Paul and I were trying to have a conversation this evening but Jenny kept interrupting. Finally I got her to be quiet for 60 seconds and gave her the lecture that her older sisters know by heart, that if you want to talk it's like crossing the street, you look both ways to see if there's any traffic coming. And if there's a car coming, so to speak, like Dad talking or me talking, you WAIT.
And Jenny interrupted, "Unless you want to jump out in traffic and die, ha ha ha."
Errgghh.
The situation was not helped by big sis Amy snickering in the background.
Me: Jenny, that's what I'm talking about. Just because something pops in your head doesn 't mean you have to say it.
Jenny: I'm sorry, Mom. [penitent Bambi eyes.]
More snickers from big sister.
So the girls told me what it is like to be a Smucker woman. Something clever pops in your head and it it just comes flying out of your mouth. It just does. Yes, they said, I get annoyed at the fact that if they think something, they just HAVE to say it, sassy or appropriate or not, but the flip side of it is that I also envy them their ability to snap back with quick answers that put people in their place, the kind it takes me two days to think up.
Surely they could come up with snappy answers and ALSO have God put a filter in their heads so they don't say these snarky things to parents and teachers. That's what I think, anyway, as my daughters snicker in the background. Poor old mom, who never figures out what she wants to say until she writes it on her blog the next day.
Sigh.
Quote of the Day:
Well-meaning supper guest: Amy, what grade are you in?
Amy: I'm the teacher.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The JWs Come Again
Yesterday, barely a week after the last JW visit, the one-armed woman was at the door again, this time with a man who looked and dressed like the cousin's husband in Secondhand Lions who shook his finger at Walter and said, "We know what you're up to. You're not going to get away with this."
But this guy was nice. And he went off about how so many ministers nowadays don't want to preach about Jesus and so many folks don't want the JWs going around telling about him. The woman looked at him like, "Will you please shut up, this is WAY off script," but he kept going, and I imagine he heard plenty when they got in the car.
I told them I don't have much time, and they promised to keep it under 5 minutes. She had him look up this verse in Daniel about God's kingdom eventually superseding all other kingdoms, and showed me an illustration of the head of gold/belly of brass/feet of clay statue. And England and America are the feet, she said, so in the timeline of history we are at the toenails, so to speak.
Yes, well. Wasn't gonna argue about that.
Then they gave me a pamphlet about Jesus and said we can discuss it next time. I sensed that we were finally heading into more turbulent theological waters.
Ben was home sick so I handed him the pamphlet and asked if he could read it and look for heresy. He sat on the couch with two Bibles and the pamphlet and dug in.
he found plenty of heresy, most of it vague and subtle, as in: not a word about forgiveness of sin through Jesus, or salvation. Mostly it was about the good example Jesus set. Well, fine, but that's really minimizing who he was. Then Ben turned the page and read that Jesus is actually the same as Michael the archangel; he just had a different name while he was on earth.
Obviously the days of agreement are over. You can all pray for me, because I who hate confrontation am going to have to speak up and insert the Truth into that smooth and gentle flow of words from the one-armed woman.
Quote of the Day:
"And people spend money on this?"
--Ben, after taking a sip of my hazelnut latte
But this guy was nice. And he went off about how so many ministers nowadays don't want to preach about Jesus and so many folks don't want the JWs going around telling about him. The woman looked at him like, "Will you please shut up, this is WAY off script," but he kept going, and I imagine he heard plenty when they got in the car.
I told them I don't have much time, and they promised to keep it under 5 minutes. She had him look up this verse in Daniel about God's kingdom eventually superseding all other kingdoms, and showed me an illustration of the head of gold/belly of brass/feet of clay statue. And England and America are the feet, she said, so in the timeline of history we are at the toenails, so to speak.
Yes, well. Wasn't gonna argue about that.
Then they gave me a pamphlet about Jesus and said we can discuss it next time. I sensed that we were finally heading into more turbulent theological waters.
Ben was home sick so I handed him the pamphlet and asked if he could read it and look for heresy. He sat on the couch with two Bibles and the pamphlet and dug in.
he found plenty of heresy, most of it vague and subtle, as in: not a word about forgiveness of sin through Jesus, or salvation. Mostly it was about the good example Jesus set. Well, fine, but that's really minimizing who he was. Then Ben turned the page and read that Jesus is actually the same as Michael the archangel; he just had a different name while he was on earth.
Obviously the days of agreement are over. You can all pray for me, because I who hate confrontation am going to have to speak up and insert the Truth into that smooth and gentle flow of words from the one-armed woman.
