Happy 10th birthday Zach! I'll add a few pics later :)

First Time in Years

Hey everyone, I'm alive!, but as of yesterday 8 ducks no longer are :) Dad, Zach (his 1st time) and I went out to the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge at about 4:15 a.m. yesterday and even though we had to pick our blind almost last, we ended up with a really productive spot. Thankfully the rain was not very intense and the warm temperatures were pleasant. After about 5 hours of hunting, we came away with 5 Northern Shoveler hens, 2 Gadwall (a drake and hen), and Dad's hen mallard :) I'm so glad we decided not to can it because of the weather--I've never shot that much in my life or knocked down 2-3 birds. So yeah, we're pretty happy hunters! ;)

It's The Banjosphere's 1st birthday today! I almost forgot! :)

My links are now updated too. You should visit the Naturescapes.net bird photography forum--it's the best I've ever seen!

Happy 18th birthday Hannah!

Paradise

Sometimes we forget what awaits us in eternity. Revelation 22 provides a beautiful picture.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

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

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

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

Happy birthday, Dad and Mom. And happy 20th Christopher! :)

The Zoo

Last week Wednesday, most of our family went to the Oregon Zoo with Grandma. I took about 357 photos :) Here are a few of the best ones (I don't have time to write much, so I'll just post the photos). They have cougars now, but we couldn't see them... :(

Sea Otter

Sun Bear

Peregrine Falcon

American Kestrel (sooo cute!)

Harris Hawk
Golden Eagle

Bald Eagle
Great Horned Owl
Blue Macaw
Peacock
Wood Duck

It actually cost less to buy a year-round pass than to pay for one trip with all the kids! There are many advantages to being in a large family. :)

Here Goes...

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4 and write what it says.

"...gave this advice to the nation: "Of all dispositions and habitats which lead..."" (God and Government, by Gary DeMar--kinda leaves you hanging doesn't it? :)

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?

Absolutely nothing. I live in a vacuum! But you probably don't want to hear about that...

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Last night, I glanced at the screen when Dad was watching Wheel of Fortune, but I don't really watch TV so...

4. Without looking, guess what time it is.

It's 5:47 p.m.

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?

It's actually 5:44, but I was close, right?

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

Grandma playing a hymn on the piano downstairs.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

Looking for snacks ;)

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?

Huh? I guess if I'm understanding this right, I looked at my most recent painting--totally cool btw!

9. What are you wearing?

Old black shorts and a shirt that's like half t-shirt and half sweatshirt with the logo of Dad's old company on it--it's a painting shirt :D

10. Did you dream last night?

Nope, but if I had it would have been about caramel apples and beef! (seperate of course :)

11. When did you last laugh?

Earlier today, after butchering chickens at the Cool's, Pete and I were cracking up to the point of lunacy! Somehow everything (I mean EVERYTHING is funny when you're tired :) Of course just looking at Pete's face always makes me laugh! jk :)

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?

Lots of paint, wallpaper and artwork.

13. Seen anything weird lately?

Well, this morning I saw my little brother... Oh wait, I saw Jonathan more recently!

14. What do you think of this quiz?

Umm, it's like the first one I've ever taken the time to fill out, and I don't know--or want to know--what this is communicating about me, but it's entertaining!

15. What is the last film you saw?

The other day the kids turned on Hogan's Heroes, an old WWII show--love 'em!

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?

I'd probably buy property out here--it can only get more expensive and I really want to be debt-free.

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.

I'm now a Voices of Praise choir member! (been meaning to announce that)

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?

I would love it if every Christian family and father would realize their God-given duty to train their children at home.

19. Do you like to dance?

Yes! Virginia Reel is loads of fun, as well as other faster dances (I'm no good at the waltz or swing, but they can be fun too). Square dancing is enjoyable as well.

20. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

You know, I have no idea. Maybe Jenna? I don't know...

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?

A Biblical name like Timothy--these are all off the top of my head, I'm sure I could think of more.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?

That's a tough question, but I'd rather live close to my family and have the ability to travel abroad (like Alaska!) It'll be difficult to start out here though, since the land/house prices are so high. But that's why I'm going to be a millionaire! :)

Zach's New Pet

While Jonathan and I were gone in Colville, Zach's last hamster, Checkers (I liked to spell it "Czequerz" :) died for an unknown reason. So a few weeks ago he went shopping for a replacement. He ended up with this cute, short-haired female which he named "Kibbles."


This name has a pretty funny story. Reading the box which served as a temporary cage for the hamster, Aimee found the labels "Food for Dogs," "Natural Choice Puppy Food," and "Puppy Yankee Potroast!" In that same line of thought, Mom suggested he name her Kibbles, after the infamous Kibbles & Bits dog food commercials. Zach's the only one hoping she won't live up to her name! :) Actually, we all like her, and I find her more entertaining (and cuter) than Czequerz used to be.

Birthdays!

Happy 11th birthday Aimee! The weather's just great isn't it? :)

Happy 15th b-day to Daniel (in advance). We're leaving for California tommorrow, so you're birthday will be spent in the car most of the day...what fun! :) Actually we're going to stop at the Oregon Caves and the giant Sequoias on the way, so that will be neat.

Not a lot to report, but I had to post, sooo... I'm sure Christopher wouldn't mind me posting this since most everyone knows it by know. He applied for the Vision Forum internship program, and last week learned that he's been accepted! So he'll be heading down to San Antonio Texas in early August to stay for about 5 months. It's funny to hear Mom briefing him on how and what to buy, what to cook and all that. :) This is a great opportunity for him, and we wish him the best!

