• Oct. 4, 2009
And the moral of the story is...

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

Dad got this in an e-mail...and I thought I would share it :-)

 

(0Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Jul. 21, 2009
panorama

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

I now have gotten 100 comments on this blog :-D

I was going to make an icon for that, but I don't remember who the lucky girl is that left that comment; I delete those automatic emails saying I've gotten a comment, after I answer them.

 

So...instead I will post a photograph.

 

 

I had my photo software "stitch" together a number of pictures to make this panorama. I took the photos at the park several weeks ago, with this end in mind. For my first one, I am pretty pleased with it!!!

Depending on your internet software (internet explorer, firefox, etc.), you might have to maxamize the webpage to see the whole photo.

 

4Him,

~Hannah

(0Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Jul. 19, 2009
You ARE the 1st Brigade!

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

Last night we started Gods and Generals after the boys went to bed. I have seen it two or three times before, but it's always like watching it for the very first time because there is so much to take in. So far we watched the first side of the DVD and I was struck by the character of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. I think he is probably one of my favorite generals in the Civil War.

I just love how he was so strong in his faith. Before the battle of Bull Run (Manassas to you Southerners ;-) ) he prayed, asking the Lord to protect his wife, and for the Lord's will to be done if they should fight that day.  After the battle, one of his officers asked him how he could be "so serene with all the shells and bullets whizzing 'round your head?" He answered that his religion taught him that he was "as safe in battle as in bed", and since God already had planned his time to die, he didn't concern himself with it.

When he found out his wife had her baby, he lifted his eyes heavenward and repeatedly said "Thank you, Lord", praising God for finally giving him a child.

Outdoors on a cold winters night he prayed with his cook, Jim Lewis. Lewis was an African-American he had hired, and they prayed for the protection of their families, and for answers as to why slavery was happening.

He told Lewis that, one way or the other, slavery would come to an end. He didn't agree with it either.

And he honestly cared about his men. He didn't view them as just soldiers, but as real people. Later in the movie he cries as he thinks about all the men that had been killed, all the lives, solider and civilian, that have been lost. After Bull Run, as he stood in the middle of the battle field he said he would never forget them.

One of my favorite lines in the movie is when he is taking leave of the 1st Virginian Brigade. He reminds them of the name they have won for themselves, and that in the future he hopes to hear of even more victories won by them. " You are the 1st Brigade in the heart of your general."                                                                                                                                                                        And before he rides off, he raises his saber and standing in his stirrups shouts "You ARE the 1st Brigade. You ARE the 1st Brigade!"

 

 

Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain  is also an interesting character. A philosophy professor he signed up- not because he wanted to, but because he knew he needed to.  I am pretty sure he was, like Stonewall, a Christian. He thought he would be assigned the duties as an officer, but didn't expect to be one on the front. He was with one of the volunteer groups from Maine, and it's neat to watch when they drill, learning to change from column of four to line of battle and back again.

In one part he quotes some poem about Caesar seizing Rome, ending in "Hail, Caesar. We who are about to die salute you." A little different...but that's what makes it interesting.

Dad got a book from a library about him, he ran into some friends of ours at the library and one of them recommended it. She was tired of always hearing about the more "popular" Christians like Lee and Jackson, so read the book about Chamberlain. Dad said it was good, I guess I'll have to read it sometime...after I finish the other zillion books I'm reading/should be reading :-D.

I can't wait to finish the rest of the movie tonight!

Note: it is a wonderful movie, and I love it, but there is some language. We have TV Guardian, which blocks out pretty much all of it. So, if you are interested in it, your parents will probably want to preview it, depending on how strict they are about such things.

 

4Him,

~Hannah

(2Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Jul. 9, 2009
a give-away!

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

SuperAngel over at The Daily Planet is hosting a giveaway for some really cool earbuds- Chicbuds, to be exact. They have a retractable cord (exactly what I need...mine are always getting tangled up!) and a clip so you can easily keep them out of the way. And- they are decorated with Swarovski crystals or geometric patterns. How cool.

To enter you have to somehow spread the word (blog, facebook, twitter, etc.) about it and leave her a comment telling her which colors you like the best. There are six ways to enter, and each thing earns you one chance (i.e. you blog it, twitter it, facebook it. =3 chances)

Easy!

 

4Him,

~Hannah

p.s. it ends on the 21st!

(1Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Jun. 20, 2009
colors

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

Three weeks (or was it four? lol) ago when I went to the airshow, Pilot Guy and I got a compliment. We came downstairs that morning after getting ready to go, and had both put on our Pro-Life shirts from Abort73.

Seeing our t-shirts, Dad said that he was glad his kids weren't afraid to wear their colors.

We, as Christians shouldn't be afraid to stand up for what is right. We need to stand up and be willing to catch some flak if we want to see things change for the better. Sitting on our hands waiting for someone else to act doesn't work.

