Today it finally finally came. After I opened it I just sat on the couch and let out a big sigh of relief. Finally. This step is over. I have been officially accepted to Baldwin-Wallace college.
Very, very exciting news! Now I just have to wait for the FAFSA info and the financial aid packet... I can do this. College. Crows, that just seems impossible. I'm only 17! (Going on 18... *gulp*) God help me. o.O
So. One thing down. How many left again? Never mind... Don't want to count yet. Let the happy feeling last a while, you know?
Can't think of anything else to say just now, whether of importance or not, so... Shine all!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Finally!!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
MAX
Has anyone 'round here read the Maximum Ride series? I just found out the other day that book 6, Max, was out when I ran across a pretty sweet contest at Marta's. I definitely like the Max Ride books. *grins* Though The Final Warning, book 5, didn't quite live up to my expectations. Still, I have high hopes for Max. I can't help it. She's just so... stubborn. :-)
Anyway, if you like the books or ever wanted to check them out, get over to Marta's Meanderings! She's giving away not one, but four sets of the entire series. The contest ends on March 31. All you have to do is leave a comment, so pop on over!
Speaking of MAX... I just watched Max Payne last night. Very good movie. It managed to be ver graphic without being gory at all, a rather weird combination. Overall, it gave it a very odd feel. Not a bad odd. More of an Odd-Thomas-odd. Good odd. *smiles* That last scene though, the one after the credits? It makes me go all, "Awww, Max and Mona!" You know, in that "Nick-and-Nora" voice. Yeah....
In a final tidbit of Ashley-loves-contests-news, Lori Devoti is hosting like, the supreme werewolf blog party (my term ;-) ) over at her place more officially called The Full Moon of Werewolves (the party that is, not "her place"). There's lots of fun prizes and the posts are just fun. She's got a ton of authors stopping by to chat about their books and weres. I'm starting a list. *grins* And I'm thinking I need to see what this Blood and Chocolate is about.
I'm trying to post a bit more regularly, so (hopefully) see you next week!
Enjoy!
Shine~Ley
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Visit
It's been a week since my visit to Baldwin-Wallace, and I've really been meaning to post about it, but... It hasn't happened. What can I say, I've been busy. I haven't written Shaela back either, and that was last Tuesday. Shame... I really need to do that.... this weekend. Heh.
Anyway, the Visit. It went very well, for all that I was nervous enough that I felt like I could throw up. We went into the admissions building (Bonds) and everyone was very nice, though Grace Chalker, the councilor we were set up to meet, wasn't in yet. So we sat, and lots of nice people came up to talk to us. One man comes up and says, "You're Ashley? From Crestline? Hi, I'm Dick Fletcher..." He was from Crestline also, and so naturally had to come down to meet us. He talked about some other students from Crestline, including one lady who majored in English and is now the VP of Reader's Digest. Holy cow. Ending when Grace came in, he gave me his card, saying, "If the others don't treat you right, you come to me." On the way home in the van, Mom asks me, "So what's his position, does his card say?" Oh, it did, and Mom was very grateful she didn't know it when we were talking to him. Dick Fletcher is the senior vice-president of BW!
Well, we went in to talk with Ms. Chalker, which went well. Whew! Mom gave her my transcript and the other documents they wanted for application. Grace looked them over and they were fine! Thank God above. Mom just about passed out from relief. That completed my application officially, and Grace said that I should be hearing back in a week or two. And she seemed pretty positive that I would be accepted considering our discussion moved on to the Honors program, which she's says I will very likely be invited to join. So... still waiting impatiently for the letter, but I should hear in the next week. o.O
After all that discussion about financial aid (13,600 in my pocket so far! and I'll get the finaid packet with the hopeful acceptance letter), and what I want to do, etc... We were introduced to Cindy (or Chinkle *grins*), who was student tour guide. She is a sophomore and is majoring in... business? if I remember aright. We toured south campus, hitting the Union last, which has the cafeteria and the restaurant... that I can't remember the name. We all got a free lunch on the college. And a very good lunch at that. Mom got some directions back to Bonds to rest, while Dad and I continued on with Cindy for a breeze-through of north campus.
