"For I know the plans I have for you," Declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:21:00 -0500 Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:21:00 -0500 1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?   I wish I were, but no… sad to say, I am not. The spelling of my name is rather unique (or was rather unique at the time I was born. The Female version of my name is usually spelled LindsAy. Mine is spelled Ey. And just for your personal knowledge, the name Lindsey means “from linden’s isle.” File that one away… 2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I assume you mean really cried, and none of the “laughing to tears,” business. I think I cried in my sleep pretty recently, but that seems a little weak as well. I suppose it was the last time I got hurt badly. 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, Absolutely not. I thought girls were supposed to have beautiful handwriting, but mine is close to chicken scratch. 4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey 5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Not yet 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I certainly hope so. We have so much in common. 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Please define “a lot.” That expression is so vague. I suppose I use it every now and then. 8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? From how high? Who am I with? What is the rope made of? Am I being offered money? 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? A froo-froo, organic cereal called Flax Plus. 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Never!!! 12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not in the least. The word pathetic comes to mind. 13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? It’s a toss up between cookie dough and cake batter. 14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Whether they are a boy or a girl. Sometimes it is very hard to tell. 15. RED OR PINK? Red. I think it is more sophisticated, and a blonde wearing pink automatically lowers my I.Q. 16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I am a sinner, and am very selfish. I also hate that I am a pessimist. 17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Do you mean when I am gone? My family and Church family 18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Not really, what a dumb question. 19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I am wearing my pajamas… black capris and my favorite pair of feet 20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?   These really awesome “Everything pretzel chips” 21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My Aunty P., Moma, Ya-Ya, and Cecibe talking. 22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Survey says… Scarlet, Olive Green, Violet… True? 23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Mom’s perfume, Dad’s old jacket, Rain on asphalt, new books, ice cream parlor, new tennis ball, asthma oil, fires in fall. 24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Red 25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Absolutely 26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Cycling, hands down… In the words of a wise old man I used to know, “It’s not a sport… it’s art!” 27. HAIR COLOR? Blonde, almost white in the summer 28. EYE COLOR? Greenish grey. They started out blue when I was younger, but they have slowly changed over the years. 29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? 325 in the right eye; 350 in the left 30. FAVORITE FOOD? Thai, Mexican, Italian, pretty much anything but German and English. 31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Some scary movies HAVE happy endings. It does depend on my mood, but most of the time it is happy endings. 32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Rocket Man. A truly scary movie with a happy ending. 33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black. 34. SUMMER OR WINTER? I am so ready for the changing of the seasons when it is time for them to change. I love each one in its turn. Now if fall were on this list, this would be a no brainer. 35. HUGS OR KISSES?   The Hershey’s chocolate? Defiantly kisses 36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Okay, this may seem strange, but I constantly crave desserts with banana in them. More so than I crave actual bananas. Banana crème pie is one of my favorites right now. 37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Dad always, Rachel if she isn’t being asked to do chores 38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Eva, and Rachel if she is being asked to do chores 39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? “ I hate John… I love John…” You can never have too much Emma. 40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Pooh bear or a Dacor oven (draw your own conclusions) 41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Why are you assuming that I watched something on T.V. last night? We don’t have cable, and neither do our cousins. 42. FAVORITE SOUND? Rain on the roof, Cello, the perfect silence of snow falling, French horn, Thunder, Gabbie humming “Come Thou Fount,” voices in harmony, Nat King Cole Christmas album the day after Thanksgiving 43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither if I had a choice, but Beatles if I have to choose. 44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? East coast of the U.S.A. I’ve been to Mexico, but that was only five hours away. 45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can move my neck in any direction while keeping my shoulders completely still. It is very strange to watch. 46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? West Hills, CA 47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anyone who wants to do this… I tag you. 48. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?   1:00 A.m. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/379723/ Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:21:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/379723/ Well, I don’t really understand how to do this tag, but I will try my best.   