Welcome to our September 2010 letter! For those who aren't inclined to read much right now, I'll quickly summarize this letter in several brief bullet points:
- time travel
- a student in public school
- Japanese
- a side business for Thad
- a wedding
- a baby in the house
- looking for a new church
- a valuable insight about my personal wiring
So that raised even more questions than it answered? OK, I guess you'll have to read on to find out more! It's really not that long anyway!
OK, we'll start with the time travel. Most of you know we traveled a lot in July, visiting relatives and historical/educational sites. Not everybody went to every place, but various ones of us toured Monticello (where Micah is hugging the status of Thomas Jefferson), the National Zoo (where Naomi and Ben climb on a bear statue), historic Philadelphia (where Melody seems a little uninterested in the Free Quaker Meeting House), Valley Forge, Amish country in Lancaster, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Security Agency's cryptology museum, too. I bought matching red flag t-shirts for the everyone except the older girls to make it easier to round everyone up when we were in crowded public places. After all of our sight seeing, we took two days to drive straight home! We left Andrew behind in Maryland for an extra few days, so he got to go to Luray Caverns, Hershey Park, and Ft. McHenry before Grandma and Grandpa brought him back to Florida when they came down here to see my grandson, Jacob. We're not quite done with the historical time travel. We are planning a field trip to St. Augustine for tomorrow since we are studying the early American colonies in our home school. I could go on and on about all of this, but for those who are interested, here are some on-line photo albums with more commentary. Most of the photos are of the historical sites, flowers and animals, so it is pretty educational. 
Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's estate in Charlottesville, Virginia): - Historic Philadelphia (Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc.)
- Valley Forge (Revolutionary War encampment site near Philadelphia)
- The National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
- Over the River and Through the Woods, To Grandmother's House We Go!
- A Visit with Aunt Carol and Uncle Frank
<< Andrew at Luray Caverns
Rachel, cousin Carrie, Joanna, and Lydia in Maryland
Probably the phrase from my first paragraph that most startled some of you was the "student in public school." No, that is not a typo. Lydia, who is 15, started at Lake Howell High School last week. We had planned to have her home this semester doing independent and on-line courses, but after giving it several weeks, she wanted more structure and accountability, as well as the opportunity to take "real" geometry, chemistry, art, and French classes -- all areas where I can't help her much anymore and don't have the money for private tutoring. Plus, Seminole State is less flexible with dual enrollment students than Valencia, which no longer accepts new dual enrollment students from our county. Thad mentioned the possibility of public school as an option for next year, so we just sped things up a bit and jumped in this year. The guidance counselor was more than helpful about getting her into classes with great teachers, who have, for their part, been quite accommodating with her starting the school year two weeks late. We did have to make one class adjustment, but otherwise things are going just fine so far! Since Lydia started this sophomore year with 10 credits and she's taking some AP courses, she should be graduating at the end of her junior year with some college credits. I'm really excited for her and quite confident that she will really shine in her new educational setting. You can read more here: Making the Transition into Public High School or College (Note: Lydia made her solo stage debut singing "Not for the Life of Me" for Lake Howell High School's Broadway Night on September 17. Watch her astounding performance here: This Girl's Got Gusto!)
The younger five kids are all still home with me learning American history and human anatomy along with math and English.
The younger five kids are all still home with me learning American history and human anatomy along with math and English.
Rachel and Joanna have both started their new semester at Valencia College. Rachel is finishing up her associate's degree this semester and hoping to start at UCF's nursing school in the fall. She's planning to take this next spring semester off to work and travel. Before school started, Joanna spent another week in Daytona Beach with a bunch of Japanese home-stay students, which she always loves. She will graduate from high school in the spring with a bunch of college credits. She is also working part-time trying to save up for a car.
My husband Thad decided to join the academic action and take an accounting class at Valencia. He's already done a bunch of bookkeeping for many years, so he's starting a side business in it, which is much needed extra income for us. So if you know of any small businesses looking for someone with integrity and careful attention to detail, let me know!
