October/November

Well, it's time for an update on this blog yet again, and I'm in the mood to write. At present I'm in Fall Session 2 of classes, taking Making Christ Known and Between the Testaments. Although Between the Testaments is a history class it still manages to be quite a bit of a challenge. Making Christ Known was a class I did not want to take, but God changed my plans. It has proven to be a delightful, inspiring, fun, learning class. There are about 12 students: 8 guys, 4 gals. In both of my classes I'm no longer the youngest, I got beat out by a 14 year old and a 16 year old. Next week is the last week of class!!!!!! My family and I are all extremely excited. Then I have 2 months off of school. During break I plan to read books on finances, do some cleaning, celebrate Christmas and New Years, and who knows what all else.

Before session 2 started I turned 20. It's proven to be a fairly enjoyable age. The verse I picked out for this year of being 20 is Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding". My goal is to be a lady that fears the Lord and I'm actively growing in my knowledge of Him. I'm looking forward to what the next 11 months hold!

The transition to a new church has been fairly smooth. We are meeting new people and working on developing new friendships. This is church is very actively reaching out to our community, seeking to follow God in everything, and just overall shaking up the "going through the motions Christian". God is using this church in my life for good.

IJS and August/September

Last Sunday, my family and I left our church of 9 years. We love everyone at our "old" church, and we hope to continue our friendships with them. Last week there were only ourselves, our Pastor's family and 6 other people, 4 of which will most likely not be at the church in a few months. So it is not a mega-church, which means we have developed close friendships with the people there. It's odd but I'm excited about this new season of going to a different church. This week we visited a church, and it was an adjustment having to wake up extra early on a Sunday.

My family and I have a pretty boring life. I'm going into my 5th week of school, and the sessions are only 6 weeks long! This session I've been taking "Life of Christ" and "Holocaust and Anti-Semitism". I'm learning in both classes, but I'm enjoying "Holocaust and Anti-Semitism" the most. I think the reason is I enjoy recent history. There are about 11 students in that class, 3 of which are ladies. We are about age 72, 52, and 19. In "Life of Christ" there are 19 students. I've always been the youngest in all my IJS classes. Fall break is coming up real soon, which means I need to start working on my final papers for these classes.

My first week of class, Daddy and Mommy went to Pittsburgh. The day before they left Je and I went and got Grandma and brought her home with us. She stayed a week with us, as our Aunt and Uncle were gone that week. Je and I got to take care of Grandma and we had a blast doing it. Having Grandma visiting encouraged me to get my school done, so I could play with her. It was also my best first week of school ever. My 1st class with IJS I had a ton going on right before I started school and on my 2nd class I was sick the first week.

The family's camera broke in May, so we've been using Je's camera. So any recent photographs, are from her camera.
Je and I made homemade bread for the first time. I found a recipe for challah (Jewish Sabbath bread) this spring, and it took until the end of the summer for me to actually make the bread. It was quite a bit of work, but a ton of fun feeling the dough in my hands. We couldn't decided what exactly to use the 2 loaves for (they each were so big, only 1 fit on a cookie sheet), so we froze them. Now we use them for homemade garlic bread (I don't think that's the intened use for challah, but we enjoy it).

12 Years Ago Today...

My first and only brother, Benjamin Edward was born dead at 8:05 p.m., when my mom was 20 weeks along. On August 10th, my mom went in for a rountine ultrasound, and there was no longer a heartbeat. A week later on the 17th, we had his funeral. It was definately a hard week, and many difficult days followed. For the few months he was with us, we had so much fun together. We went on vacation, looked at baby things, and my mom got to buy lots of new clothes! I'm so grateful that the Lord gave me Ben and the experience of being a big sister. Je and I had been praying for a year or so for a sibling, specifically a brother, and the Lord so graciously answered in giving us Ben. One thing special about today, is that it is the 12th and it's been 12 years since he was born.

Back during the summer of the 1996 Olympics, my mom came up with the acrostic for Benjamin-the name my parents were going to name their son, if the Lord ever gave them one.

Benjamin, Edward, Nathan, Jospeh, Allan, Matthew, Isaac, Then our last name.

Je and I used to sing his acrostic name a lot when Mommy was pregnant with him.

Today is also special in two other ways. Today would have been my paternal grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary, and Je is 23 1/2 today!

Gardening and the Summer

There has been a lot going on in my mind recently. Just thinking of where I'm at with my walk with the Lord. Areas that need to be corrected, and ways to change them to be more Christ-like. (Anyone who reads this is welcome to pray for me.)

