware, Caleb is from the band Anthem Lights (whom I may or may not have posted about extensively) and Kelsey used to be one of the girls in One Girl Nation. Now that they’re married, they occasionally do covers together (all of which are AWESOME), but this is their most recent one and it’s my personal favorite.

As always, their voices are gorgeous and they sound so sweet together. But what I love most about this video is the feeling of it. It’s so... organic, the sound of their voices and the way they keep sort of gravitating toward each other. It’s just so simple and so perfect that it doesn’t seem like it was rehearsed or planned. It’s like they’re just singing about their feelings for each other, and I find that absolutely beautiful.

So what’d you think of the song? Had you listened to these two before? One of their bands? Have any characters who would fit into this video as perfectly as Caleb and Kelsey do? Comment me!

Also, heh heh, in a writer’s little plot twist, I’m going to do a random thoughts post on Thursday (is it random if I warn you?) about why I don’t like songs like “No Air.” So stay tuned for that! I hope you’ll find it interesting. ;)

Heyo peoples! This week, we have a few extra posts since I didn’t do a Post of the Week last week because I did an anime review/fangirl fli...

Heyo peoples! This week, we have a few extra posts since I didn’t do a Post of the Week last week because I did an anime review/fangirl flip-out last week instead (also, I was lazy). Anyways, let’s hope right into this!

Just Like God by Chard. This is a bit of an old one, and I’m not sure if I completely agree with the ending, but it’s definitely something to think about.

Fangirl Closes at the Close by Heather. Another kind of old one, but I got to make a guest appearance and fangirl about one of my favorite TV shows ever! Plus, a few other bloggers shared in the fangirling as well, and and it was just awful fun. :D

Thoughtful About... I’m Not Called by Mrs. Roseanna White. Absolutely gorgeous. Just read it. It spoke to me.

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer by Mariella Hunt. In which Mariella reviews one of my favorite sci-fis ever. I may or may not have commented in all caps.

Field Notes V. 1: Lake District 2015 by Hawaa. In which she shares amazing pictures of sparkling lakes, clear skies, and other landscape pictures so gorgeous they almost can’t be real, lol

BB/HG Crossover: Chapter Five by Rebecca. Chapter five of our crazy, random crossover story with HG!

Boy Meets Girl. Also by Chard. A beautiful post and a brilliant analogy for the love God shows to us.

Why I don’t Like Tony Stark by Olivia J. The post is exactly what it sounds like. And while I’m not positive these are my reasons (I just kind of find him annoying, but maybe that’s because of what she said here), it’s an interesting post, and honestly, I share the sentiment.

Writing Lessons From Movies: Jumanji by Stori Tori. In which Tori talks about one of my old favorite movies and makes the whole thing writing-related. Beautiful, I tell you.

And that’s it for this week! Have you seen Jumanji? What are your thoughts on Tony Stark? Hope you guys enjoy the posts! :D

Hey all! So this tag isn’t one I was actually tagged for, but I saw it on Bailey’s blog (she created it!) and I thought it looked fun. So...

Hey all! So this tag isn’t one I was actually tagged for, but I saw it on Bailey’s blog (she created it!) and I thought it looked fun. So for the first time ever, I’m going to steal a tag. MWAHAHAHA, I feel so gloriously evil.

Ze Rules:

Take the banner and put it in your post

List as many things as you want in each category

Come up with more categories if you wish

Tag as many people as you want

I like these rules. I GET TO DO WHAT I WANT.

Anyway. To the post.

1. Some Songs That Make You Happy.

This song is so much fun and it just makes me want to grin and skip and dance every time I listen to it. Plus, these guys are crazy and the music video is really funny.

Even though you wouldn’t think it, this song is actually really fun, too. The rhythm of it makes me smile, and the words just make me feel so powerful and sassy. *snaps fingers in a z-formation* It’s just great and a blast to listen to.

Also, pretty much any song by PureNRG (they used to be my favorite band) and Jump5 (they used to be my second favorite band). Their songs are fun and dance-y with uplifting messages and they all just make me really happy. :D

2. Some Books That Make You Happy

ALL THE GOOD BOOKS MAKE ME HAPPY!!!

But some of my favorite ones ever.

These are my favorite books in my favorite series. Just thinking about them brings me joy.

I haven’t actually finished this series yet, but these mangas have made me smile, laugh, even want to cry a little bit (which for me is the equivalent of sobbing wildly with empty boxes of kleenex).

These books are totally hilarious! The last five or six (not including twelve since I haven't read it) are my favorites because the writing got so much better and the characters developed even more.

