Caroline's Thoughts

New Photography

2011-03-23T20:38:00.005-04:00

After Thanksgiving I used some of my savings to buy myself a D-SLR camera. I got a new Canon Rebel T2i. After my birthday in February I used some birthday money to get a 50mm f/1.8 fixed lens. I love this lens so much more than my 18-55 mm lens that came with my camera, even though the 50mm is a fixed length, or has no zoom. I like this lens better because it has a wider aperture and so the shots it takes are prettier and more aesthetically pleasing, because they can create the bokeh, or blurred background, affect. These are a few of my newer pictures. I'm pretty sure that they were all taken with the 50mm, except for the one of the moon which I took with my 75-300 telephoto zoom lens.

Addendum to Chick-fil-a

2010-12-01T09:42:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to add a something to the previous post. Every time I think that I have seen the weirdest possible thing, inevitably something even weirder happens. For example, until yesterday the strangest thing that had happened to me was the girl that rapped her order to me. Yesterday, I was doing some sort of cleaning work in the front counter (this is what we perpetually do when we are bored) and I saw a lady approaching the counter who seemed............a little inebriated. Then I realized that she was holding a cup of beer in her hand while kind of staggering toward us. (She must have brought the beer into the mall with her, because I don't think you can get it at any of the restaurants in the food court.) She managed to get to the counter. She set her beer down and told me she wanted an ice cream cone. (Please keep in mind that this is at about 11 o'clock in the morning.) She paid, I gave her the cone, and she left. A moment later we realized........her beer was sitting on the counter, in plain view of all the other guests that were now forming a line. So, we threw it out; no big deal. Fortunately, I think she was too drunk to remember where she left her beer because she didn't come back.

So like I said before, weird things happen to me at work. Over all though, I think the drunk lady leaving her beer on the counter may have topped the strange list for now.

Chick-fil-a!

2010-11-28T15:43:00.005-05:00

So, I realized today that I've only blogged 11 times this year......which is really abysmal. Part of this is due to the fact that I have been doing my senior year of high school (Yay!) and that I have been working about 20 hours a week (roughly) at Chick-fil-a since the beginning of August. The other part of me not blogging is just that I've been lazy about it.

In August I started my senior year. This has been going pretty well. I'm taking Advanced Chemistry and Pre-Calculus, among other things. I've applied to Armstrong Atlantic State University to go next fall after I graduate.

I was hired by Chick-fil-a in the Savannah Mall at the beginning of August. If you want to see our website go here. We are also on Facebook, and you can see the page here if you want to. I really love my job! It isn't growing old at all. I usually work mornings through lunch and it's really fun to get to know some of the people who work in the mall that are regular customers and come every day. It's also especially fun now that we are getting nearer to Christmas. I had to be at the store at 6:30 a.m. on Black Friday and we had Christmas music playing all day in the kitchen. Also, for Christmas we sell a Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake, which is really sinful, but it's so good! It's like drinking a humongous peppermint covered in Hershey's syrup. Also, part of what makes working at Chick-fil-a fun is seeing customers with outrageous complaints! There is usually at least one REALLY mean person a day. Sometimes it's weird enough that it can be almost comical. So I just want to share with you my personal favorite story: I was running a cash register and a lady came up with a survey receipt. (Certain receipts print a link to go to to complete a survey to get a code for a free sandwich.) Except, her receipt was blank-no code. I explained that she actually had to do the survey to get the free sandwich. She got very angry and then made up a code out of her head. I told her it was a incorrect code and that we couldn't accept it. At this point she became so irate that I gave her the free sandwich. She still wouldn't let up. She called over my manager and wanted to know what my name was, because she apparently couldn't read it off of my name tag. (At this point I had fled to the kitchen.) She kind of threatened my manager by telling her that she would "call corporate" on us before storming out of the mall. Good grief.......all that over a free sandwich she didn't deserve, but got!

Some of my other favorite weird occurrences:

The girl that rapped her whole order to me
Being called a disgusting expletive
Being asked "Don't you speak English?!"
Having to deal with women wearing see through and otherwise inappropriate clothing
Observing a verbal fight in front of Sbarro, which is right next to Chick-fil-a
Having a woman get in my face and demand our Unit number and Phone number
Calling a customer a pronoun of the wrong gender (In my defense she really looked like a guy.)

So you can see what fun I have! No, really though, I love my job and am really glad that I've had this opportunity to work at Chick-fil-a!

Wedding

2010-08-24T20:45:00.003-04:00

(Photo by Anna Catherine Photography)

Last Saturday my best friends Alli and Josh got married at Bull Street Baptist Church downtown. I had the honor of being Alli's maid of honor. The wedding was beautiful and everything went amazingly! Our friend Anna did the photography and did an awesome job!

I encourage you to go here to see some more of the wedding pictures, and also to check out the rest of Anna's site and see her other amazing photography!

Abortion Awareness

2010-07-01T12:46:00.003-04:00

Abort73.com is a comprehensive website with tons of information concerning abortion. You can view current statistics on abortion for the U.S., Canada, U.K., New Zealand, and Australia, as well as the outlook worldwide. You can also view opportunities to help with abortion awareness. Abort73.com helps to educate those who don't know what they should about the truth of the horrors of abortion. If you haven't visited the site before, you should check it out. It's amazingly eye opening.

Click here to see U.S. abortion statistics.
Click here to see U.K. abortion statistics.
Click here for worldwide statistics.
Click here to read the article "A Biblical Mandate to Do Something About Abortion."
Also, click here to see Abort73.com gear. (i.e. pens, bags, t-shirts, flyers, bottles, signs, etc.)

~~ABORT73.COM~~

Chemistry Wordle

2010-06-03T11:20:00.004-04:00

I loved chemistry last year so I made a Wordle of it. Click the image to view a much larger version.

More on Old Photographs

2010-06-03T10:46:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I posted a few old pictures that I have of my relatives from the early 1900s. What is interesting about these old pictures is that they are so well preserved. I just wanted to share a couple of examples of how they printed pictures then.

The top picture is one of my great-grandma's 6 month pictures from September 1912. As you can see, it is printed on a type of hard decorative cardboard. I have 3 pictures that are printed this way and they are all in much better condition that the ones that are printed on paper. It was common in the early 1900s for people to have formal portraits and such printed on this hard board in order to preserve it.

Another thing that they did was print photographs as postcards so that they could then mail the picture to family or friends easily. Above you can see another picture of my great-grandma (Mary Rosalia Lytle) as a baby with her dad. It was printed on the front of a postcard. You can see the back above. My great-grandmother's mom, Florence, mailed the card to her sister Mary on June 12, 1912. The inscription reads, "Just a glimpse of "Dad" and Mary Jr. --Flor."

Researching my Genealogy

2010-06-02T15:27:00.005-04:00

Over the last few years I've become interested in researching my genealogy and finding out who my ancestors were. While researching, I've been able to trace my ancestry back in some cases as far as the late 1500s. I also found, thanks to a list that my great-grandmother had compiled, that I am a direct descendant of John Robinson, who was the pastor to the Pilgrims in Leiden, Holland before they made their voyage on the Mayflower. I've also been able to determine what countries my ancestors immigrated from. For example, on my Mom's side I've found that most of her ancestry is French and Scottish and that they immigrated to Canada in the 1600s. On my Dad's side, I'm predominately English and Irish. They all immigrated to the U.S. much later, around the 1830s.

One of the sites that helped me the most is RootsWeb.com. I've been able to do most of my tracing there. My other sources are simply things compiled by my great-grandma and her brother and other info as told to me by my grandma.

Obviously, the first thing to do is to get as much information as possible from family members because they are more reliable than computer sources. Then you can use computer records. Also, something I've looked into is immigration and military records. As a whole the process is very enlightening. It's fun to see where I've come from and who my ancestors were, even if that is my only connection to them.

The pictures above are pictures that I found when I was helping my grandmother sort out all of her old pictures a couple of years ago. The first two photos show my great-grandmother, Mary Rosalia Lytle Woodard. First, at six months, in September 1912. Next, circa 1915. The final picture shows my great-great grandparents Charles Woodard and Edith Robbins on their wedding day in 1904. It's fascinating, really, to see pictures like this. I really enjoy it.

