Quote of the Week

"Religious liberty might be supposed to mean that everybody is free to discuss religion. In practice it means that hardly anybody is allowed to mention it." - GK Chesterton - Autobiography, 1937

Greg Laurie Harvest

My daughter went to a friend's house and traveled with her family to the Greg Laurie Crusade last weekend. Some of my in-laws went as well and all of them came back truly blessed. I listened to his messages via his website and you can, too! Hope you are challenged like I was/am.

"My Ethiopian Sisters"

Our friends who are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia have a teen daughter who has a sweet blog that you should visit. She posts ways to help their adoption and to help many orphans.

Hawaii - Part 3

After our helicopter ride in Kauai, we drove around the west side of the island. We were in Waimea around lunchtime and took a risk by stopping at a small roadside place called "The Shrimp Station". My dh loved their shrimp tacos so much we ate them twice in 3 days! After lunch we strolled down the sidewalk and found "JoJo's Shaved Ice" - MY favorite place on the island !
As we drove on out to Polihale Beach we made a wrong turn and ran almost straight into the gate of the Pacific Missile Range. Turning around quickly when signs were everywhere about DANGER MILITARY ONLY, etc. , we were turning pale at the thought of missiles pointed at these poor country tourists who took the wrong turn when we spied two burnt-out vehicles beside the road and figured they must have made the wrong turn before us! After a stress-releiving laugh, we found the "right" road which was really no road at all but a 5-mile series of potholes and washboards, and arrived at the most beautiful beach you can imagine. It is legal to 4-wheel on the beach which is several miles long, very wide and as close to completely deserted as possible. I think on the 5-mile stretch we saw about 6 people! The water there is not safe to swim (very strong and unstable currents straight out into the Pacific) but with a pristine white beach backed by gorgeous towering cliffs, who needs to get in the water?!
On the drive back from Polihale, we stopped at Kauai Coffee Company, tested a few samples, took a stroll beside some of their plants and learned about coffee growing and processing.

On back to the hotel and thus ended one of our perfect days in Kauai.......

VBS

We are having our Vacation Bible School this week and my 8yo and I have already had a "ball" even though it doesn't start until tonight! Yesterday we went and helped decorate. One of the things I really like is meeting more people or getting to know "acquaintances" better because when you are painting, drawing, tacking up stuff or cleaning up spilled glitter you have time to chat and find out more about the people you don't necessarily usually see. Last year's first VBS workday I ended up coloring and painting with a dear, sweet young lady that has become a wonderful friend. We immediately "clicked" with our interests and although she is extremely, extremely musically talented and I am ummmm..... musically challenged!! we found that we both had connections to military academies and then that she was eager to learn about homeschooling and then... well, she's just a real joy in my life. So that's why I like to decorate for VBS - great way to make new (or deepen old) friendships - and have fun, too! BTW - my friend and I are in the "Bed Babies" together this week so I get to spend lots of time with her while we love on babies - including her new one - what more could I want?!!

Hawaii - Part 2

On day 4 we left Oahu and flew about 45 minutes to the island of Kauai. Wow - what a difference! We were immediately greeted at the airport by wild chickens. Yep. Wild chickens everywhere! After picking up our jeep rental, we drove up to our hotel, checked in, walked on the beach and then went out to eat at "The Bull Shed". Pretty good food and great location - the waves were literally splashing up onto the side of the building! The next morning we headed out early for our helicopter tour of the island - Blue Hawaiian Helicopters was by far one of the best decisions we made. The helicopter was very quiet, our pilot very skilled and the scenary is indescribable! The pictures don't do it justice because they just don't show the massive height and depths of the canyons, mountains and hundreds of waterfalls. Kauai is where lots of tv shows and movies have been made (Jurassic Park opening scene, Fantasy Island waterfall, "Gorilla" mountain in George of the Jungle, etc.). Although the helicopter ride was expensive it was worth every penny and I would recommend eating sandwiches in the car and taking the helicopter rather than eating out. There just is no place I've ever been that compares to the beauty of those mountains.
Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalm 36:5-7

Book Report

I just finished 3 books - 2 about Learning Styles and 1 compilation of essays about the educational system by John Taylor Gatto. I had read (OK, confession time, not really read, more like scanned) "The Way They Learn" by Cynthia Tobias a few years ago. This time I read it, along with "Talkers, Watchers and Doers" by Cheri Fuller. Both very worthwhile to challenge me to not only teach to my childrens' learning styles (versus my own) but also good ideas in how to develop their weaknesses. The book by Gatto "A Different Kind of Educator" was great (as always - his books really make me think out of the box!) and an encouragement to make sure that I teach my children to think, not just recite. All three books are really good for anyone who teaches or is any way associated with the teaching of children.