Spring Activities

~ by Rubia

We have been enjoying a beautiful and active spring this year in Oklahoma! It’s hard to believe we’re less than a month away from our end-of-school vacation to Virginia! It’s also hard to believe we’ve only been here for 9 months, yet have done so much, made many great friends, and are making good memories. We feel very blessed!

This post contains pictures from Roma’s camera roll, so these activities were ones that involved her and me; however there were things that the others recently did without us that I do not have pictures from. For example, Dad went on a business trip to Minneapolis, and Bianca and Ben went on a trip to Texas. Perhaps y’all will see posts from them soon about what they’ve been up to. J

This is a picture from Easter Sunday. Roma dyed these eggs.

The siblings on Easter Sunday. We enjoyed a breakfast fellowship at our church called the “Love Feast” with communion and worship.

A few weeks later Roma and I were invited to a birthday party by a friend from youth group. She turned 13, and is a very sweet girl with a very creative family that threw what Roma and I called, “A pinterest type of party.” J They had a perfect back porch and yard with adorable decorations and *really incredible* homemade chocolate cake with strawberry frosting. We enjoyed seeing other friends from church there and playing fun games that afternoon.

The dessert table.

Look at the cute décor and bright colors! The birthday girl is in the blue shirt closest to the camera.

We learned “The trash can game” at youth group and have had fun with it. J You gather with your friends around a trash can, and then try to pull each other to touch the can and get each other out. The last person to touch the can wins.

Y’all, guess what?!! We finally built a chicken coop and purchased 6 chicks!!

Dad and Josiah worked on the coop together. Now we have an adorable bright red chicken coop!

Next Dad will build a run for them. Right now our 2-week-old chicks are in the garage and doing well! We did have to return 2 that died and one injured, sadly. We’re not sure why they died. They were replaced at no charge. We love having our 2 Black Australorps, 2 Silver Wyandottes, and 2 Buff Orpingtons to cuddle with every day. J This family of egg-eaters is excited for future eggs as well!

Had to put in a property picture. We’ve so enjoyed the recent gorgeous days and our property out here.

Roma and I have had the privilege of serving a couple of times in the kid’s ministry at church. We look forward to continued involvement! We love working with kids. This class has kids about 4-6 years of age. Miss Shawna is the teacher and does an amazing job with them! 

Bianca and Ben have been enjoying their involvement in the college ministry at church. Since our church is in a college town, they’ve had the opportunity to make lots of new friends. A few Sundays ago some of them came to hang out and play basketball at our house. Of course Josiah joined them.

There’s hardly ever a lack of adventure around here. This big tree looked healthy on the outside, but was actually rotted inside and took us by surprise when it fell over the driveway one windy morning. Thankfully, it came down moments before Bianca and Ben were driving there on their way to work…and just before Roma and I returned from our run. God is good! Everyone was safe and no damage was done to anything—the tree just missed the cottage workshop, and the chicken coop.

Now you get to hear about the HEARTS homeschool co-op! It had been years since we were involved in a homeschool group, and never had we tried a co-op before. But Oklahoma is a very homeschool-friendly state with lots of opportunities for homeschoolers. The HEARTS co-op meets weekly during most of the school year at a church close to us. They offer classes that are mostly fun, extra-curricular types, with opportunities to fellowship with other homeschool families. I am so glad we joined for the Spring semester. We loved it so much and look forward to next school year! Josiah especially had a blast and will get to be a part of it for years to come, Lord willing! Since he graduated from 6^th grade this Spring, he got to be part of the graduation ceremony!

I did an art class with these sweet girls and painted my first gourd. There were some awesome creations! The class was unique because while painting was a part of it, perhaps the bigger part was talking with each other, getting to know one another and sharing lots of stories! 

This class of little ones does the Five-In-a-Row curriculum. Roma loved working with these kids over the last semester! 

Roma and I participated in the drama class and had a lot of fun! We had a big, all-girls class with lots of silliness and laughs! On the last day of co-op, we did a short, funny play. Here Roma (as Katie Lean) is interviewing a mermaid.

