Praise Him.

{via}

I had my last devotions of 2011 today. Providentially, the final Psalm the One Year Bible had me read was [no surprise] Psalm 150. It's short, but as 2011 draws to its close, I think it says a lot.
"Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."


There are a lot of things about 2011 I wish I could change; there are some things I wouldn't change even if I had the chance. It was a good year; a hard year; a year of testing and of refinement and joy. Not as bad as some years I can remember; maybe not as good as others.

At the end of this year, there's a lot of memories knocking on my door. Sometimes I'd like to question God; to ask Him why He thought that moment was right to bring a difficult providence into my life, or if He couldn't have let the sun shine just a little longer before dousing all my hopes in a sudden storm. Other times, I'm overcome with gratefulness at how good He has been this year.

I can't change the bad things that happened; I wouldn't change the good things. So, in the end, there is only one thing to do: praise Him.

I must praise God for every gift He's given me this year; praise Him for the trials He's brought me through.

I must praise Him for the sunshine and the rain.

I must praise Him for the times of happiness, for all the times I did something I thought I'd never do and did it well. Those things I'll remember for the rest of my life. And, in the end, I can do nothing but praise Him for the times I failed because I relied on my own strength to get me through, or simply because He had a lesson to teach me.

I'm so thankful for this year. I've learned a lot; grown a lot; written a lot; talked a lot [that's not unusual]; prayed a lot--though not as often as I should. I've made new friends, discovered new gifts, found new passions. I've read a heap of books and loved almost every single one. I've worked for about seven months now and am really encouraged by how kind everyone at the office has been to me. I got accepted into a college that I really like, and there's a chance that I might recieve a good sum of money to make it easier to attend there [that's something I'll have to wait 'til 2012 to find out]. For all these things and more I can only praise God.


Sometimes the providences I encounter leave me gasping for breath, but I can only praise God that He led me safely through. Other times, they leave me breathless with joy, and what better way to show my thankfulness than to praise the Lord?


Well, that's my formal farewell to 2011. I hope and pray that 2012 will be just as good a year, for me and for you.

As far as any New Year's resolutions go, well--pfft. Aren't mine always the same?


God Bless ~

Ps. One of the things I praise God for is my blog! I'm so glad to have the chance to write down my thoughts, post my stories, and read your blogs. In honor of that blessing, I picked my top ten favorite posts from this year. Here they are:

1. I Know I'll Understand Someday [10/16/11]
2. Another Short Story =] (6/18/11)
3. The Happiness [8/13/11]
4. An Apology [5/18/11]
5. Where Do I Start? [9/17/11]
6. Day{s} After [12/28/11]
7. Braking for Turkey [11/20/11]
8. Second to the Right, and Straight On Till Morning [8/28/11]
9. Is It November Yet? [10/13/11]
10. Ideas, Ideas [4/9/11]


What about you? What were your favorite posts from Something Solid Out of Air?

Really, now.

I'm an obsessive music lover. When I find a song that I like, I listen to it. I listen to it again and again and again. For me, it never gets old. For other people... well, they usually just leave the room.

But today, I've outdone myself.

I went to see War Horse the other day with my sister, mom and a couple of friends. I won't even try to tell you how great it was (that might take all day). It was pretty simple for me: horses + English people + rolling green fields where said horses can run for a gloriously long time + a backdrop of one of the deadliest and most tragic wars in history + a phenomenal musical score (which I will mention again) = a pretty awesome movie. It was heartfelt, yet at the same time not at all the syrupy mess most horse films degenerate into about five minutes after the opening credits. It had a lot of suffering and tragedy woven into its plot line, yet at the same time, no matter how many battles you saw or how many characters died, you always knew in the back of your mind that everything was going to be okay in the end. It was a blend of real life and child-like faith in what seems impossible, and I think everyone involved in the making of the film pulled it off brilliantly.

I mentioned in my last post that I was expecting the score by John Williams to be good. Well, it wasn't. It was spectacular. So spectacular, in fact, that I've been haunting the War Horse official website for the last 15-odd hours, refreshing the page so that I can hear a three minute long snippet of the music.

That's pretty disturbing even for me.

With that, my friends, I'm off to Grooveshark to deliver some well-earned respite to my family, who by now probably have the theme for War Horse seared onto their very brains.

