Summer Visitor

Every summer these quiet and unobtrusive visitors arrive for an extended stay.

There is nothing to describe the breathtaking delight of encountering the hummingbirds as they search for nectar in the gardens at our house. In the quiet morning, if you catch them at work, you can hear them humming and watch as they drift between flowers. Sometimes their movements remind me of a helicopter in flight.

photos were taken this week by Landon on location in his hummingbird garden. :)

Take A Tour Today...

and take it from the comfort of your home - or office - or wherever you are. :)

My brothers filmed a wedding at our church recently and Landon, in his free time when he wasn't filming, took the following pictures of our lovely church building. I couldn't resist sharing his photos with you.

(above and below) This is the main entrance to the sanctuary.

(below) The chancel

(above) The sanctuary with a small view of the sides which are lined with stained glass windows.
(below) A view of the side aisle, lined with arches on one side and stained glass windows on the other

(below) The nativity depicted in one of the windows

(above) The sanctuary from the front
(below) and from the back

(above) The entrance to the children's garden

The children's garden, a lovely, reflective spot that is unfailingly peaceful and cool, whatever the time of day.

Thanks, Landon! :)

Spring Piano Recital

That time of year again...

When Parker and Lexi must perform in a piano recital.

It's a family trait to be nervous before a performance. Nothing you can do helps. We have a cousin who even tried hypnosis once (didn't work).

But once they get going, Parker and Lexi perform beautifully.

Parker played Prelude op. 28, no. 15 by Chopin.

Lexi played Etude op. 10, no. 3 by Chopin and Rhapsody in E flat major, op. 119 by Brahms.

They were the last ones to close out the recital. The thunderous applause following both of their performances was either for them or for the fact that the recital was finally over and the nodding heads in the audience could at last go hit their pillows at home.

Here Lexi poses post-performance.

Lexi reflecting in the empty hall.

She decides to be dramatic for the camera (above and below).

Hunter sits outside of the hall.

Here Landon played with his camera while waiting for everyone to finish visiting and doing reception clean-up.

All pictures were taken by Landon.

Skills on Courts and Keys

While my brothers and I are following the French Open this week, my sister, Lexi, is just as passionately following a sport of another, entirely different, kind: the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. I have to admit to also having been drawn into watching the competition since it's start last week. The virtuosity and skill of the competitors, their varying backgrounds and their enthusiasm for music is hard to resist watching. I must confess to some favorites already, one of whom is Nobuyuki Tsujji, who has been blind from birth. Take a minute to watch this incredible video of Nobuyuki's preliminary recital and read this short interview with his father.

As Promised 5 Weeks Ago:

Our sweet new family member!

Ellie is possibly the most observant, alert baby I have ever known. Not content to just lay around, she likes to be up on a shoulder so that she can see everything. She also tries to raise her head, so much so that her mommy can't even put her into a sling because Ellie will try her hardest to see out of it!

Yep, she is yet another reason to be a proud aunt. :)

For Moms Everywhere

To all the faithful mothers out there who have devoted your lives to what you do: Thank you. The world may scorn the stay at home mother, but your children praise you. We recognize the sacrifice, hard work, and never ending duties you perform daily. History may record the heroic deeds of some women, but what you have done (and continue to do) surpasses them all. Again I say, thank you.

And to my own mother, who deserves so much more than what I can possibly say here. You are indeed beyond rubies.


I was unable to post yesterday, but better late than never, right? :)

Happy to Announce:

That we have a new family member! Elianna was born yesterday to my brother and sister-in-law. 8 lbs., 6 oz., and absolutely beautiful! Big sister Kathryn loves her new baby sister. :) Pictures coming soon!

Home Again, Home Again...

To state the obvious, I'm back. It was a great visit this year to the land of palm trees and sunshine.

We tried to sight some manatees this year:
But alas, had just missed two manatees swimming right below the observation deck. I did get a stingray sighting, so my hour there was not a total loss.

We also camped out on the beach for an afternoon. I expected another sunburn, instead I got a slight tan. Something is better than nothing, I guess. :) Anyway, I was exhausted from my airport adventures of the day previous (which is a blog post in itself) and enjoyed relaxing in the surf and sun on a private beach. I even found a huge shark tooth in the water. I was excited until I realized - there would have to be sharks swimming nearby if their teeth were to be found on the beach. I wasn't so sure about going into the water after that...

The next day we found this:
What an exciting find! They didn't have much, but I did find a funny book for Kathryn and two funny books for me. I then read from my new Wodehouse every available chance I got for the remaining week.

The bookstore was downtown and within walking distance of a park,
where we saw these:





I got to see and visit with friends, old and new. I attended this conference and learned about the Holiness of God (free webcast videos are available for a limited time - go quick and watch the sessions, and esp. take time to watch Dr. Sinclair Ferguson's sessions!).

