Sep. 16, 2008 From C-17s to stalking creatures after dark... a good day...
First off, if David ever announces that he's going for a run in the woods, don't volunteer to go with. Resist the urge to say "Sure!" with all of your might! We ran up the hill. Translation: We ran for a while and then I walked. So he walked. And we went waaaaay up. I almost died. It was like Legolas and Gimli running up the mountain while they're chasing after the Uruk-hai and the Hobbits. Only Gimli is the one with beautiful, long hair. "Keep breathing! That's the key! Breathe! Augh!"
For the next part of my day, I must show you a picture:
Aerial view of my house. I was down at the end of our driveway, which is off the picture to the left, about as far away again as that stretch of driveway.
About a half-mile to the south, two C-17s flew by about a minute apart. Three or four of them go over every day, so it was really nothing special, but I waved to them anyway (wildly, like some sort of freak), bending back so that I could catch as much light as possible so they might see me. They flew by...
I went back to juggling green apples. Then I looked up, and a third C-17 was dropping down between the hills right over my head. It was so close it was insane!
Imagine this flying straight at you:
Yeah. And it looked just as big as that. It was amazing. Have I said that before? It was awesome. And I doubt it was coincidence. I mean, a military cargo plane dropping half a mile out of formation and it just happened to be over me after I waved?
Too cool... If you could see me now, my eyes are still about as wide as plates. It was... amazing. I hate to beat the word to death, but... You should have been there! I wish the girl I mentor had been there.
HOO-AH!
And now for some dark and mysterious events...
Tonight. Jon went out after it was dark to go snoop on the critters out in the north 40. Michael, David, and I went out to freak him out. We trekked down the hill and down the driveway (commando-crawling)... The stupid dog came running up to us then and started burying her face under me and totally giving us away. It was fun while it lasted, though.
Once we got back up to the house, the boys decided to go back out again. Midway through this post, they came bursting in the door announcing that there was a bear or cougar down on our neighbor's woodsline!
So we all went back out (Dad, M, D, J, and I) with flashlights and necessary equipment should we encounter a foul beast (I think you catch my drift...). It wasn't there when we got down there again. Shoot. :-/ I really wanted to see a cougar. Or a bear...
That was a long day... I'm checking out now... Good night! |
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Sep. 14, 2008 *drags wounded self from torture chamber*
Ugh... ack... moan....
Canning. Nuff said? Today, we picked enough raspberries for pie filling and jelly, made tomato sauce, tomato juice, dried tomatoes, canned blackberry juice, canned raspberry juice, made pickles, and froze a thousand pounds of corn.
It's now 9 pm... We just had dinner... Why am I on the computer? I dunno...
Good night...
(Edited the next day to add that we also did apple cider. Forgot about that one.) |
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Aug. 4, 2008 Example #132 that Jen is an idiot
I'm now minus a few fingers. Not permanently...
Well, to make a long story short, I managed to whack a good bit out of two knuckles with a knife that was really sharp while opening a box. *headdesk* It doesn't hurt at all (I'm convinced something is wrong with the nerves in my hands), but... Man, that was stupid. Not to mention bloody. *curls lip* One day I'll learn...
Yeah, and on that day, the pigs will fly, the cows will come home, and Elvis will perform live. |
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Mar. 22, 2008 I'm losing my mind
Those of you who know me are laughing, because you know I lost my mind years ago. Anyway, I can't believe I was just Google-ing the names of characters from Thomas the Tank Engine. I could only remember Thomas, Percy, James, and Gordon, but not the others. And how I even knew those four is a mystery unknown to me! *sigh*
TtT is the reason I hate the name James and think the name Percy is cute. And... That's it for significance. I don't even remember the TtT books I read. It was so long ago... We did have a set of TtT trains, though.
I guess all this is to say that I don't really have anything to say, so I'd better stop before I say something that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Like that, I guess... |
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Mar. 11, 2008 Wow... Hysterical history...
