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Tuesday, August 30, 2005
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"I hate saying goodbye."
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The title of this post, though a direct quote from a faithful reader, was also a direct quote from myself, as seen in the following account of last night.
Yesterday, when I returned from a doctor's appointment, I received a message from Danny that I'd been invited to dine with her family that evening. What fun! What excited anticipation of pure enjoyment! I simply love spending time at the Davis house. However, I had much to do before I could enjoy myself thoroughly. Laundry for instance. You simply cannot pack clothes in a suitcase if you haven't got them ready to pack. *sigh* So that means you have to get them ready.
But six o'clock rolled around right when it was supposed to (between 5:45 and 6:15) and Mrs. D and Danny picked me up on the way to the grocery store.
Don't ask me why I had so much fun grocery shopping. We didn't do anything differently than when I normally go. Maybe it was the presence of Danielle, making jokes and just making me laugh that made it fun. Maybe it was the candy aisle going to our heads. Maybe it was the way she told those people in the car to stop. Maybe it was the looks on their faces when she did. It may have been anything, but we had fun.
Dinner was fun too. This could also have been for several reasons. Maybe it was because we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Derek. (Really awful. We sounded terrible. No wonder he was laughing at us.) Maybe it was because Manda stuck a french fry on my glass like a lemon while I wasn't looking. Maybe it was that Manda and I teamed up together against Derek to argue whether or not you could be supportive of the Jacobite cause and still not like Bonnie Prince Charlie. Maybe it was the fact that Mrs. D thought that all this was funny, and so I enjoyed it all the more. Maybe it was the tasty food. Maybe it was the company of friends. Whatever it was, we had fun.
Post-dinner, Danielle decided that she liked my shoes. The black sandals. So she and Manda headed upstairs to put on church shoes to match mine. So I followed them. Dana came behind me and we all started having some fun upstairs. Maybe it was the bows that we all put in our hair. Maybe it was the black beauty marks that Danny and Manda put on their faces. Maybe it was that awful red lipstick. Maybe it was the funny orange pants they gave me to put on so we could play Twister. Maybe it was the fact that my black sandals totally did not match the orange pants. Maybe it was just the fun of having no guys around. Maybe it was just because I wanted to have fun. Maybe it was all of it put together, but whatever it was we had fun.
After trying to look as funny as we could (I was all done out in orange by this time, what with the pants and the bow and all), we came down to play Twister. It was so fun! Maybe it was because I'd never played Twister with a CD player. Maybe it was because the little boys kept jumping in on the extra mat and showing us how to do it. Maybe it was watching Kyle sneak out of the kitchen and come try to throw us all off. Maybe it was the way we all bent down at once and hit our heads together. Maybe it was seeing Johnny's sunglasses and hairdo. Maybe it was the sight of Danny's pink bow on top of her head. Maybe it was the knowledge that mine probably looked just as funny. Maybe a lot of things, but whatever it was, we had fun.
Then we started to watch a movie. Sleeping Beauty. That was fun too. Maybe it was that I hadn't seen this movie in years and I could still quote the dialogue. Maybe it was the candy. Maybe it was how every went "SHHH!!!" whenever anyone said anything. Maybe it was that Nathan kept trying to sit on my lap and still reach the candy dish. Maybe it was the way Kyle wouldn't share any of the Reese's cups. Maybe it was how everyone started singing along with the princess when she started dancing with the prince. Maybe it was the way Dana and I danced around the family room in imitation. Maybe it was because we spent the rest of the night was spent watching the funny parts of Ice Age. Maybe it was the movie. Maybe it was the jokes on the part of the viewers. Maybe it was the fact that I was determined to have fun, but whatever it was, I had fun.
When I went to say goodbye, I did not have fun. I was sad. It wasn't because my friends didn't try. I hugged Manda goodbye. I hugged Danielle goodbye. I said goodbye to Kyle. Danielle filled up a bag of Kisses for me. I took the orange bow out of my hair. Derek and Danny took me home. As I walked up the stairs, I told my mom how "I hate saying goodbye."
However, I have since raised my spirits by listening to my favorite Irish CD, (No, it was not the "melancholy" one that certain people dislike. It was the fun one, that always makes me feel better.) and by reminding myself as my mother did, that I'm not going to be gone so very long anyway. 'Sides, I shall see you all here, or at least if I don't, I'll bug you all with phone calls. |
posted by cori
8/30/2005 09:56:00 AM
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Sunday, August 28, 2005
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In the interest of interesting my readers, I speak of subjects which you all are familiar with. Truly, no one is unfamiliar with the subject of my post. You would have to be quite young indeed not to have experienced a Sunday.
I used to really dislike Sunday. Sometimes I do still. But generally, I make it through. I have not had a Sunday yet that I have not made it through. Therefore, I can safely assume that Sundays are not fatal. That's logic, as my brother would say.
This particular Sunday was particularly rollercoastery. First thing in the morning, I got out of bed to put a roast in the crockpot for dinner. Trudging unwillingly down the stairs, I heard the soft familiar clicking of a computer keyboard, such as I am hearing now, letting me know that I was not the first riser on this sunny morning. Rounding the corner at the bottom of the stairs, I spied my mom sitting in the spinney chair in front of a glowing monitor. She had already put the roast in. She always does that. No matter when I make a roast, she always is the one that sticks it in the crockpot. Oh well. Back upstairs I went with a cup of very sugary tea. (Early morning, you know, is the best time of day to enjoy a hot cup of unnaturally sweet tea.)
At church in the morning, I found to my... hmm... pleasure? or chagrin?... can't decide, that there was no piano player. At least, not the usual one. Agustie, being apprised of the dilemma, volunteered for the position. Derek opted for the organ and James hit the violin. I was on the flute, obviously, since I murder the piano on everything but classical songs. So there we were.
The four of us. In the front row. Waiting nervously for special music to come up during the course of the service.