On a totally different note: We put in a garden as a family on Memorial Day morning. We try to have a garden every year of about 8 plants maximum. Last year it was 4 tomato plants, 3 pepper plants, and 1 cucumber plant. Well this year we really had vision as we bought 21 tomato plants, 9 broccoli plants, 2 cucumber plants, 2 squash plants, and 2 green pepper plants for a total of 36 plants!

Well, what am I doing now that I don't have school? Last month I started teaching 4 children piano, plus the student I've had for over a year for a total of 5 students. But my student I've had a while is taking a break for the summer, so I only have 4 students this summer. One of the areas that needs to be corrected in my life is the sin of laziness. I'm praying that the Lord might give me a ministry, a way to serve Him, and also something to do to keep me from wasting time. The big thing I'm doing this summer is spending time with my family. Also I'm doing the typical tasks of folding laundry, doing dishes, helping make meals, playing piano, and doing the things that are on my list. -I know I need a bigger vision for my life and I'm working on that.

P.S. I got 4 more piano students today!

Girl's Week and Quilting

This is a post I wrote back in April when my parents were gone for a week.

This week Je and I have been fairly busy. We are planning on making three quilts together this week. The top of my sister's lap quilt should be done tonight-only two seams left to do! Tomorrow we start on Je's pastel baby size quilt, and possibly on my bright baby size quilt.
The tops of the quilts were all were completed.

Not having school has been a bit of an adjustment. It has been fun not having school. Since I don't have school my mom has given me more jobs to do around the house.

I'm one of the laziest persons around, and I want to do something about that. So I have taken up consistently running, (the running thing didn't last long and I need to get back to it) memorizing Scripture, and trying to get up earlier in the day. But this week I haven't been quite as strict on doing my new goals. Last night Je and I didn't go to bed till 1 a.m., so I didn't get up very early this morning. Yup, that's what happens when the parents are gone.

IJS and Summer Break

Wow! It's hard to believe next week I finish my class! Then I'll have all summer off till about August when my next class starts at IJS. I'll miss my classmates and their encouragement and spurring on, but then there is always hope I'll study with them again in the next couple of years. Right now, my goal is to take a total of 12 IJS courses, finishing up in the spring of 2012 by taking two classes together one time. Since the class I'm taking now is entitled "Jewish Culture and Customs," one of my assignments was to visit a Jewish synagogue. A week and a half ago, my family went to a Jewish Synagogue. It was a very long service -from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45, with a Kiddush (a snack) after that. Since almost the entire service was in Hebrew, any English was a delight to hear. I learned a lot from attending the service.

On the other hand, I'm looking forward to summer break. The ladies are planning to do some sewing. I plan to do a little gardening, most likely do quite a bit of reading, take a couple of trips with my family, and who knows what all else. Daddy and Mommy are going to be gone a couple of weeks this spring/summer, and without parents around Je and I have a total blast. Actually we have fun with them around too, but it just gets better when they are gone.

For us Resurrection Sunday, was like any other Sunday. Today Je bought me a whole bunch of discount candy, which we are going to enjoy eating for the next several weeks. We always try to stretch our candy as long as possible.

A couple weeks ago I got a YouTube channel named joyfulhymns. On it I posted a video of me playing "There is a Redeemer". I've tried to link it, but I haven't had any success. So if you want to see it, try searching on YouTube.

Last Thursday we had a bit of an adventure. Our tub drain has not been draining well, and we've tried all sorts of things to get it to drain better but we haven't had sucess. So Mommy decided to turn the hot water heater up temporarily, then put hot water down the drain. Well the water in the hot water heater got so hot, that I guess it popped the relief valve thing, so hot water started pouring out of the water heater. We caught it quite quickly, so it didn't make too big of a mess. We learned a lessson: Never turn the hot water heater up!!! If you are going to turn it up, turn it up very gradually.

March Happenings

Due to receiving an anonymous comment, from my mom I suspect, I decided to do another post again. The comment before that was another anonymous one, that time from my sister on my need to post. So the moral of the story: comment and maybe if I see it, I'll post again.

Last Thursday, my mom turned 50 years old, half of a century. It was a non-eventful sort of affair. She did receive some presents, and she worked on sewing herself a dress during the day. For lunch I brought home Chinese at her request. Daddy took a business trip, which he didn't take Momma on, which was quite a treat for us ladies (we never get left home alone with our mom overnight, because Daddy has a very hard time being separated from her). It was just an overnight affair, so he got home the afternoon of Momma's birthday.

Je enjoys her work, and she is working many hours this week and next. The Lord just keeps giving her more and more hours to work. We sure miss her when she is gone, although today Mommy and I went to visit her at work which was very nice.

