The bLog in Your Own Eye

It's That Time of Year Again!

2011-09-06T16:56:00.000-04:00

I came home from class today and saw a Monarch butterfly meandering about. Guess what I found?

Yep! Caterpillars! But have no fear. I won't be writing another series about them this year. I might share a few pictures I take though! Pictures are always fun.

That also means that my Mom has a new batch of Biology students this year who might be reading this, so, HI EVERYONE. I am the unofficial photographer for this class, so any pictures that you aren't required to look at will most likely appear on this blog. Not that she ever requires you to look at pictures... this is just if you have the desire to see a little more than what she shows in class because I usually take more pictures and video than she has time for. Plus, who doesn't like looking at pictures?

With that said, have a wonderful year taking Biology with Dr. Owens. She's the best science teacher EVER. Psh, me? Biased? Hahaha... you're funny...

abby

P.S. Hey Marine Biology students! I didn't forget you. I'll probably share interesting items for that class too! Including the dissection of a horseshoe crab! Except I didn't really dissect it because they're not easy to dissect. I found it on the beach (it was dead!) and brought it home to take pictures because I'm ~~weird~~ awesome like that.

The Life of a Monarch, Part 10

2010-12-23T12:16:00.004-05:00

{continued from part nine}

*UPDATED*

It seems fitting that Part 10 be the last of the series. :)

In Part 9, I left off saying that we had three caterpillars in their chrysalises, and still lots of caterpillars outside. Since then, the weather here got cold, and it started dropping below freezing at night. My Mom and I brought the caterpillars into the garage, where it's warmer, and they stayed there for a few weeks. Tuesday of this week, we took them all up to a park that has a butterfly house because we knew we couldn't keep them in our garage forever. The butterfly house was warm and humid, with lots of milkweed for them to eat. The butterfly keeper was very kind to let us bring them there, and we're hoping to go visit them soon. ;)

As for our three chrysalises, one of them started to get some black splotches on it. I don't think that one will ever open up. We're not sure what happened- but we are sad to see it.

*UPDATE* That chrysalis surprised us all and did become a butterfly! We were all very excited about it. :) We took him to the same place we took his buddies, and they seem to be enjoying life at the butterfly house. :)

As for the other two, (turned "green" Nov. 18) they both emerged yesterday! I was very excited. :) We had started to wonder if they would ever emerge, because the usual amount of time for them is two weeks. Obviously, it was more like five weeks, so they must have something that tells them it's too cold out to emerge. :)

We decided that instead of releasing them into the wild (knowing that there will be lots of cool weather and not many flowers), we will take them up to the same park where we took the caterpillars. I'm sure they will live a happy life there, and they will be great for little kids to see when they walk in there. :)

Enough talk- now for some pictures.

The chrysalis starts to thin out, and you can see the butterfly's wings

This is my favorite picture of a chrysalis. :)

Now it's very thin, the butterfly is almost ready to emerge.

He's out!

When they first emerge, their wings are all crinkled up from being packed in there so long.

They start to pump fluid into the wings.

And now they're a perfect set of wings! ;)

I'd love to hear what you all have to think about the Monarch life cycle! I hope you've enjoyed reading about it!

abby

The Life of a Monarch, Part 9

2010-11-29T15:21:00.003-05:00

{continued from part eight}

I honestly never thought my series would still be going now, but I was wrong! :)

isn't it amazing how tiny they are? :)

I left off with Tallulah and Jay Jr. having already formed their chrysalises (Nov. 18). The next day, Pete Norris formed his. So all three of our oldest caterpillars have gone "green".

starting to see some veins (part of the wing)

There is no denying that these chrysalises are beautiful. The gold spots, the lovely shade of green, don't you love it? :)

I also happened to check up on the milkweed plant a week or so ago, to see if any of the other eggs had hatched. I was thinking they probably froze during the night, since it's been a little chilly here. Yet again, I was wrong! The eggs had hatched, and I think even more have been laid since. I counted twenty-four caterpillars on the plant today. I had no idea that there would still be caterpillars around near the end of November! But it makes for a good blog series, right? ;)

So what exactly is going on in the chrysalis? Well, I'm not really sure. But I do know the Monarch is going from a long, fat, squishy caterpillar, into a magnificent, bold, colorful butterfly. That, folks, is honest-to-goodness proof of a Creator. No question about it. You can not look at this life cycle, or any life cycle, and not see a Creator behind it. Can I hear an Amen?

I love posting my own pictures of the Monarch life cycle, and all of the pictures posted so far were taken my me. I'd like to point you to this website, because they have more pictures of how exactly the Monarch goes into it's chrysalis- a very fascinating thing to see. :)

I'll try to keep you updated on the "green" caterpillars, as well as they younger ones. ;)

abby

{continue to part ten}

The Life of a Monarch, Part 8

2010-11-18T04:53:00.005-05:00

{continued from part seven}
{To catch up on the rest of the series, here is part one}

Yesterday I posted about how two of the caterpillars had already hung themselves in a "J" shape (in preparation for their chrysalis). Later yesterday, after I posted, the first caterpillar molted, and formed his/her chrysalis. Sadly, I wasn't there to get pictures or video since I was in a class. :) But here are some of the pictures I did get.

I thought it was neat that when the chrysalis had just formed, it was very wrinkly, but it smoothed out so fast. :) Now that these two caterpillars are "packed away" for a few weeks, I will try to keep you posted on caterpillar number three (I think his name is Pete Norris, right Section D?). ;) I think Section A named theirs Tallulah, and Section B named theirs Jay Junior. So let's just say that Tallulah and Jay Junior have already made their chrysalises. We're still waiting on Pete Norris. :P

abby

{continue to part nine}

The Life of a Monarch, Part 7

2010-11-17T09:38:00.003-05:00

{continued from part six}

If you look back to Part 6 of my little series, you will see all the caterpillars that used to live on our plant. Since then, the caterpillars disappeared, and hopefully walked away to form their chrysalises. The milkweed plant we had, was eaten right down to the stem, because we had so many caterpillars. But the foliage has grown back, and despite the cooler weather, more eggs have been laid.

At the moment, we have three caterpillars who are alive and well. I'm sorry to say that the cold weather might have frozen the other eggs, because none of them have hatched yet. But we do have three, who have had the plant all to themselves, and have grown very quickly. :)

We put the caterpillars in a little "house" with some milkweed so we could bring them indoors on the cold nights. Two of our caterpillars have already climbed up to the ceiling of their container, where they hang in a "J" shape. After they stay in a "J" position for a while, they molt their skin for the last time, then they start forming a chrysalis around them. It's a very neat thing to watch, so I will try to get pictures and video. :)

So things seemed to work out just right; I can continue my telling of the monarch life cycle, even if it is with a new set of caterpillars. ;) The two of ours are still hanging "J", and the third is happily eating his way to being a butterfly. Lord-willing, I will post some more pictures soon!

abby

{continue to part eight}

25 Secrets

2010-11-14T16:48:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted here in...quite a while. Oh well. I've been posting on my other blog hoping my dad or sister would help out a little with this one, since it's technically a "family blog". Oh well. Maybe I'm just too technical.

But, Miss Emilyann tagged me to list 25 Secrets, or as she said, "25 Things About Yourself That Very Few People Know, and Very Few People Care About." But, I decided I would post it on my personal blog. So you may go here to read it. :)

I might try to post about the caterpillars soon, since we recently discovered more (even as the weather is getting chilly). So if I don't get around to it this week, I might get to it over Thanksgiving Break. ;)

Happy Sunday!

Abby

Doxology

2010-10-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Moving out.

2010-10-05T21:13:00.000-04:00

Well. Not really. I've actually, finally started my own blog. Exciting, right? I'll still be posting here occasionally, but since this blog is technically for my family, I'm going to keep most of my posts on this blog. So, hop along over there and check it out! :)

AO

It's Me Again!

2010-09-28T18:03:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know it's been a while. And for those of you from my mom's science class, sorry, but I can't blog about caterpillars ALL the time. So this will be a non-caterpillar post. I'll try to do that one later. :)

I've been doing soooo much school, but I'm glad some of it is fun. I love all my classes this year, and of course my teachers are great. :) I only do some of my school online, so I've still got things to do outside of my classes, but I think I'll be ok.

I'm also playing on a volleyball team with my Dad this season, but it's through a church league, so it's not hard core competition. And I've found through playing that I really am not a competitive person. Oh well. :) It's fun and it's great exercise.

So. To catch you up on the doings of the Owens family, two Saturdays ago was the first "Family Fun Day" of my Dad's engineering company. He is one of five principals, and the company is coming up on their 2-year anniversary! It's very exciting because God has blessed them tremendously in the past two years, being a start-up business in this economy. So that Saturday was a blast! The company's office is on an old navy base about 5 minutes from our house, and it is a beautiful area. If you ever come to Charleston, you need to see it. :) Here are some pictures:

You're probably wondering what that's supposed to be. Well, I'm honestly not sure, but it was a little white, seemingly fluffy bug that was flying (or floating) through the air and landed on my Dad's glasses. I thought it was cool so I took a picture. :)

At this "Family Fun Day" we had some of our neighbors from our street come, since the company actually worked out of our old house (right down the street from where we are now) for a few months, so we wanted to thank them. Most of our neighbors are older, but the Saturday showed me that older doesn't mean not funny anymore. ;) Old people are cool. That's all there is to it. :) I walked around the park near the office with one of our older neighbors who grew up around here, and I'm positive he enjoyed it very much. :) It's sad how many people my age don't respect older people. So, if you're reading this, go out and visit with an old person. They were once your age too. ;)

So that's it from that Saturday. But, this recent Saturday, I completed my drivers ed course! I'm super excited. :) And if you could pray for my sister who had a blister-like thing lanced on Saturday as well. They think it was a bug bite that got infected, but it had been bothering her for a while, so if you could just pray it will heal up and not be very painful. :)

AO

The Life of a Monarch, Part 6

2010-09-17T16:33:00.004-04:00

{continued from part five}

The caterpillars are doing fine, but we're discovering that wasps eat, or at least kill the caterpillars, which is sad. But that is probably why there were so many eggs laid. We still have a fair amount of caterpillars (including Tallulah) that are still happily eating their way to becoming butterflies. :)

This here is an assassin bug, and there are quite a few on our plant. From what I know (which isn't much) they eat flies, and other bugs of the same sort. I just thought I'd throw this picture in with the others so you'd see something other than Monarch caterpillars for once. ;)

AO

{continue to part seven}

The Life of a Monarch, Part 5

2010-09-12T20:10:00.006-04:00

{continued from part four}

Well, the caterpillars have still been eating, but while Tallulah and her friends are eating, there are still more eggs being laid. Not as many eggs as earlier, but I've counted at least three more.

