Guess WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HEY EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD

GuEsS WhAt!!! It's Molly HaCkInG Carolines blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So... what now????? Wellll.... from now on everyone should call Caroline CARALION!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is just sooooo much funn!!!!!Anyways...... Caroline is my bestest freind and we're total geeks and imma hang out with her soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)))) YAY!!!!!! And ya' know what?! She's not even gonna get angry at me for this, shes gonna laugh because thats how awesome of freinds we areee :) Shes used to my craziness now anyways... soooooo does anybody like ROBIN hood?!?!?!?!?! I DOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!! Because Robins just like ZiP and shoots things right on the mark and Allans eyes areeee SOOOO AmAzInG!!!! And Will, is suppeeerrrr CuTe-TaStIc, and Djaq KiCkS BuTt! and Marian is AwEsOmE!!!!!! And Much likes to SiNg and SO DO I!!!!! And Little John (LJ) Is HuGe!!!! XD Sooo.. That was my 'GuEsT PoSt'.. umm yeah.. lets go with that... hehe.. sooooo!!! Byeee!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^-^

*this is an edit by Caroline: I'm working on a post about characters (check back soon, Ara, so you can read the end of it!) so...look forward to it. XD

This is why you don't want to make your blog private

The truth of the sad matter-- (wait, strike that--reverse it), --being private isn't much fun. Your posts don't show up in people's dashboards and I'm still following and commenting on blogs whose authors didn't read mine, so that feels a little strange. And lastly, it's much more difficult to participate in contests when private. :(

Now, for your viewing pleasure, I am going to make a list of the pros and cons of public and private blogging.

Private

Pros:

-Only people you invite can read your blog
-You can talk about things like age more (though I don't...)
-You feel safer
-You don't have to worry about weird people commenting and reading your blog

Cons:
-You get 2 to 3 comments a post (This isn't your fault guys, and I'm not pleading for more comments!! It's just that I have like 70 less people reading my blog now.)
-You get less visitors
-Readers don't know when you post since your dashboard doesn't tell them
-You can't participate in photo challenges/contests as easily

Public

Pros:
-You follow someone, and they can follow you back
-You can be a part of blog parties, contests, and challenges
-You get many more comments and followers
-People can see your blog and know for themselves you're not some creepy stalker person :D

Cons:
-Anyone can read your blog
-The security level is lower
-You can get people you don't want following you
-You don't always feel safe with a public blog
-Someone could simply bookmark my page instead of following me, and I'll never know that they're reading my blog.

Anything to add?

___________________________________________

So there you have it. Which sounds better to you? Public is more exciting, I just wish it was safer.

Actually, I have something to add! Pick me! Thank you. :P I have 31 lovely, incredible people reading my blog. But they are 70 other people who don't know what has happened to me. I disappeared without a trace, and suddenly my blog is private, and maybe somebody's wondering, "Where the heck is Caroline?" And when I make my blog public again, I'm going to feel really, really bad. I don't know how I'm going to apologize to everyone else. Ten people have already stopped following me (you don't know how disappointing that feels--but can I blame them?) I feel like I've let people down. If anyone actually cares about what I write here. Maybe, maybe not. There's going to be a lot of explaining to do when I go public again.

Can I vent for a moment? Again, thank you. This is what I have to say: I HATE BEING PRIVATE!!! K, thanks, glad I got that out of my system. :) It's awful. Granted, no weird creeper person is able to find me, but...I disappeared from the world of blogging with absolutely no explanation except to those of you reading my blog now. Maybe it's hard to understand, but I feel really bad about this whole thing, and I'm sick of it.

But I need to stop. I hate it when people complain like that, and look, I just did it! So I won't keep you here any longer.

How about a photo to leave you with?

I just love that photo...perhaps it's the angle, or the black background. :)

Farewell, good night, sleep tight! And really, don't let the bedbugs bite--those things are NASTY, I hear tell.

O Come o come Emmanuel...

