I'm Back

How do you get the text to center on this thing?

Ok, there we go.

Wait, do I want it centered?

Not really.

     Ok, that's better. Now let's take a minute and look at that fancy tag cloud over on the right. >>>

     Beautiful, isn't it? Yeah, I've been trying to get that on here for a year. So I'm very proud of it. I don't know if I want the numbers with the tags because it's more useful with them but prettier without them. I tend to go for usefulness though. Looks literally mean nothing.

     So, let's start with the reason I've been gone. Mostly it's because last year I got an account on a different platform and posted about my life in detail on there so, although this blog was vaguely on my mind, I didn't feel the need to do it here as well. Everything went perfectly there for about six months, and then some drama took place. It got fairly sorted out and I tried moving on with an optimistic approach (as is my natural custom), but the damage was pretty much irreversible and in the following three months my seemingly strong rope came unraveled one thread at a time until I realized (by the means of a Monstercat album, none else) I was hanging on for dear life. Then in one last blinding crash, every friend I'd made while I was there decided to turn on me (which was probably due to a post against transgenderism I'd made three months earlier), and in the space of three days I lost everything I had there. The reputation I'd built, the community I'd surrounded myself with, my plans for the future there...everything. I couldn't take it anymore, and I left.

     Even though that's been over for the better part of four months, it was a very mentally traumatic and damaging experience and the dust is still settling in my mind, so it took until this morning for me to think of this blog again. I immediately wanted to come back and renovate it, so I've been working on that for most of today. I went through all the settings, changed my description and profile, added the tag cloud, and then changed the tags on every single post to make navigation easier (no, I don't have OCD, but I am a perfectionist in some sense).

     I don't really know what I'm doing here next. I wanted to post something to revive the blog since I haven't posted since the 021 era, which blows my mind, and it's now 029, which also blows my mind (I live my life in Monstercat eras, quite literally). This post was actually a completely empty draft I made, for some reason, on May 28th, 2015, right before Contact came out. (There's a reason I put on my profile that Monstercat is my lifestyle. This stuff happens in my subconscious all the time, although most of the time it leaks through to my conscious and blows me away because it's been so long since Contact, etc.)

     But anyway, it's been almost two years since I've posted. And I'm not trying to stereotype, but when you're this age a lot changes in two years. I've learned a lot about myself. My mom told me that the early teen years are more about friends and the later years are more about finding yourself. I'm currently 14 (almost 14 1/2). I don't really care about friends (although that's fairly recent) and I'm pretty sure I've already found myself (although I still discover new things and I don't think that will ever stop). At this point I'm just living and being happy. And that should be fine.

     People misunderstand my motives for having no friends. I just don't really get the point when I don't want any. One of the last things I would do is blend into society because it's 'normal'. I'm far from normal. I've always been that way. Right now my entire life is Monstercat and I love it that way. I don't think that will change. EDM is what I was born for, and completely thanks to Monstercat (and the two people who indirectly led me to it), I found that out early. I could never repay them for making me the happiest person alive, but the least I can do is exercise my virtue of loyalty and support them. And that's not hard. I've been hooked on that label for well over two years.

     I try to keep a certain level of trustworthiness, and I really don't want to be the person that posts once a year saying they're going to post more often. So I'm going to be completely honest, I don't know how much I'll be posting here after this. It should be a fair amount if things go well and my mind doesn't decide to turn back. (My mind is very sensitive and I already feel weird trying to return.) I don't even know why I'm here right now. I don't know what's going on. But I want this blog to keep developing with me. I'll probably keep it for a long time. It's quiet here. And I like it that way.

2014 Recap

New Year's Eve
December 31st, 2014

So many life-changing things have happened to me this year. Looking back on it all is absolutely amazing. I've gotten a lot closer to God, developing a very personal relationship with Him, with some help from TobyMac, K-Love and my church. Speaking of church, I also got baptized in August and grew a lot closer to my church family as a whole. In June I went to a week-long camp with my youth group, which I officially moved up to in September. Moving up was so awesome, and I'm taking part in so many new experiences now that I'm older, and learning to put my life and future in God's hands and do his work. I have many great friends at youth now and see them every Wednesday at Bible study. I am still doing karate, I'm a 1st brown now and I will probably test for black belt next May. I had big dreams, I pursued them, and with the help of a few very loving members of my family and a couple security guards, I met my favorite singer in the world, TobyMac (yep, more on that later), which was a moment I will never forget. I am also still taking piano lessons...but now I do it for more than just to come in every week and get the notes right. I do it because I have a passion behind it that is driving me. To me music is more than something I listen to. It's a passion that I feel, live and breathe. Finding my passion for music has undoubtedly been the highlight of my year. I know I have had it my whole life because of feelings I had in the past. But for all these years, it was hidden beneath a shell, and it took K-Love and TobyMac to first crack that shell open. It also took Monstercat for me to fully realize what a beautiful thing it was. Monstercat made me discover my love for electronic dance music and has given me newer and even bigger dreams, along the way making me appreciate how beautiful life itself is. Monstercat has been not only a label to me, but a second family. It's where I can be set apart from the rest of the world, in perfect harmony with the things I love, and surrounded by people who love the same things. It's where we all have a certain connection and unity, and we all can somehow be on the same page about so many things...like how beautiful memories are and how each milestone is the perfect place to look back and to look forward. That's where I developed my passion for life. Having that also compelled me to write about it, so now I journal every day. My hobbies still also include drawing and photography. That was a short recap of my life in 2014 (especially since I haven't posted for so long...sorry guys).

