cammragirl

A Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

I continue to lack blogging willpower, but at least now I have the excuse that I am home for Christmas. I have been working full time at the Mackinac Center and have effectively embarrased myself with my ineptitude for both phones and mail. Ok, I am exaggerating, I really like mail, but it's nice to feel sorry for oneself occasionally. I still like databases. We are friends.

I am skiing this weekend, not that anyone really reads this anymore and would wonder where I was because I never post anyway, though I did get a comment last post, that was nice ;) Stealing popular friend's blog traffic is a win. I wish anyone reading these words a very Merry Christmas. Peace on earth, goodwill to men. Our Savior is born!

However, I am still and always will be a girl with a camera

2011-12-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

For some reason...

2011-12-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

That reson being my new love for Dear Harriet Walker, a blog of one of my dear friends, I have been inspired to post. No photos mind you, perhaps they have migrated permanantly to facebook and flickr, but my words have nowhere else to roost. So here they shall sit and here they shall fly if you let them. They will be jumbled, they will be tumbled, they will sound less than my age or more, but maybe just maybe I will become a more faithful writer and a better one. Now if you will pardon me, there is study food being placed in the hallway - like button!

Volleyball and memory

2011-04-07T02:04:00.000-07:00

My fellow PCC students on our new sand volleyball court showing their dutch Calvinist pirate spirit! Already it has been well used and is bringing back the unity we felt with pickup games at all hours... Looking through my journal I found something I wrote back in my first semester at Providence, one of the first moments I felt happy and at home in California was during a midnight volleyball session within a week of the frightening first flight to California:

I am feeling so at home right now. I just finished playing a midnight game of volleyball and I actually did well :). Dave, I think it was, was playing music in the gazebo - it was really neat. I studied a lot this afternoon and feel really in control of things. I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow... 8/28/09

The end of the entry is just jotted thoughts: Sand between bare feet - guitar music - night lights - laughter/ hushing :) - perfect serve - camera shot perfect - poem - smile

How I love to revisit the past sometimes. Yep, my journal style is a little unusual but I embrace that. The smiley behind laughter/ hushing was because of the early curfew in the city of Ontario... and yes it was Dave playing music though I did not know him well at the time. My favorite part is my desire to sleep in - some things never change! Praise God for the blessing something as simple as a volleyball court can be, and for this totally unique institution!

The Giant Artichoke

2011-03-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

Poem I wrote while at a produce market called "The Giant Artichoke" during spring break. We were at the artichoke capitol of the world...

Reds and yellows, greens and blues

Bright offending plastic hues

Hang like fruits from ceiling beams

Housing rows of produce pews

Sun creeps in to Spanish sounds

Of flip-flops on the concrete ground

I'm in the Giant Artichoke

And can't believe the scene I've found!

Bomb Threat...

2010-09-27T00:54:00.000-07:00

An especially exciting Wednesday. A ticking package shut down the offices and the classroom building for an hour or two. As you can see above, the police blocked off the road and the helicopter kept circling. The bomb squad finally opened it and discovered... a metronome! The girl in the red is my friend whom it was for. Hahaha, funny day. We got to have class at a coffee shop after some deliberation... so good does come from bad :)

Hiking

2010-09-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

Just another plus SoCal has to offer!!! Absolutely incredible scenery, especially at sunset.

Santa Monica Beach Day!!!

2010-09-27T00:46:00.000-07:00

Kite flying, sand castle competition, swimming, walking the pier... what more could you ask for? This college is incredible!

First Avodah - LA Tour

2010-09-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

We saw a ton of really cool stuff, including the oldest house in LA, Olvera street (I ended up buying one of the mini guitars), Chinatown, a huge Cathedral, the Disney Concert Hall and the Capitol building, as well as some grafiti and homeless people... I had taquitos for lunch - mmmmm! It is so accessible from campus, I want to go back sometime, whenever I find someone willing to hit the metro with me on a Saturday :)

Broomball!

2010-09-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

An old Providence favorite at a new location! Our teams were closely matched so it was a very fun time - I actually got a few good shots!

Moving In

2010-09-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

Back in Cali! I arrived Saturday and we had Student Senate meetings until Monday when everyone else came. During the SS retreat we also had Fosselman's famous ice cream, so that was fun! When everyone else came and I had my roomie settled with me, there was a bbq that night and an ice cream social later. It was so good to see everyone again and meet some smiling new faces!!!

River Ridge

2010-08-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

A fantastic last camping trip of the summer with my family. We were parked right next to the river so we had some great fun playing and fishing in it. Andrew was the only one who caught anything though. Beyond kites, swimming and smores, clams, hamburgers, and popcorn, the water trampoline, kayaking and wading in the river, what more could one want? :) Great end to a great vacation.

Cran Hill

2010-07-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

It's that time at last - the annual Cran Hill camping trip. This year it was us and one more family from Church. We rode horses, flew kites, swam, went boating, ate ice cream, roasted marshmallows and went on the wagon ride. It was a good trip, excellent weather too (until we had to pack up of course). As it has been since my childhood, Cran Hill is a highlight of my summer!

The 4th

2010-07-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

After encouragement from a friend I have decided to resume my blog without catching up, here we start at the fourth of July, my first as a voting citizen! We had a swimming party and enjoyed the city's fireworks afterwards. It was a hot day, but the pool kept it managable :)

Getty Day (Ballroom Dance at Night)

2010-05-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Getty Art museum was a really neat trip. The museum is huge and we hardly scratched the surface. We took pictures in the gardens and got to see the French Impressionistic and Medieval displays. We had lunch there imbetween the exibits and the gardens. After we returned from the Getty, the Ballroom Dance Club members (including me) set up for our dance, where we taught swing, waltz and salsa to rest of the campus. It was a fun night!

