GREAT NEWS!!!

You guys....

Just....

As some of my friends would say: "alksdjflsjdfal;jdlfja;lskdjf"

Or if you are more of a visual person...

Roll the clip:

Other reactions include:

Really?????

Get. Out!!!

NO WAY!

I mean, just...for real?

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!

*Squealing like a little girl*

...wut.

WOOHOO!

Thanks for walking with me down Happy Reaction Lane, and welcome back to VH.

Why am I so excited you ask?

WE WON ANOTHER AWARD!!!!!

Roll the clip again:

Sorry, I just really love that clip. :) Haha.

It's called the Liebster Award: 

Isn't it preeetty? :)

The Liebster Award is an award for encouraging readership and followers for new bloggers.

These are the 5 rules for accepting the nomination:

1. Thank the wonderful, awesome, amazing blogger that nominated you.

2. Answer the 11 questions that the nominator provided.

3. Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

4. Post 11 different questions for the nominees to answer.

5. Contact your nominees to let them know that they've been nominated for the award.

Lois, you're the best! Thank you SO much for nominating me for the Liebster Award (as well as the Versatile Blogger Award) and as always, best wishes to you on your blog: You, Me, and a Cup of Tea. It's definitely one of my favorites.

Now here are the answers to your questions:

1. Who's your favorite author?

Oooh, that's a tough one. I really enjoy C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, and John & Stasi Eldredge. I can't really decide between the three. C.S. Lewis writes great fiction as well as nonfiction books that really make me think; Jane Austen writes beautiful stories that are almost like fairytales to me; and John & Stasi Eldredge have written excellent books that have shaped my worldview and spiritual walk.

2. What is your favorite book?

Besides the Bible, I'd have to say that Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is my favorite book, because it's written by one of my favorite authors, and it has really great messages about important lessons in life. Thinking more about why I love this book so much, I should really write a book review in another post, because I don't have enough room to write about it here. To be continued!

3. Why did you start blogging?

A couple of reasons. First, I wanted to have a place where I could share thoughts, opinions, and life updates with friends, family, and classmates online. Secondly, I saw that a lot of my classmates in my online school program had a blog, and it greatly appealed to me. I also knew it could help improve my writing, which I have always enjoyed doing.

4. What is your favorite TV show?

I can't pick just one! My favorites are The Cosby Show (re-runs), I Love Lucy (re-runs), and The Mentalist (not a re-run!). I don't usually watch anything else.

5. What is your favorite movie?

I really like "The Blind Side," "Pride and Prejudice" (Yes, the Keira Knightley version, don't judge me!) and "The Princess Bride." I'm also a sucker for most Disney movies. :)

6. What is your current school status?

Approximately 6 1/2 weeks left until I finish my junior year of high school!!!! Yipee!

7. Peanut butter or nutella?

Nutella. Definitely nutella. Moving on...

8. If you could go on your dream vacation and money was no object, where would you go? 

First I would go on my church's missions trip coming up to Hungary, and then I'd probably explore the rest of Europe, as well as New Zealand.

9. If you could read a book for the first time again, what would it be and why?

I'd probably choose "Epic" by John Eldredge. It was the book that I read before I was baptized (that was 7 years ago yesterday!) and I've grown so much spiritually since then, that I wonder what it would be like to read that book again as if it were the first time.

10. What is your favorite book to movie adaptation?

This took me a while to think about, but one of my favorite book to movie adaptations is "Hoot." The book written by Carl Hiassen won a Newberry Honor, and the movie was directed by Will Shriner, and starred Logan Lerman. It's a great story about a high school teen boy who moves from Montana to Florida and ends up saving a population of endangered owls. I strongly recommend both the book and the movie.

11. Do you like tea?

Of course! My favorite tea is combining Country Peach Passion and Raspberry Zinger (they are both from the Celestial Seasonings brand) and adding stevia. 

(In my best impression for an Academy award winning actor reading off a list) "And the nominees for The Liebster Award are..."

