What We've Been Up To

We've been busy the past few days!


Below is a link to a video we're sending as an illustration for our Olympic contest entry. Be sure to watch the whole thing. After the olympics, it's got some great "claymation" movies that Rebecca made the past two days. We've been having lots of fun with stop-action photography, and I think the ones Rebecca did are really sweet! Be sure and turn the volume up - there is sound!

You Tube Video

More Jumping Pictures

This time with the whole family! We grabbed these frames from the HD video camera.

Jump into Summer!

My kids have recently discovered they love jumping in the lake! We found a dock that's been for sale for a long time right in the cove where Terry likes to ski. It's a great place for the kids to hang out while Terry skis (getting them out of the boat reduces the wake), and they finally got brave enough to try jumping in. I love these pictures! The older guy is Mike Baker, a Moody Aviation grad that we befriended years ago and who recently came to town for a visit. Rebecca jumped, too, but not with the camera!

Summer Plans

We decided not to take a trip this summer. Check out my very first blog entry to see where we went last year. Our kids were totally overwhelmed with that trip, and they begged for a summer closer to home. I guess it is sort of hard to want to leave when we have a lake and a pool down the street! Anyway, this decision was made long before gas prices started inflating like crazy, and now it seems to make even more sense.

Even though we aren't taking a family vacation, here's what we're looking forward to:

• hosting a marriage retreat this weekend
• visits from James and Allison and from the Kevin and Krista Rideout (and a last minute visit from Mike Baker who is actually arriving tonight)
• Nathan's birthday party next weekend
• 4th of July with neighborhood fireworks
• "Cousin camp" - one week with our kids in Knoxville and one week with the kids here in Johnson City - eight kids ages 7-15 - we are planning lots of activities and even T-shirts!
• Caleb going to Doe River Gorge Camp
• Rebecca going to Worldview Academy at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, NC
• the rest of us visiting two good friends in North Carolina while she's there
• camping at South Holston Lake
• Rebecca and I competing in a sprint triathlon in Chattanooga on August 10th with my friend, Laura O'Bryan (we all started a nine-week training program this week)

One optional thing is that Noah is trying out for a part in the Beauty and the Beast (the part of "Chip") next weekend. If he gets the part, it will mean lots of trips to Abingdon (a 45 min. drive) and a pretty big life-change from August until the play is over right before Thanksgiving. There are eleven weeks of performances. We are just praying that he won't get the part if our family isn't up for it.

Anyway, if you're not interested in all that, check us out on the new "Living in HD website" (link below). There are videos of us and everything now! Don't you think we're the coolest family on there? And really, all of you guys should sign up where it says "Join Now." They are giving more stuff away!

http://www.panasonic.com/livinginhd/community.htm

Happy Birthday, Carol!

Well, I decided that instead of sending a card, I would write a blog entry that everyone could see. Not to mention that it's cheaper and you don't have to plan ahead as much!

Carol, I remember that day when you were born 38 years ago. How badly Ann and I wanted a brother! What were we thinking?

Fortunately, God knew better what I needed, and I can't imagine life without my little sister. We have shared so many great memories. I miss getting to be around you all the time and getting to know your children better. You are a great Mom and a wonderful teacher. I have learned a lot from you.

Thanks for always being my friend (you really didn't have a choice about the sister thing). I hope that God will really bless this coming year and all the years to come.

I love you,

Susan

P.S. Wish we could go to Rick's to celebrate.

Way to Go, Rebecca!

Today we had a visit from Greg Harper, representing the Panasonic Living in HD program. We had a great time talking with him, learning some more cool things about the products, etc. He took one look at the photos Rebecca had taken in the past week that we've had the products and was very impressed. He wanted to shoot her giving a tutorial to put on their new website (launch date is May 28th), and he said that he would probably recommend that Panasonic give her an SLR and several lenses to develop her talent! He also thinks an underwater video camera would be great for our family. Isn't that cool?