         "I was wondering why somebody didn't do something when I remembered I was somebody."

That's a paraphrase of a quote a friend sent me. It fits.

 

I am not pointing fingers, that is not my job. But a life is a life. God created it in His image and we should not be the ones to decide if a baby gets a chance to live. It is not our place.

Pro-choice people often talk about choice. What choice? There is zero choice for the children in question. They aren't asked, they don't have a say, they don't get a chance. It is plain and simple homocide.

Given a say, do you think they would say "Yes! By all means kill me!" No! They would say "Give me a chance. I am a human too, I have feelings and thoughts, and most importanly an immortal soul."

I know, because my birthmother could have aborted me. I could have been one of the millions terminated yearly. But she didn't do it. She made the choice. Grant it, it was harder at the time, but at least now she isn't haunted by the echo of a little baby never given life. So many woman choose abortion because they think it is easier, only to be overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, remorse and sorrow later.

 

 ¹ "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
       Raise your voice like a trumpet...

to loose the chains of injustice
       and untie the cords of the yoke,
       to set the oppressed free
       and break every yoke ...

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard...

 and if you spend yourselves in behalf...
        of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness,
       and your night will become like the noonday...

 The LORD will guide you always...

 

Sections from Isiah 58 (NIV)

 

 

4Him,

~Hannah

 

(3Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Jun. 4, 2009
Learning about Israel

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

Yesterday evening my family and I went to hear the Waller family talk about their work in Israel.

From what I learned, they aren't out street witnessing, but rather they are trying to demonstrate Christ's love by actions and helping small farm owners.

It was very interesting, but my favorite part was the singing and when they demonstrated some Davidic dancing! I am totally not the type of person that likes dancing. I am too...well, let's just say I'm not cut out for it, but that actually looked kind of fun.

 

 

Lining up for the dance.

 

 

 

For a long time I have wanted to go to Israel, but now I want to go even more. To stand where the Holy of Holies was, to walk where Christ walked, to see and touch and totally immerse myself in the places the Bible talks about...

 

Mr. Tommy Waller,

 

Mrs. Sherri Waller,

 

 

(From right to left)

Victoria, Olivia and Hava Waller. I don't know the boy's name.

 

 

Since tourist passports to Israel allow you to stay a maximum of three months, the Waller family doesn't stay there full time. They help a Jewish man with his vineyard and go twice a year (in the fall only part of them go), in the spring to help with the pruning, and in the fall for the harvest. They've also harvested olives in that area. I wasn't sure what to think when they mentioned that they had helped the owner of the vineyard build a winery...                                                                                                                                       

Personally, I will never have anything to do with anything alcoholic because I know it kills brain cells, and I know the effects it can have when pregnant mothers drink- their kids have brain damage and learning disabilities. And, because so many people take it to the extreme and ruin their lives.

The mountain that they work on is in the West Bank area, and from that mountain they can see the seacoast. I guess I didn't realize how small Israel is, because I was surprised they could see that far. In the valley below, they can also see the area in which Joseph was buried.

Isn't that cool?!?!?! To be right where so much of our history (as Christians) took place.

 

We all really enjoyed the singing too. Several of the songs were sung in Hebrew (and one or two in English), but silly me, I already forget the one little line that they had us learn. I remember part of it...but not enough. I am so aggravated with myself about that.

Whatever the person's name was that had the main microphone sounded really Israeli, had that "cha" sound where they like, make the noise in their throat, kind of like in German, down really good. 

 

I love how they always said "Yeshua" (Hebrew for Jesus) and Yahweh (One of the many Hebrew names for GOD)

 

I also found out some stuff I didn't know before;

A lot of people in "Israel Proper" (the main portion of Israel) won't cross "the green line" into the West Bank because they think it's too dangerous, with all that's going on with the Palestinians.

 

Most of the missiles fired from the Gaza Strip are like huge bottle rockets, filled with explosives materials. Once the radar finds an incoming rocket, you have 30 seconds to drop whatever you are doing and get into a bomb shelter. Schools have bomb raid drills almost every single day because of this.

 

I am just stating what I heard, this is not coming from me:

Orthodox Jews are very anti-Christian because they believe that the Crusaders and Hitler were Christians. Most will not come anywhere near someone that they know to be a Christian.

 

Some fellow blogging friends also were able to come, so that was a lot of fun being able to talk to them :-) (It was so good to see you again!!!)

So that was how I spent yesterday night. It was fun, and informational (think school, *grin*.)!!

 

And of course, required that I bring my camera. Lol. Only problem with the photo-journalist style of photography is that I can't control the light. I had my ISO up to 1600, and still got a lot of blurry/fuzzy pictures. Grrrrr. *sighs in frustration*

 

4Him,

~Hannah

(6Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• May. 18, 2009
Salsa Fixin'

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

Mmmm...nothing tastes quite like fresh, homeade salsa, and my Dad makes the best fresh salsa in the world!!!