Quote of the Day:
"And people spend money on this?"
--Ben, after taking a sip of my hazelnut latte
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Hey, it's Harmony Headings. . .
. . . right there on the cover of World magazine!
(We've known Harmony's folks since before she was born.)
(We've known Harmony's folks since before she was born.)
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Buying Local
There's a lot of noise these days about being a locavore and buying locally and so on. As with so many "new" ideas, this is something I've always done as much as I could, because I was Amish/Mennonite and frugal.
Today I went to the Harrisburg Pharmacy and got some Advair, and I got to thinking about all the goods and services available locally. Both Harrisburg (4 miles away) and Halsey (6 miles the other way) are small towns where people go elsewhere to do most of their shopping. But they still offer a lot.
Here's where I patronize in Harrisburg:
the pharmacy
the post office
Dr. Burnett's (dentist)
Harrisburg Medical Clinic
Dari-Mart and the other convenience store--can't remember the name
Torero's--wonderful Mexican food
Citizen's Bank
Harrisburg Insurance
that red coffee kiosk with the green roof, now and then, when I've been really really good
that perpetual garage sale in the old gas station
Petra Automotive--nicest mechanic ever
Hurd's Hardware--Paul goes there a lot more than I do, and they do high-quality custom welding/metalworking in addition to selling hoses and nails
the Thai restaurant--maybe once a year
the library
the cafe' that used to be Serena's diner--might be "Jake's" now, I'm not sure--the place for good country breakfasts with waitresses that call you honey or sweetie
Halsey:
post office
Shoppe of Shalom--the Mennonite store where you can get gifts and bulk foods and hairpins
Select Market (grocery store)
And we mustn't forget Horse Creek Farms on Peoria Road, where you can get fantastic fruits and vegetables for great prices. And just up the road from that is the Country Bakery, but I very seldom go there because it's too dangerous.
Business opportunities: Halsey needs a drive-through coffee place. How in the world did Harrisburg have three of them at one time and Halsey none? I would stop there on the way to Albany or Brownsville and probably wouldn't work too hard at justifying it, either. Harrisburg needs a WinCo and a fabric store.
The places I patronize locally, instead of going to Eugene for the same thing, have won my loyalty by doing a good job at what they offer, for a decent price. True, the prices at the pharmacy are higher than they would be at Walmart or Target, but I've found that when you have a really sick person in the house, a pharmacy close by is a godsend.
Quote of the Day:
"Your majesty, I will miss you. Then again, I will murder you."
--Jenny, to what she was sure was the queen ant
Today I went to the Harrisburg Pharmacy and got some Advair, and I got to thinking about all the goods and services available locally. Both Harrisburg (4 miles away) and Halsey (6 miles the other way) are small towns where people go elsewhere to do most of their shopping. But they still offer a lot.
Here's where I patronize in Harrisburg:
the pharmacy
the post office
Dr. Burnett's (dentist)
Harrisburg Medical Clinic
Dari-Mart and the other convenience store--can't remember the name
Torero's--wonderful Mexican food
Citizen's Bank
Harrisburg Insurance
that red coffee kiosk with the green roof, now and then, when I've been really really good
that perpetual garage sale in the old gas station
Petra Automotive--nicest mechanic ever
Hurd's Hardware--Paul goes there a lot more than I do, and they do high-quality custom welding/metalworking in addition to selling hoses and nails
the Thai restaurant--maybe once a year
the library
the cafe' that used to be Serena's diner--might be "Jake's" now, I'm not sure--the place for good country breakfasts with waitresses that call you honey or sweetie
Halsey:
post office
Shoppe of Shalom--the Mennonite store where you can get gifts and bulk foods and hairpins
Select Market (grocery store)
And we mustn't forget Horse Creek Farms on Peoria Road, where you can get fantastic fruits and vegetables for great prices. And just up the road from that is the Country Bakery, but I very seldom go there because it's too dangerous.
Business opportunities: Halsey needs a drive-through coffee place. How in the world did Harrisburg have three of them at one time and Halsey none? I would stop there on the way to Albany or Brownsville and probably wouldn't work too hard at justifying it, either. Harrisburg needs a WinCo and a fabric store.
The places I patronize locally, instead of going to Eugene for the same thing, have won my loyalty by doing a good job at what they offer, for a decent price. True, the prices at the pharmacy are higher than they would be at Walmart or Target, but I've found that when you have a really sick person in the house, a pharmacy close by is a godsend.
