Music Videos

Alright, peoples! I haven't posted videos in forever, so here are some I've discovered recently!

Lose my Soul by Toby Mac


"Beating My Heart" Jon McLaughlin. Just so catchy...



"Divine Romance" Phil Wickham. A song about God and us... Beautiful.



"Never Going Back to OK" The Afters. Also very catchy.



Enjoy!

God Bless,

~Prism~

Randomness Friday!!!

Prism here, with a bowl of yummy noodles. A lot of you know that noodles are one of my all-time favorite foods, and for me, the spicier, the better! I just finished cooking them, so while I wait for them to cool down, here's your dose of randomness for the week!

~*~

It's so amazing just how fast this month went by! Soon, I'll be sitting in front of a grill and watching hot dogs and hamburgers cook as I think about past 4th of July's. It's one of a few times that friends can come over for a big party, and I love the feeling. When you're around a fire with friends and family, doesn't your heart start feeling like it will just burst in happiness? My family and I have been spending a lot more time together, and I'm loving every second together. We always end up laughing really hard as we lovingly joke about each other.

~*~

horse riding... You'll probably hear me mention it every time I post on Fridays. I truly love it.
And the horse I've been riding has been named! I learned on Saturday that she was a Mustang, and I immediately thought "Mist". That name was the first thing I thought when I saw her, and when I found out what type of horse she was, it was perfect. Thank you so much for your suggestions and affirmations of the name! They were all really close, and I had at LEAST one from every suggestion as one of my favorites.
Anyway, this Saturday I found myself WAY nervous and scared. I don't know why, but I was terrified that she (Mist) would stomp on my toe when I led her! I don't know why. Horses are big and can stomp toes, but I was terrified, and it was too much. Some nervousness is great, though. You don't want to just leap on a horse and take off in a gallop your first time!
I was fine when she walked, but the jog (trot) freaked me out. The saddle was too big for me, and I didn't quite know how to steer. Since I ride Western, both reins need to be in one hand (called "neck reining") I read a book on horse riding, so it's helped me a lot. I'm also going to get a smaller saddle, so hopefully that will help me out too.
I've also heard that the jog is the hardest for beginners to master, so I think that's what is going on with me.

~*~

Writing is going great. I found myself working on a lot of things for contests and such, so I didn't write too much. The edit of my first full book is complete, so now I started book two. It's well into the first chapter, and I can't wait to see what my characters have in store for me.
A while ago, I believe I mentioned a New Story that was inspired by a dream (weird that I still remember it) I started it, then thought better of it. Some things still need to be worked on. I was it to be a real life fiction. Real places but imaginary people. It'll be a mystery. My first mystery ever, so I hope it goes okay.

~*~

ONE more month of summer break, and then it's time to hit the books again. Wow...
Oh summer break, how hast thou passed so speedily???

God Bless,

First Blogoversary!

Today is my blogoversary! I can’t believe it’s been one whole year since I first opened “Girl of Many Colors”! The title was just made up randomly, but the meaning came later. I wanted it to say something about how different we, as humans, are in both interests and appearances, and that appearances don’t matter in the end. I’ve had so much fun with my web log! Thank to you amazing readers and followers!

In honor of this day, I thought I’d link back to some important or big posts (they're also my favorite, but not really in a specific order)… Enjoy!

First Post EVER!

Adoption

Very...Interesting Black Belt Test (Beware of the Full Throttle!)

Forever Family! (One of my first short stories, and one of my most popular posts ever. About our adoption in God's family)

The Day God Became VERY Real To Me, and I Became Hooked Onto Horses! (I've referred to it several times as my "Wild Ride")

My 100th Post! (A TON about me)

Did Someone Say Cake???!!!

Deophobia

2008/2009 fun

Still Open if Anyone Wants to Be Linked on GoMC

My India Trip (1)

India Trip (2)

God Bless,

Book Giveaway!