Day{s} After

         Christmas Break is almost over. So's the year, for that matter. I hope everyone had as great a time as I did. Now, it's time to get back to business: I have lots of homework to finish, work and school starts back up in less than a week, and, pretty soon, life goes back to normal. Sometimes I wish I could just live in a perpetual Christmas break--bask in the light of our decorated tree all year round, listen to bubbly Christmas songs until my ears bleed, sleep in until ten every morning and then spend the entire day doing nothing but reading the deliciously wonderful books thoughtful friends and family members have dumped upon me in a cascade of ribbon and wrapping paper. It would be nice, in some ways. But, then again, in the two weeks I've had all to myself, what have I done besides the aforementioned activities? Not too much. No writing, no drawing, not a whole lot of reading. Those are things I can only seem to accomplish when life gets crazy; when I need an escape from the whirlwind of activities around me. When I'm left to my own devices with too much time on my hands, the only thing I do is sleep. Way to be a good steward of your time, me.

                                                     

That said, I really did enjoy Christmas this year. I felt that our day was balanced--tentatively, but rightly so--between family, food, gifts and a quiet, inward recognition of the Gift we have recieved. I was able to give away the gifts I'd bought for friends and family, and, I must say, I was really spoiled this year. My mom picked up the last book in the Auralia's Colors series--that was the one gift I was not expecting! I devoured it in two days and am still reeling from the confusing but satisfying conclusion to one of my favorite fantasy series. And--well, instead of me rambling on about all gifts my wonderful family & friends threw at me this year, why don't you just deduce from the picture?

       Ahaha. Yes. Believe it or not, I surprised myself and was actually thrilled about recieving Matthew Henry's commentary on the Bible. It's something I've been wanting for a while, though not something I think I'd ever buy for myself. All in all, I think the bag was my favorite gift. It's just... awesome. Although it doesn't hold as many books as I thought it would. Meh. Nuance.

      As if I hadn't already recieved enough, there's ONE last Christmas gift I have to tell you about (even though it's technically from me to me and I haven't given it to myself yet). Tomorrow, my mom and I are taking my sister and a few friends to see War Horse for her birthday.

     YEAH. How cool is that? Even though I have to pay my way, I'm pretty excited. I don't know whether or not I'd be more excited to see the play....

....where the actors actually ride on life-size puppets.

       Meh. I think the movie score by John Williams (yes, THAT John Williams) will make up for any absence of puppets.

      Lastly, I'm sure you noticed that I've resorted to editing my blog template once again! Let me know what you think--I believe it needs a splash of color to really look good.

     Wishing you and yours a happy New Year,



'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Christmas is pretty amazing. Today, it's electrified with an emphasis on presents, on food, on outward expressions of love as family members gather together for one day, exchange gifts, and then hardly see each other for a whole year. It's very interesting to see how people can take something originally understated and hardly acknowledged that first Christmas Night and decorate it and buy it and sell it and sing it until we hardly know what we're celebrating anymore.

Yesterday evening, I watched It's a Wonderful Life and cried my eyes out at the end. Today, we had dear friends over and opened our stockings and put our star on top of the Christmas tree. Tomorrow, we're going to put off opening gifts until Monday so that we can focus on preparing ourselves for worship. Then, after church, we're going to visit my grandmothers and have a delicious dinner with family. I love Christmas for all these things and more (even as I sit here watching It's a Wonderful Life for a second time). But I'm surprised at how warped the message of Christmas has become to the world.

We hear it again and again--"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...." But just stop right there. He gave His only Son. How did He do that? Jesus Christ became a man--a human being, like you, like me, a human being who faced temptation, pain, sorrow, fear and death. He should never have had to stoop to that measure--to become what He had created. But He did--He did it willingly. Why?

Well. There's me. And you. And others, too. Even though we had fallen from His favor and deserved only His displeasure, God had a plan for our salvation. We couldn't save ourselves, however hard we might try. He had to save us. And so that's exactly what happened on the first Christmas night about two thousand years ago. God became man. He was born of a virgin, born under the law. He became sin for us. In the end, He faced God's wrath so that we would not have to. And this is where it all began. It didn't begin with a fanfare of trumpets up and down the crowded streets of Bethlehem; it began with a choir of angels who were sent to shepherds, alone with their flocks on the outskirts of the town. It didn't begin in a palace or even a house; it began in a cave, in the presence of animals. And when the baby Jesus had finally entered His world, the only bed availible was a hastily prepared manger, much the the displeasure of several cows and sheep, I should think. He wasn't noticed that night; and when He was noticed later in life, it was only to be despised and rejected by men.