As Cara and I sang together, (we were first on a list of three specials) I noticed her hands starting to tremble. Now, I know this doesn't mean she's nervous. We've done this too often for her to still be nervous. It meant that she needed something in her hand to grip. I've had that feeling a lot, amazingly while I am singing. So, seeing that we both had a need to grip something, we held hands and had a veritable contest during the song as to who could squeeze the hardest while trying to encourage her fellow duetist.
James has been roping John and Cara into handbell practices lately and today was their big performance. They did a great job. The song, Our Great Saviour, was immediately recognizable, which is always the first concern when playing a song. (For me anyway. If you can't even recognize a song, well, I could always fake it and pretend it was supposed to sound that way.) But they did great. Everyone was blessed and impressed.
A long anticipated event, Derek and James performed the last song, comprising the last of the specials. It was a song of James's and Derek's own arrangement. They've been playing with Finale again. Practiced for a long time. It was When I Can Read My Title Clear.
The sermon for this morning constitutes its own post, so I'll have to let you in on that one later.
Unwilling to part with my Cara, we stood outside for a good while talking. We all knew that we were staying because we didn't want to say goodbye, but knowing that, we didn't bring it up. Derek, however...
I did say goodbye. Without crying. Amid many promises of phone calls, email addresses, and snail mail letters. She signed my photo frame, which she had given me Saturday. It has a black and white photo of her and I last October when I turned twenty-one. She'd had a special tea party set up just for the two of us at her house. We both wrote our names on the black frame in white gel-ink. It's so cool.
Derek came for dinner. We got home and I started the veggies cooking. It didn't take long before we were all around the dinner table making each other laugh. Daddy tells corny, histerical, jokes. I cannot for the life of me remember them all. (Just that bluejay one, right Mom?)
Phase 10, headgear, impromtu concerts and popcorn made up the afternoon. After D went home, we popped in the third P&P movie. Water ice, lace crochet, hot tea, a blog post and I'm ready for bed. |
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posted by cori
8/28/2005 09:39:00 PM
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Well, I got through yesterday without crying, but that didn't last today after reading your post. I was struck with the significance of this goodbye. This is no "I'll see you next week" or even "I'll see you next month" goodbye. It is an "I don't know when I'll see you again" goodbye. I hate goodbyes.
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Cara I shall honour myself by quoting you in the title of my next post.
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Saturday, August 27, 2005
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Saturday Night At Home
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I think I've always enjoyed Saturday nights. I tend to stay up quite late. Especially when my dad works shiftwork, because that means he's not got to go to bed early to get up and go to work. Mom and James tend to stay up later on those nights too. Like tonight.
I'm sitting here at the keyboard listening to half a conversation between my mom and my sister. They're kind of in the background. What I'm really enjoying is the soft lulling sound of a tenor voice sing Come By the Hills. Sound, now I am on the subject, is an awesome sense. If I were to describe everything I hear to you, I could go on for a while. The light clicking of the keys as I type out these thoughts. The low hum of an air conditioning vent above me. James's heavy tread down the stairs and then the noise of an opening refrigerator that so often follows that heavy tread. If you listen very closely after the music dies out, you can hear the locusts singing in the trees outside. The commencement of Cristofori’s Dream on the piano drowns out the other sounds now.
James and I have been “shopping up a tree” today. We went to Williamstown where we found the Horn family engaged in many activities. Luckily, we were able to catch them all at a time when their separate tasks converged together at their home. Cara and John were manning the yard sale tables outside. They had found the one and only spot of shade in their whole yard and set up their chairs and drinks accordingly. Mr. H was just about to leave on an errand with his father and Mrs. H had just returned from grocery store.
After conversing for some time and distracting them from their designated tasks, we took our leave of them and made our way down the Blackhorse pike to that ever popular store, Walmart. (Unfortunately, we never made to Kohl’s.) We lost each other several times in that store. The management decided to confuse the public by rearranging everything several times. I finally found my long lost relations again after finding sneakers, sewing notions, toothpaste and other such necessities and made my way out of the maze.
The Amish market was next. By this time, it was well past the usual lunch hour. At least I believed it to be so, for my stomach does not lie. Never go grocery shopping while hungry.
At home again, James and I sat through two Pixar movies, Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life. Then we played a few competitive games on the computer. Two-player games on a pc are always a challenge. James has reverted to the television again. He’s watching previews now. That is so much fun. Sometimes we just sit and watch the previews for movies. He’s on the Incredibles now. I can’t believe how many times just today I’ve listened to Mr. Incredible tell his wife he can’t come to dinner. Then there’s my personal favorite. “Just keeping swimming. Just keep swimming…”
So, apparently dull though they may seem, I sit here enjoying my tea and deciding that I am going to decidedly miss Saturdays at home. |
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posted by cori
8/27/2005 10:48:00 PM
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YES, I love "Finding Nemo." Keep swimming is just what I need to hear (kind of like that turtle on the fencepost who just keeps trying to get somewhere) :)
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Les, I am sitting here tonight struck with the thought of how much God knows and how little we know. Who would have ever thought this time last year that we would be moving and you would be heading off to HQ for a few months?
One thing, please don't give up blogging!!! I'll be an ever more faithful blog reader once out in TX as I won't be seeing you every week. So, blog on!
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Yes, Les, keep blogging. It will be like a "forum" for all of us to read and discuss the topics you write on as well as keep in touch with other commentors. You will be doing everyone a favor!
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Ok! Ok! I certainly intend to keep up my blog, if solely for the sake of my three readers. :)
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I can't come to dinner right now, I got the... I gotta go!
That one is so much fun....
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Friday, August 26, 2005
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Midnight Musings
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Late at night the monitor glows as I perform my online musings. I've been really busy today. Well, actually, I've done a lot of things. Stacking wood, sewing quilts, crocheting, practicing piano music, reading Emma, and pretty much keeping myself occuppied. (Is that spelled with two p's? It looks weird.)
Tonight I was really bored. James and Mom tried to remedy this by renting a movie or two. However, as the movie was (what appeared to be) an eighties version of Alice Through the Looking Glass, I was not cured of my malady. But Pepsi and popcorn alleviated the lethargy as only soda and snacks can.
