Christmas Comet: Final Frontier (Part 4)

December 25, 2118

Three separate beams of light came to life as Sonus, Annie, and Missy turned on their flashlights. Silence enveloped the cabin since Annie had closed her music box. Aside from the flashlights, ICEE was now void of power.

“There goes the generator,” stated Annie, deciding to break the silence. “How much time do we have?”

“Until the comet passes or until we run out of oxygen?” replied Missy.

Sonus waved his flashlight enthusiastically as he spoke. “I’ll take ‘Mysterious Flying Objects’ for 100.”

“According to the calculations,” started Missy, “we have anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour.”

Sonus nodded. “That’s not so bad.”

“Not so bad?” Annie griped, “We’re drifting in space with total loss of power and absolutely no way to contact our family. On Christmas day, no less.”

“True,” admitted Sonus. “But we have plenty of oxygen left in addition to the masks. Which means, more than likely, we’ll last until the generator kicks in again.”

“Either way, it’s out of our hands now.” Missy said.

“Exactly,” Sonus concurred. “So don’t worry about it.”

Relenting, Annie nodded to the still-wrapped gift in Blueray’s hand. “What is it?”
Sonus shone his light on the present and finally opened it. Inside the wrapper was a worn leather Bible. Flipping through the book, a folded paper drifted from the pages. Taking the note and unfolding it, Sonus read in silence.

To my dearest son, Sonus Blueray,

I wish you could be with us this Christmas. Your sister and I miss you dearly. This time of year has always been difficult since the passing of your father a few years ago. Do not let my words dishearten you, for you carry on the great legacy of noble men. The Bible now in your possession was your father’s, just as it was his father’s, his grandfather’s, and his great-grandfather’s. I know you will take care of it.

You are not the first to spend Christmas so far from home. One hundred and fifty years ago, three men made a live Christmas broadcast from space. Together, they read the first chapter of Genesis to the world.

I know this is a dated form of communication and I will probably get to wish you a merry Christmas when the time comes, but I had to let you know how much you mean to me. You have worked diligently to be a good example for your sister. Your influence on others reaches farther than you know. I am so happy to call you my son. If your father were here, I know he would be so proud of you. No matter what difficulties you face, I know you can overcome them. You are a hero, not only to your family, but also to everyone on this earth.

Never let anyone tell you differently nor let others decide your fate for you.
Ever strive to be honorable.
Valor and honor in a person are to be treasured.
Endure the trials, for they are the times that try men’s souls.
Remember what your father and I taught you and you should be all right.

Greet those you meet with a sincere smile, as I know you will.
One kind word or act can change a life.
Now, I believe I have said enough. Remember, you are
never alone. There is
always hope, even in the most dire of circumstances.

Give my regards to your friends.
I look forward to seeing the three of you again.
Vanessa sends her love. I’m sure she would like to hear from her brother.
Enjoy the time you have, my son, for no one can tell when it shall end.

Stay strong and brave.
Love,
- Mom

Sonus folded the letter and thought in silence.

“You know,” Missy said in a soft voice. “This is the farthest I’ve ever been from home on Christmas. Now, more than ever, I wish I could talk to my family.”

Annie sniffled a little, the semidarkness hiding her face from view.

“Are you ok, Annie?” Missy inquired with concern.

“Yeah, I’m...” she faltered. “It’s just...” Without saying any more, she opened her music box again and let the music play for a few moments.

Even though no one said it, everyone in the room felt a wave of homesickness. The prospect of never seeing their loved ones again only strengthened the feeling.

“If I could talk to my family again,” Missy said. “I would tell them how much I love and miss them.” Then she smiled. “But at least we have each other. I’m glad I get to spend Christmas with my friends.”

When Annie closed the music box, a faint hum could be heard. The hum grew louder and the lights came back on.

“The generator is running again,” Annie said in thunderstruck amazement.

“HAH! I told you so!” exclaimed Sonus as he gently descended and landed on the ground.

Missy tried getting the transmitter to break through the static. It took about an hour before she actually got through. Within that time period, the electricity came back on in various parts of the station until the generator was no longer needed.

“Houston, this is ICEE, come in Houston. Do you read me?”

“We read you, ICEE,” Earth finally replied. “What happened up there? You were out of commission for almost five hours! We thought we lost you.”

Missy laughed with relief and shook her head as she answered. “No, I’m still here. Darksaber and Blueray are here too. We’re doing just fine.”

“What happened?”

“You probably won’t believe this, but a comet came pretty close to us. It knocked out all the electricity and jammed the radio signal.”

“But you’re ok?” Houston affirmed.

At that point Annie cut into the conversation. “Yeah, we’re all here.”

Then Sonus jumped in, “Merry Christmas!”

Laughter could be heard in background over the receiver. “Wow. Listen, Darksaber, Blueray, McBacon, your families are all here.”

“Are you serious?!” Missy asked in surprise.

“Of course, is there anything you want us to tell them?”

The three friends looked at each other for a minute, wondering who was to go first. Sonus gestured to Missy so she took the lead. “Houston, McBacon speaking. Tell my family I love them.”

Annie went next. “Houston this is Darksaber. Let my family know I miss them.”

Finally, Sonus spoke. “Blueray to Houston. Tell them thank you.”

“Sure thing,” came the reply. “Is that it?”

Missy grinned, “From the crew of ICEE, Merry Christmas!”


The End






~ SMS ~

Christmas Comet: Shooting Star (Part 3)

December 24, 2118

Sonus Blueray stepped into the control room deep in thought. It had been an hour and a half since the first comet sighting and things weren’t looking any better. In fact, they were only getting worse. The scanners continued to waver until they had died completely. Missy tried contacting Houston, but she couldn’t get through. All communication systems were either jammed or down. Now the lights were starting to flicker.

