home and away

Okay, so I know I should be writing up the third installment of my HSA reunion experience, but I don't have the pics on my laptop. That's right...laptop. So, instead I will gleefully post this short update on my life from my laptop since I finally got the internet on it at home. Unfortunately it isn't wireless, but I'm not complaining.

Over the weekend we had our third ECD this year. It was great fun, as usual. But, the lack of guys made us girls positively irked. I swear, I am determined to wear a button down shirt and tie to the next dance. Then it will be less confusing for the other girls dancing, including myself. *laughs* Next dance the girls will have their revenge! Mwahahah!

The weekend before that I went down to Oklahoma with a couple of friends to go to the 3rd Annual Naylor Get Together. Another Homeschool Alumni event. I hadn't been before, but I plan on going in coming years. We had a lot of fun. Duh. I am thoroughly convinced no other set of people knows how to have fun like homeschoolers. Played volleyball, had a bonfire, impromptu ECD, and the usual chatter of like minds. The hospitality of the Naylor family was friendly and warm. It was great meeting new people and seeing a couple of friends again.

I recently broke down and signed up with Facebook. Now I'm re-building my HSA friends list on that website. It's fun but a little confusing. Facebook isn't the most straight forward site. Maybe it's just me...

Well, I had better wrap this up. I'm off to change the blog colors to something more Fall like.

Homeschool Alumni National Reunion 2009 {day 2}

Wow, have I fallen behind. But now I'm back. So, day two of the reunion dawned clear and cool. Great weather! First thing on my agenda, after a shower, was to call home. It felt so good to talk to Mama. Most of my homesickness went away after that. Now I was ready to face the day. After breakfast was praise and worship time. Some friends organized a hymn singing for those who didn't want to participate in the former. So, I headed over to the chapel for that. Ah, the sweet music of voices blended over the words of great hymns. Then it was off to the "Bear Claw" for our first session which was with Camden Spiller. Camden is one of the founders of HSA. He spoke on what we as homeschoolers can do to see the homeschool vision through to the next generation. Some great insights, thanks Camden! Had a bit of free time for hanging out before lunch.

here is the chapel on campus

After lunch I headed over to the expo hall to set up my table and do some finishing work before the Entrepeneur Expo opened. I missed out on some stuff, namely the Learn ECD session, since I had to stay at my table the whole two hours. But it was worth it. The girl that organized the expo this year, Allison, her sister Melissa came by and loved my stuff. Talk about excitement, Melissa generates it no problem. She bought a knitted cuff (which are coming soon to the etsy shop!) and a couple of my Pride and Prejudice Bracelets. One for her and one for a friend. I recently heard from that friend and she loves her bracelet! She blogged about it here - adored austin: kate spade/ great trade. Thanks Indiana!

After the expo was the afternoon session with Kevin Swanson. He is awesome, a very emotive speaker who literally uses the whole stage. He speaks with energy and passion. If you ever get the chance to see Mr. Swanson speak, go! You won't be dissapointed. His message to us was very encouraging. He urged us to use our lives and unique gifts as homeschoolers to follow Christ and be His light in this world. He also brought along one of the books he's written, "The Second Mayflower", for us at no charge. Free! Yipee!

part of the fun at the dance was watching the flow of traffic in the balcony

We ate supper next and then headed to our dorms to get ready for the dance! I called home again to talk to Daddy. Had to keep my parents up to date on all the stuff they were missing out on! *laughs* The ECD was a lot of fun! Even if there were more girls than guys. Danced a really fun dance that was new to me called "The Boston Tea Party." We danced from 8:00 to 11:30! There were a couple of breaks, but I was tired! Didn't take me long to fall asleep that night!

this is kinda blurry, but it's the "posties jig"!

More pictures and days 3 and 4 still to come...

{homeschool alumni national reunion} :day 1:

Okay, so I know I haven't posted in ages, life has been so busy! I got home a week ago from a delightful and wonderful vacation in Colorado with 200+ other homeschoolers. It was the Homeschool Alumni 2009 National Reunion. This was HSA's fourth reunion but the first time I was able to go. I cannot begin to tell about everything that happened over those four days, but I will give some highlights, funny moments, and my thoughts. The new song on the playlist, "Inside Outside" by Delirious?, became our unofficial song during the reunion.

Wednesday, August 12, I packed up and my parents drove me to the spot where my carpool had arranged to pick me up. We all spent the night at a friends house and hit the road bright and early on our way to Larkspur, Colorado. In the van were six excited girls and all our luggage with Justin following in his car. Driving through western Kansas is not my idea of a good time, but the company of friends well made up for the boring scenery. I switched to Justin's car about halfway to keep him company. He was so bored the day before he had resorted to singing songs in a Muppet voice. *laughs* We discussed a variety of topics so there was no need for Muppet voices. After getting lost, isn't that required on road trips?, we arrived safely at our destination.

getting closer to the mountains!

yours truly in the mirror

finally there! woo hoo!