I was trying to think of a more creative title. :) I know I probably don't have any right to post, seeing that I've been a very naughty blogger, but I have a good reason--nobody sees my posts, anyways, so I was kind of like, "What's the point?" until I remember to get permission to make my blog public again. I always forget, meaning I don't post, and when I don't post, I forget...oh, I have a question. Does anyone know why only this and the previous post show up on my page? I don't what I did wrong, and I can't fix it. Please shout it out if you know. :)

Anyways, that be not the subject of this post! I'm here to say, Happy Christmas! Or Merry Christmas, if you like. Getting into the Christmas spirit had been difficult for me this year, but last night at our church's Christmas Eve service, I felt like I truly remembered the reason for the season. You know how you can know these things, but it doesn't sink in? Well, last night it did. :)

Christmas isn't called Christmas for nothing...where do you think the "Christ" part came from? ;)

So, to all of my lovely blogger friends, who are reading this or not, a very Merry Christmas to you and your family! Tear open wrapping paper with glee, decorate sugar cookies, try on your new herringbone newsboys cap a hundred times. (Someone didn't get one of those this morning...no, not at all...) I love all that stuff, but let me join the chorus of everyone else reminding us what Christmas is all about.

Thank you, Lord, for coming down to earth and dying for us, and giving us the privilege of spending eternity with you. Everyday you save me, and I honestly don't know how I would get through life without you. Thank you for loving me, and being my best friend.

Happy birthday, Jesus!

Narnia, baby!

It's been a few days since I last posted, and I don't do posts about my actual life very often, so here's a treat for you! Tomorrow, one of my best friends Molly and I are going shopping and then to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I have been waiting for this movie since, like, Prince Caspian came out. (which I LOVE, by the way. Forget what others critics say--it's one of my favorite movies!) The two of us haven't been to the movies together since Percy Jackson and the Olympians in February, so it's about time. :)

this is an old photo, taken last January. We both look so much younger!

I love, love, love Narnia. Like I said in a previous post, I'm not one of the die-hard fans who gets all angry when one word of the original book is changed--I actually prefer the movies. I know, how traitorous! But it's true. And, I suppose partly in honor of the movie, partly because I wanted to, and partly because I had nothing else to draw, I did a picture of Aslan last night and one of Reepicheep today. I never thought before I was good at animals--people are my forte--but they turned out to be a lot of fun. So much fun that I plan to frame both and put them on my wall. :)

Then on Sunday night, me and another dear friend, Katelyn, are going to a Christmas party for her youth group. So I'm pretty much set for a busy, fun weekend with my buddies. Missing, of course, are my other buddies....Shaynie, Olivia, Lorna, Alyssa, Bronwyn, Ellie, Gail, Beth, Stephanie, Caroline, and all my fantastic buddies here on Blogger--Guin, Ellyn, Mirriam, Eldarwen, Bleah, Hannah of Aspire, Hannah M, Margaret Rowena, Sierra, Elizabeth Rose, The Golden Eagle, Memzie, Melody, Charming Elephant, Olive Tree-now-Olivia, Sabryna, Cassie, Milisande, Antonia, Lizzy, Autumn, Nahla, and the rest of you fantastic people who know how awesome you are. It may be very over-used, but it's true--I love you guys! :)

Anyways, I think this post has veered off its original course, which was Narnia. I'll leave you now with two pictures...the first is my favorite of me and Katelyn, and the second is a tribute to Narnia. You can be sure I'll be wearing that necklace tomorrow to the movie theater!

Dun-dun-dun...

NARNIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

edit: i just read over this post, and...wow. can you make any sense of it? definitely not one of my best. :)

*whoosh*

Hello! I am back, but I am different. Yep. I'm private. I don't know how long this will be, or if it will be permanent, but it very well might be. I got some new followers who I just didn't trust, and my mom didn't either. And all in all I've decided it is much safer to be smaller and private then large and unsafe.

That's all I've got for now. Adios!

....hi....

Honestly? I have no idea how to start this post. Well, maybe I do, since I just started it by saying I have no idea how to start it.