Seeing Evidence for Creation Outside My Front Door

2010-04-06T21:25:00.005-04:00

Although we have had a relatively cold winter here in GA, the weather has finally warmed up enough for our azaleas to bloom:

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Genesis 1: 11-13

Here we see God creating these beautiful plants. The flowers really show that God has to have created them and that something so beautiful couldn't have simply evolved from elements. Someone greater has to have shaped them with His hands for them to be so perfect!

The Purpose of Minor Characters in Pride and Prejudice

2010-02-28T07:22:00.002-05:00

This is a paper that I wrote for my 2009-2010 AP British Literature class. We just finished reading and discussing Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Now we are reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The next paper that I post will be discussing some aspect of this novel.

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The Purpose of Minor Characters in Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s most famous novel, is filled with many different minor characters. Some seem superfluous, but others bring life to certain scenes and help to advance the plot. The plethora of characters in the novel can be overwhelming at times, but each seems to have a purpose even though it may be minute. Certain plotlines in the story actually revolve around minor characters and the plot could not truly be complete without their influence.

Of the Bennet sisters, two are fairly minor characters. Lydia is not a minor character, as most of volume three revolves around her disgraceful elopement with Mr. Wickham. Kitty and Mary, on the other hand, play much less important parts in the novel. Mary Bennet is the middle sister of the five. She is very sober and spends her time with hobbies that usually only profit herself. She plays the piano with mediocre quality and causes a major scene at Mr. Bingley’s Netherfield Ball when she performs dreadfully and practically refuses to cease. She spends the rest of her time reading from Fordyce’s Sermons. “James Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women was a popular guidebook on women’s conduct, published in 1767. In his sermons, Fordyce argued that ‘men of the best sense have usually been averse to the thought of marrying a witty female.’”(MyPrideandPrejudice.com) Mary obviously has taken this to heart, as she seems to have no sense of humor whatsoever.

Mary’s purpose in the novel seems to be to contrast her character with that of Lizzy and also, Lydia. Mary is some like Lizzy in the respect that she has intelligence; unlike Lizzy, she doesn’t use it for the bettering of her person. Also, in the book we never truly come to understand is Mary if really good or evil. She takes on the appearance of goodness, contrasting against Lydia, who has no morals. However, she persists in making some disparaging comments about Lydia after she runs away. “Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable -- that one false step involves her in endless ruin -- that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful, -- and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex.” (Austen) Her character also reveals that the parenting on the senior Bennets’ part probably became severely lacking after Elizabeth was born.

The remaining Bennet sister is Kitty, whose role is even more subtle than Mary’s. Kitty is the prime example of a pushover. Although she is two years older than Lydia she shadows her every move. After Lydia runs away it is revealed in a letter from Jane that Kitty knew more about the affair than she had originally let on. Kitty isn’t thought of to be very smart, but she has better qualities that Lydia, the stupidest of the girls. Mr. Bennet seems to realize his error with Lydia and therefore tells Kitty jokingly that she is to be confined to the house for ten years. Kitty, however, isn’t smart enough to get his joke, and, taking him literally, runs away to her room in tears. She generally continues with this demeanor, however, “the closing chapter of the novel says that her personality improves after she begins spending most of her time visiting Jane and Elizabeth after their marriages and being kept away from Lydia.” (Renee)

Kitty’s purpose in the novel seems to be one of the most ambiguous. She is there to show that Lydia often has ruling power over others, even some who are her elders. She also seems to have been included to further show the bad parenting given to her. Most of her scenes don’t further the plot. If they do, it is usually because of Lydia, Lizzy, or another character who is much more important than she. In several of the movie adaptations of the novel, Kitty is either entirely missing or her role is seriously downplayed. In the 2004 movie, Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood version of the novel, Kitty’s character has been removed totally. In the 2005 version, her character, played by Carey Mulligan, doesn’t do much of anything. Ultimately, Kitty’s overall purpose never seems to be revealed, other than that she adds another sister to the Bennet family.

Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, Charles Bingley’s brother-in-law and sister, are very minor in the book and add almost nothing to the story other than comic relief. We see Mr. Hurst as a drunken man who sits around and sleeps during the day. He adds relief to tense scenes between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth by randomly waking up in the middle of their conversations. Mrs. Hurst plays almost no part at all, other than being there. “His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own; but though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table, nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her.” (Austen) Both of Bingley’s sisters are with him largely because of money, nothing else.

The Lucas family is another set of minor characters to grace the pages of Austen’s novel. They also add some comic relief to the novel. Sir William Lucas is silly and mostly worthless. He has the same awe of Lady Catherine de Bourgh as Mr. Collins, embarrassing his daughter, Charlotte. “In spite of having been at St. James's, Sir William was so completely awed by the grandeur surrounding him, that he had but just courage enough to make a very low bow, and take his seat without saying a word; and his daughter, frightened almost out of her senses, sat on the edge of her chair, not knowing which way to look.” (Austen)

Charlotte Lucas, Sir William’s daughter, was Lizzy’s best friend, and ultimately married the Bennets’ cousin, William Collins. She married him only because she needed a husband for future security. Her view on marriage is actually quite odd. “Charlotte, in a speech Elizabeth cannot believe to be serious, suggests that ‘In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better shew more affection than she feels.’” (Adams) She also tells Lizzy that “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.”

Charlotte is one of the characters in the novel who is hard to classify. Her role in the eventual marriage of Mr. Darcy and Lizzy is huge, so in that respect she cannot be classified as a minor character. If Charlotte hadn’t married Mr. Collins, Lizzy would never have gone to visit them. If she hadn’t gone to see the Collins, she would never have seen Mr. Darcy again or have had him initially propose to her. She also would never have found out the truth about Jane and Mr. Bingley or that of Mr. Wickham. In other respects, though, Charlotte is a minor character. She is largely absent from the second half of the novel. She reappears briefly near the end, but not to any great extent.

The only other member of the Lucas family that stands out is Maria, Charlotte’s little sister. She is friends with Kitty Bennet and she is another filler character, doing nothing to advance the plot. However, one time she is useful is near the end of the book, when Kitty is walking with Lizzy and Mr. Darcy. Kitty begs to go see Maria, thereby leaving Mr. Darcy and Lizzy alone, this resulting in their engagement.

The last important minor characters in Pride and Prejudice are Colonel and Harriet Forster. They only become important at the end of the novel. Colonel Forster is in command of the -----shire militia, and Mr. Wickham’s superior. It is with the Forsters that Lydia goes to Brighton. From Brighton, Lydia makes her escape to elope with George Wickham, leaving behind a note for Harriet. Colonel Forster, although a bit negligent, seems to be a good individual as he sets out immediately to search for them in an attempt to save them from eternal ruin. The Forsters become crucial to the plot in that they are the people who are responsible for Lydia when she elopes.

Although the minor characters in Pride and Prejudice sometimes seem to be unnecessary, they provide life to the story. Kitty and Mary highlight the Bennet’s bad parenting. The Hursts provide comic relief. The Lucas family adds depth to the story, and the Forsters become Lydia’s unknown enablers. Ultimately, they all play fairly important parts in the beautifully crafted novel by Jane Austen.

Works Cited

Adams, Carol J., Douglas Buchanan, and Kelly Gesch. "Pride and Prejudice." Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen (Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companions). New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. 5. Print.

Austen, Jane. "Chapter IV." Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics). New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. 11. Print.

Austen, Jane. "Chapter XLVII." Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics). New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. 219. Print.

Austen, Jane. "Chapter XXIX." Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics). New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. 124-125. Print.

"Fordyce’s Sermons; Mr Collins’ Favorite Book - My Pride and Prejudice ." My Pride and Prejudice . N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .

Renee, Melissa . "Story and History: Catherine "Kitty" Bennet, Basic Character Information." Story and History. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .

MLA formatting by BibMe.org.

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Macbeth: Fact or Fiction?

2010-01-11T16:14:00.008-05:00

(I'll be posting several different writing assignments that I completed for my British Lit class. To see the original explanatory post, click here.)

I wrote the following paper for my British Lit class. It highlights the differences between the play Macbeth and the actual Scottish history. Hope you enjoy!

To read a synopsis of the play first, click here.