The much anticipated reunion was under way! We hauled our stiff bodies out of the vehicles and headed for registration. I didn't know but a couple other people other than my carpool so they were very kind to "adopt" me. I had met most of them last year in Kansas City at a HSA mini-reunion. Therefore we stuck to each other like glue the first few hours until more people showed up and we could find some familiar faces. Mind you, homeschoolers are almost instant friends, it's the introducing yourself hurdle you have to jump first.

inside the "bear claw" for the opening ceremony

At 5:00pm was the opening ceremony and we all gathered at the main meeting place, which Riley renamed the "Bear Claw" (rawr!) [inside joke]. After that it was time for supper. The place that hosted us, Ponderosa Baptist Conference Center, has great food! Nothing to complain about there! By this time I was getting homesick. I had never been away from home without a family member before so this was a BIG adventure. I called home but nobody answered! Or the cell phone! So I left a voicemail telling them we had arrived safely and I would talk to them later. After that it was time to gather for the "Meet Your Team" session. There were eight teams and I was on the brown team. So we introduced ourselves and played "Do You Love Your Neighbor?" I sat out since I had never played it before, someone else sat it out too. Which was almost as fun as actually being in the game.

Then at 8:30pm we had a bonfire in the fire pit inside the "Bear Claw" (rawr!). Had live jazz music to add to the atmosphere, which was awesome! I stayed until about 10:30 talking to people and soaking up my surroundings. But a warm bed was calling my name so I headed out hoping the next day would be great too.

Coming soon! - Days 2, 3, and 4! Plus more pictures!

{life in general}

Dearie me, I have not posted in quite a while. Last month I got a job writing articles for a local newspaper and I have been adjusting to that. Plus, we've started gardening so there goes more time out of my schedule. At last I get to sit down and blog. I think I'll start with the newest and work my way back.

Last week my allergies kicked in and therefor I have been under the weather. Thankfully I am feeling much better and hopefully by tomorrow will be able to consider myself well. If only my ears would stay popped... Also, last weekend was our second English Country Dance! It went well and we learned a couple of new dances. Afterwards we went out for ice cream. Yum! Ahh, there is nothing like the company of like minded individuals that have come together for an ECD.

I have made a couple of darling (if I may say so) fabric covered bead necklaces and listed them in the Etsy shop. Here is a picture of the "Beatrice" necklace -

I think they will be a great accessory for the Spring and Summer with their cheerful colors.

And now for something that made me very happy. I had my first repeat customer in my Cafe Press store Helluo Librorum this month!!! Huzzah! I think it was the scream heard round the neighborhood. *laughs*

Last month I was approached by one of our friends at church, and a homeschool mom, about writing articles for the newspaper she owns. I agreed even though I had no journalism experience. But I figured a love of writing would make up for what I lacked in know how to start with. I am quickly discovering how much different reporting is than writing short stories, books and poems. And how much I rely on other people to help me. If my contact doesn't call me back or reply to my email, well I'm pretty close to up a creek without a paddle. What is with that anyway, not returning phone calls? Even if you don't want to be interviewed, tell me "no thank you," don't leave me hanging. Anywhooo... But I think the best part is all the things I'm learning about, not just people skills but random facts and more big picture puzzle pieces.

Now it's time for me to end this. I have to email my editor and do a little ironing. Blessings!

{march forth}

Today is the 4th of March. Or with a little play on of words it is March Forth! Just a little reminder early in the year to go forth and live out the year well. Get out there and do something. Or just remember to cherish each day. Even if nothing exciting happened, you were granted another day on this planet to enjoy the beauty around you and to savor simple pleasures. On that thought, in our Sunday School at church we are studying Ecclesiastes. Last Sunday we were in ch. 6 and dwelled on vs. 3. Here is a man that lived long, had a hundred children but did not take pleasure in the good things. Though he had family he wasn't properly buried. I felt as though I had a pretty good grasp on it but yesterday a song on the radio shed new light on the matter. It was Toby Mac's "Lose My Soul" and it suddenly dawned on me, the man in Eccl. 6:3 had gained the world but lost his soul. He was so consumed with the material things in this world that he missed the big picture. Who cares how much money you have, where you live or what you drive. If you are not awed by mountains, oceans and sunrises, if you do not take pleasure in going barefoot in summer or being kissed by a gentle breeze, if you are not happy with a good book, a cup of tea and the company of a dear friend, you have nothing. Don't let life pass by you because you are striving for the temporary things of this world.