I was more than just Elsie the cow from Jack and the Beanstalk…I was a Chick-fil-A cow!! J (That was, at this moment, an unhappy protestor.)

On the weekend before the last co-op meeting, the co-op’s secretary and her family hosted their annual end-of-the-year party at their barn & ranch! This was our first time going out there and we had a blast!

The Barn at Gooseneck Bend.

Bianca and Ben were in Texas during this event, so it was Mom and Dad and the rest of us kids. (We were the only ones involved in the co-op anyway.) Pictured here are my lovely parents. Dad enjoyed sitting near the John Deere tractor! J

They had a great barn with a dance floor. I thought the Daddy-Daughter dancing to the left was cute. J

Later, after eating barbecue for dinner, one of the girls asked me, “Do you like dancing?” To which I responded, “Well yes, I did ballet for a couple of years.” But she actually meant barn dancing. I need to do that more! I remember doing it once in our barn in Texas with some friends. I was glad at this moment that I had already learned the Virginia Reel!

Getting started! I was learning slowly…but had a great time! It got way better with the Virginia Reel. I believe here we’re trying to do Cotton-Eye-Joe. It had been awhile since I’d done that one. 

While those were two of the “barn dances” we did, we also stopped at one point for an 80’s throwback and did YMCA. J

Part of our drama class had to get a dramatic picture. (Or two or three.) 

Huge bonfire to end the party!

The next weekend was the graduation ceremony at co-op for the graduating kindergarteners, 6^th graders, and seniors!

The band was youth-led by the praise and worship class! We’ve got some musical talent amongst these homeschoolers.

Our 6^th grade graduate with Mom! (Dad was in Minneapolis.) So proud of Josiah and excited to see how God will use him in the future as he continues to learn and develop his skills. 7^th grade, here we come! 

The siblings.

The next weekend (coming now the end of April) we drove about two miles down our road to the church where Josiah’s basketball coach preaches. They hosted their annual Echo Knights basketball banquet to celebrate the end of the season. Awards and basketball cards with each player’s picture were also given out. The Echo Knights sure had an amazing season! The middle school boys (Josiah’s team) finished undefeated this season for the first time in Echo Knights history. So thankful that JoJo had this opportunity to be a part of it and make great friends and memories.

Josiah and his buddies holding up their basketball cards.

Roma and I spent the next day (Saturday) babysitting our adorable neighbor kids for a second time. We had a wonderful day with Z and L! Josiah was also helpful because he is close to Z’s age and could come play with him. They’ve become good friends since we’ve moved here.

Helping L skate on the driveway.

And that wraps up the highlights of April! So thankful for the milestones, moments, and memories all in just this past month. God bless y’all!

College Plus Gathering (Friday)

Friday morning dawned bright and early at the College Plus Gathering! I had unfortunately slept quite poorly the night before (I think we all did, just because we were in a new environment.) I had only slept about 2 full hours that night. Then I was awakened by someone taking a shower at 4 a.m.! I got up around 5:30 a.m., in an effort to beat the rush for the bathroom. With about 40 girls sharing 4 bathrooms, it was almost a miracle that we all made it through!

Doing my devotions after my shower.

Breakfast was at 7:30 a.m., but some of us were ready around 7:00 a.m., so we decided to walk over to the dining hall. This was the sight that greeted us! A huge tree limb actually came down on one of the guy’s cars. But thankfully, because the car was already encased in ice, the limb barely scratched it.

Breakfast was delicious, and having time to fellowship with all the other students was definitely a highlight!

This was what things looked like after we finished eating. Crazy!

After breakfast, we walked over to the building where we were having all our sessions. Because of all the ice, we linked up arms to try and keep each other from falling. J

Our first session was student orientation groups. We broke up into three groups: new students, current students, and alumni. I went with the new students, and we talked with Woody Robertson, one of the College Plus founders. It was a great time of discussion! One of my big takeaways is that CP is about so much more than earning a degree. Their purpose is to prepare us for life.

We regrouped and our second session was titled “What You Need to Know.” We covered seven areas to develop as part of our higher education. At the end of that session, a fellow student gave a presentation on Internships and Practical Experience.

