Semester 4: Why I've Been Gone

Hi friends.

I feel like I can't really move forward with blogging before I explain why I've been gone for the past almost 5 months.  So, herein I shall explain what happened two weeks after my last post.

January 19th was the Thursday of my first week back at college after Christmas break, and that evening I was at the first meeting of the semester for the fashion show at my school.  It was going fine, but I didn't feel too great, as I was getting over a cold.

After the meeting, I felt a sense of urgency to get home, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach which I dismissed as nothing more than my own exhaustion and maybe a hint of a fever.  So, in a daze, I rushed back to my car, drove home, and promptly put myself to sleep when I got there.

That evening, my family found out my dad had passed away.

All I could think was, "Dear God, don't let it be real" -- but it was real.  It was all too real.  He had been down in Georgia, where he worked 3 days a week, and had caught a really bad cold.  None of us thought too much of it, including him.  But that evening, when the policemen came to our door, we were hit all too severely with how serious his condition had been.

To say I've never cried so hard is a gross understatement.

As that night wore on, my family and I did our best to just breathe.  Before I went to bed, I tried to read the bible -- but I couldn't.  I hurt too much, had too many thoughts and questions racing through my head.  So, instead, I continued to pray and cry.  As I lay in bed, a peace, God's peace, beyond any understanding gently swept over me, and by His grace, I slept for the first time without a father on earth.

That next week was the darkest of my life.  It was a fight just to be able to laugh again.  I didn't go to school.  I journaled.  I grieved.  Family and friends came in.  Funeral preparations were made.  Cards and flowers and food entered our house in a never ending and very welcome stream.  The funeral was the next Thursday.  People said their goodbyes...

And then it was time to go back to "normal," somehow.

Monday hurt so much, as I went back to school.  I was so scared.  I felt fragile, and anything so much as a loud word might have shattered my eggshell-thin exterior.  I felt invisible, and no one could see the unwelcome tears that seemed to constantly lurk right behind my eyes.

I went through the motions of school the best I could -- I took notes in class, I talked to friends.  I told them I was "okay," but that wasn't true.  I hurt. so. bad.  I wanted to quit school.  All I wanted to do was cry my eyes out and die to go be with my dad.  But instead, I went through classes, drove home, and cried once again.

I went through it all again the next day, and got through it as best I could.  But that evening, something changed.  First, I recalled one of the best pieces of encouragement someone had given me:

"Deal gently with yourself."

So, I stopped.  I prayed.  And then I did the next easiest thing I could think of: I took a shower.  There, I continued to pray.  And to cry.  And continued to pray some more.  And in the midst of the warm water, a phrase began to grow stronger and stronger in my mind:

"You're going to be okay.  Not right now, but soon."

An unexplainable joy began to burn in my heart -- deeper and stronger and more assuredly than I have ever known, EVER.  The pain and the hurt and the weight finally lifted from my shoulders, and I knew God was working in me, like never before.  That phrase was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard -- and I clung to it.  It was God's faithful promise of hope -- and, by His name, I knew it to be true!!!

So, I shouted out loud.

                 I went back to school.

                                    I began to heal.

                                                      I spread His joy.

                                                                          I watched movies.

                                                                                           I laughed with friends.
 
                                                                                                               I completed the fashion show.

                                                                                                                                     I finished the semester strong.

And through it ALL,

GOD

WAS

AND

IS

FAITHFUL.

So, friends, there it is.  That's why I've been gone.  That's what took place in the past 4 months.  That's where I am now.  And there's still a long, long way to go.

But, now, I think I'm ready to push forward with blogging.  I've missed it dearly, you know.

I will be seeing you very soon to tell you all about the things I've been working on this semester, and what I will be working on this summer.

Here's to God's faithfulness!!!

The Adventures Aren't Over Yet.