Smart Dog

Jingle is now learning to use the laptop! Seriously, she is a very bright dog and a lot of fun. I thought you might want to see how she has grown. She should be about full-size now. She's about as tall as a cocker, but she is longer and skinnier. We had to send ten pictures to Panasonic of our family members using their products, so we decided to include Jingle.

Our Stuff is Here!

The last few days have been very exciting for us. The stuff we won in the Panasonic contest arrived and we have spent lots of time playing with it all. It definitely seemed like Christmas as we spent the day trying to put things together, played with our new toys and stepped over piles of boxes and styrofoam. The kids are really enjoying the HD video camera and still camera. We were given 9 memory cards - several with 4 gigs of memory - and we have used them all! With our new TV we can stick the SD card right in and watch our HD home movies. One of the things we got is even our own green screen, so the kids are excited to do a weather map and special effects. I am excited to have my own laptop!

Greg Harper (see http://www.harpervision.com/) is coming next Wednesday to train us in how to get the most from all these products. He was originally coming this Friday, but his plans changed. I'm glad to have more time to clean house before he comes and more time to use the products so we know what questions to ask.

Terry and I are really trying to make the most of this opportunity with the kids. We have even been asking ourselves - what does it mean spiritually to be "high definition?" When you think of high definition, you think of a picture that is really clear and really "real." You must be receiving a high definition signal which requires lots of band width. I often feel like I am receiving signals from the Lord with a measly antenna and broadcasting his love to others in fuzzy black and white.

It is getting late, so that's a spiritual as I'll get for the night. Here are some pictures of our adventure.

Our stuff arrived on Tuesday morning . . .

We had lots of fun opening boxes

The boys are excited about the Blu Ray DVDs we got. We watched Pirates of the Carribean in high definition surround sound last night. It's not my favorite movie by any means, but it had lots of action and noise!

Today we decorated the driveway and our neighbor, Bob, took Terry up in his small plane to take video. Noah went along for his first plane ride. Since Terry didn't have his reading glasses, he couldn't focus. All the circling trying to take video while focusing made him sick. He has gone to bed early.

My Turn

It has been interesting reading all the family reviews on this movie. Terry, Rebecca and I finally got a chance to see it on Friday night, and now I’m wanting to chime in.

First of all, I should say that I recognize that I am neither a scientist nor a philosopher, so I am simply writing from the viewpoint of someone who has followed the politics of this debate with much interest for over twenty-five years. I actually wrote my high school research paper on the subject and entitled it “Academic Freedom.”

Perhaps because of this more political point of view, I didn’t go to the movie expecting lots of scientific content. I think the point of the movie was not to support ID itself but to reveal the lack of freedom on this issue in the scientific culture – particularly academia. I actually see the film as having three main messages with which I agree wholeheartedly:

1. There is a lack of freedom in discussing ID or the problems with evolution. There may be a shouting match in the popular literature, but there is no shouting match in academia because one side is muzzled.

2. Belief in naturalistic evolution leads to atheism. It obviously does not make everyone an atheist, but the connection is there. Stein gave several examples of this. I can also give several examples of folks I know, plus I can attest to my own struggle in this area.

3. The theory of evolution has social implications. That’s the main reason I care about this issue and think others should as well. Our society is reaping the benefits of a population that has been educated to think that there is not a God or that He is irrelevant. The de-valuing of human life is a natural outcome of an unquestioned belief in evolution. It may not always present itself in as extreme of a fashion as what the Nazis did, but I think we can all see the connection. Stein himself said several times that not all evolutionists were Nazis. He was simply trying to show that this subject does make a difference in human behavior!


I don’t know what the outcome of the film will be. Perhaps it will just make evolutionists mad. At least it will be better-received from an actor like Ben Stein than it would be from an evangelical. It’s hard to see how this movie could result in less freedom than we have now because right now we have next to none.

And I just don’t buy that we can’t discuss ID because it’s not science. Lots of things are discussed in school science classes like birth control (a social issue) or the latest current events. Some times classes are even let out for a pep rally (gasp!). Why can’t ID be discussed even one day of the school year? If not actually discussing ID, why can’t problems in the evolutionary theory be pointed out without someone fearing they will lose their job? Why do Christians in scientific fields feel like they have to keep their mouth shut on this? Isn’t it just a bit ridiculous?