We had a short break before reconvening for our third session titled “Own Your Experience.” A 16-year-old girl gave a talk on virtue, which was excellent and probably received the most “Amens” out of all the sessions. J Then her Dad spoke about making plans for our life and setting goals, but also realizing that God is in control and surrendering to His plan daily.

We had another short presentation—more like a sermon really—by one of the male students. His session was titled “What is Your Purpose?” One of my biggest takeaways came from this session. It was the phrase “The meaning of success is doing what God wants us to do and being who He wants us to be.”

After that, we broke for lunch in the dining hall. I can hardly describe the wonderful, mixed conversations that took place during meals! We talked about everything from pop culture, to CLEP tests, to dating and courtship, to our degrees and life goals, to theology. It was marvelous to be around so many like-minded students who sharpened me in so many ways!

Following lunch, we had several hours of free time. We were supposed to have some Challenge Rope courses, but due to the inclement weather, that was cancelled. They still did paintball, but only 3 guys were brave enough to actually do it! I joined the swing dancing group, and we spent our afternoon learning a dance to Mari’s Wedding, the Virginia Reel, the Postie’s Jig, and several other fun dances. It was good exercise!

Doing one of the circle dances.

After dancing for several hours, I quickly stopped back at the girl’s dorm to grab a few things and freshen up before the evening sessions started at 4 p.m. This was the view of the lake from our dorm!

We all made our way back to the conference room. The keynote speaker, John Stonestreet, was supposed to fly in and be with us in person. Unfortunately he didn’t make it due to the weather. But thankfully, he Skyped in and spoke for an hour and a half straight. All 100+ people in the room were a completely captive audience. We all could have listened to him talk a lot longer! His session was on “5 Cultural Trends You Need to Know About.” He is definitely a favorite speaker among the students, and I am very excited to take his Comparative Worldviews Course in January.

After that lecture, we broke up into our small groups to talk for a little bit. Our group decided to sit together at dinner because we didn’t want to break away from our discussion!

My small group. I love these guys like family! They are such godly young men and women, and we share so many passions and convictions. (And yes, the guy on the far left probably looks familiar to some of you. He played Dylan in the movie “Courageous!” J) I look forward to getting to know everyone in this group better!

After dinner, we had a few more sessions. The first one was “What is CP and Where are We Going?” by Woody Robertson. He gave a brief history of College Plus. I am amazed at how quickly the organization has grown and developed! He also talked about their vision for the future.

Following that session, we had a student-led session on “Mentorship and the Benefits of the Student Forums.” The mentoring is a key factor in College Plus, and I’m looking forward to being mentored, and one day mentoring others.

After this session, we again had small group time (my favorite thing about the weekend!) We talked for quite awhile, and then most of us decided to make a quick appearance at the bonfire before going to swing dance inside where it was warm. J

The bonfire was actually really warm! It felt good!

We stayed up dancing until we were kicked out of the fitness center at 11:00 p.m. J I was so sad that the retreat was almost over!

To be continued . . .

An Eclectic Mix

One thing I love about going through old photos is that I never know what I’ll find! Sometimes I find a whole group of photos related to the same event, other times it’s simply an eclectic mix with a little bit of everything thrown in! J All the photos in this post came from the same folder on our computer.

 

The very first book Rubia finished reading was Dick and Jane. She was very excited!

Somehow this little 2-year-old found the shower caps in the bathroom upstairs. He looks pretty funny!

Getting our supplies together to mummify a chicken. Yes, you read that correctly. We mummified a chicken for ancient history class. We were studying about Egypt, and this was one of the hands-on activities. We even named the chicken “Sumer.” Unfortunately something stole Sumer off our front porch during the night and so we never quite finished with him. I have a feeling whatever bigger animal got ahold of him is still alive, considering all the preservatives on that chicken! J Either that or he died of a heart attack after all that salt!

Oh look! Somebody’s going to clean house for us.

I love how he bunched up the adult-sized apron to fit his little body. I miss having little people around the house!

