And We Won't Forget...

Sometimes the Fourth of July goes over my head.

 

 

In the sheer summer fun of this holiday, it can be too easy to forget what it is we're celebrating. I get caught up in fireworks and root beer floats and my siblings' laughter in the sweet evening air. And there's nothing wrong with that.

 

 

But this year, living on a military base with servicemembers deploying every day, the true idea behind the sparklers and the barbecues has become so clear to me.

 

Freedom is something deeply ingrained in every human heart. It's something we dream of, something that is worth our blood and our sacrifice. And this is what we celebrate when we fill the skies with fireworks and gather with friends for picnics. It's about American lives and the ideal they were given for.

 

From those who fought for liberty in our past...

...to the warriors of the present...

...and those whose sacrifice is the longest, the ones who will live with the empty place at the table long after the fanfare and the eulogies are gone.


 

The countless lives given in pursuit of true liberty is a mantle that we must never forget to carry as Americans. Not as a morbid weight to burden us, but a precious responsibility, a charge to keep, that "we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain".

 

 

So today, let's hug our families close, slurp watermelon, laugh a lot, and let the memory of the price paid for our freedom both humble our hearts and make us stand tall.

God bless the USA!

(all images from weheartit)

hello, life

don't remind me, that some days i'm the windshield...

...and other days i'm just a lucky bug.

Beautiful People--Kionan

It's time for the June edition of Beautiful People! *cue cheering*

It's June. Oy. Where is this summer going?

Anyway, I decided to do one of my favorite characters from my novel The Count. He's heir to the throne of the land of Aislin, and throughout the story, becomes Tal's best friend. So say hello to Aislin's crown prince, Kionan. He says you can call him Kio for short.

Where shy Tal and I are still getting to fully know each other, this guy walked into my head, sat down, and proceeded to inform me how his side of the story was going to play out. He also seems to get a kick out of surprising me with inconvenient plot twists. It's royal orneriness, I suppose.


1. What kind of music does he/she like? The music of Aislin is inspired by ancient Gaelic/Celtic music with some Greek influences. Kio likes music that's lively and energetic, like this, or the Aislin battle songs, like this.

2. Does he/she like to go outside? Yes! He's a very active young man and loves to be outdoors, riding, swordfighting, just plain adventuring, and occasionally falling off cliffs.

3. Is he/she naturally curious? Somewhat. He is someone who's always questioning certain things, but he's not actively curious about everything.

4. Right or left handed? Kio is right-handed.

5. Favorite color? Deep red.

6. Where is he/she from? The city of Coladh, capitol of Aislin.

7. Any enemies? Many. It's all but impossible to be a prince without enemies, and although Kio doesn't usually seek out fights, he's not the most accomodating personality either. He has enemies of his father who are waiting for any chance to usurp the throne, enemies who simply dislike him, and a growing threat to Aislin of invasion from a neighboring country.

8. What are his/her quirks?  He likes to put honey on things like apple slices and sausage. When he's deep in thought or excited about something, he can hardly keep still; he paces the room, drums his fingers on the table, waves his arms in the air. And he hates lukewarm drinks. If they're meant to be cold, they need to be cold, and if they're hot, they should be steaming.

9. What kind of things get on his/her nerves? People with no sense of humor, being interrupted in the middle of a book, questions with no answers, fainting ladies, flirtatious ladies, desperately-trying-to-marry-him ladies, meaningless court customs, and gravy.

10. Is he/she independent, or needs others to help out?  Kio looks after himself, both as protection against those who would seek access to the throne through him, and out of a deep impatience with fawning servants and courtiers. However, he is a restless person who often needs others to anchor him.

And there you have it! There's still plenty of time to join in this month's Beautiful People; you can link your blog post up here!

You make my frown turn upside down...

I love Wal-Mart.

Normally, I hate Wal-Marts with a passion. They're more gigantic than any store has a right to be, and being in one just has a tendency to send that creepy cold feeling down my spine.