My history instructor likes telling stories about students she has had in the past. For example, there was the term paper that turned itself in. On the day it's due, it's due in the first 10 minutes of class. If you turn it in at 11 minutes after, you will get a 0 on your grade for it. Okay, so this was a few years ago. At the stroke of 10:10, a term paper comes flying into the classroom, and the student who'd thrown it kept right on running! He made it another three doors down before finally being able to stop.
We got a story today. It was funny. Yes, this will be in story-fashion. Enjoy!
"So," Dr. P. said, "You guys need to lie to... tell your friends about how much fun you had in this class so that they'll sign up for it."
A girl in the back of the room said, "Well, if a lot of people don't sign up for that class, don't feel bad 'cause you'll still get to have my brother in your night class."
"Yeah, I've had him before," Dr. P. said. "I thought it was another one of you guys, but nope, just him. How more of you are there?"
The student grinned. "One more: Jon. There's just the three boys and me."
Another student said to the girl, "That's cool!"
Dr. P. shook her head, "No, it's sad. You don't know her brothers. The one I get next quarter..." She stopped for a second, and a few people turned to look at the unfortunate sister. "Every fall, I bring a chocolate fountain to Phi Theta Kappa. That's dark chocolate, by the way. Milk chocolate is for sissies, and don't even go into white chocolate! It's good for decorations, and other than that you just pick it off and throw it away. Anyway, I asked everyone to bring something to dip in it. So I was getting marshmallows and strawberries, and her brother brought pickles! [Jen edits out some phrases] In my $10-a-pound Ghirardelli dark chocolate! Who brings pickles to put in chocolate?!"
Aah... Michael leaves me such a legacy to follow. |
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Feb. 28, 2008 Well, I'm off!
Today I have my second exam in history (yes, this would be one of the hard tests that everyone at the college dreads taking). I've spent a lot of time studying, so I hope I get a good grade...
(later in the day...) Well, I finished it. Keep your fingers crossed...
And in case you were interested, I got a 78%. :-/
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Feb. 6, 2008 Well, that was an adventure...
I was on my way to school this morning and hit a patch of black ice. I spun 360 degrees... and then 180... and ended up slamming my truck (technically Michael's truck) into the ditch on the other side of the road. I am SO lucky no one was on the road at the time! Michael came to get me out (he is absolutely wonderful, btw). I'm okay (a little freaked out, maybe), but the back wheel of my truck is bent up. So... Yeah. He got it out, and I babyed it to the fire station where we left it until Dad comes home from work. Besides, Michael wasn't about to let me drive all the way back home with the wheel flopping around.
My poor little truck... :-( |
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Feb. 2, 2008 "Oh, the weather outside is frightful...
...But the fire is so delightful
I can't remember the next line,
So let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
Tee-hee! The snow's really coming down. A rarity, as you may know. I just hope it's gone by Monday, because I don't want to drive in the snow. My brother, David, is up in the mountains snowboarding with a couple friends of his. I hope he comes back in one piece! Skiing and snowboarding *shudders* My friend Emily was right: Jen is better off in the lodge keeping the hot chocolate warm than out in the snow.
Mom has a cell-phone. It has a musical ring. It's the Mario video game theme music. Mom lets it ring for a few seconds and dances to it whenever it goes off. ~*sigh*~
Oh, I started another blog about my writing if you want to go check it out. It's World of Makari. |
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Jan. 29, 2008 Yet another short little post!
On Thursday, I have my first history exam, and I'm really kind of nervous about it. It was supposed to be tomorrow, but was postponed one day because of the snow. If ya'll could pray for me from about 10-11 on Thursday, I would really, really appreciate it. :-)
That's all for now! I have to go study... |
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What prompts a college student to wake up at 5 o'clock on a Sunday morning? Lots of things... Like... well, for instance there's... Uh... Ummm... Really, I can't thi-- Oh, I know! Because she got a book in the mail during the week and wanted a few hours without interruption to read it!
Must be an important book.
Bet you want to know what it is.
Bwahaha (I have you in my power now... you cannot resist...)
Really wanna know?
