*smiles sheepishly* Hi

Hehehe... Hello there.

I have learned a few things over the past couple weeks.

#1. I am a terrible blogger.

&

#2. I should never try & stick to a schedule.

Sorry guys D:

***

In other news... THIS SCENE ASDFGHJKL THIS MOVIE WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME.

Help, I can't handle the feels *sobbing*

xoxo

Molly

Ups & Downs {#13}

~thumbs up~

We made lots of money for Uganda at our yard sale yesterday!!!!

Getting to hang out with good friends :)

Stealing clothes from our yard sale ;) (I trade them for my old clothes!)

Comfy t-shirts. all day everyday.

I GOT AN IPHONE 5C :D

Big -exciting- changes happening at my church, like, REALLY big.

~thumbs down~

Said changes (^^^) are going to be a really hard adjustment

I'm really tired from working the yard sale.

Not getting this up on time... whoops. Super busy.

later gators & May the fourth be with you ;)

~my thoughts on the Divergent movie~

Can I just start by saying there are so many freaking book things I could talk about right now like OH. MY. GOSH.

My book world is exploding at the moment, but in an effort to keep myself sane, I'm gonna take a few steps back to my thoughts on.... dun dun dun you've-already-read-the-title-so-you-know-what-it-is-already-anyway.... THE DIVERGENT MOVIE.

Goodness gracious where to even begin...

Alright let's start from the top, the first time I saw the movie, I walked out with one word on the tip of my tongue "interesting". I couldn't figure out what I thought of it, the fact that my all-time favorite book had been turned into a movie made it extremely difficult to organize my thoughts about it.

Basically the one thing I knew for sure was that Ansel Elgort is freaking amazing, no one can deny that.

I saw it again a few weeks later & eventually came to my conclusion.

1. The movie itself was amazing

I have trouble admitting this a lot of the time with book adaptations, if it isn't like the book, I'm pretty consistent that I probably didn't like the movie. Divergent, on the other hand, though not perfectly accurate, was still obviously beautiful & awesome & epic

2. There was something I liked about every scene

I think this is the key to making book adaptations, you're going to have to change it, you have to accept that much, but if you keep it similar enough that book fans will like something in every scene, it works. The flip-side to this is that there was something I didn't like about most scenes too.

3. They tried

I know this sounds super critical, but I mean it as a serious compliment, in a lot of movies, when they realize it can't be exactly like the book, they just give up & do whatever they want (*cough* Percy Jackson *cough*), but that wasn't the case here, they left in as much as possible & did the best they possibly could with a 500+ page book.

After seeing it the second time, I realized there were pretty much only 3 things I DID. NOT. LIKE. about it, & that would be the simulations (those were changed WAY too much, like what the heck WAS that!?!?!), the fact that they left out the butter knife scene (I admittedly probably would've shut my eyes for part of that scene, but it was IMPORTANT in the book, it should've been there anyway), & the ending... those of you who read the book & saw the movie can probably just figure out why I didn't like that yourself.

All in all, I'd probably say 4-ish stars mostly because I'm critical of book-movies, but I did like it a lot, the actors were fantastic, the plot-line followed the book well if not perfectly, and overall, it was an impressive movie.

Leave your opinions of the DIvergent movie in the comments, I want to hear what you thought!

xoxo

Molly

P.s. I'll be doing my "welcome may" post tomorrow since I'd already planned this one for today. :)

time to party! ~ happy birthday {think.eat.write.read}

Get excited guys! it's time to party!!!! *begins dancing*

*slowly stops dancing* Wait, you mean you don't know WHY it is a joyous occasion cause for celebration?

You DON'T KNOW that the flawless Mackenzie has been blogging on her beyond beautiful blog *think. eat. write. read* for A YEAR!? 

You don't think that's cause for a party?

We are no longer friends.

Alright enough of the imaginary chit-chat because obviously there is no one who could be so silly as to think that this isn't the bestest time to celebrate ever, it is such an exciting occurrence, it must be recognized.

*begins dancing again*

*knocks over a lamp*

*runs into the wall*

*kills a cat*

*remembers I can't dance*

*casually stops dancing*

ahahaha... there were some questions I was supposed to answer, right? Yes that's right, let's do that now.