Quote of the Day:
"Your majesty, I will miss you. Then again, I will murder you."
--Jenny, to what she was sure was the queen ant
Monday, April 05, 2010
The JWs and Me
You know how in the old days tramps would put a little chalk mark on the gate of a sympathetic housewife so other tramps would know where to go to ask for a sandwich?
Well, I think the Jehovah's Witnesses have tagged me.
They've been coming for a long time--years, I'd guess. This one lady always, always came when I was in the middle of something--grilling hamburgers with smoke billowing like a field fire; ready to fly out the door to go speak somewhere; something. She always seemed surprised that I was busy. Helloooo? I always grill this many hamburgers, I always have things to do. But she didn't seem to get this.
This was also the era of the black-skirted women who kept smiling even though Hansie the huge shedding dog kept going around and around them and they went to the car with their skirts liberally decorated with yellow hairs.
Then we transitioned to the one-armed woman, who has never mentioned the fact that she has only one arm, even though when she first came she had two, I'm almost positive, and when she first came with only one I don't think I caught a thing she said because I was so distracted.
Somewhere in this era Paul happened to go to the door one day and had a discussion with them as only a Smucker can discuss. Loud and logical. But they kept coming and hinted that they would rather talk with me than Paul.
Now it's always the one-armed woman and a friend, seemingly one that she's training in.
Until this past Saturday. There was a knock on the BACK door, and there was a whole new pair of Jehovah's Witnesses, a man and lady in their 60s.
They really have me flagged, I know it.
They asked my name and the lady exclaimed, "Oh, I love that movie!" I looked a bit bewildered and then she said, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and I said, "Ah, yes," and then the conversation went to spiritual things, because the Jehovah's Witnesses do not chat about carnal things like movies and recipes and such.
But they always talk about things we agree on. They quote Scripture I know by heart myself. They talk about serving God and loving others and all Scripture being inspired of God and how Christians shouldn't go to war.
So they say stuff and quote Scripture, and I say mmm-hmmm and half-heartedly try to call Hansie off, and then eventually they leave.
So why do they keep coming?
Pete L. from church who is gifted in personal evangelism once gave a talk on dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses and had all kinds of brilliant ideas on things to say and questions to ask and winning arguments. But when I try to say anything to them I only get to "um" and they smoothly segue into the next point.
"You are not Pete," says Amy, who thankfully doesn't expect me to be.
Why do they keep coming? That's what I keep wondering. Are they trying to convert me? If so, why do they keep talking about things we agree on? Do they get points for talking to me? I'm happy to supply them with points, but not at the expense of burnt hamburgers.
And haven't they caught on that there's no chance they're going to make me turn JW?
I would enjoy getting to know them as people, because I find people fascinating and I like making friends. But except for brief comments about Hansie or 7B47B or hamburgers, the conversation almost never goes off into normal everyday stuff that shows who they really are.
I asked Pete the expert what their agenda is when they come to my house. He rebuked me sharply and said it doesn't matter what their agenda is. What matters is what my agenda is.
Well. What IS my agenda? I'd love to convert them all but am not making any progress at this, never being able to get past "um."
I don't have the slightest desire to win an argument or debate or even to get into one. And I don't want to be nasty.
Should I ask them not to bother coming here? Should I get Paul involved when they show up?
Or, just to see what happens, should I interrupt the reading of Scripture and ask that lady just what exactly happened to her arm?
Quote of the Day:
"God's Grace and a Good Husband can get you through just about anything."
--Bernice T.
Well, I think the Jehovah's Witnesses have tagged me.
They've been coming for a long time--years, I'd guess. This one lady always, always came when I was in the middle of something--grilling hamburgers with smoke billowing like a field fire; ready to fly out the door to go speak somewhere; something. She always seemed surprised that I was busy. Helloooo? I always grill this many hamburgers, I always have things to do. But she didn't seem to get this.
This was also the era of the black-skirted women who kept smiling even though Hansie the huge shedding dog kept going around and around them and they went to the car with their skirts liberally decorated with yellow hairs.
Then we transitioned to the one-armed woman, who has never mentioned the fact that she has only one arm, even though when she first came she had two, I'm almost positive, and when she first came with only one I don't think I caught a thing she said because I was so distracted.
Somewhere in this era Paul happened to go to the door one day and had a discussion with them as only a Smucker can discuss. Loud and logical. But they kept coming and hinted that they would rather talk with me than Paul.
