I just realized that I said "2010-11 School Year" in my last entry title... uhhh... yeah... definitely an "I be homeschooled" moment .  I've had the worst time this year keeping track of what day  this semester.  Seriously, at the top of all my Model United Nations class notes it has my name, subject, and a big question mark in the date.  I'm thankful if I can remember the month.

Speaking of Model United Nations (see last post if you don't know what that is)... I've been loving it!  This year our teacher has a degree in international law so we've been learning about... international law!  Okay, so I'm not anywhere near ready to become a lawyer but in reply to our teachers catch phrase "isn't this fun?" I must say "yes!"  We've studied the difference between states and States, different treaties, and terms for international law.... sometime soon we'll be moving on to the "diplomatic bag" which is a whole other story... let's just say it can't be as big as a truck!

We've also studied the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC.)  Now, the U.N. can do some good things and bad things, but sometimes they can take those good things too far.  Human rights for example.  I'm all for the right to life and ending discrimination... however I am adamantly against the UNCRC.  Basically, what it is trying to do is to take away a parents right to raise their children without government interference.  Under this treaty some parents will not be allowed to homeschool their children, and minors will be able to take their parents to court for decisions their parents make.  Parents will also only be able to guide their children in matters of religion.  If President Obama signs this treaty it will have a binding effect on our country.  The only way this can be stopped is with a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right of parents to raise their children.  This will stop the UNCRC because Congress will NEVER ratify a treaty that goes against their own constitution!  You can learn more here (http://www.parentalrights.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={B56D7393-E583-4658-85E6-C1974B1A57F8}#_fn20)

I'm going to go to a Fall Formal dance sometime in November.  I can't wait!!!  It should be so much!  I'm not totally sure what I'll wear yet... guess I should figure that out soon!  Haha!  Maybe I should make a Duct tape dress??? Nah, I think that would be really heavy to wear!

I've also been enjoying some music lately.  I just got Needtobreathe's CD "The Heat" on Friday and it is pretty good.  I can't give you a full review cause I haven't listened to it enough but I absolutely love "Washed By the Water" and "Signature of the Divine (Yahweh)" because they both sound so country-ish.  STILL enjoying Francesca Battistelli, I hope she puts out another CD.  Lets see... the soundtrack from Hairspray, Les Misrables, Little Shop of Horrors, a little Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra, and...

This CD "Keith Lancaster & The Acappella Company."  For those that don't know, Acappella is a type of music that does not include instruments.  This (correct me if I'm wrong) has something to do with a certain interpretation of the New Testament that doesn't mention instruments in worship so they don't use them.  Now, I am definitely not against instruments in worship music... in fact I love a little electric guitar or keyboard!  The one thing that this CD made me realize is that God has given us all wonderful voices and that they can truly be used to further His glory.  Okay, so I'm definitely not ready to sing in a choir but I realize that I can sing praises to God with what I have (a voice) and even if I sound terrible I don't need anything else to please him.  Just like God forgives us just the way we are.  We may have done terrible things but we don't need good works to drown out who we are.  God loves us without anything else. 

Anywho, that was my little sermon tangent, back to the CD.  The best songs were "That's Why We Praise Him," "Awesome God," "Ain't No Rock," "It's Alright," "Don't Be Afraid."  Some of the songs blend very well as background music and there are those that make you want to get up and raise your hands to the heavens.  I've read online that the CD is good for singing along to if your choir... but I'm not so I don't know.  There were 25 songs and the CD (on iTunes) was $10 or so.  Pretty good Sunday morning music!

From Model UN to music... so has been my life.  I hope everyone has been having an amazing week!  C'ya! 

-Jo

Hey all!

Well it's been busy, busy here.  Mostly cause school started.  Since school is on my mind, then school you'll get to hear about lol!

First and foremost: Model United Nations.  I started this class year and didn’t think I would like it.  In fact I was pretty much forced to go.  Then… they lured me into their diplomatic dorkiness and made me one of them!  What we do is pretty much model the United Nations in competitions at the end of the year.  We’ll be divided into “teams” and be given a country to represent, then we have to research stuff about that country and their position on several issues (world hunger, piracy, women and economic development, etc.).  In competitions we’ll have to get resolutions passed (resolutions are… a wordy and fancy way of getting something done) and make alliances with other countries.  Most of the year is spent preparing for competition and researching current events.