It's been over a year ago since I was last "An Elven Princess" -- and I didn't realize how much I missed that until just now, as I write this.  Yes, hello, hello it's me, Beth, back in action, bringing the ol' Adventures of an Elven Princess out of retirement and into a new season. :) :)  You see, I thought my costuming days were over when I started college (which was a huge part of this blog, as you know).  But, funny enough, that assessment could not have been more wrong...

Not only did I recreate Rey's costume for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiere, and I've got a fem Doctor Strange cosplay in the works for the premiere in November... costuming semi professionally has also become a thing!!  If you've been following my new blog, the Time That is Given Me, or my twitter, you'll know that I started working in my university's theater department's costume workshop, where we make all the costumes for the college plays.  This has been an absolutely incredible experience for me.  I've learned so much, worked with some absolutely lovely people, and made some money too which is always nice. ;D

A more recent development (just this semester, actually), is that I've had the opportunity to do costuming on some thesis films (one two weeks ago, and another one currently in development!!), thanks to my awesome screenwriting professor from last semester recommending me (that's you, Professor Wales! ;)).  The experience was crazy amazing, and made me realize just how much I absolutely adore costuming for film, and that I'm actually pretty good at it.??

So, really, this era of my life has just been an incredible time of learning more about myself and my strengths and skills and passions.  And with all these new developments, God's been helping me to realize that pursuing a career in costuming for movies is an actual possibility, just as something like screenwriting or producing.  And that sounds kinda insane, but also makes total sense.  I mean, duh, costuming is one of my favorite things ever -- why not explore the possibility of turning that into a career???

But... what does this all mean for this blog, the Adventures of An Elven Princess?  Well, as I said, I think it's time to resurrect my costuming dreams, and with that, the resurrection of this blog that documented all the events that formed the dream.  I'll discuss my personal cosplays, working on costumes in my job at the theater department, costuming for student films, and any other sewing projects that crop up in mah life (did I mention I'm in the beginning stages of designing for a fashion show???).

Oh, and do know that the Time That Is Given Me isn't going anywhere -- I'll be utilizing that platform for more personal posting, just stuff that's going on in my life that doesn't have much to do about costuming.

Now... who's ready for the further Adventures of an Elven Princess?  Because, I know I am. :)

The New Blog I Promised You...

Hello one last time on Adventures of An Elven Princess, friends.

To those of you who are interested, my brand spankin' new blog has officially gone live as of last night, and I just made the first post this evening -- the night before my first full semester of college classes begin. :)

I can't wait to stay connected with you guys on this new platform, and hope you will enjoy following my further adventures...

The Time that is Given Me

Loveeeee,

Beth

An Elven Princess' Adventures Are Ending

Hello my dear friends,

This has been a long time coming, but I'm finally ready to officially announce it.

When I started this dear blog...

I was 15 years old, about to be a junior in high school. It was made to be a place to share the creation of my second cosplay, Tauriel, with anyone who would read it.

Well, this blog has grown so much bigger than I ever anticipated when I created it that day in July on a whim.  I've been sharing my mundane adventures with you all for over 2 years now, and have met so many awesome people through this, more than I ever would have thought was possible.

But, guys, there's a time for everything.  The past two years have been a time for blogging and internet friends and costume making and all the other joys I experienced in my amazing final half of high school.  It was the time when I was "An Elven Princess."

But a new chapter in this little life of mine is beginning.  I'm going off to college, Liberty University, in just one week.  I'm taking 6 classes, all of which I'm insanely excited about.  I'm in the Honors Program, which was a huge answer to prayer.  My time will be dominated with going to classes, hanging out with the new friends I make, doing homework, studying, going to football games, and just enjoying life as a college student at the college of my dreams.

But there's the thing: I won't be "An Elven Princess" anymore.  It's time for me to move on.

Where I'm going from here...