The little yellow things are called aphids. Aphids are sap suckers. :)

Also, like in the last post, I got another video of Tallulah eating, but this video is a little longer. I love how they just keep on eating. they hardly ever stop until they're done with the leaf.

And here are more pictures of Tallulah and her friends. :)

I hope you've been enjoying your weekend!

AO

{continue to part six}

The Life of a Monarch, Part 4

2010-09-10T18:44:00.003-04:00

{continued from part three}

I know I haven't said much of what the caterpillars have been doing, but they truly haven't been doing anything but eating. One of these days we're thinking Tallulah will make a chrysalis, just because she's getting so big. So, here are some more pictures from yesterday and today. :)

And right after I posted this first part, I went outside and got a really short video of a caterpillar eating. It's so fascinating how they do it, so hopefully you'll like it. :)

AO

{continue to part five}

The Life of a Monarch, Part 3

2010-09-08T17:44:00.002-04:00

{continued from part two}

I haven't checked on the little caterpillars much in the past few days, but when I went out today, one is definitely getting large. Maybe a few more days until it stops eating and makes its chrysalis.

One of my Moms science classes named this one Tallulah.

Tallulah again. :)

Another little caterpillar, Tallulah in the background.

AO

{continue to part four}

The Life of a Monarch, Part 2

2010-09-04T13:13:00.002-04:00

{continued from part one}

I meant to post a yesterday and the day before, but time got away from me. This morning I did a thorough caterpillar count and came up with 109. Isn't that crazy? I hope there's enough foliage on the plants for all of them caterpillars. Of course that number is excluding eggs, which there are still quite a bunch of. So here are the most recent pictures.

This caterpillar actually just molted, and you can still see it's old skin :)

AO

{continue to part three}

The Life of a Monarch, Part 1

2010-08-31T12:36:00.005-04:00

Throughout my homeschooling experience, I've learned a great deal of things. My mother has a PhD in Microbiology, and is always eager to teach us about things in Creation. One thing I've been able to witness is the metamorphosis of a Monarch butterfly.Metamorphosis is the process where the caterpillar turns into the butterfly; an amazing change. In the past, we've grown milkweed plants (the only plant Monarch caterpillars eat, and the one adult Monarchs lay eggs on). We watch for the butterflies to come, then if we see one, we run out and check to see if there are any eggs.

Being it Monarch season here, we saw some Monarchs outside near the milkweed. We checked and sure enough, there are lots of little tiny white dots on the leaves. Since I love taking pictures of things like this, I decided I'd document the life stages of a Monarch (mostly for fun, though my Mom appreciates my pictures for her class). :) I will try to post pictures and a little bit about the pictures so you can understand this amazing process God has made. All of the pictures I post are taken by me unless I say otherwise.

The Monarch egg is very tiny. The egg is laid on the underside of the leaf, so it is kept safe from rain and sun.

After a few days, the caterpillar will hatch from it's egg and eat the shell. It's still really tiny.

In that picture, you can see the egg shell the caterpillar just hatched from, and then there is the caterpillar. The other thing there is another egg that hasn't hatched yet. Once the caterpillar hatches and eats its shell, he or she will find a nice leaf to start eating, and from then on, it's all eating till they form a chrysalis.

I'll keep you posted as the caterpillar gets bigger! :)

AO

{continue to part two}

Oops, wrong pedal...

2010-08-24T20:11:00.000-04:00

My Mom really doesn't like hearing that when I'm driving. :P I have my permit now, and I took a drivers ed class, and now only have a few more drivers ed sessions to do until I'm done! It's all very exciting, but a little scary.

School is back! I've been trying to get back into the groove of doing school, so that when my online classes start, I'll be able to handle them along with my other stuff. I'm super dooper excited about an art class I'm doing online. The teacher is really really really good. And my friends who've had his class say he's the bomb. :D So I'm really looking forward to that. :) I'm also doing Spanish 2 with the best Spanish teacher in the world. :) Then I'm taking Rhetoric 1, which gets my stomach churning a little; I've never been to great at thinking things out in a way that makes sense to others, but maybe my teacher will cure me of that. ;) And then there's Omnibus. With the greatest teacher ever. It will be awesome.

So with school and driving, lots of things have been changing! It is so hard for me to believe that I (Lord-willing) will be in college in three years. I don't know where I want to go, or what I want to study. And even though three years seems like a long time, it will fly fast for me. The few colleges I've been thinking about are New Saint Andrews, Hillsdale College, and Patrick Henry College. I need to expand my horizon, because I'm sure there are a lot more respectable colleges out there. But seeing as I don't know what I want to do, it makes a decision hard. I truly have so many interests I don't think I could pick one to major in! The major that's been on my mind lately is architecture... but I don't know if I really want to do that. :)

Talking about colleges brings up the subject of whether or not girls should go to college. Some families (homeschoolers usually, but not always) say boys should go to college in order to have a way to provide for their families. I agree with that. But then they say girls really don't need to go to college, because they'll probably get married before the time comes and not need to worry about an education. I think that it is important for girls to go to college (and not for the purpose of finding a husband). When a girl gets married and has a family, the husband should be the one providing for the family. But there is no guarantee that something won't happen, prohibiting your husband from working. What would you do? It's hard to depend on others for help in a situation like that, but if you had a college degree, and were able to get a reasonable job to provide, that's a good thing. I do not think that moms should work if dad has a decent job that supports the family though. Mom should be home, where her main duties lie. Hopefully that makes sense. :)

Anywho, it's getting late, and I need to be up earlier tomorrow than I have been the past few days. :)

AO

Short Trip to the Mountains

2010-08-20T11:38:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday my Mother, sisters and I left for the lovely mountains on NC to visit my aunt and cousin. My aunt has a farm up there where she keeps her horses, and has over 200 acres of grass, trees and trails. I got to go on the most exciting trail ride ever while I was there. My aunt has a hired helper to take care of the horses when she leaves, and this helper is an endurance rider. That means, she rides her horse in races 50 miles long, and she even did one 100 miles long. It's amazing. I don't know how she does it. But she offered to take me on a trail ride while I was up there, and it was really fun. I rode one of her two horses, Nacho, and he's a very sweet horse. He is an Arabian- bred for endurance and speed. Most of the time we walked or trotted on the trail, but her horses kept wanting to canter. And once, on a very steep hill going up, the horses started going really really really fast and the horse in front of me was kicking up clay (so I had clay on my face when I got back) and she yelled to me to grab hold of the mane while we were going so fast so I did. I could hardly see anything because I closed my eyes so they clay wouldn't get in them, so I really had to trust the horse to not let me fall. :) When we finally got to the top of the hill, she said we had just galloped. So of course I was super excited that I galloped; I'd never done it before. That is definitely the highlight of my trip. The rest of the time we were just walking around, eating, or just talking with family. :) It was such a fun trip!

her beautiful driveway

the buds

the bloom

a little mushroom. i like mushrooms lol

an old graveyard on her property. a little creepy, but i think it's cool. :P

our dog Maggie slept in my room, and one morning she couldn't stop looking at the cat

a bit of her property

my aunts horse Crystal

my cousins horse Bugsy

my aunts helpers horses, Nacho on the left, Shadowfax on the right

Some of the pictures aren't that great of quality, but at least you know what it's about. :P I'd love to hear if y'all have any favorite pics or anything... :)

Crazy kinda lovin'

2010-08-14T18:26:00.000-04:00

I like country music. And if you listen to country music even just a tiny little bit, you would know that 98.5% of the songs are about love. Most of the songs are either woes, or happy songs. One day, I heard a song on the radio and was very excited to hear a song I might actually pay 99 cents for on iTunes. So I bought it, and still when I hear it on the radio or my iPod, I love it. I turn it up. It tells the story of how love works. You do not sit around waiting for it, you do it; you love. The song is called Love Like Crazy by Lee Brice (who happens to be a SC native). {if you haven't noticed, all good country singers are from SC} =P I'll put the lyrics here in the post, but I highly encourage you to go listen to it before reading through it because the song is so much more inspiring than the words themselves.

Love Like Crazy - Lee Brice

They called him crazy when they started out
Said seventeen's too young to know what loves about
They've been together fifty-eight years now
That’s crazy

He brought home sixty-seven bucks a week
He bought a little 2 bedroom house on Maple Street
Where she blessed him with six more mouths to feed
Yeah that’s crazy

Just ask him how he did it; he'll say pull up a seat
It'll only take a minute, to tell you everything
Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I love you
Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy

They called him crazy when he quit his job
Said them home computers, boy they'll never take off
He sold his one man shop to Microsoft
They paid like crazy

Just ask him how he made it
He'll tell you faith and sweat
And the heart of a faithful woman,
Who never let him forget

Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I love you
Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin knees get lazy
And love like crazy

Always treat your woman like a lady
Never get too old to call her baby
Never let your prayin knees get lazy
And love like crazy

They called him crazy when they started out
They've been together fifty-eight years now

Ain't that crazy?

I hope you like the song as much as I do. And if you do, go buy it. It is definitely worth it. :)

AO

New Orleans, fireflies and froggies

2010-08-11T17:03:00.001-04:00

Ok Val, I might as well share my passion for princess movies (especially the Princess and the Frog). So yes Valentine, that movie is amazingly good. When we saw it in theaters, I wasn't expecting it to be really good, but it was, and it fits right in with all the other Disney classics, if it's not better.