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William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is considered by some to be one of his greatest works, written at the high point of his career. Although Macbeth has some basis in reality, Shakespeare didn’t seem to care about historical truth when he composed his play. “Shakespeare's Macbeth bears little resemblance to the real 11th century Scottish king,” says the BBC on their website about historic figures. (“Macbeth”) Most of the characters were real characters in the history of Scotland. Duncan and Macbeth were really kings of Scotland, and Malcolm and Donalbain were Duncan’s sons. That is where most of the realities end.

The real Duncan, who would have been known as Donnchad mac Crínáin, reigned from 1034 to 1040, when he was killed by Macbeth. He became king after the reign of Malcolm and was “a much weaker character than Malcolm and a terrible leader,” according to Historic-UK.com. (“Duncan and MacBeth”) Duncan was, however, killed by Macbeth, although not in the way described in the play at all. Shakespeare has Macbeth plot to kill Duncan, mostly at the great suggestion of his wife. In reality, Duncan was killed by Macbeth at the Battle of Northumbria in 1040.

Shakespeare depicts Macbeth as having killed Duncan while he was a guest at Macbeth’s own home. In the play, Macbeth questions his choice of killing his friend, who has just honored him, but is pushed forward in the deed by his wife, Lady Macbeth. There is really no historical precedent to show that Lady Macbeth encouraged her husband in any way. While there is historical record of Macbeth’s wife—her name was most likely Gruoch—there is no indication that she had anything whatsoever to do with the murder of the king. The truth is that Macbeth killed his own king during a battle in 1040. If he did conspire with anyone, all of the evidence points to his cousin the Earl of Orkney who may have helped Macbeth commit the murder.

Shakespeare also messed with the ages of many of the characters in his play. Duncan is portrayed as an elderly man, when in reality it is much more likely that he was a fairly young man. As a result, Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, were most likely young boys, not the men that they are in Shakespeare’s tale.

Banquo is portrayed as a very upright and noble character in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. As Macbeth’s best friend it seems that Macbeth would have had pity on him, but that was not to be. Banquo is viciously murdered by mercenaries hired by Macbeth. The truth of Banquo’s existence can be questioned. It is not known if Banquo was a real person, or if he is just a legendary character. At Shakespeare’s time it was thought that the current line of kings, the Stuarts, was descended from Banquo. As a result of this, Shakespeare would have had to portray Banquo in a good light, or else it would have been considered an insult to the king, James I. The truth of the real Banquo’s character, if he in fact existed, is then left unknown.

The character of Macduff is purely fictitious. Shakespeare may have invented him in order to have a good character kill Macbeth. Macbeth was instead killed in a battle in 1057 by Duncan’s son Malcolm. Lady Macduff and her son are also, consequently, figments of Shakespeare’s imagination. Since they weren’t real, Macbeth could not possibly have ordered their deaths either.

At the end of the play the future of Scotland is left open. The witches from the play Macbeth imply that Banquo’s son, Fleance, will be king, in Act I, Scene III, line 67, when they say, “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” This, of course, never happened since the existence of Banquo, and therefore Fleance, is questioned.

In 1045, Duncan’s father Crinan tried to restore his grandson’s throne but was defeated and killed by Macbeth. Macbeth’s reign was also challenged in 1054 by Siward, the Earl of Northumbria, who is also a character in Shakespeare’s play. When Macbeth died he was succeeded by his stepson Lulach. Lulach was referred to as “simple- minded” and “foolish” (“Lulach”). His reign only lasted seven months. It ended when he was killed by Duncan’s son Malcolm in early 1058. Malcolm then finally became king. He reigned until 1093, when he was succeeded by his brother Donalbain, or Duncan II.

It remains unclear why Shakepeare chose to set a mostly fictitious story within the realm of true events. Shakespeare’s play is certainly more exciting and violent than real life, although the actual account seems almost as bloody and disturbing. Shakespeare also included the characters of the witches and their master Hecate, possibly to give the play its supernatural and weird feel. Even though Macbeth is a great literary work, it is almost entirely incorrect when it comes to the comparison with real life.

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Works Cited

“Duncan and MacBeth”, October 29, 2009, http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/DuncanandMacbeth.htm

“Lulach,” Ocotber 28, 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lulach

“Macbeth,” Ocotber, 29, 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/macbeth.shtml

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Blogging on British Lit

2010-01-11T15:41:00.005-05:00

This year I've been taking a AP British Literature class though our homeschool co-op. The class is taught by my mom and I'm having lots of fun! We've read though lots of different things. I'll name a few and whether or not I liked it:

Beowulf (excerpt)(Liked)

Chacuer's Canterbury Tales (or part of it) (Liked)

Shakespeare's Macbeth and some sonnets (Liked)

Milton's Paradise Lost (excerpt) (Utterly Despised)

Obviously we have read a lot more than that.......but those are just a few examples. We just finished up the Romantic Poets and will soon be starting Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. My favorite of the Romantic poets was George Gordon, Lord Byron. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was my second, but although a good poet, he's just to weird for me.

I'll be posting some of the writing assignments that I've done so you can read them and tell me what you think.

The first thing that I'm going to post is a paper that I did comparing the play Macbeth to the actual Scottish history. I'm also going to post a sonnet explication of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 and a poem analysis of Byron's The Destruction of Sennacherib.

The Uncommon

2010-01-04T21:13:00.005-05:00

As you all know, I'm a member of the forums over at The Rebelution. Through these forums I met Ariel, who has started her own site for Christian teens. It is called the Uncommon and it is an internet magazine, or a web-zine, as we call it. The articles are posted in a forum format. The website went live on January 1st. Currently there are 19 members. Only 2 of them are guys, I think, and the site is definitely not just for girls, so it would be great if we had some other teen guys come over and join. The object of the Uncommon is to encourage other Christian teens to be uncommon in the eyes of the world by writing articles highlighting the big things that other Christian teens are doing in the world for the glory of God.

So please head over and check it out! Hope you enjoy it!

On My Piano Music

2010-01-04T18:28:00.004-05:00

My grandmother was the one to guess the titles for my piano music. I showed pics in a post below, which you can look at here.

Here are the pictures of the titles of the pieces that I've been working on:

1) Bach's Prelude 1 in C Major

2) Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", first movement

I'm almost done with both pieces, actually. I have all of the notes down pat.Now I'm just working on the dynamics, especially for the Beethoven piece.

Learning from Wrecking My Grandmother's Car

2009-12-18T13:48:00.006-05:00

Last Sunday I crashed my grandmother's car into a pole at a convenience store near my church. Obviously, you can see the damage from the above picture. The car is being fixed, and everything should be okay, although I caused about $3800 in damages.

What Happened: I pulled into the parking space and stepped on the gas instead of the brake by accident.

What I Learned:

1) Accidents happen incredibly quickly. It was over pretty much before I realized what had happened.

2) I'm not as good a driver as I thought I was.

Good Aspects:

1) My first wreck didn't involve any other vehicles.

2) I know what it feels like to wreck the car now, so I don't have to wonder anymore.

3) My grandmother is in Kenya, and thus didn't have to find out right away.

I'm just grateful that my dad and I were okay, and that we didn't have any injuries, except for the big bruise that I have on my right knee from smashing it under the dash.

I think that they are still going to let me drive the car after it is fixed. This is good, since the car that I crashed is only a year old. I told my dad that I'm just happy that I wrecked it where there was a pole in front of me and not, say, our house or a concrete wall.

A New Look for the Blog....and my current piano pieces.

2009-12-07T16:51:00.006-05:00

I was getting a little sick of the bright pink and black look on my page, so I've redone the whole thing with a background and header from shabbyblogs.com. Hope you enjoy it!

Now my current piano pieces that I'm working on.

The first one:

And the second one:

I want to see who can identify them. Please comment if you know what they are, as long as you are not one of the following people: my mother, my father, my sister, or my brother.

Hints)

1. They are both classical.

2. They are not by the same composers.

I'll post the titles and composers for you later.