Some of you might already know this because I told you, but I'm taking a 1 month (or more) break from Pinterest starting tomorrow, Monday, the 10th of August.  It really just serves as a distraction (an extremely enjoyable distraction, but a distraction none-the-less), and I want to be fully focused on college and I don't want to give myself even more reasons for procrastination... ;)

Now, don't worry!  I'm not going to disappear from the internet for good. ;) One spot you'll always be able to find me is Twitter:

Tweets by @AnElvenPrincess

Because it's so quick and easy to be active on there, I'll definitely be hanging around Twitter fairly regularly.  Are you on there???  Shoot me a message on there, because I'd love to follow you back! :)  But basically, that's the only spot you'll be able to find me in the next month or two.

I do have some plans to create a new blog, one which will be designated to my college life, but that's still in the early stages and there's no knowing when it will come to fruition, if at all.  If I do, I'll most definitely post the link to it on here. :)

Lastly, I'm so sad to say goodbye to all you dear followers.  You've meant so much to me over the past years, and I've been so blessed by you and to know you.  So, a thousand thank you's, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing in all my little adventures.  Y'all rock, and I truly mean that. :)

So, after this extremely lengthy post, it's time to say goodbye to The Adventures of An Elven Princess.  It's been so fun guys. ❤

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

- 1st Corinthians 1:3 -

A War of Dubsmash feat. @ImMeandering

You've all seen Karis, from "The Meanderings of Me", on my blog before, I'm sure.  And here she is again -- this time, it's a civil war of Dubsmash, in which I, @AnElvenPrincess and Karis, @ImMeandering, go head to head in a gripping battle of dubbing skills, featuring lots of fandom quotes and odd songs.

Enjoy. ;)

That Day I Went to a Renaissance Faire

Over a month ago, on Saturday, April 18th, a few friends (recognize them from my Captain America photo shoot??) and I went to a Ren Faire for the very first time. And it was awesome. :D

We drove three hours to get to the faire (which was well worth it;), and to pass the time, we took selfies, played brain games on Karis' ipad, and talked about lots of stuff -- mostly stuff pertaining to our favorite fandoms. ;D

Then, after arriving at the festival at about 12:00, we spent the rest of the day doing lots of walking, laughing, picture-taking, window shopping, etc... :D

Walking and taking pictures around the extremely extensive grounds...

We met a brave knight.

Karis and I got locked up in the stocks -- I was arrested for being an outlaw, and Karis for fraternizing with the outlaw.

Visiting tons of the little shops...

Amber and I parry with LARP swords in one of the "armory" shops. My favorites were the leather shops, which ranged from selling epic leather dresses, tunics, coats, to books, bracers, boots, etc etc.

Going through the "haunted pirate ship," and scaring ourselves silly...

The thing was so cheesy, but it was 3 bucks and we couldn't resist. It was the inside of a "pirate ship," pitch black, filled with things like skeletons and treasure hoards, strobe lights, randomly [loudly] falling items, and antics by workers, who would bang super loudly on the walls, run at us in the dark, yell, etc...

P.S. A huge thank you to the guy banging on the wall right after Karis jumped me -- that basically gave me a heart attack. xD

Meeting some orcs...

When we saw these guys, we knew we absolutely had to get a picture with them.  I mean, look at that guy's costume -- convincing, much??? :O Probably my favorite costume of all that we saw throughout the day.

Oh, and, no, I did not know the other orc behind me was there -- the next frame was me screaming. xD

We definitely should look much more scared than we do... xD

And watching a few shows, the favorite of which was the live jousting...

It was set up like a play, with the three shows throughout the day furthering the story of two knights jousting to win the hand of the princess.  It was quite a hilarious spectacle, with the evil knight getting drug through the mud behind a chariot, a guys' eye getting "ripped out," and men getting killed right and left at the climax battle.  Plus, Karis, Amber, and I totally hammed it up cheering for our team's knight -- who ended up being the winner, of coooouuuurse! :D

It was so fun to witness. Quite amsuing. ;D

And of course we had to get costume pictures in front of the arena while we waited for the joust to start...

Totally foreshadowing our next costumes (superheroes for Avengers: Age of Ultron):

Scarlet Witch, Captain America, and Peggy Carter go to a renaissance festival???

