30 Day Harry Potter Blog Challenge: Day 6

Day 6: Favorite Professor


This is such an easy one! My favorite professor is definitely McGonagall. She is so awesome! I love her because even though she is really strict on Harry and Ron, she's also a rule breaker herself. She has a soft spot for Harry because of his past, and she probably lets that cloud her judgement. 


The main reason I love her is because of how she is portrayed in the movies. Maggie Smith is AMAZING. The way she plays McGonagall is just fabulous. She comes across as severe, but also fun- especially in the first movie when she wants Harry to be the new seeker and in the last movie when she uses the spell to awaken the suits of armor. 


I also think her class would be really fun to take. She's an amazing witch- I mean, come on, she's one of the few animagi in the whole wizarding world, so that's saying something. Plus, her class is all about turning one thing into something else! How fun is that? 

Harry Potter 30 Day Blog Challenge Day 5

Day 5: Saddest Moment


No contest. No way that anything breaks my little heart like Fred's death in book 7. 


I was reading this book very very late at night in my bedroom. I was laying on my bed (probably upside down, I somehow always do that?) and obviously I was very into what was going on in the story. I had finished the 6th book a day or two prior to this, so I had already had my heart broken by Dumbledore's sacrificing death. 


Now, I didn't believe that the good guys would come out of this fight unscathed. Going into those final chapters, I knew I was going to lose some of the characters I had come to love. I was mentally prepared for this. 


I was NOT NOT NOT prepared in ANY way to have the twins separated. As I said on another day, the twins were some of my favorite characters. They made me laugh all the time, and were the perfect set and never even seemed like they wanted to be known as separate people. The were always a pair, always the set, and always in sync. The perfect mirror images of each other. And it completely breaks my heart that George has to live the rest of his fictional life without his best friend and other half. 


What makes it worse is the fact that James and Oliver Phelps are phenomenal. The way they play off each other through all the movies is just adorable, and the way that Oliver (as George) reacted to Fred's death as if it was James' death just makes me cry! 


Yes, I am fully aware that I get way too attached to fictional characters. No, I am not ashamed. 

Harry Potter Blog Challenge Day 4

Day 4: Your Favorite Villain


This one is actually a difficult. So many of the villains were such powerful characters, and it's hard to say one that I like enough to label my "favorite."


I'm going back and forth between a couple different people: daddy Malfoy, little Malfoy, mommy Malfoy....but, I think I am going to land on Barty Crouch, Jr. 


I thought his whole story line was impeccable, and I was incredibly disappointed in the fourth movie for leaving it completely out and glossing over basically everything. His storyline was so detailed....his mother taking his place in jail, using Harry's stolen wand to conquer the Dark Mark, acting like he was Moody for an entire school year...everything! I'm rereading the fourth book right now and am pretty excited to get to this part again.


Plus, he is played by David Tennant, who is the 10th doctor in Doctor Who. He's fabulous and I love him.  

Harry Potter Blog Challenge Day 3

Day 3: Your Favorite Character


Well, this is a super easy one. Anyone who knows me well can tell you my favorite character: Ron! Duh. 


Although he is very very very closely followed by the twins and Neville, Ron was my favorite from day 1. The book Ron is pretty much the best friend you could possibly have. He befriends you immediately, doesn't mind the fact that you were raised by Muggles and don't know anything about the wizarding world, he follows you into the most dangerous things he's ever encountered in every.single.book. He isn't book brilliant, and he isn't the best wizard in the world, but he's willing to give his all to his best friend. And even though he is constantly overshadowed by Hermione in classes and Harry in everything else, he still sticks by them. Plus he is hilarious and the only family Harry has consistently from book 1 to book 7. 


And he's played by Rupert Grint, who is adorable. You can't beat that. 

30 Day Harry Potter Blog Challenge: Day 2

Day 2: Least Favorite Book


My least favorite book in the Harry Potter series is probably book 5, Order of the Phoenix. It is such a depressing book, and I really dislike reading it (at least compared to the four books before it). 