Very well, since you insist, I'll spill the news. It's a book that just came out this week (why, that narrows it down!). It was written by someone I know (You have no idea how many people I know). It takes place in the old West, and is about a very special 12-year-old girl. She's a little troublemaker, but comes through when necessary. Especially when a half-dead guy shows up on her ranch and some visitors (a young woman and some brats) come to her house. Our heroine doesn't have to give the guy CPR (Don't worry if you don't get that joke), but she and her friends keep him secret.
If that doesn't spell trouble, I don't know what would. During the course of this book, the girl (Andi) sustains many injuries and survives many dangerous situations. She drowns in a raging river, is smashed by wild horses, dangles precariously from high bridges, is lost in woods filled with wolves and goblins, struck by lightning, kidnapped, locked in a dungeon, and...
Okay, so maybe I'm getting it mixed up with Indiana Jones and The Hobbit. Oh, well. It's an awesome adventure story, anyway. You all definitely have to read it.
Eh? What's that you ask? What's it called? Andrea Carter and the Family Secret. You can go visit the brilliant author, or just go and buy it on Amazon HERE or CBD HERE.
Love ya, Andi! :-) I'm 'bucking' for book 4 now! |
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Jan. 13, 2008 Remind me to bite my tongue...
You know I had a post several days ago titled, "Dare I ask what's next"? That would be the bathroom sink that now needs to be replaced. Why? 'Cause the water overflow is full of water that can't drain, and it's gotten horribly nasty because neither Jon or I wanted to tell Dad because he's really busy. Besides, it won't kill us to know there's green, moldy water filling up the sink... Well, yesterday I tried some DIY and stuck a handful of pipe-cleaners (you know, those craft things that are fuzz-in-wire) down it, and... negative results. Blech...
So, this morning Michael put some 'bigger and better' brush things down it and decided that there was no help for it. We have to get a new sink.
*rolls eyes*
ETA: Well, Dad took the sink out to the shop and got... a small Lego out of the pipe! (Yes!) |
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Jan. 10, 2008 Ugh... and WOW!
First with the 'ugh'. Today we got into my history instructor's favorite topic (or one of them). That's right, folks... The Plague of the early 1300's. Yesterday was torture and punishment techniques the Catholic church used, and today was The Plague. Now, this wasn't just "So lots of people got sick and most of them died". No. Think more in-depth, and you might come close. *gags* We had an hour about it today, and we will *finish up* tomorrow. My instructor is having a great time, but it's horrid.
Now on from that morbid subject to the WOW! We were all invited to the annual awards meeting of the county Police. Mom, Dad, and I went. They gave out some special awards at first... and called us up. They gave Dad a big plaque in recognition of all the stuff he did during the flood. Then they gave Mom and I "Challenge" coins. (Pictures will be my S&T tomorrow) We were up on the stage with 60-80 people in the audience and the Sheriff told all about what Dad did in setting up an "In case of Emergency" plan starting last December (2006) when the windstorm blew the roof off of our school.
Oh, one more thing. I'm a half inch taller. I got my shoe inserts finally, and they've propped my feet into a normal position. :-) I'm still working them in, but they don't hurt very much.
Yes, Katie, I will try to get the pictures from the party up... As soon as someone will fiddle with the camera and get the pictures off of it. Some of the pictures were one one camera with a card (I like cards...), but there's some cord that I have to plug into something on this camera, and I really have no idea how to do it. Andi or Marie, if you have a minute, I need a "Tech-not-savvy Blogger Award" for this! :-/ |
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Jan. 8, 2008 So... Dare I ask what's next?
A series of... *interesting* things have happened recently.
1. We had a flood. (That wasn't interesting. That was BAD)
2. Our washing machine broke
3. Our dishwasher caught on fire
4. Our washing machine was fixed and then broke again
5. The people with the warranty on the dishwasher went out of business, so no one can fix it.
6. Our sofa was given away (that's not too bad. I did like it, though)
7. My... hair caught on fire at dinner tonight at Grandma and Grandpa's.
O.o
Okay... so I just got a little singed, I have more than enough hair to spare, and no one had a heart attack. *blushes* I was reaching across the table to stop a drip from the juice pitcher from touching the lovely table runner that Laura made, looked down, and "Hmm, if that ain't my hair on fire. *calmly snuffs out flames* That was int'resting..." For the record, I hate the smell of burning hair. Blech. Laura and Mrs. D, you know you were saying when I was over that I've probably never seen a candle before? That might be a good thing! :-/ |
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Dec. 31, 2007 The year in review
I decided to jot down some of the stuff that happened to me this year. So, here goes!