Now it's always the one-armed woman and a friend, seemingly one that she's training in.
Until this past Saturday. There was a knock on the BACK door, and there was a whole new pair of Jehovah's Witnesses, a man and lady in their 60s.
They really have me flagged, I know it.
They asked my name and the lady exclaimed, "Oh, I love that movie!" I looked a bit bewildered and then she said, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and I said, "Ah, yes," and then the conversation went to spiritual things, because the Jehovah's Witnesses do not chat about carnal things like movies and recipes and such.
But they always talk about things we agree on. They quote Scripture I know by heart myself. They talk about serving God and loving others and all Scripture being inspired of God and how Christians shouldn't go to war.
So they say stuff and quote Scripture, and I say mmm-hmmm and half-heartedly try to call Hansie off, and then eventually they leave.
So why do they keep coming?
Pete L. from church who is gifted in personal evangelism once gave a talk on dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses and had all kinds of brilliant ideas on things to say and questions to ask and winning arguments. But when I try to say anything to them I only get to "um" and they smoothly segue into the next point.
"You are not Pete," says Amy, who thankfully doesn't expect me to be.
Why do they keep coming? That's what I keep wondering. Are they trying to convert me? If so, why do they keep talking about things we agree on? Do they get points for talking to me? I'm happy to supply them with points, but not at the expense of burnt hamburgers.
And haven't they caught on that there's no chance they're going to make me turn JW?
I would enjoy getting to know them as people, because I find people fascinating and I like making friends. But except for brief comments about Hansie or 7B47B or hamburgers, the conversation almost never goes off into normal everyday stuff that shows who they really are.
I asked Pete the expert what their agenda is when they come to my house. He rebuked me sharply and said it doesn't matter what their agenda is. What matters is what my agenda is.
Well. What IS my agenda? I'd love to convert them all but am not making any progress at this, never being able to get past "um."
I don't have the slightest desire to win an argument or debate or even to get into one. And I don't want to be nasty.
Should I ask them not to bother coming here? Should I get Paul involved when they show up?
Or, just to see what happens, should I interrupt the reading of Scripture and ask that lady just what exactly happened to her arm?
Quote of the Day:
"God's Grace and a Good Husband can get you through just about anything."
--Bernice T.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Labors and Rest
There are two kinds of Mennonite housewives. Those who can't rest if there's any work to be done, and those who can. There are way more of the former than the latter.
I thought of this again yesterday when my friend Gina and I made and served a hot lunch at school. We hauled in loads of stuff through the rain and pulled hot pans out of ovens and hunted for more napkins and dished up food. Then the forty-some kids and teachers came into the fellowship hall in a noisy stream and filled their plates and sat at the tables the high school guys had set up.
Meanwhile, as I am wont to do, I got hungrier and hungrier. But of course we couldn't eat until the kids were all served. And also of course, I as a responsible Mennonite woman couldn't sit and eat until Gina did. Which finally happened and I happily dug into the potato and ham hot dish she had brought which was exactly what I needed.
The kids had pretty much cleared out by then, so I suggested I make coffee and then we sit down and have dessert later. So we started cleaning and I got the coffee brewing. Soon the coffee was ready and I was too, salivating at the cinnamon rolls and wafting coffee scents. But Gina wanted to rinse off these dishes yet, and run this load through, and dish up these leftovers for Justin, and . . . Meanwhile I wiped off the tables and washed cookie sheets and cleared counters and craved some sugar and caffeine.
Finally I told her that I am just going to make her sit down and have coffee, I really am. And I did. And we had a nice little chat about motherly things that my children would have a conniption if they knew the details of.
Regina also told me that she hates this about herself, that she cannot sit and rest when there's any work to be done. She wishes she were different, but there it is, and she'll come home from her job cleaning someone's house and she really should go to bed but instead she does the dishes or laundry. Which is not a good strategy for someone who suffers from fatigue and various ongoing health issues.
And then we cleaned the coffeepot and did the last few things and went home.
I wish Gina and I could average out a bit, because I find it way too easy to ignore things that need to be done. I wish they bothered me more.
I've learned to grow up and do stuff like work on the laundry every day and do the dishes right after supper. But in one area I protect my rest-and-leave-the-work instincts, and I wish the rest of the world would come along.
I always try to make a nice Sunday dinner, and I like to brew a pot of tea, or sometimes if we have guests I make coffee, and at the end of the meal I like to linger over tea and dessert. You know, just sit and sip and talk with guests or maybe read the opinion page if it's just our family and they've all left the table. I find it very irritating to have my tea grow cold while I clean up.
