Last Games

Boise State vs. Hawaii

*sniffles* Well, the Broncos played Friday night from 9(pm) to 1(am). Yes, I stayed up for the WHOLE thing. My dad and I were able to go down to the exercise room since it was a nationally televised game. It was very fun watching the game, but the sad thing was, they lost. 39-27. I have to admit that the Warriors were a very good team. I think that if some of our best players hadn't been injured the score might be different, but one can only guess. I was very sad afterwards. It's not often that the Broncos lose. Then it hit me. Wow, I am really blessed. Lots of people have teams that they are dedicated too that are just....well...bad. It's amazing how many games the Broncos have won. In the last 8 years we have won 96 games and lost 18. This is the most wins in college football ever. So with that said, even though I am still sad, it's Hawaii's chance to shine right now and I wish them the best of luck. But, we'll see you next year Warriors and you better watch your back!

After this game Dad and I were talking about Boise’s bowl chances. He realized that they would probably be playing in the Humanitarian bowl. This is actually the bowl game hosted in Boise. *smiles* So, now the question was who was going to be their opponent.

Me: So, who is Boise going to play on the blue?
Dad: Whoever wins the North Carolina State verses Maryland game tomorrow.
*dramatic pause*
Me: WAIT!! Isn't that the game I'm going to tomorrow?

Yes indeedy, I actually got invited to the game that would decide Boise’s opponent. How crazy is that?

North Carolina State vs. Maryland

My friend’s family is big NC State fans and they have season tickets and tailgating passes and entrance into special cool big places. She invited me to go and as you may have guessed I was thrilled. My first football game in NC. We tailgated (which is a hoot, cause you eat and talk about the game and eat more) for about 2 hours, then went to our really comfortable chairs and watched the game. Don't get me wrong, I totally respect NC State and everything but their football team is horrible. In the entire game they rushed for 10 YARDS!! *that's not good* Since I haven't been in North Carolina for very long I haven't decided what teams I will root for. So, I didn't have any kind of attachment to NC State. With that said, I really enjoyed the game even though they got creamed 37-0. Maryland was a good team and I watched them and analyzed them. They will be fun to watch when Boise plays them. GO BOISE!

Love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Spend lots of time with your families and friends, eat, laugh, sing, dance, and praise the Lord!

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good..." Psalm 100:4

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
I Thessalonians 5:18

"I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy." Anne Frank

P.S. I am seriously considering changing my URL from
this: http://www.my-life-photoblog.blogspot.com/
to this: http://www.somethingkind.blogspot.com/

Just to let you know. ;)

Author Chats 2

From left to right starting at the top:

Sonya Sones, Holly Black, Carolyn Mackler, Mitali Perkins, Lisa Yee, Kirsten Miller, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, Gaby Triania, Lauren Myracle

If you could meet any person in the world, who would it be?

I knew this one was coming! I've been thinking about it. I keep switching between Elizabeth Bennet and Captain Jean Luc Picard. (Yes I am a TREKKIE!!!) -Dia Calhoun

George Cloooney. -Kirsten Miller

Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected leader of Burma, who is under house arrest. She is one of my heroes. -Mitali Perkins

Jesus and Gandhi -Janet Lee Carey

Have you had any fun fan expierences?

Right now! Also, I was just spotted by a fan at a play on Saturday night. I was OVER THE MOON! -Carolyn Mackler

What first got you interested in writing?

Reading. As soon as I could read a book I knew I wanted to write one. -Lisa Yee

Do you have any other interests besides reading and writing?

I love taking photos, especially of my author friends. I love dancing. I love the movies. I love reading. Cooking is fun. Shopping for vintage clothes from the 40's and 50's... -Sonya Sones

What is your favorite outfit?

Jeans and a t-shirt, NO DOUBT. I am a no fuss, no muss kind of gal. ;) -Lauren Myracle

On me? I don't know! That's a great question. I guess the answer is that I am obsessed with jackets and a new and spiffy jacket is always my favorite. I have a purple leather one right now that I love to death. -Holly Black

What was the hardest part to write in Tantalize? Was there a hard part?

The hardest part was knowing that I had a huge story to tell, but I'd have to start with one book and pray that a readership would be there to demand more. I had an established reputation as a Native American themes writer for children so some folks thought it would be difficult for readers to think of me as writing anything else. So I had to take it one step at a time. Fortunately, the response has been really great, and it seems strange now that anyone would be worried. I really appreciate all the support. It's been an amazing and heartening year. -Cynthia Leitich Smith

What is one of your favorite CD's?

I love Walela, very soothing. - Cynthia Leitich Smith

Do you read aloud to your kids very often? If so, do you have one or two particular books you enjoy reading to them most? I read aloud to them all the time. When Michael was little, it was Goodnight Moon to a tune I made up that would make him fall asleep. Now, I read anything aloud that he brings home. With the little ones, I read the Spanish version of an Eric Carle book, De la cabeza a los pies, that has different animals. And Goodnight Moon. They picked that up and gave it to me to read too, and they love it. Weird. No wonder that book is a winner.-Gaby Triana

Do you have a motto for your life?