On the way to north campus, we ducked into the rec center, and then we hit the library after crossing Bagley. North campus is where Cindy's resident's hall is, so after a quick point and label session, we went up two flights of the three to her room, and spotted a friend of Cindy's in the hall, Brandi (I think it was with an i...). (I think Cindy is friends with just about everyone. *smiles*) Cindy: "Is your room cleaner than mine?" Brandi, peering into her room specutively, shrugs: "Probably." Cindy: "Would you mind me showing your room...." etc. And so we got a brief glimpse of Brandi's room. Apparently, all the dorms come with a bed, a desk, a dresser, and some form of closet/wardrobe. A good thing that. And so we headed back to south campus to pick up Mom, and then... home.
Long day... but a good one. I felt very happy at the end of the day. I would really like to go there. Yep. Now, if only I wasn't so nervous all over again.
In other good news, I have finished grammar, and punctuation looks like it should be pretty quick. Thank God.
Shine~Ley
Sunday, March 08, 2009
And the Winners Are....
The anticipation is starting to get to me! :D Thank you all so much for participating and making my first giveaway just that much more fun.
And now, for the moment we've all been waiting for... (Well, I have at least.)
The winner of Cape Refuge is... Deedles!
The winner of Western Weddings is... Allison!
The winner of True Courage is... Rue!
The winner of Death on the Nile is... toohotforturtle!
The winner of The Ultimatum is... Valorie!
I've sent e-mails to all of the winners. If you think you should have gotten an e-mail and didn't, feel free to contact me at ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com. If I don't hear back from the winners by next Sunday, the 15th, I'll be drawing new winners.
Again, thank you so much for participating! This has been a really fun experience for me.
God bless!
Shine~Ley
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
My First Ever Giveaway!
Be excited... be very excited. Okay, maybe that's just me, but, hey! free books. That's always a reason to be excited.
So I have five books to give away. I'm trying to clean of my shelves a bit here. Working at a library where they constantly get in new books to put on the sale shelf... and getting to look at them first since I work there.... Not a good thing, at least for my poor shelves. I can hear them upstairs rejoicing now. o.O
Anyway, first up is.... Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock, because weirdly enough, I have two copies of this book.
Two bodies, one spear gun, and a murder suspect. But did Morgan Cleary’s husband really kill her parents?
A brutal double-murder has struck fear into the heart of the peaceful Cape Refuge community. The crime weapon belongs to the victims’ son-in-law, but Police Chief Cade remains unconvinced that his best friend took the lives of Thelma and Wade Owens. The Owens’ ministry, a halfway house, shelters individuals far more questionable than Jonathan Cleary. Now people are concerned that it may house a murderer who could strike again.
Shattered by her parents’ deaths, Morgan Cleary struggles to keep Hanover House running while her husband sits in jail. Her sister, Blair, is no help. Blair wants no part of her dead parents’ ministry or their Christian faith. She wants to sell the house — until her determined search to find the true killer uncovers some startling findings. A lethal race against time ensues for Morgan, Blair, and Cade, with far more than Hanover House at stake.
May I just say, really good book. *smiles*
Next is Western Weddings by Jillian Hart, Kate Bridges, and Charlene Sands.
Rocky Mountain Bride by Jillian HartSavannah Knowles arrives in Montana expecting to marry Nate Brooks, but he has never heard of her! Can this quiet man find room in his heart for lonely Savannah?
Shotgun Vows by Kate Bridges
Milly Thornbottom has a crush on Mountie Weston Williams, and one stolen kiss changes their lives! After they're marched straight to the altar, can her crush possibly develop into more?
Springville Wife by Charlene Sands
Grace Lander returns to Springville to pick up the pieces of her life and become the town's schoolmarm. Single father Caleb Matlock's kiss may be just what Grace needs to mend her heart and make a home!
Warning: This book is secular and may be explicit.
And next... True Courage by Dee Henderson.
Someone snatched his cousin's wife and son. FBI agent Luke Falcon is searching for a kidnapper and sorting out the crime. He's afraid it's the work of a stalker. He's afraid they're already dead, and he'll do anything required to get them back alive--he just didn't plan on falling in love with the only witness.
Uncommon Heroes: Welcome to a world where friendships go deep, loyalties stand strong, and uncommon heroes perform the toughest jobs in the world. Dee Henderson's military romance series provides a detailed passage into the world of the military and homeland heroes, and those they love.
I don't know about you, but I can never resist Hercule Poirot. Even if all my family thinks I'm weird. So, Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie.