Annie and Missy sat near the main controls. Missy was in the process of chronicling the events thus far when Sonus plopped into a nearby seat. “I just checked the back-up generator,” he said. “It should kick in if we lose power.”

“What’s to say the comet won’t kill that too?” Annie, slumped in her seat with arms folded, pursed her lips in grim expectancy.

“Don’t be such a Grinch, Annie. Cheer up.” Sonus replied with a smile. “Tis the season to be jolly.”

Missy nodded and added, “He’s got a point. It could be worse.”

At that moment, the lights flickered before all electricity died.

Annie’s voice filtered through the darkness. “You just HAD to say it.”

A long moment passed before the hum of the generator could be heard. Lights in the control room flickered back on. Sonus realized something was off with the artificial gravity when papers, pens, and even the girls’ hair started floating in midair.
Buckling himself to the seat, Sonus booted up and accessed the station’s statistics on one of the computers.

“The good news is, the generator’s working,” he said. “The oxygen system is still running, the main computer has power, and artificial gravity is at 50%. The radio transmitter works, but the signal is still jammed.”

“...And the bad news is?” Missy inquired in hesitance.
Sonus waited a moment, checking and double-checking the information, before answering.
“According to your calculations concerning the current location and speed of the comet… If this keeps up, we’ll lose the generator within an hour.”

“Meaning,” Annie stated while pulling her hair into a braid. “An hour from now, we won’t have electricity, gravity, or oxygen.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Sonus responded, ignoring the urge to comment on Annie’s pessimism again. Finishing off the braid, Annie gave a heavy sigh and buried her head in her hands.

“Look on the bright side,” Sonus said merrily. “We have plenty of food. At least we won’t starve to death.”

At that remark, Annie looked up with an exasperated expression. “I’ll get the emergency gear.” She pulled her feet up to the back of the chair and launched herself away from the conversation.

Sonus glanced at Missy. “Something I said?”

Missy shook her head in a “you should know better” manner.

“No worries,” Sonus said as he resumed going over various calculations. “We’ve been through worse.”

“Have we?” Missy asked dubiously as she twisted her flyaway hair into a bun and secured it.

“Sure we have!” he answered. “Remember that time you threw up during flight simulation?”

“How does that count?” she scoffed. “It’s not like it was life threatening. It was over in ten minutes.”

“You thought it was an eternity at the time. Besides,” he continued, turning to face Missy. “What makes you think this won’t be over soon?”

At that moment, a loud clang followed by a frustrated growl from the other end of the room garnered their attention. Annie was floating near a cabinet and appeared to be strangling whatever was inside.

“You’d better go help her, Sonus.”

With an acknowledging nod, he unbuckled and cautiously drifted through the room, grabbing a handrail near the emergency supplies cabinet upon arrival. “Need any help?” he asked.

“Of course not!” She replied sharply before attempting to yank a rope out of the metallic cabinet. “I’m doing just fine.”

“Mhm, I can see that,” Sonus commented as he watched her tug the rope a couple more times. As one of the small flashlights in the cabinet drifted out, he grabbed it and clipped it to his belt. “Annie,” he began. “Don’t let this get you down. We’ll be all right.”

She stopped pulling and stared at him. “What makes you so sure?”

“Remember that time you cheated in one of the mission simulations?”

“I never cheated,” she denied, turning her attention back to the cabinet.

“You hacked the program’s code and changed it. That’s called cheating.”

“I simply evened odds. They don’t have to put people in difficult situations and demoralize them with unfair statistics. They should’ve known better than to tell me I can’t win.” She glanced at Sonus and found him smirking before she stopped to think about her answer.

“Ok, maybe you’re right,” she admitted.

“That’s the best thing about having friends. They’re there for you when you need them.” Sonus said and patted her on the back. “Believe it or not, Annie, you’re not in this alone. Now then,” he pointed to the rope. “I believe there is a latch keeping that in place.”

Annie lowered her head. “Thank you.”

“Pleasure.” Just then, his watch beeped. Raising his wrist to looking at the timepiece, he muttered, “Would you look at that?” His face broke into a wide grin. “It’s Christmas day. Merry Christmas!” He floated back to Missy with Annie in tow.
“Merry Christmas, Missy!” “Merry Christmas to you too,” Missy replied. Annie proceeded to distribute oxygen masks, flashlights, and rope to the other crew members before buckling herself in her seat.

“Shall we float around the hovering Christmas tree and sing carols?” Sonus suggested as he pointed to the helpless artificial tree drifting near the ceiling.

“No thanks.” Missy turned back to the computer.

“So you’re just going to sit there and worry?” Sonus asked. He took advantage of the significant lack of gravity by performing a back flip in slow motion.

Missy thought for a moment before remembering an important detail. “Actually, I have a better idea.” She left her chair and floated to a cupboard and opened it. Three gift wrapped objects drifted out. Missy took hold of them and went back to her seat. “These came with the last cargo ship.” She threw, as best as one can in throw in 50% gravity, a present to Annie then threw one to Sonus. “Merry Christmas!”

Missy tore the paper of her present and watched a gold locket glide out. She opened it to find a picture of her together with her sister. Missy smiled and held the locket close while fond memories of her family flooded back to her.

Annie opened her gift and fought to hold the tears back when she revealed her mother’s music box. Gently lifting the lid, Beethoven’s Fur Elise softly filled the room.

Sonus waited to open his present. When Missy noticed he hadn’t opened his gift yet, she asked, “What did you get, Sonus?” Just as he was about to tear into the wrapping paper, the lights suddenly went out and the hum of the generator died.

“Well, I got to see my friends smile.”