"Eat more cake." -Gaby Triana

Who was your favorite teacher in highschool?

My favorite teacher was my dearly loved English tutor, Mrs. Saunders. So many reasons why! But the biggest one is that she believed in me. She believed I could do whatever I set out to try. She encouraged me to dream I could be a writer, and taught me all about grammer and punctuation so that I had the tools to be one! Sadly she died before my first book came out.-Dia Calhoun

Thank you Readergirlz!

GOOD BYE VANDALS!!!

*smiles* Yesterday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. a great game started. The Boise State Broncos vs. The Idaho Vandals. This is both teams' biggest rivalry.

The University of Idaho is very corrupt. In the past year about 16 players have either been arrested, expelled or suspended. I'm not saying Boise State is perfect, but they at least have their head on straight.


Anyways, Boise hosted the game and what a game it was. My dad and I had to listen to it on the radio, but it was better then nothing. It got a little scary in the first half as the Broncos were struggling to get plays down, but after halftime, boy what a game. The final score was 58-14.
Near the end the Vandal players started playing nasty and revealed their true rotten innards.
After the game, not surprisingly, lots of police had to come in and settle some people down and even make some arrests.











Praise the Lord! Go Broncos!

Photo Credits:
1. Ian Johnson being dragged down with a facemask. -The Idaho Statesman.
2. Jeremy Childs breaks free to score a touchdown. -Shawn Raecke
3. Akey. The Vandals coach. Doesn't he look scary? - The Idaho Statesman.
4. Austin Pettis celebrates after scoring a touchdown. - Shawn Raecke

Big Update

Hello Everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't been on my blog for awhile. The past couple of months have been very interesting. I needed some time to sit down with myself and think over what has happened. We moved across the country. I started private school. How different it has been compared to homeschooling. Friends. Houses. Money. Family. Acting. Blogging. Writing. God.

When I was homeschooled, I had all the time in the world. Now, frankly, I don't. But, I am working on time management. With God's help in the next couple of weeks I would love to be able to continue blogging, reading for Cybils, not feel stressed at school, give my all at drama, have time for family and time for myself. Everything will work out...

Thank you for being patient and I will try my hardest to continue posting at a regular basis.
Here are some recommendations:
Must Read: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (oh my gosh, talk about dream role)
Must Watch: Radio, Rudy, and We are Marshall (do you see the theme?)

Also, I would like to inform you all that tomorrow at 3:00, Boise State will play their archrivals the Idaho Vandals. The Broncos are going to win so there, but if they don't, don't plan on seeing me for the next.....10 years.

Update on Drama: Emma has been going really well. We just finished learning the dances for the ball scene and that was a blast! I love dancing and I can't wait to dance in my beautiful long blue dress. I haven't been able to take pictures because I'm on stage so much (doesn't that sound cool?), but I think I'm going to ask my mom or sisters to come to some practices and take pics.

Oh, you HAVE to watch this video I found. It's absolutely breathtaking. The Circle of Life from The Lion King performed at the Tony Awards. *sighs deeply* Just wonderful!

I would like to draw your attention...

....to Miss Erin's recent blog post. Her Clare B. Dunkle Interview. *screams*

It is absolutely amazing and so you all need to go and read it now!!!

~traci

The Cybils Press Release

BOOK BLOGGERS KICK OFF KIDLIT AWARDS SECOND YEAR CHICAGO

Will Harry Potter triumph among critical bloggers? Will novels banned in some school districts find favor online?



With 90 volunteers poised to sift through hundreds of new books, the second annual Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards launched on Oct. 1 at www.cybils.com. Known as the Cybils, it's the only literary contest that combines both the spontaneity of the Web with the thoughtful debate of a book club.


The public's invited to nominate books in eight categories, from picture books up to young adult fiction, so long as the book was first published in 2007 in English (bilingual books are okay too). Once nominations close on Nov. 21, the books go through two rounds of judging, first to select the finalists and then the winners, to be announced on Valentine's Day 2008.
Judges come from the burgeoning ranks of book bloggers in the cozy corner of the Internet called the kidlitosphere. They represent parents, homeschoolers, authors, illustrators, librarians and even teens.


The contest began last year after blogger Kelly Herold (http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com) expressed dismay that while some literary awards were too snooty, rewarding books kids would seldom read, others were too populist and didn't acknowledge the breadth and depth of what's being published today.


It didn't have to be brussel sprouts versus gummy bears, said Anne Boles Levy, who started Cybils with Herold. There are books that fill both needs, to be fun and profound.
Last year's awards prompted more than 480 nominations, and this year's contest will likely dwarf that. As with last year's awards, visitors to the Cybils blog (http://dadtalk.typepad.com/cybils) can leave their nominations as comments. There is no nomination form, only the blog, to keep in the spirit of the blogosphere that started it all.


For further info:
Anne Boles Levy
anne (at) bookbuds (dot) net