My family indulges me in this, except for Amy who makes a little irritated comment once in a while about just getting it DONE, but other women don't get this at all. Older ones, especially. They leap up from the table as soon as the last person's last bite of cake is in his mouth, and then they're speeding around the kitchen with piles of china, asking me half a dozen questions at once about does this go in the dishwasher and which side of the sink do I wash in and do I have a container for the ham. I've tried to plead with them to please just sit and visit for a bit, thinking, while I recover from the mental aerobics of putting such a meal on and while I sip my tea while it's still hot, please please. But there is no stopping older Mennonite women, no there is not, especially ministers' wives. The notion of lingering is as foreign to them as having their hair done.
But, like I said, my family indulges me, bless them, leaving the Sunday comics to return to the kitchen when I'm done sipping.
Some years ago a young depressed pregnant woman called me up and asked if she could come talk with me. Of course. So she came and we sat at the table and I assured her that she will not be sick forever and someday she will feel like herself again, really she will.
Later I heard that she had raved to her friends about how nice I was, to leave all my work and the dirty dishes in the sink to take the time to listen to her.
Well, that was sweet of her but believe me it did not take any sacrifice on my part to leave those dirty dishes and sit down and talk. And drink tea.
Quote of the Day:
[After our trip to the South, during which it got unseasonably cold in Georgia and Florida]
Paul: It says here that that cold wet weather affected the tomato crops in Florida.
Ben: I'm fine with that as long as the ketchup productions aren't affected.
I thought of this again yesterday when my friend Gina and I made and served a hot lunch at school. We hauled in loads of stuff through the rain and pulled hot pans out of ovens and hunted for more napkins and dished up food. Then the forty-some kids and teachers came into the fellowship hall in a noisy stream and filled their plates and sat at the tables the high school guys had set up.
Meanwhile, as I am wont to do, I got hungrier and hungrier. But of course we couldn't eat until the kids were all served. And also of course, I as a responsible Mennonite woman couldn't sit and eat until Gina did. Which finally happened and I happily dug into the potato and ham hot dish she had brought which was exactly what I needed.
The kids had pretty much cleared out by then, so I suggested I make coffee and then we sit down and have dessert later. So we started cleaning and I got the coffee brewing. Soon the coffee was ready and I was too, salivating at the cinnamon rolls and wafting coffee scents. But Gina wanted to rinse off these dishes yet, and run this load through, and dish up these leftovers for Justin, and . . . Meanwhile I wiped off the tables and washed cookie sheets and cleared counters and craved some sugar and caffeine.
Finally I told her that I am just going to make her sit down and have coffee, I really am. And I did. And we had a nice little chat about motherly things that my children would have a conniption if they knew the details of.
Regina also told me that she hates this about herself, that she cannot sit and rest when there's any work to be done. She wishes she were different, but there it is, and she'll come home from her job cleaning someone's house and she really should go to bed but instead she does the dishes or laundry. Which is not a good strategy for someone who suffers from fatigue and various ongoing health issues.
And then we cleaned the coffeepot and did the last few things and went home.
I wish Gina and I could average out a bit, because I find it way too easy to ignore things that need to be done. I wish they bothered me more.
I've learned to grow up and do stuff like work on the laundry every day and do the dishes right after supper. But in one area I protect my rest-and-leave-the-work instincts, and I wish the rest of the world would come along.
I always try to make a nice Sunday dinner, and I like to brew a pot of tea, or sometimes if we have guests I make coffee, and at the end of the meal I like to linger over tea and dessert. You know, just sit and sip and talk with guests or maybe read the opinion page if it's just our family and they've all left the table. I find it very irritating to have my tea grow cold while I clean up.
My family indulges me in this, except for Amy who makes a little irritated comment once in a while about just getting it DONE, but other women don't get this at all. Older ones, especially. They leap up from the table as soon as the last person's last bite of cake is in his mouth, and then they're speeding around the kitchen with piles of china, asking me half a dozen questions at once about does this go in the dishwasher and which side of the sink do I wash in and do I have a container for the ham. I've tried to plead with them to please just sit and visit for a bit, thinking, while I recover from the mental aerobics of putting such a meal on and while I sip my tea while it's still hot, please please. But there is no stopping older Mennonite women, no there is not, especially ministers' wives. The notion of lingering is as foreign to them as having their hair done.
But, like I said, my family indulges me, bless them, leaving the Sunday comics to return to the kitchen when I'm done sipping.