"If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he." - Ecclesiastes 6:3

I ran across this quote from Emily Dickinson the other day and want to share it with you -
"You ask of my companions. Hills, sir, and the sundown and a dog as large as myself."
Sounds pretty good to me, too!

{amusing}

The last few days have provided some humorous happenings. Firstly, one of our neighbors has a new dog and it seems determined to go with them when they leave. You should see that dog gallop after them all the way down the road and around the corner. Then, yesterday evening while we were watching another one of these episodes, yes we are easily entertained, one of the other neighbor dogs decided he would chase the other dog. What a hoot! Recently our cat Sadie has found a new favorite spot to lounge. The leftover little dirtpile next to a Wisteria we transplanted last Fall. Plus with the added bonus of being able to take a dirt bath at the same time, it's her own spa. Sadie's antics never cease to make us laugh.

our Sadie cat

And just this morning Mama, in an effort to help protect our computer, turned of the script and other functions. So I get on to check out what's going on in Homeschool Alumni land and it keeps asking me if it is okay to run the scripts. On every single page! At first it was funny, until I was looking for something on you tube. Well you know that row of currently watched videos that rolls over every however many seconds? Uh-huh...yeah it asked for permission every single rollover which made it nigh impossible to type anything into the search bar. So I would click "yes", type the next letter, click "yes", type the next letter, etc, etc, etc. Bless Mama, she came in and fixed it. I love the everyday amusing things that make me laugh.

Now for some exciting news. I recieved my first check from my Cafe Press store Helluo Librorum! I'm lazy today, link is on the side bar. Huzzah! Plus I wanted to show you one of the things I made for our Etsy shop Some Spare Parts. Again, link is on the left. It's a wooden bangle covered with snippets from a "Pride and Prejudice" book. Don't worry, it was a junk copy I picked up at a garage sale for crafting. That was my only consolation in destroying a classic book.


Something else I've been enjoying recently is a Chris Rice DVD for his "Amusing" album. I love the songs "When Did You Fall", which is on the music player, and "The Final Move." I cried when I heard it. Yeah, it's that good. Awesome, inspiring and touching lyrics and beautiful music. Like C.S. Lewis was able to capture spiritual truths in an understandable format, "The Final Move" gives us a soundbite of truth. It reminds us that no matter what happens, there is hope and that God is soverign and in control. And nothing is a mistake. Things happen for a reason.

It was love that set this fragile planet rolling

Tilting at our perfect twenty-three

Molecules and men infused with holy

Finding our way around the galaxy

And Paradise has up and flown away for now

But hope still breathes and truth is always true

And just when we think it's almost over

Love has the final move

Love has the final move

{to the ends of the world}

Happy Valentine's Day or SAD (Singles Awareness Day) to you, whichever side of the fence you're on. So of course I've been thinking about love recently. And watching Jane Austen movies and romantic comedies, then again I think Pride & Prejudice was the original romantic comedy. But that's a whole other topic. So...what is true love. That term is thrown around without care in my opinion. Most people do not understand what love is, let alone true love. Okay, I know that's harsh, but with today's rampant divorce rate and broken hearts I think I can safely make that assumption. I'm going to start with an example from pop culture. My family likes to watch "Smallville" and the last episode showed a complete upset to the whole Clark & Lana relationship. In a few short words - they can never be together, now that Lana has absorbed a substantial amount of Kryptonite. Then I got to thinking, if what they had was true love why don't they just deal with the fact they will not be able to hug and kiss and instead focus on enjoying each other's company, albeit from across the room. Have we been so conditioned that love is physical contact, not mutual joy in being together? And I realize that the physical is part of married relationships, but that is not the main portion. The other 80% (just throwing out a number) is friendship and companionship. Just the happiness of the being in the same room as your beloved, sharing thoughts and ideas. Am I totally off base? To me true love is being able to follow a man to the ends of the world because you esteem, respect, honor, cherish and love him. Not because he's a great kisser. I acknowledge that I don't fully understand this yet, but what I do know and understand is that Hollywood has deceived us. We no longer understand what true love is, because we have been taught through entertainment that unless it feels good, it isn't love. Forget the real reasons we choose to love people when things get difficult. Now for another example from pop culture. I recently was able to see "Enchanted" and was stunned by the scene in which the couple, who was going through a nasty divorce, was brought to their senses by Amy Adams' character. They called off the divorce saying that they realized you don't give up because of a few hardships. You don't give up the good things because a couple of bad things. I cheered, almost in unbelief, at this championing of love.