I think I dislike it because it is when the series turns dark. After Cedric dies at the end of Goblet of Fire, everything changes. Even though Harry seems to always be in danger, this is a different kind. Plus, this book is heart-wrenching because Sirius gets killed in the end. As you can see from my first post in this challenge, I love Harry's relationship with Sirius and his death is very disturbing. I hate how the guilt and burden of it is placed on Harry's shoulders, and how he and Lupin both have to witness his death after all they've been through over the years. I hate that Ron and Hermione keep everything from Harry until he shows up at Sirius's house. 


I do like the twins, as always, because they are hilarious. Their fireworks show and exit from school on their brooms is the best part of the book, hands down. The one redeeming quality of the book lies within their constant jokes and antics. 


So, basically, this is my least favorite book. I don't even like to watch the movie! 


Stay tuned for Day 3!

Harry Potter 30 Day Challenge Intro and Day 1

It's about time for another 30 day challenge, right? I thought so, too. Time for the Harry Potter 30 Day Challenge! Here is a run down of what is going on: 

Day 1 - Favorite Book in the Series

Day 2 - Least Favorite Book in the Series

Day 3 - Favorite Character

Day 4 - Favorite Villain

Day 5 - Saddest Moment

Day 6 - Favorite Professor

Day 7 - Least Favorite Professor

Day 8 - Favorite Subject

Day 9 - Least Favorite Subject

Day 10 - Favorite Shop in Diagon Alley

Day 11 - Most Beautiful Character

Day 12 - Most Missed Dead Character

Day 13 - Favorite Book Cover

Day 14 - Favorite Tri-Wizard Tournament Challenge

Day 15 - Rate the Houses From Most to Least Favorite

Day 16 - Favorite Animagus

Day 17 - Favorite Unforgivable Curse

Day 18 - Favorite Horcrux

Day 19 - Favorite Deathly Hallow

Day 20 - Funniest Moment

Day 21 - Most Emotional Moment

Day 22 - Aspired Quidditch Position

Day 23 - Favorite Patronus

Day 24 - What You Think Your Patronus Would Be

Day 25 - Favorite Dursley

Day 26 - Favorite Wand

Day 27 - Favorite Magical Ability (Animagi Transformation, Metamorphmagi, Parselmouth, Flying, Seer, Appartion and Disapparition, Legilimency and Occlumency, Veela Charm, Magical Resistance)

Day 28 - Favorite Death Eather

Day 29 - Favorite Portrait

Day 30 - Favorite Spell

So, here's Day 1: Your Favorite Book


This is a really easy one. My favorite HP book is definitely number 3, Prisoner of Azkaban. 


I really love everything about this book. I know it may not be most people's favorites, especially because Voldemort isn't in it.  I love it, though. It makes me so happy when Harry finally has some semblance of a family. Seeing (in my mind) his reunion with Sirius is just a happy thing in the middle of such a depressing storyline. I also love the introduction of Lupin. He is such a great father figure for Harry, even before Sirius is found and saved from the Dementors. This book just had so many aspects to it, from Hagrid teaching to the time-turner twist that it was so much fun to read! It is always the one I go back to when I just need a book to read while relaxing. It always makes me happy :) 


Stay tuned for the next 29 days! 

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 30

Day 30: A Picture

This picture was taken last week at a ceremony honoring my dad's father, who was killed in Vietnam on March 19, 1969. The next year, MCLB Albany dedicated the mess hall to him, and this plaque was put on the building. A couple years ago, the base decided to tear down the mess hall and the surrounding buildings to erect new barracks. They once again asked my family if they could dedicate this new building to Floyd Milton Keefe. 

Now this same plaque will be on the new barracks, and it will always stand in memory of this grandfather that I never got the chance to meet. It means a lot to our family that they think highly enough of his service and sacrifice to put our family's name on a building for everyone on base to see!

My God is a God Who HEARS

I'm a dreamer. Literally. When I close my eyes at night, my brain takes me into another world. I have the most wonderfully vivid dreams. The kind where you wake up either laughing, scared to death, or wondering which is real- the dream or you waking up from it. Most of the time, I love these dreams. I always remember them, so they make for some awesome stories- like me and Sara being best friends with the Jonas brothers, or Wesley and Nathan serenading me. 


