Tonight, my dears, is choir! I LOVE choir. I have an awesome instructor-person (that's you, Melanie) and a bunch of awesome fellow (oops, fella) choristers. We are preparing for a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and our Christmas Feast coming up sooner than I realize. (I realize I just realized that).
Tonight is "The (dreaded by the Aged P) Gathering" and we sing emotional songs, and listen to an emotional trauma-to-triumph story, and then we pray in emotional prayer circles. You should read the book called "Stuff Christians Like" by somebody whose name I can't remember. But it's a really good book. I should read it.
I started another blog on tumblr.com today. It's pretty exciting. Beginning stuff. The hard part is keeping it going. I've had this blog for almost two years, and I don't have very many posts.....Watch me try to keep up TWO blogs. What am I thinking?
I've started to read Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis (for the second time) and I'm in chapter 4! Last time I only got half way through chapter 1...
But I'm going through a Lois Lowry phase. It's really fun because I love her books.
Funny how I realize all the things I want to do the week before Finals, when I should be studying! Dear me.
Oh yes, my patent phrase is, "Oh my Gargoyles" (or "Oh my Gafinkes" which comes from using T9 texting on my cell phone trying to spell gargoyles).
I should probably work on the last two chapter summaries I need to have finished by Friday.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Happy Advent!
Today is the beginning of the Advent season! Very Exciting. :D
I missed the sermon today because I had childcare. But I usually like watching the kids for a while, but today I was (am) not feeling well, so I mostly sat in the rocker and pitied my poor head (which was hurting).
After church we socialized in the fellowship hall and then we went to the new Foundations. I really like it. We are learning (refreshing our memory on) the creeds. The Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon.
One more week of school. Then Finals!
Today we were actuallyon time. Amazing.
We loaded all the bull panels from BJ's into Uncle Doug's truck and got rid of them. Ahhh...
Then we moved the hay from the trailer to Gpa's truck and took it down to the tack room. While we were loading the hay, a mouse skittered up Mom's pant leg! How she did scream. Then she shook it out, and I stepped on it. Then we called Boone over to it. He looked delighted and took it away to torture it...I am sorry (actually I'm not, just seems the appropriate thing to say...), but I really have no sympathy for mouses!
I am still thinking about sneaking away to go for a snow walk today. Before it get's dark, which will be soon.
I especially missed Sierra and Blaze today, when we were disassembling their corral..:( Diggor is a good boy, but he is a young, untrained stallion. Mother absolutely will not let us practice our rodeo tricks on him. So we can't ride him.
I really should put some pictures up.
I missed the sermon today because I had childcare. But I usually like watching the kids for a while, but today I was (am) not feeling well, so I mostly sat in the rocker and pitied my poor head (which was hurting).
After church we socialized in the fellowship hall and then we went to the new Foundations. I really like it. We are learning (refreshing our memory on) the creeds. The Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon.
One more week of school. Then Finals!
Today we were actuallyon time. Amazing.
We loaded all the bull panels from BJ's into Uncle Doug's truck and got rid of them. Ahhh...
Then we moved the hay from the trailer to Gpa's truck and took it down to the tack room. While we were loading the hay, a mouse skittered up Mom's pant leg! How she did scream. Then she shook it out, and I stepped on it. Then we called Boone over to it. He looked delighted and took it away to torture it...I am sorry (actually I'm not, just seems the appropriate thing to say...), but I really have no sympathy for mouses!
I am still thinking about sneaking away to go for a snow walk today. Before it get's dark, which will be soon.
I especially missed Sierra and Blaze today, when we were disassembling their corral..:( Diggor is a good boy, but he is a young, untrained stallion. Mother absolutely will not let us practice our rodeo tricks on him. So we can't ride him.
I really should put some pictures up.
Friday, November 26, 2010
I'm thankful for...
Turning leaves. They make a beautiful ground cover for the ugly mud that comes with autumn rains.
Snow. It covers up the leaves that are turning to slime.
Cold weather, 'cause it makes me thankful for warm clothes, and warm beds, and warm houses, and warm food, and warm kittens to cuddle with.
My family. They help me treasure the small things in life.
Mom. She always has good advice for me.
Our country. It really is the Greatest Nation on God's Green Earth.
Friends. But who isn't thankful for their friends?
Enemies. They help me keep life in perspective.
Wood stoves, despite all the work.
Dogs. At least they keep the coyotes away.
Church. My church is the very BEST church in the WORLD.
My pastor. He always has the right sermon at the right time.
The new Foundations class. It's like our House for my Name class with no pressure.
Little kids. I just love 'em. They remind me that I used to be like that. Can't wait to have my own.