SOO....I've been back since last Tuesday. And no post! Amazing! And kind of sad. But here it is. How was my break? It was good. Refreshing, I suppose. But when I came back, I realized something. I didn't miss blogging that much. When I got back on, it didn't have the same magic, the same fun it had before. I was unaddicted (or partially, anyways). It was a beautiful moment.

Now, I'm assuming you've got questions (yes, you do, and you know it) and I have answers! Here's what you might be wondering.

-Are you going to delete your blog? Heck no! I couldn't bear, ever, to delete this. I've worked so hard on it, hours and hours, with the writings and photography and whatnot. Plus, Olive Tree gave this blog an incredible makeover a few months back, and to delete that would just be wrong!

-So, you're going to just stop posting? Hmm...negative. I'm going to post from time to time, perhaps when the muse strikes me. I just don't want to be on Blogger as frequently as I used to be.

-Why do you say you're addicted to blogging? You don't post every day, and sometimes not even twice a week. Hehe. Well. I don't post every day, cause I like to get lots of comments (who doesn't?) and I like to have a post up for a couple of days before writing a new one. I don't want the first one to get forgotten. But, even though I don't post every day, I get (or used to get) on Blogger, like, 5 times a day, if not more. I was always checking for new followers and comments, and to see if anyone else had posted. I thought in blog posts. I was obsessed with blogging. No joke. You have to take my word for it.

-Will I ever see you again? Of course you'll "see" me again! It's not like I'm never going to comment or read y'alls' blogs again. I have too many lovely friends on here to do that! Just don't expect to see me as often as you used to. I hope, anyways. I love all of you, and I love your blogs, but I need to take a step back and live the life Jesus gave me.

Hopefully that clears it up! If you have any more questions, then just ask. :)

Now. Subject two. NaNoWriMo. *insert loud groan here*

Apparently, before the month started, I was living under the pretense that Nano would actually be fun. Let me tell you: I am not having fun.

Ok. Truth is: I kinda of hate Nano. It doesn't help that I also hate my book. Like, a lot. It's absolutely nothing like the vision I had in my mind for it. It's completely wrong. My characters don't have cliche personalities, because they don't have any personality. The writing is bad. Call me prideful, but I'd always considered my writing good. Maybe it's just something to do with having to pound out a book in 30 days, but this writing is NOT good. I can't stand it. I wrote 300 words on Friday night. I didn't write at all yesterday (hanging out with Molly was ten times--no, one hundred times funner.)

Uggh.

Yes! I'm complaining! I don't know how it's going for everyone else, or if you're finding this the most exhilirating time of you life or if you're suffering like I am. I hope you're having fun, I really do. I wish I was.

I think I'm done. This week, I'll post some pics from me and Katelyn's photo shoots.

Stay awesome!

photo by Katelyn

This is the end

This is the end...for two weeks, anyway. The blogger Maggie had a very eye-opening post tonight (well, it wasn't eye opening for me since I already knew about it--what it did was help me re-assess my priorities.)

You want the truth? I live in blog posts. I think in blog posts. I do everything, in blog posts. "Hey, would my followers think this is funny?" "Ooh, that would be so good for a post!" or "Hey, drop by so-and-so's blog and see if they replied to your comment". It's an endless cycle of blog addiction that goes around...and around...and around. Sometimes I jump back and think, Whoa! Time to stop, girly. Give it a rest.


But I never do. I always keep going. I push those, You know, you really need to take a break--you're addicted thoughts out of my head and try to back myself up with miserable claims.

And I am sick and tired of it.

I'm being brutally honest with you guys right now. I just...I just don't want to do this anymore. And it hurts to say that because I hate reading that on other blogs. It's sad. But now I'm doing it. Because I have to jump out of this vicious cycle while I can still see the damage it's doing me.

