Dollywood!

First off, let me just give you the answer to last week's TTT: #1

Absolutely, Mrs. Haus Frau, you are more than welcome to come watch LOTR with me!  But, sorry to dissapoint you, my extended edition is the same as your in-laws'.  :)

I haven't gotten any new legos recently, but I did update LEGO as i can.

And - what we've all been waiting for - I do have a fellow postulant!!  Praise be God! 

Big Bro is now deep into four hours or so of Navy OCS.  (Hence the LEGO as i can picture.)  For a last hurrah/goodbye/party/vacation/thingy, we went to Dollywood!  Here's my total of rides:

• Wild Eagle: 4
• Tornado: 2
• Mystey Mine: 1
• Thunderhead: 6

Can you guess which one was my favorite?  :)

Oh!  Funny story: near the end of the Mystery Mine ride, a pigeon made a dare-devil flight right in front of our car and lost by a few feet as it smacked into Big Bro's face.  Thankfully, at the next upsidedown turn, he just flew out of the car.  I wouldn't have believed Big Bro's testimony that a pigeon flew into his head if I hadn't been hit in the face with a plume of whitish feathers and if the people in front of us hadn't asked if we saw a pigeon, too.  Crazy, huh? 

And, our sixth time on the Thunderhead proved a dissapointment as the little 8-year-old sitting beside Dad threw up before (thankfully) the ride started.  It took - no kidding - 15 minutes for the four employees to clean it up.  It was a typical Tennessee greeting card joke: four employees with one to do the work and three to supervise.  When we were finally cleared for take-off, the people stilll in line gave the workers a standing ovation.  It was priceless.

Mom and I went to the zoo on the way back home and I got some cute pics:

Two Truths Tuesday - April has Arrived!

Among other things that are happening in my life, there are 104 days left until my entrance into the convent.  If I were to tell you what I have been doing, you would be incredibly bored, as I have done little but sleep in, exercise, read, and write.  However, I have attempted to scramble a few interesting things together for a TTT.

1.  I purchased the X-Wing LEGO set for myself!  I'm waiting till Easter to open it.

2.  I found the ultra-extended-extended edition of The Lord of the Rings at McKay's for a total of $22!!

3.  I will have a fellow postulant in July!!!  She is from Texas and plays the viola.

Oh, and by the way, I agree with Mr. Z_; the purple birds are my favorite, too!

Valentine's Day TTT

HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!

1.  This is one of the most beautiful love letters I have ever read.  It was written by Colonel Chamberlain to his wife, Fanny, "My darling wife I am lying mortally wounded the doctors think, but my mind & heart are at peace.  Christ is my all-sufficient savior. I go to him. God bless & keep & comfort you, precious one. You have been a precious wife to me. To know & love you makes life & death beautiful. Cherish the darlings & give my love to all the dear ones. Do not grieve too much for me. We shall all soon meet. Live for the children. Give my dearest love to Father, Mother & Sallie & John. Oh, how happy to feel yourself forgiven!  God bless you evermore precious, precious one. Ever yours, Lawrence."

2.  I found out today (due to Fidelio's incredible research) that I am descended from a line of British noblemen that dates back to the 12th century.  Sir Robert Needham, who lived in the 1600s, was the Viscount Kilmorey, the Baron of Orhera, a representative of Ireland in Parliament, and a staunch supporter of Charles 1st.  His son Charles succeeded him in these positions and was a member of the Irish House of Lords.  In other words, I'm the (innumerably) great granddaughter of a Jacobite viscount!

3.  In addressing the Army of the Potomac, Alexander Hamilton said, "The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die."

Answer Revealed

1. We did in fact rip four large bush stumps out of our yard with Grandpa's help.

2.  Dad did not take me out on the interstate on Tuesday (this is the lie), but he did take me(unexpectedly) the next day at night.  There is nothing that excites an adrenaline rush more than driving on a major highway for the first time in the dark.

3.  My experiment to curl my hair half worked, but only lasted about 10 minutes.  I am hopelessly stuck with straight hair.

Two Truths Tuesday - After Many Moons

1. Grandpa pulled four stumps out in front of our house with his mighty F-150 truck.

2. Dad took me driving on the interstate today in the focus.

3. I used curlers in my hair and now it is half *boing!* and half straight.

Two Truths Tuesday

1. I saw a Mayfield truck on the side of the road with two dead deer beside it. Who knew where milk came from?

2. The horses used in The Lord of the Rings, the most prominent breed of horse in New Zealand, were mostly all Percherons.