For me I'm taking a class on Jewish Culture and Customs. It's been a whole lot different than my last class. First of all NO tears!!! Then my professor is very interactive with us students, and there are 11 of us students-almost twice the amount of the first class. Therefore discussion is a whole lot easier, added to the fact that the questions are actually fun to answer. Today was my first day to be somewhat discouraged and I'm not really sure exactly why. Only 3 1/2 weeks until summer break!

Last week, and part of the week before that, Mommy, Je, and I made 8 skirts. Four of the skirts were a ladies size, the other four a size medium girls. We sent them off to Haiti. We all had a ton of fun sewing and making the skirts together.

In other news I heard a report that there is more than just one person who reads this blog, that means I need to be careful what I write, and to write more often. I really don't blame people for not commenting. I read many, many blogs, and I rarely ever comment.

February at our House

February was a fun month. The beginning/middle of the month, Daddy and Mommy left for a week and went to Pittsburgh. Je and I stayed home and had a grand old time. We watched lots of movies, went to a talk on chocolate and tasted it at the library, and I managed to do my school in a timely matter. Then on February 12th, my big sister turned the big TWO THREE. We went and had our nails done, and my sister had an updo. Then in the evening we had our church over for an ice cream social. The afternoon of that day was spent doing the final preparations for the party. Our parents arrived home in the middle of the ice cream social. We played Fictionary, which is where one person writes out the definition of a very obscure word in the dictonary, than everyone else writes out what they think the definition is, after that the definitions are all read and everyone votes on which one they think is correct. It was a lot of fun.

I haven't said exactly where I do online college. It's called Institute of Jewish Studies or IJS as I always call it. Friends of Israel is the parent organization over it. Last fall they went online (before the Institute was at Philadelphia Biblical University). Once I finished high school I knew I wanted to take online Bible classes, but I didn't know exactly where. I had considered The Master's College Online, but I was more comfortable with IJS, since I feel like I know the people with Friends of Israel, and I had heard talks from the Professors at IJS about how great IJS is.


This above picture leads me to another exciting development at my house. On Saturday a laptop arrived for my family to use. I was taking over our computer, so my dad decided to buy a laptop that I could use. I think the laptop is just the greatest thing. In fact I typed some of my school on it today.

While I'm between college classes, my mom has been teaching me cake decorating. Here is what I learned today. It's quite fun if you have the right equipment.

January at our House

Right off in January brought a trip to Mississippi to visit my Grandmother. We've decided that we aren't taking any more long trips in January unless we have to. The roads were bad for the first couple of hours on our way down. Then on our way home a week later, they were extremely treacherous. We saw probably 100 cars in the ditch, a Greyhound bus, and jackknifed semis. We ended up stayed overnight in Champaign, IL at a super nice Country Inn and Suites, because of the horrible roads. It turned out to be a very nice relaxing evening. Drinking hot cocoa, going out to eat at a Bob Evans, with only 1 other table of people when we arrived and 5 tables when we left. Then listening to a book on tape in our room and just relaxing. We arrived home safely the next day.

A few days later I played for church, and then the Monday of that week I started college online. My 1st class was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. My poor family got to hear me cry almost everyday. But I learned a huge amount, and today I officially finished all my assignments. Monday I start my next class which is entitled, Jewish Culture and Customs, this class looks to be somewhat easier-it doesn't deal with difficult to interpret Bible passages. My classmates were wonderful in my last class, and my new class I have more classmates and I'm sure they will be great also.

The day we left Mississippi they had a "horrible" snowstorm, they even called school off. Here is a picture of all the snow!!! We thought it was nothing compared to what we are used to.

Also in January we had the Z kids and their parents over. I go to their house every Monday to socialize with people younger than me and also to work. They are all very good artists, in fact Gracie, the girl in the middle, recently won an art contest with a very large cash prize. I feel very fortunate to know such famous young people.

Elijah and Evie are the two youngest of the Z kids. They are just as fun as their older siblings.

A Late Christmas Photo Post

This sure is super late, but better late than never. We had a nice Christmas, pretty subdued and long like it usually is. Since we each open a present one at a time, and with the ladies Christmas buying habits it is usually a 1 1/2 hour affair. We all received plenty of things. Daddy
Je
Mommy
Ki

This blog just keeps getting neglected. I'll blame it on starting an online class in January. Right now I'm on break after my 1st online class entitled "Biblical Interpretation Makes a Difference". During break I made myself a whole list of things I wanted to do, most of which have been or are being accomplished. In my next blog post I'll talk more about what I've been up to.