Here's the thought that crossed my mind exactly one week ago: "I don't want to remember ___ (my age) as the year I blogged." Because I have things special to each year: last year, I lived at the ocean, didn't care a whit for photography, and was obsessed with my book Enslaved. The year before that, my family moved to the Midwest--completely out of our comfort zone and a thousand miles away from our family and friends. That's what I remember about that year: at first, absolutely no friends, loneliness, and missing my old friends like I can't even describe. That year in my life sticks out in my mind because of those things, and because of the totally different setting, events, people, and the making of some of my best friends.



I digress, but do you see where I'm heading? The past two years of my life stand out vividly. I'm pretty certain this year will, too. But for a different reason.

This year, I blogged.

I hate that. I can't get over the feeling that I have wasted such a huge portion of this year and of my teenage years. It hurts and it hurts badly.

Which is the precise reason I went to my mom a few minutes ago and said, "Um, I need to talk to you about blogging. I need help." That's the absolute truth--I need help getting away from it, and I can't do it by myself. Not only do I need God's help but I need someone to hold me accountable.

So here it is: No blogging for two weeks. Period. Nada. Zip. Zero. You get the picture.

And after that?

I'm still not sure. I don't lie when I say I've made some pretty amazing friends here on Blogger. I have writing buddies through Blogger. I send 1,500 word emails to my best blogging friend. I care about y'all and what you're doing. You've encouraged me, alerted me, taught me, and made me laugh. It's been a blessing to have meet all of you.

That said, I care about you--but I no longer want to blog.

Ouch. That stings, doesn't it? Well, here's the thing: much as I've enjoyed blogging, my life is hasn't stood still for it. I have things to do and places to go. I have a novel to write and friends to make and a camera to save up for. I want to be the Caroline who writes hand written letters to her friends, who laughs at stupid Robin Hood spoofs on Youtube, who has deep and real talks with her best buddies. Who isn't afraid to write that novel of hers and share it. Who was obsessed with writing and books. Let me tell you something: the 3,592 words I've written so far for NanoWrimo is more than I've written for my novels in three months.

At the end of the two weeks, I'm gonna see where I am and how far I've come. I won't say I'll be gone from the world of Blogger for good. I probably won't be. But now I've realized I can't fit blogging into the rest of my life. I highly admire those who can, but right now, it's not working for me.

So this month of November, I'm gonna write that 50,000 word novel. I'm gonna save my pennies for that elusive camera. This Friday I'm going to Katelyn's, and we'll have an awesome time taking pictures, painting nails, giving each oatmeal face masks (I think...). All I want to do is have an awesome time with one of my besties that I haven't seen in over a month. I don't want blogging to be on my mind. I don't want to say something and think, "Hey, that's going on my blog later!" And I want to buckle down and do my schoolwork when I need to, not when I feel like. I want to call my friends on the phone, finish making that music video with Molly, laugh with her over inside jokes and dance in the rain and drag her across the kitchen floor. And I plan to take chilly walks across the golf course, and tomorrow night go to a youth group I've never been to before, and write in my diary all the things that I think could go on my blog.

Do I do many of these things anyways? Yes. But I want to do them without being a blogger for two weeks.

You guys, you're awesome. I'm not gone for good, and this blog won't be deleted. But I am serious when I say, even if I come back after the two weeks, I might not blog anymore. Maybe sporadically. But I'd rather like to live a life apart from blogging.

I already have many of y'alls email addresses, but if you'd like to email me, then leave a comment with your email which I won't publish. NOTICE: I WILL NOT BE PUBLISHING COMMENTS UNTIL I RETURN IN TWO WEEKS.

So after then, I'll return your email. :)

My dears...this is hard to write. And I think it will be hard to stop this. But what's one thing I love to say?

Life has got to be lived.

I intend to live it fully and wholly for Jesus Christ. I hope you will, too.

So for now I say, adieu, and God bless you in your journey!

Life is good!

Of Greek mythology, tickling, and fame

I received a tag from the lovely blogger Charming Elephant. If you haven't heard of her, I'd encourage you to go check out her blog and click the follow button; you'll be glad you did! :)

Now, I've been waiting to do this tag for a long time, but hadn't gotten tagged with it. But I finally did, and she asked some awesome questions.