The downside to these dreams are the ones that make me wake up and wish I hadn't. For the past year, I have been dealing with dreams that center on my love for Caleb and how lonely I am without him. Because the dreams are so vivid, I can't shake them when I wake up. I remember how I feel in my dreams- how I feel when he tells me he loves me, how he never should have left, and how he'll spend his life making it up to me. I dream the most amazing and romantic moments, then wake up to find myself alone in my bed, crying over what isn't real. It is hard. It is depressing and hard to bounce back from, so I spend the rest of the day in a fog, not really seeing or hearing anything around me. 


A year of this has been one of the most difficult things to deal with, and about a week and a half ago, I completely broke down while getting ready for bed. I had just had another dream the night before, and it was a really bad one. The whole day, I had just been bogged down by it and couldn't seem to rise above it. Instead of just feeling sorry for myself and succumbing to sleep and, more than likely, another dream, I decided to reach out to someone. 


My Ivy. My prayer warrior. Whenever I need something, she is there. No judgement, not many questions, just an unconditional and immediate "yes" when I ask her to pray for me. On this night, I poured my broken little heart out to her, knowing she would say something I needed to hear. And she didn't let me down:


"The only thing I know is to tell you to stay in the Word. Eat it. Especially before you sleep....it's hard. So hard for me. I think that's when he tells us to take every thought captive...replace those thoughts with His truth. Satan will hate that."


I hope she doesn't mind me sharing her words! When she said "take every thought captive," I knew I needed to hear that. I grabbed my Bible and looked up the passage: 


"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)."


Ivy and I had this conversation early in the morning on March 11. I went to sleep a little while later, all the while repeating "take every thought captive," praying that my slumber would be different. 


It was. And now it is March 21- TEN DAYS later- and I have not had one of those dreams since. It has been glorious. Repeating those words, "take every thought captive," has been the best decision I have made in a long time. I am so incredibly thankful to my Jesus for taking away the dreams, even if it is just for a short time. Even if the dreams come back tonight, after I post this, I know He hears me. I know He loves me. And I know He sent me people like my precious Ivy to help me. 

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 29

You Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me!

Day 29: Three Wishes 


Some of these topics really make you think, huh? If I had three wishes, what would they be? I know I should probably be awesome and use all of the to better the world, but humans are selfish. More than likely, I wouldn't use them (or at least all of them) for things like that. So here we go: the three things I would wish for right at this moment. 

1) Love. Of course, this is if these three wishes don't abide by Genie's "I can't make anyone fall in love with anyone else." Although that isn't really what I am going for here. This wish would be for love to come in my life SOON. If I could actually wish something, it'd be more specific, but we'll just be general for this post.

2) To be a famous and rich singer. This is my dream, so if I have 3 wishes, I am totally using one to make my dreams come true! Then I could use the money to buy things for my favorite people and charities and such.

3) To be able to eat anything and everything I want without gaining ANY weight! I love food. It isn't a secret. It would be awesome to be able to eat Chickfila, girl scout cookies, sweet tea, pizza, etc. without feeling guilty about eating unhealthy food. 

Now, I'm going to go search for magic lamps in hopes of finding my very own genie :) 

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 28

Day 28: Something That Stresses You Out


When I read the topic for today, I said "How much time do you have?!" I stress out about everything. It's really bad. So, I guess I'm just going to talk about something that stresses me out on a daily basis: school. 


I get stresses out by little things, but the mostly about school and where I am going in life. I stress about my homework, my TA work, getting a TA job next semester, my papers, etc. Basically everything that deals with school. 


I know that answer is really cliche, but as a grad student, there isn't too much else in my life! And I'm not going to discuss it further, because thinking about it will stress me out :) 

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 27

Day 27: Your Pets!

I am a HUGE animal lover. I miss my pets so much when I am at college. You may think it is crazy, but I know they miss me, too! So here are my three favorite animals.