If this theory didn’t make any difference as to how people lived their lives (like most of the scientific theories we take for granted), then we could just let it go. But this one matters! Christians who don’t speak out (especially those who are respected scientists) share some culpability in the descent of our culture into atheism.

Collision!

Last Tuesday night (after dark), the boys were playing "Capture the Flag" with some friends who were visiting from out of town. Then Nathan came running in with blood flowing down his face saying "Noah bit me!"

I'm thinking "Wow! He must have bit you hard! And why would he bite you on the forehead??"

Then Noah comes in with half of a permanent tooth missing. Fortunately, he just missed severing the nerve, so he was not in much pain.

The boys simply collided in the dark. Noah was coming from uphill - otherwise it would have been pretty hard for his tooth to be on the same level as Nathan's forehead.

We used superglue and butterfly bandages to fix Nathan (the cut was quite deep), and our dentist fixed Noah. Noah will have to have a crown on this tooth when he is an adult, and it may require being fixed several times before then.

Nathan did not want to have his picture taken, but I thought the event was too "classic" to go undocumented.

Aargh!

The Seaman pirates on a treasure hunt at Cape San Blas!

Flying the stunt kite

a little sunscreen goes a long way!

Rebecca and Sara

Rebecca and Hannah

We had a great time on our trip to Florida. We stayed at a beach house on Cape San Blas that Terry's parents had rented for all of us. It was a beautiful place. While Terry's extended family was all at Cape San Blas, my extended family had gathered at St. Andrews State Park near Panama City, about an hour and a half away. We spent one day with them.

Our trip mainly consisted of long walks on the beach (at least an hour every day), reading, scrapbooking (me), talking, eating, learning to fly Terry's new stunt kite and watching NCAA basketball. The kids spent time on the beach (including the cold water) but also tried to max out on playing on the computer and watching videos. We are now returning to reality, and it is harsh!

You're Not Gonna Believe This!

The kids and I are running around screaming our heads off! We just got a phone call telling us that we have been chosen as a Panasonic HD Family. I entered this contest in January by writing an essay and telling how we would do the assigned scavenger hunt if we had the HD products (this was another part of the contest).

We won over $15,000 of HD equipment plus a crew of folks to set everything up for us at our house and teach us how to use it! We won a large plasma TV, a laptop, a home theater system, an HD video camera, two cameras, a printer, a Wii and games, blueray videos, etc. plus a year's worth of subscription to HDTV from our local cable company. I understand that ten families from across the US were chosen in this round. As a result of winning, we have to participate in "challenges" where we make videos, etc of our family that are put on the web.

Here's part of the original news story about the contest:

The “Bring Back Family Time” advertising campaign is part of Panasonic’s integrated Living In High Definition program. The program also includes a nationwide multi-truck tour that is bringing consumers a hands-on experience with Panasonic’s suite of High Definition products, and an experiential program, in association with researchers from the Center for Urban Research and Policy at Columbia University, that will explore and document how High Definition technologies can enrich the American lifestyle. As part of the program, as many as 30 families will be awarded a $20,000 suite of High Definition products including Plasma HDTVs, Blu-ray Players, HD Camcorders, Digital Still Cameras and other products and services.

NASCAR Motel

For the fourth year in a row, we are operating our home as a B&B for folks attending the NASCAR race in Bristol. This weekend is the "Spring Race" - which is not as big of a deal as the race in August, but we are still running full. This weekend we'll have an interesting mix of folks - a recently-deployed serviceman from Maryland and his 6yo son, a retired couple from Florida, a father and two sons from California and a few others from somewhere I can't remember. We will be sleeping in our camper in the backyard.

I've always thought it would be fun to own and operate a B&B. This lets me do it just two weekends a year. We will make $1700 this weekend. Sure, I have to do lots of house-cleaning, but I need to clean up the house twice a year anyway, right?