It takes place in New Orleans 60 or so years ago... I'm not sure the actual time. :) The music is great too. I could watch this movie over and over again. The only part in it I wasn't too fond of it the voodoo, but at least they present it as a bad thing. :) And my favorite character in the whole, entire movie is the firefly Ray.

Yes. I ~~like~~ love The Princess and the Frog. :) You really should watch it. Or even better, come visit me and we could watch it together. =P

AO

A tag!

2010-08-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

Miss Valentine has tagged me! So... Originally it said to list 5 favorite authors and 5 favorite movies. Valentine did books instead of authors, but since I think i know of 5 authors I like, I'll do that. :)

Authors (not in any particular order):
P.G. Wodehouse
C.S. Lewis
N.D. Wilson
J.K. Rowling
Dr. Seuss :P
(yes, I do like authors without abbreviated names) :P

Movies (not in order):
The Princess and the Frog
Napoleon Dynamite
Singin' in the Rain
High Society
Ramona and Beezus

There you have it. I tag my sister Grayce, and anyone else who wants to do it. :)

AO

Strong Wrists

2010-08-09T12:16:00.000-04:00

Yes, that is an odd title. But I'm talking about piano playing, so it should make a little more sense. :) I might have mentioned that my aunt and uncle gave me piano music books for my birthday. One of them was an old Keith Green book. And, if you didn't know this, Keith Green is one of my favorite pianists ever. He was amazing; music, his testimony of faith. His story means a lot to me. He wrote most of the music he played, if not all of it, and the piano of those songs is simply amazing. If you want to listen to a song, 'Stained Glass' is a great one. Anyway, I've been trying to play the song "Soften your Heart" that's in my book, and boy does it make my wrists hurt! :) I need to do some more push ups to help my piano playing. ;) His songs are really fun to play, even though they are difficult. So. If you've never heard of Keith Green, go look him up. :)

AO

Why I love Picnik.com

2010-08-06T18:58:00.001-04:00

I've never thought myself a good photographer, or for that matter, an editor (of photos). But Picnik is amazing. This picture of fireworks on the 4th that I took, wasn't that great originally. But, with a few clicks on Picnik, I think it looks quite a bit nicer. I'm thinking about spending some dough to get Picnik Premium, but I might not.... :)

ah....summer. :)

2010-08-05T16:50:00.001-04:00

Pictures from Summer

2010-07-30T10:39:00.001-04:00

I know I haven't been keeping up with posting (much less posting pictures), so I though I'd share some with you.


a random picture i took...

a cicada my mom saw on a bench at the pool


an old station wagon, that i was thinking about buying...

an old gas can

a view from a window at my dads new office :)

Hello?

2010-07-27T18:54:00.000-04:00

Writing this, is a girl who got a job, and has not had any time whatsoever for blogging.

Dear Blog,

I apologize. I have been working quite a bit lately. Last Monday evening, my Father sent me an email saying that his engineering firm had some work for me to do. Instead of becoming happily excited, I started stressing out. But God helped me, and I was able to sleep that night. The next morning, I went to work. They had me answering the telephone, and printing out pictures for a book or index of some Machine Control Centers (MCCs). The MCCs are very big, so I've done lots of printing, but I've also been putting the pictures I have printed out into plastic sheet protectors, and binders. It isn't the most fun job in the world, but I am thankful I have one and am getting paid well for it. My Dad has been a wonderful encouragement to me. So these past few days, I have been working till 5 o'clock or so, then coming home absolutely very tired. The company though, is moving to a new, renovated historic building this week to be their office, and I am glad I get to help them move, and Lord-willing work a bit in the new office before school starts up again. It's all very exciting.

The people I work with, (I guess I could say my co-workers, it's just strange because they're all at least 10 years older than I am) are helpful, and friendly most of the time. :)

OK, the past two paragraphs were written yesterday, but seeing I've been so busy, I could not finish them till now. Nothing much has changed though, so I'll keep it as it is. I would ask for you to pray for me as I finish up my project and that it will be done to my bosses satisfaction, and also for the whole company as we move tomorrow and Thursday. Thank you so much! I will write when I have time, but I'm not sure when that will be.

Abigail

Blueberries

2010-07-13T19:08:00.007-04:00

This morning, I drove my family (yes, I'm driving now, a little scary, but fun) to a farm that had u-pick blueberries. We went in the morning, because down south, if you are out in mid-day, you will most definitely start sweating the moment you walk outside. It was not as hot as we were thinking, but still hot. Once we got there, we got our baskets and went to the trees/bushes that we hoped were untouched. We ended up picking about 3 and a half gallons of blueberries in under an hour. So now, we have the baskets on our counter, waiting for someone to clean the berries, eat them and enjoy them. My mother has hopes of giving some to friends, and making jam with them.

Independence Day

2010-07-05T12:26:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, the 4th of July, was America's Independence Day. To America, that means hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, soda and fireworks. To some Americans, it represents the day our nation broke off from England and became it's own country. We should thank God for our freedom, and America, but ask Him that America will become a godly nation.

Last night, we packed up my Dad's truck and headed over to the park to see the fireworks. In Charleston, we do fireworks over the water, so these were over the Cooper River. They do them on and island, but traffic gets so bad afterwords. So now we just go to the park to see some. :)

My camera, as I discovered last night, takes very nice pictures of fireworks, so I thought I'd share some with you.

Age with love

2010-07-03T10:10:00.007-04:00

While we were in Tennessee, at the campground we stayed at, there was a lodge. A 'lodge' as in, where you can hang out, chat, and do other things in a much bigger space than your cabin. In this lodge, there was a piano. Not just any piano; this piano has been loved so much, and you can see it.

We are loved. Can others see it?

I love old pianos, but when you come across one that has been this loved, you can't help but to stop and play it, knowing that it has made many a happy face in ages past.

AO

Waterfalls are fun

2010-06-28T17:53:00.002-04:00

Well, we got back from Tennessee yesterday evening and today we are just relaxing a bit. In Tennessee we filmed way too many OTRN videos. But we had quite a fun time, sliding down waterfalls, hiking, eating, sleeping and having a great time. :) There was a little waterfall at the place we were staying that you could slide down if you wanted, so obviously we did and it was really fun! One tip, wear shorts while sliding down, because it would really hurt without them. I wore shorts, but they got holes in them, so wear shorts you don't particularly like. We also hiked up Roan Mountain, and we got to this lookout point where (at this particular time) clouds were everywhere and you couldn't see anything in the valley. Plus the clouds were rushing up at a rapid speed, and it was very cold. It is rather interesting to be in a cloud. I enjoyed it though.

We also saw a bunch of rabbits (which I love). You're probably thinking why I like rabbits, but we don't have them here! It is quite sad, so I like seeing them (along with groundhogs and chipmunks) up North. Sadly, I didn't get to see any bears, but that was probably for the best. ;)

We had a wonderful time there visiting with family and enjoying the lovely weather, but I am glad to be back. :) I might try and post pictures soon if I get the chance. :)

Here is a quote for you to think about too.
"We Americans are the best informed people on earth as to the events of the last twenty-four hours; we are the not the best informed as the events of the last sixty centuries."- Will Durant

AO

Whew.

2010-06-23T16:23:00.003-04:00

I know, I know. I've fallen way behind on my chronicling of the EOTYG, because we are going on yet another trip tomorrow! So, I will try to finish it all up in one post.

Saturday, my Mom and I got up early to go shopping in the Veritas Press warehouse. It is a treat to see so many wonderful books there stacked on shelves. I loved it. After that, we came back to the hotel for the Student Debate. The debated the topic of whether voting for one particular quality or not is a good thing. The students as usual did a great job, better than I could ever do! :) Well, maybe. I am taking Rhetoric next year... . :) Anyways, after that we(my family and I) went to a chocolate factory called Wilbur Chocolate Company. Oh boy. This company beats Hersheys any day. *in Mr.T voice, "I pity Hershey Chocolates"* This chocolate is magnificent! And I should know, I've practically been raised on chocolate (not really, but it is a loved food in our household). :P We bought so much chocolate, but it hardly lasted us the trip home. Then, we went to find lunch somewhere before the grueling field day. Just kidding, it wasn't that bad! I had to do some of the events twice though, because some adults in my group had knee injuries or something like that. I had to do the wheel-barrow race twice, and I can assure you I was feeling the pain from that for days after I was home. But I had a great time doing everything. :) After that, we went back to the hotel and went swimming, the everyone showered, the we went to the home of the family who started Veritas Press. Of course, their house wasn't big enough for people inside, so everyone was outdoors. But their yard is so big and green, it didn't really matter. :) We stayed here till after dark, and had a wonderful time.

Sunday, we got up, got dressed for church, packed our bags, loaded up the car and went to find breakfast. The church was nice, but it had no air conditioning, so the windows were open. Which means that it was rather tempting to fall asleep. After church, we went to the park for a farewell picnic, where everyone hugged, said goodbye, and repeated that about five hundred times. It was sad for it to be the last day, but it was definitely a great trip overall. After that, we visited with another family whose Dad was a teacher for a few hours, then started the 10-hour drive home.

Annddd, here we are, back in town, yet ready to go away again. Tomorrow we leave for a fun weekend with cousins in the mountains, where, Lord-willing we will be able to film a lot of that show everyone knows and loves, On the Run News. ;)

Till next time,
AO

Good Quotes

2010-06-15T12:51:00.000-04:00

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. (C. S. Lewis)

Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home. (C. S. Lewis)

Don't forget your goggles!

2010-06-15T10:41:00.007-04:00

It's summer time, it's scorching outside (at least here), and you want to cool off. You probably think, 'Hey, maybe I can go to the pool!', but then you start to wonder about it, because you lost your goggles last summer and don't want to go to Wal-Mart to buy another pair. I have an easy solution. If you own an old house (been occupied by other folk before you), go run upstairs and look in the attic. You just might have the privilege of owning a vintage pair of goggles! I have a lovely blue pair, that my stuffed animal Danny Dog was willing to model for you.

