September Spotlight

September .... if you look it up in the dictionary it's definition is: 'full to overflowing'.  Just kidding.  This month Mimi visited.  Everyone went to the dentist, even Bear, that didn't go well ...  Our family hosted small group, which, despite it's name, is not in any way small. I think the grand total present was 39 people.  Things got kinda wacky at work for my dad.  We received our orders (read about that here).  Acceptable winter-in-Missouri clothes have been packed and unpacked multiple times once I realized that I still wanted to wear those jeans that I packed at the very bottom.  Passport pictures were taken (tooken? tooked? taked?).  Isaac and my dad rode one-hundred miles in the Century Ride.  Our small group celebrated a full year of being the Leeward small group.  Riley went to the vet. 
All that and normal life had to continue (normal? what's normal?).  I have read the Pilgrims Progress, the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, the Autobiography of Charles G. Finny, the Pit and the Pendulum, and I am currently reading Of Plymouth Plantation for school.  Algebra 2 is driving me to the utter brink of mental stability.  I'm serious.  Waking up in the middle of the night shouting,  "No! X equals 27, not 13.9827!  You forgot the negative sign!"  Such outbursts do not reflect well on my sanity...  I have learned how to say,  "Qui vous aimez mieux? Lait ou de jus d'orange?" Translation:  "Which do you like better? Milk or orange-juice?"  I feel accomplished.  In science I have learned about Kingdoms Protista, Monera and Fungi (which I like to pronounce fun-jai).  So, life is continuing and getting more exciting as the days pass.  This Friday my parents will be celebrating their seventeenth anniversary.  Next Friday we are hosting the biggest slumber party EVER (in the Lopez household anyway) as my brother, sister and I celebrate our birthdays with friends.  My parents' reasoning behind this insanity is they think it will be best to get it over with all at once.  They have no idea what they're in for ...  So!  That is what the month of September looks like for right now!  I have to go finish some high-order determinants in math ... Pray for me.
~RM

Oh Yes, Life Most Certainly Can

There have been quite a few times that I've said to myself,  "Life just can't be more hectic."  Oh, how I regret those words now!  This past week we have 1) received our orders - almost, anyway, we have not actually held a copy of them. They are currently being revised since a few minor details (like my dad's social security number) had to be corrected. 2) We have learned that we will be leaving island about a month before we thought we were.  3)  Suddenly we realize that our possessions will be shipping in just a few weeks.  That hasn't exactly sunk in yet.  "You mean I have to pack all these things?  Already?!"  "You don't have to pack everything!  There's a trash pile and a sell pile right over there!"  My mom is very organized and enjoying the whole 'weeding out process'.  I, on the other hand, am not.  She says I get it from my dad's side.  So, the next few weeks are about to get amazingly crazy with all the packing and the garage sale coming up.  Add to that ice-skating lessons, ballet lessons, small-group, and school....I don't think things will be slowing down anytime soon.
~RM

~RM

Kindness Never Fails

A retelling of an Aesop's fable assigned for writing class. 

With his little red cape billowing in the soft breeze, Noah galloped around his yard on his invisible steed.  The Sun watched with growing amusement as the little boy donned his cooking-pan helmet, uttered a fierce war cry, and charged his imaginary foe.  Chuckling at Noah's childish antics, the Wind, who was gently pushing clouds here and there across the sky, smiled ruefully.  "He reminds me of the Element Olympics we used to hold!" exclaimed the Sun,  "What fun those were!"  Unintentionally, the Sun had toughed a sore spot, the Wind was overly competitive and reveled in putting others to shame with a show of his might.  But he had never won the Element Olympics because of his anger issues.
"May I make a suggestion?  I suggest that we have a contest, you and I," the Wind went on slyly, "to discover who is the strongest."  "Enticing idea, I assure you, but how will this be accomplished?"  Pleased, the Wind proposed that they compete to see who could make Noah remove his cape. Because of the Wind's proposition, the two elements cast lots to decide who would go first, where they would hold the competition, and when the contest would begin.  The Wind was chosen.  The place was here and the time was now.
Preparing himself to blow his hardest, the Wind huffed and puffed and touched his toes.  When he was sufficiently warmed up, the Wind began to blow so violently that Noah, who was completely perplexed as to where this wind came from, skidded across the yard.  But even though the Wind blew as hard as he was able, he did not succeed because Noah only gripped his cape tighter to keep it from flying away.  Haggardly, the Wind conceded to the Sun, grumbling darkly about the contest being impossible.  The Sun had a different strategy.  Pushing his sunbeams to their fullest extent, the Sun grew warmer and warmer until Noah slumped down under and tree and removed his cape.