 

 

Since we have been/I still am sick, Dad made some salsa on Saturday because it's chock full of vitamins...and tastes great!!

 

Now, this is not a set recipie!!  Dad told me that it changes every time, but this is the ratio he used this time:

 

1 Green Pepper

1 Orange Pepper

1 Red Pepper

2 Tomatoes

3/4 OR 1 Onion (depending on size)

Aprox. 2 handfuls of Cilantro

1 Tomitillo

2 cloves of Garlic

Splash of Lemon OR Lime Juice

A little bit of sugar (this helps to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes)

1 1/2 Jalepeno (Optional! Not everyone in our family likes it hot, so we make one batch mild and one batch hot)

 

Wash the veggies, cut them into chunks and de-stem the Cilantro. Throw everything into the food prossecer and give it a whirl! Stop the food prossecer when everything is nicely diced up and slightly juciey.

 

Also, you don't have to use all those different colors of peppers if you don't have them on hand, they just make the salsa very colorful.

Poor into a bowl and, with a bag of tortilla chips handy, dig in!!!

 

 

This is also wonderful on anything even remotely Mexican, everything from tacos to nachos. Also try putting it on your hambugar!!! I know it sounds weird, but it is really, really good!! I just wouldn't suggest using it along with ketchup, mustard, mayo or pickles :-) Lettuce works well with it, though.  

 

Enjoy!!!

 

I'm off to the great outdoors with, you guessed it, my camera!!!

Take that back-I have to go help get supper ready.

 

4Him,

~Hannah

(0Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• May. 14, 2009
The big finish...

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

*Drumroll* This is the last about my trip! Do I hear a sigh of relief? lol.

 

 

Day 5

 

We are going home today!!!!

It’s been a lot of fun, but we are ready to go home J. We miss everyone else at home.

It is 10:54 a.m., and except for the laptop I am typing this on (I’m writing all this out ahead of time in Microsoft Word-I need to edit/upload photos before I get this posted on my blog), we are all packed up. Dad’s last meeting will be over soon, and we have to check out of the hotel at noon.

 

Our flight was originally around 2/2:30, but the airline kept bumping us back so now we don’t fly outta hear until 6:00.

To kill time between the time we have to leave the hotel/get to the airport, we are going to go to a movie theater at Downtown Disney and see the movie “earth”. I am looking forward to it, I saw the preview for it online and it looks like the director of photography is great. Pilot Guy went with grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin to see it the other night, and I was talking to him on the phone and he said he really liked it. But he also told me that one scene made my aunt and cousin cry: a baby gazelle was out-running a cheetah, but then it tripped…and was a goner. So, he said that part was sad, but he said the baby animals were all adorable.

 

Mom can’t wait to get home, she about cried yesterday, she is missing the other boys so badly. I can’t wait to get home myself!!! I love to travel, and hope I will get plenty of opportunities to travel around the country and the world, but going home is always so nice!!!

 

Mom told Dad and I that God has been telling her that this is all dross and chaff, and you know, it’s true. WDW is just that. It’s fun while you’re here, but, aside from family time, there isn’t really anything lasting about it.

 What’s amazing though, is that even though this trip wasn’t a necessity, that it was just a want, and a pretty big one at that, not only is God providing us with the things we need, but that He opened up a door for us to come here to WDW so Mom could fulfill her promise to HB. I think He enjoys doing things like that for people, and it’s just like, wow, that we matter enough to Him that He gives us the extra. After all He has done for all of us, sending Christ to die for us, providing us with family, food, shelter and clothes, incomes for our families, He doesn’t just sit back and say “Okay, I’ve done all this for you, anything extra you have to get for yourself.” but that He gives us the other stuff: pets, vacations, fun gadgets, extra things to use to help others with…the list goes on and on. Just, wow….what an amazing God we serve that He would love us that much while we are so unworthy…

 

Well…I think that concludes my WDW series of posts, hope you enjoyed hearing about my adventures and seeing *some* of my travel photos!!!!

 

The next morning:

It is soooo good to be home!!! We had a good flight, and got through the airport and drove home, we were home around ten. It was so nice to sleep in my bed again, and to have drinking water always available (without having to buy bottled water)lol. Since it was late, the boys stayed over night with the grandma’s again, but they were home before I woke up this morning J. It is so good to see them all!!!! I missed them…

 

Anyway, yesterday we went to Downtown Disney…and found out that the movie theater’s website was wrong-the movie wasn’t playing until after we had to be at the airport. At least Dad hadn’t bought tickets online, we were honked off enough already. So…we ate lunch at T-Rex (a dinosaur restaurant kind of like Rainforest Café)  and looked into a few stores, then walked back to our hotel.

