I can now say that I have attended a graduation ceremony. My cousin Ashley graduated from High School yesterday. It was interesting simply for the fact that it was something new. A couple of students gave speeches. My least favorite was given by a young man who had been homeschooled up to the 8th grade. The boy has been throughly converted to a liberal. Literally, within his speech he listed off Leftist-cliches! I think my favorite speaker was the one I couldn't hear or understand very well. A black kid who stated that some of the things he learned from his mother (these are funny); such as: Circle of Life--'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!'; Foresight--'Always wear clean underwear; you never know when you'll be in an accident.' There were several others...but I can't remember them.

Probably the best part was the ROTC color guard (yup...the uniforms) and the singing of The Star Spangled Banner. Ashley was part of the group that sang. I would have perferred if they hadn't did some strange 'wiggling' with the high notes. I just don't like it when people mess with songs--particular that one.  

Savannah likened the crowd going in to the building to that in an airport. On the way out it was just a solid crush. Complete strangers pressed into one another. Once we got back to the car I decided to check my back pocket and make sure my wallet was still there. It was, thankfully. I never did spot Aunt C. or Uncle L. I sort of shouted at Ashley on the way out. She saw us and waved and said something like, "I'll have to see you later!", since she was being carried along with the flow. She is so skinny; she doesn't weigh enough to stand her ground in a press. We didn't spot her again, so we went ahead and left.

Okay...I've got to scram.

Well, my friends, yesterday was a big, unusual day. A fun one for sure.

First off, before lunch, Savannah and I went over to our place and opened up the honey house to let it air out/dry up some after Fridays rain. Savannah had tried calling our cousin Ashley before we left Granddaddy's. Straight to voicemail. Anyway, we just zipped on over to their place (right next door). Aunt C. was home by herself, packing things for a move. Ashley was at school doing exams (she graduates high school on Friday) and Uncle L. was going to pick her up on the way to a doctors appointment. We told Aunt C. that we wanted to take Ashley out to lunch. It was fine with her, so she called Ashley and had no more success than Savannah did. So she called Uncle L. Anyway, we ended up going to the doctor's office to pick Ashley up and headed out for lunch. We went to a 'tea room' called Mary Margeret's. Savannah and I had salad with some very nice baked salmon (at least I think it was) on top. Mmm. We had a ball. After lunch we took Ashley home and must have sat around talking for at least an hour, an hour and a half. It is really kind of funny. I didn't use to like Ashley...she was rather a mean little girl...but she has really developed into a sweet and funny person. (I have actually told her this to her face, by the way.) Anyway, I always love 'hanging out' with her. She's just a hoot!

Once that adventure was over, we went back to our place, closed up the honey house, grabbed some books, and popped back over here to Granddadddy's.

Adventure Two: The Interview (of Myself)

First, I changed my shirt and did my make up. Well, most of it. Savannah told me I hadn't done my eyeshadow right (that always seems to happen anytime someone actually looks at my eye jobs) so she fixed me up. Those make up brushes tickle a little.

Then I compiled my gear: one camera, one battery, one tripod, one stinger (didn't get used), one lavalier mic, an xlr cable  and one umbrella (just in case it rained). Also, a resin chair for me to sit in :) We headed off to the creek. Once down there, I put the camera on the tripod. We had forgotten something (I forget what--but it was something we needed) so Savannah went back to the house and got whatever it was. Well, we got everything hooked up and realized we had a problem--a big one. Let me explain--Daddy has an electical outlet rigged on the truck battery to run the sprayer motor. Well--it's a 12 volt. The mic has to run off 120 volt. So, we packed things back up and roared up to the barn were there is a plug. While the background isn't what we were planning on (*shrug*)  it worked fine. It was kind of funny because the water pump kept running...I glared at it a time or two. There is plenty of goofs, but overall, I think I did alright. Just about the time we were half done, I got comfortable. We decided to attempt a take two--shouldn't have tried...it was terrible :) I probably was getting hungry even though my stomach wasn't talking yet--my brain was though. You know, one of those "uh duh" moments.