1. What do you like most about my blog?

Well aside from the fact that it is you, miss Kenzie, & you are so fabulous that it wouldn't matter what was on your blog, I would soak up every bit because you, my dear, are so awesome, I must say it is your writing. Which I know, sounds totally obvious & silly to say about a blog, but honestly, your words are just... flawless. I get so overwhelmed with excitement every time there is a new post in my blog feed because it is an opportunity to breathe in your lovely words.

2. What are some tips/advice I could use to help improve my blog?

Improve your blog? What? I cannot comprehend these words.... ummmm... perhaps you could post more often? I realize we all have busy lives & I understand that, but if I saw posts from you more often, I would be 100x happier :D

3. What is your favorite flower? (because, you know, it's spring.)

Well first, the argument can be made that you never truly know whether or not it's spring in Kentucky... It could snow at any moment & I'm not sure any of us would even be surprised anymore. regardless, I believe daffodils are my favorite, mostly because they're my momma's favorite so I've grown up loving them :)

Before I go...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THINK. EAT. WRITE. READ!!!!!!

That is all.

xoxo

Molly

What makes me, me? ~ a last minute contest entry

Hola world, today I am entering miss Rosie's "What makes you, YOU" contest, way past the very last second, so lets skip the chit-chat and get to it.

Who am I? I shall attempt to explain.

I am a girl who loves life, who loves herself (mostly), & loves others, but loves God most.

I laugh too loud, spend too much time making things "perfect", & I'm easily obsessed.

I find myself in love with fictional characters, & can't go anywhere without a book.

I have been called the "Queen of Shipping" by many, & it's fitting.

I'm in love with Disney, & I'm a little kid at heart.

I have many online friends who I love to the moon & back.

I'm awkward, & I laugh it off.

I'm not ashamed of being me.

I see beauty in everything.

I believe I was created for a greater purpose, & for such a time as this.

I am a girl, who desperately wants to change the world.

My heart sings when I'm serving others

I want to be somebody someone else looks up to.

The word "mzungu" makes my heart ache, but at the same time brings happy tears.

A day doesn't go by that I don't wish I was somewhere else.

Wanderlust doesn't even begin to cover it.

I get uncomfortable when I spend too much time in the United States.

I daydream about hearing the words "Nkwagala Nyo!" {I love you so much}

***

I'm a wannabe writer, not-quite-photographer, partially artsy, I read all day, when I'm not lost in thought,

I'm scatter-brained & this post shows it,

but one thing about me stays the same, every day, every hour, every minute, every second,

Uganda is consistent, attached to my heart as I am attached to it, the red dirt has found it's way into my heart, & it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Uganda is who I am, makes me, me. & I should've known this was how this post would turn out.

Don't be surprised when in a few years, you find me on the other side of the world, finally living where I belong, & with a huge smile on my face.

xoxo

Molly

p.s. if you've ever wanted an accurate depiction of my brain, this post is it, scattered & messy, & that's ME.

Ups & Downs {#12}

-Thumbs Up-

Going to my little cousin's play last night!

& Getting an autograph from "Peter Pan" :D

The weather in KY has maybe just maybe FINALLY stopped being bipolar & temperamental & warming up a bit!

Planning summer adventures.

Talking to my beautiful cyber-twinnie, Hope, all the way from South Africa! [DUDE I'VE MISSED YOU]

Wearing my pretty Ugandan flip-flips <3 <3 <3

-Thumbs down-

Not knowing when I'll be back in My Uganda

We forgot to bring my cousin her cute paper flowers we made her.

I haven't done an Ups & Downs post since 2013!?

Not having any idea whether or not my favorite little one in the whole world is doing okay,

 & missing her [^^^] beyond what I can explain.

Getting behind on my 2014 reading goal... uh oh.

i love it when thumbs up is easier than thumbs down...

The Elite & Other Selection Stories

In the last 72 hours, I have found and read The Elite, The Prince, & The Guard, all Selection stories by Kiera Cass. (Click for links to each of them online for free. Don't judge I'm cheap)

So after plenty of thought on the topic, I've decided to give you my opinion on the famous love triangle.

