I love to see the Temple

This was our ward Temple trip. The first ward temple trip I've ever been on. It was long and busy but very nice. Though Robin Hood and I wanted to go to the science museum afterwards. We didn't, however, we were blessed.

Camping at Rocky Top

 We went for a mini vacation to A nearby lake.

  And I found the best fishing spot. This top and left is a bridge that was busted by flood water. On the left, you can see a tree that fell in to. It lies right across, and near it's roots and underneath it was a nice fish nest. It was at least until my siblings came to marvel over it.
"WOW!"
"Look at those fish Tali!"
"Yes, I see, I was here first, I know," I say, just a little irritated.
"There's a big one,"
                                                                                      "I'm gonna scoot down and take a closer look."
                                                                                     "No, please don't, your way too close,"  Too late,                                                                                                      they all swim away.

But I owe thanks for all my hooks they have saved from snags.
On the left I am taking a mental picture of it with dad, from my point of veiw, There is a scene that I think would make a nice scenery drawing.
Oh, and I take a lot of pictures, but there are lots on my blog that were taken by my Mom. Here at the bottom is Dad showing you how huge this pipe is.

And stayed in tiny cabins. We rented two. And had a fun time visiting different parts of the lake, fishing, ( I caught two perch, though I'd rather liked to have caught trout,) adventuring, playing ladder ball, and Air hockey. The only sad thing is that we didn't visit any of the mills. There are tons of cool old mills, some refurbished to look like they had one when they were new, and many that are left to rot. I feel sorry for the ones people have just let go, I like to imagine the little villages of Irish people, picturing were they were, and what they did. We once  hiked to see  an old hospital by a river that had burnt down.

Part two of Somtimes

Now about my writing. Everybody writes; in emails,  letters, blogs,  and books. I will always write even if it is only in my journal. Though I don't think that will ever be the case. I love writing letters. I love telling stories on paper. I like to read my short stories to my sisters,  the scary and funny ones are  particularly fun.

I have been working more on my NaNoWriMo novel. It is a fantasy, and my favorite, but also the one I have the most difficulty with.

I am trying to finish it so that I  get the free proof copy of it. So I can let others read it in a nice formal cover. I feel like I am far from that. But I am going to get the proof copy even if I don't finish my book like I'd want to. I already have the cover designed.  

My book 

But this here, is where I am stuck.

“What kind of private business? Are you doing something I should know about?”

Ivan looked into Michael's eyes, for a trace of a lie.

“No.” And there was that gleam. He was lying.  And then, another thing was in his eyes. A spark of gold. Like at the peace banquet. But it disappeared instead of growing.

So strange.

“My business is my business, and no one is going to pry me open. So stop it, and lets go help the others.”

Okay, what is Michael doing? That's the question. I thought I knew, but I have changed my story so that my original idea wont work. This is where my POV character, (Ivan,) has gone on a school hunt ( for deer) with his friends, and they had been attacked by wolves who turn out to be large hunting dogs bred by the rival nation Kerroma. The dogs took a particular interest in Ivan, and as he is later to see, even more so in Michael. 
But Michael had been wounded prior to that by a boar, so he stayed with another boy ( his cousin, ) in the other part of the Forest while Ivan and the other's hunted.  When the other boys had chased the dogs off, Ivan realized that the dogs had took off in the direction where  Michael and his cousin were. So Ivan goes to look. They find Michael's cousin all alone high on a rock surrounded by the remaining dogs.
Where was Michael? had he been killed? stranded? Ivan rescues Michael's cousin, though the cousin is bitten on the foot by one of the dogs so he jumps off Ivan's horse and kills the dog, another startles Ivan's horse who takes him for a wild ride and Ivan slips off the back. He finds Michael, who seems to be unaware of the entire dog attack. Plus, Michael has been drinking strange gold potions. And when Michael and Ivan join everyone else, every single wolf turns on Michael.