You know that game "I'm going on vacation"? Where one person says something they're taking on vacation that starts with "A"? And the next person has to say what they're taking that starts with "B", plus whatever it was that the first person said? And then the next person has to add his own to the first two? And then by the time it gets to the last person, he's got quite a bit on his hands?
You ever feel like that in real life? |
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posted by cori
8/26/2005 12:58:00 PM
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Monday, August 22, 2005
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Quite frankly, algebra was never my strongest subject in school. However, I have lately had to brush up on my learning in order to teach it to my dear friend, Manda. She's picking it up so much faster than I thought anyone could. (Go Manda!!) We've been spending about two hours twice a week learning how to make 2(4x + 5) - |-12| equal to 22. (Got that?) Then afterwards, we sit around and talk for a while.
Today I went over and we learned how to find the radius, the diameter, the area and the circumference of a circle. Covering lots of ground. Then I went swimming with Manda. It wasn't actually swimming. It was more like freezing for a few minutes and then leaning on the side of the pool to soak up the sun. We were doing great for a while, relaxing that way, until the little guys drove us out with their splashing. Then of course, we moved on towards the patio to dry off and soak up some more sunlight. I watched as Manda fed the fish in their pond and then Elise came out to chat for a while. A game of slapjack. A song on the piano. A lunch of chicken burgers. (Great stuff, by the way.) A swing in the hammock. It was a very relaxing math lesson. |
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posted by cori
8/22/2005 06:57:00 PM
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What a weekend!
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It rained almost all day Friday. I was so depressed. I spent the day wishing I could go see Danny, so after dinner I called her house. Unfortunately, her line was busy. "That's ok," I thought. "I'll just get ready and then call her." So I did my hair and changed my clothes and just as I was in the middle, the phone rang. "No way," I thought. "Surely it would be too coincidental that she should call to see if I could come over."
Well, it must not have been too coincenditental, because that's why she called. She wanted to know if James and I could come over to watch Peter Pan. *smirk*
After waiting patiently for my comrade and brother to finish KP, we arrived ready for an evening of fun. At least, we thought we were ready. You never know what's going to happen when you get together with the Davis family. I started out by searching for Danny upstairs. She and Mrs. D showed me how to fix my hair the really cool way that they do, and in return, I showed Danny how to write on mirrors with soap. *wicked grin*
Then Danielle disappeared. I don't know where she went, but as I was talking with Derek in the kitchen for a while, I heard repeated shouts outside the window. Looking out to ascertain the cause of such carryings on, my eye fell on the most intriguing contraption. It appeared to be a lawn mower, driven by Kyle, and pulling a go-cart laden with people. The excited shouts belonged to Danny, Dana, Johnny, Melissa, Peter, James, Nathan and another girl whose name I regrettably cannot recall. Of course, you know I had to go out and join them, just for a trip around the yard. I squeezed in between James and Peter and we rode down the road and around the field. Kyle took us right through the trees and then let James drive. Finding my life somewhat imperilled by these numerous driver changes, I took my leave of them as they passed the house and made my way over to where an unsuspecting victim was lounging on the hammock.
After righting the hammock and it's occupant, I sat talking to said occupant for a while until the rest of the gang tired of there lawn mower escapades (or ran out of gas, I'm not sure which.) By the time we started the movie, it was nearly dark. Somehow, there came about a complication as to the attire of we moviegoers, half of whom wore hats, while the other half went bareheaded. In the spirit of unity, we fought over different hats until we all had some type of headgear, from a "Gilligan hat" to a recycled trick-or-treat bucket. Danielle and I spent most of the movie in the kitchen making iced tea and popcorn, but we made it to the couch before the kids made it to Neverland so we were quite in time for the best parts of the movie.
Saturday was interesting. After such a crazy episode the night before, wherein my father found us all in our separate styles of headgear, I was quite sleepy in the morning. However, there were groceries to be got and neither mom nor I like to shop alone for such necessities. So, leaving James to accomplish the weed eating, we headed out to the store.
As we stood in the checkout line, mom's cell phone started to ring. Marvelous! Dad's truck broke down at the Hallmark store, so we have to pick him up on the way home. So we did. Then, after unloading the groceries, Mom took Dad back to his truck to jumpstart it. James and I were left to put the food away. I did find a place for everything, but I later found out why that was, when someone found a melted bag of ice that I had set on top of the freezer to make room inside. Eh-heh. Oops.
Derek came over to stay the night with James. Sadly, James began to feel unwell that evening and we were obliged to bring the air matresses and sleeping bags inside from the tent, where the original plans had designated the night's lodging. They must've zonked out right away, because I didn't hear anyone talking after I went to bed. I usually stay up and read for a while before falling asleep.
Sunday dawned much earlier than I wanted it to. But up I got. James decided he was not up to traveling to church, and so Mom stayed home with him. Dad, Derek and I went to Milmay and stayed afterwards for the dinner they had going on. (Way too many desserts. I don't know why, but it seems like there's always more dessert than dinner.) Manda stopped by on her way home from church to pick up Derek and I got to meet her friend, Elise.
Dad and I drove home and picked up Mom and James, who was feeling better by this time, and went up to the Horn's house. Dad had some things to talk to Mr. H about and Mom of course wanted to see Mrs. H. Cara and I spent time talking and listening to Irish music, as always. James and John spent time checking out John's new laptop.
I was quite tired when I got home, though it was only eight o'clock. |
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posted by cori
8/22/2005 09:22:00 AM
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Thursday, August 18, 2005
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Pandimonium Embodied
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Today is the 18th. I did some calculating this morning and, realizing that there are only thirteen days left this month, started to calmly panic. Anyone ever been to Illinois this time of year? Is it cold? Is it still warm enough to wear summer clothes? Or should I open up my Rubbermaid tubs and search for my flannel teddy bear pajamas?
In search of an answer to my problems, I decided it would be best to be on the safe side and take along both short sleeve shirts and jackets. Hence, my bedroom is in veritable chaos. After tearing apart my closet, I decided to be organized about it and take things one step at a time. I should've thought of that sooner, before I covered my bed in clothes.