3. You can use ripped MP3s through iTunes provided that your music is not copyrighted.

(sorry about the technical difficulties. Blogger has changed its way of being able to post pictures. I guess they'll work it out and I'll learn more when I'm on the pc. I'm still trying to get used to Apple.)

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Prayer Request

Please pray for my aunt's inlaws who are both in the hospital: Carroll with liver and kidney failure and Doyle with a mild stroke/serious anxiety attack.  Carroll is not expected to live much longer.  Please pray for possible healing and a happy death.  Doyle should be getting out of the hospital soon, but is very distressed about his wife.  Thanks!

 I actually spent that morning watching youtube train videos with V, not Curious George.  Captain America is as good of a movie as I remember but definitely deserves the PG-13 rating in my opinion.  (Really scary in parts!)

TTT, finally.

In case you think that I have fallen off the face of the earth, I have.  Not literally, thankfully, but theoretically.  I'm in the heat again.  sure, it's not bad - but for one that likes Winter more than anything, going from 50 to 80 again does not make me happy. 

Big Bro was denied a flight school position - :( - but he gets to be an NFO - :) - which is a back-seater.  NFOs usually handle the aircraft weapons, navigation, radio, and intelligence factors in an airplane.  He won't be "flying" but he will the pilot's right-hand-man and the most qualified member of the crew.
So, I've missed TTT for, what, 2 weeks?  So, this one is a little weak, but its all I've got for now:

1.  I spent the morning watching Curious George with my nephew.

2. I have heard from the sisters: they say that they'll contact me "soon"...

3.  Captain America comes out today!!!

Two Truths and Rangers

Haus Frau is correct!  I did not go to Ruby falls that weekend and I do not like being underground for a long period of time and I do not like it when they turn the lights out.  Grandpa did catch a skunk and not a cat.  I actually never heard that he did catch a cat.  We need to ask him, sister of mine.

Inspired by Lego a Day, I created a character whom papa named "Ranger" (You will soon know why if you are a LOTR fan...) who came with me on our camping trip.  we took lots of pics, but unfortunately I don't have time now to post them.  A post to follow very shortly as well as a poll to vote on a name for his horse.

I'm back! / TTT

Before we go into TT and T, I have some updates not included.

• As I alluded to in last week's post, Big Bro Received an appointment to OCS Aviation.  For you civilians, that means he'll be going to officer "boot camp" to learn to fly airplanes.  The only thing that could stand in the way is a physical, which he is having today.  He'll probably fly C-130s (cargo) or F-18s (fighter).  I'm leaning toward the plastic bug myself (F-18 hornet).  Here is a picture of both.
• Big Bro has also exhausted his reasources in his youth coordinator job and had to apply (and he received) a job at TVA.  He now works a job just above slave labor as he does tests on boilers 1000s of degrees hot.
• Fidelio may be moving which will require me... 
• I got new glasses!  look at the next pic.  I think we look like each other in this picture - our eyes look like they're about to pop out.  My face is also distorted.  Actually it looks like a picture of Benny and my face was cropped in.  Or its one of those cardboard things with the faces cut out.  etc...  I hate pictures of myself.
• I went on a boat trip and saw views like this.  I love being a tourist in my own city. 

• I also went to Rock City so I could say "I've SEEN Rock City!"  There was one tunnel/cave that was very dark except for a red light and it had a decorative archway as you enter.  In a manly  voice I chanted "It is the Mines of Moriah."  It looked kind of like the last picture. 

Now to TTT:

1.  my neighbor told us that deer cross through our backyard every Spring almost every other night.  Deer in a highly cultivated neighborhood?

2.  I also went to see Ruby Falls.  It really is as gorgeous as people say!  I love being underground like that, especially when they turn the lights out.

3.  Grandpa sets traps for raccoons.  He lives on a big piece of forest land.  The last one he caught was a skunk.  Pepe La Pu! 

1.  I did get up at 5:40 AM.  I just wish I could get up that early every day.

2.  My physical is today.  Yuck.  I have to go later today and get myself poked, pinched, and pricked.  I am not looking forward to the tetanus shot.

3.  I think you all guessed that I did go to Mass.  :)

Two Truths Tuesday 21

No, you just thought this was Wednesday...

1.  I got up at 5:40 this morning.  Yippee!

2.  I have to have a physical today.  Ugh...

3.  We went to Mass this morning.  :)

Too Obvious

Ok, so it was very obvious.  I did like Captain America and I did not see it with Fidelio.  In fact, she hasn't seen it yet. 

Benny had a considerably bad seizure this afternoon.  :'(  I am not very happy.