1. Sweet or salty? Umm...you got me there! I love chocolate and Halloween candy (especially Reese's), but that can get old. I like both, but for now I'll go with sweet.

2. If you could be any Greek god/goddess, who would you be, and why? I would be totally be Apollo. Yes, Apollo is a guy, which is why I'll be a female version of him. Cause he's the god of the arts--words and writing (*sigh of happiness*), music (drifts into dreamland*), painting (*thinks of ships and rough seas in delight*) and healing, which is just downright awesome. Oh and he's also god of the sun, which I love ten, no one hundred times better than rain. He totally fits my personality. I should be his twin, not Artemis. His only failure is that he's not the god of the ocean, but I suppose I can't have it all. :P

3. Have any relation to someone "famous"? If not, who would you like to be kin too? Well, on my mom's side I'm related to King Henry the Eighth through Lady Jane Grey. My claim to fame.:) And...both my parents are published authors, so does that count? :)

4. What is your favorite subject? History. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE history. And I simply cannot stress that enough. Why do I love it? Uh...that's a subject for another post. :)

5. Are you ticklish? Unfortunately so :P

6. What is the longest you have ever slept in? I'm thinking eleven something. Once, my friend Olivia and I woke up at around 10:45 and then watched Merlin for almost an hour.:)

7. What is your favorite part of blogging? I've loved getting to meet girls with many of the same interests as me, making new friends, having writing buddies, all that good stuff. But my secret weakness is comments! :D

8. You wake up one morning and everything is PINK! What's your reaction? Haha, I would so freak out and assume that there was something terribly wrong with me and if I didn't get to a doctor soon, I would keel over on the spot! And yes, that is TOTALLY something I would think. I tend to worry a lot.

I'm supposed to make up eight questions of my own, buuut....I don't feel like it and these are good questions and I really should be writing now. So I tag Katelyn with the same questions. :)

(oh, and I'll do your tag too, Bleah, I promise. XD)

Random fact--I linked to four other bloggers in this one post alone. Wow.

Later, peeps!

Oh dear.

I swear none of you lovely peeps are ever going to take me seriously again.

Did you see it? Did you see the post in question? It was up on my blog since last night. That was when I found out about it, and took it down. What happened, you ask? Was I hacked? Was some creeper idiot person diabolically attempting to ruin everything I've become in the blogging world?

And the answer would be yes.

I know who did it.

my.... *dun dun dun*...sister.

See that? That nice, innocent little smile that belongs to a nice, innocent young lady? DON'T BELIEVE A WORD OF IT!

That very same sweet looking person attacked my poor helpless Blogger account last night, while I was away baby-sitting, and wrote a post about me turning into a Spandex-wearing superhero. Oh, it was funny. But now I know that nobody here is ever going to believe me again. You'll always be wondering, "Is this her diabolical sister, hacking into her account once more?"

All I can do, my good people, is swear completely truthfully that this IS Caroline. You know what I sound like.

I hope.

Anyways, it's me, I promise:). Now, for payback, I should go hack her Facebook. Haha, the beauty of sweet revenge!

Why, oh why must this happen?

This makes me sad. I have to leave. Again. We're heading up north for a family reunion (dad's side of the family) and on our way back we're visiting my mom's side of the family. Don't get me wrong, I love visiting both sides of my family, it's just that...the drive is so incredibly long. And I am a homebody. I hate road trips, I hate being away from home, I hate gas stations, and I hate gas station bathrooms. I feel so selfish since there are a lot better things in this world to have something against then those minor things, but that's the way it is. Plus, this means I won't be able to write my awesome post about Ellie and Olivia's time here until I get back. Oh me.

At least my sister is bringing her laptop with her, so hopefully I won't be totally out of it:). That means I'll still publish everyone's comments, I might or might not post, but I probably won't be able to comment on everyone else's very much if at all. And the laptop also means that we get to watch Merlin!!! Woo-hoo! Season 2, here I come!!!! Yes, Olivia and I watched almost an entire season while she was here. Epicness. LOL.

