Colorado!

So I just got back from a fishing trip to Colorado. It was great fun. Before we went, however, we stopped at Quartz Mountain last Saturday (the 20th) to hear Leighanne's first choir concert. It was fantastic! She did amazing. Funny story, we were going to have a picnic with her saturday for dinner, and so we brought KFC to the porch outside the cafeteria. Just as we got there, it started to rain. It didn't stop. So, we did the logical thing, and sat outside in the rain to eat our fried chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits. I had to drain the water out of my plate several times, my napkin disitegrated
and we were all quite wet by the end of it.

My grandparents then took Nathanael and I to Colorado and we got there on Monday. We fished Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and didn't even get any bites. It was very discouraging. I did catch just about everything except fish, though. Rocks, trees, bushes, branches, grass, the bottom of the river, my jeans, my fingers, and lots of the long, slimy green moss that grows in every river on the planet.

Our grandparents starved us the whole time, giving us oreos, chocolate, ice cream, hot chocolate, pork chops, stew, burgers, mexican food, and other yummy things, making a hike on Wednesday very necessary in order to lose some of the weight I'm sure I gained. We hiked upriver to a big rock that we climbed up, and the view of the mountains (we were in a valley) was spectacular. I also love climbing rocks, so that was fun. But we had to go back after that, because it started raining.

It rained Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, so we had to stay inside. We played games, and I drew for a while. Wednesday, when we tried to eat outside for lunch, it started raining. This time we were able to go inside, though. After not catching any fish, we went to visit my Aunt who lives in Colorado for her birthday on Thursday. I had to order trout at a restaurant in Pagosa Springs in order to get my fish! It was good though.

The drive from Antonito to Bayfield was totally amazing. Words cannot describe how beautiful the mountains were. My camera died just as we got to the best part of the drive, but I got some pictures later. I don't see how people think that the world could have been created by chance after seeing something like that.

For my Aunt's birthday, we went to the Bar D Chuckwagon, which is supposed to be outside. You'll never guess what happened. It rained. So they had to pull the cover over all the tables to keep us dry. It was yummy food though, and the show afterwards was quite good, and very amusing.

Friday we drove to Albuquerque to see my other Aunt and Uncle and cousins. For dinner we went to a place called Genghis Grill, wich was "Mongolian Stir Fry." I don't usually like stir fry, but you went through a line and put all the raw ingriedients (only the stuff you like) into a bowl and then give it to the cooks who all stand around a big, round grill. It was good.

The biggest problem with the trip was that the bathrooms were very primitive, and there were no showers, so I only got to shower once in the 5th wheel. I was glad to get to my Aunt's house just so I could feel clean again. Saturday morning we got up extremely early in order to go back to Quartz Mountain for Leighanne's second concert. Once again, it was amazing! She even had a part in a small ensemble that were the bells in the most difficult song the choir director had ever directed in his life, and he directs a professional adult choir! She did fantastic, of course.

Amazingly, we got home Saturday evening in time to swim (the pool is finally open!). It felt great, seeing as the temperature at Quartz Mountain was about 107. And I was used to the nice, 75-80 degree weather of Colorado!

(pictures to come later)

~Ellentia

Summertime

I keep thinking to myself, why am I so busy? Am I not supposed to be less busy during the summer? But somehow, I feel more busy. But, I am enjoying everything that I am doing. I had so much fun in Nac two weeks ago, I wish I could have seen more people, but there's only so many people you can see in 3 days.

This next week is VBS at our church, and I am signed up to be a crew leader. I am very excited, but by the end I will wonder (as I always do), why did I sign up to help this year? It might not be so overwhelming, except that we have around 500 kids come every year, so the whole church is covered in decorations and crazy kids running around causeing as much trouble as possible.

I will get a rest the next week, though. On Saturday we will be meeting my grandparents at Quartz Mountain to hear the choir that Jc is in perform. The next day, my grandparents are taking Nat and I to Colorado to go fishing! I am so excited! The last time I went fishing, though, I fished for several days and watched everyone but me catch a fish. Even my 9 year old cousin caught a fish on her mini barbie doll poll. But, maybe I will catch something this time. I really just want to eat it though, fresh grilled fish is delicious!

~Ellentia

Pictures!

These are from last weekend. I and my brother and cousins all walked down to this park in our neighborhood.


This is after graduation.


The other senior that I will miss the most!

They just had to jump into the picture!