And lastly, a few details on my costume I whipped up for the faire... because you know I'm all about the costumes. ;D

It was inspired by elven archers, Tauriel, Legolas, a little bit of Hawkeye -- you know, that sort of thing. ;)  You probably recognize the bracers and boots from my Tauriel cosplay. ;D

I whipped up the dress/tunic from an ugly, awkward length skirt I found at the thrift for $2.50. I was only looking for fabric, since I knew I'd be completely changing the style, and the fabric of it was perfect -- forest/olive suede with a gentle drape, and just enough of it for a tunic. :D

As for making the dress, it was about a day's worth of time, ripping/cutting old seams, fitting new seams for the neckline, arms, princess-style bodice, waist, and skirt. It was a really fun project -- just the right amount of difficulty and need for creativity to be a challenge, without being overwhelming.  Because the fabric has some stretch to it, I didn't have to put in any zippers, buttons, etc, which made the build even simpler. At the suggestion of my oldest sister, Alissa, I ended up not hemming the neckline and hem, and just left the raw edge, which helped the time crunch I was under (about a week, from getting the idea to going to the faire). Since the suede frays minimally, I just used my shears to keep all fraying at bay, and there was no problem.  This look also lent a bit of ruggedness to the dress, which was kind of fun. ;)

As for all the accessories: as I already said, the bracers and boots were the same I used for my Tauriel cosplay -- the boots I bought online, and the bracers I made from upholstery leather, dyed darker with shoe polish, embellished with an elvish design with a Sharpie marker (bahahha), and laced with suede string through brass grommets embedded in the bracers. I already had the braided belt, and I picked up the belt around my waist from a thrift store for 50 cents. And lastly, the leather pouches were the same upholstery leather, darkened with shoe polish, which I originally made for the first draft of my Captain America cosplay, but didn't end up using. They ended up working perfectly for the costume -- plus, removed the need for a bag: I kept my phone in the larger pouch, and money in the smaller one. Perfect, right?? xD

Overall, it was an absolutely *smashing* day, and I can't wait to go to another renaissance faire soon! ^_^

Life Currently: Finals and Cap Cosplay

Disjointed post today, just a bunch of stuff that's going on in my life as of right now. I should probably be doing other things than writing this post, but I got a semi-lot amount of work done on Cap today, so I'm disillusioning myself into thinking I deserve a break. ;D

My life currently:

...trying on the Captain America costume is becoming a daily occurrence now, as I near the beginning of the end... IT'S COMING TOGETHER SO WELL AND I MIGHT CRY CAUSE IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. Oh, not bragging -- celebrating. Those the five hundred thousand hours I spent on this thing are actually paying off a bit.

...during this time of finals and leading up to Age of Ultron, eating and sleeping are optional as I make the most of the 24 hours in a day. School, sadly, is not optional, so I've worked out a system: homeschool in the morning, costume in the afternoon and early evening, and whatever is left is devoted to homework for the dual-enrolled English class I'm taking. So far, the system is working, so that's a plus. I'm slightly suspicious that God is multiplying my time... ya know, like He multiplied the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread to feed 5,000+ people? Yeah. Definitely wouldn't put it past him. ;D

...becoming a pro at hand stitching (through a lot of layers of) faux leather, because my sad sewing machine pouts when I try to make it do the work for me. Pouts, as in, does weird things with the thread that makes a total mess and tons of seam ripping. It ain't cool. But, a little bit of sewing done by hand never hurt anyone, right? Just makes me appreciate more the times my machine does work. xD

...spending the least amount of time on the internet as my poor addicted self can handle, because every minute counts during the next FIVE DAYS. Yes, my peeps. Five days until Age of Ultron will be revealed in all it's glory to the general public. #so #not #emotionally #prepared

...my dad totally made this awesome little Avengers symbols out of foam for the shoulders of Cap. They turned out so nice, plus saved me the time/work of doing them myself. He also got me a buckle/hardware thing that will work perfectly for the shield holster (which is currently not in existence. yet.). Yeah, my dad is pretty cool. Same guy who dressed up as Gandalf to go to Battle of the Five Armies with me and my friends. :D

