We have a tie...

Well, in my last post Sunday I said I'd post the winner of the "Wildflowers" category tomorrow. Well, this is that post and I'm doing it a day early.



I checked my Wildflowers poll and...we have a tie! Photo #2 and Photo #3 both have 4 votes.



So I'm asking y'all to cheerfully vote on these two pictures again. I'll still keep up the other polls and will continue to post 'em one a week, or something like that.



So for your reference, here's the two contests who are struggling fiercly for 1st place in the "Wildflowers" category....;)



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P.S.-I added a counter-gadget at the bottom of the sidebar.

Photo #1: (below)

Photo #2 (above)

Great Job, Everyone!

Hi everyone!

Thanks a lot for voting in my Wildflowers poll. I’ll still keep it up for a few days, but I thought you’d enjoy starting to vote on the next category of finalists. I will post the winner of the "Wildflowers" category Wednesday.

This category is entitled, “Wonderful Water and Mountain Vistas”. This is the second of three categories this time.

Below are the finalists in this category, “Wonderful Water and Mountain Vistas”.

Enjoy!

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Photo #2 Photo #3

Photo #4

Mulch Madness and Iresistable Irises

Today has been a good day.

I worked on my Chemistry this morning, and then Mom put me to work in her "Landscape Department", hauling mulch from our drive way to the path in the woods which we are mulching.
And who would be a better candidate then Mom’s young, strong, capable teenager?!? ;)

It’s been pretty nice out, and I even put on some shorts. Needless to say, scoping, hauling and dumping mulch isn’t my favorite pastime, but at least it gave me a chance to be in the out of doors.
Green is defiantly in style now, and is the overruling color wherever you look. Our maple tree has innumerable leaves on it now, and is very pretty. And it gives us a lot of shade too!
Dad mowed the back lawn last night, and even some of Mom’s irises are coming up. (See picture).

This evening we are going to eat at someone’s home, so that’ll be fun. And then my friends are coming over tomorrow…a lot of fun for one teenager!

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A Very Special Day

Well, today I'm one year older then I was last year today. (In simple terms, today's my birthday.) Hopefully I'm one year wiser too!

The festivities started at mid-afternoon when Mom took me and my toddler sister, Alison to a play park nearby. That was a lot of fun! We played there for quite a while, and then Mom took us to Dollar Tree where she got us each our own whirly-gig toy.

When Dad came home at supper, we had carob-mint pie, as well as presents. Here is a list of the new stuff that's come into my possession:

Mom and Dad gave me 1) a very nice eagle poster. 2) A pack of dry-erase markers for my whiteboard. 3) Some socks and underwear 4) a renewal subscription to my favorite magazine, Young Disciple. ( http://www.youngdisciple.com/ )

Alison gave me some magnet-clips for my whiteboard and my dog Lauren "gave" me the game of Dog Bingo.

My grandparents from Michigan gave me a a very nice over-500 piece puzzle too.

Both sets of grandparents and my aunt and uncle from Florida gave me some money. (yea!) ;)

Anyway, that was my birthday. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to all who sent me stuff and thanks to all who thought of me on my special day!

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P.S-Dad took this great shot of me blowing out candles. Many thanks to him, and both of my parents who have loved me and given me so much! ;)

Picture of the Month-"Wildflowers"

On this being the night of April 22, I am inaugurating a new feature on this blog. It's called, "Picture of the Month". This is how it works:

I've selected some fav photos that I've posted on this blog this month. Then, with the help of polls, you (my faithful blog readers) will vote for your favorite photo. I'll have finalists, and sometimes possibly pre-finalists.

Below is the first section of pre-finalists. It's entitled, "Wildflowers". Here goes, have fun, and vote for your favorite poesy at right in the sidebar! ;)

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Picture #1
Picture #2
Picture #3

Secrets of the Smokies!

Today I took a trip of a lifetime to the Smokies, with a group of 19 people, including me. The college which Dad works for set up the trip. Tom and Pat Cory (tomandpatcory.com) were our instructors.

After a couple hour drive in a very nice school bus, we arrived at our destination. First we stopped at Meiges Falls. It was a very nice waterfall you could see right from the road.