The year started out with me going to Olympia to be a page. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about the legislature.
Michael and E decided not to get married.
I went to my Great Grandma's 100th birthday party.
I finished my homeschooling career... for now...
I met Jess, who has sort of become one of my mentors/writing pal.
On the writing front, this year I wrote over 93,000 words and finished one novel draft. 1/4 of the way through revisions.
Mom went through a short stint with cancer.
Got a blog! :-D
Started college and have a pretty good GPA.
Things are starting to look up in the way of putting our valley back together. Yay!
I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next year. '08... A whole new year to do what He would have me do and to live as He would have me live. I ask you, can you look forward to anything better? (I know what you're going to say, Andi) |
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Dec. 29, 2007 I've returned!
I just got back from my dear friend's house, where I spent the night. For the entire school break, she had wanted me to come over and hang out for a few hours. So we chose yesterday. She told me to bring along a movie to watch. I brought Cinderfella and Battlestar Galactica. (We taped a Battlestar Galactithon from Sci/Fi in the 90's. Alas, I do not own the DVDs)
Starting at about 10:00 am, we watched The Scarlet Pimpernel. [English, fop-ish tone] Think me, it was the most hilarious movie I've ever seen. [/fop] I absolutely loved it. That lasted until about 12, when we had lunch. Then we went for a walk down their hill to see a place where their road had slid during the flood. The mud was alright. I made it down the hill without getting dirty. We jumped the fence at the bottom (Jen touches wire to make sure the electricity isn't on. It isn't) and then walked through the field to look at their bridge which was washed down the creek. Since we didn't really want to go all the way back across the field and then up the road, Laura suggested we take [dramatic music] "The Pipeline". [/dramatic music]
The Pipeline is a trail up the side of their hill where they put a waterline. Hold your hand out, and then raise it to an angle slightly more believable than straight up. That's what we were climbing. I went a short distance ahead (I touch the wire, I go first, what's the deal with that?) and made sure it was passable before Laura came up. My brother is a monkey (figuratively speaking), and I enjoy climbing, so it was actually pretty fun for me. Laura was about to die the whole way up. Indiana Jen, that's me...
But we did get up to the top and got through their bee hives and back to the house without trouble. I didn't even get dirty walking through the standing water in the field and climbing up the hill. (shines fingernails on collar) We decided that after all that excitement, we needed to watch something else. Yep, Battlestar Galactica. Woo! Now, you might think it's a TV show that is a total rip-off of Star Wars and even though one of their famous actresses demanded that her character be shot so she could get out of it, I love it. I adore it. (continues rave reviews) We watched it for... 8 hours? (Don't tell Mom! Please!) Now, Laura is the type of girl who watches Pride and Prejudice and reads nonfiction books for fun. Sci/Fi is not in her vocabulary. Well, it might be now. She was upset when the recording ended in the middle of an episode.
Then we decided that I should spend the night at her house (I've never done a 'sleep over' in my entire life). After the evening chores (milking the cow and singing to her), we went to bed. And didn't 'stay up all night giggling' like they say girls do at sleepovers. I had the Battlestar Galactica theme music playing in my mind for centons, it seemed. All night, at least.
Today we went and watched National Treasure 2. Awesome movie. You should see it. Riley is so cool. I would have bought his book, just because I might be in his shoes someday (except without the car). ;-)
P.S. This was my 100th entry! |
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Dec. 28, 2007 Appliances...
Washing machine
Dryer
Dishwasher
Microwave
I'm just checking off the appliances that are broken. The dishwasher blew up last night. At about 6, I smelled something burning and told Michael. We spent the next hour looking for it (Mom and Dad were at a meeting). Finally, we decided it had to be the dishwasher because it was the only thing running at the time (we had shut it off). So, Dad gets home and we didn't have to tell him about it because as soon as you walk in the door you can smell burning wires. He turned on the dishwasher to see if that would make the smell worse. Smoke began pouring from the front of it. FOUND IT!