FAMILY- 1. "Family is one of those things you sometimes wish you didn't have but really couldn't live without."   I don’t think this is a true quote for me. I never wish I didn’t have a family. Do you know how horrible that would be? I have had nightmares like that. I love being with family… I would choose spending time with them over anyone else. 2. I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.   Well, but family only goes so far. If you don’t have God, then your family will not satisfy you.  3. "The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."   How true for me! ~Elizabeth (Luvs2Sing)     4. “The family is the corner stone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions, and the values of the child. And when the family collapses it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled. So, unless we work to strengthen the family, to create conditions under which most parents will stay together, all the rest — schools, playgrounds, and public assistance, and private concern — will never be enough.”   Lyndon Baines Johnson   Of course I would like to add that the answer to creating such a strong family is having a solid foundation of faith in God. This quote hits hard in today’s society. Linds (hopeandafuture)   Now I think I will tag Deusprimus. I will be looking foreword to your post Ben… http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/374655/ Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:03:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/374655/ Well, it happened again. Because of space, we are moving the rest of our updates to hopeandafuturecontinued. Follow the rest of our exploits by clicking on the link. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/371055/ Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:11:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/371055/ 1. What is your school's name and why? Well there are several answers to this question. If you mean what is the name of my cover school, the answer is Hearthstone Christian School… or wait, I am not officially in school anymore!!! That changes the answer completely. At this point in my life I am continuing to educate myself at home.   2. How is your weather today? Well, we are driving around Las Cruces, NM right now looking for a gas station to fill up before we embark on an 8 hour drive to Kerrville, TX. It is noon (we got a late start… ) and the temp is 88 degrees. The sky is a serene blue, dotted with large cumulonimbus clouds. 3. What steals your joy? Bad attitudes (or an unhappy spirit, as Kiki would say) I hate it when people argue. 4. Name 5 blessings you received this week. 1.       Several gentlemen opened doors for me this week, for which I am very grateful. I love it when men are chivalrous and treat me like a lady! I just hope I can live up to the standard and be courteous right back. 2.       Beautiful desert monsoons! I love getting caught in these things. The rain falling in torrents, the lightning flashes, the booming thunder, culminating with a beautiful rainbow… God’s war bow which is no longer aimed at man in anger, but has been set on the mantle, never to be used again. A  great sign of the covenant. 3.       Sisters and parents who love me. I sometimes wonder why they do… It is so wonderful to have people love you despite all your faults. 4.       Swimming pools across the country. We are traveling through the southern most part of America in august. Swimming pools have been a big blessing. 5.       This may seem obvious, but I have been blessed with the gift of life this week. 5. Favorite scripture passage? Jeremiah 29:11 (that one is pretty obvious), and a new favorite I just added, Deuteronomy 4:6-10 6. Who in the Bible do you think you are most like? Hummm…. Well you remember that person in the bible that was a sinner… I’m like them. 7.The last passage of scripture you read was: 1 Samuel, chapter 2 8. Have you ever praised God for something weird? I praise God for giving me asthma. Dogs, Cats, Mold/Mildew, and cigarette smoke all used to trigger an allergic reaction which could result in an Asthma attack.  When I was younger, I hated being an asthmatic, because it kept me from going over to so many friends’ houses to play. Now I praise God for my asthma because it kept me from going over to their houses. Those people with whom I had wanted to associate were not Godly, and no doubt I would have been exposed to many ungodly things. 9.What is the best miracle God has performed in your life, or what is your favorite answered prayer? Finding our wonderful church in the middle of the Central Valley. 10.What is the most fun thing you have done lately? Climbed to the top of several large sandstone hills (hills sounds kind of wimpy, they were a bit larger and steeper than hills) 11. How did you choose your screen name? A brief moment of inspiration.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/369766/ Tue, 7 Aug 2007 23:08:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/369766/ I think it’s only been about 4 days since we posted, but I cannot believe how much has happened since then. Here’s a recap of the past few days.   ZION NATIONAL PARK – We arrived at Zion after our drive from the Grand Canyon. We have now been here something like 5 times, and its still a place that we just do not grow tired of. We have come to the conclusion that we probably ought to spend 2 weeks here sometime, and just exhaust all of the trails for hiking and biking. There is so much to see.   Here’s a picture of one of our favorite areas in Zion near the east exit. The area is a maze of sandstone slabs and long aprons that go all the way up to the top of the peaks in the area. These slabs can be walked up for long distances with amazing traction on the sandstone. Here’s a shot of our gang hiking back down from the top. … and here’s another shot on the slabs, Rachel with Eva.    (picture deleted to save space)   … and here’s Brian, practicing for the US Olympic gymnastics team.         Did I happen to mention that we were doing some mountain biking? Oh yeah, I think I did. For those who know much about Utah mountain biking, the reason that people come here from all over the world to ride is because of the sandstone.  