Joe Biden's Postmodern View on Abortion (and Ultimately Religion)

2009-11-26T14:49:00.004-05:00

Here is an interesting video of Joe Biden, the vice-president, trying to explain his view on abortion on Meet the Press. He ends up saying that his personal view is that life begins at conception, but that he should not force his beliefs on anyone else, because it is between that individual, their doctor and "their God." What he is saying, therefore, is that all religions are equal, and each religion's beliefs are equal, without actually verbalizing it. Watch the video to see what I mean:

National Novel Writing Month

2009-10-24T11:29:00.006-04:00

November is National Novel Writing Month. I've signed up on the website nanowrimo.org to write novel during the month of November. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel between November 1st and 30th. I don't really think that it will happen in my case, but I'm going to have fun trying. The main site is for people 13 and over. There is also a site for younger people (ages 17 and down) at ywp.nanowrimo.org. So theoretically, if you are between the ages of 13 and 17, you can sign up on both sites.

The best part is that if you reach 50,000 words, you become a winner, and if you don't reach the goal, nothing happens to you. (On the Young Writer's site you can set your word count goal to be lower than 50,000.) People that reach the word count goal and become winners are also eligible to receive a free proof copy of their novel from createspace.com which is a self-publishing site. Also, to clarify, the people who run these websites won't read your novel. They simply count your words to see if you have reached the goal.

I am a official participant this year. I'm not totally sure what my novel is going to be, but it is in the fantasy genre. I'll post more details as I write.

***I am noting that the forums sometimes contain somewhat inappropriate things, as these are not Christian websites. However, very inappropriate content can be reported.

I think this will be a fun experience. Please check out these websites if you are interested in writing novels.

Photography Website

2009-09-15T13:59:00.003-04:00

I've set up a photography website, here, called Photographs of God's Creation. Please visit to see my current portfolio. I'll be updating it quite frequently, so check back for new pictures! Above is one of my newest pictures in my portfolio. It is a sunflower in my grandparent's garden.

Niagara Falls

2009-08-28T13:33:00.008-04:00

Yesterday my family journeyed to Niagara Falls, on the U.S./Canadian border in northern New York. It was amazing to see such an awesome piece of God's creation. Hope you like the pictures!

Grandpa, Are You a Winebibber?

2009-08-10T19:26:00.004-04:00

Today in family Bible Study, we read out of Proverbs 23, which contains this statement:

"Do not mix with winebibbers," (Prov. 23:20a)

Tonight we had dinner with my grandparents at their house. I went into the kitchen and saw my brother getting orange juice out of the fridge. This is how the conversation went:

Bobby: Caroline, what is that back there?

Me: I think it's wine.

Bobby: WHAT??

Me: I said, I think it's wine.

Bobby: GRANDPA, are you a winebibber???

At A Pilgrim's Progress: Thinking About PG-13

2009-07-24T14:50:00.002-04:00

Over a A Pilgrim's Progress, my dad has written a great post about movie ratings. So many PG-13 movies are completely unacceptable for Christian viewers today. I'd encourage you to take a look at his post. Click here.

Secular Music and Lies from Satan

2009-07-23T13:58:00.008-04:00

In this post I want to discuss how secular music affects Christian people today. Before I begin, I want to define "secular" music because one time a girl asked me what secular music was. I define secular music as any music that isn't Christian. However, I have to be careful with this because sometimes even so-called Christian songs are, in my opinion, secular because of their worldview and/or lyrical content. (An example of this would be the song Kiss Me by the group Sixpence None the Richer.)

Secular music greatly affects today's Christian population simply because that for some of them, it is all that they listen to. So many Christians will tell me that they listen exclusively to secular music because it is better musically. (While sometimes true, irrelevant if the song is foul.) I know some people who try to justify listening to music with bad lyrics because they say that the song just sounds so cool, and that they love the beat of the song. For these people, I guess I would have a couple of questions:

1. Would you still like the song so much if the music was the same, but with Christian lyrics, and if it wasn't by an artist like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, or Lady GaGa?

2. Why is it exactly that you like the song so much? Is it truly because it is that great musically, or is it because it is by a morally corrupt artist?

I think that that particular argument for secular music is just a lie from Satan worming its way into a lot of Christian's lives.

In Philippians 4:8-9 we read: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

If we are truly trying to follow the Bible, especially these verses, how can we if we listen to most secular music? Because if we face it, most songs on the radio today are about sex, drugs, drunkenness, and other un-Godly practices, not to mention songs filled with terrible curse words. How can we expect to abide by the verses in Philippians, if we are filling our minds with foul lyrics?

I am not trying to say that I think that all secular music is bad or that it is a sin to listen to some of it. However, since most secular music is corrupt, I think that it is sinful to listen to most of the secular music that is out now.

I believe that there is some Christian freedom in this area, however, we do have Biblical guidelines and rules that we need to abide by. Also, while some people try to argue that secular music is the only thing to listen to, most areas in the USA have Christian stations like HisRadio, Air 1, or K-Love that we can listen to.

June Authors of the Month

2009-06-23T13:06:00.007-04:00

The June authors of the month are Alex and Brett Harris. I realize that I had their names on my sidebar under "Authors of the Week" for about a year, but I never really wrote a post about it. So they are my Authors of the Month for June.

In 2005, Alex and Brett Harris, the younger brother of Christian author Josh Harris, founded the Rebelution blog. Since then they have written a book, produced a helpful modesty survey for teens, and have done multiple nationwide tours to teach teens the meaning of their book and the goal of their organization.

I wrote a post last year about their book, Do Hard Things. At the time I hadn't finished reading the book. I have finished it now, and I think that it is a great resource for both teenagers and their parents. The Rebelution is definitely a website that you should check out.

Also, Alex and Brett have a great suggested reading list that I am planning on using this summer for some good reading. Check it out here.

Not relating to the authors of the month, I updated my blog's look because I had been using the other template for a while and I wanted a new look.

Authors of the Month

2009-05-25T17:05:00.010-04:00

I have 4 authors listed on the side bar for authors of the month. When my dad, my mom, and I attended the 2009 Ligonier conference in Orlando in March, I bought a book by each of these authors. I bought 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow by R. C. Sproul, In Christ Alone by Sinclair Ferguson, Humilty:True Greatness by C. J. Mahaney, and The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwar ds by Steven J. Lawson. So far I have started the book by Ferguson and the book by Mahaney, both of which I am enjoying. When I finish them I will post a full review.

To see more about the authors, click on the links to the right. The authors of the month will change on June 25th.

I need to study more.......

2009-05-25T09:33:00.002-04:00

Actually, I was glad that I even got three correct, because I kind of thought that I was going to bomb the whole thing. However, you should try the quiz.

More about John Calvin at Calvin 500

Be Transformed......

2009-04-02T18:00:00.003-04:00

Today's society is filled with many things that we as Christians shouldn't have anything to do with. Unfortunately, many Christians still want to be able to do them, because they are tempted by their sinful desires. So a lot of times they do. They listen to whatever music, filled with whatever lyrics , that they want. They watch whatever T.V. shows and movies they want, and they read books with inappropriate content. When I have asked people why they think that it is okay to listen to music with swear words and watch movies with bad content, the answer that I get is, "Well, it doesn't affect me, so I don't see why there is anything wrong with it." But the truth is, music and movies like that will affect you. It will make you start thinking more about things that you shouldn't be. Even if it doesn't affect what you do on the outside, God still knows what you're thinking on the inside. Romans 12:2 says:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

How can we be renewing our minds if we are filling our heads with stuff that is inappropriate? Sometimes even stuff that we would be ashamed if others knowing about it?

So I make it my effort not to listen to a lot of secular music, and not to read books like Harry Potter and Twilight. I also stay away from R rated movies.

Now, I'm not saying that I think that people should never listen or read anything that is secular. I just think that people have to be aware of and stay away from foul content. How can we be renewing our minds if we aren't???

Update on Please Pray

2009-01-30T18:18:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that, Brenda, the young woman I mentioned in the last post went home to be with her heavenly Savior last night. Currently, please pray for her five year old because they had to tell him today that his mother has died.

Please Pray

2009-01-26T17:35:00.002-05:00

There is a woman in our church with leukemia. She is currently in Atlanta. Today they told us that she has massive bleeding in her brain. Please pray for her as well as for her family and the decisions they will be making. Also, please pray for her son, who is six years old. Thank you!

Ronald Reagan Quote

2009-01-14T20:18:00.002-05:00

Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born. --Ronald Reagan

I found this quote the other day in the companion reader that accompanies my textbook for the U.S. Government class that I'm taking at the homeschool co-op. I thought it was really interesting. There are so many people out there who want to be able to abort their babies for convenience. They don't even want to give their child a chance. But they were born. They were given a chance.