1. Rejoice Always by Sarah Berry

2. The Hill Country by Moriah Robinson

3. Serendipity by Alicia Lewin

4. Emily is Smiling by Emily

5. Country Girl's Daybook by Iris Hanlin

6. Positively Ducky by Karen

(I could list 6 blogs, but not quite 11.)

Here are my questions for you, nominees:

1. Who are your heroes?

2. What is your favorite Bible verse?

3. What is your favorite quote?

4. What is/was your favorite class/subject in school (college courses count!)?

5. What is your favorite part about blogging?

6. Coffee or Tea?

7. On-stage plays or Movies?

8. If you could listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

9. If you were a book character, who would you be?

10. What is the highest-priority item on your bucket list?

11. What is the best blog post you have ever read or written yourself?

I will be sure to contact the people on the nominees list, just in case they missed this post. 

Thank you to all readers who encourage me to keep this blog going, and therefore make it possible for me to have won an award today. :)

Question for the Reader: What has been your favorite post on this blog?

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." --Psalm 37:5

First Blog Award Ever!!!

You guys!!!! I have an INCREDIBLE announcement!
Victorious Heroine got its very first award EVER today!!!!!

How long has this blog been around? 6? 7 months?

That's amazing.

This blog is a baby compared to so many others out there, and yet in its 6th or 7th month it has an AWARD.

So by now you're probably wondering what that award is. It's called "The Versatile Blog Award."

I'd like to thank all of you readers and subscribers for keeping up with my posts that are sometimes consistent, inconsistent, thought-provoking, not-so-thought-provoking, rambling, and hopefully fun to read as well.

But I'd especially like to thank Lois over at "You, Me, and a Cup of Tea" for presenting us with the award. Your blog is inspiring, beautiful, and a treat to read.

The reason I say "us" is because (I know it sounds cliché, but it's true...) I really couldn't write this blog without all of you. It's the comments, suggestions, and thoughts that motivate me even more to write. When I don't write this, I feel like I've let people down. So thanks for sticking with me for the past few months, and reading this blog so far. I appreciate it a lot.

This award, however, comes with a very small price: you have to write something (not too surprising, right? I mean, it is a blog award...).

My prompt is to write 7 things about myself that you might not have figured out by reading this blog. This is going to be harder than it looks, because I share a lot about myself...

1) The arrival of the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks mark the first day of autumn in my book.
2) I got all caught up on my Pre-Calculus yesterday (it's a much more amazing feat than you might think if you've never taken Pre-Calc.)
3) My favorite T.V. shows are Downton Abbey, The Mentalist, and The Cosby Show.
4) A song I've had stuck in my head recently is "In My Life" from the movie "Les Miserables." No one sings it better than Amanda Seyfried.
5) I miss the beach.
6) I'm an LBD fan (Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube), and I'm super excited for the premiere of "Emma Approved" coming out a week from now.
7) I'm currently reading "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris, "Le Morte D'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory, "The City of God" by Augustine of Hippo, "The Consolation of Philosophy" by Boethius, and "Idylls of the King" by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

The next condition for the award is to nominate 15 blogs of your choice for the Versatile Blog Award as well. Here are my picks:
1) Raquel at "God's Daughter"
2) Iris at "Country Girl's Daybook"
3) Lyle and Paige at "...our journey..."
4) Christi at "21 Empire Designs" (Written by one of my friends from Veritas Press Scholars Academy)
5) Anne & Tyler at "Almost There"
6) Sarah at "Camp Girl in the Real World"
7) Emily at "Emily is Smiling"
8) Leighanna Rose at "Fresh Ink"
9) Sarah Thérese at "Footprints on my Heart"
10) Hero at "Heroic Endeavors"
11) Karen at "Positively Ducky"
12) Mae at "Mae Mae"
13) Sarah "Strawberry" at "Rejoice Always" (Written by one of my closest friends online, who also attends Veritas Press Scholars Academy with me)
14) Moriah at "The Hill Country" (Written by my sister)
15) Elyssa at "Popcorn & Purple Ink"

If you have been nominated, the rules for the award are here.