All the adventures that made up the big journey of 2014 have been awesome. It's kind of sad saying goodbye. But now it's time to move forward and embrace the opportunities 2015 holds for us. It's going to be amazing. Are you ready?

Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17b

Great Year With Monstercat...and My Pick For Best Track Of the Year!

This year on March 25th, I found for the first time the EDM label Monstercat, not knowing what a journey it would take me on. As I slowly grew into more and more of a fan, I have been absolutely mindblown by not only the awesome music Monstercat has to offer, but the out-of-this-world dedication of each and every member of the family and the feeling of community between the artists, fans, and the Monstercat team. Monstercat isn't just a label. In the podcast director's words, it's where strangers become friends and friends become family. To me it's where we all come together, set apart from everyone else, and we can all be on the same page with each other because of this connected love for EDM and the beauty and passion of music and life that we all feel as one. I'm extremely proud of how far we've come together, and I know that we wouldn't be who we are today without each and every member of this family. I'm extremely privileged to be a part of it myself. As 2014 comes to a close and 2015 approaches, it's time to not only embrace something new and look forward to what a great year we're going to have in 2015, but embrace our memories and look back on how far we've come this year.
There have been so many amazing tracks released this year on Monstercat, and I could go on and on about how amazing each one is...but in the end, my personal favorite undoubtedly has to be Snowblind by the incredibly talented Au5, featuring chilling vocals by Tasha Baxter. This song really stands out to me in 2014 because of the beautiful lyrics, gorgeous effects and the feel they give, Tasha's breathtaking voice, SWEET heavy dubstep climax, story told by the melody and chords, tempo and the way it works with the rest of the song, theming and visual inspiration, the way you can feel how much work Au5 put into it, and pretty much everything else...including the passion and charm I felt when I first fell in love with Snowblind at the beginning of September that is still going strong today. And the way it all comes together is more than amazing. To me, Snowblind is overall just on another level of beauty, something that will pull you in from the start. Enjoy!

- Darling Daughter <3 12.26.2014="" p="">

Having An Awesome Summer!!!

Hi!

I hope everyone is having a great summer!

This is what happened to me this summer so far:

First, I just finished my 6th summer of swimming. Since I am 11 now, I moved up to the 11+ group in practice this year, which also means I have to swim 50m instead of 25m in the meets. I absolutely hated it at the first meet, but I got used to it pretty quickly.

Here we are at the pool party to celebrate the beginning of the season (which actually got postponed twice due to rain):

A picture of our pool during a home meet:

 Backstroke starts at an away meet:

We had our conference meet for 11+ Friday evening (the one for 10- was Saturday morning). We swam in a big 8-lane pool. I just found out this morning that we won! The end-of-season pool party (which is also when we get our conference ribbons and end-of-season awards) is usually the Sunday 2 weeks after conference, so it will most likely be on August 11.

Now for some news on the Webkinz:

In late May, Pasqually the pumpkin puppy and Daisy the petal pup got married.

 It was the first outdoor Webkinz plush wedding, so they had to watch out for the native bugs, but it was pretty nice. Mayhem (the black cat behind the stegosaurus and the other black cat) played the piano for the ceremony and Loose Strings (Emma Beleaguered, Juliet Bewhiskered, and Ashley Bewhiskered) did some bluegrass for the reception. The bride even starred in one song!

 Pasqually and Daisy took their honeymoon at a friend's house. They are a happy couple and Daisy has a baby girl due on August 13th!

Now, here are the online Webkinz (on my first account) having a great summer! Strawberry the pink poodle is diving into the CampKinz pool we won from the Marshmallow Collection in the bottom right of the screen. Caroline the dog and Emma the white poodle are enjoying the swings. Taylor and Catherine (the identical cats) are all decked out, both in the same outfit! They are all into the returning star from the Arcade, Skater Kat, so they are taking turns practicing on the skateboard so they can (both) dress up as her for Halloween.

Somebody left their hat in the pool!

 On my 2nd account is the Persian Cat, Sophia, in her new shop, Sophia's Sweet Treats!

Sophia is going to pass the shop down to her daughter, Bon Bon the Pom Pom Kitty, when she is born.

Maybe it could be called Bon Bon's Bon Bons! :P

...or maybe just Bon Bon's.

:) Happy Summer from Darling Daughter and the Webkinz! :)

Welcome Back, Darling Daughter!

Wow! It’s been so long, it feels like I’m welcoming myself back to my own blog! During the time I’ve been gone, I

Became an Easter Bunny (for real)

Went on a huge road trip with my Mom and one of my aunts

Moved to a new house

Lost 1 of my 3 cats and got another one

Started going to a new church

Started piano lessons, karate (I’m a gold belt now), and Awanas (a Wednesday night program at my church)

and much more!

Welcome back, ...well...me! :)