~ SMS ~

Christmas Comet: Collision Course (Part 2)

December 24, 2118



Annie Darksaber pulled her helmet off and greeted Missy with a hug.


“You’re finally here!” Missy exclaimed with joy.


“Of course I am,” Annie replied. “Did you ever doubt?”


“Well, I don’t know,” said a familiar voice as Sonus walked into the room. “Your flying skills are to be feared,” he finished with a smirk.


“Nice to see you too, hero.” Annie gave her old friend a hug.


“Either way, you’re both here in one piece. That’s what counts,” Missy said as she helped Annie out of the spacesuit and led her and Sonus to the service module. “Are you two hungry?”


“Starving,” replied Annie as she sat in a high stool bolted to the ground.


“Great! I’ll get the food out.” Missy headed over to a cupboard and pulled out a few cans and packages.


Sonus sat in a stool opposite Annie and asked, “What’s for dinner?”


“Well,” Missy started as she rummaged through the cupboard. “The last cargo ship brought a bunch of Christmas food, along with the usual shipment.” She pulled out two cans and placed them on the table. “I think these are supposed to be ham or turkey.” She put a few more items on the table and sat down. Missy held up a packet. “Eggnog.” She then held up a small silver tube. “Oh, and here’s frosting.”


“Someone’s in the Christmas spirit.” Sonus said while taking the tube from Missy and examining it. “Odds of Annie accidentally replacing it with a tube of toothpaste?” Sonus and Missy both raised a hand and looked at Annie, who only rolled her eyes and responded, “That only happened once.”


“Once is all it takes.” Sonus placed the tube on the table.


“I’d watch it, Blueray,” Missy said with a snicker. “It may not be an accident next time.” Missy and Annie both laughed at the prospect while Sonus simply smiled.


Lighthearted conversation and updates on the past few weeks were exchanged as the three friends relished finally being reunited. Although the following meal could hardly be considered homemade, it was still quite appetizing to the hungry astronauts. After dinner, the three ventured to the control room where Sonus promptly seated himself behind the main computer and brought up one of his oft-used playlists.


“All right,” he said while turning up the volume. “It’s time to get this party started!” He leaned back in the chair with a triumphant grin as The Pretender by Foo Fighters blasted through the station’s PA system.


Missy shook her head in feigned disbelief and crossed her arms. “You can’t possibly be serious.”


“What? It’s a classic,” Sonus said with an innocent shrug.


“But it’s so old!” Missy protested. “Besides, it’s Christmas Eve. Where’s the Christmas music?”


“Oh, fine.” With a disgruntled sigh, Sonus sat up and changed playlists. Once Jingle Bells could be heard, he turned to Missy with raised eyebrows. “Happy?”


“Very,” she replied with a grin. Missy grabbed Annie’s arm and pulled her to her feet. “Now help me decorate the tree!”


“We have a tree?”


“Not yet, but we will!”


After scouring the station, the three managed to find a small tree near the cargo module as well as some garland. The tree was one of those mini artificial Christmas trees and looked fairly old, but it would do. There wasn’t much they could do as far as decorating the station, but they did their best.


Despite the fact that it was Christmas Eve, there were still a few odd jobs to be done around the station. For instance, one of the small exterior panels of the station was starting to chip and needed to be replaced. It was while carrying out this task that Sonus first realized something was wrong outside the station.


Missy was in the control room filling out the daily report when she noticed an odd blip on the scanners. When Sonus finished the task and came back inside, Annie helped him get the space suit off.


Veiling any urgency, he asked, “Is Missy on the monitors?”


Having seen an odd light out the window, Annie replied, “Yeah. Did you see something out there too?”


A questioning glance was exchanged before Sonus made for the control room, with Annie in pursuit. When they entered the room, Missy turned down the music and faced her friends. “Something’s coming our way.”


“Can you tell what it is?” Sonus inquired as he read over the information Missy pulled up.


“From what the scanners tell me, it’s nothing more than a normal comet.” Before Missy could continue, Annie interjected. “It won’t hit the station, will it?”


“It shouldn’t,” Missie replied as she scanned for more information. “It’ll be close, but not close enough to hit us. Ack!” The scanner and computer screens started wavering for a few seconds and blinked once or twice before resuming normal operation. “It’s been doing that ever since the comet came within range,” she explained.


“That’s not good.”


“No, it really isn’t.” As Missy spoke, Annie checked the wiring and started going through the computer files to make sure the cause of the disturbance wasn’t with the equipment itself.


While she worked with the computers, Missy and Sonus checked other major machines aboard ICEE. The investigation brought no light on the subject. At the end of their search, all equipment seemed to be running properly. That is, aside from the celestial sojourner’s disturbances, which increased in frequency as the time went on. Missy started trying to contact Houston, but so far, she wasn’t having any luck. Annie looked out the window at the foreign space traveler with a sigh.

“Just when I was starting to enjoy myself too.”


~ SMS ~

Christmas Comet: Space Static (Part 1)

Story time!!
I decided to give my wonderful coauthors a story for Christmas.
Don't worry, this won't be an epically long story. In fact, it's just a short story.
This story has a lot of random references to things my coauthors would get, but I think anyone would still be able to enjoy it. ...I would hope...if not, I've failed as an author. Keep in mind this is only the second draft.
Ah well.

Enjoy. ^_^


Christmas Comet: Space Static (Part 1)

December 23, 2118

Misteamy McBacon sighed in boredom. Sure, she expected to have a lot of free time aboard the space station, but this was ridiculous. Aside from the daily logs and occasional contact from Earth, she didn’t have any more work to keep up with. Missy, for so she was often called, had completed all her reports about a week ago and the boredom was getting to her. Normally there were at least three crew members aboard the space station, ICEE, at any given moment. Due to an emergency at home, George Happi went back to Earth with his brother, Lucas, aboard the last cargo ship two weeks ago.