Our favorite game growing up was Barbies and Kens. But we played them differently than most. Our Barbies weren’t dumb and ditzy. Our Barbies were Kings and Queens of Egypt, farmers, and Pastors.

We even built houses for them, cut out paper food for them, and made felt clothes for them. How I miss those days!

This was back when I used to take ballet classes. That’s me on the far right. I wish I could remember the name for what I was doing, but the only word coming to my head is arabesque, and that’s to the back. I need to refresh my ballet vocabulary!

From dancing to goats! Some friends of ours raise goats, and we went over to see some of the new kids. They are quite cute at this stage!

A barnyard birthday for this two-year-old cutie! That was one of my first experiences with cake-decorating. Not bad, but I’m glad for improvement over the years! J

*Have you looked through any old pictures lately? Were you surprised by what you found? What sorts of pictures make you happiest to find? A picture of a child’s funny antics? Or a sweet portrait? Share in the comments!*

 

Worship Dance

Yesterday my sisters and I— as well as several other dancers from our worship dance group—had the privilege of dancing at our church. We had danced at our church back at Christmas time for a Ladies tea. Everyone really enjoyed it and had positive things to say about the dance ministry.

 

There were several dances that we girls have been working on over the past few months that Mommy really wanted to see before we moved. J So she asked our Worship Pastor if we might be able to share the dances on a Sunday morning during the service. He was very enthusiastic about the idea, and yesterday we finally had the opportunity to do it!

 

*Sorry for all the splotches in the background. I think it was something on the wall.* All of the dancers who came to our church.

The first dance that we girls did was “Trading My Sorrows” sung by Women of Faith. I love this song because it’s such a good reminder to me!

Some of the advanced class members danced to a Jewish song called “O Jah” by Paul Wilbur. I absolutely *love* this song and the dance that accompanies it! We even got to wear bells on our ankles and wrists.

One thing I will dearly miss about living here in Michigan is the dance ministry! I’ve grown to love everyone in the ministry and have really enjoyed the opportunity to minister to and encourage others through dance. I hope that we will find another worship dance group in Texas!

 

Friday Flashbacks: Dancing



Dancing as a Gingerbread child in “The Nutcracker.”

Since I was young, I have always loved dancing. I have flashbacks of listening to tapes in the living room, over and over again while I danced to them. I was later accompanied by the twins who marched in circles around the room--thumbs stuck in their mouths--in time to the music.

A sailor in “American Salute.”

From the time I was 7, I danced in a ballet studio. I loved participating in the big productions at the end of the year with all the dancers. I felt so proud during the years when I did two dances instead of just one.

Dancing in the “Oklahoma” dance as part of the “Salute to Broadway” production.

When we moved, I looked around for a dance studio for awhile. I couldn’t find one that I liked very much, and when I did, it was too far. So I moved on to other things.

Me, as a sea anemone and Ben dressed up to be in “Alice in Wonderland.”

But that desire to dance was still there. My Mom mentioned the possibility of doing worship dance. I thought about it for awhile, but had a bit of a struggle deciding. I really enjoyed the ballets and wanted to be in a professional studio.

Dancing in “Starkindler” after joining worship dance.

But over time, the Lord helped me realize that everything I do needs to bring Him honor and glory. While dancing with a ballet studio wasn’t a bad thing, it may not have been the best thing. As I look back now, I would have eventually had to partner dance, and wear costumes that were not the most modest. The Lord has brought about convictions in my life regarding my purity as a young lady, and dancing in that way would have violated those convictions.

Dancing in “Praise is Awaiting You.”

When we joined our current worship dance troupe, it took awhile to get used to dancing after so many years off. But I was thrilled to find that our teacher’s main style of dancing is ballet, with which I was already familiar.

Dancing in “Manger Throne” at our church’s annual Ladies Christmas tea.

The Lord has brought me such joy over the past year through worship dance. Please understand that I don’t have anything against ballet or non-Christian dance studios. I am simply grateful for the opportunity God has given me to use dancing for His glory and not my own.

Dancing to “Gloria.”

“Let them praise his name with dancing. . .” Psalm 149:3

“Praise him with tambourine and dancing. . .” Psalm 150:4

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31