Armed with a pad of paper and a pencil, I began making lists of things to mend, things to start sewing, things to finish sewing, things to take with me to sew, etc. Having in my head all kinds of other things that I wanted to remember, even my organized list began to look disordered. I have to take everything from piano music, to my sewing machine, to my favorite red shirt. Things I'm likely to forget, like my cell phone charger, a hairbrush and my favorite books, I have to write down. I told my mom I'm going to have way too much stuff to fit into a suitcase. Dad offered me his sea bag from when he was in the navy. He says you can fit eighty pounds of stuff in there easy. :) I'll have to look into that.
I'm sitting here telling you all this stuff as though I have all the time in the world. Duh! I totally have to get going. I'm going to be a total wreck until I get things half way done. Then I'll slow down and blog again. |
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posted by cori
8/18/2005 11:02:00 AM
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Sunday, August 14, 2005
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Normal Sunday Afternoons
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It is so hot today! 105°! On days like these, I could hug whoever invented the air conditioner. However, I’ve been sewing again today and my chair sits by the window in the sun. This circumstance is pleasant when I have hand sewing to do, as I can look out the window and enjoy the heat from indoors. Unfortunately, when it’s 3:30 in the afternoon, the sun shines directly on my chair, thus causing uncomfortable warmth. :(
At the present moment, two fellas sit behind me at the piano. There's nothing I like better than hearing someone else play the piano. Liking the piano as I do, and not having anyone around to play it, I had to learn myself. But it's not as nice as just sitting by and listening to someone else play. James and Derek are playing a duet. James is on the violin. It sounds really good. A nice lively song that I can't presently remember the title to.
Dad disappeared a little while ago to work on his truck, which broke down on the way to work yesterday. No fun. I think there's some kind of pump that's broken. He says that the fellows who manufacture these cars should have to work on them. I guess this particular part that he had to replace was ridiculously difficult to get to.
I've been reading the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Have you read it? I bought it for my dad for Father's Day last June. He seemed to enjoy the sword fighting and the private duels. I love to read the old romantic adventures, especially when they're set in France. It seems to be a country constantly in unrest. Every book I've ever read about France centers around some political conflict, be it the Revolution or otherwise. But then, all the French novels are by definition fictitious accounts of the times.
Do you ever read those French words aloud? I cannot pronounce them at all! I would be so embarrassed to have to read it aloud to someone. I'd stumble over every word except D'Artagnan. That one is easy. And do you ever wonder how the "common" people kept all the titles straight? I'd never remember that "His Eminence" was the cardinal and not the pope. And when people say "my lord", couldn't they just clear up any doubt and say "my lord duke" so you know who they're talking about. But the characters all seem to know what's going on.
I'll let you know how I like the ending. Endings are always the most important. |
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posted by cori
8/14/2005 03:36:00 PM
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The only Dumas book I've read is The Man in the Iron Mask (a sequel to Three Musketeers). PLEASE tell me what Three Musketeers is about!
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I read the Man in the Iron Mask too. Only I read it first, before I read the Three Musketeers.
I'm finding TTM to be much more interesting. The characters are much more adventurous and dashing, but inclined to gamble away their assets. It's good. It's getting better. The only thing I have against it is it's length. And the story is only long because there are so many different plots going on. It's like a series of stories.
For instance, in the Count of Monte Cristo, it was one plot with many angles. In TTM, it's many plots concerned with one set of characters.
But it's good. I don't mind long stories if they're good.
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The Three Musketeers! I love that book! I have read it 5 or 6 times and I could still read it again. The plot(s) are excellent and never boring, and though the reading is challenging (try pronouncing "Monseigneur" correctly on your first try ;)it broadens the knowledge of the reader and gives him/her an excellent education in grammer, French, and geography (it covers France and England from Gascony to Buckingham, and from la Rochelle to Bordeaux).
Sheesh, if I go on any longer about it I am going to want to read it all over again now!
By the way, "monseigneur" is an honorable title in France meaning "my lord."
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I've got a question for the French professor.
If you stick and "x" on the end of a word, does that pronounce the "s" sound? For instance, the name of the cardinal, Richeleau, is pronounced rish-low. (Right? I hope?) Then would the name of the queen's personal clothing designer, Bonacieux, be pronounced...how?
Just curious. I'm already almost done, so I'm stuck pronouncing it wrong if I'm wrong.
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Oh, sorry about that totally misspelled name. The cardinal (Richelieu) I keep getting mixed with somebody's screen name (richleau) and it's totally confusing!
Anyhow, how do you pronounce it? Does anyone know?
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Friday, August 12, 2005
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Anyone for a cup of tea?
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I could sure use one. It's been a few hours since my last "coffee break". I've been doing an awful lot of sewing today. Two shirts, two kick pleats, and a jacket. I'm ready for a break. And it's only lunchtime!
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posted by cori
8/12/2005 12:00:00 PM
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No tea, thank you kindly though. I'll take a nice large mug of steaming hot coffee with irish cream if you please. Would love to have a coffee/tea chat with you right about now.
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How 'bout if I offered you a Wawa? That'd definitely take precedence over both tea and coffee. :)
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Zen? What's with that? What's with these sparratic comments? Are you finally catching up on my posts?
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Thursday, August 11, 2005
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A fair prospect
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I always was horrible at keeping secrets. Well, actually, I can keep them very well if I'm not called on to say anything. Though it's not a secret really, this is my reason for not blogging lately. I just don't like to tell stuff that's not settled yet.
Now, after that confusing little narrative, I suppose you're wondering what I could possibly have to say that's so secretive? (Even though it's not really a secret?) I'm planning to head out to ATI headquarters next month. Rather sudden some of you may think. Well, it would be if you had no knowledge that such a plan was in the making. But I suppose it is somewhat sudden, seeing as how last month I had no notion of such a plan, and this month I am in the middle of making preparations.