In an effort to entertain herself, Missy picked up a pen and drew on the back of one of her field reports. What at first started as an absentminded doodle turned into a sword with extravagant detail. Missy put down the pen and sighed again. Flipping the paper over, she glanced over the report. Two names stood out amid all the data: Anastasia Darksaber and Sonus Blueray. They were the two currently on separate data-gathering missions on planet Academia’s moons. Missy looked up through the glass at the foreign planet.

“I hope those two are ok. It’s almost Christmas, but they’ve barely had any direct contact with Earth since summer solstice. I’m sure their families are worried. I wonder if I can get through to them, now that the weird storms have passed.”

Missy turned on the transmitter and said, “ICEE to Blueray, do you come in?” Only to be met with static, she tried again. “ICEE to Darksaber. Come in, Darksaber.” The next few moments of static were just as disappointing the second time around. “I guess they’re not there.”

Just as Missy was about to turn off the receiver, a faint voice came through the static.

“ICEE, Blueray. Do you read me?”

Recognition gracing her smile, Missy replied, “Darksaber, this is ICEE.”

“Any word from Blueray yet?”

“None.”

As soon as Missy spoke, a second voice breached the receiver. “ICEE, Darksaber, this is Blueray.”

Happy to hear from her friends again, Missy replied, “Blueray, Darksaber, this is ICEE. I read you both loud and clear. What took you two so long?”

“Blueray, this is Darksaber. How goes the mission?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call sector 17 a potential vacation spot. How about you?”

“Oh, you know, a few storms and gear malfunctions here and there. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Missy opened an unfinished report and started jotting notes down as she asked, “Darksaber, what’s your position?”

“3.333.”

“Blueray, what’s yours?”

“3.141 and closing.”

Missy stopped writing and turned her full attention to the receiver. “Wait, you’re not returning to the ship, are you?”

“Of course, I am,” Sonus replied. “Darksaber is coming too. Christmas is almost here! If you think we’re going to let you spend Christmas in deep space by yourself, you better think again. Isn’t that right, Annie?”

Darksaber’s voice chimed in. “That’s right. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

“Well, you almost did… before I reminded you what day it was.”

“At least I remembered your birthday.”

“Only because I put a sticky note in the cockpit before you took off.”

“Wow, seriously?” Missy asked, almost sure that cabin fever had gotten the better of her.

“Yes,” Sonus Blueray replied.

Missy shook her head, still trying to fully comprehend what was really happening. “No, I mean. Did you two really plan to be back by Christmas?”

“We sure did!” Annie’s high-pitched voice sounded like it was filled with glee.

“What about the missions?” Missy insisted. “Houston won’t be happy about this.”

“Relax. Sonus already cleared it. We’re just taking some time off.”

“We’ll be back in our sectors before you know it,” Blueray assured Missy.

Missy sat back in her chair and thought everything over. “Wow, I can’t believe you guys did this just for me.”

“Well,” Annie started. “Sonus convinced Houston to give us a break for Christmas back in the summer. After experience with the first year, he knew we would need it. We just thought it would be cool to not tell you… and surprise you later.”

Despite whatever unkindness the statement might have implied, Missy knew Annie meant well.

“Something along that line,” was Blueray’s hesitant supplement. The conversation then went back to another communication clash between Sonus and Annie.

“Why couldn’t you get them to give us the same sector, Blueray?”

“I wasn’t going to try my luck after the alien incident,” he replied, referring to the time Annie crashed a makeshift spaceship on Earth and the media declared it a UFO cover-up.

“Hey, that was a creation of pure awesomeness,” was her rebuttal.

“Sure it was. I’ll tell you what; I will go to your sector if you handle all the paperwork in mine.”

“Can’t you just ask for a transfer?”

“Why don’t you?”

“Ok, ok, that’s enough,” cut in McBacon with a serious tone. “I declare Christmas break officially in session. That means no more mission talk until after you two go back to your posts after Christmas. Clear?”

“Roger that.”

“Roger, Roger”

“Good. ICEE out.” Missy turned off the receiver and started preparing for the two incoming spacecraft. Although Missy ended transmission sharply, she knew Annie and Sonus wouldn’t think anything of it. Ever since their days together at the academy, the two have argued over petty things, though always in jest.

Missy went straight to work reorganizing and “cleaning” the station. Although she already reorganized out of sheer boredom, Missy went around checking the quarters and labs with an excited bounce in her step. Christmas was on its way, and even though she couldn’t be with her family, she could be with her friends.

“It sure beats spending Christmas alone.”


~ SMS ~

Winter Song - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

"Uniquely Me"

I am
a confusion of cultures.
Uniquely me.
I think this is good
because I can understand
the traveler, sojourner, foreigner,
the homesickness that comes.
I think this is also bad
because I cannot be understood
by the person who has sown
and grown in one place.
They know not the real meaning of homesickness
that hits me
now and then.
Sometimes I despair
of understanding them.
I am
an island
and
a United Nations.
Who can recognize either in me
but God?

~ Alex Graham James, Third Culture Kids

The Morning After - Maureen McGovern

So for the past three or four weeks, the Ukrainian government has been trying to kick my family out of the country. Twas a big mess with visa expiration, registration, and authorization. … and a lot of procrastination on the government's part.
Monday: Come back Wednesday
Wednesday: Come back Friday
Friday: Come back Wednesday

Yeah, it's been nerve wrecking.

Without the visa approval, my family would immediately have to leave the country for at least three months. Not really a big deal, but we're talking a whole family of 7 people. If they had to leave, my ticket home would have to be changed as well (something about not wanting to be without my family on Christmas.)