(See left picture)

Then we drove on for a while, stopping for an hour and a half at the Chimneys, a place that had picnic tables, restrooms, a trail and a wonderful rollicking little stream. We photographed many wildflowers there, and therefore moved up the trail very slowly! ;)

Then we went on the a scenic view where you could get great postcard shots of mighty Mount Le Conte. That was very fun!

To finish up the day, we stopped for a while at a nice river, and also another scenic overlook.

Below are some of my best photos.

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The wildflowers and streams were very pretty!

True Tennessee Trails!

Mount Le Conte and surrounding area from our overlook.

I almost fell off the cliff while I was trying to get this gracful gray beauty. Thankfully I'm okay!

It was a absolutly great trip and want to go there again soon! ;)

Pictures already??

Yep! I was hoping that the next post on this blog would be of pictures from my Smokies photo trip, but today I got some really nice pictures and just had to share them!

By the way, it's only 3 days till that photography trip....(see countdown at at bottom sidebar.)

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P.S- below the pictures there's an acrostic I wrote for school yesterday. I thought y'all might like it....;)

This photo I took at about 7:15 this morning. I was getting dressed, and the sun was positioned so right....so I quickly finished dressing and took this shot!;)
Our daffodils are blooming in profusion now.
Can you believe it?? I've gotten a pretty good bird picture!! I was outside today taking photos of my sister and just spring in general, and then this happy chickadee landed on a semi-close tree branch. The bird's even in focus! ;)

Okay-here's the acrostic I wrote for school yesterday:

Spring is
Plenty of rainbow-colored flowers and
Ringing laughter of children
In
Never-so-pretty-before
Gardens so green.

Smokies Photography Trip Sunday

I'll admit: I'm excited! In only 5 days, (that is, this coming Sunday) Dad and I are heading to the Smokies on a photography trip!
I've waited for several months for this, and I can hardly wait! I'll defiantly post several photo articles when I get back.

One photography trip. One day. One national park. One FujiFilm Finepix S6000 camera. Two sets of batteries. 1017 possible taken pictures. One great dad, and one energetic teenager! ;)

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An Ending is Just a New Beginning

Well, I just got back from my last swimming lesson.
And I’m kind of sad. In a way, swimming has become a way of life for me.

I’ve had swim lessons for 22 weeks now. I did a two-week session late last summer, and then 2 semester-long sessions, the second of which I just finished today.

But I should not be so sad. Swimming is not over, just paused. Remember the saying, “An ending is always a new beginning”? Well, that’s just how I feel now.

Today for grammar Mom assigned me to write a poem, and I wrote it on spring. Here it is. ;)

A Grand Season

When daffodils bloom and tulips sing-
You know its spring!

When maple trees bud and dogwoods flower-
You know its spring!

When bright-eyed children dance in a clear, refreshing shower-
You know its spring!

When warm weather comes and gardeners plant-
You know its spring!

When children rollick on bright green grass in pretty places-
You know its spring!

When people greet spring with happy faces-
You know its spring!

Nestled in the Rock

Yesterday our family went to Elsie A. Holmes Nature Park. While we were down by the river Dad pointed this nest in the rock. I took a picture.

As I took the picture I contemplated what I had just seen.

A little bird had built this nest where it would be strong, strong in the cleft of the rock. The rushing, dangerous river was not more than a couple yards away, but the occupants of that nest were safe, attached to that rock. This reminded me of Jesus, the True Rock.

Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. -Psalms 18:2, ASV

Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they?

-Matthew 6:26, ASV

And if God most certainly takes care of the little songbirds, will he not much more care for you?

A Beautiful Sabbath Hike

Yesterday our family hiked at Elsie A. Holmes Nature Park, just below the Georgia state line.

It was a lot of fun! There was a lot of wildflowers there. We were also privileged to see the South Chickamauga Creek, which really looked more like a river!

Here's some of my best shots. Enjoy!

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Dad took the picture below.

Spring's in Full Swing!

Spring is glorious. And that statement is so true right now in Tennessee.
It seems that the whole world is squealing with joy at new life and new-found freedom. Green is in style right now, carpeting everything from lowly grass to lofty treetops in that color of life. Tulips and daffodils adorn yards like ornaments of gold.