A honeymoon with murder. The Scene: An exotic cruise in the land of the ancient Pharoahs. The Victim: She made such a lovely bride. Alas, a tiny round bullet hole just above her right ear had interrupted what seemed to be a perfect honeymoon. The Suspects: The boat was crawling with them, including the ex-girl friend of the groom who said she just came along for the ride - and the groom himself who had at least a couple dozen million motives ($) for murder. The Clues: A dainty pearl-handled revolver, a string of stolen pearls and an initial scrawled in blood. The Solution: Even the great Hercule Poirot couldn't put the pieces together in time to prevent the murderer from striking again!
And last but not least! The Ultimatum by Nancy Moser.
Annie and Cal McFay live a normal life with their eight-year-old daughter Avi in Steadfast, Kansas. Until another man comes into Annie's life - Jesus Christ. She tries to explain to Cal and Avi the difference Jesus has made in everything, but Cal isn't willing to "give in" to God and change his way of life. He gives Annie the ultimatum: Choose Jesus or me. Then the family is taken hostage by thieves. Negotiations get desperate. Annie can't let Cal risk his life for them, not when his salvation is uncertain. The situation comes to a climax, and the whole town of Steadfast is left to make sense of the ultimate sacrifice...
All these books are used, but gently. I don't like worn-out books, so I try to take care of mine!
Okay, the next step is easy enough. Just leave me a comment saying which books you would like to have your name put in the hat for. Any, all, one, two, whichever ones. On sunday I'll draw names and notify a winner. Please, please, leave an e-mail address or some other way for me to contact you!
I will ship anywhere... I hope. *smiles* I don't have any problems with shipping internationally, so everybody dive in and enjoy. A big thanks to Book Room Reviews for hosting the carnival!
Enjoy! Oh, and be sure to check out the other giveaways going on! I know I'm going to.
The Pre-Post
Hey, it sounds cute. :) But before I get started, I feel the need to apologize for my previous post, because it sounds delirious even to me. Unfortunately, that's just the way my mind seems to be running recently, but I'll try to keep everything less... chaotic.
I finally caught up with my yahoo e-mail, which has been sitting semi-dormant for a week. That naturally means I got entered in a few more contests (gosh, I love those things) and it means a couple other things too.
First, if you like sci-fi romance, check out Marta's Meanderings for a giveaway with a really cool sounding book. I've already entered if you haven't guessed. *grins* She also has a couple other giveaways going on.
Second, I found out that there's a Book Giveaway Carnival this week, which is just exciting! It means my giveaway will run a little shorter than I planned, but I think it'll be worth it. Plus, it's just fun.
Well, I'd better go eat supper, and then I'll be back to post the giveaway!
Shine~Ley
Monday, March 02, 2009
Random, hopefully sensical post
Insanely busy. I feel like I'm lost in the middle of my own house. Too much to do! This week I have to shop for Mom's present, and Thursday we're going to tour BW (eep!) and the party's on Saturday, after I get home from an 8 hour day at the library. Bleh... Oh, and I need to cook Dad's Flat Bread on Wednesday, and work Tuesday and Friday. I'm all full up.
I have no idea what all that was about, but I feel better now that it's out. :) Whew! So, I'm thinking of posting the drawing Wednesday *fingers crossed*, so spread the word! I'll have two... three... I don't know, at least three books, maybe more to give away. I just have to remember. That's the key.
I will survive this year, somehow. I'm learning all sorts of neat survival tricks: Do not think about tomorrow, whatever you do! Pick the three most important things, and accomplish those, feel happy. There is always a positive side. Always. Really. Even if you have to squint a bit and kinda tilt your head to the side.... Yeah, I'll make it, hopefully intact.
Next week isn't so bad, in fact. Mom's birthday is tuesday, and there's another meal with more people. (Yeah, somehow she got like uber special.) And saturday is shopping. I hate shopping, and I actually am sorta looking forward to this. Sorta. But that's positive. *need messenger bag, need messenger bag, need....*
Okay, this post makes pretty much zero sense, but it sorta represents how my brain feels just about now, if you really want to know.
Oh, last bits of random news. One, I got my official Jan-Feb '09 verifications for WriYe: 1913. Yeah, not much but it's something. Two, if you like YA fiction, check out here. There's a contest, but you need to go tonight. And the rest of the week, too, but... go tonight. If you don't and you need help, drop me a comment.
Dokey, definitely leaving now. God bless!
Shine~Ley
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