This is my puppy, Buck. He was my 15th birthday present :) I love this dog more than anything else in the world! When I am home, he sleeps in my room. When I'm gone, he sleeps outside my door and pouts.

This is the adorable Little Bob. He is my puppy's best friend. He is half bobcat and has a tiny little broken tail. He wouldn't come near us until 2 1/2 years ago, when he got really sick. After my parents took him to the vet, he decided to make it his life mission to be an inside kitty.

My other pet is Butterball, who I sadly do not have a picture of on my new computer. She is around 14 years old and is a long, skinny, black thing! She belongs to my mother, and gets very jealous....she also doesn't like Little Bob very much!

And there you have it: my wonderful pets. I can't wait to see them!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 26

Day 26: A Picture of Your Family

My family: my daddy (Mike), my sister (Marie), and my mom (Brenda)

This is my family on Christmas Day at my dad's parents' house. Our yearly tradition, after opening gifts, is to take pictures in front of their beautifully decorated tree in as many combinations as we can make- our family, my aunt and cousin, my dad/his sister/parents, me/marie/charlie/grandparents, just the cousins, etc. Sometimes it is a little annoying to have to smile so much after waking up waaaay too early to breakfast, but we always come away with at least one picture to represent our year.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 25

Day 25: iPod Shuffle!

I am SO excited about this post! I love music more than most things, so I am happy I get to share some of it. Warning: I have a very eclectic taste in music, so you never know what will come next!

1) The Creation of Man- The Scarlet Pimpernel

- One of my many musical soundtracks. If you like musicals, you should look into it!

2) The Remedy (I Won't Worry)- Jason Mraz

- I love this song. And Jason Mraz in general.

3) No Good- Kate Voegele

- Kate Voegele won me over in One Tree Hill. This is actually one of my favorite songs from her!

4) There You Were- Jessica Simpson

- My sister loves Jessica Simpson, and this song is from her best cd.

5) Mad About You- Belinda Carlisle

- Awesome.

6) Lilacs- Matt Costa

- His voice is so wonderfully soothing......

7) May the Horse Be With You- Relient K

- I love them. There is just nothing else to say

8) BB Good- Jonas Brothers

- I got this from Sara.....I don't think I've actually ever heard it

9) Help Me Rhonda- Beach Boys

- I love the Beach Boys soooooo much. I am my father's child.

10) Hey, There Delilah- Plain White T's

- Sweet song. I like the story behind it!

11) Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet?- Relient K

- Again, I just love them.

12) Unchained Melody- Righteous Brothers

- The Righteous Brothers are so amazing.

13) Fall Line- Jack Johnson

- Can I just say how much I love Jack Johnson? He has just become one of my favorites.

14) Sadie Hawkins Dance- Relient K

- This is one of my favorite Relient K songs. "Smile on my face and air guitar rockin!"

15) Only the Ocean- Jack Johnson

- Apparently my shuffle isn't awesome.

I'm not sure how many songs I am suppose to put on here, so I'll stop there. A little bit of my music to brighten up your night :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 24

Day 24: Something You've Learned

I have thought a lot about this post, trying to think of something profound to write that shows how I've grown as a person in the past few months. I wanted to write about dreams, and how the things we want, REALLY want, in life aren't always what God wants. That our dreams are not necessarily something we need to go after right this second- that sometimes we need to wait on God for the perfect time to go after what we want. I had all types of examples that I was going to use- like how Ansley wants to be Mrs. Justin Timberlake and how Sara wants to be an ice skating Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.

Then I changed my mind. I started thinking, completely unrelated to this post, about romance. I'd been watching tv and the people on the show were making these wonderfully grand gestures to win the people they loved. I started thinking about other times in literature and movies when people do things like that. Men like Michael Hosea in Redeeming Love (and the real Hosea, of course), who saves you time and time again. Men like the characters in tv shows like Greek, where they give up grad school across the country because they can't stand to leave you. Men like Odysseus who try for 20 years to get back to their Penelope (don't think about the middle of the book). All these men who are devoted and risk the embarrassment to show how they truly feel. I was just thinking, "I want that. I want that kind of love."