 

The neat thing about not renting a car was that our drivers were interesting J. One was Hispanic, one was from Jamaica, and our other driver was from Sudan. I’m just talking about the guys that drove cars and vans, they have better rates than taxis…we had a lot of different people driving the shuttle buses to and from the parks as well.

One bus driver who drove the bus from Downtown Disney was so funny...okay, so the bus wasn't marked "A" which was the route that went by our hotel, it was the "B" route bus, but we were told that it was our bus too. Dad laughingly told the bus driver (who was a friendly, funny person) that he should have an "A" in the window too. The man said that he would next time...well, the next time we were at that bus stop...guess who drove up? And yes, he had put an "A" sign in the window!!! Lol...we all were laughing with him about that...Dad got a kick out of it, and the driver did too :-).

 

We got to the airport several hours early, which is a good thing-lines for security were really long. If you haven’t flown recently, you might not know that you can’t carry liquids or gels in your carry-on that are more than three ounces. Mom, in her flurry of packing that morning, forgot about that and packed all of HB’s food (including jelly, applesauce, etc.) and four bottles of Smokin’ Mojo Barbeque sauce in two of our carry-on’s. Well…that didn’t work…she felt so bad because we had to check the suitcase for $15. But...we couldn't have just thrown all that stuff away easily, because there was well over $15 worth of food and stuff...

I almost did the same thing, I had stuck a half finished bottle of Cherry Coke in my backpack and forgot that I couldn't take it with me on the plane until I was setting my backpack down so it could run through the X-ray machine. Good thing there was a trash can next to me...or I would have gotten stopped by a TSA agent and had my bag emptied and searched!

 

 

 

Lol!! Whoever designed that for the side of the luggage tram has a sense of humor :-)

 

Once we were up in the air, though, everything went well J. The clouds were beautiful, all the patterns and highlights, some looking as fluffy as cotton candy and others that remind you of the ocean or just a slight mist. I know Dad will forever make fun of me when he finds out how many photos I took out of the window on the way home- a little over 100!!!!

 

 

We were flying in between cloud decks in this shot, I like how you can see the layers, but I think I need to adjust it some so the colors aren't so flat.

These silly photos won't seperate, no matter how many spaces I put between them. I don't want to go and find the codes for them all over again, so I guess they'll have to stay stuck!!

 

4Him,

~Hannah

 

(2Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• May. 14, 2009
The Fourth of... (not of July!) my series!

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

 

 

Day 4

 

Dad had to go to his meetings again, so the rest of us went back to Epcot. First thing we did was Test Track…again, but it’s so fun we could have ridden it more J. After that, we did Universe of Energy, but…it was chock full of evolution, so it was disappointing.

 

That stupid Big Bang theory is so full of holes…honestly, when have you ever gotten something perfect and orderly from chaos? And the energy just couldn’t have spontaneously popped into being-the energy had to have come from somewhere!!! Just ask your mom if she can get a clean, organized house from letting a bunch of three-year olds run around and get into everything, lol. Or has your bedroom ever cleaned it’s self after you dig through your closet for half an hour looking for something?

 

Sorry, lol. As you can see…I am decidedly a Young Earth Creationist. I don’t like the Gap Theory either, but that’s for another day (after I do a tad bit more reading on the subject)!!!

 

 

Look familiar? I think he wants a nice, juicy clover :-)

 

 

Bambi and Thumper are actually made out of some sort of flower or plant, pretty neat, huh?

 

Anyway…we did the Ball again too. It has, in the beginning, a bit about cave men and huge spans of time, but other than that it is a really neat ride. I like that they included parts about Jewish men playing a part in the first “back-up libraries” (which I hadn’t know before. They had copies of many of the books from the library of Alexandria and thus helped preserve ancient history.), and how the Monks in Europe spent years upon years copying the Bible and other books by hand in the Monasteries.

 

 

We had lunch at The Land and then HB and I rode Sorin’ again. Mom loves that ride, but it makes her a nervous wreck going up, the screen is several stories high, so she waited for us in the food court. HB and I then rode Mission: Space yet again (that makes three times for him, about five or six for meJ ).

 

Of all the stores in the World Showcase, Mom and I agree that Japan has the best. It is by far the largest, and has so many neat things to see. They have a section in the store where you can pick out an oyster, then they open it and set the pearl in a necklace, earrings, or ring. About four years ago when we took my great-grandma to WDW, Dad let me do that and I got mine as a necklace. I went to price them out again as a souvenir, I think they are much prettier than a t-shirt with Mickey on them!!! Instead of getting one this time, though (I thought to myself “I think they are beautiful, but do I really need another necklace?” even though I really, really, liked them…now that’s self-control, lol). Instead, in another part of the store I saw this beautiful blue vase. It is a sort of…I don’t know, almost a dusky sky blue, with a small spray of delicate, white flowers impressed into and painted onto the front of the vase. So…I was sold on it. I’m not the sort of person that gets a souvenir just to get something, or that likes a lot of the stuff with Mickey Mouse or Tinkerbell, etc. I like to get something that I’ll like and use for a long time.

