A Tolkien Blog Party

Greetings all!

My wonderful sister gave me a heads-up about a party to which we are all invited, and if you do not receive any invitation, just show up anyway! ;)

Hamlette at The Edge of the Precipice is hosting a blog party!

The rules are quite simple.  Answer the questions on your blog or website, and one of the wonderful buttons she has supplied, put the link in the link thingy, and enjoy the fun!  As well as enter The Hobbit GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So without further ado, here are my answers.

1.  What draws you to Tolkien's stories?  (The characters, the quests, the themes, the worlds, etc.)

I love the fact that they were written by a Catholic and have Catholic themes and undertones.  It also gives me a feeling that not all hope is lost against a very great evil, because in the end good will triumph!  I also like the different characters and their qualities.

2.  What was the first Middle Earth book you read and/or movie you saw?  What did you think of it?

The first Middle Earth book I read was the Hobbit.  My friends had to read it for school and thought that I might like it.  Though I figured it was more of that worldly rubbish, I gave it a try and saw it was quite the opposite.  I very much enjoyed the Hobbit, and decided to read The Lord of The Rings, liking it even more.

3.  Name three of your favorite characters and tell us why you like them.

My three favorite characters are Legolas, Thranduil, and Galadriel.  (These are from the books, mind you!)  I like Legolas just for who he is, and him being and elve.  Of course I think it's awesome he can just walk in his memory and be completely rested!  I like Thranduil because of his concern and awe of Bilbo.  He recognizes the unselfish and simpleness of the Hobbit, who just wants peace and a good breakfast in his armchair without the bother of gold, thank you very much!  I like Galadriel because of who she represents, and though power is thrown at her feet, she resists temptation.  She brings light into the world, a world that is slowly falling, where not many of her kind are left.

4.  Are there any secondary characters you think deserve more attention?

I think Tom Bombadil deserves a bit of attention.  I'm still puzzled as to what his meaning is, and who he really is that the ring has no power over him.  Hopefully I will be able to find that out soon!

5.  What Middle Earth character do you relate to the most?

Well, in the movies (keep in mind I've only seen The Hobbit and the FotR) I think I relate most to Tauriel. In a world full of darkness, sadness, and fading light, I look for that which is good, true, and beautiful. (*Philippians 4:18*)  I will not hide while the world falls into corruption, but instead defend the truth and the light, no matter what!

6.  If you could ask Professor Tolkien one Middle Earth-related question, what would you like to ask him?

I would love to ask him what the symbol in Tengwar is for the letter Q!  I have tried to learn the language and it's symbols, but with the few resources that I have, it's slightly difficult.  I hope to soon find some books that will help me! 

7.  Are there any pieces of Middle Earth merchandise you would particularly like to own, but don't?

I would love to own Tauriel's bow and arrows, or a Middle Earth throw blanket, but I would really love to have a Legolas phone case!!  Though, I'm not sure what I would do with it since I don't have an iPhone yet.

8.  What battle would you absolutely not want to be part of?

What battle would I not want to be part of?  Hmm...  I would have to say the battle on the fields of Gondor.  Why?  Well, I wouldn't exactly like to be there when heads were being flung over the walls, much less be one of those heads. XP

9.  Would you rather eat a meal at Rivendell or Bag End?

I would rather eat a meal in Rivendell, with the sweet music playing, and the water and mountains in the background.  Breathing the fresh air, conversing with the elves.

10.  List up to ten of your favorite lines/quotes from the books or movies.

"It is our fight.  With every victory this evil will grow.  If your father has his way we will do nothing. We will hide within our halls away from the light and let the darkness descend.  Are we not part of this world?  Tell me, Melon, when did we let evil become stronger than us?"

~Tauriel

"Everythin' tastes like chicken."

"Except the chicken, which tastes like fish."

~The trolls

"If more of us valued food and song and cheer above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~Thorin

"Misery me!"

~Bilbo

"We Hobbits ought to stick together, and we will.  I shall go, unless they chain me up.  There must be someone with intelligence in the party."

~Pippin

"The finest rockets ever seen

they burst in stars of blue and green

or after thunder golden shower

came falling like a rain of flowers."

~Sam

"I'm coming too, or neither of us isn't going.  I'll knock holes in all the boats first."

~Sam

"The night grew ever colder.  Aragorn and Gimli slept fitfully, and whenever they awoke they saw Legolas standing beside them, or walking to and fro, singing softly to himself in his own tongue, and as he sang the white stars opened in the hard black vault above."

~narrative, The Two Towers

"If you have walked all these days with closed ears and mind asleep, wake up now!"

~Gandalf

"And Frodo when he saw her (Arwen) coming glimmering in the evening, with stars on her brow and a sweet fragrance about her, was moved with great wonder, and he said to Gandalf, 'At last I understand why we have waited!  This is the ending.  Now not day only shall be beloved, but night too shall be beautiful and blessed and all its fear pass away!'"

~narrative, The Return of the King; Frodo

And I know I'm only supposed to do ten, but logically this isn't a quote from the story, so I just have to add it!

"The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.  But still there is much that is fair.  And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater."

~J. R. R. Tolkien

Now, if you have not already seen the awesomeness, go check out the party and the giveaway!!!

The Party: Under the white pavilion under the party tree

The Giveaway: The white gate, with presents for all and sundry. =D

Get Ready, Get Set,...

GO CRAZY BECAUSE IT'S COMING!!!!!!!!!!!

An Unexpected Journey,

The Desolation of Smaug,

AND for the first time ever,

The Battle of Five Armies,

will be in theaters this October playing all three EXTENDED EDITIONS!!!!

IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!

^uh, YES!!!^

Anyway, *regains composure*

As you can see I am slightly excited.  Ok, super excited.

This is the link where you can find theaters in your area.  That, or see if you have to fly out and join me and dress up, for-

As you all may have guessed by now, I am planning to wear my Tauriel apparel to the theater again.  That, and perhaps my Legolas t-shirt. (an addition to my closet I had been meaning to post about, but never got around to)

(It is completely awesome in real life, but if you consider ever getting a juniors Hobbit shirt from the online shop, I would suggest ordering a size or two larger.  I'm probably normally a small or medium in juniors, and the medium of this is a close fit and almost too small.)

I had also once considered putting a tutorial on how to sew a Tauriel costume, but never got around to that either.  Perhaps I shall before the showing.

And, in light of the movies coming out, for Modest Monday I have decided to do...

I know it isn't exactly Monday anymore, but I wasn't able to post it then so I figured I might as well do it now, so without further ado,...

#1.  A Hobbit

I wore my long jean skirt, a sleeveless brown blouse(?), and a green sweater.  The last two I got at second hand stores.  Who knew, right?  I also wore a round gold locket that I have.

 Obviously I hadn't done my hair entirely, and bare feet would have been best, but I was in a bit of a hurry that day.

#2. Legolas

#3. Galadriel

#4. Frodo

#5. Sam

AND,

Until next time,

Namárië and God bless!

The Final Answer

My apologies for waiting to do this so long.  Without further ado, here is the final favorite character from my tag from Chloe.

Drumroll please...

10.  Frank Hopkins, Hidalgo,

He is extremely brave, kind, and thoughtful.  He's also very clever.  I'm very glad my mom had me watch this movie.  At first I refused because I could not get over the fact that Viggo Mortensen played a blond cowboy!  It is definitely my favorite now and I can't tell others about it enough!

Road Trip!

Helloooo!!

I am alive and well, exited about school, and back in the blogger world!

A couple of weeks ago my family and I took a trip up to Montana for a Eucharistic Conference.  It was held at Corpus Christi parish in Great Falls, MT.  It was completely and utterly AMAZINGLY INCREDIBLE!!!  In the evening there would be Mass, dinner in the basement, a talk, then Eucharistic Adoration.  On three of the days we were supposed to go to the park, but were able to only one of the days because of the weather.  We still had fun, though.
I also had time to go crazy with one of my best friends about the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.  Because really, we're not the crazy ones. ;)

During the conference we had a Forty-Hours devotion.  Simply speaking, the Eucharist was left on the alter for forty hours, even during Mass and the talks.

Click on the pics to see them bigger.

The alter was completely amazing!!!  I think someone said there were over 120 candles.  Really the pictures can't do it justice, and I pray all of you will get to experience something like that in person.

We also had a Eucharistic procession.  Everything was so amazing, and being a part of it (opposed to seeing on the computer) was even amazinger!!!! ;D

I'm in the blue maxi "next to" the candle stick by the line.

The entire church was full of priests in cassocks!!  I'm not sure I'd even seen one in real life until then!  Most of them were young, and we got to talk to a lot of them.  My friends and I even got to sit with one during dinner!  A couple even came to the park and played frisbee with us.  It was truly an incredible experience.

On our trip we found some pretty good places to eat that I will highly suggest in case you are ever up that way.

2K's Kafe: Amazing food and service!  Tiny, but completely small town feeling.  My sister got the cinnamon roll french toast.  Definitely the favorite in my fam!  

The cinnamon roll french toast

Culver's: They now have some in Utah!  I know this is probably a common fast food place in the mid-west, but for us westerners who never get to eat their amazing fried chicken and custard, it was a treat!

Yesterday's Calf-A: They have amazing burgers and pie!!!  I would highly suggest the coconut cream.  We found out about this place from our friends in MT, and definitely worth the stop.  Keep an eye out when you're traveling on the 95, though, this place is literally in the middle of nowhere.

 

The coconut cream pie.  I'm getting hungry just looking at it!

Florence Coffee Company: It's only a small shack in Helena (one of three locations there, I think) but their drinks were REALLY good!  I got a coconut smoothie and would highly recommend it.

Em's Restaurant:  We went here after Mass at the Cathedral in Salt Lake City for brunch.  The smoked salmon eggs Benedict was amazing!  My sister got it for her birthday brunch.

Snyder Drug: This is a cute Catholic gift store, convenience store, and soda fountain all in one!  They have everything from odds-n-ends, ice cream, home decor, and chocolate sodas!

My mom's chocolate soda at the soda fountain in the back.

While we were driving up to MT, we passed through Butte at night.  There was something really bright up on the mountains beside us.  There was a big discussion as to what it really was.  My mom said it was a statue of Mary.  On our way back home, we passed through Butte during the day and saw that she had been right!

Our Lady of the Rockies.

We also saw an overlook with a sign that explained who she was and why she was there.  It was pretty neat!

We also stopped on our way back in Helena to see the Cathedral.

Note:

If you're anywhere near 50 miles of the place, stop by!!!

It is incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The church was huge!

 

The Stations were beautiful!!

Most of all the stained glass windows were gorgeous!

 St. Helena and her son, St. Constantine

 The Last Supper and St. Pope Pius X

The Transfiguration and the Crucifixion

A few things have been redone over the years, but those and most other things in the Cathedral are pretty much original to 1914, the year the building was completed.  The cornerstone was laid in 1908.

All in all it was an amazing trip!  I know I will definitely miss the scenery and the Toy Story clouds :)

God bless, and Namárië until next time!

An Idaho sunset.