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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerers through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angles nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to com, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-Romans 8:35, 37-39

chary- cautious, wary

portent- a sign or warning that of something momentous or calamitous is likely to happen

"The great ancients' writings, beside ours, look like illuminated manuscripts before our plain press type."

-Philip James Bailey

"There is the moral of all human tales;

Tis but the same rehearsal of the past,

First freedom, then glory--when that fails,

Wealth, vice, corruption--barbarism at last,

And history, with all her volumes vast,

Hath but one page."

-Lord Byron

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"Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints., wait quietly, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every day of every month of every year in His hands." -Elizabeth Elliot

Arches National Park ; day 1

This whole summer has flown by, but the business of this season is culminating with a family vacation. On Tuesday the 28th Curtis picked up Dane Wilson, a friend he met at college, from the airport and we celebrated our 2009 swim season with a team banquet. The rest of the week we prep-ed for our big 2 week trip (cooking, cleaning, washing, ect). Friday night Curtis, Dane, Marissa, and I drove up to Aztec, NM to visit the Skeens one last time before Curtis hits the books again. Saturday found the four of us in the truck and Mother Dear, Daddy, and the three boys in the Excursion pulling the camper. We met up in Montecello, UT, made sandwiches, grabbed some chips, and hit the road again. That night we stayed at a camp ground in Arches National Park (Moab, UT). here is the first installment of pictures from our trip:

Emily Allen, Marissa, and Hobbs- getting ready at the house before the banquet

The table was so bright and cheerful I wanted to share it--there were real goldfish in the center-piece fish bowl!

Arches:

walking up the trail

One thing I'm really excited about is what I found at the Ranger Station : a set of scrapbook pages with the beautiful scenery and a few other embellishments (I found one for Yellowstone too!).

highlights from the 2009 swim season

RUSSELL

breaststroke and backstroke

his "dive" at the beginning of the season...

and his dive at the end of the season

SCOTT

freestyle and fly

a butterflyer in the making

MARK

backstroke and freestyle

backstroke is a favorite for him

cheering for fellow team-mates

games between races at the meets

MARISSA

backstroke and freestyle

she took 10th (of 16) in Sundance in the 100yard back

CAITY

IM (individual medley- butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, free) and Fly

my drawing was voted for the cover of the Sundance programe

lots of rest!

friends

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Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by heart council.

Proverbs 27:9

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 27:17

"Manners may differ from culture to culture, just as sauces do, but the presence of them is nearly universal...manners help us learn how to be considerate of one another...manners are designed to adorn and beautify our lives, not to gum them up." -My Life for Yours by Douglas Wilson

"How we honor God (or not) in an overt way drives or defines how we honor Him (or not) in our day-to-day activity as we are dealing with other members of the family." - ibid

asseveration- the solemn or emphatic declaration or statement of something

aphorism- a pithy observation that contains a general truth

- a concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by an ancient classical author

triumvirate- a group of three powerful or notable people or things existing in relation to each other

modicum- a small quantity of a particular thing, especially something considered desirable or valuable

connexion- a relationship in which a person, thing or idea is linked or associated with something else

- a supplier of narcotics

substratum- an underlying layer or substance, in particular, a layer of rock or soil beneath the surface of the ground

excise- a tax levied on certain goods and commodities produced or sold within a country and on licenses granted for certain activities

More than a Relaxing Moment?

What a treat, what a treasure, what a memory, when three brothers who call themselves "the trio" go out of their way to creatively come up with their own way to bless the ladies in their family. "The trio" put their three heads together and decided to open a spa for the girls. They wrote out a list of all the things they could do, and passed it around for us to review. We were ushered out to the patio with our books to relax and enjoy: foot scrubs; lotion for feet, legs, hands, and arms; back rubs, and shoulder massages. 

When the paper was handed around I heard my mind preparing to say something like: "I have work to do," "I need to finish math," "no, thank you...." and so on. But suddenly, I realized I was about to crush the hearts of three little boys who went out of their way to bless me. I didn't have to be invited, but they wanted me to be there. They wanted to give me a gift of their time and love. How could I say "no" on pretense of being "too busy?" As I enjoyed the treat, because I did say "yes, thank you," I wondered if this was a treat that they would repeat with any regularity, and in time become more proficient at it. Then I thought what a blessing it could be to their future wives as well. I hope in the future I'll still be able to catch my tongue before I say "no," and think about how it might impact who they will become.

I hope the picture turned out ok. I tried to scan the paper of spa options. They also listed things that they could do to bless Momma, such as: working in the garden, cleaning, and helping out. =)

marginalia

"You know that a man is educated, not by what he knows, but by what he knows he doesn't know."
-C.S. Lewis

"On the page, punctuation performs its grammatical function, but in the mind of the reader it does more than that. It tells the reader how to hum the tune."
- Lynne Truss from her book: Eats, Shoots & Leaves

pejorative- expressing contempt or disapproval

atelier- a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designe

abrogate- repeal or do away with (a law, right or formal agreement)

lade- load (a ship or other vessel)

solecism- a grammatical mistake in speech or writing
- a breech of good manners; a piece of incorrect behavior

July by Robert Herrick

First, April, she brings with mellow showers
Opens the way for early flowers;
Then after her comes smiling May,
In a more rich and sweet array;
Next enters June, and brings us more
Gems than those two that went before:
Then, lastly, July comes, and she
More wealth brings in than all those three

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Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4

"Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling."

cropper- a person who raises a crop

vigilante- a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate

tautology- the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style

didactic- intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive

milieu- a person's social environment

efficacious- (typically of something inanimate or abstract) successful in producing a desired or intended result

he's 8!

Happy Birthday Russell