I got my poor papa out of bed at 5:40 and asked if we could make it to 6 am Mass at a church 15 minutes away.  Ahem...  Well, we made it!  Then, with mama still asleep in bed, I volunteered to make the morning up to him by cooking breakfast.  We stopped at the store at aprox. 6:45 am and bought eggs, milk, bread, bacon, and orange juice.  I'm afraid it was another Friday penance.  I poached the eggs hard just after I appologized to papa for their being runny (I had failed to time them, and thought them incomepletely poached.)  Being kind, he said, "That's alright; I like my eggs runny."  After tasting the eggs that much more resembled hard boilled eggs than runny fried eggs, he said, "That's alright; I like my eggs hard."

Next, I burnt the toast.  I mean really burnt the toast to where it was black.  Papa says, "That's alright; I like my toast burnt."  And then I proceeded to burn the bacon.  And, guess what he said...  "That's alright; I like my bacon burnt."  I have a kind papa who delights in penances.  I'm not sure he was being totally truthful, though...  Finally, the one thing I got right was the coffee - what really matters.  At least the best part of the meal was of good quality. 

Then, Fidelio calls and wakes mama up.  So, 'zombie' mom comes in the kitchen and says,  "You're cooking bacon on a Friday."  Yes, you can imagine how I reacted.  "Hail! Mary, full of grace..."  Well, Guiseppe says that a Hail Mary makes up for the failure to abstain on Fridays.  I trust in the Mercy of God.  :D

Two Truths Tuesday

As, again, I am without creativity, here's another TTT that quizes you on past TTTs.  (Please refrain from looking the answers up.  This is a test on your memory.)

1. I like Gettysburg better than Gods and Generals except for General Lee.

2.  I saw Captain America with Fidelio and we both did not like it.  The superhero is SO not superhero-y.

3.  I attended a retreat led by Fr. D. and at one point we broke into a good old Southern song!

TTT Answer

I just realized that it has been a week since my TTT post.  Oh well.  Here's the answer:

1.  Seton accidentally mailed me the wrong book for Geography, so I went a week without being able to work on that course.  But, I thought I had lost it until the next day when I found out what was wrong.

2.  He did not bite me on that day, but unfortunately it was not to last...

3.  Aha!  I successfully foolled you, I think.  No BMW for dad.  He would really like to buy a new car, but that's not in our budget at the present...

By the way, it would have been really funny, Haus Frau, if you did try to sneak around our house.  Your considerably large vehicle probably would have been greeted by a happy me who would be very pleased to see you!

Two Truths, um... Thursday: Answers

I realized after posting this TTT that I really made it obvious that #1 was not the lie. 

1.  I'll see if I can capture him in a picture.  He loves the flags on the castle best of all.

2.  was true, in fact. Um...  I can't comment much more on that one.  It is a very funny movie. 

3.  Ok, so I'll just break my rule and post the story before it is mailed in the newsletter:

The glory of Rome that had once stood against countless adversaries was no more. Justice was nonexistent. The heart of the beloved city was destroyed - destroyed by its own protector. Cosmos’ family moved into the home of Calixtus, which was then almost fully repaired. Cosmos tried his best to rebuild the culture of the old Rome he loved, though he was never the same after the fateful incident.

The streets crawled with soldiers and hundreds of Christians were captured daily. Those who were Roman citizens were executed as criminals. But, the slaves, any foreigners, and members of the lower class were kept for the coliseums. The people lived in constant fear since Romans’ thirst for blood often led to the deaths of non-Christians as well.

Calixtus kept his doors locked at all times and was the only one, save Cosmos and some servants, who ever stirred outdoors. Diana occupied herself with helping the servants, especially Justin, whose company she invited. There was much work still to be done to repair the remaining damage to the house. At this time, she asked many questions about Jesus and His miracles. It was a blessed time for them until, one day, there came the inevitable.

Justin and Diana were on their hands and knees scrubbing the floor with rags to remove a thick layer of soot. Diana said, “Surely Jesus did not found His Church only to let it die out. Maybe…” she looked hopefully at the boy beside her, “Maybe you are meant to hide and live to spread the Faith.” But, he did not answer or look at her. He only dropped his shoulders as if a weight had been placed on his back and continued to scrub. Refusing to give up her case, she continued, “We could escape the city and go to Greece where we can hide and wait out the persecution. Surely, to remain is to threaten our loved ones’ lives, since they are harboring enemies of the Emperor.” Again, he did not respond, but only scrubbed the harder. Finally, she burst out, “Oh, Justin! Must we die to prove our faith?”