So, for the past three weeks, on top of everything else, here I am worrying about whether or not I'll get to be home for Christmas. Tis a very wearying thing, worry.

After a week, I just wanted to be with my family for christmas. It's always been odd listening to people say, "I'm going home this weekend."
It doesn't bother me like it used to, it's just odd now (unless I happen to be really homesick that day).

Of course with the end of the semester coming you have Christmas stuff all around, people exited about going home, seeing family, seeing friends.
I guess I'm thankful I had all the homework, projects, and other things going on.
Twould have been a puddle of tears had I time to stop and think about it.

Tis still odd though, when people say "Are you excited for the end of the semester?"

What goes through my head: The end of semester will determine whether I can go home or not. Where will my family be? Will I have enough time to get to them? What about our Christian family back in Ukraine?

What I actually say: *hesitantly* "I guess" or *absently* “yeah”

Course they can tell something's wrong so they ask. Then I debate whether I should tell them or not.
"Just because I'm having a rough day doesn't mean I have to make other people feel bad."
"Tell more people so they can pray for my family."
"I just want to be alone."

I know, I know, still have a lot of work in that area. I’m working on it.
Hope, worry, and trust collide quite frequently.
Then I am reminded of passages like

II Tim 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Proverbs 3:5, 6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Matthew 6:25 – 34 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

And songs like "Trust and Obey," "Be still my soul," and "Living by Faith."

… Then comes the mental berating.
Trust is a very great thing.
I find myself going, “Lord, please take this. There’s no way I can do this alone. I know you can take care of it… but I’ll just hold on to this little section.”
I still have a lot of work in this area. A LOT.
I know I’m not perfect. I’ll still keep trying to be perfect though. That could be both a good and bad thing.

At least things are almost over. This week’s been rough with all the projects, programs, and presentations piled into one week.

My family now has their passports and registration back. They are legal till Feb. It’s not a whole lot of time, but it’s enough to figure things out.

I am so thankful for answered prayer and for all those who knew/found out/dragged it out of me and prayed for my family and me during this time. I really appreciate it.

The semester’s coming to a close and the projects and tests will be over one way or another. Now I get to think about moving rooms and packing for home. It’s been a good semester, just incredibly busy and packed. I’ll be home for Christmas.

Note to self: don’t take on so much that you get burnt out a month and a half before you can go home and recuperate. A month is hardly enough time to fully recover from that much interaction.

Ah well, the most I can do is try.

~ Always Hope ~

Peace of Mind - Boston

I had trouble deciding between this song and “Live Like We’re Dyin’”. So of course that song plays right after this one.

*sigh*
Thanksgiving break, but I still feel like I’m supposed to be supervising, coordinating, or just doing something in general. Sure, I have homework to do (mostly reading different chapters of different textbooks or the like). The past three weeks have been blocked up with work, meetings, classes, and other projects, so unwinding has been... difficult?

I’m involved in at least 4 different groups that meet on a regular basis.

Missions Group – Meets every other week and discusses different aspects of mission work for the mission minded.
Personal Evangelism – A newer group that meets every week and discusses ways to spread the Gospel.
Southern Oaks – Meets every week and hosts a devotional at the Southern Oaks Assisted living home.
A Helping Hand – A new student-based organization I’m part of. Our goal is to spread the Gospel as well as help with physical needs of those we are teaching. I’m part of the IT department of the organization.

I’m probably missing a couple other groups. Add classes, homework, group projects, and work to that mix.

Now that the musical is over, things should be pretty easy at work. I just have to make sure to secure the job so I can have it next semester. My boss already said I could have the job when I brought it up, but I figure reminding him every so often before the end of the semester would be a good idea.

I can always count on people around me to tell me how stressed I seem. You know it’s bad when you have friends telling you on a daily basis to chill out or take some time off. Finally being persuaded to spend some time relaxing, I took one day and canceled two meetings and moved two other meetings to different times. Trying to ignore most calls and texts, I ate dinner by myself and watched The Wrath of Khan in solitude. I enjoyed every minute of it. Despite being called an extrovert, I still like to think of myself as in introvert. I wanted some time alone (not to do homework) just to get my mind off everything. It left me feeling a little better; at least enough to last me through the rest of the week.

Now it’s Thanksgiving break. I’m spending it with a friend’s family in Oklahoma. By the time it came down to planning where I was going, I just wanted to get away from everyone and everything. That sounds really selfish...
There is a fine line somewhere in there that I’m still trying to figure out.



I sat down to write (NaNoWriMo, remember?) only to get nothing as far as inspiration goes. When I have time, I have no inspiration or desire to write. When I’m super busy, I have all the inspiration in the world. The stuff keeps me up at night until I tell myself I need to relax and get some sleep. Tis an merciless cycle.


The thing is, even when I do take a break from things, my mind still plagues me. I’ll be thinking about problems others are having and how I can help or different plans that need to be made or things on my to-do list (both short term and long term) and how I can accomplish them.
The truth of the matter is, I can never really get away from everything.



(cool points to whoever can correctly guess what these pics are from)




There is comfort in knowing God is in control, but that’s after I remind myself of that. I want to do everything on my own. For some reason, I feel that I have to. “No one else is going to do it for you.” Or “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” So I do. I automatically try to take care of others and help them with their problems in addition to juggling my own. If someone asks for help, I’ll drop what I’m doing and take on that as well. Tis no wonder I get so worn out. But I can’t stop, oh no. I can’t neglect anyone, otherwise I’ll be letting them down and that’s the last thing I want to happen.

*sigh*

Then I take a deep breath and remember why I became a Christian: because I was sick of trying to handle life on my own.