Julia looked absoutely gorgeous as a bridesmaid in her friend Sarah Grace's wedding on Saturday! (See pictures here.) She's still working full-time, but her office moved so she has to drive a really long way to get there. 
Mary has returned to work as a writer at Wycliffe Bible Translators after her maternity leave. Wycliffe is a family-friendly organization, so she can work from home three days a week, and bring Jacob to work the other two days if she wants. Or, if she needs to leave him home, one of us can watch him after Ryan leaves for work in the afternoon. Sometimes Joanna and/or Rachel goes over there after their Valencia classes, and sometimes Jacob comes here so the rest of us can love up on him for a few hours! So occasionally we have a baby in the house! On those days, Mary stays for dinner since Ryan is at work. We sure do love them! Jacob is adorable at 11 weeks old.
OK, so what's left of the teaser phrases from my introduction paragraph? Ah yes, looking for a new church. Transitions aren't exactly easy, but it is time to move on from the congregation we've been at for 8 years. We miss our seeing our dear friends there each Sunday, but hope to keep in touch with as many as possible! I am grateful that the pastors have always been very kind to our family and that we had a very pleasant meeting with our senior pastor last week. In the past five weeks, we have visited three different churches, all of them quite nice. I particularly enjoyed the most recent, Lake Baldwin Church, a PCA congregation where some of our friends are members.
Next, a valuable insight into the way I'm wired! My sister Barb (pictured at left with our parents and brother John and me) called me a few weeks ago with the news that she had been diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). What's more, my mother immediately replied, "Oh, you mean you didn't know that already? Virginia has it, too!" Oh my. I haven't been officially analyzed on this yet, but the symptoms sure do match up according to this very informative site: ADHD/ADD Adult Signs, Symptoms, Effects and Treatment. 
Hmmm! So that's what's been going on all these years! There are many things (such as distractibility, forgetfulness, difficulty with space organization, and time management) that I struggle with on a day to day basis, and this gives me fresh motivation to find practical solutions. An iPod Touch, an unexpected gift from someone who wanted to bless me, has been a huge Godsend in helping me stay on task with To Do list, alarms that beep when I need to do something, a calendar, and a notepad. I keep it with me all the time so I can make notes when I first think of something and then followup on it later. I also have a Bible on it and my weekly prayer lists, too. One thing I did early on is to encourage myself by writing four lists: ways I already compensate for my ADDled brain, things I still need to work on, my personal strengths, and my personal weaknesses. You can find more information about all of this, including some of my lists, here: ADD and Me? We'll Manage!
Here are some other recent posts on my other blogs:
- American History Unit Studies at Our House
- Weekly Grading and Lesson Planning (a method that works with my brain wiring)
- Mothering by Faith and Grace
- "Teaching Our Children to Walk With God" by Shiela Catanzarite
Stained glass from chapel at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Let me leave you with a few last inspirational thoughts. When we were in Maryland, I asked my Grandma Hess, a recent widow at age 95, what her favorite hymn is. She was a church organist for decades, so I figure she knows a whole bunch of them! She thought for a moment, and replied, "Love Lifted Me." I was able to immediately pull up a video of someone singing it on-line and handed her my iPod to watch and listen. It was sort of fun seeing her with it -- such a new fangled device in old-fashioned hands! I'm sorry I can't find the same music video, but here are the sweet lyrics:
"Love Lifted Me"
by James Rowe
I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore.
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more;
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
Love lifted me! (even me)
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me!
All my heart to Him I'll give, ever to Him I'll cling,
In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing.Love so mighty and so true merits my soul's best songs;
Faithful, loving service, too, to Him belongs.
Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves;
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He's the Master of the sea, billows His will obey;
He your Saviour wants to be -
BE SAVED TODAY!
Rise up O men of God
Have done with lesser things
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings,
To serve the King of Kings.
Grace to all of you,
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com
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