And these preparations are numerous and unorganized. (Was I ever organized?) From the moment we decided to pursue volunteering to work on staff at HQ, a million things have been running through my mind. Finishing Dad's website before I leave; teaching James how to clean a bathtub; getting my jaw fixed so I can open it again; teaching Manda the basics of algebra (never knew how hard it could be to explain something that seems so simple to me now to someone who has never seen a y that equals an x, but then I remember learning it myself. Oh! the frustration! the tears that flowed when I would get angry with myself for not understanding what seemed so simple to the teacher!); overhauling my wardrobe; etc. And for those of you who know the interest I take in clothing style, you know that, for me, trying to pull this year's fall fashions into a navy and white atmosphere is a difficult thing indeed.
So off we went to the store.
With a list in hand, I shopped for shoes. I shopped for jackets. And I shopped for fabric. I know some people wonder why on earth I like to sew so much. Could I sum it up by telling you that I'd rather pay $2 for a yard of fabric and make the new shirt than go to the store and pay $29.99 for the same shirt at Macy's? Besides, everyone must wear my size clothes, because I never can find them. Mom and I went to the mall last week on purpose to shop for clothes. Would you believe I didn't find a single thing? Not anything! *sigh* It's so exasperrating!
On our way home from shopping yesterday, Dad called the cell phone and asked if we'd rather have dinner at home, or go to the Salem County Fair and eat there? Oh fun! So when he got home and decided that our kitchen light was broken, (I could write an on-going saga about that light. It's been out for two weeks now. Try washing dishes in the dark.) we headed out towards Cowtown.
There weren't any rides at the fair, which was rather disappointing because I was looking forward to one particular ride called the Scrambler. (We've got to find one of those rides, Mom. We could set it up in the backyard! You think?) But it was fun to walk around and look at the 4-H displays and see the different shops set up that sold everything from baby toys, to jewelry, to log cabin homes, to sno-cones. I love sno-cones! I got a cherry one. They're kinda hard to eat after a while because it's in a paper cone, and you have to tip it up just right to get the ice to slide down without hitting you in the nose. :)
Daddy bought me a dozen roses from a fellow selling them at the fair. They are so pretty! Kind of a purpley-mauve color. And they opened up beautifully when I put them in water.
So, that's what I've been doing lately. Guess I'll update you with more as it happens. |
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posted by cori
8/11/2005 12:30:00 PM
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Dearest Les,
I have been wondering all week about how on earth we will manage our visits together if you're at HQ and I'm in Texas. We simply must work this out. Living far away will be bad enough, but not seeing you on my return trips to Jersey would be awful.
The roses are absolutely beautiful. I've never seen roses of that particular color before.
Although I check your blog on a daily basis now, after you leave, I'll be an even more faithful reader.
Bunches of love!
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w0w! So you're working at HQ! have fun!
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Hi Leah! Glad to see you found me online!
You know, re-reading this post, it strikes me as a wonder that anyone is able to make sense of anything I say.
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Cori: We all know you so that makes it easier, but then too, we all have rambled on without stopping to make things clear or concise. Now don't think that I am calling your post an unlear, non-concise rambling (per se :) I'm just simply commenting.
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Per se? Are you insinuating without actually saying?
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Tuesday, August 09, 2005
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Ice cream again? It's getting to be a habit.
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It's been a while since we went to get ice cream. So we went last night. Derek had come over to visit and we'd been playing Phase 10 for a while when all of a sudden, somebody had a craving for ice cream. I think it was Mom. That made me want a raspberry water ice. Oh yeah. Those are so good.
So we waited for five or six more rounds of the game before somebody won. It wasn't me. I forget who it was. (My mind was a little distracted.) As we left the house, we taught Derek how to play Touched-Ya-Last. ('Member that, Jess?) This is a game my family has been playing for as long as I can remember. It's a lot like tag, except that the only place you can be that's "safe" is either in bed or in the car.
So after Dad tagging Derek and hopping in the car, we all headed over to the custard stand. Unfortunately, they didn't have raspberry ice. Only cherry and watermelon. So I got a raspberry burst instead. Those are really tasty. Gooey syrup stuff that runs all over the place while you try to lick the cone.
As it was raining a little, we opted for sitting under the umbrella on the tables there. There wasn't much space to sit as the table was all wet outside the circle that the umbrella protected. Dad kept tapping the umbrella to make all the water spill over the sides and get anybody wet that was too close to the edge. James kept spinning the umbrella so that the hole in it was not over top of himself. Mom decided she would get less wet if she just stayed in the car. I kept pulling my toes back from the rain because all I had on was sandals to keep my feet dry and Derek just sat there laughing at the rest of us while calmly eating his watermelon water ice.
After finishing the delicious treat of frozen dessert in the rain, Mom and Dad pulled the car over to the table where we were sitting. James got up, spun the umbrella one last time and got in the car. I got up and Derek got up. As we both walked over to the car, he opened the door on my side (yeah, you think he's just being nice) and reached over to tap my shoulder. "Touched ya last!" he said, as he sat in my seat and shut the door.
Oh, brother! Whose idea was it to teach him this game? |
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posted by cori
8/09/2005 12:22:00 PM
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Tuesday, August 02, 2005
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Y'all ready to go?
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I would like to start off by stating that there is no possible way to briefly describe a Children's Institute. There's no way to fit into a bloggable space a week long encounter with Christ. Even if I were to tell you the highlights, there would be so much left out, that I would never feel I had done justice to the time I have just spent in Lancaster.
Monday morning, Mom and Dad drove us out to Lancaster Bible College where we would not only be teaching the children, but we would also be staying on campus. It took us a while to figure out just exactly where everyone was. Spotting a very conspicuous young lady attired in the ever popular navy and white, we inquired as to where we should meet with the folks in charge of the CI. She sent us to the gym. It was so nice to see a familiar face come out the front door just as we walked up to it. Brad Dettwyler had worked the CI in Baltimore last year. I knew him right off, however, I had to reintroduce myself as he couldn't remember my name. Since they didn't really have room assignments worked out, we stowed our gear (including sheets, towels and blankets) in a couple of empty rooms in the dorm across from the gym. Teacher training started in about ten minutes so we said goodbye, changed our clothes, (can you believe I even had time to iron mine?) and headed back to the gym. At teacher training, I started right in learning things I had heard a million times before. But I'm kind of thick headed sometimes and it takes a million and one times to get through with some things.