Looks like I’m still learning. =/

Don’t get me wrong I enjoy helping people. I’m thankful for the chance to help someone in need. I love my job. I’m thankful for the education I’m getting. I lament the fact that I let other things take priority over homework time and I have to rush through the material. I’m thankful for my friends and teachers. I’m thankful for the different groups I get to be part of. I’m thankful for my immediate physical family and I long for the day I can be with them again. I’m thankful for my spiritual family, life would be 10 times more difficult without them. I’m thankful for my extended physical family (hi grandma!) and the fact that I can stay in contact with them better now that I’m stateside. I’m thankful for my awesome friend who let me stay with her family for Thanksgiving. Maybe before the end of the week I can force myself to relax before the final stretch of school. Maybe. There’s a slight chance I’m going to go Black Friday shopping. *shudders* (20 years with a spotless record for what? That’s the question.)
With any luck, I’ll live to see Christmas break. I’m guessing I won’t be able to fully relax till I’m on the plane ride home.

~ Always Hope ~
~ Never Alone ~
~ Endurance and Victory ~

Paradise - Coldplay

~ Starless night ~

Troubles pressing slowed me down.
Heavenward I lift my crown.
There was not a star in sight,
Not a hope in bleakest night.

Silence smothers every side.
Heavy silence tried to hide
Any joy or happy note
Ever strive escape my throat.

Cried and wept, I sobbed and sighed.
Never would the peace abide.
Now upon the darkest hour
Yield myself unto His power.

All I am and all I own
Troubles thought but mine alone.
All my heart had been outpoured,
All my trouble to the Lord.

Praying till not one was left.
Then exhaled with shaky breath.
Yet again in silence thought,
Still upon the battle fought.

Battle with myself and stress.
Could I battle any less?
Yes, the answer came out clear,
Had I laid down starting fear.

Knowing He knows every way
He injustice will repay
He will give the weary rest
Faithful end of every test

Caught again emotion’s turn,
Must again this lesson learn.
“Scold the heart,” was mind’s retort
God should ne’er be last resort.

~ SMS

~ Never Alone ~

Stand My Ground - Within Temptation

So busy.

Tests, quizzes, meetings, homework, classes, programs, work, food, and that stuff called sleep.

Ah well, here are some sites to check out in the meantime.

Website of the organization I'm assisting. We're still trying to get it up and running, but this is the website so far.

Site for Hanna's prequel (or what I have edited so far). I'm continuing this for NaNo. Course, most of what I write is unedited, so it may be a while before this site gets updated.

If you want some of the unedited stuff, scroll past the poem.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high;
And you want to smile but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver line of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.

--Unknown


Frozen Memoirs: unedited excerpt.

The doorknob rattled as she tried opening the locked door. I heard a loud sigh before Anna continued. “If you’re listening,” she said, “I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you. It’s just... I want to believe you can do better, if you tried.” As she talked, I quietly made my way to the window and noiselessly slid it open. I assume she kept talking. I was already out the window and sprinting to my bike. Within a few minutes I was on my way to rendezvous with the White Raven.

~ Strength and Honor ~
~ Endurance and Victory ~

Toccata-Carpimus Noctem - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

*Plays Epona's Song first*

Excitemenet all around.
I got to spend the weekend with some amazing people. It was nice just to get away from college for a while. One of my friends invited me to go to her family’s house for a cookout. It was awesome. 1) Christian fellowship. 2) Home cooked meals. 3) No pressing homework. 4) More home cooked meals. 5) The good fire smell on your clothes after a bonfire.



I think what I found most entertaining was the way the family members interacted with each other. There were some pretty hilarious moments. I missed my family a lot afterwards. I have to remind myself what I’m here for. I need to finish what I started.
On that note, I finished two scarves this semester. I’m almost finished with a third one. One gets a lot of crocheting done one a 3 ½ hour trip.

After I get back, boom. Halloween. I went through today without incident, for which I’m grateful. I dressed up as Malon from Legend of Zelda. Costumes are like jokes; they don’t have the same meaning if you have to explain them. And that I did.



I had a bottle (jar, technically speaking) and everything! All I was missing was Epona and Link. Ah well, they are surely on an adventure of some sort to save Hyrule. In the meantime, I shall stay here, singing and dreaming...



At least I didn’t dress up as some totally ambiguous character from an unpublished story *cough* ISC Hanna *cough*
<_< >_> *whispers* Though I’ll admit, I loved being Hanna. ^_^
*ahem* I had a good time.



With the beginning of November comes the start of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Like I said before, I’m not planning on finishing, but I want to get farther along in some of my half-written stories. To any other writers out there taking on this quest, may you always find a pen and pad when you need them and overcome every writer’s block.

~ Always Hope ~

Party in the CIA – Weird Al Yankovich

Yes, I can kick off the post with an insane song. It’s the weekend.

It is amazing what I get myself into.



Course it’s nothing compared to what Hanna gets into, but that’s another rant for another time.

Midterm week is over. As far as tests go, they weren’t that bad. Not that good, but not bad either. The grades were somewhere in the middle, in a place that would make any perfectionist wince in agony. I’ll work on it. Still working on balancing everything out. My priorities are like little baby ducklings that keep wandering out of line. Don’t ask me where that analogy came from. You’re following the rabbit hole, remember?

Anyway, I’m thankful for midterm week. A bunch of tests at the same time isn’t really convenient, but I like having a checkpoint. A place to stop and see how I’m doing, where I need to improve, and what subjects I need to spend more time on. On the other hand, it can be a painful revelation as well. Tis the price of knowledge, I suppose. =/
Tis knowledge I want to know though, even if it is painful. Tis necessary.