There are probably a million more books that make me happy, but these are all I can think of right offhand. I am a bookworm after all, so after I finish this post, I will probably think of about a thousand more that I could’ve used. *shrugs* Oh well.

3. Some Foods That Make You Happy.

Moose Tracks Ice Cream, Bunny Tracks Ice Cream, almost any kind of Tracks ice cream makes me very, very happy.

Also Dove’s Dark Chocolate and Awake Caffeinated Chocolate. Best. Chocolate. Ever.

Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (I think we’re seeing a pattern here) make me beyond happy. Try over-the-moon thrilled.

Also, tiramisu, Samoa bars, and... I’m just gonna stop now. I like food in general, but almost anything with chocolate in it will make me extremely happy. :D

giphy.com I know. I'm starving now too.

4. Some Words That Make You Happy.

I really love the words irrelevant, preposterous, problematic, and, most recently, gorgeous and glorious. I don’t know why, but I find those words amazing (another favorite).

5. Some Scents That Make You Happy.

Baking Bread.

Cookies fresh out of the oven (again with the pattern).

Fall smells (cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, etc).

My grandmother’s perfume (it’s one of the first things I recognize when I go to her house, and I always notice it lingering in ours after she visits for a while. So yeah. :) ).

6. Some Random Things That Make You Happy

Fangirling with my best friends.

Introducing people to my favorite fandoms.

An out-of-the-blue email from someone I haven’t heard from in a while.

Like Bailey mentioned, warm blankets fresh from the dryer that smell all fresh and clean. :)

Boots. My favorite boots make me happy.

Eating ice cream as I watch my favorite movies or TV shows.

Crafting the perfect picture (or discovering the perfect gif) to go along with a blog post.

Random, hilarious conversations on my writers’ group.

Sweet baby charries <3

STAR WARS. STAR WARS MAKE ME VERY HAPPY. :D :D :D :D :D

pinterest.com

Also this video. These guys are crazy, and the vid is hilarious. :D

And that’s the tag! This time, I will not tag anyone. Instead I will give you the chance to feel happy by feeling evil and stealing this tag from me. ;) If you do decide to steal it, though, please leave me your link. I’d love to check your tag post out!

Comment time! Pick one of the questions above and leave me a comment on what makes you happy! I’d love to know. :D

Hey guys! So I’ve been tagged by the amazing Koko and the lovely Carla for these two awards: the Versatile Blogger and the Blogger Recogni...

Hey guys! So I’ve been tagged by the amazing Koko and the lovely Carla for these two awards: the Versatile Blogger and the Blogger Recognition (as is so conveniently mentioned in the title). Thanks so much to you both! It means the world that you read and enjoy my blog!!! :D

giphy.com

And without further ado, let’s go ahead and leap right into this.

Ze Rules:

1) Link back to the blogger(s) who nominated you.

2) Post seven facts about yourself.

3) Nominate 15 bloggers of your own (Hehehehe, if you’ve seen me do tags before, you know that’s not going to happen. But I will do my best. :) )

Okay, seriously people, I’ve already listed so many facts about me that I’m not sure there are any interesting ones left. :p But here I go anyway.

1. I like a lot of Disney Channel songs, mostly from the show Shake it Up {which used to be one of my favorite shows, so there’s another fact for ya. ;) } True, most of them aren’t terribly high in music quality, but they’re clean, bouncy, and just plain fun to listen to, especially if you’re in the right mood.

2. I sorta, kinda, maybe-a-little-bit play the keyboard.

3. I am not very good at the keyboard, and it takes me forever and a day to learn a song because I don’t practice nearly enough. But when I finally do get one right, it makes me very happy. :D

4. When I was younger, my dad tried to teach me and my siblings to sing in harmony.

5. For some reason, I cannot sing in harmony; I just automatically follow the leading person. I don’t know why, but I cannot force myself to sing in my own key. Guess I’m just a robotic, soulless follower when it comes to singing. :p

6. I like to sing--alone. And I used to imagine that I’d become a popstar or something (I mean, what girl who watched Hannah Montana didn’t?).

7. Ice cream is the best thing ever. This is not just a fact about me--it is a simple fact of life.

giphy.com That's the way to do it.

And that's it for the Versatile Blogger award! Thanks again, Koko, for nominating me! I’ll do my own nominations for that at the end of the post :)

Next up!

Ze Rules:

1. Write a post to show off your award. Make sure to attach the award picture! You can do this by right clicking, saving, and uploading the image above.