I have told multiple people that I disliked Aspen, that he bugged me at least, but after reading The Guard, I realized that it was not Aspen I disliked, not in the slightest, it was the thought of America ending up with him.

Let me explain, to begin, I think Aspen loves America, with every fiber of his being and that he would go to the moon and back for her if it meant he could have her forever... Or even if it didn't. And for that very reason (bear with me for a minute) I don't think America deserves Aspen.

I think America does, love Aspen, or at least she did, but at the same time, part of her heart will always be tied to Maxon, even if she ended up with Aspen. He will always love her in ways she'll never be able to love him back, and Aspen doesn't deserve to have to share the girl he loves with anyone else, even if said person chose somebody else. Aspen needs someone he can love, who will love him back in every way America can't.

I also think America loves Maxon, I think she loves them both in very different ways, & I do think she loves Maxon more. The way she responds to them and the way their relationships have stood gives me the idea that she would have gotten over Aspen in much less time, and been beyond happy with Maxon had Aspen not shown up at the palace. Her having to get over Aspen while Aspen is still there fighting for her is nearly impossible, I think she still cares deeply for him, and doesn't want to hurt him, but she doesn't love him the way she once did.

And then there's Maxon, who was quite the character in this book to say the least. I think he loves America as much or more than Aspen, though in a different way. He'd go to any lengths to keep her safe & show that he cares about her, but you can tell he's torn at the thought that she could leave him at any second and if she genuinely told him she didn't want him, he'd have to let her go, because he does care about her enough to not force her into anything she doesn't want.

Also there is Kriss, who I do think loves Maxon, but I don't think he loves her. In moments of stress, heartbreak, and genuine confusion, he found comfort in her love & generosity, but I don't think he loves her, and Kriss doesn't deserve someone who doesn't genuinely care about her for her. I think Kriss and Maxon would have ended up together was America not in the picture whatsoever, but Maxon loves America too much to be with anyone else.

So, all of that being said, I am Team Maxon until the end for all three of their sakes.

Also I think Aspen should end up with Lucy...

Hopefully all of that made since to you, I'll see you all again soon!

xoxo

Molly

Guess who's backkk!!!

Hello friends!

I have returned from the depths of my non-presence in the blogging world.

(That made no sense & I don't care in the slightest)

In case you are wondering, my "give-up-social-media-for-lent" thing didn't go over very well, but I do have reasons for my failure, we do a lot of things pertaining to our ministry that I really could not afford to be away from social media entirely I (obviously) managed to stay off Blogger, & mostly off of Pinterest, but I cannot say the same for the rest.

Regardless, I am back now, & in an effort to be a tad more organized & post more frequently, I've decided to come up with a schedule for myself for the coming days.

Starting tomorrow, Thursdays will be book posts, whether it be reviews, squealing anticipation of a new book on the horizon, movie comparisons, or other kinds of squealing for movies that are coming out for my favorite books, whatever it is will be book-related.

It will be a mostly every other day schedule, so Saturdays will be my "Ups & Downs" posts.

Mondays will be any kind of writing, whether it be thoughtful/meaningful, a poem (of sorts, I'm not very good at poems), just a photo with a few words, or my rambling thoughts, it'll simply be words.

Since there are 7 days in a week, it can't be exactly every other day, so the next will be Wednesday, where, since I can't think of anything else, there will be any kind of suggested post or tag that happens to come up, so be sure to give me any kind of request imaginable! You can comment on this post, or any post at any point and I'll be sure and get it posted, on a Wednesday, as soon as I can! 

All the other days of the week (Sunday, Tuesday, & Friday) there may be other posts, but they won't be planned, if I find a song I want to post, or have anything random to say, they'll be on any of those days.

SO the schedule is as follows:

Sunday: Free

Mondays: Writing/Words

Tuesday: Free

Wednesday: Requested/Tagged

Thursday: Books

Friday: Free

Saturday: Ups & Downs

(you will be able to find this at any time in my "about" page)

That's all folks! See you tomorrow with a post about (drum roll please....) The Elite! (And other Selection stories!)

xoxo

Molly

40 day hiatus???