God is so wise.
He is so wise to what I need, that it simply blows me away. If I had to keep track of what I needed, I would have enough on my hands. But God, He knows what I need, what my brother needs, what my team assistants need, what each single child on my team needs, what each member of the CI team needs, and not only that. He knows not only what I need to have accomplished in my life. He knows the best way to do it too.
I often wonder about the concept of God, who knows everything, having a "plan B". I don't think "plan B's" exist as far as He is concerned. I think that what we see as "plan B", God sees as the next step of "plan A". I believe that every single thing that comes into our lives is part of His plan, part of His ultimate purpose.
There are many things that I have learned this week. Not just things like the IBLP definition of obedience. Not just how to present the stronghold diagram to a group of eight children between the ages of six and eleven. Not just how to respond when two girls and one boy insist on a trip to the bathroom at the same time that two other girls suddenly become thirsty.
I learned more than that. More even than I expected to learn. I knew God had some things to teach me. I knew He had been preparing me for an unforgettable week. (CI's are always unforgettable.) But what I didn't know was how I was going to respond. Of all the things that I ought to know, this should have been one of them. But even I cannot predict my own reactions. Psalm 139 says "Search me, O God, and know my thoughts. Try me and know my ways." I know how it works. I remember from the past what it is like when God is preparing me to encounter Himself.
Sometimes, I feel like a "turtle on a fencepost", as Sarah Perkins put it. However, she interpreted it with a somewhat more enlightened viewpoint. When she asked if anyone had ever felt like that, I immediately raised my hand.
"Yes!" I cried. "You're moving all over the place, but you still can't get anywhere."
This evoked a very interesting facial expression. She had obviously not thought of it that way. "No," she said. "If you see a turtle on a fencepost, how do you suppose it got there? Someone had to put it there. Someone bigger, and more powerful than the turtle put him on top of that fencepost."
Now this may seem obvious to some, but it took me a while to realize that if God put me on a fencepost, I shouldn't want to go anywhere. (Did I mention that I am thick headed at times?) I should be content to remain on that fencepost until He decides to move me off. It shouldn't matter that He is picking up all the other turtles and moving them along. It's not going to do me any good to flail my arms and legs around because He's still not going to change His plan to suit me. It's not only a waste of energy, but you look kind of silly too.
That was lesson one. And my week had only just begun.
I met my teammates at the end of teacher training. I was made a leader and my assistants were Timothy Beiler and Bethany Heath. We had eight children on our team. Most of them knew each other because, living in the same area, they played softball together at school. Some of them lived in Pittsburg, so they took a while to get to know the other children. We taught them about the principle of design and watched a skit about the prodigal son. We learned how he showed humility by returning to his father's house and asking forgiveness.
After the kids left and we cleaned up our station and put away the extra things, I obtained a key to room 15 from Amos Glick, who was sort of in charge of room assignments. I was told that another girl would be rooming with me, so I went to the dorm and unpacked. I put everything in a place that would be accessible later in the week. I hung up my clothes. I set up my video camera to charge overnight. I took a shower. I tried to stay warm in an unusually cold room. When I finally decided that my room mate wasn't going to arrive any time soon, I shut off the light and fell asleep.
When I woke up, I assumed that there had been a definite misunderstanding somewhere. The other bed remained empty. Huh. That's weird. Maybe I didn't hear right? Maybe Amos didn't hear right? Either way, I was without a room mate all week. So I hung around the dorm till nine or so, then decided that since that was kind of boring, I'd head over to the gym and decorate the team station. I wrote tonight's definition on the white board. I hung up a picture of the globe to represent Monday's lesson on design. Then I hung up a wheel to represent the lesson for tonight. You know that wheel on a ship that you steer with? I can't think of what it's called but that's what it looked like. Then I made little pockets for the kids to put their crafts in. Then I made the "keys of obedience" that no one ever remembers. BTW, there are now five keys instead of three.
Around ten the guys from the dorm started to come over and play basketball. That was distracting. Every time I looked down at what I was reading, a ball would hit close by and I'd have to turn my attention in that direction. I called my mom to find out what the name Caleb means. (I know it means "dog" but I really didn't think that the boy on my team would appreciate such a literal translation. We settled on "courageous.")
At teacher training, we learned how to make sailor hats out of paper. We also read the passage of scripture where God calls Moses to go to Egypt. Let's look at Exodus chapter four.
And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.
And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hands? And he said, A rod.
And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Amd the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand."
You might look at this passage and think, "So what? Of course God is able to change things into snakes if He wants to." You might wonder why this particular section is so important to me instead of the verses later on that speak of God's power replacing our weaknesses. (vs. 11 & 12) You might overlook the awesome point God made to me in these few somewhat obscure verses.
Then again, you just might see it yourself.
Now, quite frankly, I am terrified of snakes. I don't know about you, but if anyone at my house even mentions that they saw a snake, I don't go near the area for a month without a big brother escort. And even James carries a big heavy staff. And I'm am sure that if even if I were to summon up the courage to pick up James's big stick and brave it alone, I would nearly jump out of my skin if I set it down and it turned into a snake. And then I think I would probably run from it. I certainly would not pick it up, no matter how much urging and prodding anyone gave me.
But a command from God? That takes on a whole new level of consequence. When God tells you to do something, and you know it's God that's telling you, you do it. Right? You'd better. Especially when God is speaking to you in His own very audible voice. You'd really jump to do it then, right? I hope so. But what if what He tells you to do is something that you not only hesitate to do, but it terrifies you? If God tells me to pick up a snake by the tail, I hesitate most of the time. I sit and listen to the enemy ask me questions like "What if it's poisonous?" and "What if it tries to bite me?", instead of listening to the truth that God is trying to get through to me. He's not going to hurt me. As soon as I obey, He's going to remove that fear and turn the snake back into a big stick. It just takes a leap of faith.