Secondly: Service Projects.  A group of about 90 kids (last years count) goes out and serves the elderly once a month.  We do indoor and outdoor work or visit nursing homes.  This is so much fun to go do stuff for other people with a bunch of kids your own age.

Thirdly: A photography group.  I think.  Not sure when this one is meeting and I don’t know much about it.  Sounds fun though!

Fourthly (is that a word??? lol): Online lessons.  Not much to say here, just that all my school will be online.

Fifthly... quadrupely... whatever floats your boat...: Confirmation classes.  Yep, just learning about my faith!

After the previous: Well I'm not sure.  I'm sure I've got more scheduled but I can't remember lol!  That bugs me so much.

Other than school, not much is going on here!  Hope y'all are doing well!

Oh and (in honor of my friend Erin... aka livelaughlove16) I will post a quick note about the Jonas Brothers:  I just ordered their new CD Lines, Vines, and Trying Times from the library and I am hoping it will come in soon! =]

Hey!  Guess what?  I'm posting six days after my last post.  Big change from only posting every one or two months huh? lol!  Well I warned you my posts would be random.  This is a review I wrote of a movie I watched recently =)

Flywheel Movie Review

Rating: Not Rated
Duration: 120 minutes
Released: 2003
Director: Alex Kendrick

If you are looking for a high budget feature film for Friday night viewing you should look somewhere else.  If you want a heartwarming story in the spirit of Fireproof and Facing the Giants, look no further.

Jay Austin of Jay Austin Motors is a used cars salesman who is more concerned about making money than the effects his dishonest dealings have on his customers.  But his dishonesty isn’t limited to the car lot; he also lies to his wife Judy and neglects his son Todd.  When Jay reluctantly agrees to go to church with his family, the pastor greets Jay and asks if he could stop by Jay Austin Motors to buy a car for his daughter.  Jay agrees and when the pastor arrives Jay does the unthinkable and “stiffs” the minister.  The pastor, unaware that he has been charged too much, prays with Jay before he drives off, asking God to “treat Jay just like he treated me today in this deal.”  Soon after the pastor leaves, Jay receives a phone call from his creditor telling him that he’s behind in payments and that if Jay doesn’t come up with the money in three weeks he’ll have to come take the cars.  That’s when things begin to change for Jay… and his faith.

Watching the first few minutes of the intro it is obvious that this is not a high-budget movie, in fact it was made on with $20,000 worth of donations.  The cast and crew for Flywheel were all volunteers from Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia who wanted to “step out on faith.”  The actors are not professional, the soundtrack can seem to be off in some places or not the right mood, and the polished look of multi-million dollar productions is not present.  But this is to be expected for a low-budget film.  What was not expected was such a heart-warming story that nearly brought tears.

This film was not rated but there was nothing in here worthy of making it even a “PG” rating in my opinion.  No language, violence, nudity, or drug use.  There may have been smoking but I don’t remember, and I don’t think any drinking was present either.

Although Flywheel is a low budget movie it is still a power testimony to God’s perfect timing and how He uses everyday miracles to further His glory – all the while being family friendly!

Links:
Flywheel Production
http://www.flywheelthemovie.com/production.php
Sherwood Baptist Church
http://www.sherwoodbaptist.net/templates/cussherwoodbc/default.asp?id=33770
Flywheel on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425027/

***

Oh yeah, sorry if my blog looks weird, I'm going to try out a new template style soon... I couldn't resist!!!  Ciao!

Hey all! 

Well I've decided that I would miss blogging way to much to quit, plus goodbyes make me sad!  That being said, I've decided that my blogging style will be categorized as "selfish".  Yup.  I've decided that I'm only going to blog when I feel like it, I'll blog about what I want (my life one day, international politics the next, and maybe a comment about the Jonas Brothers for my friend Erin =) I'll only comment who I want to, when I want to, if I have time to, and I'll only make people templates if I really feel like it.  I feel sooo selfish!!!  But I think it's necessary.  If I can blog here when I want to without a schedule and without feeling obligated to reply to comments unless I truly have time.  Plus, I think if I feel like I don't HAVE to be on here, I'll be on even more!

