I thought life would begin to slow down last week, but it hasn't. It seems I've been going full force! I'm working in the afternoons and (ugh) beginning to think about school. I want to finish early next year, but history will take a long time. I will be doing US history, physics (oooooh boy), advanced math, Sketches from Church History (that should be interesting), Vocabulary from Classic Roots (this is getting scary), Wheeler's Latin, and English Workshop. Oh, and then I'll be reading MacBeth, Moby Dick, and Pride and Prejudice. I think that's all, but you never know. I think I will enjoy literature the most this year--either that or Sketches.

A few days ago I learned that we were having our kitchen wallpapered. Yesterday it happened, and it looks nice. I'd show you pictures, but I'm too lazy to download them off the camera.

And I'm off! :D

Psalm 32C

from the Book of Psalms for Singing

What blessedness for him whose guilt
Has all forgiven been!
When his transgressions pardoned are
And covered is his sin.
O blessed the man 'gainst whom the Lord
Counts no iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is not
Deceit or treachery.

When I kept silent, my bones aged;
My groaning filled each day.
Your hand oppressed me day and night;
My moisture dried away.
Then I to You admitted sin,
Hid not my guiltiness;
I said, "I will before the Lord
Transgressions now confess."

Then You did all my sin forgive
And take my guilt away.
For this when You are near at hand
Let all the godly pray.
The rising floods will harm him not.
You are my hiding place.
And You will comfort me with songs
Of victory and grace.

RULES TO ENTER KANSAS

Applies to each person as they enter Kansas.

Learn & remember: East Coast and California-types pay particular attention!



1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Let's get this straight; it's called a "gravel road." I drive a pickup
truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get
dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.

3. They are cattle & feed lots. That's what they smell like to you. They
smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-70 goes east and
west, I-35 goes north and south. Pick one.

4. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $200,000 combines
that are driven only 3 weeks a year.

5. So every person in every pickup waves. It's called being friendly. Try
to understand the concept.

6. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of pheasants are coming in, we
WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to
your ear at the time.

7. Yeah, we eat catfish and mountain oysters. You really want sushi &
caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.

8. The "Opener" refers to the first day of pheasant season. It's a
religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.

9. We open doors for women. That is applied to all women, regardless of age.

10. No, there's no "vegetarian special" on the menu. Order steak. Or you
can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey.

11. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats,
vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.

12. You bring "coke" into my house, it better be brown, wet, and served
over ice. You bring "Mary Jane" into my house, she better be cute, know
how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.

13. High School Football is as important here as the Lakers and the
Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.

14. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it
spooks the fish.

15. Colleges? Try K-State or KU or abunch a' others. They come outa there
with an education plus a love for God and country, and they still wave at
passing pickups when they come home for the holidays.

16. Anhydrous Ammonia is used as a fertilizer! Let us catch you trying to
"cook" something with it and we will "cook" your you-know-what!

The End

It's over, but I had a blast last week. From counseling at Horse Creek to swimming with my family to working (well, that wasn't quite so much fun) . . . it was great!

The Beginning of a Very Busy Week

This week is going to fly by so fast! First, I have to set my alarm tomorrow morning and pack for Horse Creek. I might need to take my alarm, too, so that should remind me to put it in my bag. :) From Monday afternoon until Thursday morning I have Horse Creek. Thursday I rush back and work until five. Immediately after I get off work Lydia and I go to a birthday slumber party (yay!). Friday I work, and then my dad's family is having a picnic. At 6:30 that evening we go to the rodeo parade. After that some will go to the rodeo while some will come back here and butcher a pig. I will be at the rodeo. Saturday we eat the pig.

Finally! I found Andrew's other sandal. Andrew finally decided it was time to wear his sandals again, so I had to remember where I'd last seen them. I knew I'd recently had one out didn't know where the other was. Well, I found the one that was still put away but couldn't remember where the right sandal was. I began digging in all the boxes in the closet. In the process Jacque decided to sort through some of her boxes. Now our room is a total mess -- it doesn't look as if we cleaned at all. However, we really did throw away a ton of stuff! I did find the right sandal downstairs in the closet, so everything's all good.

In the process of cleaning I found three books: Hard Times by Charles Dickens, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. I've been wanting to read some more of Dickens and am curious to read Hard Times for myself. I was wondering where I had put Pride and Prejudice. I've been looking for it for two years! The Count of Monte Cristo just sounds interesting.

Cleaning and organizing is so much fun. It's amazing to find the cool stuff you lost. The feeling of accomplishment I get when I rid myself of unwanted clothes, papers, etc. is really cool, too.

Happy birthday, President Bush!

Home Again

I'm home! The retreat was pretty good. We got there for a little more than a session Saturday morning and then ate lunch. We had free time almost all afternoon; part of it I spent playing soccer with some others. Unfortunately, we played right next to a wooded area filled with stinging nettles and poison ivy. I didn't get anything, but some were itching pretty badly by the end of the game. After the injury-riddled game ended, I ate a really, really good hamburger for supper. I love grilled beef.


At 8:00 everybody went swimming. It was fun, even though I couldn't see very well. We played sharks and minnows in the deep end, and I actually caught Eric when I was a shark. He was one stroke away from touching the wall, but I got him. :)

Around 10:45 we started making s'mores. I had one cold because I didn't want to roast any marshmallows, but then I tried grilling one on the coals from supper. The chocolate melted pretty well, but I lacked the patience for softening the marshmallow. Everyone soon migrated to the campfire for silly campfire songs. Jacque and I sat in the back with Joel and listened to him question the origin of each song: "Why do they come up with these? And how? I mean, what's the connection between fish and chips and vinegar and muck and pop??? And why do they sing a song about coffee when they could make tea just as fast? I suppose they want that tea in a tin coffeepot! and so on..."

At two o'clock the next morning, Jacque, Jackie, Joanna, and I tired of the wild game of ping pong (without the ping pong table) we were playing and went to bed. Sunday morning we listened to Mr. O'Neill discuss the reasons behind evolution and how some of them fall through easily. More people arrived, and we had a church service at 10:30. We learned that the glory of God can be displayed through anything--even a pot. :)

After dinner I got to play with two little kids and take Isa to the "ocean" to throw pinecones into the water. Following a short psalm sing, we all went home and slept a lot.

Life is back to normal now--if it ever is. The Fourth of July was great. We went to Robinson to see a spectacular fireworks show. Afterwards I saw two little boys each kiss a toad for a dollar. However, one of them didn't want his dollar and gave it back (he just turned three).


A picture for your enjoyment.