That was lesson two.
That night was lots of fun. (I can't believe I've only made it to Tuesday already!) All the kids made sailor hats and wore them to large group. We watched a skit about a selfish sailor and how followed a map he made himself. He ran into all kinds of problems from sharks and storms to the natives of Pleasure Island taking away his boat. Then we learned about authority and learned how, when God sent frogs to Egypt, they jumped to obey. (Corny joke alert!!) We made little foamie frogs that jumped on a string. You'd have to see them for yourself. No amount of description could paint the proper picture for you. Then we returned to large group and watched the story of Moses and Aaron coming before Pharaoh and telling them to "Let'em go!" That one was unforgettable.
Wednesday morning dawned. I slept in. But I woke in time to meet everyone else for a trip to Park City Center, which is an enormous mall. There had to be 250 stores. No, I don't count the little stands in the middle as stores. At first, I wanted to follow James around. I hadn't hardly seen him all week. But he wanted to follow Micah, who wanted to go with his brother Daniel, who wanted to go with Brad Dettwyler. That would have been awkward, being the only girl, but most of you know that I'm attached to James at the hip practically. Anyway, another girl, Leah, wanted to come with me, and her roommate Carol wanted to be with her. So we started off, one big group. It didn't take the guys long to realize that they had a following. They walked down the south wing, past all the stores we girls wanted to stop and see. Then they reached Boscov's, decided *gasp* not to go in, and turned around. The three of us girls had a quick commitee meeting and they voted me spokesperson. I called Brad's attention and told him "We're leaving you," and went our merry way.
We met up with them again an hour and a half later, after hitting every ladies' clothing store on the south and west wings. We spotted them in the middle concourse thing and ran to catch up because we hadn't yet found the food court and we knew that's where they were headed. Leah and I ordered fried chicken from one of the booths and sat down at a group of tables that had been shoved together for the purpose. The biggest entertainment during the meal was watching a fellow in the arcade next to us jump up and down in time to music on a colored pad. He apparently had to match his footwork to the pattern on the screen. It was hilarious. Especially because the guy had longish curly hair that bounced up and down as often as he did. It was too funny to watch after a while. The guys just had to join in! They entered the arcade and spied a basketball game at the back. (Oh, brother! I was soon to learn just how much Brad, Daniel and Micah loved a good game.)
Back at the ranch, we all piled out of the van, changed our clothes and met for teacher training again.
I learned (again) about the stronghold diagram. But this time, I learned it differently. Let me put it this way. Our enemy looks at us and sees either easy prey or an extreme challenge. If he sees us as a challenge in one area, he will purposely look for the areas where we become vulnerable. (Like I've never heard that before. Did I mention how stubborn and thick headed I can be?) But he doesn't use this tactic to invade only our minds. He uses it to invade our hearts as well. It's a terrible thing to realize that you have welcomed the devil into your heart with open arms. Of course, he doesn't look evil when he comes in. He looks quite good. The things he wants to give us look really great. And it's not until someone points it out to me that I realize what I've done.
But believe me, when someone points it out, I'm not usually one to debate with myself over whether or not I want to be under the control of God or the devil. Get him outta there. It's no wonder my devotions have been so hard to get to lately. It's no wonder I felt like God wasn't hearing my prayers. If I've given parts of my heart to the enemy under the pretences of either my plans, my friends, my thoughts or otherwise, how could there be any room left for God to move around and work?
That was lesson three. I was starting to feel overwhelmed.
On Thursday I slept in a little. I knew that the guys had told us to meet over at the gym by ten for volleyball and such like, but I sat on my bed enjoying the sounds of the Moonlight Sonata being formed by the soft playing of a guitar. Nope, no one had brought their guitar. It was coming from my headphones. (I wish someone had brought a guitar.) But I was listening and reading over my curriculum for later, when I heard a faint ringing noise. It sounded more like beeping. I took off my headphones and heard someone whack an alarm clock. I looked at my watch. Nine forty-five!! I was shocked that Brad and Amos would sleep in until fifteen minutes before they had to us to meet them. Well, I was not really surprised. It was kinda funny.
We played speed volleyball all morning. It was great fun. By the third or fourth game, my team really had a unity worked out. I played back left every game. Sometimes they would switch Daniel and Liz so that one didn't have to serve every game, but we all had our positions worked out so we knew where we needed to be as soon as we hit the court. There were five on each team. Amos, Lauren and I constituted the rest of team three. We lost every game, but it wasn't for lack of heart. I sacrificed my knees for the "good of the team" as M.S. would put it. I hadn't skinned my knees since, oh I don't even remember when. I couldn't kneel at the team station for the rest of the week. I had to sit cross legged.
Teacher training on Thursday consisted of part one, which covered Saturday's seminar, and part two, which covered that evening. They gave us a break in between, wherein I called my mom to let her know that Brad was planning an outing to Philly the next day. I wanted to see if Mom and Dad would like to meet us there. I didn't have any major revelations on Thursday, at least, not like I'd had all week. But Amos led devotions that morning instead of Brad. He had some interesting things to say. He shared with us a book called Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. It's a book for men, but it still seemed to have plenty to say that applied to us ladies as well. One quote that he read, I tried to write down, but it was such a long quote, and I didn't catch it all before he stopped reading. So I borrowed his book to copy it down. It's way to awesome not to share.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly... who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat."
Teddy Roosevelt
It's a long thought. But it's intense and extreme and insightful. I would hate to be one who never knew the triumph of victory. I would even hate to never learn from my defeats. Even God Himself went through defeat to reach for victory.
That night we taught the children about patience and suffering. The story was about Joseph. Rather loosely adapted for a CI atmosphere, but still getting the point across that even though it seems like we're going through an awful lot of bad things, God still has a purpose for us. (The turtle on the fencepost comes to mind again.)