At that, he rose and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “No. We do not have to die for Christ to prove we are His followers. In that fact, I want you to remain steadfast. But, There is no need to hide from the executioners. If God Wills me to die for Him and the souls of those who would harm Him, then I will happily die.” There was a pause before he moved so that they faced each other. “Diana, there will come a time when I will no longer be here.” She started in surprise and mumbled contradictions. He continued, “I want you to promise me that when I am gone, you will continue to live the Christian Faith, regardless of any threat that might come your way. Do you promise?”

She stared at him, “I don’t understand you…”

“There is something I have been keeping from you that I think you should now know.” He sat beside her.

“Do you remember a slave who came to warn my master of the fire?”

“Yes,” she said. “The poor man.”

“He was my equal in this house. Do you also remember the Christian who we witnessed stoned to death?” Instead of replying, Diana slightly gasped as if she anticipated his next words. He said, “They were one and the same.”

“But, that means…” she whispered.

“That means that they will come for me. The soldiers know where the Christian slaves are; they know Calixtus owns two Christian slaves. One is dead, the other is in this house. If I do not stay and be given up to the soldiers, my master will be tried for intentionally harboring Christians against the law of Rome. Now, you see that I must stay.”

They heard loud noises of footfalls and some shrieks from outside. Justin rose and looked out. He anxiously turned back to Diana, who was also on her feet. “I haven’t much time,” he said. “When I am gone, you should try to get out of the city. Use the excuse of health and do not let any of your family know; it would risk their lives as well as yours.”

Just then, loud thumps pounded on the front door downstairs. He dusted his off hands and reached for the door to the hall. He turned back and said, “Goodbye, fair Diana. We will meet in a better place.”
In a flash, he was gone from her. She stood stunned for a few seconds, hardly believing the truth of what was happening. Then, she ran through the doorway, down the hall, and stumbled down the steps to be faced with several Roman soldiers. Calixtus and Cosmos were present as well as their wives and some frightened servants. The centurion said to Calixtus, “Surrender your Christian slaves at once in the name of Rome.”
Justin stepped forth and said, “I am the one you are looking for. Take me to my death, for I long to be with my Lord in Heaven.” Two soldiers bound his hands and they disappeared out the door. The centurion remained, however. He looked Calixtus in the eye and then traveled to each person in the room. Diana fearfully embraced a column for strength and hid her face behind it. The officer continued, “Can each of you tell me in the name of truth and justice that there is no other Christian among you?”

“There is no other,” said Calixtus. The centurion looked skeptically at each person again. Finally, satisfied, he turned to go. “Wait!” said a voice. The word made him stop. He looked around the room.  “Who spoke thus?” he said.

Diana stepped forward in everyone’s sight. “I did.” Everyone in the room stared at her in shock. “There is another,” she said, “whom you must take as well.”

“Rome smiles upon such women of honesty,” said the centurion. “Name the Christian.”

With a slight tremble she said, “It is I.”

The whole room gasped! Diana’s mother approached the officer and pleaded, “Sir, my daughter has suffered many frights of late. She is confused. Pray! Do not heed her.” But, he shook her off and faced Diana.
He said, “Rome has no need for the life of a lady. Your bravery I admire, but I do not wish your death. Renounce your words and I will not prosecute you.”

Cosmos said to his daughter, “Diana I pray you, what is wrong with your mind? How could you utter such falsehood?” And to the centurion he added, “I will speak for her, sir; she is delirious.”

“I am not,” she said, this time in a strong, steady voice. “I am of sound mind and determined purpose. I did not speak before because I was afraid. But, I am not afraid now. When you challenged me, I met it and I fully mean to meet my death.”

Still shocked at her valiance, the centurion said, “You are a citizen of Rome. You will be tried before a court. If I cannot convince you, perhaps they can.”

“I assure you,” she said, “I will not be persuaded. I wish to die with the slave you have arrested. We are all equals in the Eternal Kingdom and I wish to be with him to the end.”

“Very well,” said the centurion. “Come.”

And, so Diana and Justin were led to the coliseum where they were held with hundreds of others. Never again was Diana afraid; never was she afraid of death. She believed that, in a few hours, she would meet the God whom she loved. In parting from the Christians, the centurion took Diana’s hand in his and said, “Never have I known a nobler heart. When you enter into the Kingdom, pray for me, a sinner.”

When the time came, the Christians were herded like animals up a small staircase into the great arena. They sang hymns to the Lord, lifting the entire structure with songs of Christ’s Love. Justin took Diana’s hand in his. He turned her so that they faced each other.

“Do not be afraid,” he said.

“I am not,” she replied. “The lions are but the angels who are to carry us to He that we love.”

The End

[Tell me what you think, please!!]

Two Truths Thursday

Ahem...  Well, I'll not remind myself that I'm two days late.  At least Thursday begins with a "T".