Never Silence Life

2008-12-21T16:24:00.002-05:00

You all know that I am very Pro-Life. I never like to hear people talk about abortion as if it is no big thing. If you feel the same way that I do (or even if you don't) you should check out this post on the Rebelution blog. It is very encouraging.

On January 22, 2009 the sisters from the band BarlowGirl are doing abortion awareness. According to their website a child dies every 22 seconds due to an abortion. That is terrible. I think we should all have the responsiblity to tell people the truth about abortion.

Visit the Barlow sisters website at Neversilencelife.com.

Before You Meet Prince Charming

2008-11-28T13:40:00.006-05:00

Lately, I've reading Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally. From what I've read so far, it's a great book. Sarah Mally is one of the 3 siblings who published the book Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends a few years ago. This book presents the idea that courting is better than today's modern idea of dating. I agree with Sarah on this. Some of the big things she presents are the problems with today's dating. One of the things she says is that dating is all about the present. It makes you feel really good and cool now, but the effects later can damage you for good. Courting is about the future, waiting for what is God's best for your life. One of the biggest problems I have with dating is that when someone dates, they are probably going to break up. Even though they weren't married, it would be terrible, especially if they had been dating the person for any length of time. Dating and breaking up is a practice for divorce later.

Also, a lot of my friends are "dating", technically. What I see is a lot of people getting hurt at a very young age. I don't believe that people who are that young need to be in a relationship. If they are alone with a boy a lot, they'll start having romantic feelings, even if they are way too young to get married. Also, having had boyfriends earlier in life can cause problems later when they get married. People can lose part of their heart to someone even if they don't think or realize that it happened. It's something that can't be recovered. Lots of people would say stuff like, "Dating is a lot of fun," and "It's so cute for them to have a boyfriend," or "Nothing will possibly happen." But things can happen and the consequences can hurt people for the rest of their lives.

As well as writing Before You Meet Prince Charming and co-writing Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends, Sarah Mally is also the founder of Bright Lights, a ministry program for young teens. You can visit her website here.

For more information on courting, check out I Kissed Dating Good-Bye and Boy Meets Girl, both by Joshua Harris. You can visit his website at www.joshharris.com

Fireproof

2008-10-04T08:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I went with my parents and family to see the new film by Sherwood Pictures, Fireproof. Sherwood Pictures is the same company that made Facing the Giants two years ago. I thought that this was an amazing movie. It was one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. What I loved about it is that, because it's a Christian movie, you don't have to deal with any swear words or anything like that. Even without cursing, their point was made completely. I don't understand why movie makers feel the need to include that in most movies, but I guess most of them are not saved, so what should we expect?????

This movie is the story of Caleb and Catherine Holt, a young couple who is struggling in their marriage. Neither of them are saved, so there comes a point where they almost give up and go for a divorce. But then Caleb's father gives him a book called The Love Dare to try to help save Caleb's marriage. Each day for 40 days, Caleb has to do something for his wife. From not saying anything harsh to buying her something nice, he tries desperately to save his marriage.

I think that this is a great movie for anyone to see because it shows the great importance of marriage.

To see my dad's thoughts on this, click here.

Please, Don't Forget

2008-09-12T14:32:00.005-04:00

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday about my thoughts on the 7th anniversary of 9/11, so I want to today. Last year, I asked you all to remember 9/11. To see that post click here. I'm going to ask you all again to remember, but most of all don't forget. By the time our children's children's children are adults, 9/11 will just be an event in a history textbook, like so many of us see the Civil War or the American Revolution now. Eventually, no one will remember what the U.S. was like before September 11, 2001 happened, or what is was like before the War in Iraq.

Yesterday, my family watched replays of the original media coverage from September 11. It was awful to know, even while the reporters didn't yet, that both of those towers were going to fall, and all of the trapped people inside had died when it happened.

I also watched President Bush's speech at the dedication of the Pentagon Memorial yesterday. The memorial consists of 184 benches, one for each person killed in the building and on American Airlines Flight 77.

I was just thinking, so many people went to work that day and never came home. We don't know how many were saved, but I'm sure the ones that were ended up in their heavenly home with their wonderful Savior much more quickly than they probably expected. The ones that weren't saved, however, found out a lot more quickly than they ever imagined that hell is a very real place. It hurts to think of how many people ended up there on that Tuesday morning. But I firmly believe that in every moment, including the 9/11 attacks, that God is in control, and we just have to trust in Him, even when we don't understand why something happened.

So please, just remember, and tell your children and your grandchildren, so our future generations can know what happened that day.

Above, a rendering of the Pentagon memorial.

Above, a rendering of the proposed World Trade Center memorial, showing the footprints of the buildings.

Again....Lack of Posts

2008-08-30T09:26:00.004-04:00

I haven't been posting lately because I don't have Internet at my house. Right now I'm actually posting from my grandmother's house. Not much happening at home. We just finished our 2nd week of school. Eck.

I got a whole bunch more old pictures recently that my grandma has had forever. My oldest one is of my great-great grandparents on their wedding day in 1904.

I also got a copy of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace from 1942 and a book called The College reader from the late thirties.( I think.)

As you can see. not much going on.............

The Rebelution's Modesty Survey

2008-07-17T11:57:00.002-04:00

I realized that I have a link on my sidebar, but I don't think that I ever did a post on the Rebelution's Modesty Survey.

The Modesty Survey is a 148 question survey put together by girls an answered by guys. There were more than 150,000 answers with more than 1600 guys participating. The questions were phrased as a statement and then the guys could agree or disagree on a five point scale. The questions cover everything from swim wear to skirts to makeup and jewelry. The survey was done in January 2007, and the results were released that Valentine's Day.

I would encourage you to check it out because it is quite fascinating to see what Christian guys think about certain items of clothing.

New Old Books

2008-07-15T16:43:00.002-04:00

Sorry for not posting recently. we were out of town for two weeks.

I got two new old books. The first is a British poetry and prose book from 1938.

The second is called Literature and Life and it is from the late twenties.

I don't have the exact dates because I'm not currently at home while I'm doing this.

My grandmother gave me an old postcard that was mailed from Munich, Germany to her mother in 1929.

That's all for now...........................

Which Austen Heroine are You??

2008-07-04T19:08:00.002-04:00

Take the Quiz here!

I did a "Which Austen Heroine are You?" quiz recently. From the Jane Austen books I could have been, Elinor or Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility,Fanny Price from Mansfield Park, Anne Elliot from Persuasion, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey, or Emma Woodhouse from Emma.

I am Marianne Dashwood. You can see that from the widget on the above. To take the quiz just click on it. I'd love to see your results when you are done.

Lack of Posts

2008-06-20T10:31:00.002-04:00

If anyone is wondering why I haven't posted, I have 3 reasons.

1) I'm slowly transferring my blog over to Wordpress.
2) I haven't had Internet at my house.
3) Its 10:33 in the morning and I haven't had power since 3:15 last afternoon. I'm blogging from church that lets us live in their house.

So please be patient. Thank you!

Photo Editing

2008-06-06T14:33:00.009-04:00

So I have this application on my computer called Paint.net. It's really cool because you can basically take any picture and turn it into kind of impressionist painting;at least, that's what I think they look like. I know some people might not like these because they are somewhat irritating to look at.

But the pics are as follows:

1. Elizabeth Swann from POTC3.
2. Will Turner from POTC3.
3. Jack Sparrow from POTC3.
4. Arwen from LOTR.
5. The Nazgul from LOTR.
6. Susan Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia 2.
7. Susan with griffon from The Chronicles of Narnia 2.

America Says: Pre-marital Sex is Okay

2008-06-04T10:20:00.003-04:00

Something my Mom mentioned to me in a comment on my last post really caught my attention. In my last post "America Says: Abortion is Okay," I didn't really say anything about why so many girls have abortions.

According to this website, 64.4% of abortions are performed on never married women and 93% of abortions occur because of (according to this website) social reasons (i.e the child is unwanted or inconvenient.)

So I would say that a lot of the abortions performed are because the woman having the procedure had sex outside of marriage and got pregnant. What is sad about the American mindset is that so many of these girls think that their only mistake was getting pregnant and that having sex was fine.