J.R Parker from the Yodeling Dwarf is giving away a signed book titled "Swords of the Six" by Scott Appleton!

Wanna win this awesome read?

Hop on over to the post and comment!

God Bless,

Dad's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there!

I sure wish my dad was here for this day... *sigh* Nothing's wrong or anything, so don't worry. He had to leave on a business trip this morning during church, so we barely had time for a father's day celebration. It got me to thinking... why just 1 day out of 365? Why do we do the breakfast in bed, presents, chore "coupons" (ya'll who have done them know what I'm talking about!), and general niceness to them on certain days?

Most people say teens get "rebellious" towards their parents. I personally haven't had that happen to me, but I know I could do a whole lot more for the amazing couple I am privileged to call "Mom" and "Dad".

Anyone with me?

God Bless,

Randomness Friday

As you can see, I've made a drastic change to my blog... The content shall be the same as ever, but the look is new. I thought my old blog template didn't fit well with the whole "many colors" thing, but this one I liked a lot. I got this blog from Shabby Blog designs- It was totally free! I found this site through Just A Girl 4 God's blog. I'm going to try this summer, in honor of my upcoming first blogoversary (FOUR days, ya'll!) to do more things to my blog to make it easier to navigate and for people to know more about me because I've realized that newcomers may not know who is who.

~*~

Tae Kwon Do this week was pretty awesome. We had really big classes this week which is almost miracle-like because of our regular attendance of seven or so. More people equals more fun. From everything to handstands to people pyramids- we did it. I laughed a lot, and Artista (younger sis) is starting to enjoy it too.

~*~

I didn't get to go to horse riding last week, but I'm hoping I can go this week. I've been reading this VERY informative book Horse Riding for Dummies. I've always stayed away from books in that series because of the "Dummy" part, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's an awesome book that presents the facts clearly without wordy fluff. Step by step instructions for both English and Western riding. (I do Western now, but since I am a beginner, I can always change it. Still deciding, though!)

I really recommend it for those interested in horses.

~*~

You Will Definitely Know When Your Phone Rings... You Light Up!

Interesting news story!
~*~

And guess what? DOWNHERE, a Christian band, is having a contest. The Prize? A song written for YOU by Downhere. Yes, you!
What do you have to do? Create a T-shirt with either the title/themes of their songs "My Last Amen" or "Hope is Rising".
Go HERE for more info.

Thanks to the AIR1BLOG for telling their readers about this awesome opportunity!

~*~

I've been thinking about making "Randomeness Friday" an official blog carnivale. What do ya'll think? Would you be interested in participating?

God Bless,

Randomness...On a Thursday?

*laughs* Couldn't help myself. Tagged by Elizabeth from Footprints in the Sand

When the "dog bites" and the "bee stings" what do you eat to comfort yourself?
Chocolate ice cream...

What cheers you up when you're feeling sad?
Reading and Music

Instead of schnitzel with noodles, what do you like?
Chocolate ice cream...again...

Which season do you like?
Fall... So colorful!

Brown paper packages or letters from friends?
Letters!

Doorbells or ringtones?
Ringtones... DING-DONG gets old after a while, but there are those houses that have awesome ones, like Vivaldi or Beethoven. Talk about awesome!

I Tag whoever reads this!

God Bless,



P.S. Only 5 more days until my 1st Blogversary!!!

Hot Topics: Christian Rock Music???

"You call that 'Christian' rock music?"

I've heard about this topic a lot, but mostly from people in their thirties or forties when they talk to teen musicians. Especially from the Bible teachers from the video school I have been involved with for the past couple of years.

1. "Rock" music is evil...

2. Christian rock music is a tool to reach our generation...

What's true? Depends on how you look at it.

I'd say that music comes from God. I mean, music is a part of our worship at church, right? David wrote a TON of songs in the thickest book of the Bible. He danced his way through town when the Ark of the covenant was brought home.

I've heard it said that just the beat and instrumentation of rock music is repulsive and satanic. Not necessarily. I'd say it's the words.