The house we bought a few months ago, happens to have quite a "collection" of old stuff, and I found these in a box of toys in the garage. Who knows how long the box was there or what has been in it... . I absolutely love coming across old things like this. At first, I thought these might've just been super-hero goggles or something, but then a few weeks ago my Dad gave me the idea they might be old swimming goggles! And, I just noticed this morning that they truly are.

Let me warn you though, I've tried on these goggles just for fun, and they certainly aren't the most comfortable pair ever. But if you're desperate... :) Who knows what you'll find in the attic (or garage).

AO

Pigs, music and friends

2010-06-14T10:12:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't posted in a few days, but you know, sometimes you've got better things to do. Anywho, here I am now, ready to tell you about Friday of our vacation.

The group we were with, Veritas Press Scholars Academy, had a talent show Friday morning. It being a home school talent show, most of the talent there was piano. Not that piano is bad, it's just common amongst home schools. There were also a few vocal performers, a guitarist (who was very good), a magic show and I think that was all (other than piano).

After that, (because my Mom is a teacher for them), my family went to the teacher luncheon in the park. It was lots of fun, we played with the other little kids because the teachers didn't bring their older kids. But it was still lots of fun. We walked around in the park a lot and saw the ducks. :) After this, we took two of a teachers kids back to the hotel with us so they and my sister could swim in the pool. That is pretty much how we spent the afternoon until the barn dance.

The barn dance was awesome. We did one last year as well, but this year was more fun for me since I had more friends there. :) When we first got there, we just walked around the farm, and I met this wonderful pig.

Isn't it just adorable? OK, well I thought it was, so you can keep your thoughts to yourself (such as, 'wow, she's crazy'). And I got to pet him (or it, you couldn't tell, his flab was in the way). ;) There were a lot of other animals to pet there as well. They had a little bush maze, a slide, and a mining place where you could pan for rocks. Inside the barn (where we had the dance) it was very tight. There were more people than last year (same barn) but the dance floor was smaller. So when I was dancing with my friend, he and I kept bumping into the little kids because there were so many! And with that dance, my friend and I were just about to be the head couple then the music stopped. It was rather sad, but we had fun. The dancing we did is called 'contra dancing', and it pretty much is country dancing (similar to square dancing, but more fun). There actually is a group near where I live that meets every other Friday night and dances for hours. I've done it a few times, but I've been too busy lately. So I only danced a few times at the barn dance, but it was fun. :)

That was pretty much it for Friday, but boy, it was a fun day. I'm starting to forget the little details now, being it a week ago this all happened, but I'll try to remember as much as I can. :)

Next time I write: Saturday was the student debate, field day and a fun outdoor dinner. PLUS, an awesome trip to a candy factory.

So, till then-

AO

New Design

2010-06-11T08:35:00.001-04:00

Blogger has made me happy by adding a new blog designer. So I changed this one around a bit, I like it better, but if you have any suggestions/comments, just let me know. :)

AO

Chocolate....

2010-06-10T16:42:00.002-04:00

I obviously did not post yesterday, simply because I had no inspiration for writing. Even though I can have a topic, sometimes I just have nothing to write about. But now, I feel like writing quite a bit, so here goes.

Wednesday was New York City. Thursday, we went to Hershey Park. I must admit- when I first heard we were going to Hershey Park, I had no idea that it wasn't a place where you could get as many free samples of chocolate as you wanted, hence I was a bit disappointed to hear that it was more of a theme park than anything else. They had quite a few roller coasters, a huge waterpark and some shows here and there. And if you've ever been to a fair, they had little food stands that sold things like funnel cakes, popcorn, etc. so it kinda felt like a fair to me. I am not a fan of roller coasters. In fact, I rather dislike them. There were a few coasters there that were made of wood, so I though since they were wood, they wood be a little more trustworthy. I did not look around at the roller coaster first though, before I did it. Anywho, my Mom wanted to do it, and no one else did, so I went with her on it. This particular coaster had two different groups of car things (or whatever you call it), they both went at the same time but on different tracks, so it was a race between the two. My mom and I were in "Lightning" and thankfully "Lightning" won. But the ride was absolutely horrendous. I thought the drops on it were not going to be that steep because it was wood, but was I ever more wrong in my life? I do not know. To me it felt like we went straight down, which to me, is not a good feeling in the least. On coasters, I don't mind the speed or turns, it's the drops that kill me. I say drop, when most people say downhill turn because you literally are dropping... . All this to say how much these rides truly test your faith, because I literally was praying the whole, entire time. (but look on the bright side, I didn't scream at all!)

They had some water rides as well, where you hop in a little boat thing, go down steep drops, and everything without being secured at all in the boat. Fun, right? I actually didn't mind the Coal Cracker, there was only one drop but it was not near as bad as the Lightning drop. And we didn't get very wet (which was good considering I just had normal clothes on, no swimsuit).

I did another roller coaster that I loved! But it was more of the kiddy-coaster kind of ride. Figures. But it went rather fast, and had hardly any drops. Wonderful ride, I could've done it a few times. One side note: while on this ride, my friend was wearing a baseball hat. Don't do that. It flew off during the ride and for the next few hours he was worrying about whether it fell on the tracks and de-railed the next ride. It probably didn't do that, but still, to save yourself from worrying, no hats. ;)

The most intense ride I did, you'll never guess, was walking. The people at Hershey Park wanted to make you walk around so much they put in curvy sidewalks everywhere instead of a straight through path. Plus, Hershey has more hills than here in the flat lands, which made it worse for me. But, I survived.

That concludes my exciting, dramatic adventure at Hershey Park. Oh wait! I did the Ferris Wheel as well. That is a must-do anywhere and everywhere. But other than that, I think that's all we did. If I had to pay to go to Hershey Park again, I probably wouldn't go, but if someone gave me free tickets, I'd go. It's just one of those places that is more exciting for some than others.

Tomorrow (or whenever): No big events, just a talent show, teacher luncheon, and a very enjoyable barn dance.

AO

WOW

2010-06-08T13:43:00.004-04:00

This past week was one of the most fun weeks of my entire life. I got to meet people I've known for at least two years, but never met face to face. I got to meet my teachers, and other people who have never been in any of my classes. Fun times... . We left last Tuesday, and the fun started Wednesday and went all the way till Sunday. We left Sunday afternoon and got back last night. Now is kind of a sad time, moment of silence almost, because we probably will not see our friends until next year. I am thankful for Skype though; it is a great way to keep in touch with those far-away friends. Another bit of sad news is that my Dad got a call from the boarding place our dogs were staying at, telling us our older dog Cami, had her tail cut in a door. This hit me hard, because I absolutely love my dogs. Cami's tail is one of those tails that is just skin and bone, so not much fat or anything to heal a wound. They said it was about a two-inch cut, but that they could also see some of her bone exposed, which is bad and could lead to an infection, which could lead to tail amputation. Right now, Cami is home with us, acting as normal as can be, but we are still praying her tail will heal well and quickly. So if you think about it, please pray for her, it would be very appreciated. :) I'm thankful though that the call from the vet was at the end of our trip, because if it were at the beginning, I would've been quite stressed and unable to have fun. God is good. :)

I'd love to tell you about my trip in one blog post, but I've already been talking to my friend via e-mail about it and my e-mails are much too long to put in one blog post. So I'll just highlight bits and pieces every now and again so it's easier for you to read, and fun for me to reminisce about.

The first day, Wednesday, we got up at 5:45am, to meet in the hotel lobby and board our buses, headed for the Big Apple. I've never been to New York City before, but it is a quite magnificent place. I would not want to live there for a lifetime, but I very much so would love to visit more. It is a very crazy city, from things you see, hear, taste, smell, feel; it overloads your senses. When we got there, we walked around a bit since we were too early for lunch, then we went to lunch at a place called Carmine's, which had yummy food, but served too much of it. After a while spent eating and talking, we walked over to the New Amsterdam Theatre, so that we could get in and find our seats to watch Mary Poppins. I have never seen a play as superb as this one. I truly loved the fact they had a live orchestra playing for them, and everything was real. The acting was outstanding, and the neat effects were quite entertaining. Movie actors need talent, but stage actors need everything. There is no stopping to re-film a scene. It is all live talent. God has given them such wonderful gifts, and they certainly are sharing them in a lovely way. The theatre itself was a wonder to behold. On this trip especially, I have found myself enjoying and desiring to learn more about architecture and design, so maybe I should start looking into that. Back to the show. The set was incredible. So much work goes into these plays. I am very thankful I was able to go to New York with my family this year. After the show, we hopped back into the bus and rode back to the hotel. We saw the Statue of Liberty from a distance, but not very clearly; and the Empire State building as well. It was such an enjoyable day. Here is one of my favorite pictures from NYC. It's just a sign I saw when we were on the bus, but it was rather hilarious, and I though I should share it with you. {apologies for it being cut off, but I was in a bus}

Tomorrow(or when I am able to post), I will write about our trip to Hershey Park! :)

AO

Updates/Ease on Down the Road

2010-05-30T19:39:00.004-04:00

WHOOHOO!!! My Exams are totally finished now, and I received a very nice grade on my Spanish exam (thanks Mrs. P!) I haven't gotten my grades for Logic or Omnibus. I would say I'm excited about school being out, but that would be lying, because I still have school to do over the summer. Not all of the subjects, but just a few that got neglected during the school year.

I plan on working for my Dad's business this summer doing administrative things and such. That will be a nice way to learn how things work at an office. :)

We're going on vacation this week! It's gonna be lots of fun. Especially because we get to go to New York City to eat in a restaurant and see a matinee show of Mary Poppins on Broadway. I am very very very excited. The only drawback is that we need to leave for NY at 6:30am. But I'm positive it will be worth it. We also get to go to Hershey Park. I am not a fan of roller coasters, or violent rides. I mean, if I scream on the kiddie roller coaster at the fair, I can't picture myself doing too great on full size coaster. ;) But I'm hoping I get to see some shows they have there as well. :) Plus they have a bunch of water parks and all there. :D I hope to get many a groovy picture while on this trip, and I might post some up here when we get back.