Haven't Done This in a While

Though it seems weird to now after several days of spring-like weather, we actually went snow-skiing last Thursday. It is hard to believe that there is this much snow only an hour's drive from our home. We had about 1/2" back home (enough to close county schools), but there were about six new inches at Beech Mountain, North Carolina. They were also taking advantage of the cold temperatures to make snow. This snow-making is very noisy and makes me appreciate the quietness of snow-skiing in Colorado.

Nathan and Rebecca were unable to come because they had play practice to attend, but Noah and Caleb both learned quickly - completely bypassing the bunny slope. In fact, after just one trip down, Caleb got back on the lift and went up himself.

We could have made lots more pictures, but it turns out my camera does not operate well at 18 degrees.

Yesterday's Lunch

Most of my family has heard me talk about Five in a Row - the first homeschool curriculum I ever used! It's also the online message board that I've had as my home page since 1999.

So it was a big thrill for me to get to treat Steve and Jane Lambert, the creators of Five in a Row, to a long lunch in Johnson City yesterday! An unexpected treat was to also meet a young couple, Heidi and Jay St. John, who are working to create First Class Homeschool Co-ops all across the country (and even in England) and are also working with the Lamberts to do marriage seminars specifically geared to homeschool couples (who have some pretty unique stresses). I really felt a kindred spirit with Heidi and Jay and got the extra treat of spending some time yesterday evening with all of them again.

I have a lot to think about now as to how I might be involved in helping host a marriage seminar in this area or if/how we might align our existing co-op with First Class.

We like Mike!

Today we took a "field trip" and went to a rally for Mike Huckabee at the airport. The kids were very excited that they got to meet both Governor Huckabee and Chuck Norris! It was a very enthusiastic crowd and apparently much larger than was expected.

We are going to be praying for Mike tomorrow and praying for the future of our country. I hope that more and more Christians will get involved in the political process and stand up for what they believe in. My kids were certainly inspired today!

Still a Pepper

Many of you know that I have been a fan of Diet Dr. Pepper for years. But you may not know that it's been over 45 years! This picture is the proof!

Actually, I drank the real Dr. Pepper back then. I started drinking Diet Dr. Pepper (then Sugar Free Dr. Pepper) when I was a senior in High School. I have a Dr. Pepper shirt, a set of Dr. Pepper salt and pepper shakers, a Dr. Pepper cookbook, a Dr. Pepper mousepad, and I have even been to the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas! However, I'm not so brand loyal --- I switched to Walmart's knock-off, "Diet Dr. Thunder" almost five years ago.

Well, when we were in NY City, I didn't have access to Diet Dr. Pepper (they have lots of things in that big city, but this is one area where they are sadly lacking), so I gave it up - caffeine and all. I never even had a soft drink of any kind while we were there.

I had assumed that I was addicted (I normally drank two to three cans a day), but I guess I wasn't as I got no headaches at all. So when we got back to Dr. Pepper country, I decided to just give it up. It's been another week. I don't guess I miss the caffeine, but I miss the pleasure and I miss the bubbles.

And I guess not having Diet Dr. Pepper really increases my desire for food. I gained one pound last week. I had hoped it was just the eating during the trip, but this week I also gained a pound! My weight has been steady for over a year, so gaining a pound a week is definitely unusual and something I cannot put up with!

So today I went and bought a twelve-pack. I feel like bit like a drunk that has fallen off the wagon, but I'd rather have this habit than the extra pounds.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

It's a bigger word than "Consanguinity!" I guess this is the word I will use to describe the time we had in NY City.

We arrived on Sunday evening late, taking a cab in from Liberty Airport in New Jersey. Our hotel was in Soho. It was a nice, 4-star hotel close to the "Spring Street" subway entrance. It also turned out to be close (about 3 blocks) from where the actor Heath Ledger was discovered dead in his apartment on Tuesday. We actually walked down there that evening to watch the news coverage.