Hey followers,

I know I said in my last post that I was hoping to post more this month than I have in the last few months...

Because of new circumstances, that will not be happening.

My church is doing Lent (like they do every year) and though you're not required to participate, we're encouraged to, and I'm taking this opportunity to give up something that generally takes up 90% of my time:

Social Media.

I spend more time than I care to admit on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and more, and the more time I spend with my phone in front of my face, the less time I spend with family and friends. So I'm challenging myself to put my iPod down and close my laptop, and generally be more productive.

Maybe this isn't technically for Lent, maybe I'll cheat once in awhile and scroll through Instagram for 10 minutes, I'll probably still get on Pinterest to look for craft projects instead of spending time in front of a screen. 

This is a challenge and a promise I'm making to myself and to God, it's not "for Lent", it's not to please anyone else, and we'll see how long I last, but I'm doing this to make a habit of it.

If I spend 40 days away from social media and generally spend less time on my laptop, I'll be less likely after the 40 days is over to resort to that with all my free time.

I deleted my social media apps from my iPod and am downloading the Bible app, because that's why I'm doing this, instead of spending an hour catching up on social media when I wake, I spend that hour reading God's word. I'm hoping to get a devotional book of some sort, but for now the app will have to do.

So, it's been real guys, see you in 40 days.

xoxo

Molly

Hello March

March means...

DIVERGENT movie,

and many fangirl feels.

Hopefully more posts,

and warmer weather, (maybe?)

Time with friends,

and big changes.

Improved relationships,

and lots of laughs.

what does March mean for you?

Because she suggested it, and how could I say no??

A few weeks ago, I posted here asking for ideas on what to post about,

One of my favorite people in the whole entire world, commented with a few suggestions, 

Her exact words were.. 

"You could write about movies, fandoms, clothing, crazy stories about your dreams (I loved those), or maybe even owls. Who knows?"

Those are all marvelous ideas, but if you know me, than you know that the one that stuck out to me the most was that one tacked onto the end...

Owls.

And because my flawless bestest friend ever suggested it, how could I say no??? 

So here we go.

She really could not have picked a better random animal to choose. I do rather have an obsession with these gorgeous birds.

This one is positively gorgeous, and it has a heart shaped face!!! Eeeek!

I also absolutely love anything shaped like an owl or with owls on it, I know that's a huge thing right now, but I am not ashamed to say that I am on that bandwagon. I actually own a necklace just like this.

I'm also obsessed with notebooks, does someone want to get me this?

It's sooo leetle!!!!

Haha okay I think that's enough for now. 

That was fun :P

Thank you Google Images for all the photos ;)

xoxo

Molly

"About that..." - a mini-scene

I walked over to what had become our meeting place lately, we talked all the time, how we managed to always have something to talk about is beyond me, as we have almost nothing in common.

But I liked it.

"Hey" I said when I walked up next to him.

"Hey," he said smiling, "what's up?"

"Not a whole lot, what about you?"

"A whole lot of nothing"

"mmmhmm..."

A few seconds of silence passed between us before I rolled my eyes and said,

"You, my friend, are an excellent conversationalist"

He looked down, "yeah... about that..." He said slowly.

I blinked "What, that you're actually terrible at holding a conversation?" 

He chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Then what?"

"About me being your friend."

He looked up then and I saw the playful glint in his eye.

"Oh? You don't want to be my friend anymore?"

He shook his head again "No, not especially, it's really not much fun. Do you want to be friends?"

I blushed, "Not especially."

"Then it's settled," He said, "We're not friends anymore."

"Right, well if we're not friends," I said playfully, turning away, "I guess I'd better be going"

He grabbed my arm from behind "Sometimes I think you're going to make things easy this time, then you remind me that nothing is easy with you."

I smirked, "As long as you know that, I think we'll be just fine not being friends."

***

Some strange part of me finds this absolutely adorable XD

Enjoy I suppose, if this even makes sense to anybody else, it makes sense in my head.

xoxo

Molly

I write because...

Because I think a lot, 

  My thoughts make sense, sometimes,

My words don't.

  Nothing that comes out of my mouth makes sense

It's all a jumbled mess and I can't fix it.

 But I can write.