Also, later this month, we are going on a trip to the mountains to see family, and to have a gala for our TV show On the Run News. Now, if you have not looked at the site, or watched any videos, you are missing out. We started it as just a fun way to spend our time and remember it, and with the latest technology and such we have been able to post it on the internet. Fun, right? If you watch these videos and don't like them, that's because you don't understand the point of them. We have no point, other than to make each other laugh, and hopefully others. So please, go check it out and leave a comment!

I watched a movie last night. Guess what it was. It had the king of pop, Diana Ross, and a yellow brick road. I watched The Wiz. I must say though, I hate watching movies on TV because half of the show if commercials. The movie overall though was OK. It's the same old story, Dorothy get's taken to Munchkinland in a "snownado" (as my Dad calls it) and meets the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), the Tinman and the Lion. It has some parts that are kind of unnerving to me, but the old Wizard of Oz scared me too. The music is great, including my favorite, "Ease on Down the Road". Very well done dance numbers, et cetera. It wasn't the best movie ever, but it definitely wasn't the worst.

Well, I need to move on to other things now, and you probably won't see me till I'm back from our trip. So, adios, au revior, adieu, see you later. :)

AO

It's De-Lovely

2010-05-26T14:51:00.005-04:00

Well, I had a link up to a song I love, but after listening to it all the way through, the guy (who i've never heard of) added words to it that weren't in the original. Henceforth, the link will not be here any longer because he ruined the song by adding all that junk. Anywho, if you can find the old version (preferably the Donald O'Connor version) you should listen to it. :)

AO

Jousting, theft and exams

2010-05-16T14:04:00.002-04:00

A lot has happened since my last post. So here I am to give an update.

First, you're probably wondering about the title, and thinking we may have been robbed. Nope. I was referring to the lovely, must-see movie my family just saw. If you know me very well, you know that I love old movies. L-O-V-E them. They are the best. The movie we saw (released 1966) is titled How to Steal a Million, and it stars Audrey Hepburn (gorgeous lady) and Peter O'Toole. It is a romantic comedy and it's definitely worth your time. Even my Dad liked it (and that means a lot, because he usually doesn't like those kinds of movies). So, right now, go find it somewhere and watch it. You will love it.

My youngest sister did a reading program a few months ago and won a coupon thing for a chance to go to a dinner theater called Medieval Times. It was the awesomest thing EVER. It is this huge castle-like building, that has medieval things everywhere. The give you paper crowns when you walk in, and tell you which knight to cheer for at the tournament (in our case, it was the Red and Yellow Knight). So we had Dragon Soup (tomato soup), a Baby Dragon (a big hunk of chicken), Dragon toes (half a potato), Dragon fingers (spare ribs), Dragon tongue (bread slice). And then an apple turnover that didn't have a fancy name. The food was good; and I think it was the first time I'd actually eaten dragon. ;) The acting was awesome. Everything was very well done. So if there is a Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament anywhere near you, be sure to visit it sometime. The only thing that bothered me about it, was how commercialized it was. The main room where you wait to be seated had gift stands on every wall. It was quite an eyesore. But other than that, it was great.

Then I have exams. I could use lots of prayer on them! I only have three and that's good. So I might not be posting for a while due to exams, then a trip right after exams. But I might find time to post something.

AO

The Lost Art of...

2010-05-13T10:52:00.003-04:00

Cooking. I say it's a lost art because it is. I went on an economics field trip last week, and found out that less than half the food bought in the US is from grocers. People are going to restaurants more than buying and cooking their own food.

I live in the South (And yes, I'm proud of it). Southerners love food (I'm no exception). Way back then, when couples had 10 or more children, the mother would 1) need to know how to cook and 2) be able to cook enough (if not more) for everyone in her family. Now-a-days, these wonderful recipes have been passed down through moms and daughters, so that these foods will stay alive in our culture. The only thing is, with restaurants, most people don't bother to cook much anyways. What a shame this is, because I've had the food that has been passed down through generations, and boy, is it good. If a recipe can last a hundred years, do you think it's worth eating? You can decide that. Time is a great test.

For a few years, I could only cook cereal (with milk!) and Kraft mac and cheese. But, I am very thankful to say I can cook more now (e.g. peanut butter and jelly). Well, I might be exaggerating just a tiny bit, but I'm close enough. One thing I can make somewhat well is salsa. I'm not kidding. My family loves salsa (at least I do) so it doesn't last long. I also found a recipe from my Spanish teachers blog for Pico de Gallo, and I must say- it's great. Here is the recipe while your interested:

Pico de Gallo

4 red, firm and beautiful tomatoes -chopped-

1 small onion thinly chopped

4 tbsp chopped cilantro

salt

pepper

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

mix all together…and it is ready.

(taken from Daily On My Way to Heaven)

Anywho. Cooking truly is an art; I can tell even from the little (very minuscule amount) experience I've had. I am looking forward to a lifetime of learning how to make wonderful foods. And I encourage you, if you don't cook much, to break out of your comfort zone and try it out. It's fun. For those of you who do cook, keep at it. It will not go unappreciated.

AO

Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior

2010-05-12T14:04:00.005-04:00

Here is a little thing about the ranks in the title. (From my Mom's highschool band teacher)

Freshmen don't know, but they know that they don't know.

Sophomores don't know, but they think they know.

Juniors know, but don't know they know.

Seniors know, and they know that they know.

There is no purpose for those other than it's a nice thing to ponder.

AO

Cakes, Candles, and Presents, oh my!

2010-05-01T20:23:00.002-04:00

Well, my birthday happened to be yesterday. It was great. My family is awesome, I love them so much. I'm not just saying that because of all the wonderful presents they gave me, but because they're always there for me.

The gifts: 2 Harry Connick Jr. cds, a volleyball, Poptarts, socks, a belt, super cute owl earrings, a Michael Buble cd, toothpaste (it was a convenient time to run out...), a cute t-shirt, some palmetto tree earrings aaannnddd wonderful time spent with my family. :) There are probably other things to add to this list, and sadly I can't remember everything. But it was all great.

Thanks to all my friends who sent me a note, y'all are awesome. :)

Anyway, I had a wonderful Friday. Not quite sure if I'm ready for another week of school, much less exams that are in a few weeks. So much to do, so little time. I have standardized testing Monday and Tuesday which will be "fun" (not really, more of kinda irksome). So a busy few weeks are ahead.

AO

Bridge Over Troubled Water

2010-04-26T14:01:00.001-04:00

Such a lovely song, I hope you enjoy it.

10 Things I love...

2010-04-18T19:33:00.004-04:00

Lovely Miss Valentine tagged me to do this. :D If you want to do it, go ahead; I'm not in the tagging mood.

1. God, and his sending His son to die for my sins.

2. My Family. They are wonderful, I could not ask for better parents or siblings. :)

3. My friends who have been there forever...while others have faded away.

4. Being out of doors, hiking, photographing nature, experiencing the marvelous creation of God.

5. Listening to a good sermon.

6. Playing tennis with my Father. (and others, but it's awesomest with my Dad)

7. Music...listening to it, but especially when I can make it. :) (I'm working on "It's De-Lovely" by Cole Porter on the piano) =D

8. Old things; clothing, vinyls, cars, posters, typewriters, etc. Anything you could find in Grandma's house. ;)

9. Desserts...especially chocolate ones. :)

10. The Blue Angels. (Can you guess what I went to see today?) ;)

(Picture from here)

So anyway. Yeah, you might wonder about the Blue Angel thing. Well, I've always had this odd hidden passion for airplanes. I don't know why, or how it came to be, but I just love to watch them and I've wanted to learn to fly for quite a while now. We live near an airport and Air Force Base, so we get a lot of planes around here. In the past few days the Blue Angels have been practicing and performing. I couldn't go yesterday, but my family and I were able to go today. It. Was. AMAZING. I loved it. LOVED it. The planes are Boeing F/A-18 Hornets (for those of you who it could mean something too...). They can break the sound barrier. Does it get cooler than that? Nope. If they come anywhere near where you live, go watch them. That's a command. Not a suggestion. :-P

Happy Sunday, and rest of the week to you all.

AO

Musings

2010-04-14T14:53:00.006-04:00

I see this blog has not been updated in a while... My Father and Sister have abilities to post...but they don't for some reason. This isn't my blog. It is supposedly my family's blog. Father is busy- Sis is...I don't actually know why she doesn't post. But here is my post, for all it's worth.

I have nothing in particular to tell about so I will catch up on some things I haven't done in a while.

Learn your language:
The word: Friend
Definition: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

Synonyms: comrade, chum, buddy, pal

Friends. Everyone has a friend. If you think you don't, look to Jesus and read the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". Nowadays, friends are the people who send you virtual "friend" invites on one of the thousands of social networking sites. One of the reasons I do not have a Facebook is that it completely ruins your social skills to where you have difficulties associating properly with people. Another cause of these bad social skills is texting. I have no cell phone so it is not a problem for me currently. When I do get a phone, I will specifically ask my parents to keep strict rules for texting because it engulfs you without your knowledge. I know multiple people who have their phone with them 24/7. Even when they are with other friends, they still text in front of them. If you think about it, texting in public is like having someone talk to you but another friend walks up and you start talking to the new person while ignoring the other one. And unlike in person, people can be more prone to say things about other people, or things that should never be said even in person. If you text, are you aware of the surrounding world? As Ferris Bueller once wisely said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.".

Wow, that paragraph drifted off topic a bit. But it didn't really have a topic to begin with, did it?

AO

Why I love where I live

2010-04-04T18:45:00.006-04:00

So true...

2010-03-30T15:26:00.001-04:00

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln

Ooo....a tag

2010-03-29T08:36:00.002-04:00

Karis o'er at her nice little blog did a tag, and I decided to do it. Sooo here goes.