And then I realized that I DO have that kind of love. I have a love that is even greater. I have the "I created you, sent my son to die for you, and am building you a home in heaven" kind of love.

There is nothing better than learning that you no one will EVER love you as much as your Heavenly Father.

30 Day Challenge: Day 23

Day 23: Favorite Vacation

I have thought a lot about this post and what vacation I should write about for it. My family never took annual vacations or anything like that. All our vacations were either related to my dad's work, to the beach (rarely), or quick trips somewhere. So, here I go. My favorite vacation: my 21st birthday gambling trip!

I know, it sounds crazy. I am so not a gambler- I hate spending money and I have such an addictive personality that it is likely I'd lose my life savings (if I had any). However, since I love poker so so so much, my family thought it would be awesome to take me on a casino trip after I turned 21 and could legally gamble. We went to Biloxi for a few days of beach, yummy food, and casino hopping!

We got to our hotel and asked the woman at the front desk the best place to eat. She directed us to this AMAZING seafood restaurant where I got this delicious steak and shrimp meal. The next day, we headed out for a little history lesson in the form of Jefferson Davis's home. It was SO beautiful. I have plenty of pictures in my album on facebook if you want to see it. That night we hit our first casino- oh yeah. I didn't do very well playing the slot machines, but I did get a really yummy chocolate covered strawberry, so I think that was a pretty fair trade. Then we got a late-night dinner at ihop!

The next day we ventured to the beach. We got lunch from this place called "Shaggy's," which had the most wonderfully fresh catfish finger. Delish. After getting a little sunburned, we made our way to a different casino. This one had an Elvis impersonator show going on when we got there- hilarious! They also had all-you-can-eat crablegs, which are one of my sister's favorite things to eat. We played some more slot machines and I won five dollars and yelled "cash out, cash out!!" It was awesome.

The next day, on our way home, we stopped by the University of Mobile, a college I had never visited before then. A few of my friends went to college there, and I just wanted to see where they all lived for four years. It was so tiny, but so pretty! Loved it.

And that was pretty much all. It was a fairly quick trip, but I had an awesome time. Casinos are super fun. Seafood is yummy. Happy birthday to me!

30 day Challenge: Day 22

Day 22: Favorite City

When I think about the handful of cities I love, one stands out as the clear favorite: St. Augustine, Florida. One of my favorite place in world, hands down!

My first trip to St. Augustine was when I was in 8th or 9th grade. It was a Spanish trip, and I was only able to go because the slots hadn't been filled by older students. I was really excited about it because I was getting to go with my boyfriend, who was a year older. I never imagined it would become my favorite city.

If you don't know much about history, you probably don't know a lot about St. Augustine. It is full of beauty; full of a rich Spanish history. Everything screams "I'm centuries old!" I don't think I really appreciated it fully the first time I went. I loved wandering around on the streets and looking in the shops. Christopher and I ate at a little restaurant with a water wheel (this was the meal I discovered how much I love sour cream) and we went to the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum (SO COOL).

I loved this city so much that my parents decided a good present for my 18th birthday would be a family trip there. I was SO excited to go back. We did a lot of the same things I had done in my first trip, along with going to the fountain of youth and the castillo de san marcos. It was definitely one of the best birthday presents ever. We also went into a shop I had found years before that has maps of European countries and divided them into family areas. Remember O'Keeffe castle? Oh yes, we found the O'Keeffe's of Ireland and found our code of arms. It is yellow and green with a lion.

I can't wait until I can go back to St. Augustine. I haven't been since my birthday trip, so I am itching to go again. If I had the money, one day I would LOVE to live there.

30 Day Challenge: Day 21

Day 21: A Picture of Yourself

This may seem like a strange picture to put in this blog post, but it is truly one of my favorites. I believe it tells a lot about me. I had the GRE coming up two days later, and I was really nervous about it! After eating a picnic lunch, I tried to squeeze in some studying (I think I was on the math section at this point...).