I may be biased since my favorite kind of music is mild rock (Favorite song "Ignition" by TobyMac), but please hear me out. Sure the beat of the music may get you pumped, but the question is... what for? Is it to go after girls/guys and drugs or chase after God and be like Christ?

I've seen some of the scary stuff at some places. Some popular TV shows have displayed rock music. I saw some bizarre behavior and coarse language. Many people who have seen that kind of stuff automatically think Christian music is like that. Not at all!

Many artists, yes Christian too, have interesting clothing. I have yet to see a Christian band push it too far. By "Christian" I mean truly Christian. Some bands go under the umbrella of religious music, but they do not reflect it in the way they act, dress, and sing. But, for the most part, Christian bands do their best to reach out and sing about Jesus.

Screamo Christian Music- honestly that stuff scares me. Usually I like to survey the band's attitude before I label them as something I want to listen to. Yes, I have some songs like that in my library, but they are mostly singing and the screaming is my least favorite part. I know it pumps up the adrenalin, but why? I seriously just don't get the whole thing. To tell you all the truth, I'm still debating if I believe that it's Christian music or not.
What are your opinions on screaming during songs?

The thing is, I've seen a lot of people connect by going to a Christian concert. Hundreds of teens have given their lives to Him. True Christian music is a genuine way of reaching out. But I believe there is a fine line between true Christian music and non.

As you decide whether or not you want to follow a popular band, think about these things

1. Are the lyrics wholesome and pleasing to God?
2. How is the music portrayed (artists' attitude, way of bringing the music, ect.)

God Bless,

Randomness Friday!

Has anyone noticed my picture change? It's a teensy bit hard to tell, but it is a prism. Funny that my blogger name would be Prism because when I was in second or third grade, I did a project on rainbows and bought a prism. I can remember parading around the gym at school with the piece of glass in my hands, marveling at the rainbow it could produce.

Isn't it weird how things that kept us busy for hours on end can seem like nothing when we get older? Then it was crayons, shells, flowers, and butterflies. Now it's computers, books, iPods, and thumb drives.

Not that the change is bad, but I sort of miss that little-child wonder. And faith.

Remember how Jesus said that we should have the faith of child? I automatically think of Lil' Sis.

For the past month and a half, I've been teaching her English words, mostly counting and the alphabet. But what I thought was most important was the things my mom taught her from that first day she was given to us in India.

"Thank you, Jesus. Amen!" Her cute little voice says it so enthusiastically. She may not understand fully what she is doing, but I believe she understands more than we think her to.

Every time two lines cross like a...well, cross. She says, "Jesus, thank you. Amen!"
Same thing with a picture of Jesus or Artista's (my sister) clay sculptures of Him. It's amazing, really. Just tell her something once, and she knows it.

Today we were looking through a book titled "My Bible ABC's" It's not a complex book or anything, just the letter with a words that starts with it along with a picture. And everything was Bible-related.
She pointed to a picture of a star and said, "The twinkle twinkle little star is praying" (in a mix of her original language and English, of course)

I immediately gaped at her and I'm sure I had a goofy grin on my face.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork..."

~*~

On Saturday I got to give a horse a bath!!! It was fun, lathering soap in her black mane and coat and blabbering silly nonsense. I've read books where horse-owners like talking to their horses because their great listeners. That is SO true. She kept on swiveling her ear back to listen to me, and when my mom's cell phone alarm went off she turned around and stared at me with a look that made me burst into laughter.

Funny story about that cell phone, by the way...

We had to leave horse riding early on Saturday because I had a violin lesson, and my violin teacher has a busy schedule. So I couldn't do anything to change it. We planned to leave at 11:30 so I could shower and eat lunch to make it at 1:45. So my dad handed me my mom's cell phone that she had let him borrow (he has his own. It was so I could call either him or home just in case) He told me to set an alarm. I did, but noticed the volume was on level five out of a possible seven.