I had to go feed Snip. He was happy to see me (of course--it was really the feed he was happiest to see).

I thought I would post another quote from A.W. Pink's The Sovereignty of God:

    "The substitution of so-called "practical" preaching for the doctrinal exposition which it has supplanted is the root cause of many of the evil maladies which now afflict the church of God. The reason why there is so little depth, so little intellegence, so little grasp of the fundamental verites [truths] of Christianity, is because so few believers have been established in the faith through hearing the doctrines of grace expounded, and through their own personal study of them. While the soul is unestablished in the doctrine of the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures--their full and verbal inspiration--there can be no firm foundation for faith to rest upon. While the soul is ignorant of the doctrine of Justification, there can be no real and intelligent assurance of its acceptance in the Beloved. While the soul is unacquainted with the teaching of the Word upon Sanctification, it is open to receive all the errors of Perfectionism or other wrong teachings. And so we might go on right through the entire range of Christian doctrine. It is ignorance of doctrine that has rendered the professing church helpless to cope with the rising tide of infidelity. It is ignorance of doctrine which is mainly responsible for thousands of professing Christians being captivated by the numerous false 'isms' of the day. It is because the time has now arrived when the bulk of our churches "will not endure sound doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:3) that they so readily receive false doctrines. Of course it is true that doctrine, like anything else in Scripture, may be studied from a merely cold intellectual viewpoint, and thus approached, doctrinal teaching and doctrinal study will leave the heart untouched, and will nautrally be "dry" and profitless. But doctrine properly received, doctrined studied with an exercised heart, will ever lead into a deeper knowledge of God and of the unsearchable riches of Christ."

I'd like to add, this is as true today (2012) as it was when Mr. Pink wrote it (1928). I can see exactly what he's talking about in the modern church. We must continue to pray for reformation!

Yesterday was something of an adventure. First the Cadillac had to be taken to Tex's autoshop. So, Savannah drove that and I followed in the Saturn. Since I had no idea where I was going, I stuck close behind her. (Unfortunately, I also ran a red-light. By the time I would have gotten stopped I would have been mid-intersection, so I just blew through it.)

We came home (detouring by Wal-Mart [Granddad needed more 'nanners]), ate lunch and headed for P.C. to go to Jo-Ann's. The GPS didn't have enough battery so we had to pretend like we knew how to get there (I mean to say, we both can get to P.C., but not to Jo-Ann's). It was raining almost the entire time. Right as we got into P.C. the rain quit--but the windshield wipers didn't. Eventually they did, but it was rather funny sitting in traffic with the wipers go 'swish-swish' for no apparent reason!

After poking around down one street after another we FINALLY got to the road we were looking for and from there Jo-Ann's. I came home with a dress pattern (Vogue, no less!) and the material to make it with (a red floral of sorts). We also got a pattern and fabric for a wedding gift Savannah is going to make, and a costume pattern and some muslin for that. (I won't tell what the costumes are for yet--more plans must be laid! *Sneaky grin* [Like I can be sneaky!])

Anyway, we headed home in the rain. It got so bad at one point that it was really hard to see the road. Plus, we can't turn the windshield wipers on high. Then they really won't turn off!

We stopped by Tex's to pick up the Caddy and I took off for our place to gather some stuff. There was a stream of water, like a faucet was on, coming through the honey house roof. Since it was pouring down rain, there wasn't anything I could do about it. I managed not to get 100% soaked only by using my umbrella (Thank-you, Katherine for tossing them into the back of the car before ya'll left!) and rolling my pants up almost to my knees--the water stands in the back yard when it rains that hard.

The cows were 'up', but Abe was the only one I could see with any clarity so I still don't know whether the calf is a bull or a heifer--or even if it's at all splochy like Snowflake. Maybe next week.

Savannah and I will be heading off to a wedding shower here in an hour, so I think I'll say bye for now!