...a random awesome thing that kind of made my day, yesterday: on my blog's FB page, I got asked about costume commissions for the very first time in my cosplay career (or hobby, rather). Whether the inquiry amounts to anything doesn't matter much; just the fact that someone thought my work was good enough to ask if I would work for them makes me so pleased. ;D

Well, now that I've given you guys a little (long?) update, imma go feed my starving self -- currently living off ground turkey, frozen blueberries, and that sparkling water stuff. My Paleo equivalent of junk food, basically -- which isn't actually junk food, but... yeah. Plus anything my fam will cook for me. Hashtag "life of a cosplayer," because... ain't nobody got time fo cooking.

You can "look forward" to one last post devoted to Cap costume build before the 30th... might I remind you: FIVE. STINKING. DAYS. :D

#Can'tBalanceSchoolAndCosplay

Apologies beforehand because this is gonna be a quick post. I sowwy, but I'll explain why. :P

School has started -- yeah, that's basically my explanation. Even though I'm homeschooled, I've still got plenty of work to do; as I'm sure all you homeschoolers will smile and nod to. You know what I'm talking about. ;)

Aaaaand add to that, the fact that my internet has been out since Saturday night, when we had a pretty large thunderstorm, and I have no clue when it'll be fixed. SO I've been hanging out at our local christian college's library all day, mooching off their wifi. ;D

I'm taking an online dual-enrollment class from the college, also -- General Psychology. Exciting, right? :p After looking at the syllabus today, though, it definitely could be worse. It actually should be fairly easy. Maybe even fun...? We shall see. ;)

So, that's what I've been doing today -- exploring the online portal and downloading syllabi (plural of syllabus..?), reading assignments, and powerpoints, and also submitting some preliminary homework. All of which didn't leave much time for a very exciting blog post...
WHICH IS REALLY SAD BECAUSE I'VE GOT SO MUCH TO TELL YOU GUYS.  Like, seriously. Some major Tauriel and Captain America cosplay progress has been happening this week. I'll try really really really hard to get a post up about those two very soon, but in the meantime, you can mull over all possible meanings behind this (hehe):

Updates and ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

You must forgive me for my absent from the blogging scene lately... it hasn't been intentional! ;) I've got a few half-finished posts ready to be completed, but I just haven't gotten around to them... so, here's a quick update with randomness. :)

Firstly... I'm back in the South. (yay!) My northern vacation was great, but still. There's no place like home. ^_^ Though now I get to readjust to the heat... :P

Can anyone else not believe the summer is almost over? (for me, anyway -- your's might already be over! :p) I keep asking myself, where did it even go???? O_O

Oh and -- heh -- speaking of time and stuff, uh, just thought I'd mentioned I'm obsessed with Doctor Who now. Namely, 10. David Tennant. (ermergersh he's just so seriously awesome... ^_^ ;D)  Maybe that's where all my time went... spent watching Doctor Who... xD

I start school again on Wednesday. And I'll be a senior. I mean seriously, where did you go, time? *sigh*

And now, my final update. Le ALS Ice Bucket Challenge! Enjoy. xD

1. If you're reading this, consider this my nomination for you! You've got 24 hours! :D
2. This is the reason I'm not an actress... xD
3. I deleted the part with my facebook nominee names for privacy's sake. ;)

Talk to ya'll soon!! ^_^

My Life Lately [Through a Camera Lens]

Also... THIS. Which made me almost die from hyperventilation and feels, so... prepare yourself if you have yet to see it. :D

À la prochaine! (until next time!)

Summer Life in Washington

So much has been going on while I've been up here in Washington.

For the first time I...

...baked with coconut flour.