1. High heels or boots? Boots if they're cowgirl or rubber.

2. What time did you get up this morning? 8:00-ish

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Princess and the Frog (one of my favorite movies ever now) :D

4. What is your name? Abigail

5. What is your favorite TV show? um...Get Smart; Welcome Back, Kotter; The Andy Griffith show; and lots more of the like. :)

6. What do you usually have for breakfast? whatever is easy to fix and to eat while reading the newspaper(more like reading the comics) :P

7. What is your middle name? Leigh

8. What food do you dislike? anything that tastes horrid.

9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Oh, My Nola- Harry Connick Jr.

10. What characteristic do you despise? no idea. :)

11. Favorite clothing? anything comfortable....

12. Anywhere in the world on vacation? Europe anywhere, Mexico, Australia....

13. Are you an organized person? some might say that....i'd say i am somewhat...:)

14. Where would you retire to? retire? what's that? why retire so you can sit around all day doing nothing? idk, so i probably WILL NOT retire. :D

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? all of my birthdays are memorable. :D

16. What are you going to do when you finish this? go brush my teeth. :)

17. What is your Birthstone? Diamond (i had to ask my Mom about that one, haha)

18. Person you expect to publish this first? My sister.....:) i dunno

19. When is your birthday? April 30th

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night

21. What is your shoe size? 9-10....it varies. my foot is big. :)

22. Do you own any animals? YES, two awesome doggies. :D

23. Any news you'd like to share? other than I'm happy it's spring break? nope. :P

24. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Veterinarian

25. What is your favorite flower? Those little ones that grow in our neighbors yard. I put up a picture a few posts ago....so you can go look at them if you want. :)

26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Every day this week, but not next Monday. it will be a sad day.....classes start again. :( :)

27. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? sky blue

28. How is the weather right now? overcast....

29. Last person you spoke to on the phone? hm. probably one of my parents. i don't talk on the phone much

30. Favorite drink? Water

31. Favorite restaurant? Five Guys Burgers and Fries. =D

32. Hair color? brown

33. What was your favorite toy as a child? i didn't really have a favorite toy, unless the outdoors counts as a toy. :)

34. Summer or winter? i like both....

35. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate (who would pick vanilla?)

36. Coffee or tea? Tea

37. Wish you were still young? hahahahahaha.....not really. :P

38. Do you want your friends to publish this? If they want to

39. When was the last time you cried? i'm not sure....i don't keep track of it. :)

40. What is under your bed? Storage boxes and dust.

41 . What did you do last night? we watched Brigadoon. it is one of the BEST movies ever made. go watch it. :)

42. What are you afraid of? Cockroaches. even dead ones. they're evil little pests

43. Salty or sweet? both...:)

44. Best quality you have? i can laugh really hard and even if what i'm laughing at isn't funny(the usual case...) people still laugh just watching me. :)

45. How many years at your current job? only a few months....and it's not quite an official job. but i get paid for it. :D

46. Favorite day of the week? Sunday. especially when I have no homework and i can rest.

47. Last thing you smelled? my bagel? idk

48. What four people will you tag? whoever wants to do it. :)

Happy Spring Break everyone!!!

AO

Me gusta escribir en español

2010-03-22T19:39:00.003-04:00

Missions Weekend

2010-03-21T17:50:00.002-04:00

This weekend was Missions Weekend at my Church. It was awesome. We had two missionary families, one soon heading to Bulgaria, the other working in Sweden. We also were able to Skype with some missionaries in other countries who weren't in the states this year. That was a neat experience too. So on Friday night, we had a dinner at church and had the missionaries speak. I helped a little with child-care so I didn't get to hear everything they said, but what I heard was neat. It really does take a lot to be missionaries, and I admire them for all they do. On Saturday, we had a picnic lunch which was kinda fun-ish, we didn't really do that much but that's OK. Then this morning we had a Continental breakfast at Church then we Skyped with some other missionaries. The missionary from Sweden preached a marvelous sermon that I enjoyed a lot. The same man is married to a Swedish lady who is very nice as well. AND....they have ten kids. Yes, ten. They beat the Browns by two. ;) Plus, the Mom is pregnant again. So it was really cool meeting them. We had lunch with them afterwords too which was a bit crazy with all those kids, but still enjoyable. And we found out that family is coming back to Charleston to visit a different supporting church and we're hoping we can hook up with them again. :) Overall, a very fun weekend, but very busy as well. I don't think I'm ready to start another week yet....

AO

A blog award!!

2010-03-19T11:32:00.005-04:00

So I was given an "award" from a friend but I never gave it to any one else(at least I can't remember whether I did or not...). So today I am going to give it to two awesome people. But first, this is the award, the Million Dollar Friend Award-

I guess you can just take it and paste it into a sidebar item. That's for you to figure out. :)

Well- the first person I'm giving this too is Valentine!!! Val is so awesome and I'm so thankful I've been able to know her. So here ya go Val!! :)

For the second person, I really don't want to give her this one, because she really needs the Priceless Friend Award, but that's OK- I'm thankful for her anyways. So here it is for Grayce, my wonderful sister. :)

There you have it folks, have a happy weekend!

AO

No More Braces/ Is spring really almost here?

2010-03-16T12:15:00.007-04:00

I got my braces off yesterday which is totally awesome. My teeth feel slimy and the retainer feels odd but at least the braces are off. :)

And, (at least here in SC) temperatures are starting to warm up. Not completely though, but the flowers in bloom sure make you want to believe it's spring. Around here, we have a lot of camellia bushes, and when they bloom they are gorgeous. Plus, we live in a neighborhood of somewhat "elderly" folk and a lot of them like gardening and they like to mix flowers so there are beautiful tye dye looking flowers around here. We also get azaleas but they bloom later that camellias. There is also this unknown flower right on our property line which is probably now my favorite flower ever. So here are some pictures for you to enjoy (at least I hope you enjoy them).

The flowers above are my favorites. The on below is a white camellia.

The red flower is also a camellia.

Happy Spring!

AO

A song for you...

2010-03-06T20:56:00.007-05:00

The Beatles. Lots of people like them, lots of people don't. Me? I could go either way depending on the song. This one that I'll post the lyrics for is one of my favorites, because it has a story. It's not just random words jumbled together. So here it is folks, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da:

Desmond had a barrow in the market place,

G

Molly is the singer in a band.

G7 C

Desmond says to Molly, girl I like your face

G D7 G

and Molly says this as she takes him by the hand.

G

Ob-la- di, ob-la-da, life goes on

G D7 G

La la how the life goes on. (repeat)

G D7

Desmond takes a trolley to the jeweller's store,

G

buys a twenty carat golden ring.

G7 C

Takes it back to Molly, waiting at the door

G D7 G

and as he gives it to her she begins to sing.

chorus

NC C G

In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home

NC C

with a couple of kids running in the yard

G D7

of Desmond and Molly Jones.

G D7

Happy ever after in the market place,

G

Desmond lets the children lend a hand.

G7 C

Molly stays at home and does her pretty face

G D7 G

and in the evening she still sings it with the band.

chorus

OK, this little boy sings and plays the song for ya, so go check it out. :)

AO

PS, that one line that's messed up is supposed to say 'In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home', I'm too lazy to figure out what's the matter with it.

A giveaway!

2010-02-28T20:10:00.002-05:00

Ms. Karis over at her blog Winsome Composition, is having a giveaway, so be sure to go check it out. :)

AO

Well well well

2010-02-28T15:04:00.011-05:00

This weekend, my Mother and youngest sister have gone away to visit friends, and will be back tomorrow afternoon. They went somewhere in Texas(I'm not telling you where though=P), and they hopefully will bring me back an awesome cowgirl hat. They might bring back boots, but I doubt it because they're probably really expensive. Anywho. This weekend I reorganized my bookshelf in my room. Here's a picture, even though it's not very interesting.

So yeah. I'll point out some interesting things in my old things collection. First, you'll notice my record collection, (bottom shelf, left side), the two that you can see are the Goofy Greats album, and the hit TV show theme song record. Amongst the other records in my collection, I have two John Travolta albums, one Shaun Cassidy album, numerous Bobby Sherman albums, a few Evie albums, and a few random others. All of those are inherited from either my Mother, or my uncle.

Then you might see my $10 garage sale vintage Polaroid camera. I think it is awesome, but I haven't tried it yet to see if it works...

Then you'll see my Mother's old camera from when she was a girl. (sorry the pic is sideways)

I also have some old speaker thing in the shape of a cassette (remember those things?) They were my Fathers but not anymore. :P

Next, my wonderful Father found an original floppy disk, and he brought it home for me. :)

So yeah, then I found this Addiator thingamajig and a garage sale, and I have no idea how it works or what it's for or how much it's worth. :P But it being old and all, I had to buy it.

Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to say today. My fam is watching the US/Canada gold medal hockey game, which is like AWESOME. (not really...)

AO

1 John 4:18

2010-02-22T14:40:00.002-05:00

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

The Cross

2010-02-16T21:05:00.002-05:00

In my Sunday School class, we're going through the book Outrageous Mercy by William P. Farley. It is a must read. It focuses on how the cross is so important in our Christian faith. Here are two quotes that I like very much.

"No theology is genuinely Christian which does not arise from and focus on the cross." - Martin Luther

"The cross is more than a symbol connecting two Christians in a hostile environment. It is the heart and soul of our faith." - William P. Farley (Outrageous Mercy)

AO

Snowy Marvels

2010-02-13T20:45:00.004-05:00

As you may already know, it snowed here in Charleston last night(and Al Gore says we have global warming). It has been about 10 years since the last "sticking snow" in Charleston. Here are some pictures from our yard.

Maybe I'll post some more tomorrow. But I need to get to bed. :)

AO

Photograph

2010-02-11T21:09:00.003-05:00

I have been spending lots of my time outdoors, playing with our dogs since we got a new puppy and she needs a lot of exercise. So while I've been keeping an eye on them, I've been toting my camera about taking pictures of random things, so here one I personally like quite a bit. Weather vanes are just something I like a lot. I'll want one on my dream house. :)

AO

For Valentines Day

2010-02-10T18:26:00.003-05:00

I took the pic, edited it, and here it is. Enjoy.