Some years ago a young depressed pregnant woman called me up and asked if she could come talk with me. Of course. So she came and we sat at the table and I assured her that she will not be sick forever and someday she will feel like herself again, really she will.
Later I heard that she had raved to her friends about how nice I was, to leave all my work and the dirty dishes in the sink to take the time to listen to her.
Well, that was sweet of her but believe me it did not take any sacrifice on my part to leave those dirty dishes and sit down and talk. And drink tea.
Quote of the Day:
[After our trip to the South, during which it got unseasonably cold in Georgia and Florida]
Paul: It says here that that cold wet weather affected the tomato crops in Florida.
Ben: I'm fine with that as long as the ketchup productions aren't affected.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Gender Confusion
Our children's imaginary friends have worked their way into the family lore in much the same way as pets and passing acquaintances and old neighbors. If one of us mentions Lima Bean or Walt Bowers or Strawberry Dimmock, anyone who was of a certain age at that time knows right away who we're talking about.
So, naturally, Darmunk, Island, and Trommin Cuter work their way into our conversations every so often. Those were Amy's imaginary friends, along with Lester, that smart little girl in the mirror who wore big girl panties just like Amy did.
This evening the conversation turned to Jenny's old friends Libba, Mobba, Sally, and Gick. It started when Amy showed up in pajama pants that I thought looked like knickerbockers, which led Jenny to talk about how sometimes she called Gick "Gickerbocker" like when she went out in the orchard and called him.
Him?? Gick was a guy?
Yes, Mom. (Implied: duh)
Well. I never knew that. What about the others, surely they were all girls?
"Yes, Mom. And Jason Oatmeal, he was a guy too."
Well, give me credit for that one, I always knew Jason Oatmeal was a guy.
Quote of the Day:
[In a loud hiss, with her hand over the telephone receiver]
"Mom!! Do I consider myself a Tea Party patriot??"
--Jenny
So, naturally, Darmunk, Island, and Trommin Cuter work their way into our conversations every so often. Those were Amy's imaginary friends, along with Lester, that smart little girl in the mirror who wore big girl panties just like Amy did.
This evening the conversation turned to Jenny's old friends Libba, Mobba, Sally, and Gick. It started when Amy showed up in pajama pants that I thought looked like knickerbockers, which led Jenny to talk about how sometimes she called Gick "Gickerbocker" like when she went out in the orchard and called him.
Him?? Gick was a guy?
Yes, Mom. (Implied: duh)
Well. I never knew that. What about the others, surely they were all girls?
"Yes, Mom. And Jason Oatmeal, he was a guy too."
Well, give me credit for that one, I always knew Jason Oatmeal was a guy.
Quote of the Day:
[In a loud hiss, with her hand over the telephone receiver]
"Mom!! Do I consider myself a Tea Party patriot??"
--Jenny
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Convention Results
Yesterday was the last day of the ACE convention. My friend Rachel and her girls and I went up in the afternoon in time to see the exhibit room when it opened. Then after supper we went to the final evening rally, where a hoarse announcer read off the winners in each event and a stream of kids crossed the stage to get their medals.
Earlier in the day, Ben had been asked to do a command performance at the rally of his "That's My King" speech. I was over the moon, as only a small percentage of the platform events are asked to perform at the evening rallies. So I was tied in knots, and so was Ben the normally calm and collected, only he didn't clutch Paul's hand for dear life, and then he went on stage and knocked it out of the park, and got a standing ovation, and it was all wonderful, and then I could breathe again.
There are so many different events at these conventions that almost every child can compete and do well at something. Academics, track and field, arts, music, drama, photography, quilting, and a lot more. I wish I could have done something like this when I was in high school, being deficient in the two areas emphasized at our school--music and sports. I also wish my older kids could have gone to convention--Emily would have shone in drama I'm sure, and Matt and Amy in academics.
Meanwhile, it was very exciting to see each kid from our school place in something. Here are some results:
Girls' table tennis--Stephie S, 1st; Alicia R., 2nd, Kayla B. 4th
Bible bowl--the teams from Brownsville were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
Science exhibit--Ben, 1st
Shot put--Preston K, 1st
Pace Bowl--1st
Basketball--2nd
Famous speech--Ben, 1st
Essay writing--Isaiah K. 2nd; Shane B. 5th; Trenton R. 6th
Short story writing--Felicia C, 6th
Woodworking--Ben 1st; Steven 2nd; Isaiah K. 4th
Mixed trio--2nd
Small ensemble--3rd
Checkers--Shane B. 4th; Austin S. 6th
Scrapbooking--Stephanie S. 2nd, Kayla B. 3rd, Felicia C. 5th
Photography--[there were lots of categories here and LOTS of entries, so we were especially proud of: Steven, 1st, color photo/animals; Isaiah K, 1st, color photo/computer enhanced; and Felicia C. 1st, b&w photo/ character trait.