So... moving on to my life (or whatever other random thoughts I have...)  Last Friday I went to a "Jitterbug", which in my humble opinion, was a ton of fun!  Two of my friends were having their birthday party their so in addition to a good dose of swing dancing I also got a generous helping of chocolate cake (beautifully decorated) and other snacks.  I'm not the greatest dancer in the world (either a lack of practice or a lack of rhythm... or both) but luckily there was a dance class beforehand.  I'll say this, when learning to dance, it's easier to dance with a guy who knows what he's doing then one who doesn't!!!  Otherwise you end up laughing hysterically when you both turn the wrong way and end up in a tangle!  Good thing we traded partners every few minutes lol

Today I helped out at my local library with some children's programs.  At the end of the second class we made homemade icecream... and quite the mess.  What we did was we gave each kid a quart sized plastic bag and put 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring, 1/2 cup of milk, and a tablespoon or two of sugar inside.  Then, after sealing it up, the quart size bag was put into a gallon sized bag filled with ice and rock salt.  Seal up the big bag and then shake, shake, shake!  Except not to hard otherwise you get leakage, either the ice bag drips or the icecream melts into the ice.  Either way, messes are inevitable.  The tables were completely covered with water and milk, in addition to the paper towels which were our frugal attempt to clean up the mess.  It was pretty funny lol!  One of the first library programs I ever attended included making icecream, but instead of making it in the pottery room (which is part of the recreation center) we made it in the adult section of the library.  After that program I decided that I loved the library lol!  This opinion was further elevated when we made baking soda volcanoes with terracotta pots... but that's another story!

Does anybody have either of Jimmy Needham's CD's ("Speak" and "Not Without Love")?  I've heard "Forgiven and Loved" on the radio a few times and love it a lot!  It kind of reminds me of Jason Mraz (voice), Wilco (instruments, style), and a male version of Francesca Battistelli (in that it's so fresh and seems to mesh several genres together.)   His stuff looks pretty good, I've heard good stuff, but I could also decide I don't like it.  I think I want to get one of Needham's CD's (preferably "Not Without Love" because it has the song "Forgiven and Loved") but am deliberating to buy it on iTune's or wait until Christmas.  I've looked at a bunch of stores but none of them seem to have either of his CD's so I might have to wait for Christmas so my parents can get it from Amazon or something.  I'd get it from iTunes because it would be cheaper but I think I'd prefer a hard version because iTunes has a lot of anti-pirating stuff (not that anti-pirating security is bad but I think I'd prefer a hard copy just incase something happened to my iPod, computer, or account.)  Anyway, if any of y'all have either of his CDs let me know whether you like it or not and whether you think I should wait or get it now.  Thanks! =)

Well, I think I'd better sign off, that way I have some time to visit you all before dinner!  (See, now that I have the mindset that I don't HAVE to reply to comments and read your guys blogs I really WANT too!  Funny, ain't it?) =)  See ya!

I'm not totally sure whether this is the end or the beginning.  I really don't like goodbyes (honestly, I cried everytime one of you guys left your blog) but as you can see, I am just not a regular blogger anymore.  So this leaves me with a very hard descision, do I stop blogging right now or do I "revamp" my blog with a regular posting schedule?  Well, I'm not exactly sure quite yet. 

Although I loved you guys a lot, I have been so out of touch with the blogging world that I'm not sure if I can just fall back in.  I feel like my life has changed this year.  I used to have only a few friends and you guys (my fellow bloggers) sort of filled that hole for me, but now I feel like I know a lot more people within the homeschool community in my area.  I also don't have a lot of time for blogging

But I really enjoyed blogging while I did it regularly.  I enjoyed making new friends and posting about my life.  I always liked blogging better than journaling because I had an audience.  And if I'm going to be a world famous writer someday, I need an audience and a place to write my thoughts!

One of the main reasons I stopped blogging is because I had so many friends to keep up with.  I felt terrible whenever I didn't read someone's blog or reply to a comment.  And I like to actually read what you guys are up to, not just post comments saying "come to my blog!"  I have 150 friends and if I spend an average of 6 minutes at each of your blogs it would take 15 HOURS to read about and comment each of you!  And honestly, I don't have 15 hours every day or week.

So, either I will quit or I will "revamp" my blog.  Maybe I'll start a new one, but I'm not sure.  I will try to get back to you guys within a month or so!  Because I really do love you guys and the memories I have!

And for those who are wondering: my recovery from surgery has been very good (thank you Lord!)  I am now eating SOLID food!  Ecstacy I tell you!  I am pretty much back to my normal self even though I'm not totally healed yet (I've been really tired this past week, we think because of recovery.)  Other than that I have been blessed beyond measure and am so glad this is behind me!

I hope each and every one of you is doing well!  If I get a chance I will try to visit some of your blogs, but first I think I need to spend some time deciding what I will do with this blog.  Love ya guys! =)