Thanks again to all of you who have made the receiving of this award possible!

The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 4: Blog Heroes & Buddies

This is the day where I get to talk about the blogs that I look up to, stalk (just kidding), follow, find interesting, and read because I'm buddies with the authors. :D

Unfortunately I won't get to list all of them, because frankly, I probably have about a million blogs on my Bloglovin' account.

Prompt: Blogs you follow.

I recently created an entire page called "My Favorite Blogs" which basically covers the bases of my favorite ones to follow and also blogs which are written by my best blog-writing buds. So, instead of re-writing every single one of those, I'll just ask the readers to go check it out. :D

On the other hand, I follow even more blogs than just the favorite ones on that page. So without further ado, here are some more blogs that I like to follow that are all well-written too.

...our journey... by Lyle and Paige 
This is cute and inspiring to me because it shows what a godly marriage looks like between two best friends who want to grow a ministry of the Lord together. (Link)

Almost There by Tyler Anne and Holli Anne

I love this blog because it's a real life image of what it looks like to chase after your dreams and encourage others to do the same. Tyler and Holli are both aspiring authors and give great tips in writing and organizing goals. (Link)

Amazing Music by Nathaniel Perez

This is written by a good friend of mine who decided to use his appreciation of music and turn it into a blog. He also makes his own music videos on YouTube! (Link)

Average Christian Geek by Kaylin Threepwood

Kaylin writes a great blog about her life as a Christian homeschooler, who is also an avid reader and gamer. (Link)

Band of Brothers by Davi

This is a blog about a sweet mom of four who writes about the everyday life of being a stay at home mom. (Link) 

Camp Girl in the Real World by Sarah Card

This camp girl might love the outdoors, but she writes her blog about camping figuratively speaking. She's a Christian and software engineering student, figuring out the real world, its beauties, and its challenges as she goes. (Link)

This is a lot of blogs to check out for now. Maybe another day I'll keep going on this blog following rant, but it's a bit too much to give them all out in one post. ;) Enjoy!

Question for the Reader: What's your favorite blog to follow?

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance..." --Proverbs 1:5

The 30 Day Blog Challenge: "Seems Legit"

You know how sometimes you hear people say funny or cute stuff that just works for them, but when you say it, your friends think you're nuts? Maybe it's something like, "Yo," or "Mission Accomplished," or "Seems Legit." It's almost as if we're all walking memes...

This has happened with me recently with the word "awkies." A Youtuber from Blimey Cow, Jordan Taylor uses it plenty on the show Messy Mondays. I think it's so funny, and I've always wanted to get away with using the word. A few situations arose in the past couple of weeks where I finally got to use it! And guess what? My sister said, "Don't say that anymore. You sound ridiculous. That is so not you." So, my first response (like any other mule-headed, stubborn human being), was simply this: "Rawr. Leave me alone." I kept using it a couple of times, and I finally realized that there are some things in life that aren't just a "one-size fits all," free for the taking. Sometimes someone can say or do something that can look adorable, funny, or even intellectual, but it's just not going to work on you. You have to find things that make you unique!

I was thinking the negative version of this about blogging the other day. I thought that my blogging days might have been coming to a close. I wasn't writing very often, I was losing inspiration, and I was starting to lose the spark that I had with it on the very first day I created a blog. It seemed that blogging wasn't something that was working for me.

But today, I found a blog post on Emily is Smiling about the 30 Day Blog Challenge (Coincidentally, a similar post about the challenge where she got her idea from was on a blog called Mae Mae, which I follow as well!). This just seemed like the answer to the writer's block and inspiration problems I've been having. So, I'm putting it out there to say that I'm going to do my best to try this out. I'm not saying this will be the perfect plan that fixes all the problems for me, my lack of inspiration and writer's block, and Victorious Heroine itself, but I think this is a healthy way to start.

To see the prompts that I'll be using to start the challenge, check out this post at Emily is Smiling. I'll be starting the challenge very soon, so stay tuned!