The cake! We ate, and ate, and ate that cake all weekend!
This was the party at our house afterwards. This isn't everyone, there were still several people yet to come.
One of the guys paid some girls to spray her with silly string.
She wasn't the only one who got sprayed.
She got a laptop!
Measuring the hair....

An excellent summary of these two!

~Ellentia

Graduation and Family

I am worn out! Since Jc graduated on Friday, we have had lots of family in town. I have really enjoyed seeing all of them again, we have all 9 grandkids/cousins in town! On top of all this, there were of course lots of grad parties, lasting late into Friday and Saturday nights. But it was all lots of fun! I can't believe Jc is graduated though! This means she will be moving out at the end of the summer! I won't get to see her every day! It will take a lot of adjusting.

This afternoon, Jc had her dance showcase, and so we all went. I didn't enjoy any of the dances, except for Jc's (hers were the only ballet). Everything else was bad dancing, bad choreography, bad costumes, and put to bad music. Afterwards, we went to Bricktown and shopped at Bass Pro, then ate dinner. I had way too much, considering that I wasn't particularly hungary when we ate. I am glad to have a chance to relax, now. I feel like I have been going non-stop for the past week. I will enjoy the break, because soon I will be busy again.

(pictures to come at a later time)

~Ellentia

Home Again

I am ready to lay down and do nothing for a week or two. We had a blast on tour. I don't have any clue where to start. We did well in our competition on Friday. Not amazing, but much better then last year. On the way to Atlanta, we stopped at John Brown University and did a workshop with the choral director there, and got our t-shirt material there (the idea for what to put on the t-shirts that we made later). While Dr. Smith was trying to get the sopranos to sing, he had all of the ladies say "I am woman, hear me roar!" in a very high, silly voice. So, that's what we put on our shirts. The funny thing was that one of the tenors was better at it than the sopranos.

I lots of fun at Six Flags, and I got to ride a coaster called Superman, that you ride laying on your stomach, in order to simulate the flying sensation. It was very cool. On Sunday we went to a church that was very similar to our church in Nac. I enjoyed going, and it makes me miss First Christian. We had some down time on Sunday, so some of our room pranked Micaiah's door. He was somewhat surprised to find a giant Zoborg on his door. That night, we went to a Japanese steak house that is like Shoguns. It was a lot of fun, I haven't ever done anything like that before. The next day, three of us pranked two of the girls' doors (including Jc's). The door pranking is for seniors, and the other girl is one of the original pranksters, so it was fun to do her door.

Over all, it was a great trip. I could go on for hours telling you all about it, but you probably wouldn't be too interested, so I'll stop now. I will have to post pictures later, they're not on the computer yet. On Friday and Saturday, the OCHEC Home School Convention was going, and I had a booth to sell jewelry. I haven't ever had a chance to sell before, so I learned a lot. I didn't sell a ton, but I did really well, considering my total start up cost, and the experience that I gained is invaluable. I am so tired though, I had to get up early and act "perky" and awake both days. I almost fell asleep sitting at my booth! All in all, I am so happy with how it all turned out.

~Ellentia

Concert and Tour

Choir concert is over! It was, in my opinion and my parents opinion, the best concert since we have been in the choir, so out of 5 or 6 concerts, it was the best. We sang really well (as far as I can tell) and it was not particularly long, although it could have been shorter. Ladies ensemble did fantastic on our first song! I was so proud of everyone, we all breathed together when we were supposed to! Our second song was not as great, but it was still really good.


Jc had the big senior solo/duet this year, and she did amazing! It was beautiful, Jc, you did great!

The choir did quite well second half, we nailed our two a Capella pieces, one even had 4 key changes that went perfectly! It was amazing to be part of such a good performance with this choir.

After concert, we of course all went to IHOP, the standard after-party location. We had great fun, and I even got a picture of Jacob on my first try!

Then, the traditional syrup chugging! All seniors who come to IHOP must chug syrup before they can leave. This year, four of them did it! Miciah drank the full bottle. I don't think anyone has ever done that, most just drink some of it. The girls allways pour it intlo spoons and only have 1-3 spoonfuls.




Nick came back from Germany on Monday and after meeting his family, he came up to Okc and met with us and Carolyn, one of our friends that has been talking with him on Facebook and then over the phone. He came to concert and to IHOP afterwards. This is the best picture I got with him in it. Carolyn is the one who is hiding her face.


