Faith, Hope, and Love

Today I went to my first book conference and... I'm hooked. I want to go to more! I definitely plan to return to this one each year (as scheduling allows) and maybe even bring some kids back, too! It truly was a reader's heaven. When I first heard of the conference and read through the line-up, I only recognized three names: Laurie Halse Anderson, Shannon Hale and Ann Brashares. And then there was 25 other authors I had never heard of. Or thought I had never heard of. Many of them are pretty big names in YA lit right now, and I had seen their books on shelves or read one of their books before. It was fun to sit through panels and feel like you were just hanging out with these awesome authors--many of whom are equally awesome people. Because it's the Teen Book Conference, there were a lot of teens present. And it was great to listen to the questions they would ask. While the most famous question of the day was, "How do you deal with writer's block?" (th...

I enjoy taking pictures. I'm not 100% sure when photography became a hobby of mine, I just know that once I had a camera in my hand I would take 100s of shots within minutes and have always been fascinated by beautiful shots. I especially like shots of people. I can spend hours looking through pictures of weddings, babies, family portraits, and stuff like that. Scenic stuff is cool, too. But seeing images of people living life gets me the most excited. I think what appeals to me the most about photography is that each picture tells a unique story. And as an aspiring storyteller (or as my friends and family would say, a born storyteller), I've always been intrigued by the art of storytelling. I'm never one to turn down hearing (or seeing) a good story. And I'm constantly asking myself: What makes a good story? How do you tell a good story? Like writing, I probably do not spend as much time taking pictures as I should. I go through bouts where my camera is glued to ...

I haven't been to church in what feels like, and probably is,  months . I just got tired of church hopping. After living in Houston for almost a year, I had been to at least eight different churches. And while there were a few churches I went to for weeks at a time, I hated the awkward, out-of-place feeling I had while there. I just wanted the whole thing to be over with. I just wanted to belong somewhere. And then one Sunday, there was an excuse not to go visit a new church or go to an old one. Can't remember what it was. But oh, what a slippery slope that became. Suddenly there was an excuse for every Sunday. I was out of town. I didn't feel well. I was going to be late. And then the day came when I decided, why bother until I know where I'm going to live next? I was ready to put an end to the church hopping routine and settle down, but I couldn't do that until I was settled, right? If my dad ever reads this, I know he'll be appalled. As would probably my...

1. Finding a new church 2. Making new friends Who would have thought two things would be so hard to find in a new place. But man, is it hard. The church thing isn't too horrible... it's just more the desire to find a place and getting to know people and feeling a part of the congregation. That just takes a while. I mean, I will admit that I can be kind of picky about churches--I can be critical of the worship (it can't be too solemn, can't be too rock-n-roll, I appreciate some old time hymns thrown in here and there), critical of the sermon (my Bible needs to be opened at least once, and I like flipping through it and seeing connections between scripture), critical of the people (which is horrible, since I'm not perfect. But I guess in a church setting, I don't like people who are too spiritual, or people who seem to just be there for a good time). Usually, you have to give and take a bit, which I do. But no matter what, I want a church to feel like home. ...