 

 

The Eiffel Tower in...Orlando? Lol. It is a cool miniature, though, and in the photo could probably pass for the real thing :-)

 

We got some couscous salad in Morocco for a snack, my aunt and uncle had recommended it. Neither Mom nor I really liked it. It’s not that it was bad, just different. It was cold, and had raisins, onions and garbanzo beans along with the couscous. The best part was the forkfuls of salad that had raisins and onions, so since Mom didn’t want hers, I just dug out the onions and raisins and then tossed the rest. It’s a good thing we just got the little snack size J.  When we got home...they told us that we got the wrong couscous!!! Lol...oh, well...

 

 

I'm calling this photo "Repeating Symmetry", it was part of the outside of one of the shops in the England part of Epcot.

 

 

More from England...

 

Instead of walking the long hot walk through the whole park, and then waiting for our bus in an un-shaded parking lot, we took a boat over to Hollywood Studios and waited in the shade for our bus. There they had benches under the trees J. It took longer, but it was easier on Mom’s feet and we were more comfortable.

 

 

I like this one!!! I was using my time well while waiting for the bus, lol. Probably took over 20 pictures :-).

 

 

Yeah...*Sheepish Grin*, it is a metal fence railing...another photo stemming from the long wait for the bus :-)

 

Dad tried to get us a reservation to ‘Ohana’s, a great Hawaiian/Polynesian-ish restaurant, they have awesome shrimp. Since we couldn’t eat there, we didn’t really know where to go, so we just went to Rainforest Café. Mom had seen a salad on their menu she wanted to try.

Mmmm… I got a delicious wrap that had chicken, Smokin’ Mojo, cheese, cilantro, green onions, and tomatoes. It was sooo good!!!

Then we got dessert at Ghirardelli’s. Mom had packed a snack bar for HB (he can’t have dairy, wheat, gluten, ect…), but on our way to Ghirardelli’s she saw a fruit Popsicle that he could eat. So, he was a happy camper!! Mom and I split a warm cookie-bottom Sundae that was out-of-this-world-good. Dad didn’t want ice cream (what’s up with that?!lol) so he just got a cup of coffee J. 

4Him,

~Hannah

(0Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• May. 13, 2009
Day 3...and I'm sorry I haven't posted it sooner!!

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

Okay...thanks to everyone who has been leaving comments, I promise I'll answer them soon!!!!

On Monday I joined a local camera club, and I got great critiques about the photos I submitted for critique. I know my time will come...but it's nice to have my first time (well...technically second, I'd been once before to see if I wanted to join) go off so well :-)

 

So...here's the third day (not the music group, lol)

 

 

 

Day 3

Hollywood Studios( Previously known as MGM Studios) here we come!!

 

 

 

 

This morning Dad had to go to his conference, so it was just Mom, HB and I. We made good time, considering how you have to really book it fast to get from show to show. We did the Great Movie Ride, and our guides were girls this time, even a girl “gangsta”, before we had always had guys. Girl gangstas aren’t quite as convincing,lol J. Then we did the Backlot Tour and Indiana Jones, which is way cool, always a blast. I got a lot of video on that one, and HB thought it was awesome.

 

 

We then decided to eat an early lunch to beat the crowd, and on our way back to Lights, Motors, Action! did the Toy Story ride and Prince Caspian. Prince Caspian was a waste of time, but Toy Story was a lot of fun. It was a 4D ride where you used a laser thingy to hit targets, but with the glasses on you saw balls, rings, darts, and water balloons hitting the targets, and they had different point numbers on them and you tried to rack up as many points as possible. About thirty seconds was spent at each station, and at each station you shot at a different thing. One was cartoon cows, chickens and donkey, another station you aimed at plates, and yet another was a Wild West theme. It was a lot of fun J.

 

The car stunt show, Lights, Motors, Action! is great. You can learn a lot about how they do different stunts with cars for movies. I took a lot of video for that too. It’s amazing what they can pull off, and how much effort they put into safety. They had cars doing doughnuts, racing in reverse, jumping ramps, and even had a motorcyclist slide through flames. Don’t worry, though, he is fine. He was wearing five layers of protective gear!! They must really have to be highly trained to do the stuff they did.

 

 

 

I uploaded some video to my photobucket...but then I couldn't find it anywhere, sorry!!