I changed it to seven, of course. When you're outdoors and washing a horse, something needs to be extremely loud to break one from their horse reverie.

So right on time, it beeped. The horse startled and turned her mighty neck around to stare at me as it continued beeping.

And beeping...

And beeping...

My hands were VERY soapy and I didn't want to reach into my jeans to turn the thing off! I'd risk wet pants, a water-logged electronic device, and a very uncomfortable ride home.

And beeping...

Finally my dad drove up and I ran to him to tell him the time and my dilemma. He got it for me and made the phone cease its annoying song.

But that wasn't the end of my phone troubles...

Anyway, I finished the bath, hopped in the car, and made it just fine to violin class.

Fast forward to church the next day...

I think you may be able to tell what's coming.

We were there at the back of the church, listening to the sermon. The clock struck 11:30 AM

BEEP BEEP!
BEEP BEEP!

trust me, in a silent church, the highest volume on a phone is L-O-U-D.

BEEEEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEEEP!

My mom just sat there, thinking it was the people in front of us, but I knew it was ours. I frantically motioned for her to reach inside her purse, open the thing, and make it cease.

I must have looked like a clown because once it stopped, I heard snickers from the people behind us.

My mom fixed me with that world-famous plant-withering, ice-melting glare.

I sank down in my seat, begging God to make me disappear. But, at the same time, a giggle bubbled up my throat.

That was the first thing we discussed in the car. Since that day we had taken two cars (my dad and I had to go earlier than my mom, Artista, and Lil' Sis) it was only my Dad and I. He thought the whole affair was hilarious so we had a good time joking around.

My mother wasn't as amused, but she has a streak of humor, so we had fun with it too.

Turns out that once the phone has an alarm, it repeats unless you disable it. I hadn't known that.

I've now been banned from touching it.

*laughs* It's all cool. I don't mind much. Technology CAN be evil, and that phone sure is!

~*~

God Bless,

Would You Like to Be Linked on GoMC?

I've added two new authors to my blog roll. If you've seen my sidebar recently, I have two lists- Awesome Authors and People To See, Places To Go.

Camy Tang

Susie Shellenberger

I've found their blogs fun and interesting; most importantly God-centered.

That's pretty much all I require to link a blog from Girl of Many Colors. If you'd like to have your blog on my bloglist, please comment with your blog's address. I'll be sure to check it out, and if it matches with the above black-lettered sentence, it'll be on as soon as that happens.

God Bless,

What is Prism Reading???

This post has taken a long time to be posted. I haven't posted what I think about books because I don't really like reading book reviews too much. So, I thought I could make them short "blurbs" of books and music.

First off, the Phantom Stallion series by Terri Farley! I've known about this series for a long time, and I'm rereading it again. It's not about a ghost horse (that's what I was afraid of when I was first told about it), but it is about a teenaged girl and her relationship with horses, more specifically a beautiful wild stallion called the Phantom. And I just love the choice of titles!

BOOK TITLES:

The Wild One
Mustang Moon
Dark Sunshine
The Renegade
Free Again
The Challenger
Desert Dancer
Golden Ghost
Gift Horse
Red Feather Filly
Untamed
Rain Dance
Heartbreak Bronco
Moonrise
Kidnapped Colt
The Wildest Heart
Mountain Mare
Firefly
Secret Star
Blue Wings
Dawn Runner
Wild Honey
Gypsy Gold
Run Away Home

WHO I RECOMMEND THIS TO:
Real-life setting fiction lovers- Awesome look into the life of cowboys/cowgirls and ranchers
Horse lovers- Lots of info and terms
Slight romance likers- I don't like romance, but I loved this series. Romance is there, but not a huge thing.
Girls age 8 and up- I've heard of some guys reading it, though. Nothing inappropriate that I could find, just that the reading level is around the age of eight.