On the 9th the repair people hopefully come to fix the washing machine (there's a stupid warranty that doesn't let Dad fix it, otherwise it would have been fixed already).
*sigh*
Playing homemaker got old about three weeks ago. |
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So I did one of those little quiz things that folks are always posting on their blogs. This one is to test how 'girly' you are. Lol!
You Are 4% Girly  Um... you're a guy, right? If not, you're the most boyish girl in the world.
And for you, that's probably the ultimate compliment.
http://www.blogthings.com/howgirlyareyouquiz/
Then I just had to do another one...
You Are Totally Like Your Mom  You and your mom are practically clones.
You think alike, and you even seem to read each other's minds.
You're definitely you're mother's child... and that's just fine with you.
http://www.blogthings.com/areyoulikeyourmomquiz/
Mom always did call me her little clone. So that means Mom isn't girly, either? Well, to put it this way, Dad got her a card for her birthday that shows a lady in the kitchen with a wooden spoon in one hand and a drill in the other and says "Mixer... Power drill... Same thing!" I love my Mom. :-)
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Dec. 17, 2007 A fond farewell
| Yesterday, Mom came home and told Jon and I that Mrs. Barb, who was our Sunday School teacher (among many other things) at the church we went to a long time ago, passed away on Saturday night and is with the rest of our Family with the Lord in Heaven. She had cancer for a long time and her husband just recently passed away. She was a beloved member of the community and we all will miss her. |
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Dec. 13, 2007 At times, I wax poetic...
Oh where, oh where has my brother gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
I ha-ven't seen him in three whole days,
Oh where, oh where can he be?
Is he at the Grange hall or at the Church?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
He's o-nly 14, so he can't drive.
He must be close by, you see...
But where, oh where has my brother gone?
Will he be back real soon?
I'm now used to quiet and peace at home
I never u-sed to know.
And where, oh where has my brother gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
Come to think of it, where is the rest of my family? I feel like a fugitive during a war, desperately searching for her family. I should write a book about that.
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Dec. 5, 2007 *sighs* I'm still here... barely...
Well, we had a storm. More than a storm. This was... It makes me sick to even think about it.
It rained 12 inches within 36 hours in our valley. When it was light, I looked out the window, and all I could see was water across the whole valley. We threw together all the supplies, jumped into our trucks and jeep, and headed down to the Grange, the emergency center of the valley. The driveway was under water, and we had to just look straight ahead at the mailbox and drive on faith (LOTS of faith. We were praying hard). There was wood floating across the roads that we had to dodge and the roads were washed out underneath. (Correction by Mom: This is something that no one should EVER do. We only did it because we needed to get food and other supplies to the Grange.)
In the far side of the valley, there was 15 feet of water. A dairy farm lost over a hundred cows with pedigrees going back almost to the 1800's... just drowned in the barn and the fields. The lady who taught me how to ride horses was rescued by helicopter from her roof, and all of her animals died. An elderly lady was rescued by a neighbor in a tractor. She was standing on the counter in her house trying to cut a hole in the ceiling to get into the attic to escape because the water was rising so fast.
My brothers' boss' house went almost completely under water and mud. There's not much left of it. They're living in our neighbor's barn in a trailer and coming up here for showers and washing clothes.
The valley is without water for almost a week because of all the busted pipes. There's an enormous log jam in the river.
The Fire Department lost an aid car, tender, and an engine when the water went up over the rigs. This picture (I hope you can see it, Curu! I worked on it for a long time!) is all water in a parking lot by the Fire Station. I overlaid a picture of the rigs on it this morning.
Sort of a "Rest in Pieces" picture.
I have thousands of pictures from the flood that I could post. Maybe later. Dad was on TV, but we can't find the link on a news site.
The college will be open tomorrow, and David is driving me back to school. I could not believe the sight of our road when the water receded. The asphalt was turned over itself and thrown out into the neighbor's field.
All the people out here in the valley would be thankful for your prayers. |
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