When I write, it makes more sense, my thoughts don't seem...

Quite so nonsensical. 

  And if it doesn't, I can try again.

Erase, scratch out, delete, backspace,

try it again.

My fingers fly across the keyboard or page,

and it doesn't have to be perfect.

It can be broken, wrong, messed up, and make no sense.

Nobody ever has to see my rough draft.

I write because I can perfect it,

when I'm speaking, it all tumbles out and I can't fix it,

I try to explain it and it makes even less sense,

I feel like banging my head against the wall,

I want to scream "that's not what I meant!"

I write because I can fix it before it even leaves my mouth.

I write because then it makes sense.

I write because it helps me to understand what I'm thinking.

***

Sometimes I feel like all I can think after I talk to someone is "I shouldn't have said that/said it like that"

And I come up with stuff like this.

xoxo

Molly

The Sunshine Award!

"For bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere."

The rules are:

I. thank the blogger that nominated you and link to his/her blog
II. nominate other bloggers and let them know on their blogs
III. answer a list of ten questions
IV. the Sunshine Award button must be posted on your blog

The beautiful S (Should I know your full name? Eek.) who has a lovely little blog called A Free Mind, gave me this award, thank you sooo much!!!

1. What is your favorite scripture verse?

My answer to this question is ever-changing, and I have many, the one that comes to mind is Psalm 34:18:

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit"

because I found it when I needed to hear that most, but high up on the list are Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27, Isaiah 6:8, and 1 Timothy 4:12.

2. Would you sacrifice your life if it would save that of a stranger's?

I'd love to say that I would without a second thought, but it all depends on the situation. If it was a split-second, push-someone-out-of-the-road-because-there's-a-car-coming, I don't think I'd be able think quickly enough to do so, but if someone had a gun and said it was me or someone else, I'd say to shoot me, I'm not afraid to die.

3. Given the chance to swim with dolphins... would you accept?

 What kind of question is this? Of course I would!!! Actually, I think I have before, but it was a long time ago. I think it would be a blast, dolphins are so sweet and cute and just make me want to hug them.

4. Are you more "fascinated" by the light or by the darkness; why?

Honestly, I don't know. Light is beautiful, and when it hits things just right, you can see things in ways you've never imagined. But the darkness strikes up my imagination, when you can't see anything, anything is possible, and there is no logic in actually seeing the proof to tell me otherwise.

5. Can you speak with a different accent?

Hmm... Perhaps. But you most likely don't want to hear it.

If it's on command that is, when I'm in Uganda, I unconsciously start speaking with a Ugandan accent.

6. Do you play an instrument?

I wish. But I do not. My brother was gifted with the musical ability in my family, I got none.

7. Has the ocean ever filled your dreams?

My actual, sleeping, nighttime dreams, no. but my daydreams have defnitely been filled with the beauty of the waves and the taste of salt.

8. Presuming you own one, how often is your journal put to use?

Whenever my thoughts become so much, that I have to get them out of my head and put them on paper, when I don't want to say it out loud, but need get it out somehow.

9. Why on earth (pun intended) would anyone wish to rule the world?

A selfish desire for power corrupts people's minds. Satan twists their thoughts to make them think they won't be happy until everything is their way and exactly how they want it.

10. What is your favorite hymn?

I can't say that I have one...

Well that was fun :) 

I nominate...

KayleeBeth @ That Bright One

Heather @ JesusChick

Sarah @ My Randomness and Ramblings

Paige @ All Things Beautiful

Priya @ Priya Kate

And since you are ALL beautiful and wonderful, anybody else who else who would like to do this, I nominate you ;)

***

Before I go, I want to say that I should be back on my blogging game soon, I actually have inspiration for what to write for once! See you all soon :)

xoxo

Molly

Bible Verse Editing Contest

Hey all! I'm entering Brittney's Bible verse editing contest!

You can see the original post for the contest here.

After much much much going back and forth and trying to decide which edits to use, I finally decided on these two:

Are you surprised that there's one with some of my favoritest kids in the world? Yeah, me neither.

I found this verse when I needed it the very most, I really like this edit ♥

I hope you like them!!! 