2. Give a brief story on how your blog got started, and give a piece of advice or two to new bloggers.

3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.

4. Pick 15 other blogs to give this award to (hehe, we’ve already discussed this) and list them in the post. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who nominated you.

5. Comment on each blog to let them know you've nominated them. Provide a link to your award post.

6. Provide a link to the original post, Edge of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and keep the award from becoming mutated and confusing.

I did this award about nine months ago, and uh, not to boast or anything, but I really like how I told the story of my blog getting started, lol. So I’m just gonna link to that here.

Now, who can say if I’m really the best person to be giving advice to new bloggers (I guess you could do what I say, and if your blog flops, I should clearly not be your go-to sensei on blogging), but here’s a few things I’ve learned recently, besides what I give in the other post. 

Yes, it is more than one or two tips. What can I say? I like to talk.

Tip 1: Have fun. Mostly because, for a while, it might be pretty lonely, lol. I don’t mean to sound like a jerk and I certainly don’t want to crush anyone's dreams or anything, but I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half now and it’s only the past few months that I’ve gotten comments on every post. For my entire first year, comments were few. I’d write a post, think it was genius... and apparently no one else agreed, lol. Or at least, they didn’t find the post and didn’t know that they would’ve agreed.

So that said, make sure that whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re blogging about, you’re doing it for you because one, why spend so much time on something if you’re not enjoying it? And two, for a while there, it might just be you and your webkinz.

My sweet little Dakari keeping me company. :D

Tip 2: Have patience. This kinda ties into the one above, because even though I knew it would take a while to get started, I didn’t realize just how long it would take for people to really get commenting, and I became very discouraged. For a while there, I even considered quitting: it was too hard, taking too long, and nobody cared anyway, or so it seemed. But I mean, now, I get at least a few comments every post, and I’ve got almost twice as many followers as I did at the beginning of the year.

So yeah, have patience with yourself as you continue to learn the ropes, and have patience with your blog. People will find it if you keep putting out awesome content and you keep having fun and showing off your unique flair. It may take time, but your gorgeous, you sparkle will eventually attract people.

Tip 3: Comment On Other Blogs. This may have been part of my problem when I first started because I didn’t network; the only blog I really read was GoTeenWriters and if you’ve been there, you know it’s really difficult to read every one of those comments and visit every one of those blogs. I don’t know if the fact that I started reading other blogs is the biggest reason I’ve gotten more views lately, but I think it is part of it. You can’t sit alone in your little corner of the blogosphere. You have to get out there, read lots of blogs, find ones you love (not because of what they can do for you, but just because they’re awesome), comment on them, and make sure to leave a link in your comment signature or have your name link back to your site. Just something so people can go, comment back, and find out how truly awesome you are.

And finally, Tip 4: Don’t spam. Okay, so I know I basically just told you to network, but don’t spam. Do not write “Great post!” and then leave your link below, because people will be skeptical about whether or not you actually even read the post (at least, I will be as I am occasionally a cynical human being). Really read people’s posts (you might find that you enjoy them outside of the purpose of networking) and leave thoughtful, encouraging comments. I always remember the people who leave great comments, it makes my day, and it makes me that much more eager to find you and leave a nice comment on one of your posts. :)

All righty *checks list of rules* I do believe we have come to--drumroll please--the nominations.

DUN DUNNA DAAAAAHHHH

Just so you know, all the nominations below are for both awards. None of you feel obligated to do these, especially if you’ve already been nominated. This is really just for me to let you know you’re awesome. :D

Heather from Sometimes I’m a Story

Chard from 101 Ways to Cook Rice and Beans

Alex from Get it Write Tonight

Bailey from The Curiosity Collections

Kat from Word Spillers

Emily Rachelle from Emily Rachelle Writes

Safah from Oh How I Wander

Rebecca and Kathryn from Random Fandom Fanatics

C. Lee Mckenzie from TheWriteGame

There are so many other awesome blogs I read, but since I’m nominating them for both the Blogger Recognition and the Versatile Blogger, it’s a bit more difficult to find ones that match both requirements. Most of the others blogs I read are either completely book or writing blogs (and they’re AMAZING) but they don’t quite match up with the VBA guidelines in my opinion. However, I mentioned most of them in last month’s Tag Week posts, so if you want to read some brilliant book and writing blogs, I’ll leave the links to those posts here and here.

Thanks again Koko and Carla for the nominations! Tell me everyone, which tag did you find the most interesting? What was your favorite tip? Favorite fact about me? Comment please!