~RM

Riley, Summed-Up

            This is Riley.  Riley is our dog.  Riley is...special.

Riley likes to act like an old dog, sleeping inside, going outside, sleeping outside.  He has a schedule.  Unless of course it's a Friday afternoon and the ice-cream truck drives by, then....well, then it's best to stay out of his way. He also has this thing with people walking along the curb next to our fence, he'll run up and down the length of our yard, over and over again, barking like anything while the people walk calmly by.  Then he'll go lay down again to catch his breath.  He doesn't care if the people walk on the other side of the road, on the sidewalk.  Riley just enjoys defending our borders.  Little girls on our street think he's a monster and spend their time running right up to our fence and staring at him while he barks insanely.  That pushes his buttons.  So do birds eating his food, the birds have learned to fear him.  Though, once you get to know him, he is really a sweet, laid-back dog.  He lives with Bear stepping on his paws and generally treating him as something to boss around.  If that isn't patience, I don't know what is.

~RM

To My Dear Brother...

Happy 13th birthday Isaac!!  In celebration of your thirteen years, I have put together this little blog post that pictures each year of your life from year 1 to today.

Happy Birthday Isaac! 

Photo Fun

Last Saturday was school picture day!  Actually, it was the second school picture day, the first one didn't go  very well.  So!  We just scheduled another one!  I love being homeschooled :)  The books you see piled beside each of us are our reading for the year....lots of reading... 

Isaac

Abi

Me :)

And Bear...one of these things is not like the other....

~RM

Slowing Down

It's incredible the beauty we miss each day.  When we're so busy going here, going there, doing this, doing that, we don't even realize the awe-inspiring beauty of God's creation.  Even in something as simple as the sunset, something that happens each and every day but we are always to busy to stop and enjoy.  Just sitting outside for a few moments and watching the sun set, I can understand why God pronounced His creation good. 

                                   

~RM

Beautiful for Me

 Click here to listen to this amazing song by Nicole Norderman!

~RM

Dilemma of the Day

To do laundry or not to do laundry...That is the question.   I could do it today, but then I wouldn't be able to get it all done.  If I was going to do it today I should have started earlier...but I didn't.  So I could just do it tomorrow, but then I wouldn't have anything to wear to church (I haven't done laundry in a while...my grandma was in town ok?!).  Another option would be to just wash what I'm going to wear tomorrow morning...but it would be nice to be able to see the bottom of my closet for a change.  Life is just full of tough decisions.  I think I'll just look through the back of my closet for something that's church-appropriate....and still fits....

~RM

No More SOW

Thursday morning marked my first online omnibus class of the year!!  Meeting my teacher, Mr. Etter, and my new classmates was very exciting!  We learned what was to be expected in class and what we would be reading throughout the year.  We also learned how to react to computer malfunctions (apparently your not supposed to scream and yell for your mom panic).  Mr. Etter "cured" our addiction to emoticons...mostly :P  Our first book assignment this year is the Westminster Confession of Faith followed by Pilgrims Progress.  I am very happy to be participating in the Veritas Press Online Academy for the second time.  This past summer I had been suffering with a mild case of SOW (severe omnibus withdrawal :))  Yes, as surprising as it sounds, I missed the discussions, debates and even the homework!  I hope my omnibus classmates from last year are enjoying their classes as well as I am mine!

~RM

Adventures in Hawaii

Mimi gave me an assignment.  To type up an account of her adventures here in Hawaii, trip of 2010.  The following is from her perspective but I wrote it (and put my own little spin on things *cough*).

Monday, August 23rd: Arrived @ around 1:45 pm. Gave quilts to the kids. Ate. Went to bed.