~*~

I've also JUST finished the Lost Books series by best-selling author Ted Dekker (last two co-authored with Kaci Hill) It's basically about a group of teenagers who are sent on a mission to find seven lost books of history. It's set in a fantasy world, with fuzzy white bats and beings called Leedham. I loved the first two books, but the last four were iffy for me. I am NOT a big fan of romance and, in my opinion, "kissing full on the lips" isn't something I like reading about. In the last two books, however, there is a relationship that I thought was moving. SPOILER: Darsal and Marak I can see why these books are popular, though. Action packed and full of stuff people love in books. There were a lot of story holes, though, but I do understand that there are other series around this one and they are all involved in each other, so I think that clears things up.

BOOK TITLES:
Chosen
Infidel
Renegade
Chaos
Lunatic
Elyon

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR:
Teens- Preferably late teens, but it differs on how high you think you can read. Not much on words, but more about content-wise.
Fantasy lovers- Definitely fantasy!
Romance & Adventure lovers- Lotz of romance and battles and such.
Both guys and gals

God Bless,

More Beautiful You

Remember the song lyrics I posted a while ago? "Beautiful You" by Jonny Diaz? Well, here are the lyrics and amazing song again. More songs like this need to be out there.

More Beautiful You

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

Randomness Friday

You were probably expecting this post, huh? I love these types of posts, and I'm sorry I've been doing more silly than serious lately, but I promise that I'm working on some posts that are really close to my heart.

Without further ado, bring out the random stuffs!

Two days ago we found a tick on my precious dog, Belle. I freaked out. I mean, we could be classified as living in the "country", but it's quickly becoming more populated. Therefore, I've seen my share of wild animals.

From mice to deer, from tarantulas to scorpions... And now ticks.

Belle's a little thing. We were told by the dog breeder that sold her to us that she is part papillion, part pomeranian. Sure...

Now, I highly suspect that the woman who sold her to us in a McDonald's parking lot owned some kind of not-so-good setup.

Anyways, my little blondie came in at night and I started scratching her tummy, which I don't do very often because Belle usually only goes belly-up when she's nervous or something. However, I had noticed that she was acting all dull and tired, so I started playing with her to get her up and moving.

That's when I felt the lump. My dad looked closer, and, sure enough there was a tick.

I'm not going into details or anything, but it made my stomach churn with nausea.

I've said it before, and I'm saying it again. I am most definitely NOT going to be a surgeon when I grow up. Stitches and other things having to do with surgery are my worst nightmare.

*cheesy music* It's now time for Prism's timely tips!!!

If you ever go into the country or a place with high grass, be sure to wear high socks so that a little bug won't decide you look like a Meal on Heels. If you know you've been around ticks, check the back of your neck, near the hairline. That's their favorite place. For animals, it's their tender nose and tummy.

If you do happen to find a tick, the best thing to use is tweezers. DO NOT attempt to use nail polish, nail polish remover, lit matches, or any other kind of substance. It'll be sure to make the process faster, but it may also make the tick release substances you wouldn't like to be in your body.

Take the tweezers, and pull straight out. Gently, but firmly. Do not move the tweezers around or jerk, because that might cause the head to stay in and, well, you don't want that, right?

If you or another human is bitten by a tick and the head is still in there, it wouldn't hurt to get checked by a profession to get that thing outta there.

And check for the next couple of days or weeks for there to be a red bump where the bite was and for a ring around it, like a target sign. That may indicate Lyme disease. Other symptoms are dizziness, fatigue, ect.

*music ends*

So we got the tick out just fine, and Belle is recovering nicely. She's just normal, actually... *grins*

~*~

Tomorrow I'm going back to horse riding along with violin. I'm a teensy nervous, actually. About the horses. Violins can't stomp on your toes. :D

The black horse that I rode that week (thanks for all your your awesome suggestions!!! Top two at the moment are Luna and Eclipse) trotted and I freaked out. I think the saddle was too big for me or something, because I was SO scared that I was about to fall off. It backed me into a needle tree, and I almost got scratched in the eye. There were scratched all over my fingers, face, and a long one on my neck, but nothing bad at all. Just surface scratches.