TOUR IS TOMORROW! We are going to Atlanta, GA, and I am so excited, I can't even tell you how excited I am. Especially since we are spending all day Saturday at Six Flags! And they have lots of big rides, including a roller coaster that you stand up on the whole time! I am so glad we have plenty of time to spend there. We are going to do all sorts of fun things, like go to the aquarium, dialogue in the dark, and a Japanese steak house! We will, unfortunately, be visiting The Body exhibit, but I will be going with the group that stays outside that part. I have no interest in seeing what the human body looks like. I am sure it is made wonderfully, but I don't need to see it, especially since I get grossed out just looking at the advertisements for it! I also have moral issues with it. Unless they can prove to me that the bodies were honestly retrieved, I don't want to support it.

So, since we are leaving tomorrow at 4am, I won't be on again for a while, but I will let you all know how the trip was as soon as I get back!

~Ellentia

Happy Easter!

~Ellentia

Thoughts of Good Friday

Good Friday, probably the most hopeless day that ever occurred in history, especially for Jesus' Apostles. Have you ever thought about how they must have felt? In a few hours, their whole world as they knew it came crashing down. The man that they had followed and believed in for three years was condemned to die. My thoughts would be mostly wondering about what would happen next. Would He manage to avoid the death sentence? What would happen if He did? If He didn't? Where will I go now? What will I do? Will I be next on the cross? Probably this would have been the scariest day in the Apostles lives. We are so blessed to live now, and to be able to look back on this day, knowing that it all turns out better then any story ever could. We can look at the Cross with the hope that comes with knowing that it couldn't last. If only we always looked at everything this way, with the hope that comes from knowing that no matter what happens, no matter how we hurt or how much is taken away from us, we will someday meet again in heaven, and that can never be taken away by anyone, not even the Devil himself.


~Ellentia

Thoughts

I have decided that a person's life, any person's, could be compared to a faceted gem. There are many different kinds of gems, and within each kind, there are many different colors, sizes, grades, shapes, clarities and inclusions. Just like there are all sorts of people. The facets represent the different parts of our lives. When light hits the gem one way, a particular facet is illuminated, while others are only partially illuminated or else are completely dark. In the same way, in life (at least in my life), there are some areas that are working out beautifully, with "everything goin' my way." But at the same time, there are invariably those areas where it seems that everything is crashing down, and nothing could go worse.

The past month or so has been an excellent example of this for me personally. And now, to add to the dark facets, Jessie is still in the hospital in Colorado, unconscious and in critical condition. Yesterday evening, about 70 people went to her house and we all wrote messages or scripture on big yellow or green ribbons and tied them all over their property. By the time they were all up (including some that were there before yesterday), everything was fluttering with yellow or green. The more time goes by, the more I realize how serious this accident was. It is going to be months before she is significantly better, and maybe longer, because she hasn't woken up yet. I can't possibly imagine the pain and worry her family must be going through. However, there has been lots of good that has come from the accident. Our youth group is pulling closer together and many people (myself included) have said that they have started to pray more throughout the day. I personally have started to think about my priorities, and whether or not they are straight. Life is so short, what if it had been me that was hurt? If I were to die today, am I ready?

Jessie's house is 30 min away so Jc and I rode with a collage guy there and back. On the way back to the church, we came up with 5 things we wanted to do before something happened to immobilize us or before we died. One of mine was that I want to learn how to rock-climb and repel and work my way up until I can climb up and repel down Devils Tower. Chase said that if I did, I would be the coolest person he knew. It will probably be a while before I will get to rock-climbing, and after that it will be even longer before I make it up Devils Tower. And yes, there is no apostrophe in "Devils."

~Ellentia

Eagle Cam

This website is really interesting, you should pay a visit and watch the eagles.

http://www.suttoncenter.org/eaglecam.html

~Ellentia

Happy Birthday Phil!

Today is Philip's birthday, he is now 3! And, in our house, when you turn 3, you can eat chips. Every one of us has had to wait until we were 3 in order to eat chips, thanks to Dad who was sorta kidding when he made the rule that has now lasted around 17 years.

I can hardly believe how big Philip has gotten! He talks in complete sentences, he can count to 1o, he is almost completely potty trained, and he is just as cute as a button! We love you Phil!




On a more serious note, our youth group went on a ski trip and one of the freshman girls hit a tree on Monday and was seriously hurt. She hasn't been awake since the crash (they have kept her sedated), and they have done surgery twice to reduce swelling in her brain. Please pray for her, she is not doing very well.