I had many adventures - funny, scary, and thrilling.

I loved being there, but, as always, I loved coming back home again. :)

It's Spring Break...

and I am off to Florida! Pictures and stories when I return. :)

Warped Beauty

While I am not a feminist and despise the lies that our feminist culture has taught to generations of men and women, I do think that feminists often see a problem that a lot of women can't see - but unfortunately feminists then overreact to these problems, spewing out lies mixed with truth. (And isn't that how our enemy always deceives us?)

That said, I appreciated this Q&A in the NYT magazine yesterday with Susie Orbach. It will take you maybe two minutes to read, but it is so refreshing to see someone take a stand against weight and beauty obsessions! Our culture is so consumed with a media-induced, fabricated ideal of "beauty", one that resembles nothing actually good or obtainable. We women are made to believe that skeletal bodies are ideal and that perfect, flawless faces, hair styles, and fashion are more to be desired than, say, character, gentleness, or intelligence. I am determined to stand against the lies of this world and instead want to encourage women, young and old, to accept the way that God made you and not to buy into a false idea of beauty. Seek instead to reflect and radiate the love of Christ. The most beautiful people I have ever known were not so because they looked like (insert celebrity) but because they radiated the love of Christ.

Yet Another Brag

While I'm at it, I also have to share that my brothers are hard at work producing a movie of their own. You can follow their progress here.

And yes, I'm a very proud sister who has to brag on her talented siblings every now and then. :)

Had to Share...

Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time will know that I am not the photographer of the fantastic photos you often find on here. That distinction goes to my brother, Landon. He recently won a prize for his capture of a flamingo at our local zoo. I am also pleased to announce that he now has a photography blog! Check it out here.

Madonna Syndrome

Zoe Lewis:
I never thought I would be saying this, but being a free woman isn't all it's cracked up to be. Is that the rustle of taffeta I hear as the suffragettes turn in their graves? Possibly. My mother was a hippy who kept a pile of (dusty) books by Germaine Greer and Erica Jong by her bed (like every good feminist, she didn't see why she should do all the cleaning). She imbued me with the great values of choice, equality and sexual liberation. I fought with my older brother and won; at university I beat the rugby lads at drinking games. I was not to be messed with.

Now, nearly 37, those same values leave me feeling cold. I want love and children but they are nowhere to be seen. I feel like a UN inspector sent in to Iraq only to find that there never were any weapons of mass destruction. I was led to believe that women could “have it all” and, more to the point, that we wanted it all. To that end I have spent 20 years ruthlessly pursuing my dreams - to be a successful playwright. I have sacrificed all my womanly duties and laid it all at the altar of a career. And was it worth it? The answer has to be a resounding no.

Emphasis mine. Read the rest here. I would like to suggest that women only read this article.

Just to Share

Landon celebrated a birthday over the weekend. He spent an afternoon photographing planes at the airport with his Canon 40D. I took this photo while he was busy with his "work." :)

San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival 2009

We made a last-minute, whirlwind trip to San Antonio last week to see the film offerings at the SAICFF. The festival offers the largest cash prize in the US, so there were many competing semi-finalist films to watch. I saw Expelled for the first time and liked it (but had to leave 1/2 way through as I wanted to hear RC Sproul, Jr. speak), saw Fireproof for the first time, liked it but have a few reservations about it. Kirk Cameron, who starred in Fireproof (and who is much better in it than in his other films) visited and spoke at the festival, as well as the producers of Fireproof, Expelled, and Amazing Grace. I will hopefully write much more about the festival later on, but in summary for this post, it was a lot of fun and we are already anticipating returning in 2010.

Some pictures for your enjoyment, all taken by Landon.

Walking into the festival, held at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center.

Looking through the festival guide, trying to choose which movies to see.

Landon and Mom walking on their way to the festival.

Hunter doing... I don't know what. ;)

On the riverwalk.

Parker at the convention center.

Lexi and Parker outside of the Lila Cockrell theater .

On the riverwalk at the convention center.

Lexi and Ashley are caught coming up the escalator - deep in film discussion?

The Saturday evening awards ceremony was impressive. We have been attending this for 4 years out of 5 and it has definitely come a long way from it's beginnings.

Charlie Zahm leads in the National Anthem.

Ken Carpenter of Franklin Springs Family Media wins the best documentary award for The Terri Schiavo story (one of the best films presented at the festival, in my opinion).

Best of the festival offerings was the Von Trapp's (great grandchildren of the Captain and Maria) performance on Friday night and again at the awards ceremony on Saturday. Although I was constantly running into them at the festival and at our hotel, I somehow never got the courage to tell them I liked their version of Edelweiss much better than Christopher Plummer's. :)