The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

"Every now and again, take a good look at something not made with hands--a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream. There will come to you wisdom and patience and solace and, above all, the assurance that you are not alone in the world." ~ Sidney Lovett

I spotted a tree frog this morning on a plant in Mom's garden. I was planning to take just a few pictures, but then the photography bug bit me and I ended up on a 30 minute nature quest. The details of God's creation are amazing!

Details

Shelby,

Here are more "details" about the apartment. I put them on the blog just for you. Don't you feel special? =) Love you!

Home Sweet Home

The weather has been rainy and rather depressing since classes began. But, today dawned bright and clear. The sky was just about the bluest I had ever seen. There is nothing like two weeks of rain to make a person appreciate the sunshine! :)

The song below was sung this morning, and I thought the words were great. As a college student who still occasionally misses home, the words of the song are very meaningful.

Earthly wealth and fame may never come to me, And a palace fair here mine may never be; But let come what may, if Christ for me doth care, Anywhere is home, if He is only there.

Anywhere is home, let come and go what may; Anywhere I roam, He keeps me all the way; So for His dear sake, my cross I’ll meekly bear; Anywhere is home, if Christ, my Lord, is there.

I will labor on till I am called away,Till the morn shall dawn of that eternal day, Looking unto Him who keeps me in His care; Anywhere is home, if Christ, my Lord, is there.

First Day of Classes

School officially began this morning with the annual tolling of the bell. Well, it would have tolled had someone not stolen the clacker from the bell. The president of the university and two former presidents began to ring the bell, a very solemn occasion, but the bell didn't make a sound! The president informed the culprit that he or she needed to spend a lot of time in prayer. He decided to toll the bell anyway. Whoever committed the 'crime' should not have done so, but I have to admit that it was funny to watch three people 'ringing' a silent bell!

My classes are going to be interesting. The research class seems like it will be better than I previously thought because the teacher is very nice. She can make a boring subject like research turn into a fun challenge.

I love deadlines. I especially like the sound they make as they go whooshing by.

I knew all summer that I would be returning to college in August. But, did I pack two weeks ahead of time like my usual ultra-prepared self? No. I waited until two days before the scheduled day of departure to finally begin packing! I reassured myself that being a third year student with lots of experience in the realm of moving one's entire life's possessions into a dorm room, I had the packing down to a fine art and could wait until the last minute. It seems that no matter how hard I try to pack light, my pile of stuff to take to college grows into a mountain of jumbled crates, duffel bags, and baskets. I have come to the realization that I would never have made it out west as a pioneer; if my wagon even managed to make it to the trail without collapsing, the team of oxen would have refused to go one step further after about five minutes of hauling all the junk. Thankfully, minivans were invented, and a person can fit a whole lot in one of them without causing any damage.

Classes begin on the 20th(Wednesday).

I am looking forward to the semester of tests and 20-page papers...really! :)

A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should. ~Author Unknown

"But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one's deepest as well as one's most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely. Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away." --Author Unknown

Jenny & Shelby--The Green Team

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. ~Elisabeth Foley

Shelby came home for a visit, so we decided to invite two childhood friends over for a time of catching up on each other's lives. We had not all been together in the same place in over five years! We watched home movies of music videos we had made as kids. After our initial embarrassment of seeing ourselves acting goofy in front of the camera, we all went into fits of laughter. Shelby Lynn made the observation that she and I still tend to act that way...maturity is overrated! :)

We stayed up 'til 1:30 a.m. watching movies and talking. That was the latest I had stayed up in a long time; 10:00 p.m. is the usual bedtime for this college girl. The next day, we played Cranium. Shelby(sister) and Jenny were the Green Team and Shelby Lynn and I were the Yellow Team. On one of my turns, I had to act out the character of Bullwinkle the Moose without saying any names. I had no clue what to do, but Shelby Lynn shrieked "Bullwinkle!" in about two seconds! I guess I do a better moose impression than I thought. ha ha :)

We bade each other farewell Tuesday afternoon with plans to get together again sometime over Thanksgiving or Christmas break. True friends are such a blessing!