Messes. The feeling of satisfaction I get after I've cleaned them up.
Capitalism. And all those people who live to produce the things that I can't or won't produce for myself.
Problems. If we didn't have them, there would be no need for solutions.
Books. There are few things better than a comfy chair by the fire with a hot drink in one hand and a good book in the other.
Music. I honestly could not survive without music.
My senses. I know I don't always take full advantage of them, but I sure am glad they're there when I need them.
Indoor plumbing. And I thought the kings and queens of old lived in luxury.
Learning. As Mark Twain said, "I never let schooling interfere with my learning."
Sledding. Saucer trains are the best.
Opportunities. Too bad I don't take advantage of all the ones that come my way.
Food. Most all real food is good.
Freedom, and our fathers who fought for it.
This is just a start...
Snow. It covers up the leaves that are turning to slime.
Cold weather, 'cause it makes me thankful for warm clothes, and warm beds, and warm houses, and warm food, and warm kittens to cuddle with.
My family. They help me treasure the small things in life.
Mom. She always has good advice for me.
Our country. It really is the Greatest Nation on God's Green Earth.
Friends. But who isn't thankful for their friends?
Enemies. They help me keep life in perspective.
Wood stoves, despite all the work.
Dogs. At least they keep the coyotes away.
Church. My church is the very BEST church in the WORLD.
My pastor. He always has the right sermon at the right time.
The new Foundations class. It's like our House for my Name class with no pressure.
Little kids. I just love 'em. They remind me that I used to be like that. Can't wait to have my own.
Messes. The feeling of satisfaction I get after I've cleaned them up.
Capitalism. And all those people who live to produce the things that I can't or won't produce for myself.
Problems. If we didn't have them, there would be no need for solutions.
Books. There are few things better than a comfy chair by the fire with a hot drink in one hand and a good book in the other.
Music. I honestly could not survive without music.
My senses. I know I don't always take full advantage of them, but I sure am glad they're there when I need them.
Indoor plumbing. And I thought the kings and queens of old lived in luxury.
Learning. As Mark Twain said, "I never let schooling interfere with my learning."
Sledding. Saucer trains are the best.
Opportunities. Too bad I don't take advantage of all the ones that come my way.
Food. Most all real food is good.
Freedom, and our fathers who fought for it.
This is just a start...
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Story
Kyle said he was trying to decide the level of violence we could handle. We said, "Oh, lots of violence! And suspense and action and adventure of course. Oh and romance..."
So he launched into a story of three friends named Dan, Melinda and Steve, in a small plane headed for a vacation somewhere in the south pacific (I think), when the gages (sp?) of the plane went out. And it was night. And foggy. So they couldn't see anything, until it was too late. Plane crashed on a sandy beach, tearing off wings on its way and erupting into a ball of fire. Luckily, the three were alive. They climbed out of the wreck and in a daze wandered around looking for something to build a fire because they were cold. Which was weird. During the rest of the night, they heard strange sniffing and scratching noises that kept them all wide awake. In the morning, they found large paw prints around the perimeter of the light cast by the fire. The picked up pieces of the plane and moved the fire closer to the plane. Melinda went to pick up a wing that was partially in the thick jungle at the edge of the beach. As she grabbed hold of it to pull it out, it pulled back. She tried again, and it pulled back again. And then it jerked out of her hands and was swept away into the jungle. She ran back screaming to the guys and told them that the wing was gone. Creepy.
They were hungry so the decided to go wading in the shallows to look for clams and such. The were fishing around in about knee-deep slightly murky water, when Steve said, "Something touched me!" They wondered what it was, but kept looking around. Then he said, "Something touched me again." They were starting to get a little nervous when Melinda said, "Something touched me too!" They didn't stay long after that, but splashed to shore quickly. When the got back to the plane, Steve glanced down at his leg, because he felt pain and saw that what felt like a burn was quickly becoming a gaping wound. They quickly ripped his shirt into strips and bound up his wound. Here Kyle suggested, "I might add that Melinda was holding holding Steve's hand the whole time." We all erupted in sighs of contentment.
They eventually decided that they really needed food and despite the dangers of both the sea and the jungle, they decided they would go into the jungle rather than get attacked by acid eels or something. So Dan and Melinda started off into the jungle armed with spears from young saplings they had stripped. Steve waited in the plane with his spear. After a while he looked up into the gloom because of the fog, and saw two red eyes staring at him...