Horses are expensive. Perhaps not the horses themselves, but the equipment sure is!

If I'm really going through with this, and I pray that I do, I need to get a saddle. It will possibly cost me a two hundred dollars. A plus is that I've suddenly had a jump in income due to babysitting my new sister, Lil' Sis. It will take several years to get there, but it's a start. I think I'll have to start finding some odd jobs at our house.

The owner of the horses showed me this little hoof-cleaning tool. It worked for its purpose, and it wasn't THAT fancy. It cost him 25 bucks. Wow.

What about feed, housing, and grooming supplies?

*sigh* A bit discouraged now, but I seriously want to own my horse one day.

But have I got one aspect of it down!!! Cleaning up after them!

Last week's session was mostly cleaning out a mare's pen. She's about to have a baby! It wasn't too bad. At first I freaked out whenever I got stuff on my jeans or shoes, but it honestly wasn't bad.

Come to think of it, the smell didn't kill me either. It was peaceful out there. The trees around the pen gave me shade, and the leaves rustling gave a calming effect. It was hot, but it felt good doing some work. Honestly.

God Bless,

June Bug

Ah, it's June, and O-fficially summer break for little me. Yeah, I know what ya'll must be thinking... "How many times have the word 'summer' come up in your posts, Prism?"

Well, a lot.

I've referred to it in terms of school and weather, but this time it is definitely school.

Everything is done. From Bible and Logic to swimming. From Trignometry and Latin to sunny days outside.

*grins*

Have I got a major case of the June bug. You won't believe how many times I've gone outside this past week, either to jump on our trampoline with Lil' Sis and Artista! (Two younger sisters) Sure, there's always the possibility that I'm too old and might break its poor old springs, but it's not happened yet, so I'ma gonna keep doing it.

But one thing is for sure, I'm way to old for playground set thingies.

Yesterday I took Lil' Sis to our neighborhood playground because she has been itching to for a long time, and she's been well-behaved. We don't have swing set or slide set at our house, so I thought we'd go so she's be good and ready for her nap.
We headed there, and she played around for a while, climbing up and down. But she wouldn't go down the big slide!

She kept on saying, "Bow! Bow!" I didn't understand, but she was pointing towards the slide, so I climbed on up, thinking there was a bug or something. The stairs were fine, but then came the tunnel. A five-year old sized tunnel. Sure, I'm pretty "petite" and the shortest person in a group of people my age, but that thing was downright TINY. I got in just fine, but I couldn't fit through the other end of the tunnel.

Lil' Sis, of course, was eager to get to the other side so she helped push me out. I felt like Winnie the Pooh, stuck in Rabbit's hole. (Has anyone else had to read that story to younger siblings???) I didn't have to starve myself for a week or use butter to make me slick or anything, but it took a while for me to wriggle out of there.

After stretching and glaring at the tunnel, I still didn't know what she was so scared of... She started making whiny sounds when we pushed through, and was as stubborn as a cat being taken to a bath. I had to hold her and go down the slide with her to get down there. She was making worried sounds the whole way down.

That's the first and last time I'm going to attempt that. For sure!

As for school being out, that doesn't mean I'm lazing around. I mean, one can only be a couch potato for so long, and I got pretty bored of it on Monday. Twas THAT fast...

I've been reading a lot more and writing. Thing is, I'm editing on the LAST chapter of my fantasy story, and I've got an idea for this story that involves kidnapping, movie stars, and robot dogs that are pretty much all-purpose. May sound too over the top, but I'm going to try to go after it, and see what I can do.
But I still have to study for the PSAT and ACT tests, but that's not too much, compared to how many courses I took this year. It only takes two hours or so a week.

Cool blue pool, HERE I COME!!! (Well, me and an inner tube. Have I ever mentioned I can't swim???)

Yep, a serious case of the June Bug.

God Bless,