The cars were all really cool :-)

 

 

I think these guys are either EMT's or stunt cordinators...or they are the ones that put the fire out off of the guy's suit after he caught on fire :-)

 

 

A rather interesting companion while waiting for the bus...he didn't stick around too long :-)

 

After  that, I think we left. We headed back to the hotel and rested for awhile and then went with Dad to Downtown Disney. Rainforest Café is where we ate supper, it is a cool restaurant! We got a pizza with chicken, cheese, cilantro and Smokin’ Mojo Barbeque Sauce…and for dessert, we splurged and got the Volcano (chocolate brownies, ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and whipped cream.) it was huge.

 

 

One of the live birds outside of Rainforest Cafe. I think he is some sort of cockatoo.

 

 

A beautiful fountain at Downtown Disney.

 

 

Afterwards we hit some of the shops. If you ever go to Orlando and you love Legos, the Lego store at Downtown Disney is a must on your list!!! It is so cool J, and since Pilot Guy is taking care of Becky and Buddy, I pitched in with Dad and Mom to get him a cool Lego set, a remote controlled Lego car kit!!! He is a huge Lego fan, and Dad and Mom were originally going to get him something to do with airplanes (he loves to collect airplane/helicopter Lego kits), and I was going to buy a Lego pilot…but I was having trouble finding one. Then Dad found the remote car kit, and we knew he’d probably like that even better!!

 

4Him,

~Hannah

 

 

 

 

(1Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• May. 10, 2009
Part the Second...

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

I am so mad I could just scream (but I can't because the boys are sleeping.)!! I had this post all done, and went to adjust the size of a photo and lost it all. AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

So...with controlled wrath (just kidding, I'm not wrathful, just upset)...I will re-do the whole thing...

 

Day 2

 

Today we went to Magic Kingdom. HB was excited to see the castle, he thought he could go inside. The closest thing you can do to get inside of it is walk under it, which isn’t much. We rode a boat from the entrance/bus drop-off to the park. The breeze was nice, and the boat wasn’t crowded, so I got photos of the castle and Space Mountain from the water, pretty unobstructed minus trees, which look good in the photo.

 

 

I snapped this pic of another boat while we were pulling out of the dock.

 

 

I didn't take this one from the boat!!! My camera doesn't zoom that far :-), lol. We were walking near the castle and I stopped for a second to take advantage of the nice angle.

 

 

I think we were waiting for a bus...no, I was climbing the stairs of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.

 

            I don’t remember the exact order we did things (I’m writing this the next evening), but we did a lot of stuff!! HB liked everything-except It’s a Small World. But, who does like that one, seriously? We did Peter Pan twice, and the first time Dad and I rode together. We had fun with the camera and the ultra-violet lights, Dad’s white baseball hat glowed under the light and I got some funky pictures. When we got off, Mom, who had rode in front of us with HB, asked us what was so funny because we had been laughing through most of the ride. It was because Dad was goofing off, talking to the figurines and I was taking pictures of his “ghost hat”.

 

 

 

Lol, see the "angel"?! We honestly didn't stage this!!!

 

We got HB on Thunder Mountain, but Mom skipped that one. The three of us that did ride squashed into a single seat, and before the ride was over HB wanted to go again. This time, Dad sat behind us. I wish he hadn’t because HB slid all over the place, slamming into me and into the other side of the car when we went around the curves. I didn’t think it was that funny, but Dad was laughing fit to kill, watching HB slip and slide. It wouldn’t have been as funny if he had been the one getting slammed J.

            After an unsuccessful try to get HB on Splash Mountain I think we ate lunch. Mickey’s Philhar-Magic, a 4D movie, is great fun. In one scene you get a light squirt of water when an irate “mommy mop” throws a bucket of water on Donald Duck after he provokes a baby mop, and in another part you can smell cakes and pastries as they dance before your eyes. 

Carousel of Progress, Buzz Light Year, Winnie the Pooh, the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, the Jungle Cruise… all were part of our day. We tried Pirates of the Caribbean, but we didn’t like it, it wasn’t very nice.

 

 

Tomorrow Land...none of the parks were very crowded, the longest wait for anything we saw was about 45 minutes...but that was after we had already ridden it :-).

 

 It was hot, so we headed out for a while. Dad got us front seats up with the driver in the monorail, which was cool!! I learned that it's top speed is 40mph, but that it averages 30. We went back to the hotel and took some time to chill. Mom and Dad took a nap, and I laid down and listed to music for a while and then got on the computer and started writing about our trip. HB was told that, if he took a nap, we would go back and watch the fireworks. Well, he *tried* to sleep…but he didn’t. He just laid next to me and squirmed, and kept bumping me with his knees. Mom suggested that Dad and I go back that evening, but it ended up that we all went back. We didn’t stay for the fireworks, but we had a lot of fun.

 

 

Out the front window of the monorail. We were higher up than you would think :-)

 

 

The Polynesian, en view from the monorail.