~Ellentia

Wolf Hunter

(Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com)

Busy Week

The past few days have been exciting. Tuesday it was announced that Dad will be taking over the homeschool choir next year, yay! The current director (Mrs. V) will be stepping down at the end of the year and Dad will be the head of the choir. In addition, our current secretary will be resigning as well. She has worked so hard, all volunteer work, and has made it possible for many choir members to earn the money to go on tour. Thank you Miss Kitty!

Last Saturday Jc and I babysat 7 kids! That was truly tiring. 6 boys, 1 girl, including 3 babies! I was so tired afterwards that I decided to stay up till 1 (not counting the time change) attending the last 2009 ACDA concert. It was a really good concert though.

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will get my permit. I have to take a reading test before I go to take the written test and eye test, so I will get to spend my whole morning in Edmond taking tests. Fun. But, I will finally get my permit (a month and a half late) and I will start working my tail off trying to get in the classroom and driving hours to get my license in 6 months.

Today I found out that there is a chance that I might be able to set up a business and sell handmade jewelry at the state-wide homeschool convention in May! That would be so much fun! I would have to get a Sales Tax License, or something like that, in order to sell. It shouldn't be too much of a problem though. The real problem is that the convention is May 1-3, and Jc and I were possibly coming down for Court's graduation. I would have to pick between the two, and that will be difficult. I would love to see everyone again, but I haven't kept in contact with very many people, so I am really not good friends with most of the people I would be around. If I decided to stay, though, I could go to my history class' paintball party, and that would be fun as well. I will have to think about this some more.

~Ellentia

Winter Jam

Last night I went to Winter Jam, which is a big concert with Toby Mac, Branden Heath, Hawk Nelson, Tony Nolan (the speaker), New Song and Francesca Battistelli. I have got to say, it was so much fun! My small group went together, but some of the girls got armbands so we didn't sit together, but we were really close, they were in a box above and to the left of us. I have wanted to see Toby Mac ever since I missed seeing him at a Six Flags concert, and he was the best part. We had to leave a little early because some of the girls have school tomorrow, but we only missed the last 20min, including Jesus Freak : ( I wish we could have stayed to the end of the concert, but I was glad that we got to go. It's funny how I kept hearing songs and thinking, "I didn't know they did that song!" I knew more of the songs then I thought I would.

Tony Nolan was also really good. I have heard him twice before when he was touring with the Casting Crowns Lifesong tour, and I remember liking him. I found out a lot about him that I didn't know. He has an awful background, but he is a really good speaker.

Before the concert started, there were a few groups who did a "pre-concert party." One of the groups is called PureNRG and it is made up of 3 kids who are in 8th and 9th grade (I think) and they did hip hop and sang, very Radio Disney-like (they have been on there before). I am not too fond of that style, but for their age, I was impressed. They were good dancers and their singing wasn't too bad either.

Nathanael went too, but he went with the middle school boys from our church. Apparently they were sitting right above us, but we never saw them.

~Ellentia

Last night we watched Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. If you have not seen it, I suggest you go rent it. It is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, and it is really good. I'll post a review sometime on Writer's Critic. Afterwards, Mom said that the man who played Bruno, the bad guy, looked like Bill Murray, so then Dad had to hook up his computer to the tv and show us some clips of him from youtube. That somehow led to watching the Blues Brothers, a Blazing Saddles clip, and then we watched a clip of Gene Wilder, and another of Pete Seeger. We also listened to Rawhide, which was how we got started watching Blues Brothers. Don't ask me how the rest got started, I don't remember. At some point, I don't remember when, Dad showed us a clip from the Vicar of Dibley. I was impressed with myself, I actually followed and understood everything that the girl said. I guess I got practice on Wednesday at small group. Anyways, here is the clip he showed us:




I think that would be fun to use for a conversation starter.

After all this, it was after 1 am before I got to bed, which made for a very late morning.

Oh yeah, we finally got our microwave on Saturday, which means we waited about 3 weeks to clear up some problems with Sears, that were not our fault. Something went wrong when we ordered it, and it just went downhill from there.

Tomorrow I am going to be busy from the time I get up to the time I go to bed, literally. I am going to a workday in the morning, but I am leaving early to volunteer at the Library Booksale (it is supposed to be humongous) and then I am going to babysit the rest of the afternoon and evening. This will make it difficult to finish my history paper that is due on Monday. Hmmmm, maybe I should go work on that.

~Ellentia