And yet He still came. Even to face ridicule, death, and the wrath of God the Father for the sins of the world.

That, my friends, is why we have Christmas today, 2,000 years later. Even after two thousand years, we are still trying to understand it.

And, frankly, I don't know if we ever will.

Merry Christmas, everyone. God Bless you tonight, tomorrow and in the coming year.

My Year {In Pictures}

Hey everyone. The year is almost at its end, and I was just looking through some pictures from 2011. It was a good year, to be sure; a lot of good things happened and my family has been blessed beyond measure. I decided to make a couple of picture mosaics, just to show you what the year has been like. The first one (right down there) is just a sort of summary of 2011 for me. It includes my trip to Louisiana for a wedding, most of my amazing summer (including my very first piece of corn on the cob in 2011!) and snippets of our trip to Maine.

Then I went a little further and made a picture mosaic of "36 Things I Loved This Year". That one needs a little explaining, so there's a list under it. If you dare to move forward, I commend you.

My Year {In Pictures}

36 Things I Loved This Year

       
Oh boy. Here we go: (from left-right)

1. I loved Maine. I loved the weather, the landscape, the fact that no one else was there AND sitting on top of a rock in the middle of the woods. Yes. Don't judge.

2. I loved East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It was a confusing but captivating story, skillfully written and masterfully handled. And I also loved the miniseries, which I watched before I read the book. Shaaame.

3. I LOVE HAVING A BLOG! It's such a privilege to be able to read all of your blogs and post little things for you to read.

4. I love that as of March 2011, I have two new little brothers. It's amazing how much they have changed since they first came as foster boys. They're so special, though sometimes difficult to love, and I'm so blessed to have them in my family.

5. I love that I got accepted into college! I don't know if I'll be going to Covenant next fall, but it was such a relief to get that letter in the mail and know that if God leads me there, the door's already open.

6. I loved seeing Les Miserables almost a year ago in January. The performance was just amazing, and it was so special for me to be there with my best friends to see the 25th Anniversary show!

7. I love the Irish Tenors. Yes. I know you knew that, but I thought you might want to hear it again.

8. I LOVED this year's GPCWC. It was just fantastic. I'm still sifting through all the stuff I learned and trying to apply it to my stories. I can't wait for next year! (See, they already changed the banner! August 2012, here I come).

9. I love learning about my great-great grandmother, Mae. I love her story, her spunk, and I love my grandmother for telling me all about it. It's so cool to be able to write her story over one hundred years later.

10. I loved seeing Schindler's List for the first time this year. It was such a great film, so well done and so haunting. It's currently one of my favorite films.

11. I loved going to Louisiana in May! The wedding there was beautiful; I was so happy to be able to be there. New Orleans was such a fascinating place to visit, even though it was SO HOT every day.

12. I LOVED being able to go to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with my German 2 class. I will never forget what I saw there, or how it felt to stand in that cattle car, or how emotionally drained I felt on the car ride home. It was a powerful experience and I would go back again in a hearbeat.

13. I love the books I've written in this past year. I know I'm still not even close to being done, but I got words down on paper and even had several new ideas pop up! I love writing, and I'm so thankful that I had another year to do it!

14. I love skiing! All the adventures my friends and I had are too many to post here now. I'm so excited to be going again this January!

15. I LOVE THAT THE HOBBIT IS COMING OUT NEXT YEAR. I just saw the trailer and, as a rabid fan of both the books and the first three films, I went a little berserk. I don't know if I can wait a whole year.

16. I love that I'm falling back in love with wolves. I started quite a few stories about them over the years, and I think another one's on the way. They're such fascinating creatures to write about.

17. I love pasta. Any pasta. ANY. I could eat it for the rest of my life. I ate quite a lot of pasta in this past year.

18. I love my Avaria books. I know I've been neglecting them, and not working as hard as I could to fix those plot holes, but I still think about them all the time and I can't wait until I start writing in them again!