So he launched into a story of three friends named Dan, Melinda and Steve, in a small plane headed for a vacation somewhere in the south pacific (I think), when the gages (sp?) of the plane went out. And it was night. And foggy. So they couldn't see anything, until it was too late. Plane crashed on a sandy beach, tearing off wings on its way and erupting into a ball of fire. Luckily, the three were alive. They climbed out of the wreck and in a daze wandered around looking for something to build a fire because they were cold. Which was weird. During the rest of the night, they heard strange sniffing and scratching noises that kept them all wide awake. In the morning, they found large paw prints around the perimeter of the light cast by the fire. The picked up pieces of the plane and moved the fire closer to the plane. Melinda went to pick up a wing that was partially in the thick jungle at the edge of the beach. As she grabbed hold of it to pull it out, it pulled back. She tried again, and it pulled back again. And then it jerked out of her hands and was swept away into the jungle. She ran back screaming to the guys and told them that the wing was gone. Creepy.
They were hungry so the decided to go wading in the shallows to look for clams and such. The were fishing around in about knee-deep slightly murky water, when Steve said, "Something touched me!" They wondered what it was, but kept looking around. Then he said, "Something touched me again." They were starting to get a little nervous when Melinda said, "Something touched me too!" They didn't stay long after that, but splashed to shore quickly. When the got back to the plane, Steve glanced down at his leg, because he felt pain and saw that what felt like a burn was quickly becoming a gaping wound. They quickly ripped his shirt into strips and bound up his wound. Here Kyle suggested, "I might add that Melinda was holding holding Steve's hand the whole time." We all erupted in sighs of contentment.
They eventually decided that they really needed food and despite the dangers of both the sea and the jungle, they decided they would go into the jungle rather than get attacked by acid eels or something. So Dan and Melinda started off into the jungle armed with spears from young saplings they had stripped. Steve waited in the plane with his spear. After a while he looked up into the gloom because of the fog, and saw two red eyes staring at him...
Trinity Teens
Last night was the first Trinity Teens gathering of the school year. We went to the Hawes in Quincy and had a blast. Sukey and I went with the Eiferts and sang our lungs out the whole way to I'm Yours, Sink or Swim, Baby (Bettye's request), Hey Soul Sister, Waka waka, Wine Red, The Lions Roar, etc. Some of my favorites. :D
We started off a little late because Gretha was having credit card issues, but the Bargers waited for us. Dad, Samuel, Thomas and Levi went in our car with Samuel driving...wonder how that went?
When we got there, we found a pile of kittens at the door! We all "ooed" and "aaed" (sp?) appropriately and picked them up. I haven't held a kitten in a long time, so I was surprised at how small and soft and warm they were...:)
We greeted the host's and headed out to the back yard and the bonfire. There we sat on bales of hay around the fire and sang psalms and listened to Mr. Hawes talk on contentment. There were three men, each with a different trial, all of whom thought that their neighbor's trial would be easier for them to bear, so the all switched. Within 24 hours, the were all back to their own trials. Everyone is equipped with the patience they need for their own trials. No wonder we have our trials instead of someone else's.
After the lesson, we had S'mores. I had burnt marshmallows though, because I don't like S'mores, and I couldn't brown it nicely this time. :(
We tried to play capture the flag, but I got tagged and sent to jail, so I went up in the tree house (which was right next to the jail) and hung out. Then Gretha came by and I called her up, and we had a very good heart-to-heart talk. The kind that are best had in the semi-darkness of night in a tree house.
Then we were interrupted and kicked out of the tree house by the general public and scurried over to the fire to mumble about our misfortunes to Kyle who was sitting there with the dogs. After a while we voted for him to tell us a scary story. As he sat staring into the fire, we audibly wondered what the story would be.
We started off a little late because Gretha was having credit card issues, but the Bargers waited for us. Dad, Samuel, Thomas and Levi went in our car with Samuel driving...wonder how that went?
When we got there, we found a pile of kittens at the door! We all "ooed" and "aaed" (sp?) appropriately and picked them up. I haven't held a kitten in a long time, so I was surprised at how small and soft and warm they were...:)
We greeted the host's and headed out to the back yard and the bonfire. There we sat on bales of hay around the fire and sang psalms and listened to Mr. Hawes talk on contentment. There were three men, each with a different trial, all of whom thought that their neighbor's trial would be easier for them to bear, so the all switched. Within 24 hours, the were all back to their own trials. Everyone is equipped with the patience they need for their own trials. No wonder we have our trials instead of someone else's.
After the lesson, we had S'mores. I had burnt marshmallows though, because I don't like S'mores, and I couldn't brown it nicely this time. :(
We tried to play capture the flag, but I got tagged and sent to jail, so I went up in the tree house (which was right next to the jail) and hung out. Then Gretha came by and I called her up, and we had a very good heart-to-heart talk. The kind that are best had in the semi-darkness of night in a tree house.