Oh, and he also ordered a camera yesterday--a Canon Powershot A620 with a card, batteries and a charger. I'm still saving... :( Well, have a great week, and I'll be sure to post some more before we leave again for Colville on the 22.

Happy 16th birthday Pete!

My Cookie!...hehehe

All you guys think you can make cookies? How 'bout you make it easy and just make one :) Mine turned out about 16 1/2" in diameter! Ya, that's me in the picture--the hat and apron were Christopher's idea :)

At the Evening of the Arts (an event held anually at our church) it turned out to be very popular! Just look at those kids waiting to get a bite of that colossal confection! (never mind the cake-it's obvious the only thing the crowd wants is my cooking :)

But alas! it was demolished in about a half hour...allowing me to stop serving, get some pie and talk to friends. My new cookbook will be published at the end of next year...I know ya'll can't wait ;)

When You Give a Benj a Library Card...

Congratulations Graduates!

The title says it all. Congrats to all the 2006 graduates of WPC!!

In 1492...

You don't know your history until you've read these! Most were made up by my siblings--I won't mention any names. :)

In 1491, Columbus sailed without his gun

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean goo

In 1493, Columbus climbed his first tree

In 1494, Columbus sailed the ocean floor

In 1495, Columbus made his first dive

In 1496, Columbus his first lollipop licks

In 1496, (we had a tie) Columbus discovered trail mix

In 1497, Columbus turned 11!

In 1498, Columbus sailed in a crate

In 1499, Columbus sailed too fast and got a fine

Now go and impress your friends with your new knowledge! They'll believe you...really. :)

3rd Year in a Row

I had my adjudication for music festival this afternoon. They held it at Beacock's, and this time they actually had a nice grand piano for us poor students. :) I was a bit nervous beforehand, but once I started playing, I was much more relaxed and comfortable. The competition is divided into difficulty levels (I think I was in Difficult 1); they have a required peice (there are a few choices) and you're allowed to pick the other. I played "Reverie in F Minor" by Dennis Alexander, and "Venetian Boat Song" by Felix Mendelssohn. The two girls that played before me also did the Reverie, and since I was the last one to play that peice, I kinda' got the last word. :) The judge seemed to prefer my interpretation--very 'romantic'....hmmm.... Anyway, I won't keep you in suspense too long. The judge gave me another Superior--this is my third Superior in a row so I get a gold cup! They have a special recital for gold cup winners, but I probably can't manage it because it's on the same Sunday as my piano teacher's recital and our small group meeting at church. I've got a few more piano performances in the next two months, but the big ones are over. Now I just need to clean off my bed and walls to display all these trophies and ribbons! :) Have a beautiful evening everyone! (by the time you're reading this, it probably won't be evening, but that's why God gave us imaginations ;)

The Big Day!

Last Saturday WPC held a garage sale/bake sale/car wash fundraiser for our church's outreach efforts to the Colville Indian Reservation this summer. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and overall very sucessful. Following are some pictures for your enjoyment. :)

We set up the garage sale in one of the back theaters-there sure was a lot of stuff! Thankfully, even with all the people, it didn't get out of hand like garage sales often do.

Jonathan Bordwine bought some pretty goofy stuff: a guitar strap for a belt, suspenders, driving gloves, a silver cup (aka. the "Chalice of Malice"), a leafy hat thing, a monstrous pair of toy sunglasses and various other items. Combine all of these and you've got Caesar, interplanetary explorer, Augustus!

Amanda Tuck manning the craft table. That was a boring job, so thanks a million to those who were willing to take a shift!

Doesn't look like Jonathan is too thrilled to be a sign-holder! :)

Brian, Jon and I. The hat was 25 cents, I couldn't resist... :)

Here's the car-washing crew. They estimated that they washed about 60 cars!

What with the spectacular weather, fellowship with friends, plenty of work, and lot's of stuff to rummage through, the day was really fun, and very successful fundraiser. It was my first experience selling my work, and has motivated me to look for other ways to do that this summer.

In other news, I've got about 5 piano performances in the next 2 months... Can't wait for summer break! Oh, and the younger kids (Jeremy, Rebecca, Christianna) are still struggling with whooping cough, so please pray for their recovery--especially the baby. Hope ya'll have a wonderful week!

Happy 8th birthday Matthew!!

Debate

Well, we're all done with debate this year. Last weekend's tournament went really well--we didn't quite qualify, but still did great. We were the only team to win all our 6 preliminary rounds, just barely losing in quarter-finals. I got 7th place speaker out of 54, and D & I got 5th place team out of 27. It's such a relief to be done. :)

Oh, Christopher and I got our first taste of square-dancing (they held one at the school we debated at). As long as you have someone who knows what they're doing, it's a lot of fun--especially with about 40-50 people in a huge gym! Dad posted about all this on the family blog as well. Have a nice day people!!

Dicussion on Homeschooling

This is a transcript from CNN news of a discussion between Gerald Tirrozi, Michael Farris, Tucker Carlson, and Bill Press on the issue of homeschooling. One of the very first questions asked is:

"Michael Farris, why do you want to punish kids by making them stay home with their parents all day?"

Ha, I love it! Definitely worth a read (even though it's long).