19. I love Christmas. 'Nuff said.

20. I love latex gloves. Granted, they're really hard to get on, especially if your hands are wet. And it's really awkward when you're standing there fixing ever finger while people are waiting to start a procedure. But in a dentist's office, latex gloves are crucial. Since I work in a dentist's office, and I know more than I ever wanted to know about what kinds of nasty things live in your mouth, I really REALLY love latex gloves.

21. I love coffee. I love the effect coffee has on me (I think the coffee itself tastes pretty nasty). I usually only drink it on Sunday mornings, and I try to avoid it otherwise because it really does stain your teeth, but let's face it--I'm becoming an addict pretty fast.

22. I love painting. Over this past year, I've done a lot of painting and I'm starting to like it more than simple pencil or pen & ink art.

23. I love being part of the Class of 2012 (squee!)

24. I love how much reading I've done this past year. Goodreads, you are my friend forever.

25. I love the film Judgment at Nuremberg. Despite the fact that it's very long and pretty detailed, it's a captivating story and has unforgettable characters.

26. I love music from movies! I'm finding out that I really like movie themes--there's just something about them that clicks with me, I guess. I'll sit at the piano for a good hour trying to play my favorite themes by ear. Don't worry--you'll never need to hear the results ;)

27. I love Hershey's Cookies n' Creme candy bar. In fact, I love just about every white chocolate candy bar I've ever come across.

28. I love Ocean City, NJ!

29. But I also love Ocean City, MD! If ever I chose one over the other, my grandmother would disown me =)

30. I love owls. But you already knew that.

31. I loved that I saw my very first sunrise! It was spectacular.

32. I loved this year's NaNoWriMo. Even though I didn't finish quite on time, I have an incredible story started and I can't wait to keep writing it.

33. I love having a cell phone! Okay, so my phone is only a Tracfone, but as my dad says, phones are for making and recieving calls. No more, no less. Annnnd that's exactly what I do. Okay. Sometimes I text a little.

34. I love driving. I'm pretty bad at it still--I have horrible judgment and I've made blind turns more times than I'd like to admit, but I do love it. And I LOOOOVE my little red Honda.

35. I love that I've grown in Christ this past year. I've been lazy and forgetful; I've skipped out on my devotions and prayer time, but He has continued His work in me despite... well, me. I've learned a lot this past year; it's come with hard lessons and many blessings. I can't wait to see what next year has in store.

36. And, in closing, may I just say: I really love my life. It might sound a bit cheesy, but it's true.

 Anyway. I'll probably post once more before Christmas, Lord-willing, although my life is starting to get really busy as the big day approaches. If I don't write to you again soon, I hope you and your families have a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

God Bless~

Getting in the Mood



Frank called me one day and said, 'I have an idea for a movie, why don't you come over and I'll tell you?'

So I went over and we sat down and he said, 'This picture starts in heaven'. That shook me.


Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_stewart.html#ixzz1gwdjUVhr

It's that time of year again. Time to raid our DVD shelf, searching for just about every Jimmy Stewart movie we own before we plop down on the couch for a veritable marathon of black, white and really tall. All of this joy, of course, can only lead up to one epic film. It's so amazing that my family is only allowed to behold it once every year, sometime around Christmas (preferably Christmas Eve). You must know of it. It's the recorded wonder of that one period in history when Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart made a perfect film (except for that one scene where the wreath is hopping off and on Jimmy's arm).

Yes, people, it's time for It's a Wonderful Life. This is my absolute favorite Jimmy Stewart movie, and almost my favorite movie. In the world. And I've seen my fair share of movies. Good ones, too. But this one's different. It's Christmas for me, not to mention a wonderful story.

It was amazing that a play that seems dated in this world... A man whose best friend is a six-foot white rabbit... But it caught on, especially with young people - they surprised me most of all.

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_stewart.html#ixzz1gweuK36g

I've been watching this movie around Christmastime for just about my entire life. My dad loves Jimmy Stewart movies, and this is his favorite film ever made (right up along with To Kill a Mockingbird). I love the storyline, the characters, the amazing actors who brought them to life, the black and whiteness of it all, the shine in people's eyes, Zuzu's hair (and her name for that matter!) and that lovely house that leaks. It's all wonderful, and it only comes once a year.

We don't have too many Christmas traditions. In fact, in recent years we've cut back on Christmas presents, Christmas music, Christmas cookies and Christmas decorations. We try to be careful, because Christmas the way we want to celebrate it is for Jesus, not for the pretty lights, yummy food, amazing movies or wonderful music. Watching It's a Wonderful Life, however, is a tradition we plan to keep, and I certainly want to carry on in my life for as long as I have a DVD player.