Well, I think you get the idea and I'm not going to take the time to type out every result but I have the list in hand if you have specific questions.
However I will mention that the evening's individual awards ended with the CAP awards given to kids who score the most points by a complicated system of tallying awards won in academics, platform, music, and arts & crafts. To be eligible, they had to enter and place high in all those categories, and our fine son Ben got first place with a total of 59 out of a possible 60 points.
And then at the very last they gave out the Christian character award, which is THE award for the evening. During the week everyone observes everyone else as they all interact, from high-pressure moments in basketball to relaxed times in between events, and each school nominates another school for the award. We were sure the scales would tip in favor of Foursquare and their honest kid who lost the Pace bowl by telling the truth, but the announcer got up and presented it to Brownsville Mennonite, and we moms screamed for joy, and Paul and I went home feeling like this year's convention was a total success.
On the way home Ben was trying to keep talking to keep me awake even though he was wrung dry himself. "What is God telling you?" I asked him, referring to the evening's highlights. He didn't know. I told him that God was bound to take him through a phase where everything he did would be totally behind the scenes, unapplauded, and anonymous. And then he would be ready for something bigger. Which may or may not have been the right thing to say to a young man who had just had the heady experience of being on stage with everyone applauding, but, really, isn't that how life works?
And then we all got home safely and everyone but me slept in till 10:45 and was still exhausted all day.
Quote of the Day:
"They have harmony that gives you chills."
--Lisa the niece, a few weeks ago, about her cd of a singing Esh family, and now I find out this is the same family brutally ripped apart by an accident in Kentucky. God have mercy on the ones that remain, and may He give them a song again, someday. Here's a link.
Earlier in the day, Ben had been asked to do a command performance at the rally of his "That's My King" speech. I was over the moon, as only a small percentage of the platform events are asked to perform at the evening rallies. So I was tied in knots, and so was Ben the normally calm and collected, only he didn't clutch Paul's hand for dear life, and then he went on stage and knocked it out of the park, and got a standing ovation, and it was all wonderful, and then I could breathe again.
There are so many different events at these conventions that almost every child can compete and do well at something. Academics, track and field, arts, music, drama, photography, quilting, and a lot more. I wish I could have done something like this when I was in high school, being deficient in the two areas emphasized at our school--music and sports. I also wish my older kids could have gone to convention--Emily would have shone in drama I'm sure, and Matt and Amy in academics.
Meanwhile, it was very exciting to see each kid from our school place in something. Here are some results:
Girls' table tennis--Stephie S, 1st; Alicia R., 2nd, Kayla B. 4th
Bible bowl--the teams from Brownsville were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
Science exhibit--Ben, 1st
Shot put--Preston K, 1st
Pace Bowl--1st
Basketball--2nd
Famous speech--Ben, 1st
Essay writing--Isaiah K. 2nd; Shane B. 5th; Trenton R. 6th
Short story writing--Felicia C, 6th
Woodworking--Ben 1st; Steven 2nd; Isaiah K. 4th
Mixed trio--2nd
Small ensemble--3rd
Checkers--Shane B. 4th; Austin S. 6th
Scrapbooking--Stephanie S. 2nd, Kayla B. 3rd, Felicia C. 5th
Photography--[there were lots of categories here and LOTS of entries, so we were especially proud of: Steven, 1st, color photo/animals; Isaiah K, 1st, color photo/computer enhanced; and Felicia C. 1st, b&w photo/ character trait.
Well, I think you get the idea and I'm not going to take the time to type out every result but I have the list in hand if you have specific questions.
However I will mention that the evening's individual awards ended with the CAP awards given to kids who score the most points by a complicated system of tallying awards won in academics, platform, music, and arts & crafts. To be eligible, they had to enter and place high in all those categories, and our fine son Ben got first place with a total of 59 out of a possible 60 points.
And then at the very last they gave out the Christian character award, which is THE award for the evening. During the week everyone observes everyone else as they all interact, from high-pressure moments in basketball to relaxed times in between events, and each school nominates another school for the award. We were sure the scales would tip in favor of Foursquare and their honest kid who lost the Pace bowl by telling the truth, but the announcer got up and presented it to Brownsville Mennonite, and we moms screamed for joy, and Paul and I went home feeling like this year's convention was a total success.