 

            The best parts: we (Dad and I) got HB on Splash Mountain!!! He was nervous, but they start you out on several small hills first. He did well on those, but the second we started to go down the main drop, he dove down under the front of the seat!!! Dad was sitting in front of us, he looked back and was surprised to not see HB. When I told him what happened, he started laughing. Well, HB wanted to do it again, so Dad went to meet Mom and HB and I went and rode again-after strict instructions not to dive under the seat!! This time he didn’t, just put his head down so he wouldn’t get splashed, and he even lifted his hands up in the air on the smaller drops.

            Then we got Mom to do Thunder Mountain with us, and rode it twice again. On our way around the park we rode the train to rest our feet and cover more ground. The nearest station to board it was near Mickey’s Toontown Fair, and I remembered that I had read about a small rollercoaster they had-Goofy’s Barnstormer. Since we were there, we decided to try it. It was very short and very smooth, but it was really funny for Dad and I while waiting in line because Mom and HB were extremely nervous. Once we got on and got going, though, they were fineJ. After riding some other stuff we headed back and called it a night.  

4Him,

~Hannah

(2Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• May. 9, 2009
I'm back...and I've been busy!!!

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first.

Thanks!

 

I'm back!!!! I know...it's been a while since I've posted last...but I've got a good excuse!! If you want to find out my very valid excuse, read on. It is the first in a five-part (I know, sounds scary) series.

 

 

Day 1

 

4:45 a.m. *Yawn*…I don’t think I was made to get up this early, but excitement takes away any wish of going back to bed. Today I’m going to…fly so high that the earth looks like a patchwork quilt, go to China, Morocco, Norway, Mexico and…no, I’m not flying non-stop around the globe, I’m going to Epcot in Disney World!!!

 

In the air shortly after eight, History Boy is having a blast, he’s never flown before. He was breathing so fast with excitement while taxiing down the runway that he was almost hyperventilating!!!

 

My view out of the window...

 

 

Listening to music during the flight...aren't MP3 Players great? lol.

 

“A two hour flight” (to the tune of Gilligan’s Island,lol) and we touch down in Orlando. It is warm and humid, and you get sweaty just standing.

 

Before I get too into my tale too much, let me explain a few things: by the time I am posting this, it will be old news; Dad, Mom, History Boy and myself are here in Florida because Dad has a conference down here for work, so he and Mom got to come all expenses paid. History Boy got to come because he has Autism, and Mom had promised him that when he was better (he now has the mildest form of Autism possible), he would be able to go to WDW, and then God opened up this door. I got to come because, well, I like Disney World (don’t I have great parents?!), and so when Dad was at his meetings, Mom wouldn’t be alone in the parks with a young (well, 8y/o) kid. The three other boys are split up amongst my great-grandma and my grandma, one is too young and the other two don’t like Disney/would be scared of everything.

That covered, let me get back to my narrative!!

Oh, and if this is boring to you, you can skip my writing, but I did get some cool photos, so you might want to look at those J.

 

Epcot, around eleven thirty.

 

 

 

We are here!! We’ve already dropped off our luggage at the hotel and caught the bus to Epcot. Our hotel had sent a van to pick us up from the airport, it was much more reasonable than renting a car. Our driver (lol, for the first time in my life I got chauffeured) said that he also works at Disney one day a month, and his whole family gets into the parks for free.

 

 First on the list is the ride in the giant ball (don’t remember the name of it!!) and then we head to Test Track. Test Track is SUCH a fun ride!!! I’d done it before when we came with my great-grandma several years ago, but that is one ride that doesn’t get old. History Boy (who, from henceforth in my posts about Disney will be “HB”) just loved it, and immediately wanted to go again. That was fine with us, so back up the ramp, wait for a few minutes, and then again we are crash test dummies, swerving around corners, having our brakes lock up, and going 60 during one part that is outside the building. And, of course, screaming for the fun of it J. Going around a curve at 60mph, I had my arms up in the air, and was trying to get HB to do the same. He did-for a second. Then when the next curve came up, he screamed and grabbed at my uplifted arms so hard that he hit me in the face and knocked my glasses off!!! Thankfully, I grabbed them before they left me J, but I was scared there for a moment that I was going to lose them.

 

  Then we traveled around the world, hitting most of the countries in the World Showcase. That is such a neat spot, and people from the different countries come to work there and, I guess, teach others about their country. As you probably guessed, I took tons of photos, roughly 300 (and that's only counting Day 1!!). The ones Dad took while making fun of me don’t count J (he is the worst tease, and thinks he is so funny!). We got some lunch at Mexico, and Mom and I got the best guacamole in the world. I think it was because they used lots of cilantro, lol.

 

The landscaping is really nice :-) I like all the little ponds and stuff.

 

 

 

These funny birds were all over the place. They especially loved the outdoor eating areas. This one is eating a tortilla :-)

 

 

Mexico!!