1.  I bought new legos a couple of days ago from the "Kingdom" series.  It was deleted from Wal-Mart's stock, so i got it way discounted.  Yay!  But since then, a strange anomaly has been seen daily in the little kingdom village.  Could it be...?  No - not catzilla!!! 

2.  I actually saw Tangled.  I have to say, since I had such low expectations, I was genuinely entertained by the movie.  After seeing five minutes of the Princess and the Frog I decided to never watch a new Disney movie again.  I was afraid monsters would come out of my closet and demons were hiding under my bed.  Creepy, creepy movie...  But, anyway, I did like Tangled.  I don't get the USCCB's big gripe about the movie.  I guess its the "rebellious teenager" and "overprotective mother" and "slimy is ok thief" underlines...  Ok, maybe I do get their gripe.  I still thought the horse was hilarious!

3.  I am working on the end of Diana and the Martyrs of Rome.  I am going to have them live, actually.  They meet St. Peter and he tells them that they have to live so that they can teach others about the Faith.  Someone has to live to have children and spread the Word or else Christianity would die with the martyrs.  They end up escaping into the catacombs and are smuggled to Greece.  How's that sound?

Answer


Congrats, "Haus Frau," you got the right answer!  (And congrats on Munchin's birth!)

1.  Rugby was very much Church of England; if anything, the town was anti-Catholic and early socialist.  It still is a neat place.

2.  This is true.  They are going to somehow make the steel into a memorial in honor of TVA.  The man who negotiated for the piece was a former NYFD member (he was not present at 911).  He had several friends die in the attack, both in the fire department and military in the Pentegon.

3.  Obviously, this was all true.  Fr. D. and the nuns were so much fun!

Two Truths Tuesday



So, I missed an entire week of posts.  Sorry.  And, I did not have time to write last week's TTT.  But, this one is going to be good!  I hope...

1.  I went to North Tennessee to see Rugby, an old town founded by Thomas Hughes, a staunch Catholic.  It was so neat to walk in the footsteps of those amazing people who lived there.  The Catholic church there is small, but quite beautiful.  It was founded right after the Civil War.

2.  Papa was present when a chunk of steel from the World Trade Center was brought to Kingston, TN.  (This year is the 10th Anniversary of 911.)  The people organizing it asked him to come because of his military rank.  So, he got to lead the honor guard.  It was pretty cool!  (I wasn't there, though. :P)

3.  We went to Casa Maria for a retreat led by, none other than, an old friend of ours!  Fr. D. had excellent homilies and I liked them better than the talks led by another man, Mr. D.  We had so much fun; I stayed up with a group of young adults playing cards with Fr. D. until about 11 pm.  We also brought Nana with us so she could see the place.  My family and Fr. D. at one point burst into song after discussing O brother, Where Art Thou?.    Some of them Northerners looked at us some'n strange. 

Pictures to come...

Two Truths Tuesday: Answers!

Oh, oh-oh-oh...oh no.  You're both wrong!

1.  Captain America is a great movie!  It is rather violent in places, intense (though not gory) in others, and has a very sad ending.  (As in "but he can't die!!!!" ending.)  Don't worry - he doesn't actually die.  That's why it is sad.  Ok, I'm sure this now makes no sense!  It would make sense if you saw the movie.  But, I wouldn't if you don't like intense, frightening, violent, wartime, or sad movies.

2.  I can't stand Martin Sheen's General Lee!  (Sorry, T.)  I mean, at least Robert Duval is directly descended from Lee, right?  But that doesn't account for me not liking the movie best over all movies.  Well, Jeff Daniels grew two tall, broad, and fat to play Chamberlain.  ;)  And, being a Southerner, myself, I do not like Gods and Generals' portrayal of the South.  It's too...um...extreme (is that the right word?) I mean, the representation of Southern life was really romanticized with accents and fictional stories.  Plus, I don't like Jackson's morals, much preferring the actor as Picket!  "Gentlemen you maybe can think that you are descended from an ape.  There are some of you that would say I am descended from an ape.  But who among you would assert that our commanding general, Robert E. Lee, is descended from an ape?" 

3.  North and South is one of my favorites, too.  I do think Mr. Thornton was right on most things.  for instance, the mill worker who lit his pipe, the difference between a "man" and a "gentleman" (you'll have to refer to the book mostly for that one) [oh, and this is a personal opinion that he was right], charitable gifts as prolonging the strike, having no interest in his employee's personal pastimes, and making large meals for the workers in bulk was his idea to begin with.  Margaret is right on quite a lot too, though.  Such as treating the workers as men and not animals.  Oh- I have to go.

 I hope to continue this conversation further at another time...