 Okay, some time has passed since I wrote that, I think I know now why Michael was separated from his cousin, more or less, or not not so much at all, but I know what he was doing.
So there's a buffering point for you. I told my Nana that I would be done with this story by February. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. 
But I am not putting this book down until I finish it. In the past I have written pieces of stories and could never finish them. but now, I am finishing this one. 
NaNowrimo has helped me learn that first drafts aren't perfect and I should not make them so. Just get it out. It doesn't matter if there's too much detail, or in my case, no detail, or if you antagonist isn't original. Get it out. Then put it down. After a few months, pick it up and edit, rewrite, cut, or even add. All that stuff. And Then again. But a... to cut out seems painful. I had to do that for the first time. 

Robin hood is working on his basket merit badge

Girls in my ward say they are going to die on this summer's pioneer trek, with out showers, or a fresh set of clothes, and sweating all the way. But this is what I caught Robin hood saying:
"I'm going to die! Mom, I can't make any more dumb baskets. "
Well Robin, I don't get it.
Why do you say this when you talk so much about those silly girls who say that I will have to bury them by the roadside on the trek? How can you call them silly? We are talking about a pioneer trek. And you know what? Lots of people died on the way to Salt Lake .
But I have never heard of any one dieing while making baskets.


PS: To save his honor, and reputation, Robin hood request that I write this after post.

He says it wasn't as bad as he thought, it is hard, but he thinks it's fun. ( and he has actually has a talent for it.)
So maybe we will both live through the trek. Oh no, Robin said it again!
"If I don't die," But this time I think he is joking.
But I am really exited. I just got my pioneer dress. Now all I need is a bonnet.

Somtimes...

I think too much on what to write about.
There are so many ideas in my brain, there is never nothing, it's only what, and which one?
So today I will write about a career I will take on for life. I am going to be a writer and an artist. anyone who can draw a stick figure, can be an artist.
That is my belief. See mine at the top? You might notice one I never finished. My stick people are always cowboys and Indians, or fishermen. And sometimes my family. I like to decorate my envelopes with them. I used to draw possums on envelopes too. Mischievous ones. I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon.
But that is mostly because I have such a art- supportive mother. she gave me pencils, crayons, glitter, paint, markers and scissors, ( yes, there were times, my mom says, when I cut my hair, and drew on myself; I remember going to church with green marker all over my hands,) and over the years even a couple desks. Right now I have two.Desks, not green hands. He,he.
But the only problem is that when I was six I caught horse fever and since then I drew only ponies and horses. of course there was the occasional Kittie and dog in my picture, and a bird, but I drew only stick people. They were not important. And now, almost ten years later, when I feel like I want to have people riding my horses, I realize my people are no match for my horses! I can draw any animal realistically if i can see it,
(You can see some on my art bog, though I admit it's old,)
but people? Eh, he, need a few more years. I wish there was a smiley face I could put here. :)
When I was ten i dropped markers and crayons, and I never did much with chalk.
I started to lean to pencils. i loved the dark against the white, and it was then when mom said, '
"Okay Tali, it's time to learn how to shade."
She told me to get my coloring books and color them with a pencil. And from there I learned to shade. I like colored pencils to, but they have no erasers!
(The col. pencils that do aren't as good as the ones that don't.) And I have recently discovered water color paints, after watching a movie with my family about Beatrix Potter, and I decided that I wanted to be able to paint as well as her. In that I have lots of room for improvement. I have in everything.
My Nana was also an artist and she worked as an apprentice for Evertt Thorpe. He was a Utah artist, and some of his works are so real looking, like his mountains, it makes me feel like I am looking up. Evertt thought she was to good to get married and raise a family, he wanted her to keep working for him. He was a stickler for anatomy. Nana says I need to study anatomy.
And so I do, though not as much as I should, I think.
Dad got the Drawing on the right side of your brain video for the whole family to work on for an hour or two each Saturday. So far we took two lessons. The first was a self portrait. Yikes! We all got mirrors, and stared at ourselves for a while. At least I did. I drew myself quite small, maybe so that I couldn't see the mistakes. It was pretty okay. I will eventually get better.
These are some of the envelopes i have done in the past.