I've worked alot with almond flour, but coconut flour was completely new to me, so I wasn't sure what to expect. They turned out perfect! To me, they tasted just like cupcakes made with normal flour. And they looked so pretty too! White and fluffy. ;) Btw, coconut flour smells absolutely divine. ;D

The first thing I made was vanilla cupcakes (from this recipe). They were so good, I couldn't believe it. I then made a batch of banana muffins with this recipe, as we had obtained a nice collection of too-ripe bananas. ;)

...jumped an Icelandic pony.

I've ridden Icelandics. I've jumped. But never together... so this was a fun new experience!! Sure, the jumps were fairly low, but it was still fun. I hadn't jumped in ages, and I didn't realize how much I missed jumping until I, well, jumped. xD

Aside from jumping, my little sister Danielle and I have had so much fun at a friend's Icelandic pony farm, riding, grooming, feeding, etc. ;)

There's 6 ponies at the farm we go to help out at: Stjarni, Karl, Aegir, Skila, Scoogi, and Thunder. (They're all icelandic names - except for Karl and Thunder - so that's why they're a bit odd.)

Photos of a day at le pony farm...

This seriously precious pony is Aegir (his Icelandic name). I secretly call him Mango, tho (because of his coloring). xD

Meet Karl. B)

Sweet Stjarni.

Tacking up Skila for a ride.

Boots. ;)

A late-afternoon ride on Karl. (:

Danielle trots a jump on Skila. Are they not adorable???

...drove a 4-wheeler.

Sadly, I don't have photo-proof of this. xD It was actually pretty fun -- a bit tricky at first, but quite thrilling once I got the hang of it. ;D

Welp, my time grows short. I must fly. Until later, my friends. :)

P.S. THE HOBBIT TRAILER IS COMING.

The First Anniversary of My Adventures

I can hardly believe it's been exactly 1 year to the day that I began this blog. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday -- in others, it feels like a lifetime. And it's just crazy to think how much has happened in those 12 months...

This blog, The Adventures of An Elven Princess, has grown so much over the past year. The stats are currently as follows...

~ 19,356 pageviews ~

~ 29 followers ~

~ 281 comments ~

~ (and this makes) 53 posts ~

But those are just the numbers. They don't measure the joy I have received from this blog/blogging -- from sharing my adventures and thoughts, to meeting other bloggers (and a few non-bloggers as well!) through our similar interests. And yes, I count you internet peeps as my friends.

Skeptics, don't even try to tell me "but they're not real" -- they are oh so real. You wouldn't be saying that if you knew the people I do. ;)

But really, guys; you all have been such an incredible blessing to me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your friendship and sweet support in my little ventures. :)

Here's to many more years sharing my adventures with all you lovely people! ^_^

~ Beth - An Elven Princess ~

"Electric Daisy Violin" - A Performance

A Study of Spring

A photoshoot featuring the glorious Spring colors and me, myself, and I.

Photos also taken by me, myself, and I. ;)

Maybe leave a comment on your favorite? I'd be thrilled. ^_^

Happy Spring! ♥

My Life Lately

Very busy. That's me lately. :)

On the 8th I became a licensed driver...

On the 11th I had one of the best riding lessons I'd had in a very long time...

On the 15th I went to the dentist...

On the 20th I actually met my best online friend in real life...

On the 21st I went to the ER for the first time...

(Don't worry, it ended up being nothing serious, but I'll be going to the doctor for a normal check-up tomorrow just to make sure. I'd been having pain in my right side for the past 5 days without getting any better, and it was actually getting worse. So I freaked. :P We think it's some sort of gallbladder or liver problem... hopefully the doc will be able to get me fixed up. :) In the meantime, prayers would be oh so appreciated. It's caused more than a little anxiety for me over the past few days. Thanks in advance, guys. ^_^

So that's my life lately. (:

P.S. Happy belated Easter!

Daffodils and my Sweet Sixteenth!

Bonjour mes amis! (Hello my friends, to anyone who doesn't speak French. ;) Not that I'm fluent or anything -- hah!)