We are taught in the Scriptures what true love is. From the first example of God creating a help meet for Adam to the verses in the New Testament telling us that love is patient, love is kind, etc. There's nothing there about the other person being a good kisser or you have fun on dates. Those are not reasons for marrying and if that is to be the foundation of your marriage than you will not be happy. I have been blessed with real life examples of happy, godly marriages. My parents and friends' parents have demonstrated what it is like when you marry the right person for the right reasons. Enough rambling...I pray that everyone that reads this feels the pure love from the only person that can bestow it - God the Creator. He created everything. Us, our feelings and the person that we can't live without here while we remain on this planet.

{inspiration}

So after weeks of no snow we finally got some more winter weather. Woohoo!!! But it all melted today. Bummer. Good thing I got out this morning to capture the frosty scene. I had been longing for a muse and inspiration and it came this morning. In a glorious sunrise that set the landscape to glittering. Here are the fruits of my cold fingers ~

i love how the sunshine makes everything sparkle

frost flowers

and my personal favorite

isn't she sweet! this is in our outdoor room

{purpose of fighting}

A couple of weeks ago I babysat the two young boys of a sweet family from our church that also homeschools. Well we had a good time playing games and watching movies. But as I pondered the events of the day I had to pause and go deeper into the issue of violence. One of the video games we played was Monster Wars and while I am sure it was rated "E" I found it to be very violent. Granted, there was no blood or guts, but I was slightly stunned at the intensity of fighting. I need to clarify that I'm not a person that shies away from violent material. I enjoy watching movies like Lord of the Rings, Batman Begins, and other "hero" films. But the senseless fighting I was confronted with in Monster Wars bothered me. After thinking over it for a few minutes I realized that the video game, and others like it, had no purpose in their warfare. On the other hand characters like Aragorn, Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker, etc. are fighting for something. There is a purpose to their violence. They were not out there decking some Joe Bloke just for the fun of it. No, they singled out those that were threatening what is good in this world and fought with them to put an end to their malice. And the same thing applies to real life. War is not something we want to engage in, but when we run into a force that seeks to do evil we must confront it and do what is within our power to end it. Whether this war is fought across multiple countries against an army that seeks to destroy us and all that we stand for or it is a small scale battle between a handful of people does not matter. What matters is that we recognize the true purpose of violence and know its proper place and time. And when evil has been defeated we go back to our daily lives of peace and contentment. I think one of the saddest tragedies of the day and age we live in now of video games and gory movies is that we have desensitized ourselves to why we fight. No longer do we read of the glorious deeds of King Arthur and Robin Hood and the tales of their fighting against injustice. We have consumed the kind of wrong violence and now we are reaping what we have sown. Men no longer look to protect women, instead they take advantage of them. Recently on a "Primetime: What Would You Do?" episode, the example was a couple out on a first date and when the actress is in the restroom the actor slips a "drug" (actually sugar) into her drink. They wanted to find out if anyone would notice and if they did what would they do about it. It was sad to see people ignore, and in one case encourage the actor. But then when someone did step in to protect the actress you wanted to cheer. Our kids get in fights and shoot or stab each other over petty things instead of keeping an eye out for wrongs being committed and seeking to right them. Since they have filled their lives with examples of the violence on video games and movies/tv they no longer know how to stand up against the malevolent forces in this world. What if their heroes were not football players and actors, but figures in history and literature such as Robin Hood, Aragorn, High King Peter of Narnia, Pres. George Washington, Davy Crockett, Stonewall Jackson, King Arthur, Winston Churchill and the like? What if? What is it going to take before we deal with the root issue of the problem of senseless fighting? When will we realize that it is not the violence or fighting that is wrong, but what we use those tools for?

{ring in the new}

I had every intention of posting about once a week during December. *laughs* What was I thinking?! Fat chance of that happening during the holiday season, especially since I wasn't in the habit before. I can imagine my last post left you all wondering if I had gone off my rocker. Well I still haven't completely decided on the matter. Plus it was a rather bad time of year to bring it up. Best to talk of such things in the middle of summer when you're removed from the emotion of the season. Anyway...onto something pleasant and happy.

I have discovered a new song through who I think is one of the funniest people on the planet, Daniel Gardner. It's called "Sunray Smile" and was written and recorded by a fellow HomeschoolAlumni member, Amber Van Vleet. It's on the blog music player, make your ears happy and listen to it!

The only pictures I have to share are from last month's snow and other winter weather...

And now I am tickled pink for two reasons - 1) I got the link in a word thing to work (yay!), and 2) I drove all by myself today! Now I know what you're thinking, "She's 22 and hasn't driven alone yet?!" Well for starters I didn't get my license until I was 21 (long story), and secondly I don't have anywhere to go by myself. Yeah, my social life is one rung higher than that of a monk, but that's okay. I'm a homebody as it is anyway.

Have a great weekend everyone!