But for now, Wal-Mart and I are on very friendly terms. Why? Because yesterday, I went on a quest. Tiptoeing into the music section and holding my breath, I peered at the shelves. And...there it was.



(*excuse me while I squee*)

 Yes. Owl City can even make me fall in love with huge, drafty, creepy stores where getting from the toothpaste on one side of the store to the milk on the other side takes about an hour. That's how long I've been waiting for this. That's how brilliant a certain guy named Adam Young is.

Because Owl City is more than music. It's layers and layers of imagination and color and adventure tucked into a few words and given a whimsical title. It's a place where there's always fireflies and vanilla twilights, and you return with rainbows in your veins and fresh eyes to see the beauty of this life we get to live.

So goodbye...I'm hopping in my hot air balloon and floating off to Owl City, and I may not be back for awhile.

Beautiful People--Talie Renspur



Beautiful People is a writer's meme hosted monthly at the lovely blog Further Up and Further In. It's a wonderful way to learn about fellow writers' characters, while discovering more about your own "beautiful people". And it's just plain fun. I'm excited to join in this month!

There's so many characters spinning around in my head that I wanted to do, but in the end, I went with the main character from my current fantasy novel The Count. Meet Talie Renspur, Tal for short.

1. What type of laugh does he/she have? You could call it a "belly laugh". Very full and very free...it spills out.

2. Who is his/her best friend? Kionan, the son of the king. She's also quite close to her little brother, Rowan.

3. What is his/her family like? Tal's family...is hard to be with. Expectations are high and rigid, and there's no room for anyone who doesn't fit the mold. They're charismatic, sophisticated, and always seeking greater power and prominence. While they're not cruel to each other, they don't show much affection.

4. Is he/she a Christian, or will he/she eventually find Jesus? Since the novel's set in a fantasy world, there's no "Christianity". However, there is a God/Christ figure, and she will come to know Him at some point.

5. Does he/she believe in fairies? Fairies don't exist in her world, and she doesn't really dare to believe in anything mythical. Yet. :P

6. Does he/she like hedgehogs? In the woods, yes. In her bed, courtesy of a little brother, no.

7. Favorite kind of weather? Warm, green summer days where everything is alive.

8. Does he/she have a good sense of humor? If so what kind? (Slapstick, wit, sarcasm, etc.?) Hmm, Tal's a quiet girl and isn't witty or sarcastic. However, she has an appreciation for absurdity--in life, in the people around her, and in herself.

9. How did he/she do in school, or any kind of education they might have had? Girls at the court are given a basic education, but their training revolves more around court etiquette, music, dancing, and whatever else a young lady needs to know. So, while Tal did fairly well at her "education", she owes nearly all of her knowledge of weightier things like politics and history to books from the court library.

10. Any strange hobbies? She's an avid reader and likes walking alone in the country, which are both "strange" things for a young woman at the court to do. Other than that, she prefers to stay ordinary and mostly invisible.

And done! Fleshing out bits of these people that live in your head is so satisfying. It's just as lovely as a friendship unfolding in real life. :D

Bubbles and Sunrises

Photographer Odin Hole Standal took these shots of giant soap bubbles reflecting the sunrise over a Norwegian fjord. Pure magic.

And...

Richard Heeks took frame-by-frame photos of bubbles popping. Apparently they don't actually "pop", but tear. Something about these is just mesmerizing. I've been staring at them for half an hour!

the beginning

Hello there, and welcome to Snow After Fire! Moving from WordPress to Blogger has been in the works for awhile, and though parts of the blog are still under construction, it's time to get going!


If you were a reader of Snow After Fire when it was on Wordpress, I'm thrilled to see you. :D Thanks for coming over! If you're new, I'm happy to have you here!


This blog is, first and foremost, a chronicle of the amazing grace of Jesus Christ, and the journey towards knowing Him better. I'm a girl who seeks to live a life of defeated dragons, and I'd be glad to have you join me on the way. Because following a not-tame Lion is one crazy, wonderful adventure. Here there be monsters, but it is so good.


Further up and further in! :)