On Monday Rebecca and I visited the Museum of Modern Art (referred to as MoMA by everyone in NY). That place is very interesting. They have some really nice art pieces such as Starry Night by Van Gogh. Our favorite in this museum (Rebecca and I actually had the same favorite piece - believe it or not) was one by George Seurat where he even painted the frame! They had some other "art" that was so weird it was entertaining. One display was a fabric igloo on a 20 ' X 20" bed of grapevines with neon numbers in a Fibonacci series running in a path through the igloo. Other interesting displays were a pink fluorescent bulb in a corner (named "pink in corner") and a piece of rope hanging from the ceiling called "piece of rope."

Also on Monday, we also had lunch at Rockefeller Center and went to Sak's 5th Avenue where Rebecca tried on an evening gown that was on sale for $1000. It was amazing to see the prices on some of the designer clothes. Rebecca really doesn't like to spend money - even at Old Navy - so she couldn't really enjoy the shopping. But we had to duck into some of the stores just to keep warm. We also came to the conclusion that it's not much fun to try on clothes when you are wearing long underwear and lots of layers. It's just too much trouble!

On Tuesday, we went to the Metropolitan Museum. It is the biggest museum in the Western Hemisphere and was overwhelming. In contrast to some of the questionable talent on display at MoMA, the art here was fabulous and SO BIG! Some were the size of an entire wall. We saw whole rooms of Monet, Degas, Renoir, etc. Our favorites were the Impressionists but we also loved the European Portraits and American Landscapes. There's also some modern art at this museum, and it provides some contrast. We really could have seen lots more, but after looking at art for 4-5 hours, we were a bit overwhelmed.

So we trekked to the Southside Seaport to try and buy half-price Broadway tickets for a matinee on Wed. We got lost on the subway a few times and hiked about 20 blocks to our destination only to find out that the only half-price tickets were the very expensive ones (in other words, $150 tickets on sale half price). So we stayed at the hotel that night and watched the UT - Kentucky game with Terry.

On Wednesday we had lunch with some missionaries that we support with Jews for Jesus. They live very close to the United Nations. We wish we could have spent more time there, but by that time Rebecca and I had figured out how to get our Broadway tickets and had to rush off to see a matinee of Mary Poppins. Turns out the best way to get cheap Broadway tickets is to walk right up to the box office - go figure. Anyway, Mary Poppins was spectacular! It had some new songs that aren't in the movie, and the set was so impressive. That evening we saw "Spamalot" on Broadway as well. It's a musical based on Monte Python and the Search for the Holy Grail. I thought Terry would like that, and he did. It was very funny.

The next day we only had half a day, but we decided to try to shop at Century 21 near the World Trade Center (our Jewish friends said the best buys were there). It was a real experience. In contrast to the huge dressing rooms at Sak's, the dressing rooms here were sort of a huge shower curtain covering 20 stalls on each side. You could basically see all the other women trying on their clothes. It was a bit much for Rebecca, who is very modest, but she managed and bought a pair of slacks. Our friends were right, it's obviously where all the good deals are. And they have 4 floors of clothing!

So we had a great time seeing art and theatre and many adventures riding the subway and navigating on ground level, too. The main way it could have been better is if it could have been warmer, but we won't complain.

Snow Day!

We finally got some snow! It's not a lot, but it's been at least five years since we've had even this much. So we are taking the day off along with all the city and county schools for miles around!

This means a day of playing for the kids and a day of catching up on housework for Mom!

I Feel Like I Just Won the Lottery!

I got a call while standing in line at Walmart today from our state senator's office. The state is awarding a $10,000 grant to our homeschool group! I filled out the paperwork in August - then some additional paperwork in September - then some more paperwork in November. I pretty much figured the request was bogged down in red tape or they would find some reason not to give it - after all we are a homeschool group, and this is excess state tax money! But the check is now written and on its way!

The main "catch" is that we must spend all the money by the end of this year. We are already brainstorming about Lego mindstorm, microscopes, rhythm instruments, a powerpoint projector, etc. We want to make sure that we spend it in a way that folks can benefit over and over.

Praise the Lord for His goodness!

Start Spreading the News . . .