I have a habit of piling up more stuff on top of everything else I’m doing. It’s awesome that I’m involved, but at the end of the day…. I’m out of it.
*refrains from using a LotR quote about butter over too much bread*

I’m loving my job. The past couple weeks I got to work in the wood shop. ^_^ I got to help paint primer on everything and started the actual painting. I also got to use the saw and drill (no, I didn’t play with them).

I’ve done more crocheting. I finished a scarf and a couple scrunchies. Then I started on two other projects. There are also a few small sewing projects and hot glue gun projects that are on my to do list. I made cookies though.

~ Inception cookies ~



You have now been exposed to awesomeness. :|

As far as craziness goes... I found enjoyment in pulling off a prank. I f you know me, you know that’s stuff I’d talk about doing (or even worse if ye talk to Hanna), but would never actually do.
... For the most part :P



I found enjoyment in it. We may have opened the floodgates here. <_< >_>



(Don’t worry, we took all the post-it notes off. Eventually)

To add to the ever-growing list of things to do, I’ve been trying to get back to writing. Hanna’s prequel got a couple updates. Irish Rose hasn’t moved in…. far too long. In short, NaNoWriMo’s coming up. What better time to write than NaNo? I’m not planning on finishing, but I at least want to get some words in.



So yeah, I’ve been busy. Looks I will continue to be busy.

*bows* Until we meet again.

~ Always Hope! ~






Oh, and you didn’t see any of this secret stuff, ok?

September - Earth, Wind, and Fire

I have a surprise.
Today is kind of special.



I started putting something together for a couple of special people for this day.
It didn't quite turn out as I had hoped. I was going to sing my own version of September to them, but that might have to wait. I didn't have time to change the lyrics too much. Instead, I made a video for them. It's not nearly as long as my other works. It isn't much, but it's the best I have right now. *ahem* Anyway.

I hope they like it.

Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas

It is amazing how so much can happen in so short a time. As usual, I’ve been slightly sleep deprived lately. No big deal. I can still wake up and function normally in society… for the most part.

For real though, it’s these early mornings that are killing me. I haven’t stayed up past 2 for about a week now (that I can remember anyway). Instead, I've gotten up earlier so I could have a few hours to do homework.

Homework… schoolwork… projects, programs, reading assignments, writing assignments. Yeah, those things. I need to do more of them. I need to get better at putting the things I need to do first. Sounds ironic.

Anyway, I’m going to update ye all on the story of my life at some point or another, but that takes too long.


Let me hit the highlights.

Saturday morning, I went with a group of Freedies and we helped pack about 1,120 banana boxes in a truck to be sent to Zimbabwe. That was awesome. ^_^
I like being productive. Some how, seeing physical progress is more gratifying than mental progress. Granted, there is a certain kind of joy when the program you’ve spent more than 4 hours working on runs properly, but it’s not quite the same.

Sure, I can write some code, but I’d much rather put the computer together. I like working with my hands. It lets me be all crafty-like and creative. I can be a little creative in programming, but it’s like finding a new way to get to the right answer in a math problem. I’m sure someone somewhere has a lot of fun with that.

I’m better with hammers, nails, wood, construction paper, crayons, yarn, hardware, and food. I am perfectly ok with going through life without knowing the estimated number of Pi. I know how to calculate it now though.


Moving on: jobs. I have one. It took a while to get one, but now I have one. I am very thankful to have it. Seems I pestered the dude at the work/study window enough. The original job I wanted (the one with the wood and saw dust and power tools) was given to someone else. However, I pestered them some more and got the next best thing. I get to help work the lighting, sound system, and powerpoints for chapel. Is that not awesome? What’s more, I can fill in hours working in wood shop. They’re probably going to have me paint the set at the most, but hey, it’s a start. ^_^

That turned out to be longer than I expected. Figures.



Anyway, with everything going on, it’s been difficult finding/making time to do the things I need to do. It’s still just the start of the semester/year, but I’m already exhausted.
I am extremely grateful for the encouragement I’ve been receiving from those around me and those in other countries. You guys are awesome. I mean it. Thank you.

* Non sequitur list of pictures moment *









* moment over *

Here’s a poem I wrote a while ago then recently found on my hard drive. I never really finished it, but I guess it looks fine like this.

A letter of encouragement
I to thee now write
I hope that you will not relent
Nor give up in your fight.

I know thine foes very well
For I once fought them too
Nothing new that I thee tell
Thine task was set for you

~ SMS

And because I like poetry so much, here’s another poem.
Not by me this time.




A Psalm of life

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;--

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



~ Always Hope ~

~ Never Alone ~

The Show - Lenka

If I were given angelic voice
to sing melodic song
And remaining silent were my choice
do I the world a wrong?

If I were given potter’s hands
to shape and form and mold
And yet forsake my Maker’s plans
could I thus be so bold?

If I were given seamstress skill
to stitch and sew and weave
But only crafted for my will
what would for others leave?

If I had given of my goods
yet kept from Him my life
I am but fit for sorrow’s moods
and all of worldly strife.

The old self so malevolent
should know it was replaced
Thus short and sweet and relevant
Whose life have I embraced?

~ SMS

All Star – Smash Mouth

I had so much trouble figuring out the right song for this post.
Usually, I just use a song I’ve been listening to on repeat for a couple days or a song that fits the mood.
No song stood out so I made a list of 15 songs that I could choose from.
It’s been busy, almost to the point of chaotic.