Obviously though, you are only going to get pregnant as a result of having sex, so if you don't have sex, you won't get pregnant, but girls don't seem to realize that.

I know someone that had a baby outside of marriage. My mom and I were talking about it and she jokingly said to me "You aren't going to have a baby at sixteen are you?" I said, "No, I'm not planning on it." When I told a friend about this conversation she said to me, "Well, I don't think the girls that got pregnant were planning on it either." They weren't planning NOT to get pregnant, either. That's why purity is so important.

Besides the fact that the bible condemns it, another reason premarital sex is wrong is because: a) It can lead to pregnancy and b)then those pregnancies can end in abortion.

So I would say that the problem is not just abortion, but what it stems from, which is pre-marital sex. So if you decide that you are never going to have sex before you are married, you will never have to make a decision whether or not to abort your baby.

That is why I think that courting is so important because you keep yourself from being put in a situation where you might be tempted. But I'll save the topic of courting for another blog post.

Amercia Says: Abortion is Okay

2008-05-31T18:57:00.002-04:00

What America says about abortion is not just that it is okay, but that it is legal. Here is a little bit of history about abortion.

Abortion was legalized in 1973 at the end of the famous Roe v. Wade court case. What happed was that a woman named Jane Roe (actually a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey) decided she wanted an abortion. She first went to her state to try to have abortion legalized. From there the case ended up in the Supreme Court, and the conclusion was that abortion was made legal. Suddenly any woman that wanted to kill her unborn baby could.

As a note, in 1995 Norma McCorvey became part of the pro-life movement. She now tries to make illegal a case she fought so hard to have legalized.

I believe that abortion is wrong because I believe abortion is murder. In Exodus 20:13 (NIV) is says: You shall not murder. Therefore, I believe that abortion is not only murder but also a sin.

I think that these doctors who perform abortions and the women having the abortions have brainwashed themselves into thinking that the baby isn't a life. They call the baby a "fetus" and refer to it as an object, as opposed to a human being. I know that one of the reasons that Pro-Choice advocates give for the legality of abortion is that the baby in question of being aborted isn't viable. Viability is being capable of living. So they say that the baby isn't a human because it isn't capable of living on its own. However, if you left a one or two year old alone it wouldn't be capable of living on its own. Generally, everybody considers one and two year olds to be humans. So I see that as putting a stop to that reason for the legality of abortion. Of course, the pro-Choice people wouldn't agree with me.

Another thing I think is funny is that if someone murders a pregnant woman, the killer can be charged with a double homicide, one killing for the mother and one for the baby. But, if the baby isn't a life, how can someone be charged with ending it?
The definition of homicide is: The killing of one human being by another. So, obviously someone thinks that unborn babies are lives.

Because abortion is morally wrong, people end up contradicting themselves as they try to find some way to say that abortion is fine, legal, okay, correct, all of the above.

What I have to say is that I believe abortion is WRONG, and that as Christians, we should stand against abortion and put up a fight to get abortion made illegal.

Currently Reading.....

2008-05-26T15:06:00.006-04:00

I am currently reading The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper. I just started reading it, but so far it is really good. Basically,in this book John Piper is giving fifty reasons why Christ suffered and died. You might be thinking, oh well I know why Christ suffered and died, he did it to redeem us from our transgressions and sins and to give us a hope worth living for and to save from us an eternity in hell.Well, yes, but there are so many more reasons in this book that I never would have thought of. I'll give a full review when I finish it.

The other book is Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris. I had started reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye, but as I was reading it I kept thinking, "I already know that I don't want to date and that I want to court instead." My dad had bought this book, so I went and got it and started reading it instead. That's when I realized, "Hey, here is somebody that shares the same views on courtship that I do." It is really encouraging for me to read this book, because a lot of times when I tell people that I have no plans to date and that I want to court instead, they kind of look at me like I'm an alien from another planet and then say something like, "Then how are you supposed to get married?"

It's kind of like when I tell somebody that I'm homeschooled, and the they ask the question, "What about socialization?" I've so many responses like that now that it makes me want to laugh when people say it.

Again, a full review of Boy Meets Girl when I'm finished with it.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008-05-24T16:40:00.006-04:00

So, I saw this movie on opening day. I liked it. I was a little bit disappointed with some things, including the fact that they added a Caspian/Peter rivalry. I do understand to some extent though why they added a few action sequences that aren't in the book, because to be honest, the book of Prince Caspian is actually quite boring in some respects and is probably my least favorite of the Narnia books. So, I want to know what you thought of it. I know some people really hate it when the book is deviated from at all, while is doesn't really bother others.

Also, I did like it enough that I'm going to see it again tomorrow with my youth group. I would say however, that it is not a movie for really little kids. It is rated PG, but it is fairly violent.

Also, if you have read the Narnia books, which is your favorite? Mine is The Horse and His Boy.

Do Hard Things

2008-05-23T15:31:00.003-04:00

Check out this great book called "Do Hard Things." It is by Alex & Brett Harris. (They are the younger brothers of Josh Harris, the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye)

I'm not done reading this book yet, but what I like about it is that it teaches that we as Christian teens do not have to descend to the low expectations that secular America has for us. We need to rise to the expectations that God has for us. We don't have to conform to the world's standards on many things (i.e. modesty, sex, other inappropriate stuff). We can start doing things to further God's kingdom instead.

I would recommend this book to all teens and their parents, because it's good for adults as well.

Check out the Harris twins website and blog here at The Rebelution.

My dad wrote an article on "Do Hard Things" here, on his Hammer and Nail blog.

Giveaway

2008-05-23T15:25:00.002-04:00

UPDATE: The drawing is over.

This is the May give away from Challies.com. You can click on the banner for details or to enter the drawing.

Old Books

2008-05-08T15:34:00.005-04:00

Recently I have started collecting old books. I've always loved books in general and one day my mom and I were at a yard sale and I saw some really old books for sale. Now, I have a total of eight books, and I've gotten all but one of them from yard sales. Here is what they are:

1. A 1904 edition of The Leading Facts of American
History by D.H Montgomery. This one is probably my favorite because I love
history so much. Also, in this history textbook there are only 26 presidents, 45
states, and 15 amendments to the Constitution.

2. A 1897 edition of Hints and Helps on English Grammar.There is no author listed; itjust says that it was published by Raub & Co. However, the preface is signed "The Author."

3. A 1939 edition of a math textbook called Practical Shop Mathematics. It is by John H. Wolfe and Everett R. Phelps.

4. A 1942 State of Georgia Trigonometry textbook called Plane Trigonometry with Applications. It is by William L. Hart.

5. A 1937 edition of Five Little Peppers at School by Margaret Sidney.

6. A 1926 edition of The Blue Book of Cookery, by Isabel Cotton Smith. The introduction is written by Emily Post who
wrote the famous book called Etiquette.

7. A 1940 edition o a book called Faces and Places. It is by Myrtle Banks Quinlan. It is basically a learn to read book for kids.

8. Finally, a 1895 edition of First Year in French by L.C. Syms.

So basically, this post was just about books, and mostly because I was bored.

Hinduism and American People

2008-04-13T16:58:00.002-04:00

We had a family camp yesterday hosted by Camp Sunshine. Camp sunshine is an organization that host camps for kids that have or have had cancer. At the camp there were some interns that were there getting hours toward their Child Life Specialist practicums. For more info on Child Life Specialists, click here.

Anyway,I was telling one of the interns about how I had lived in India. She asked me if Hinduism was the main religion there and I said that it was. Then, she said to me, "Hinduism fascinates me." And I said, "Why?" Then she said, "Well, just all of the gods and the rituals and stuff." I said, "There's just no hope in Hinduism." She said, "Personally, I think thats a matter of opinion." So I said, "Well, what do you see as hope in it?" Then she said to me, "Well, I don't feel like it's my place to judge what people believe, because if thats what they want to believe then thats fine."

Well first, she didn't answer my question, presumably because she doesn't actually see hope in Hinduism, or she doesn't really know what Hindus believe. Second, what's so sad is that she has bought into this American idea that whatever religion you want to believe is fine for you because in the end they all lead to the same place. Sadly, if you aren't a Christian all other religions do lead to the same place. A place called hell.