We're leaving next Sunday for New York City! I'm so excited that Rebecca and I are going to get to accompany Terry on his business trip to NYC. We'll be there Mon.-Thursday and plan to make it an "art field trip." We plan to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and perhaps the Brooklyn Museum and the Guggenheim. We also plan to take in a half-price Broadway play or two and do some shopping (window-shopping at least) on Fifth Avenue. If we are brave and the weather is good, we may also skate a little in Central Park.

A Wood Nymph and and one of Aslan's Animals

These are the parts that Rebecca and Nathan got in the upcoming "Chronicles of Narnia" play at our local theatre. They both really wanted speaking roles, and I thought they did great at tryouts, but over 140 kids tried out for only 16 speaking roles. Caleb and Noah tried out as well but didn't get parts at all. We are learning to be happy with supporting roles. I say "we" because I didn't realize until going through this process that I have a lot of pride wrapped up in my kid's performance and achievements. That's something I need to work through with the Lord.

I'm sure they will both enjoy just being in the production because they like "Narnia" so much.
And Nathan is glad that he gets to fight on stage with the good guys. Rebecca will be able to spend time working on the scenery, program and promotional artwork for the play.

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

In this case, Nathan can't see that he has gotten a bike for Christmas because he is too busy looking in his stocking.

Fleas Navidad!

We hope you and your family will have a wonderful Christmas!

Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven's making. ~Leigh Hunt

Our New Family Member

Please welcome our latest family member! Today we adopted this 7-week old beagle/dachsund mix from the local pound. The puppy was an early Christmas gift from Rebecca to her little brothers. They are ecstatic! We're still deciding on a name . . .

Thanksgiving Harmony

Well, we're not the Osmonds or the Lennon Sisters, but we do actually sing together on occasion- just no public performances, please! Here we are singing some Thanksgiving hymns.

We are blessed to have just spent a week with my family in Arkansas. We love to be together and talk, eat, shop, watch football, hike, play games, etc. It is so nice to be in a family that gets along so well that our main argument at Thanksgiving is over what is preferable - white meat or dark meat?

Before and After

Here are before and after pictures! I thought it was very
"sweet" of the orthodontist to give her a stash of the candy
that is normally forbidden to the wearers of braces!

Dudes

Here are Nathan and Caleb getting ready to go foraging the neighborhood for candy.


Yes, Caleb has too much gel in his hair. He was dressed as a spy and wanted me to spike his hair up. Then he changed his mind, but I had already put the gel in, so I had to put more gel in to get it to go back down. It was really nasty.

After getting candy, we settled in to watch the movie "Luther" since October 31st is also Reformation Day even though Halloween gets all the press. We've been doing a little mini-unti on the Reformation, and we really loved this movie. We even ate a whole container of gummi worms to commemorate the Diet of Worms. If you don't know what that is, you need to study some history.

More Pics from Charleston

Surf's up!

On the flight deck of the Yorktown

Our Trip to Charleston

We spent this past week in Charleston while Terry attended a business conference there. We did five field trips in five days: Ft. Sumter, Patriot's Point, Fort Moultrie, Old Exchange Place and the Charleston Fire Museum. We also spent some time in the surf on Isle of Palms!

The last two days of our trip we had rainy weather, so we didn't get to enjoy downtown Charleston as much as we would have liked (we saw a lot of it, though, but have no pictures since we were in a downpour). We'll just have to go back. We also didn't get to see any of the plantations around Charleston.

I think Caleb's favorite part was just hanging out at Embassy Suites. He loved to go to the workout room and go to the lobby during "happy hour." He met businessmen from all over the country. We met the folks staying in the room on either side of us. On one side, there was little girl and her parents who were staying there while their house was repaired from a flood. She and Rebecca spent some time together. On the other side was a woman attending the same conference as Terry. Caleb spent quite a bit of time talking to her, and she made a point of telling us that he was one of the most delightful children she had ever met. That happened on the same day that I was getting ready to revoke every priviledge he has for being so difficult!

I think God sent this lady with her fresh perspective to encourage Terry and me.

Rebecca's favorite part by far was getting to eat pralines! She had never tried them before, and they give out fresh, warm samples downtown.She has already been searching the internet for recipes and is determined to learn how to make them just like they did.