Then we were interrupted and kicked out of the tree house by the general public and scurried over to the fire to mumble about our misfortunes to Kyle who was sitting there with the dogs. After a while we voted for him to tell us a scary story. As he sat staring into the fire, we audibly wondered what the story would be.
Monday, November 1, 2010
A New Day
Yesterday was Refomation Day/All Saints Day/All Hallows Eve! Woke up bright and early (5:45am is EARLY), to get ready and get everything together because we (choir peoples) had to be at the church at 7:05am to set up and rehearse and robe for the Service at 8:00am. I tell you, I voted for the 11:00am service time! But no, everyone preferred to get up in the dark ('cause it's closing in on winter) and go to church in the fog (because that's what it does in the winter) and arrive in the cold! Anyways, even though we got up early and ready shortly after, we were STILL Tardy (that was our Third tardy this term...) but since I'm the Attendance Keeper, I'm the only one who knows that...I'll confess sometime (I'll tell you tomorrow, Melanie!). But everything went really well. Melanie did FABULOUSLY, and we did pretty good too. I was sweltering in my robe. Usually I'm really hot, but this time I was really, really hot. Like, sweltering! (pretty good word, huh?)
I actually studied for a while before the Feast! Rewrote a couple pages of econ notes. :D And I did my laundry...and then I decided at the last minute to go dressed up as a Wandering Minstrel...I had my clunker boots, leggins, a tunic, a cloak, and my (very necessary for a minstrel of any kind) instrument. A Ukulele. Missing two strings. Doesn't stay in tune. Didn't have if half the time because all the kids "wanted a turn." I prolly embarassed my whole family with my strummings. But it was fun! Yes, it was fun. Then we went to the Hall's house and watched a Martin Luther film (not a documentary!) and decided I wanted to learn the 95 Theses so I printed them all out and going to hang them up in the bathroom...
On Saturday, Becky and I went to the Library to study. I worked on econ with another econ student. And then Melanie called to invite us to dinner since we were parentless that evening. Of course we said we would come because we think the Halls are nice. Turns out the parents did end up getting home around then, so they came to dinner too. We ate food! And then we had dessert! But I don't want to talk about dessert, because dessert is associated with an awkward moment on my part...:( But then we went outside and ran around and played Hide-and-Seek...unsuccessfully.
Wednesday and Thursday were really bad days because I got really bad test results back. And I had to decide if I was going to keep going like this and almost certainly fail one or both of the classes I was struggling in, or drop one, or the other on, by Friday because Friday was the last day to drop a class.
And then on Friday I decided to drop a class, and was very traumatized, because it was the first time I ever had to do that. But after I dropped it, I was soooo relieved! :D
I am writing very spontaneously and out of order...But if you read this listening to music it can be better. It sounds better when I'm listening to music...listening to L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole right now..:D
I actually studied for a while before the Feast! Rewrote a couple pages of econ notes. :D And I did my laundry...and then I decided at the last minute to go dressed up as a Wandering Minstrel...I had my clunker boots, leggins, a tunic, a cloak, and my (very necessary for a minstrel of any kind) instrument. A Ukulele. Missing two strings. Doesn't stay in tune. Didn't have if half the time because all the kids "wanted a turn." I prolly embarassed my whole family with my strummings. But it was fun! Yes, it was fun. Then we went to the Hall's house and watched a Martin Luther film (not a documentary!) and decided I wanted to learn the 95 Theses so I printed them all out and going to hang them up in the bathroom...
On Saturday, Becky and I went to the Library to study. I worked on econ with another econ student. And then Melanie called to invite us to dinner since we were parentless that evening. Of course we said we would come because we think the Halls are nice. Turns out the parents did end up getting home around then, so they came to dinner too. We ate food! And then we had dessert! But I don't want to talk about dessert, because dessert is associated with an awkward moment on my part...:( But then we went outside and ran around and played Hide-and-Seek...unsuccessfully.
Wednesday and Thursday were really bad days because I got really bad test results back. And I had to decide if I was going to keep going like this and almost certainly fail one or both of the classes I was struggling in, or drop one, or the other on, by Friday because Friday was the last day to drop a class.
And then on Friday I decided to drop a class, and was very traumatized, because it was the first time I ever had to do that. But after I dropped it, I was soooo relieved! :D
I am writing very spontaneously and out of order...But if you read this listening to music it can be better. It sounds better when I'm listening to music...listening to L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole right now..:D
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