Also, another sad thing is that she told me she grew up Methodist. So she grew up in the church and yet she has still adopted this idea that basically, all of the "gods" lead to the same end result.

Something else interesting; my Mom told this girl that Hindus use cow urine in their rituals and that they drink it. She didn't even seem fazed by this. It really is sad what people will believe.

Just Stuff

2008-04-13T16:50:00.003-04:00

So, I haven't posted in forever. I apologize to anyone who looks at this blog, which is pretty much nobody.

Anyway, my birthday was in February, and I got an iPod nano. It is really nice because before my b-day I just had a walk man CD player. My iPod looks like the silver one above in the picture. Basically, I transfered all of my music on to it. It is great because now I don't have to switch CDs repeatedly. So, I like my iPod.

Celebrate Tossmas with Me

2007-11-30T19:29:00.000-05:00

Check out the video of "Merry Tossmas" above. Originally my grandmother sent it to me and we watched it and liked it. After you have watched it you will understand the following:

We got an email for a "Holiday Huge Sale" at JCPenney, and we said "Merry Tossmas!" Also, the incorrect grammar in the phrase" Holiday Huge Sale" got me. Couldn't they have just said "Huge Holiday Sale"? Even if they had, I still would have said "Merry Tossmas!"

We got a "Holiday 2007" catalog from The Popcorn Factory and we said "Feliz Navitoss!"

What is funny is that most of these supposed "Holiday" catalogs all say something like "Order by December 21, 2007 for delivery by Christmas." Couldn't they have just said "Order by December 21, 2007 for delivery by the Holiday"?

Also,the above message is great because we need to understand that while companies try to make it sound like they are being nice to us they really just want our money.

Maybe they are supposedly trying not to offend people of other religions (i.e. Jews and Muslims) but if you don't want to offend them, send them catalogs for Hanukkah and Ramadan and send us our catalogs for Christmas.

Merry Tossmas!!

Jeremy Camp Concert

2007-11-01T16:34:00.000-04:00

Hey, I haven't posted on it yet, even though it was almost two weeks ago, but I decided to write about it now.

I had the wonderful privilege to go to a Jeremy Camp concert. I went down to Calvary in Savannah with my Youth Pastor and a couple of other youth. It was really cool. A newer band called Mainstay opened for him. They were actually pretty good, but during one of their songs I could hear the drums more than anything else. Of the songs they played, I liked "Hang On" the best. This is the first verse and chorus:

I don't know how I got to where I am
All I know is that I want to go back
to the moment when I fell in love with grace
and I hear You whisper

Hang on, I know your hope seems gone
Hang on, sometimes the heartache makes you strong
Remember the first time love turned you around

You probably get the general gist of the song. After they opened, Jeremy Camp sang with his band. It was AWESOME! I've always like his music, but live it was so much better. I do have to say that his pianist is an amazing pianist. The piano can be heard so much better in concert that off a CD. My favorite songs of his are definitely "I Still Believe" and 'Walk By Faith." Here is the first verse and chorus to "Walk By Faith":

Would I believe you when you would say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see it
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

It was a great concert. I enjoyed it so much!

For more info on Jeremy Camp, click here.

For more info on Mainstay, click here.

Saddeningly Strange

2007-10-11T20:01:00.000-04:00

Last night we went to dinner at the church before service or, in my case, youth group. Two girls that Mary know from GAs were sitting with us . Let's call them Sarah and Morgan. As we were sitting there eating, Sarah looked over her shoulder and saw Morgan's parents eating together at a table like anyone would do. She seemed mystified by this. Sarah looked at Morgan and asked, " Why are parents sitting together?" Morgan looked at her strangely. "Because they are married," she replied. "Oh," Sarah said, "they are?" Morgan looked at me and back at Sarah. "Yeah, cause it would be bad if they weren't."

I couldn't figure out why on earth Sarah hadn't realized that Morgan's parents might be married, until she said, "Well, my parents almost got a divorce." I suddenly realized that Sarah might not be used to her parents sitting together and speaking nicely to each other. I felt really sad for her.

Recent Stuff....... (or Youth Group Fear Factor, NC & VA trip, and Upcoming Church Stuff)

2007-09-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago my youth group hosted a "Fear Factor" for all of the teens. It was really cool. Our youth pastor told us all about it and said he would give $50 to whoever won. So, I went over there just expecting to have some fun. After we did some really gross stuff, we had to drink this disgusting concoction of over-ripe banana, vinegar, baby mac & cheese, garlic, tuna fish, and baby food chicken and rice casserole. We were told that if we threw up we were immediately disqualified. It was me versus 7 other people. Everyone but me threw up, so I WON! And I got 50 bucks. It was awesome!

Last weekend, we drove up to Wake Forest, NC to see our church family. It was really nice to fellowship with all of them. Saturday we drove down to Wilmington to see one of my friend's football game. Sunday we had church and then we did Lord's Supper at one couple's house.

Thank you everyone at Messiah Baptist!!

After hanging around all afternoon, we went on up to Yorktown, VA to see my aunt and uncle and cousins and some of our friends. We got to go to the Jamestowne Settlement. To see my Dad's post on this, click here.

Wednesday we drove to Richmond, VA to see some more friends, and Thursday we drove home. Wow! We had a lot of driving in one week. (To Wake Forest, to Wilmington, back to WF from Wilmington, to Yorktown, to Richmond, and finally home. Whew!)

On October 18th I get to go down to Calvary in Savannah (it was Calvary Baptist Church) and see Jeremy Camp in concert. I'm really excited. My youth pastor is taking any of the Youth Group that want to go. Yeah! (Of course we did have to pay for tickets. Thank you Daddy!!!)

On the 20th of Oct. we have a Youth Group Fall Festival and on the 31st we have "Hallelujah Night", which is a night for the kids as an alternative to Halloween.

So, we have had a lot happen in the last month, and we have a lot that is going to happen in the next month.

Remember 9/11

2007-09-11T18:25:00.000-04:00

Remember 9/11 and the 2,974 lives that were lost. Don't forget.

Today I'd like to remember the thousands of people who died on September 11, 2001. 2,974 people went to work that morning or boarded a plane with no knowledge of what was to come. And they died. But when you look at the numbers of people who called in sick to work or missed their flight it truly is amazing. For example: Flight 93 which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania was carrying only 37 people. That type of plane could carry (I think) more than 150 people. I'm not saying that to make it sound more "pretty" or anything. That day was terrible. Here are some fatality numbers:

World Trade Center (both towers and on the ground): 2, 603
On the four airplanes: 264
Pentagon: 125

Among these were 341 FDNY personnel, 2 FDNY paramedics, 8 ambulance personnel, 23 NYPD officers, and 37 Port Authority Police Department officers. The 19 hijackers were also killed.

In the North Tower alone, 1366 people died above the impact zone of the airplane. (The airplane hit between the 93 and 99 floors).

Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. was an investment bank located in the 101st through105th floors of the North Tower (or 1 WTC). Cantor Fitzgerald alone lost 658 employees, much more than any other company.

Also dead as a result of 9/11 were 8 children on the airplanes, ranging from ages 2 - 11. The youngest victim in the towers was 17 years old.

So please remember 9/11. Remember all the people that died that day. How many of them were Christians? How many of them weren't? We will never know.

Remember.

The Wonders of Tubing

2007-08-09T12:36:00.000-04:00

Currently, we are staying (until Sat.) at my great-uncle's cabin on Seneca Lake. Seneca Lake is one of the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York. Today we took the speed boat out and rode up the lake to where the Navy actually has deep sea diving training facility. This is probably because at certain parts of the lake, Seneca is over 600 feet deep. Anyway, after we did that we decided to go tubing, as we probably won't have another chance. (Bad weather.) Mary went, and her ride was very uneventful. The I went. As my dad was about to bring the boat back in to the dock, the gas tank died. Now we had another one, but these stupid boat companies make it almost impossible, at least in our boat, to switch gas tanks. So there we were floating quite a ways from our dock. Not out, but over. We were also only about 50 feet from Lodi Point. We didn't want to run aground on that either. So I jumped off the tube and said, "Oh, I'll just swim back."

Well, that didn't work. Eventually, my dad got the boat rowed it, and my mom came with the canoe and rescued me.