Well, I think one of the main things that you have to think about when acting in the movies is to try not to make the acting show.

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_stewart.html#ixzz1gwgAnBlt

I love Christmas, both for all the stuff that doesn't truly matter (lights, food, music, movies, etc.) and for all the things that do (the birth of Christ, our salvation). It's hard to balance out the two, especially when the world is so focused on glorifying material things. That's why I like It's a Wonderful Life so much. It's a story about how material things don't really matter. It shows how one man, fictional though he be, finds out that everything he and his family ever wanted was right in front of them. I love the story. And I think nobody could have done a better job as the lead character than good old Jimmy Stewart. And so tonight, as I put on Harvey and begin my Christmas Countdown, I thought I'd remind you all to think about your own traditions at this time of year. I bet they're great--keep them! But also remember that Christmas means more than traditions can ever show.

More Christmas posts will be coming--don't worry about that! Meanwhile, go find yourself a Jimmy Stewart movie and be happy.

Blessings,

Awkward Introductions {Featuring Mae}

I love word clouds. So I decided to make one for my blog. You should, too--they're quite fun!

Anyway....

 I've been meaning to do this for a while. Since before NaNoWriMo, to be exact. I just haven't gotten around to it. Then, Meghan reminded me that I've written about 50% of a book about which you know NOTHING. I don't usually do this. As you all know, when I write something, I share it with the world and then talk about it constantly for about two weeks. This is very uncharacteristic. Providentially, I have nothing new to post about (except that I found a long-lost and much-beloved book from my childhood and have subsequently read it to myself each night before I go to sleep--but that's another story) and so I thought I'd take a minute and write out a short synopsis for To Bring Mae Flowers. This is gonna be one of those awkward introductions--the ones where you've seen a person for days and are just now being introduced. Yes. Totally my bad :3

All right. Here we go.

The story is set in the late 19th-early 20th century. It just about covers the entire lifespan of the main character, Mae, whose real name is Mary Ann, whose real real name is Anna Maria. It's extremely confusing--so much so that even I'm not sure I've got it right.

Anyway, Mae lives with her family in Philadelphia at the turn of the century. Her parents came to the United States from Germany, met, married, and had eight girls. Mae is second-eldest. The story begins on the morning of her older sister Sophia's wedding--Mae's seventeen and only slightly jealous. After a series of awkward, unfortunate and really to embarrassing to describe events (i.e. I still can't believe I wrote that scene) Mae lands a job as a telephone operator. Now, this may seem pretty dull--telephone operators today are those people who speak too fast and call you at three in the morning. But telephones in 1905 were novel--in fact, they were almost unheard of. So this was a pretty cool job. Much of this part of the story I filled in myself--for example, the kinds of people she worked with, how long she worked, etc. An important character who sprung from my creativity is Lydia, Mae's best friend who works at the telephone company. She is a main character throughout most of the rest of the story, and I've enjoyed writing her immensely.

For the most part, Mae's stay at the telephone company is uneventful except for one important thing (and, I kid you not, this is the honest-to-goodness truth, according to my grandmother): a man calls and begins stalking her. Not stalking in the creepy way, but calling over and over again and carrying on even though Mae isn't supposed to talk on the phone, only connect calls. Lydia assures her that every once in a while, a man will call, like the sound of a girl's voice, and call again. And again. It seems that this is exactly what the mystery gentleman is doing... until he asks to meet Mae. Then things get rather sticky. In the long run, Mae ends up in a small cafe' with Lydia hiding in a booth and her father hovering nearby. She meets her mystery man, whose name is Arthur. Arthur is British, which means he says cool things like "blast" and "Long live the King". Not really--but it would be cool if he did.

Now I'm going to stop narrating and do a really quick ending--I don't want to give anything away ;) Arthur and Mae marry after a short but extremely whirlwind-ish courtship, and Part One ends. Part Two is where Mae's two children, Mary and Joseph, come in. Part Two is also where Arthur takes Mary, Joseph, and all of the couple's savings and leaves for England, leaving only a note for Mae. This is where Mae's character truly comes out for me--she stops being a slightly vague and romantic-minded girl and becomes the kind of heroine this story deserves. I can't tell you any more, because I haven't written any more and am still researching England in 1915 (which is when Mae goes over to retrieve her two little children).