(click on it to make it bigger)

AO

Ologies.....

2010-02-09T14:48:00.007-05:00

Miss Alyssa over at the personal blog of alyssa zapinski has tagged me with a cool tag....

FOOD-OLGY
What is your salad dressing of choice? just plain Kraft italian...i don't eat salad that much, so i don't really care....:P

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Chick-fil-a. jk, um....Five Guys Burgers and Fries, no joke this time. I LOVE that place. :)

What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it? hm....bbq?

What are your pizza toppings of choice? pepperoni, bacon, ham, cheese...that's it.

What do you like to put on your toast? butter, obviously. butter makes anything taste good. :D

TECHNOLOGY
How many televisions are in your house? 2 tv's. :)

What color cell phone do you have? it's invisible!!! because i don't have one. :)

What does the first text message in your inbox say and who sent it? it says nothing....(see above answer)

Who was the last person to call you? um....no one ever calls me. because i never call anyone. :P

BIOLOGY
Are you right-handed or left-handed? right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? a few teeth, and tonsils. :)

What is the last heavy item you lifted? the dog? idk...

RANDOM-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? absolutely not.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? i don't want to change it. it's a marvelous name as-is.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? hm...nope. "Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it." Proverbs 13:11 :D

DUMB-OLOGY
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? one, my rainbows. :D

Last time you had a run-in with the cops? *cough* no comment. ;)

Last person you talked to in person? one of my sisters.

Favorite Month? April, obviously. cuase that's when my b-day is. :D

CURRENT-OLOGY
Missing someone? nope. well, my Dad, cause he's at work. but other than that, nope. well, and my cousins in MI....

Mood? grumpy. no, jk... i don't know, a plain mood i guess.

What are you listening to? nothing. well, me typing on the computer

Watching? me type on the computer.

Worrying about? failing all of my classes and having to repeat 9th grade.

RANDOM-OLOGY
What’s the last movie you watched? how about the last few i watched: Come What May, Johnny English and Facing the Giants.

Do you smile often? Yes, just like a barbie. ;)

Do you always answer your phone? no, because i can never find it, because it's invisible, because i have no phone.

It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? my alien friends.

If you could change your eye color what would it be? I like the way my eyes are-why change it?

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? what? i haven't been to sonic in forever, so idk.

Do you own a digital camera? yes, and it's wonderful. :)

Have you ever had a pet fish? nope...

Favorite Christmas song? Grandma got runover by a reindeer. JK!! i hate that song. i have lots of faves.

What’s on your wish list for your birthday? a video camera

Can you do push-ups? yes

Can you do a chin up? yes

Do you have any saved texts? yes, all from my alien friends...

Ever been in a car wreck? nope

Do you have an accent? yes. to a Brit. to my sis? nope.

What is the last song to make you cry? umm...i don't cry over songs...

Plans tonight? staying home doing something.

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? yes

Name 2 things you bought yesterday: nothing

You ever been given roses? yes, by my dad, :)

Current hate right now? um.....idk

Met someone who changed your life? Jesus

What were you doing 12 AM last night? sleeping...

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? AH! i slept in too much!!! (it was 10:00am....) :P

Well, i hope you enjoyed that. :) I'm tagging Lauren Mitchell, my sis Grayce and those few followers of this blog who never comment-lilmisssweetheart92, Maggie S. and Laura Ingall. :P and anyone else reading this who feels like they should do it, take it, i have no problem with that. :)

AO

Super Bowl

2010-02-07T20:58:00.003-05:00

WHOOHOOOOO! I've been watching the Super Bowl(obviously) and it really isn't horrible. But it isn't marvelous either. The commercials are almost the best part, but it's kinda fun watching people run around carrying an odd shaped ball. (I do know more about football than it appears, fyi) So yep. I'm rooting for the New Orleans Saints, even though I like the Indianapolis Colts as well. It's just that the Colts won a few years ago, and it's the Saints time to shine. OH! And the half-time show was awesome. The Who was performing(an awesome group, but they're getting up in they're years, *wink wink*) and there were awesome lighting effects. I mean, AWESOME. So anyway, just a little blurb from me. Sorry about the absence of posts, but keeping the up blog is not a priority on my list. :)

AO

Another blog?

2010-02-07T20:55:00.001-05:00

Yes, sure enough. My sister Grayce has ventured off into unknown lands and created her own blog, which can be found here. At least go over and check it out, I'm sure she'd appreciate your visit. ;)

Happy New Week

AO

Why hello there

2010-02-01T21:13:00.002-05:00

You might could say I've taken a vacation from blogging. Or you could say I've been doing school. Or you could say both, and you wouldn't be lying. My exams went well. But life hasn't slowed down one bit since they were finished. In fact, does life ever slow down? It depends on how you look at it, so I'll just let you look at it, not me.

Meanwhile, I've been thinking about what I want to do when I finish high school. That is one of the most difficult things I've had to think about, since there are so many options, and I love doing so many different things. I've contemplated going into many things, but none seem to fit, if you catch my meaning. But I know God has a path planned out for me, even though I'm in a thick fog.

My apologies for the short post, but it is 9:20 pm and I'd better be off to bed. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately... :)

AO

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T10:46:00.005-05:00

Yes, 2009 is over. Slightly depressing, but you know there is a whole other year ahead of you. I must tell you about something I hadn't thought before that I heard on the radio yesterday. All of the news people are saying that this is the end of a decade, and we're starting a new one. But, guess what. They're WRONG. 365 days from today a new decade starts. :)

Anyway. I think it is a great idea to start the new year off with Scripture. So here you go; these few verses are marvelous.

Revelation 22:18-21

^"18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, ¹⁹and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

²⁰He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen."

I truly enjoy starting things of with an ending. :)

Quote

2009-12-30T15:12:00.001-05:00

"He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper." - Edmund Burke

A new blog!

2009-12-28T20:33:00.002-05:00

I have marvelous news. As my cousins have been in town, we have pulled old TV show scripts of ours out of the filing cabinet, and decided to remake them. As we made them, we began to fall in love with the idea of making a blog to post our videos on; ergo, we now have a blog. I highly encourage you to follow it, you won't regret it! :)

http://otrnewsonline.blogspot.com/

I hope you like it!

Happy New Year!

AO

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas all! I hope it's wonderful!

I must say though, I'm very disappointed that none of you believe in Santa Claus. Oh well. :)

AO

Carol's Corner

2009-12-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

Please check out my friends blog when you get the chance. She's hilarious, and awesome, but forgets about her blog sometimes... Anyway, hopefully I can persuade her to post a little more. ;)

http://chkcorner.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

AO

Question to consider-

2009-12-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a question that you should answer for me in a comment. Do you believe in Santa Claus? If yes, why? If no, why not? Don't be shy now. :) I won't tell my view until there are at least a few comments. Comment away...

AO

....And to all a good night

2009-12-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

Well, as Christmas is only 2 days away, people all over the world are in the last minute rush of the holidays. I, for one, have gotten almost all of my Christmas shopping done, and I am ready to chill out(literally, and non-it's freezing here). My Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, and two cousins are coming down from MI for Christmas tonight, and I am very excited. :) They are marvelous people.
Tomorrow, we are having a Christmas brunch, for our neighbors. Most of our neighbors are retired folk, and are home at Christmas time, so we have hosted a Christmas Eve brunch for a few years now. There is nothing like some good old fashioned Christmas jollification!

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we must not forget the reason for Christmas; the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus. What an amazing story it is- in fact, go read it yourself.

I will try to post pictures of family or something like that over the holidays-but don't become mad if I don't. ;) So. May God bless you all this season, and have a very, merry Christmas!

AO

On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donder* and Blitzen!

*FYI his name is really Donder, not Donner. Go look at the book('Twas the Night Before Christmas).

Escusa me

2009-12-21T10:59:00.002-05:00

Please excuse the blog's appearance; I am trying to fiddle and create a new look. But I don't have time for one, long, get-it-all-done sitting, so it may look disheveled when you visit. :)

AO

FYI, the title is in Spanish. I do in fact, know how to spell.

Oh joy.

2009-12-13T14:03:00.005-05:00

Yippee, another tag. Enjoy!

Six Names you go By:

Abby

Abigail

Abster

Abs

Abba-dabba(thanks for this one Uncle Jack ) :)

Three things you are wearing today:

Jeans

Pale green t-shirt, with an awesome neon orange sweatshirt.

pink fuzzy socks :)

Three things you want very badly Right now:

To have my homework assignments magicaly disapear

To catch up on lost sleep for a week or so then wake up on Christmas morning.

To have another brownie

Three things you did Last Night/Yesterday:

Watched The Polar Express

Watched It's a Wonderful Life

Ate pizza :)

Two things you ate today:

BBQ and brownies

Two People you last Talked to on the Phone:

Dad and Mom.

Two Things you are going to do Today/Tomorrow:

Finish that homework

set my brain a-spinning again tomorrow

Your Three Favorite Beverages:

Water

Southern Sweet Tea

Coke

And, I don't think I will tag anyone, (yet again), but feel free to tag yourself. :)

AO

God Leads Us Beside Still Waters and ....

2009-12-10T17:06:00.009-05:00

There are times when God leads us beside still waters and times when He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death (see Psalm 23). After my recent surgery, I need to make sure I communicate clearly that God doesn't love me more now than He did in the summer of 2008. I just had surgery in November 2009 where God led me beside still waters and my road was easy. In the summer of 2008, I had surgery that was not easy. I had a time in the valley of the shadow of death, but even there He was with me and comforted me and was working out His purposes in my life and in my family. He loves me now as He loved me last year. He is working out His will for me in different ways - some easy and some hard. God abounds in love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:1) towards His children. Are you one of His children? Do you love Him? If you love Him, keep His commands (John 14:15).

Oh the joys of being tagged....