At China we stopped for an eggroll and drink, and watched the Chinese Acrobats. Those girls have amazing talent!!! I took a lot of pictures of them, and I think I got some really good ones.

 

 

Pretty pastel parasols....

 

 

In this building, a movie about China is played. The multiple screens span a huge circle, and it is if you are really immersed into China's culture when watching it.

 

 

 

 

 

Could you balance with one foot on a unicycle and kick bowls up like that and have them land on your head? I didn't think so, lol.

 

 

 

 

Whoa...how about that? You would have to be extremely coordinated, strong and balanced to pull those off!!

 

 

 

I'm sorry, but that can't be comfortable!!! When I think of all the training, choreography, and timing that goes into that...

The crowds here are so diverse throughout the parks. All around you you can hear other people speaking in different languages, and we even saw two Buddhist monks in their orange robe-things. I thought it was a rather oddly comical sight, especially when I noticed one of them was carrying a camera. I really wished I had a cell phone, one with a camera, so I could discreetly get their photo-we were too close to them for me to take one unnoticed.

Mom wasn’t feeling too good while in the World Showcase, the heat and not drinking enough was taking it’s toll on her. So, we went to go hear the Voices of Liberty, an acapella group, and see the show that came after them. The air conditioning felt good J, and I enjoyed both shows. Mom felt better, but wasn’t feeling up to par so we skipped the rest of the countries (stopping for a funnelcake, of course,) and took the boat over to the other side of Epcot where we did the indoor stuff: Sorin’ and the other stuff in that building. HB thought Sorin’ was so cool, and he wanted to go again. So, Dad took him again and Mom and I chilled out in the downstairs, playing Hangman and deciding what we wanted for supper.

 

Because of HB’s Autism, we were able to get him a special card that works like a Fastpass, because he has a hard time waiting in long lines. It has been very nice, and been such a help.

Anyway…we headed back to our hotel, unpacked, showered and hit the hay. We had been on the go for around sixteen hours!!!

 

Oh, and funny quote from Dad, we were in the Chinese Pavilion:

            ‘“ All these things are made in China, but they sure are a lot nicer than the stuff we can buy at Wal-Mart!”’

We were looking at the cool, ethnic things for sale in China…they were a whole lot nicer than the stuff at Wal-Mart!!!!

 

 

4Him,

~Hannah

 

 

(1Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Apr. 27, 2009
Simply the Best

Mmm...who doesn't like pancakes?

If you are (and I can't imagine you aren't) a pancake fan, you simply have to try this:

 

Instead of putting plain ol' butter and Maple Syrup on your pancakes, slather on a;

knife full of butter,

plenty of brown sugar,

pureed strawberries,

and...Cool Whip!!!

 

 

 

Delicious!!!

 

When my dad was a kid, they did this for Christmas (or was it Thanksgiving?) breakfast every year, having gotten the idea from a friend.

Now, we carry on the tradition, although more frequently than once a year!!

 

It tastes great any time of the year, and for any meal (we usually make these for supper). It really goes well with pancakes that have oatmeal in them. Mom found a oatmeal pancake recipe and it is so good, it's much more filling than ones with just flour.

Try it, you'll love it.

 

4Him,

~Hannah

 

Hungry yet?

(2Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Apr. 15, 2009
Prayer Request

Monday night we got some sad news. My 91-year old grandpa passed away.

I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I do know that he was fine during the day, but that evening he had a seizure.

He had been in the hospital/nursing home for over a year, and had had Alzheimer's for pretty much as long as I can remember, so in a way I knew him, but not well enough.

 

He was a WWII veteran (he was an engineer and built bridges), husband, father. He was also an entrepreneur of sorts, he started and ran his own grocery store until about eight years ago, when he passed it on on his kids and just worked there part time.

 

Well, for the last year or so he hadn't been well at all, so we all knew it was coming. So...please pray for my Great-Grandma and his kids (both he and my grandma had been married and had adult children before they got married, that's why I haven't referred to his kids as aunts and uncles-I've only seen them probably three times in my whole life).

 

It has been rather hard on my Grandma, having him in the nursing home, so it will be very hard to adjust to having so much free time, and not having the knowledge that he is just a short drive away.

 

Also pray that her family and friends will continue to support her, and that we all will remember to include her often when we go places, and even just invite her over for supper more often.

 

4Him,

  Hannah

(2Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)

• Mar. 3, 2009
Hello!

Hi everyone!!

Welcome to "My Camera and I".

SInce everyone that knows me knows I love photography, this is the place where I will post tons of pictures, and write about other things too.

As soon as I figure out how to make the computer upload my photos faster...you will get to see them!!

I hope you will enjoy reading this blog as much as I am enjoying making it!!

4Him,

~Hannah

(4Notes Already Written) (Write a Note!) (Permanent Link)