Okay. I think I covered everything. All in all, I love this book. I love writing it; I love researching it; I love filling in the little holes and speculating about what everything my great-great-grandmother Mae must have been feeling. It's pretty tough, but I'm enjoying every word I wrestle down onto my paper.

Meghan, thanks for the reminder! I hope you guys enjoyed reading a little bit about my novel--hopefully when I'm on my laptop I can put up a couple chapters for you to look at. Any questions? Post a comment or send me an email. I love questions like a fish loves...bubbles. Yeah. That's a lot of love.


Just about 15 days until Christmas!


Elisabeth~

"...A date which will live in infamy..."

{Via}

If you know me well, you'll know that I'm an unabashed history buff. I love history. I watch history movies, read historical nonfiction, talk about historical occurences and recently began to write my very first historical fiction novel: To Bring Mae Flowers. I wasn't always so history-crazed. I used to hate it with a passion. My 3rd grade history book covered things like Roman and Greek history, which, I'm ashamed to admit, I found utterly boring. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I discovered history for the truly wonderful thinbg it is: a long, long story. Arguably the greatest story ever told. The Bible? That's a history book. All those things really happened. To real people. In real places. The rest of history is like the sequel to the Bible, leading up to the grand ending when Christ returns and writes the final words, which have been known to God for all ages past, present and future, for all to see. I wish I could know everything there is to know about history.... all the nuances and interesting little facts that exist. But it's been my experience that a person is usually drawn to a particular era in history, and so it is with me. I'm a World War II history buff, and proud to be one.

That's why this day is so special.

I'm sure we all know the general story. On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Less than 24 hours later, the United States entered World War II. It's not much of a beginning. Usually we remember grander battles and more glorious entries into war. This attack was quick, unexpected, and deadly. The real fight was yet to come. But every story has to have a starting point. For the United States, this was it.

Do you realize that today marked the 70th anniversery of that point? I personally know one World War II veteran. He's into his nineties and beginning to slow down. The rest of his generation are not far behind in age or health. It's a startling thing to think about, but we're beginning to see what has been called the Greatest Generation die out. For me, it's traumatizing. History is slipping away. Chances to talk to the men and women who were there are becoming scarce. Soon, all of these things will have been written down for the archives, and the last few who remained will have passed on.

I don't usually observe days of remembrance, but today I wanted to. Just for a minute. And I wanted you to think about these things, too, even if you're not totally nuts about the 1940's like I am (although, if you want an awesome period of history to be nuts about, the 1940's is the bomb). Today was a day to remember a starting point. Before long, there will be a little ending as a generation moves aside to make room for new ones. The story goes on. But let's not forget what happened before our chapter began.

Sorry for being a tad sentimental, and for using all those writing examples. Hey, what can I say? I'm a writer: it's what I do.


December 7th, 1941-December 7th, 2011.

Wow.


Seventy years later,

Thiiiiis Close

Do you know what I love about horse racing (for those of you who aren't horse people, these frequent horse-related outbursts are normal with me.) I love the moment when the winning horse (or horses, as the case sometimes seems) cross the finish line. Now, there are a lot of things about horse racing that I don't like. The stress on the horses, the betting, the gigantic hats that look like Muppets posing on ladies' heads... Yeah. You get the picture. But that moment--that crossing of the finish line--that's pretty awesome. And there's nothing in the world to describe it.

See the picture I have so thoughtfully provided. Look at the joy. Behold the glory of a race well run. It's a moment captured forever for posterity by a skillful photographer's camera. You can almost taste the immortal feeling of triumph as that horse soars past the finish marker.

Now look in the background. See all those other horses? They are those often forgotten in the frenzy of the win. They are the losers. But we often forget that they were close--thiiiiis close to victory. But it just wasn't enough to get them across the finish line first.

As far as NaNoWriMo 2011 goes, I'm one of those horses in the background. I didn't make it across the finish line by midnight on November 30th. I'm still running along, disappointed that I didn't win, but pushing to cross that finish line nonetheless. I will cross it: I'm only 8,000 words away. I might not come in first place, but I'll come galloping across that finish line--eventually. We'll see how long it takes.

To everyone who finished NaNo, cheers! And to those of us that are still running--don't worry. We'll all get there someday.