Tuesday, August 24th: Went on a walk with Shelly. Tire blew. Shelly asked if I was in the quilting business. Asked if I wanted to make a baby quilt. Jaw dropped. Hit the pavement. Drove through Ho’omanu botanical gardens. Walked to the lake. Sat on a bench. Watched the kids feed ducks and fish. Made Micaiah take lots of pictures of trees and stuff. Went home. Put feet up. Went to watch Micaiah do her ballet. Returned home. Ate. Slept for about an hour and a half. Woke up and started talking randomly to Micaiah who was trying to read her book. Went back to sleep.

Wednesday, August 25th: Visited Pearl Harbor. Made Micaiah take lots more pictures. Rode the little ferry out to the USS Arizona. Went home. Relaxed. Accompanied Abi to ice-skating lesson. Froze. Got into the car. Defrosted. Drove up Tantalus (Isaac’s time-trial ride 4.5 miles up, lots of sharp turns). Sat in the rain and watched cats and chickens. Ate our picnic dinner. Was too cloudy to see sunset. Watched it from Tripler instead. Made Micaiah take EVEN MORE pictures. Went home. Slept.

Thursday, August 26th: Toured the Bishop Museum. Could not make Micaiah take pictures (not allowed). Planetarium show and Lava demonstration. Got Taco Bell. Went home. Ate. Shopped at Fabric Mart. Almost fainted.
We walked in and she saw all the fabric and she was all like, “Wow!! That’s a LOT of cloth!!” Then she saw the prices, “WOW!! Those are some good prices!!” “We haven’t even got to the clearance section, Mimi…” “There’s a clearance section?! This is crazy!!”
                                                                                  -Micaiah recounting their shopping trip to Dad.
Watched Micaiah dance…again. Tried not to think about how Micaiah’s toes must be feeling. Went home. Ate. Shopped at the NEX for ALOHA wear. Returned home. Slept…some more.

Friday, August 27th: Ate big breakfast. Waffles. Played mad-scientist by experimenting with cinnamon in the last two waffles. Went to Bellows beach. Watched the kids play in the waves. Bear was very brave. Walked way too far out for my heart-rate. Never fell once. It rained. So we ran under the shelter. It stopped. Patrick started up the grill. Formed a wall with towels to block the wind. Ate hamburgers and hotdogs. And chips, and potato salad, and watermelon and THE MOST DELICIOUS BROWNIES EVER MADE by Micaiah. Out of a box. Tried to wash sand off. Failed. Drove home. Showered. Ate. Went to bed at around 7:30 for an ABSOLUTELY CRAZY EARLY start the next morning to see a sunrise that you could see in a picture some other time. Like in the afternoon.

Saturday, August 28th: Woke up at 3:45 AM and invited Abi to come snuggle in my bed. Thought she’d be quiet and go to sleep. Thought wrong. Abi demonstrated the different noises that her alarm clock could make. Played cricket mode. Played the seashore mode. Woke Micaiah up by playing the waterfall mode. Micaiah was cranky. Micaiah doesn’t like being woke up at 4:15 in the morning. Micaiah doesn’t like hearing a waterfall when it’s been at least eight hours since her last bathroom trip. Micaiah threatened to go tell Shelly. I giggled. Uncontrollably. Micaiah couldn’t get back to sleep. Piled in the car for the trip to the other side of the island to watch the sunrise at the Poly look-out. Made Micaiah take lots more pictures. Watched chickens hens and loads of chicks (a group of 11 and a group of 8). Listened to some really obnoxious roosters. Ate muffins. Drove around the windward side of the island toward the North Shore and Sharks Cove. Waded around and looked at fish. Became very adventurous and waded out further towards the kids who where surrounded by fish. Stood and watched for a while. Slipped. Almost drowned.
                                  (insert by Micaiah) “The water didn’t even reach your neck.”
So? Shelly saved me. Ate at Pizza Bob’s. Browsed through some little shops around the North Shore Shopping Place. Received a free elephant. Drove home (got to see Isaac’s first race course- Haleiwa Hills from Hell). Arrived home. Napped till 4. Showered. Ate Feast. Went to bed.

Sunday, August 29th: Went to Trinity Presbyterian for church service. Enjoyed meeting (and re-meeting) people there. Had lunch at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers. Shopped around Kailua. Found a great shop called Red Bamboo. Bought some souvenirs for people back in MO. Drove home for a relaxing afternoon.

The end...for now.

~RM