2009-12-10T15:47:00.006-05:00

I was tagged by Karis, so here goes:

1) Do you like sugar cookies?

A: Eh, they're ok, I enjoy chocolate better.

2) Do you like a LOT of lights on your Christmas tree, or just a few?

A: Just a few white ones is perfect

3) Do you prefer a real tree, or an artificial tree?

A: I prefer real trees, but we've had fake ones for a few years now...:(

4) What's your favorite Christmas carol?

A:Most of them are wonderful. I don't need to pick a favorite. :)

5) Do you like egg-nog, or boiled custard?

A: What in the world is boiled custard? I do not know, I do like eggnog though. :)

6) Do you want a lot of snow for Christmas, or just enough to sled in?

A: Well, wishing for snow down here is like wishing for your house to turn upside down and nothing gets broken inside of it, but if it were possible, yes i would love snow, but just enough to sled in.

7) What's your favorite part of the Christmas story?

A: That God gave his only son to die for our sins.

8) What's your favorite Christmas movie?

A: Hm. Christmas Vacation, White Christmas or Holiday Inn.

9) If you could spend $1,000,000, what would you buy?

A: well, i'd pay off any dept i owed, then buy an awesome sports car. I don't know if i really would buy the car, and I'll probably never find out. :)

10) What is your favorite name(s) of Jesus?

A: All of em.

And I've decided not to tag anyone....but if you want to tag yourself, feel free to do so.

AO

Butterflies and Bells

2009-12-09T15:44:00.007-05:00

I love this picture. Viceroy butterflies are so gorgeous. FYI, this is a Viceroy, not a Monarch. Viceroy's have thinner black vertical stripes on their wings as well as a horizontal line across the bottom. Monarchs have fewer bold black vertical stripes, and no horizontal stripes. This is one of my pet peeves, especially because I see signs for a Monarch Development Inc. but they have a Viceroy on the sign. They obviously didn't do research before creating their logo.

Now this bell is a bell on the column at my Aunt's farm house, and it shows pure Southern taste. The bell, for calling everyone for dinner, and WELCOME on the top, where you know you are not going to be stared down by the barrel of a shotgun. :) You might though, at her farm, if you hope to shoot game on her property, she doesn't want any of that. :) I hope you all have a marvelous day!

AO

Big

2009-12-09T14:33:00.004-05:00

Big (adjective regarding size)
Bulky, burly, capacious, chock-ful, whopper, walloping, immense, massive.

Big (adjective regarding importance)
Eminent, momentous, prime, paramount.

Well, not that many alternate words, but the few are commendable. Any word suggestions you have and would like me to do the research on just add it in your comment. ;) Next word will be 'delay'.

AO

Fun

2009-12-05T16:28:00.005-05:00

Well, recently (since my discovery of jollification), I have taken an interest in words, and using words that aren't used much. So, every now and then I'll be posting about a certain word, and give some alternate terms you can use. But, if I do this, you all are supposed to actually make use of what you learn, because if you don't, I'm blogging for nothing(and you're wasting you're time).

Today's word:

Fun (adjective)
Amusing, boisterous, convivial, lively, merry, pleasant

Fun (noun)
Buffoonery, escapade, festivity, frolic, gaiety, jocularity, merriment, merrymaking, mirth, tomfoolery

AO

PS: Check out the 'Good Reads' box in the sidebar

Sweet or bitter words?

2009-12-05T16:21:00.001-05:00

"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them." - Andy Rooney

did you just say 'party'? shame on you

2009-11-30T14:45:00.005-05:00

The US in particular has a very small, pitiful vocabulary that they use daily. One of my teachers this year has inspired me to expand mine, and so here I am ready to help expand yours as well.

Last night, as my family and I were planning for a party, we were trying to think of some word to use instead of party, since it is a word that is used way too much. As I looked in the thesaurus, I came across this wonderful new word, jollification. Have you ever heard it used? Nope, probably not. At least I haven't. All the more reason to use it. Dictionary.com describes jollification as jolly merrymaking and jolly festivity. Now, I encourage you to use this word whenever you have a chance. There are so many wonderful words out there, so why just use a few boring ones?

AO

Check this out

2009-11-23T09:19:00.003-05:00

I was reading in a WORLD magazine this morning a review about a singer/songwriter from Texas. So, I went to her website and listened to some of her music; she has a great voice. Her name is BettySoo. I would encourage you to check out her blog and listen to some of her music. I'm sure you won't regret it! :)

AO

Old Tom says...

2009-11-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." - Thomas Jefferson

AO

I'm......just........

2009-11-10T08:23:00.003-05:00

And the last word that fits in the title can be found after you read this wonderful post on another blog: Femina Reformed Blogs

AO

You've gotta love the Fair

2009-11-06T09:46:00.005-05:00

I went to the Coastal Carolina Fair yesterday afternoon. The fair is wonderful; all the different sights, sounds, smells, etc.. It truly is amazing all the types of people that come to the fair. :) Anyway, as for rides, my friend and I did the Pharaohs Fury (a boat shaped thing like a swing that goes really really high and makes your stomach fly into your head) twice, and it's....OK. :P We also did the Cliff Hanger ride, where you lay down on your stomach and fly around in circles at different angles. That ride is one of my favorites. We of course did the Sky Ride a gazillion times, and we did the Merry-go-Round as well. If you go to the fair, you have to do the merry-go-round, it's a classic. We did the Swings, and I was brave and did the Swing Tower, which is just like normal swings, except it goes up really high and bounces every now and then (i hope that was on purpose....). We did the Bumper Cars too. And I think that's all the rides we did..... if there were more, I'll tell eventually.
I also had my first Funnel Cake, and those things are delicious! I ate most of it, then my friend decided I had enough and took it from me (of course semi-jokingly, I still ate a few more bites after she took it). :) So yes, Funnel Cakes are great, but you need someone to share it since there so sweet and filling. So yep, that's about all we did. OH, and we did the House of Mirrors too, and my friend almost left me behind, but I still made my way out. :D
If you decide to go to the Fair this year, try (if possible) to go at night time, because it is sooo pretty at night.

AO

If you live in the Charleston area....

2009-11-02T07:43:00.008-05:00

You are invited to a free concert! :) Nathan Clark George, a Christian folk artist, will be at Eastbridge Presbyterian Church (located on Highway 17) on Sunday, November 8. The concert will be at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. If you want to come for the concert, feel free to visit the church for the regular service at 10:30 am, and just hang around in Mt. Pleasant till 3. Though the concert is free, there will be a love offering if you wish to donate(and no doubt it will be very appreciated). Here is a video about Nathan Clark George:

I hope to see you there!

AO

Note to Bloggers: If you know lots of people in the area, don't hesitate to invite them to the concert! ;)

Words from Abe

2009-10-27T10:34:00.001-04:00

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

AO

Henry Ford says...

2009-10-26T13:16:00.000-04:00

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."- Henry Ford

AO

Not for people afraid of bugs

2009-10-22T16:27:00.004-04:00

This is a picture (I took) of a very fascinating bug that we saw at a park. I don't know what kind it is, but doesn't it just look awesome?

St. Augustine

2009-10-21T15:52:00.004-04:00

I've been reading St. Augustine's Confessions for one of my classes, and I have discovered what a wonderful book it is (at least up till Book X, I didn't read beyond that). If you have not read it, you need to read it ASAP. It is fairly lengthy, but it is clear and understandable. It truly is amazing how God works in us and brings us to Himself, and this is a good story with a clear before and after pictures. And while I'm on the subject, I'll give you a good quote by St. Augustine.

"For Thou hast commanded that an irregulated should be its own punishment." ~St. Augustine

AO

And so it begins

2009-10-14T19:33:00.002-04:00

We're officially jumping into the complicated process of packing and moving. We're planning to move on Saturday, but we're not sure whether or not we can do it. :) Lord willing we'll get everything packed and ready to move down the street (yep, down the street) by Saturday. Prayers would be especially appreciated! We have lots of stuff to pack-

AO

a good quote...

2009-10-09T16:58:00.004-04:00

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength"~Corrie Ten Boom

The Problem of Sin

2009-10-05T15:33:00.004-04:00

I have recently been reading St. Augustines Confessions for school, and he talks in it about whether sin is a substance and how and why things become corrupted. Anyway, my teacher gave us in intersting link to a video regarding the Problem of Sin. Enjoy-

AO

kindness

2009-09-25T08:51:00.001-04:00

"You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

On Rain and Rainbows...

2009-09-23T18:37:00.007-04:00

It rained today. Rain is such an amazing event, if you truly dig in and think about it. It just reminds you how creative God is. I love watching thunder storms, and hurricanes; they are so powerful and amazing. I love how, during a bad thunder storm, the sky is completely covered in gray clouds, and its dark outside. But I also love it when the sun is shining, but it's raining as well. At the rare occurrences of this, you usually see rainbows, which are another sign of God's power, and truth. Remember Noah and the Flood? Anyway, I saw a complete rainbow today, and there was even another one right above it, and I had never seen two rainbows in the sky at once before. Is that not awe-some?

AO

Out of the ol' archives...

2009-09-23T15:35:00.001-04:00

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since [then] Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” –C.S. Lewis

Ponder This....

2009-09-18T14:23:00.001-04:00

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

The Mezquita de Córdoba

2009-09-10T14:17:00.000-04:00

The Mezquita de Córdoba, or Mosque of Cordoba, is a mosque in Córdoba, Spain. It was used for Muslim prayer and worship of their gods, during the time when Spain was under rule of the Muslims. The Mosque took over 200 years to build, from 784-987. In 1236 Spain rejoined Christendom. Later the Christians consecrated the Mosque, dedicated it to Mary, mother of Jesus, and used it for Christian worship. Now you can still go to Córdoba, Spain and see the magnificent Mezquita de Córdoba.

thomans edison said...

2009-09-05T09:23:00.000-04:00

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

Snail

2009-09-02T15:39:00.003-04:00

A picture of a snail I took:

picture

2009-09-02T08:44:00.004-04:00

The Owens Family-