Thank you Brittney for holding this contest! :)

(I believe my grandmother took the first picture on out trip to Uganda a few months back, I found the second image on Tumblr)

xoxo

Molly

Hello 2014

Man, 2013 was a pretty great year.

Let's have a look at what I did in 2013...

In January I...

Settled back into life after months of chaos...
Made friends...
Dressed in faction outfits...
Adjusted to the littlest member of our household being around...

He had interesting food choices...

In February I...

Ran my first (and only) 5k...
^ My brother & I ended by saying it was a terrible idea and we probably should have stretched or trained XD ^
Wondered what I was doing here...
^That's my other blog :) ^
Helped my small group collect hundreds of boxes of macaroni for the Super Bowl competition... (We won)
Went to my last Believe conference... (Bittersweet)

In March I...

Started my Intagram... (Which makes this WAY easier)
Made egg-less cookie dough... (It was soooo yummy <3)
Got my ears pierced!...

In April I...

Argued with my brother... (This was a group effort)

Saw Oz: The Great and Powerful...

Watched the Cards win the National Championship!... (Basketball, gotta love it)

Celebrated my baby brother's first American birthday!...

Reunited with old friends... (If only for a little while)

Went to an Audio Adrenaline concert!...

Posted on Facebook by one of the bands that performed that night, not my photo.

In May I...

Celebrated birthdays, graduations, and marriages...
Spent a lot of time with friends...
Had a bonfire...
(We) Got a puppy!...

I found that accusing your father of not having a soul really helps your case.

In June I...

Got a needle stabbed though my fingernail while sewing... (OW, hurts just thinking about it)
Saw my brother home from Afghanistan for a few weeks...
Had one of the best weeks of my life at camp with my friends... (We have countless inside jokes from one week)
Went on vacation with my family <3...

My brother's girlfriend took family pictures while we were there, they're some of the few pictures of myself I actually like.

In July I...

Finished the Harry Potter books... (And changed my life for the better)
Made my parents a scrapbook (of sorts) for their anniversary... (Took foreverrrr. But worth it to see their reaction when I gave it to them, the day I left for Uganda!)
Left for Uganda!...

Shoes I got for Uganda :)

In August I...

Was in Uganda until the 19th...
Started this blog!... (Fun fact: While I was in Uganda!)
Hung out with my sister-in-law...
Watched little brother officially become part of out family... (Yay God!)

(As you can tell, my July and August were pretty consumed with my trip to Uganda, you can read more about that and see pictures on my other blog here, it was pretty amazing ♥)

In September I...

Got to hang out with a bunch of different group of friends...
Started babysitting at church every week...
Finally saw my brother home from Afghanistan... (For good this time)
Watched the Percy Jackson movie again...

BIG MISTAKE.

In October I...

Packed Christmas present for our kids in Uganda... (And watched my dad and brother take them without me... I only cried a little bit)
Lost the giraffe challenge... (long story)
Watched two of my best friends move away... (Miss them so bad)
Celebrated a VERY special FRIENDAVERSARY... (Read about it here, here, & here)
^^^ This girl made this year absolutely AMAZING. Don't even get me started ^^^
Dressed as Thor for Halloween...
Read some awesome books... (Allegiant and House of Hades!!! :O :O :O)

In November I...

Went on one of the best trips of my life... (Gatlinburg ♥)
Attempted (and failed) NaNoWriMo...
Watched Tangled & Saw Catching Fire...
Spent Thanksgiving with my family...
Celebrated my 14th birthday!...

In December I...

SAW FROZEN ♥♥♥...

Reminisced...

Was in a play with my friends at church... (I sang in the choir... but it was still lots of fun)

Had and amazing Christmas...

***

So all in all, a pretty fantastic year.

God has blessed me so much with amazing experiences, people, and memories to be treasure forever this last year.

I can't wait to see what he has in store for this year, for 2014.

Please be as amazing as the last ♥

I didn't make any New Year "resolutions", as I don't trust myself to keep them, but I do have a list of things I want to do before my 15th birthday (in November) that I'll be sharing soon, and as you can see on my sidebar, I'm challenging myself to read 40 books this year, it's not really a stretch from last year's 34, so it may go up as the year progresses.

xoxo

Molly