We have many dogwoods in our yard, and they are in full bloom, now have turned their respective pink and white.
Mom has been planting a garden of lettuce and broccoli, and also some corner gardens with roses and day lilies. Dad put up our windmill by the fence.
Daffodils are blooming at the entrance of our woods, and they are very pretty.

We have been spending more and more time outside, as the weather is soooo perfect! It’s been wonderful to have some pretty consistent weather in the 70’s.

Here are some pictures I’ve taken to try to show you at least a little bit of what spring’s like here in Tennessee.

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"For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land"

-Song of Solomon 2:11,12 ASV

Pink dogwoods
A daffodil in our woods
White dogwoods

Snowbirds Fly North

Last week we were playing the “family motel” as my great aunt & uncle as well as my grandparents stopped by our place on their migratory route back north.
The influx of company actually started the last weekend of March.

For many years we’ve known a family from central California, and this past year they enrolled their son in the local university here. Carol, the mom, came out here to visit her son for a few days. Since she knew our family, she booked a few nights at our “family & friends” motel! ;)

April 1st brought my great aunt and uncle Jeanne & Steve to stay a night on their way back from Florida on their 6-week break from cold Michigan weather! ;)
A highlight of their one-night stay with us was that they gave me a very nice coffee-table size digital photography book.
Entitled, “The Joy of Digital Photography”, and authored by Jeff Wignall, it is one of the best photography books I’ve ever seen! I will defiantly spend many hours looking at it and learn all the ins and outs of digital photography.

The afternoon of April 2 brought my Michigan grandparents coming home from their
3-month escape in Florida. They are the ones that our family spent our spring break with.
Grandpa, Grandma and I played the game of SORRY! several times. In the end though, my grandfather won in our championship game. We all had a lot of fun playing! ;)

Even though my grandparents were only here for 6 days, we will be able to see them again soon. In May they will be coming back for my 8th grade graduation. (More on that coming soon!)

Butterfly Release

Today another of our wintering Black Swallowtail butterflies emerged. Most of the catipillars emerged last summer/fall, but 3 decided to winter it over in our warm house!


Anyway, the last one came out this morning right after Grandma and Grandpa left. (I'll talk more about company in an upcoming article.)

I'm including a picture of our released butterfly.

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Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. -2 Cor. 5:17, ASV

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
- 1 Cor. 15:51, 52, ASV

A Most Thrilling Experience

A couple weeks ago the most wonderful thing happened. It cost over $25,000 to produce, for a 90-minute show. It was a life-changing event.

It was SonRise 2008.

SonRise is an Easter pageant put on jointly by the local church and university. It was absolutely fabulous! Our family went and everything was just plain spectacular.

Pageant-goers experienced the Triumphal Entry in "Jerusalem", which had over 60 shops. Basket-weavers, bread-makers, sheep, donkeys, and even camels made this experienced so authentic. Shouts were heard, "Make way, make way, Jesus is in Jerusalem!" were heard and we followed Jesus and disciples to the last supper, and then on to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Both good and evil forces were at work there. First Satan tempted Jesus to not die, then a heavenly angel told Jesus about all the joys of the people that he would save if he did die.

Eventually Jesus was taken and beaten by Pilate. Pilate did not want to order Jesus killed, but he did anyway because he was afraid that the crowd would riot. Then Jesus was taken to the cross, to be killed among thieves, even though Jesus had done no wrong.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

-Isaiah 53:5-9, ASV

But although all the scenes were good, the last scene, the Resurrection was the absolute best! I feel so bad that I can't describe adequately what it was like. It was just beyond-words-great! They even used some kind of a pulley device that Jesus "went" back up to heaven!

It was just plain really cool! My dad took video and maybe sometime I can post part of his video up here on this blog.

Here's a link to a article that I think you'll really enjoy, and that will do a better job than I on describing SonRise 2008!;)

http://www.collegedalechurch.com/index.php?id=330

Unfortunately, I couldn't get any good pictures at the Resurrection scene. However, there are some resurrection pictures from last year's SonRise at this page:

http://www.collegedalechurch.com/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=51

Below are some other pictures I took at SonRise this year.

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Jesus praying at Gethsemane.

"Pay your taxes to Cesar!"

Baa-aaa!

A Roman soldier on duty.

Jesus dying on the cross, for you and me.