On Friday, the dorm folks went to visit Amos's family. (Philly was cancelled as the plans got too complicated to add to the already present stress of a CI.) They live quite local to the seminar. Amos took us around his farm. We even played in the little wooden airplane in his backyard. Then he took us to his cousin's farm. His cousin is Amish, so we got to see a glimpse of how their farms work. I was able to feed the work horses, from my hands. Yuck! It tickled!! Then we went to the barn where the cows were milked. There weren't many cows there at the time because they were all out in the fields. We looked inside the silo. We petted the horses. We saw the baby calves. We saw Amos get his hand all slimy from the calves licking it. (Gross!) We saw the view from the hayloft. And we went back to the Glick's farm.
We had lunch there and Mrs. Glick showed us around their house. The original house was over two hundred years old, but you wouldn't know it the way they have it decorated. I assume by the posters and stuff on the walls that Mr. Glick and Amos volunteer at the local fire department. And Mrs. Glick must definitely like to sew. She has a whole room set up that adjoins their office, with a big cabinet that covers the whole wall. It looks just like the kitchen only instead of a sink and stove, there's an iron and sewing machine. Cool!
After lunch and ice cream, (thanks to Amos for those awesome sandwiches!) we went back to the gym. More volleyball and basketball. I was not up for more sports, so I asked to have the piano turned on and did some practicing. Unfortunately, I hadn't brought any music, so all I could practice were the songs I already knew by heart. Everyone playing speed volley thought it was really funny when I started to play the Spinning Song, because they all seemed to move faster. Who says real life doesn't have background music?
I watched as the fellas played basketball. I think I know how to play now. If I could just get the ball through the hoop. They played and played and played. Brad and Amos teamed up against all comers. They must play together a lot because even the teams of brothers couldn't beat them. They finally matched up against Daniel Cavanaugh (no, not the same one you're thinking of) and Seth Johnson. They went on for a good long while before Seth and Daniel won. Poor Seth! He was playing hard and had to stop after almost every basket to get water and once he was hit by someone in the mouth and started to bleed. Everyone watching the game told him to stop and end the game, but he insisted on finishing it out. Go Seth!
We were all quite tired out by the end of the day, but Daniel had things to do, and Micah wanted to play Knockout and no one was about to leave for the dorm until the appointed time. Micah, after all that basketball he had played and all that volleyball, still wasn't tired, so he played Knockout against four tired girls and me. (I hadn't been playing all day so I wasn't really tired.) Needless to say, he won every game. Even though I wasn't tired, I still couldn't get the ball through the hoop.
Well, Saturday was a long day. We played games with the kids. We sang songs. We watched a skit about a little boy who never remembered his mom's birthday. That one was cool. The story followed him growing up, and every year he remembered his mom's brithday the day before, rushed out to get a gift and ended up somehow messing everything up. Either he gave her a toy sword in the hopes that she wouldn't like it and would give it back, or he bought a really expensive china plate, hoping to impress everyone from the store clerk to his mom, or he didn't want to spend much money on her present. Each year, his mom was disappointed. But finally, an adult by this time, he bought her a rose bush and picked the best one for her. The skit was on genuine love.
At the end of the day, everyone on our team rushed everywhere in the building trying to get autographs from Sarah Perkins, Brad, Amos, Daniel and Alicia. One little girl on my team had been too shy and nervous all week long to even say "hi" to Brad when he came by our team, which he had to do quite often as I could not always handle the boys' energetic spirits. So she blushed clear up to her hair when he took her book from me, signed it, gave it back and said how great it was to have her here this week.
The seminar was over by six o'clock. All the teachers took a group picture, signed books, exchanged addresses and said goodbye. Mom and Dad took us to BK for dinner. They had already eaten and had thought that we would've too. We spent the night at a hotel, had breakfast at CrackerBarrel and rode home Sunday afternoon.
I spent most of Monday taping the skits and stories onto a VHS for someone. I still have three to go. I did spend some of the day outdoors in the garden. I thought leaving for a few days was bad! I came home and there are little trees growing all over my clover patch. And we obviously didn't get much rain either because most of the leaves on my clover were all yellow colored and my rosebush was wilting. I had some definite weeding and watering to do. I also finally found where my clematis plants had disappeared to. I've been looking for them for a while now. Mom found them in the garage. So I planted those also.
Mom and I shopped online for that book Amos Glick told me about, Wild at Heart. I found that Mr. Eldredge and his wife wrote a sort of counterpart to that book for women, called Captivating. I'll let you know how it is, because I'm definitely finding these books. I just hope I can obtain them before I run out of interest in them. I hate that. If I can't get a book when I want it, sometimes I lose all enthusiasm for it.
So, like I said, there is no possible way to briefly describe a Children's Institute, but if you've read all the way through this, you know that I'm not brief anyway. I tried, but it was a whole week after all. |
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posted by cori
8/02/2005 10:04:00 AM
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Les,
What a wonderful post! Well worth the wait. :)
Thanks for all the encouragement and insightful glimpses into what God has been teaching you. I look forward to hearing even more about your week when I see you.
Would I be too much of a pest if I put a request in for some pictures?
Oh, thought you might like to read a book review on "Captivating" I read awhile back. Actually, it's a sort of a review of Debi Pearl's book and "Captivating" at the same time. I don't remember a whole lot of what the reviewer had to say, but here's the link if you want to check out her thoughts: http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/artman/publish/article_2031.shtml
So glad you had a good time, my dear.
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Cara,
Thanks for posting that link. I think we have a tendency to hear of something new and run with it. I appreciated the insights given on the link.
Mrs. T
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You forgot the part where I "fixed" the sound system friday night.
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That will have to be reserved for your own version of the week. Get yourself a blog, boy!
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| The ShugaBowl |
| Sounds like some kind of sports thing, but in reality, the ShugaBowl is just a little hideaway for me, Sugarcube herself, to let loose my thoughts and occasional creativeness. |
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Well, I got through yesterday without crying, but that didn't last today after reading your post. I was struck with the significance of this goodbye. This is no "I'll see you next week" or even "I'll see you next month" goodbye. It is an "I don't know when I'll see you again" goodbye. I hate goodbyes.