A similar picture was taken when Shelby Lynn was 11 and I was 14. We decided to do it again for old time's sake. :) Puffy Cheetos are the best!

Shelby Lynn, Pearl, & I--The Yellow Team

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement, the greater part of life is sunshine. ~Thomas Jefferson

World War II Living History

I have been searching the dictionary for a word to describe the World War II event, but nothing seems to do it justice. Suffice it to say, I had an absolutely fantastic time! My family can attest to the fact that I talked nonstop for two hours Friday night after I returned home. It made the list of the top five best experiences of my life. :) It was one of those times that had me wondering, "Could life get any better?". Thank you very much, Mr. Pratt, for inviting me!

I was hesitant, at first, to agree to participate. I was thinking that perhaps I should just observe the event and participate next time. But then I thought about the main lesson that two years of college had taught me all too well; there is no guarantee on life for anyone, no matter what age you happen to be. The lives of some young people are here one minute and literally gone the next. Upon the remembrance of that lesson, I decided to accept Mr. Pratt's invitation. I had no idea what to expect. What took place was better than anything I could have imagined! Getting to meet several veterans and hear their fascinating stories was an absolute delight! And, my fellow re-enactors and the soldiers were so nice! I felt very much at home. Thanks, guys! :)

Highlights:

Meeting several veterans

Getting to wear a real nurse's uniform from WW II(a huge thanks to Mr. Pratt! :)

Discussing WW II and, A) not receiving a blank stare, or B) not getting strange looks because a girl just happens to love military history

Hearing the story Saturday morning of how a tiny black kitten wreaked havoc the night before while two people were trying to sleep--I'm sure they were annoyed with Midnight(the cat's name), but it was quite comical to listen to them describing the situation. :)

Discussing meteorology with Mr. Higgs

Watching Dad get excited and have as much fun as I did

If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday. ~Pearl S. Buck

Cotton Candy Sunset

"Nature is painting for us... day after day... pictures of infinite beauty."
~John Ruskin

"It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream."

~Bern Williams

"The sunrise is God's greeting - the sunset, His signature"

"Peace..... is seeing a sunset, and knowing who to thank."

A Rainy Day and a Tea Party

It rained this morning for the first time in over a month at our house. Lightning struck close by causing Mom and me to shriek and the person I was talking with on the phone to ask what was going on! The rain was a lovely sight to behold after a summer-long drought!

The thunderstorm continued for a few hours, but it slacked off enough for Mom and me to go to a local tea room for lunch with two ladies from church. The food was scrumptious and the company was delightful! When we arrived at the tea room, the power was off. We visited by candlelight for fifteen minutes before the lights came back on.

~Mrs. Blanton, Mrs. Hampton, me, & Mom~

~Delicious Blueberry Scone~

~Chicken Salad Sandwich & Soup~

~Mrs. Blanton, Mrs. Hampton, & me~

~The Tea Room on Main Street~

Summer Days

My summer is quickly coming to a close. I return to college in eleven days! I'm very thankful that I will be moving into a place that has a kitchen. No more cafeteria food! :)

This summer has been interesting. Mom broke her arm one week before I moved home, I took three classes at the community college, and I attended the Homeschool Alumni National Reunion in Kentucky.

Mom's cast was removed six weeks later and her arm is doing better.

The physical science class I took tested my brain cells in ways I never could have imagined! From June 3rd until July 24th, it seemed that my every thought was consumed with physical science. I quickly realized that four months worth of work crammed into eight weeks feels like two years when the subject is physical science. The labs were fun because we boiled things and made batteries out of fruit. However, the lectures ranked right up there with macroeconomics on the boring scale. After much toil, outrageous amounts of frustration, and the occasional temptation to rip my science notes into a thousand pieces and throw them into a roaring fire, I survived and conquered the class.

The HSA reunion was so much fun! :) 280 homeschool graduates were present. The hiking trail was great, the speeches and programs were interesting, the interactive-audience technology was cool, and my fellow graduates were very nice.

The last two things on my summer schedule are:
1. Portray a World War II army nurse at a living history event
2. Enjoy a visit from my sister, Shelby