(P.S. An announcement about recent life-changing experiences: I got my braces off yesterday! Feel free to leave comments about your braces stories or your own life-changing experiences.)

Question for the Reader: What do you do to conquer writer's block or lack of inspiration?

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." --1 Corinthians 13:12

Ms. ShadowCat

Hi everyone!

I'd like to introduce you to another blog buddy of mine. She's a great writer, an aspiring author, and blog writer. She has written a blog called ShadowCat (which you all may have discovered through my link list on the side of this page) and just yesterday, she started a blog called "Ordinary or Extraordinary." I invited her to come and do a guest post on VH today, and I hope you enjoy it! (P.S. She likes writing in really unique voices, so in case you're wondering, her post is purposefully austere.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m sure that no one who reads this blog has ever heard of me or read anything that I have posted on my blog. (Which is called Ordinary or Extraordinary, by the way) The author of this blog is a friend of mine and she offered to let me guest post on her blog, because she was aware that I don’t get a lot of pageviews on mine. Don’t ask me why, but she obviously thought it was worth it. Anyway, my name is really hard to pronounce, but you can find out what it is if you want to bother going and looking at my blog, which you probably won’t. (Yes, I am blackmailing you to go look at it.) I’m almost fifteen, and I have no idea how to write a decent blog post, and I obviously need another blogger’s help just to get people to look at mine. I also know that this isn’t a long post, but I honestly have nothing to write about and yet I still manage to make a post long-winded and boring. Thanks for reading, I suppose. Go do something worthwhile with your life instead of sitting there reading terrible guest posts from people you’ve never heard of who write insignificant blogs. Enjoy my extremely long-winded and boring post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the link to her blog if you would like to check it out! She is very talented as a writer. :)

ShadowCat Literature: http://shadowcatliterature.blogspot.com/

Ordinary or Extraordinary: http://thestorywriter24.blogspot.com/

Question for the Reader: What kind of style do you like to write in?

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." 

--Isaiah 40:8

Exam Survival Awaits!

Hi readers!

For those of you who haven't seen it already, here is the link to my very first guest post on Fresh Ink by my blog buddy, Leighanna Rose: http://www.wildflowersinbloom.com/2013/05/how-to-conquer-dreaded-final-exams.html
I hope you enjoy it and keep it as your survival guide to exams.

Good luck in exam weeks everyone! See you on the other side. I hear it's warm, sunny, and peaceful. :)

I pray that you all will joyfully experience the weeks ahead with the rest of knowing that God is active in all situations, even the difficult ones. While exams can be very stressful, don't forget that He calls us to be at rest in Him.

Question for the Reader: Are you ready for summer?

"He says, 'Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." 

-Psalm 46:10-11

Conquering Exams

Hello, readers!

Do you ever wish that you could get through finals week stress free?
Do you ever wonder how you could do better on your finals than how you did on your last midterm?
Do you want to end summer in bliss instead of panic?

Well, I've got a post for you!

My blog buddy, Leighanna Rose, over at Fresh Ink let me do a guest post about conquering the dreaded final exams. Be sure to head on over there and check out her blog! Also, be on the lookout for a guest post with the answers to getting through exam week! :)

Have a blessed day!

Question for the Reader: Is there something that you're having trouble conquering lately?

"But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." --John 4:14

Reading Questionnaire

Since I'm such a blog follower, I found out that Hero from Heroic Endeavors and Kelli from She Learns As She Goes posted answers to certain questions about reading. 

Here are my answers to the questionnaire:

Do you snack while you read?
I often do not snack while I read in fear that food will get into the lovely books! 

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Dark Sumatra with stevia and half-and-half. I also enjoy passion tea lemonade in the spring and summertime, and hot chocolate around Christmastime.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I write in my textbooks at school, and sometimes write little notes for myself in Omnibus books. Sometimes if I'm behind on Omnibus reading, and we're only reading parts from a piece of literature, I'll write down all the page sections that I'm supposed to read on the cover page. 