Battle of Gettysburg

2007-07-03T20:12:00.000-04:00

Today marks the 144^th anniversary of the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. Not that this date is a REALLY special marker or anything. Usually you see 50^th, 100^th, 200^th, etc. We were just watching the film Gettysburg the past few nights and it seemed appropriate. I, for one, really, really like history. It is by far my favorite school subject. I’m really interested in the Civil War now. The Battle of Gettysburg is one of the most important battles in the whole war, I think.

The Battle of Gettysburg took place over a period of three days, from July 1-3, 1863. After fighting for two days it looked like the Confederates were losing. This was unusual as they had won every major battle up until this point. The second day had not gone well at all. Some of the men had been sent to try to capture a hill called Little Round Top. They were not able to take it and they lost many men. On the third day the Southern Army possessed Seminary Ridge and the Northern Army had Cemetery Ridge. Between them was more than a mile of open field, with the Federal (Union) Army having slightly higher ground. Other than the fields, only a road, some fences and a stone wall separated the two armies. So on that third day, Robert E. Lee, thinking they could win, ordered what is now known as Pickett’s Charge. Or basically, he wanted 15,000 of his men to march a mile across open fields, under heavy artillery fire to try to defeat the Federals. Also, the South was running low on ammunition. Pickett’s Charge was a total defeat on the part of the Confederate Army. They lost the Battle of Gettysburg, which is probably what caused them to lose the entire war.

In three days during the Battle of Gettysburg, over 53,000 men died. Of the officers that I’ve listed below, Lewis Armistead (Confederate) and John Reynolds (Federal) lost their lives during the battle.

Some of the major officers involved at Gettysburg are a follows:

Federal (Union)

George G. Meade

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

John Buford

Winfield Scott Hancock

John Reynolds

Confederate

Robert E. Lee

James Longstreet

Lewis A. Armistead

George Pickett

A.P. Hill

J.E.B Stuart

Jubal Early

Richard Ewell

Henry Heth

I think that the Civil War is really sad. For example, some of the men on opposing sides were best friends. Winfield Hancock was very good friends with Lewis Armistead. Hancock was wounded during the battle, but he didn’t die. However Armistead was mortally wounded and died two days later. Both were stationed in California at the start of the war. The night before Hancock and Armistead had parted ways, Armistead promised Hancock that if he ever raised a hand against him in battle, he wished that God would strike him dead. Armistead was one of the Confederate officers during Pickett’s Charge. They were opposing Hancock’s men. As I said before, Armistead was wounded and died from it. The whole thing was very sad.

So as tomorrow is Independence Day, I just wanted to take a couple of minutes to remember what happened at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania those three days of July 1863.

This is Really Sad!!!!!

2007-06-22T13:19:00.000-04:00

Kentucky Officials Investigating Amusement Ride After Girl's Feet Severed

State officials were investigating Friday how a 13-year-old girl's feet were severed while on an amusement ride in Louisville, Ky.

The girl was riding the Superman Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom when witnesses said a cable snapped.

"I seen the car go up. Then, like, the cable broke, I heard — pwchh — and I heard a lot of people screaming," Chris Stinette, who was on the ride when the accident occurred, told FOX 41.

A Six Flags spokeswoman sid the company has shut down similar rides at parks in St. Louis, Gurnee, Illinois, and near Washington, D.C., as a safety precaution.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. also shut down and inspected drop tower rides Kings Island near Cincinnati; Canada's Wonderland, in Toronto; Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va.; Carowinds, in Charlotte, N.C.; and Great America in Santa Clara, Calif., company spokeswoman Stacy Frole said.

Investigators returned to the park Friday to examine the ride, said Bill Clary, a spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

The Agriculture Department is responsible for inspecting amusement park rides in Kentucky. "We don't know the cause and we may never know the cause, honestly," Clary said.

Part of a broke cable was visible on the ride, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. Asked about the cable, McLean told the paper, "it would be speculation" to say how the ride malfunctioned or whether the cable contributed to the accident.

The girl, whose name was not released because she's a minor, was initially treated at University Hospital and her condition was unknown, according to park spokeswoman Carolyn McLean. Her condition was unavailable Friday morning.

The ride lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops 154 feet, reaching a speed of 54 mph according to the park's Web site.

The ride has been shut down indefinitely while park and state officials investigate what caused the accident. The rest of the park remained open.

The ride opened in 1995 and was originally called the "Hellevator," the Courier-Journal reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

_________________________________________

The above news story is from Fox News.

This is really sad. I can't imagine this. What if it was you? You get up in the morning and are all excited about going to an amusement park, and then while riding a thrill ride your feet get cut off? I just feel really sad for the girl. Now I'm kind of scared to ever ride any roller coaster/thrill ride where my feet are hanging free from a car again.

Animals at the Library

2007-06-21T12:52:00.000-04:00

Two days ago, we went with some of our friends out to the library in Rincon to see reptiles, amphibians, and large birds of prey. All of the animals were from the Lamar Q. Ball Jr. Raptor Center, which is part of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. It was really cool. I've been to the Raptor center several times, but all of the animals were in their displays, instead of being held by a woman and carried all over a room in the public library. We saw tree frogs, a blue tongued skink, a California King snake, a Georgia Indigo snake, a baby rat snake, a tortoise, a salamander, a rat, an owl, and a red tailed hawk.

Several times I had to resist the urge squeal or jump around in my seat. The weirdest thing to touch was probably the King snake. Actually, it was really fun.

VBS 2007 "Avalanche Ranch"

2007-06-19T17:25:00.000-04:00

All of last week, I helped out with a VBS at Grace Community Church, where my aunt goes to church. It was fun in some ways. I was one of the leaders for Bobby's class (2nd grade), which I think helped him a lot. My aunt was the main second grade leader, so with the combination of his sister and his aunt, he wasn't so afraid that kids would make fun of him.

The theme that Grace was doing was Avalanche Ranch, by Group Publishing. It was a western theme which led to things like hay being strewn all around the church. We had about 25 kids in our class with about 15 of them being boys. Also, 4 of the 5 days the games were with water so Bobby couldn't play, because of his central line. All of it was pretty good, but like with every VBS it had its drawbacks. The biggest one that I saw was the fact that for three days in a row, the bible story was from the Old Testament. Then suddenly on Thursday they are doing the story of the resurrection and telling kids how important it is to be saved. The next day we are back to the Old Testament with the story of Naaman. The "Bible point" and Bible story for each day are as follows:

Day One: God is real! (Rahab hides the spies)
Day Two: God is with us! (The Jordan River crossing)
Day Three: God is strong! (Jericho)
Day Four: God is awesome! (Crucifixion & Resurrection)
Day Five: God is in charge! (Naaman is healed of leprosy)

Now, while all of these Bible points are true, I think that maybe we could find something better. How about:

Day One: God created the whole world, including us
Day Two: We are all sinners and are doomed to eternal life in Hell
Day Three: But we don't have to stay doomed because:
Day Four: God sent his son to die for us
Day Five: If you repent and believe, you can be saved.

So I guess that I am giving Vacation Bible School a little bit of a blast because I think that Lifeway and Group could make a little better VBS than the options that are available for 2007.

But I do have to say, doing Avalanche Ranch all week was worth it all just to see my dad stand up and do the "riding a horse" motions to the theme song in the final service on Friday night. It made my day, no rather, my week.

My New Blog

2007-06-18T17:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, I realized that I don't have a blog where I can just write about absolutely whatever, so here it goes. If you see this please, please, please comment so that I know that you exist. Sometimes I think that every one has died or else no one uses the Internet anymore. Then I rethink that and realize that it's just that no one leaves comments! At least not on my blogs.

Lately with this whole thing of my brother having cancer, I have given a lot of my time to books. Pretty soon the public library system will run out of good books. From there I will proceed to re-read every book I've ever read. Oh, yeah, and then there is Little House on the Prairie on Hallmark Channel every day at 10, 11, 3, and 4. I do enjoy watching that but I usually only do it in the afternoons. In the morning I'm still wading through my Algebra 1. I figured out this morning that by doing two lessons for two days, and three lessons for two days, I can be finished with my math for this year by the end of the week! Wouldn't that be grand! Finally done with school so I can have a month off.