First week and a half of school seemed to go pretty well.
On Thursday I went to programming II. (Don’t ask me why we started school on a Thursday. Some of the things they do here don’t make sense, that’s one of them.)
After class we had the tolling of the bell ceremony.
It’s the start of another school year. What else can I say, other than that it was funny seeing all the teachers dressed in various colored robes and sitting on stage?
The next class was the Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. There was a bunch of familiar people in that class. It looks like it’s going to be pretty fun.
Last class was Art Appreciation. Shouldn’t be too hard for a visual learner.

Some of you may know that I’m in the process of pursuing a job in the theater wood shop. I’ve taken various measures to make sure I get the job, including visiting the shop 3 times (the first two times no one was there) and visiting the work-study window every other day or so. The guy working at the window always has this slightly amused/possibly annoyed smile/grimace expression when he sees me. I can’t actually tell if he’s annoyed or amused. I got to talk to the guy in charge of the shop and told him that I wanted to work there and answered various questions he had. Either way, they both said I would find out if I had the job sometime this week. The prospect looks good, but I think I’ll still bug the guy at the window.
All well, here’s hoping.


Friday I went to Visual Application Programming. Turns out, I’m in the same classroom with the same 9 computer students every morning at either 9:00 or 9:30 (depending on day), but with two different classes. I think that’s pretty cool, but that’s just me.
After chapel and lunch, I went to American Lit. I. In the middle of class, a girl on the soccer team passed out. Apparently she had had a concussion not too long ago. The teacher and a few students took her downstairs (class is on the 3rd floor) when she woke up. The rest of the class sat in intense silence. I spoke up and asked if someone would lead a prayer for her, which I’m thankful someone did. After the teacher came back, he continued the introduction to the reading assignment and sent us on our way with homework.

I went to the Southern Oaks assisted living home with a group of students. We usually have a devotional with a group of the elderly. Since Friday was the first time we had been back since last semester, we had a singing day.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out with friends, including watching Kung Fu Panda 2.



Saturday, the school had a free carnival thing for the students. Last year, I won a fishie that died soon after. This year, I won four fishies. The first one was white and died cause I stayed outside in the heat too long. I didn’t get the chance to name him before he died, but now I call him Ghost. The other three I got later in the day and got them to an air-conditioned room. One goldfish has some black on the fins, so I called that one Hanna. Another goldfish has white on the fins, so I named that one Kandi. The last one looked like a normal goldfish, nothing extraordinary, so that one is Anna. Simple enough, nay? They’re all still alive too, so far so good.



Sunday we had a potluck after services and that evening we had a singing night.

Today I went to class not in the best of moods. Twas annoyed and tired. Didn’t help that I was having some issues getting a program I need for my computer class up and running. Besides that, I had a reading assignment that was taking me forever to finish. I got it done in time though and got through two of my classes without too much difficulty. Then I went to Physical Science. I was not looking forward to it, but now I’m actually excited for it. There’s just something really cool about a teacher with Doctor Who hair talking about time travel, black holes, aliens, and smashing rocks with hammers. He was into it. He enjoyed science and he wanted to help the students enjoy it too. Isn’t that what good teachers are supposed to do? Anyway, I’m looking forward to that class.

Always Hope!

Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn

The summer is coming to a tranquil close.

Oh, I survived the plane trip. I probably should have said that first.

The ride went by without incident, which is always nice.
I got back to the Lewis home in TN at about 4AM on the 12th. After a few hours of sleep, I repacked and went with some friends to lunch and stayed at their house for the next few days. I had to repack so I could let someone take my big suitcase to school for my while I moved around with my carry-on and backpack. I stayed with this family then went back to the first house before going to a place in Mississippi. It seems that even without my family, my life is filled with moving around a lot in the states. Until school, anyway.
It’s kind of weird being in someone else’s house. I’m not new to it, but there are still surprises every time. Also, I don’t like staying too long without feeling like I’m doing something productive. I don’t like feeling like I’m bothering people. How that exactly ties into my last sentence, I’m not entirely sure. The connection is there, it’s just difficult to put into words right now, ironically.

Anyway, now I’m in MS. The drive down was all right. One of the cars I was in lost a hubcap, but the trip was uneventful otherwise.



I’m staying at a friend’s house with several other friends. We are the Chapel Sitters. We have a title. It’s awesome. Almost as awesome as finding out some people know my family as “THE Swords,” which is just epic. ^_^

*ahem* so….

We, the Chapel Sitters of Freed-Hardeman University, in order to form a more awesome bond, establish fun, insure domestic sammiches, provide for the common majors, promote the general coolness, and secure the duct tape of friendship to ourselves and our peers, do decree and set this standard for the Freed-Hardeman freshmen.

Wait… that doesn’t sound quite right…
Where was I?
Ah, yes.
So there we are having a good time catching up and one of the Chapel Sitters brings out swords. Real swords.
Gladius, katana, and Andúril (Yes, that one :| )
I got to hold them ^_^
And maybe kinda play with one outside, but I won’t talk about that. :P

It’s been good being back with them (the friends, not the swords). A couple of them are going to Europe and will be spending the semester there with the school’s Belgium program. It’s been good getting to hang out with them before they leave.
We’ll all leave tomorrow, some to the airport and the rest back to TN.

Who can tell what this semester holds for each one of us...

Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

Here I go again.



Another plane flight or three.

Seemingly endless security checks.

Another semester of school.

There is a time for everything.

Yet every year time seems to gain speed in its passing.



Ephesians 5:15, 16
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”



In any case, here I am off on another adventure.
I am not alone, for we are Never Alone.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with my parents on the mission field.
I only have love and respect for my family and I am sad to leave, though I still plan on returning in December.
To my family, both physical and spiritual, as we sang before: God be with you till we meet again.

Alas, the time ever is running out.
Planes have schedules to keep up with and all that.

Strength and Honor!
Never Alone!
Endurance and Victory!
Always Hope!

See you on the other side