Hey! I’m Neala! And here are some things about me:
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I accepted Christ when I was about 5 years old. As a young child I was super scared of death and what happened after death. I would stay awake at night crying because what I pictured was pitch black and the feeling of being completely and utterly alone. It scared me so much that even today I can vividly recall what I felt. When it was later explained to me that Christ’s death on the cross meant that my sins were forgiven, and that I would be able to go to heaven instead of the horrible place that I pictured, I felt relieved and at peace. I no longer spent my nights afraid of death and what came afterwards. Looking back, I find it amazing that as a small child I was so frightened about dying. A lot of people don’t think that kids realize what death is and what it can mean. Maybe that’s not so true, but I can’t really say for sure. All I know is that it was one of my biggest fears when I was a child.
MORE IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT ME:
I am from a small town in Minnesota called Morris. It’s population is about 5,000 people. We’re a college town on the prairie.
I am the youngest child in my family. I have one brother, Bryce, and he has autism.
From left to right: Dad (Dave), Bryce, and Mom (Beth)
I’m a recent grad from the University of Minnesota Morris. I majored in English (lots of reading and writing essays!). I also learned two dead languages: Latin and Old English (and no, Old English is NOT at all like Shakespeare. Think more like Beowulf —-> Audio: Beowulf in Old English).
“I love you” in Old English = Ic lufie þe! (Pronuncation (in case you really want to weird out your family and friends): eek lu-vee-eh thay)
“I love you” in Latin = Te amo. (Pronunciation (exactly like Spanish): tay ah-mo)
So, yes… I did learn two languages that are technically dead. And maybe have no relevant use in this modern world, but I loved it. And now I can tell my family and friends that I love them in three languages (and now you can too)!
So there’s the past 3 years of my life. Which may (or may not) have been interesting to you. 
Picture from graduation on May 10th
Another possibly important thing to know about me is that I am an introvert. The internet has kinda become obsessed with talking about and defining introverts and extroverts lately, but let me tell you what being an introvert is like in my life:
I like my alone time. I also like people, but my alone time lets me reboot.
I am quiet until I get to know you and, once I’m comfortable with you, I will be CRAZY. My best friend can vouch for me on that. (Down below is Em and I dressed as crazy, old, cat ladies. I’m on the left, Em’s on the right.)
I feel awkward around new people and super self conscious. I usually wait for other people to initiate conversations with me or even to invite me to spend time with them. I just feel like I’m intruding otherwise. A habit that I want to get out of.
I love to write. More recently that writing has been more in my head than on an actual page, but I think starting this blog will help me with that. I like writing in various genres, but I mainly like fantasy and sci-fi. I write both poetry and prose.
I also love photography. It’s a hobby that let’s me look at the world from different perspectives. It’s also made me redefine beautiful. Sometimes in pictures, it’s the mundane things in life that makes a picture look really cool.
Here are some of my pictures:
Raindrops
Self Portrait
My Parent’s Hands (taken by a manual camera)
My dog, Jacco (taken by a manual camera)
TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THE USA:
Outside of the US, I have been to 3 countries: Haiti (2012), Jordan (2014), and Israel (2014).
In Haiti I helped at a couple of orphanages, helped at a clinic, cleaned and painted a missionary’s home, did a little babysitting, and bonded with people. I went with a small group, and we stayed in Haiti for about a week. It was one of the best weeks in my life.
Right: Living conditions for some of the people in Haiti, Left: Some amazing scenery after a hike up a hill.
Right: Me with a boy who stayed at an orphange, Left: The ocean!
The trip that I took to Jordan and Israel wasn’t a mission trip. Instead, I was able to tour the sites where Jesus had been and where Biblical events had taken place. It was amazing and it’s really cool to be able to visualize places when I read about them in the Bible!
Right: Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world (in Jordan), Middle: Part of Jerusalem, Left: An olive tree from the Garden of Gethsemane
Right: The not so little town of Bethlehem, Left: The Mediterranean Sea (at Tel Aviv, Israel)
The view from Mount Caramel!
Here’s the group I went with! There were people from my church (Minnesota), from Missouri, and even a wonderful family from Guatemala!
MUSIC, BOOKS, TV SHOWS:
Oh man, I LOVE music. My favorite bands are kinda all over the place as far as genre is concerned. Two genres that I don’t really go for are country and classical music. But even within them, there are songs that I appreciate.
Here’s my top five bands (that you may –or probably not– have heard about). They’re subject to change.
1. The Classic Crime (My all time favorite band! I recommend their album Phoenix if you’re interested. They classify themselves as Alternative/ Indie/ Rock.) Here’s a song off their newest album:
2. twenty one pilots (These guys classify themselves as Schizoid Pop. I would say that they’re kind of an electro rap? Anyways, I really like these guys because they talk about some tough stuff in their music. They don’t give an answer for it, but they let their listener know that they’re not alone in what they’re dealing with.)
3. Bronze Radio Return (Mmm… so good. They call themselves Indie Roots Rock)
4. My Epic (They have some really good acoustic worship songs, their Broken Voice ep is my favorite. They are classified as rock & roll)
5. Sleepy Eyed Fox (Folk/ Rock band)
So, I could also give you a list of the books and TV shows that I like, but I think this post is already getting pretty long. I also probably couldn’t decide my favorites in either category.
As far as books are concerned, I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy (Books like: Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, The Heirs of Ash Trilogy by Rich Wulf, Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle, Oathbreaker books by S.R. Vaught and J.B. Redmond, The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and the list goes on. I’m currently reading The Neverending Story by Michaele Ende.)
As for TV, I like crime shows, sci-fi, and fantasy. (Shows like: Stargate SG1, Merlin, Chuck, Pushing Daisies, Firefly, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Hero Tales, Doctor Who (preferably doctor 9-10 (or is it 10-11 now?), NCIS, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Castle, and other shows).
That’s all I have for now. If I think of anything more, I’ll be sure to add it! 