How do you keep your place while reading a book?
I either use one of my special bookmarks, or I'll even use a piece of paper anywhere near me: a sticky note, a shred of notebook paper, a notecard, etc.

Are you the type of person who tends to read to the end of the chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
If someone is calling me to do something, I'll at least try to get to the end of the page first. I'm a reader with an aim. I'm always trying to get to the end of something whether it's a page, a section, a chapter, or the book itself.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or onto the floor if the author irritates you? 
No, if I don't like what the author has to say, I simply stop reading his work.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you look it up right away?
Only if it's driving me insane. Usually I try to figure it out within the context, or ask someone nearby if they know what it means. If all else fails and I can't get over it, I'll look it up.

What are you currently reading?
I'm reading a lot of things, especially at school. I'm reading Ovid's Metamorphoses, J.I. Packer's Knowing God, The Book of Isaiah, The Gospel of Mark, Philippians and Colossians, and Edith Hamilton's Mythology, to name a few.

What was the last book you bought?
Last month, I bought The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi at the school book fair.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
I like reading in quiet coffee shops or lying down on my bed at night before I go to sleep.

Do you prefer series books or stand-alones?
I like both very much. There are some series that I do not enjoy, and would rather have the author write one book on the topic or story instead of trying to make an entire series.

Is there a specific book that you find yourself recommending over and over?
I keep finding myself recommending The Westminster Confession of Faith, but I also recommend The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm, and other books that I read last year in school. 

How do you organize your books? 
My personal books are very disorganized. They can be on a bookshelf at random, on my desk, or even next to or under my bed. However, I keep my school books organized on a shelf by semester.

Question for the Reader: Would you like to try your hand at the questionnaire?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." --John 1:1

More Blogs I'm Following!

As a blogger, I also love to read other bloggers's posts. It's so much fun to see what other people think, how they spend their time, and what they simply love doing. Here are some new blogs I've been following in the last month or so:

1. ShadowCat Literature by Andrea Bulthuis
This blog, written by a good friend of mine, is a lot of fun to read, mainly because Andrea is an excellent character developer and creates such good stories, and she chooses to make her blog circulate around her creativity in writing.

2. The Hill Country by Moriah Robinson
My sister just made her first post on her new video blog this week. She's very excited about making posts on her everyday life as an eighth grader in Colorado with her charm and wit. :)

3. 21 Empire Designs by Christi Sallard
Written by my good friend, Christi Sallard, this blog gives great advice on fashion tips, shopping, and reviews on the fashion surrounding American culture. 

4. Veritas Press Scholars Academy Griffin
Yes, indeed, online-schoolers can be involved in a journalism club, and the members proved it by creating a blog that doubles as the official VPSA Secondary School Journalism Newspaper, known as "The Griffin," which is our school mascot.

5. Back to Her Roots
This is a blog about a woman named Cassie living in Indiana who blogs about her grand attempt in creating a healthy lifestyle that others can imitate. She makes great healthy recipes and gives great tips in everyday healthy living.

6. Joy the Baker
This is a blog about a woman named Joy, and she's a baker. Now that I have stated the obvious, I'll only continue as far to say that while I haven't followed this blog for very long, the recipes are pretty amazing, and I admire the blog as a baker myself.

7. Reasons My Son Is Crying
This is a hilarious blog about a father who's young little boy cries all of the time, as most young children tend to do. The writer laughs at this fact by taking pictures of his son's so-called agony and makes brief funny captions about why his son is tearful. 

8. A Not-So-Ordinary Girl by Raven Layne
I just discovered this blog today, and it's fascinating. It's sort of a mysterious blog about a girl who blogs about who she is and what world she's a part of in her imagination. And here's the cherry on top: we don't know who she really is. In fact, Raven Layne is her pen name! 

(Note: To find the link for each blog, just click on its title!)

That's all for now, folks! If you would like to share your own blog feel free to link up to the last post, regardless on whether or not your topic is on your favorite books or not. :)

Questions for the Reader: What blogs are you following? Which ones are your favorites?

"And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him." --Matthew 4:18-19