Imagine a huge concrete skateboard park (created by God), with paint spots on the rock that mark where the trail is supposed to be. Imagine rubber tires riding on a “sandpaper” surface, with so much friction that you have the ability to go up (and down) insanely steep surfaces. That’s the magic of Utah mountain biking. Our first major biking stop this trip was the sandstone near Zion.   Here’s a shot of Brian up on the Rockville Bench trail just outside of the town of Springdale (remember this, Walkers…).       … and here’s a shot of me, powering through a short section. The paint spots on this section of rock was so old and faded (like me), that route finding was really difficult. We actually got lost on part of the ride.   Later in the day, we took a hike up one of Zion’s infamous trails. The uniqueness of the trail at the end of the canyon, the Zion Narrows trail, is that after the first mile – the trail disappears. The trail starts out paved, at the base of the huge walls at the east end. The virgin river runs to the left between the walls. As you continue to walk east on the trail, the canyon walls continue there journey closer and closer to each other. By the end of the first mile, there are steps that head down to the sand near the river’s edge. This continues on, as does the creep of the canyon walls towards each other. About 100 yards later, the sandy edge of the river vanishes, and all you’re left with is the Virgin River as the trail, that spans wall to wall in the now very narrow canyon. The rest of the hike is walking upstream, sometimes crossing from one side to the other to avoid the faster-moving water. Here’s a picture of the kids in the water. Rachel has just noticed that an alligator upstream, Lindsey has obviously also seen it. And KC is hiding behind Rachel to avoid the gator. Another picture on the “trail”       BRYCE CANYON, UTAH.  After a day and a half in Zion, we headed for the mountain biking capital of the world: Moab, Utah. Along the way, we passed Bryce Canyon and stopped by. Here’s a shot of the amazing canyon behind the gang. The trails here are so much fun. If you ever get a chance to come here, spend a day or two Hike the Queen’s garden trail. Bryce is best visited late Spring or early Fall. The reason is that because of the elevation, it really does get cold up here (especially for Jennifer. Any shocks with that little factoid?...).       A shot of the Brady Bunch from the back.     MOAB, UTAH. Moab, Utah: definitely one of the most unique areas in the United States. Near to three national parks, and near to 1,000 miles of some of the most unique mountain biking in the world.    One of the national parks is Arches National park. Here we are in the park. If you squint your eyes, looking directly above Paige (second from the left for those who have never had Paige tap you on the shoulder, and then look the other way like she doesn’t know what you’re talking about when you ask her if she tapped you), you can see the most photographed arch in the park, Delicate Arch. This is the arch that is on the Utah license plate. By the way, many of you will notice a new face in this picture, the guy on the left. We had the great pleasure of having one of the covenant sons from our church, Thomas Hector, hop on a plane and meet us here in Utah to join in the fun of the biking.       In the park, our favorite place to visit is a little-known and even less-visited arch called sandstone arch. It is an area protected by high sandstone walls that you have to walk through to get to the arch. The floor of the little canyon is filled with sand as fine as powdered sugar. Also, because of how the canyon is protected, it is 15 to 20 degrees cooler inside of this little canyon.    Here’s a picture of KC, trying to see what it felt like to be Samson on his last day.     At the end of the canyon are a series of walls and steps that you can climb to access a canyon a little higher up. Here’s a shot of the kids up in a sandstone bowl above Sandstone Arch.        The next day, we headed over to the most famous mountain bike trail in the world, the Slickrock Bike trail. The uniqueness of this trail is that it’s a 10.5 mile ride on a series of petrified sand dunes. While the minimum and maximum elevation of the trail only differs by about 150 feet, you end up grinding between 2,000 and 3,000 feet during the ride. Imagine a series of sand dunes in the shape of camels humps that have petrified, some of them VERY steep. The trail dives down these humps, and then shoots back up the other side, repeatedly over the course of the ride.   Here we are, getting our bikes ready to ride. You can see the start of the ride in the distance, the large petrified mounds of sand.    (picture deleted to save space)   Here’s a great shot of Brian and Thomas as they’re about to dive down the trail. You’ll notice the white paint spots on the trail to mark the way.   Here are Brian and Thomas at the overlook point. Down below, about 1,000 feet, is the town of Moab. You’ll note the torrential downpour taking place in the background. We had threatening rain the whole trip (and even got a little wet). Lightening was all around, but the Good Lord protected us through the entire ride.     The ride is truly a grueling event. By the end, you’re just begging to die to have it all over with. Here I am thanking God for a bottle of water with about 2 miles left to ride. At the end of the ride, the Fam was waiting for our return. Here’s a shot of Rachel and Kirsten on top of a boulder near the end of the ride.   … and here’s Brian, trying on one of Frodo’s rings.   Tres amigo after the dusty, long, sandy, tiresome, mostexhasutingthingintheworld, ride (this caption was compiled in a combined effort by Bri Si and Tom Tor)   Say goodnight to a beautiful day on the Slickrock trail in Moab, Utah.    Tomorrow, we’re off towards San Antonio. We’ll try to post then to keep you posted on the trip.   God bless all of you richly. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/368525/ Mon, 6 Aug 2007 01:22:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HopeandaFuture/368525/