Welp, it's been exactly two weeks since I last posted... and over the course of those two weeks I battled the worst illness I've had pretty much ever. Needless to say, it wasn't fun. :P Skipping all the gory details, I'm finally over it... buuuuut now I've caught a bit of a flu. -_- Oh well. Lord willing, I'll be over that soon! :)

But anyway... yesterday was my 16th birthday! :D I FEEL SO DIFFERENT NOW IT'S JUST CRAZY.

Ok.  I lied.  I actually don't. xD Well, maybe a little. A little sweeter..? ;)

Birthday daffodils :)

So, I've got a little birthday tradition... every year my parents give me a pot of my favorite flowers ever -- daffodils!! They're now known as "my flower." ;) And this year I got my absolute favorite variety: giant and bright yellow. :D

And for my birthday evening, my family and I all watched Megamind, which my oldest sister, Alissa, gave me. I'd been dying to own it ever since I first saw it, because it is HILARIOUS! If you haven't seen it, go, now, go rent it. It looks dumb, but it. is. great. ;)

Anyways. Just wanted to say hey to ya'll and let you know I'm not dead -- just was sick for a bit. ;)

Hopefully a more interesting post will be up soon! I've been itching to get my hands on a new project...... :D

Au revoir 2013...Bonjour 2014

This is the first post in 2014 on my blog.

O_O

WHERE DID YOU GO 2013????

Well, no matter where it went, it's gone and another year is ahead of us. So strap on your seatbelt, and get ready for the ride! I'm pretty sure it'll be crazy for all of us. ;)

But before I say goodbye to 2013, I want to make a list of the best things that happened in this past year...

1. I started this blog! On June 12th, I decided to make this blog for the purpose of logging my journey of making my Tauriel cosplay. And I'm so glad I did!! I have had so much fun doing just that, and even though that adventure is over, there are many to come that I'm extremely excited to share with you all. :)

2. Going along with the last point, I completed my second cosplay! It was literally so much fun -- AND I learned a ton while doing it, and expanded my sewing experience and expertise alot! So it was a win-win. ;)

3. I successfully finished my second dual-enrolled college course, Biblical Worldview. It was a great class, and I learned so much from it.

4. I lived through my 15th year of life. Less than two months until that year is over, and another year of my life begins! And what a great year it's been...

5. And one last thing: I've grown closer to God. My relationship with Him isn't perfect, but that's how every relationship starts. I see it like this: I'm a USB plug, but I'm a little bit deformed. God is the USB port. I, as the USB, am in the port, but sometimes I'm not perfectly connected. My desire is to have that perfect connection - but in the meantime, I will keep striving to follow Jesus and live a God-centered life.

And one last thing. Last night, after midnight, we sang this song...

It's now my "anthem" for the new year. :)

A Lovely Hobbit Day

Hullo, friends!

As I'm sure many of you all know, Hobbit Day was yesterday, the 22nd of September. This is the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins - so I had to celebrate, right? Of course! :D

My Hobbit Day was simple - but still quite fun and very hobbit-y! ;) The celebrations centered around "good food, a warm hearth, and all the comforts of home."

So here's a little run-down of my Hobbit Day:

I read "The Hobbit" while listening to the soundtrack from the first Hobbit movie; wore my elf ears and my hobbit-hole door necklace; posted a "No admittance except on party business" sign on my door; and finished the day off by watching An Unexpected Journey with a friend!

All in all, it was a very happy Hobbit Day! What about you guys? Did anyone of you celebrate Hobbit Day? :)

PS - Some cool stuff concerning my Tauriel Cosplay has been happening around here recently... a new blog post all about it will be coming soon! :D

Introduction

This blog has been a long time coming. I've made several attempts at these, but...they all ended up dying after a few lame blog posts. But I am determined to keep this one alive. :D So go ahead and follow me or whatever, and I will do my best to entertain you with my adventures. ;)

The first real update on my adventures will be posted tomorrow -- so check back then for my next post!

Until then!

-An Elven Princess