I think it is very telling of who I am. I am a bookworm, definitely. Who else but me would be studying instead of enjoying the picnic? Not anyone I can think of- not that my way is the right way. Also, I feel like this gives a different perspective than normal pictures. I had no idea it was being taken. It makes me kind of think "Is this how I look to the people around me?"

30 Day Challenge: Day 20

Day 20: Nicknames

I don't have many nicknames- at least not many that stick. Most people simply call me April- it's a pretty short name, so there are not many ways to shorten it! But, like everyone, I do have a few things people call me, so here we go:

1) Keefer.

~ This is my most-used-by-friends nickname. Really, the only people who call me this are Abbey and Anna, but I have been "Keefer" to them for at least 7 years now, so it isn't going anywhere!

2) Nicole/Cole

~ This is my family nickname. As you can see by the title of my blog, my middle name is Nicole. My mother, sister, and grandmother have called me Nicole and Cole basically since I was born. I immediately answer to it, which confusing the majority of people. I can't count how many times my sister has called me Nicole in front of her friends, and then she has to explain to them why I respond!

3) Ape

~ I hate this nickname. If you want me to like you, don't call me this. If you don't want me to like you, don't call me this. Just leave it alone.

And that about covers it. I have had other nicknames over the years, but these are pretty much the main things that people call me- but you can call me April. Or you can think up your own nickname for me.

30 Day Challenge: Day 19

Day 19: Something You Miss

Oh, goodness. This might be depressing to do! There are a good number of things I miss, so I'll just list a few of them.

- I miss Caleb.

- I miss my Grandma Britt. I wish I had years of stories about her like my mom does.

- I miss my Aunt Jan. I still cry when I think too long about her.

- I miss my job at the scrub shop. I loved being super awesome at my work.

- I miss being on stage for musicals at least once a year.

- I miss the Cookie Shoppe when I'm in Athens.

- I miss driving to Atlanta and shopping at IKEA.

- I miss my long hair. Working on getting it back as quickly as possible.

Because it is Christmas Eve, I'm not going to spend too long writing. We have food to cook for dinner tonight. This short list, I'm sure, will give you some sort of insight into who I am- which I assume is the point of this 30 day challenge. Tune in for Day 20!

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope it is awesome and that Jesus blesses you :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 18

Day 18: Something You Regret

This post is something I have been mulling over for days. I haven't written it because I haven't had the time to dedicate to it, and I couldn't decide exactly what to tell you about during this entry. There are not many things I regret in my life- I try to believe that everything, and every choice I make, is for a reason, for a higher purpose. That being said, it would be crazy if there was absolutely nothing I regret in my short life. I could probably count the things I regret on one hand. There are major life-altering regrets, and some that people might think are trivial. There are regrets involving relationships, involving families, and even friendships. I have decided to write about one of the regrets that has recently plagued me almost every day.

When I was a senior in high school, filling out my college applications, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I didn't know where I wanted to go, what I wanted to be my major, or where I could see myself in the years to come. I ended up at Darton- a place I never wanted to go. I ended up being a criminal justice major who just did theatre on the side. After a while, I decided that majoring in criminal justice was just not for me. I decided to change to either journalism (to appease my love of writing) or history (to appease my love of knowing things that happened in the past). I ended up choosing journalism, and that is what I stuck with through my first two years.

I don't know exactly when the regret started. Maybe when I moved to Athens, maybe before then. All I know is that somewhere along the line I realized that my heart did not belong to journalism, to history, not even to the fashion that I study now. It belongs to music. It belongs to the theatre. It belongs to the memory of me, on stage, in costume, singing at the top of my lungs to the audience. Every single piece of me wishes I would have simply majored in music or theatre during college. I would have had a built-in platform to perform.

Now, I am studying fashion and it just doesn't cut it. It doesn't make me happy. I don't dream of doing this for the rest of my life. And as the years pass, I am just digging myself in deeper and deeper, and I have no idea how I will come out of the life I am building and get to where I want to be. But nothing is impossible. If it is meant to be, it will happen. I will be who I am supposed to be one day, and not a day sooner.