On the way home Ben was trying to keep talking to keep me awake even though he was wrung dry himself. "What is God telling you?" I asked him, referring to the evening's highlights. He didn't know. I told him that God was bound to take him through a phase where everything he did would be totally behind the scenes, unapplauded, and anonymous. And then he would be ready for something bigger. Which may or may not have been the right thing to say to a young man who had just had the heady experience of being on stage with everyone applauding, but, really, isn't that how life works?
And then we all got home safely and everyone but me slept in till 10:45 and was still exhausted all day.
Quote of the Day:
"They have harmony that gives you chills."
--Lisa the niece, a few weeks ago, about her cd of a singing Esh family, and now I find out this is the same family brutally ripped apart by an accident in Kentucky. God have mercy on the ones that remain, and may He give them a song again, someday. Here's a link.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Pace Bowl
Today I was at the regional ACE convention at George Fox University all day, where roughly 200 kids in skirts or regulation haircuts as per ACE guidelines crisscrossed campus en route to games and platform events and meals. They sang and acted their hearts out in platform events, rushed from ping-pong to Pace Bowl, and frowned over close games of checkers.
ACE is a Christian school curriculum whose unique feature is that it's all individualized, with students working their way through workbooks called Paces, which makes a small, multi-grade school more feasible.
The convention is for schools in the Northwest who use the curriculum. Students who place first, second, or third in an event advance to the International convention in Kentucky in May.
One of the events I watched today was the Pace Bowl. Teams consisted of four students from each school. Each student could answer questions in only two subjects--math, English, social studies, or science. Sometimes there's an "elective" question that's open to anyone. They play until ten "primary" questions are answered. If you're the first to answer one of these correctly, your team gets a bonus question.
So our school's team, consisting of Ben, Preston, Stephie, and Isaiah, blew away one of the first teams 114 to 5. But as the day progressed the competition got tighter and so did my nerves. Mercy, it was terrible, especially with my fine son the captain of the team.
One team in particular was really good. Fast on the buzzer, sharp with the answers. Neck and neck we and they plowed on, and by the time there was one question left, the other team was ahead and we had only a very slim chance.
Then a young man on the other team raised his hand. "Uh, I answered that last question," he said, "and I'm actually not qualified to answer science questions."
We were stunned. He had obviously been caught up in the heat of the moment when he hit the buzzer and answered. The scorekeepers should have caught it but didn't, and apparently no one else did either.
So they took away the five points for the question he'd answered, and the 10 points for the bonus question they had answered correctly, and five more points for answering out of turn.
And then our team got the next question, and the bonus question, and won the game by one point.
And then Brownsville went on to win the championship.
But the real winner of the day was that honest kid who spoke up and told the truth.
ACE is a Christian school curriculum whose unique feature is that it's all individualized, with students working their way through workbooks called Paces, which makes a small, multi-grade school more feasible.
The convention is for schools in the Northwest who use the curriculum. Students who place first, second, or third in an event advance to the International convention in Kentucky in May.
One of the events I watched today was the Pace Bowl. Teams consisted of four students from each school. Each student could answer questions in only two subjects--math, English, social studies, or science. Sometimes there's an "elective" question that's open to anyone. They play until ten "primary" questions are answered. If you're the first to answer one of these correctly, your team gets a bonus question.
So our school's team, consisting of Ben, Preston, Stephie, and Isaiah, blew away one of the first teams 114 to 5. But as the day progressed the competition got tighter and so did my nerves. Mercy, it was terrible, especially with my fine son the captain of the team.
One team in particular was really good. Fast on the buzzer, sharp with the answers. Neck and neck we and they plowed on, and by the time there was one question left, the other team was ahead and we had only a very slim chance.
Then a young man on the other team raised his hand. "Uh, I answered that last question," he said, "and I'm actually not qualified to answer science questions."
We were stunned. He had obviously been caught up in the heat of the moment when he hit the buzzer and answered. The scorekeepers should have caught it but didn't, and apparently no one else did either.
So they took away the five points for the question he'd answered, and the 10 points for the bonus question they had answered correctly, and five more points for answering out of turn.
And then our team got the next question, and the bonus question, and won the game by one point.
And then Brownsville went on to win the championship.
But the real winner of the day was that honest kid who spoke up and told the truth.
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