And my great-uncle has a pool. You know what this means...I am really a fish (shh don't tell) and so is my sis so we're gonna spend, like, all of Friday in that pool:). We did last time. Okay, now I'm just ranting cause I'm bored. I'll spare you the pain.

I feel like I'm saying good bye so much to y'all lately! I hate that! Hopefully soon, I can be back for real. Oh, and I promised pictures, didn't I? Well, pictures you shall get--we took 700! No kidding!

Ciao my bellas! (is that gramatically incorrect? I have no idea...)

xoxoxoxo

Help!!!!!!

Guess what? I won Olive Tree's Former Glory contest! The prize is a complete, free blog redesign.

That being said, I seriously need your help deciding which blog should be redesigned--this or my photography blog.

So help! What say you? And please say something SOON cause I don't want to keep Olive waiting:).

Tootles my friends!

Savvy?

Bonjour my friends! I regret to say, I am leaving now. This is the end. Good-bye.

HA! Gotcha! I'm not leaving forever (well, not yet, anyways. That is a possibility.) My cousin Lorna is coming in...holy fudgemuffins, 2 and a half hours. She'll be here until Monday so I, too, will not be here blogging till Monday. Or later. I dunno.

Partially, I want to be able to spend time with my cousin who lives five hours away without thinking about Blogger constantly. I love you all, but sometimes you just need a break, ya know?

The other half is, I am soooo addicted to blogging. Far be it from me that blogging would come in front of Jesus Christ. (sorry, i have been waiting to say the beginning of that sentence:D) And yet, it has. Time and time again. I try to ignore it. I try to push it aside and say, "Well, that's okay, I'll take a break next week... I'm not that obsessed." Suuurrre.

Someday I might leave Blogger for good. It takes up SO much time and mindspace. I blog when I should be writing. It takes up everything.

I have 49 followers right now...who would care to even that out? Step up now and I might show lenience. Hehe. Guy of Gisborne quote, couldn't resistXD. Anyways, let's make it a nice even number, or even above a nice even number, by Monday!

Another note. The next post, I have a little contest planned for you...nope, nothing big, and no prizes. Just something fun and hopefully a bit difficult too!

Alrightey. That said, I will see you, my friends, on Monday. Adios! Kaikkea hyvää! Arrivederci! Auf Wiedersehen! Au revoir! さようなら! Sbohem! Adeus! Farvel! Αντίο! La revedere!

Or better yet, tootles!

edit: Please pray for Mirriam's sister Melanie and Hannah's brother Sam. You can read Mirriam's post here and Hannah's here.

Don't freak!

Please don't freak out, I am in the middle of redesigning my blog! (which will probably take a while). So...bear with me. Things will be back to normal. Someday. Wait, normal???!!! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Things shall never be normal!!!!!!

(sorry. i am feeling extremely random. don't mind me. go read someone else's blog if you don't like random.)

Edit: I have a question. Yes I am still somewhat clueless when it comes to blog design... so give me a little help here. I am trying to change the color of my font in the header and I can't find out where to do that. They used to have an area for that but it appears it is now gone. So HELP!!!!!!

Someone needs a blog makeover

So, ah, I think lil 'ol me needs to redo her blog, huh? Do you agree? I've had this background and header for months now and I'm feeling that my blog looks a little... unorganized. Like not very well designed, in other words. Plus I've seen my background on a lot of different blogs. My sister is going to help me "recreate it", so to speak. I want something that screams at people to stay around and look at my blog for awhile before hopping off again. And I don't want people to come to this blog and think of me as just some schmo. Here are some of my favorite templates. All credit goes to createblog.com.

Astounded (though I'd put a picture of me in place of the other girl)

Or perhaps...

Tragic Scene

Or possibly even

Dear Diary

And that's it! So, what say you? I would really appreciate your comments on this. And if you know of any sites that you think have templates I might like, do tell!