Grand Canyon!!!

2010-05-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

On the way back we got to see a sight I have wanted to for a long time - the Grand Canyon! It was beautiful! It is a long way down, so I can see why it made Mom so nervous, but it was really a neat sight to behold. Just another adventure I can add to my list of "amazing things I've seen and done this year".

The Work Week

2010-04-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

What a full work week! We started out the week painting four rooms and the hallway of the guest dorms. With all eight of us working it took us only two days to do both coats! After that we demolished an old greenhouse, filled in potholes, and cleaned the gutters along the street for the rest of the week. We got a lot accomplished and it was nice to be able to see a change after our labors!

Rehoboth Day One

2010-04-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

Over Spring break I went on a service trip to the School in Rehoboth, NM. Day One was a long day of driving to get from CA to where we were serving. We stopped at a sweet little Cafe on Route 66 and I had a buffalo burger. As we got closer, it began to be more snowy. We finally arrived late at night at our destination safely.

Union Rescue Mission

2010-03-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

The night after exams, we had the opportunity to stay overnight at the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row. We helped the set out cots at night. We were supposed to sleep on the roof, but it was rainy so we slept in the board room on the floor. The next morning we served breakfast to the many homeless.

Cosmic Bowling

2010-03-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Friday night there was a SS event where we were sorted into different teams and went bowling as superheroes! It was a lot of fun to dress up and have a good time together. I did not bowl very well, but had a good time nonetheless :).

Camping in Malubu

2010-03-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

I had the most wonderful time with some other students camping on the beach. It was a campground literally on the sand by the ocean! We also did some exhausting but breathtaking hiking on the hills right behind the beach. It was tiring and cold at night in tents on the beach, but it was a wonderful time to relax with my friends before midterms!

Jewish Awareness Weekend

2010-02-14T23:15:00.000-08:00

This was Jewish Awareness week. It began with a Jews for Jesus Chapel speaker and with some sort of orientation by Dr. Swanson. Monday night we went to a Jewish Temple in LA and toured there and followed that with lunch at a Jewish deli where I had pickled herring and liked it. After that we went to the Museum of Tolerance and the Holocaust Museum. Friday night we ended the week with attending a local service at a Temple. It was a lot in Hebrew that I had a hard time following and getting used to reading the songbook left to right was interesting, but the music was neat and the readings poetic. But without Christ there was no real hope and it was empty. I found it sad.

An Afternoon at Oceanside

2010-02-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

I love going down and seeing Grandpa and Grandma when they're in the area. Grandpa had to study this last time so Grandma showed me the beach where we had spent a lot of time when I was younger and drove around a little. I love all the sea life - especially the seals! The most interesting thing we saw though was definately the beached boat.

Open Mike Night

2010-02-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

Providence's outlet for the arts! Coffee and dramatic lighting set the mood for a night of poetry, music and readings. We may be a small campus but a lot of students have a lot of talent. I love seeing the fruits of their writing labors. I myself shared three poems - it is so nice to use them somewhere other than on your computer!

Photo Edit

2010-02-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful sky to begin with, then I added the color and came out with a result I can be proud of.

Results

2010-01-24T21:11:00.001-08:00

The dark rain clouds obscured the mountains for a long time, but now that they have cleared this is the result!!!

Rain Rain Rain

2010-01-24T21:04:00.001-08:00

When it rains it pours!!!

But that doesn't stop Californians, though it may spur some to endless complaints :). We had some exciting puddles and flooding, but through it all there were still those who would go out and run in the rain or play ultimate Frisbee in a downpour.

Westminster

2010-01-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

One of the Four Ws offered this semester was to attend a conference at Westminster Reformed Seminary. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear such big names as Dr Godfrey and Michael Horton speak on Christ Kingdom and culture. We left with a lot to talk about!

Student Senate Retreat

2010-01-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

As a Student Senate we started out the new year on a retreat of devotions, planning and fun. The house where we stayed had a beautiful view as you can see behind us. It was a good day

Broomball!!!

2010-01-11T12:16:00.001-08:00

Back on Campus there was an event on Friday night. We rented the local ice rink and played broomball as a college for a few hours. There are upsides to having few enough students to all play on an ice rink together! It was a great night.

Rose Bowl Floats

2010-01-11T12:12:00.001-08:00

Yet another neat Californian sight! My Aunt and her family took me to see the rose bowl parade floats where they were lined up afterwards. Their colors were still brilliant! I liked the one I am standing in front of - the Hollywood bowl where I saw John Williams! The plane behind their family went up and down and spun too. It was really neat!

Christmas at Home

2010-01-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

When we returned home we opened presents. Everyone was happy with their gifts. Andrew got an automatic airlift gun which he has happily pelted me with already, I got some lovely new watches and gift cards and Janelle got a ton of fuzzy socks and a sweet fedora among other things. The most surprising was the Wii though! We spend happy hours already playing together. It was a good Christmas!

The Trip Home

2010-01-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

On the way home we stayed at this really cool hotel that was decorated with cabin decor. The pool went inside and outside. Andrew swam out and brought in snow to dump on me in the hot tub. HA HA. The ice on the trees was beautiful. It was nice to get home and spend the remainder of my days (on break) there.

Nicole's Shower

2010-01-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Nicole had her shower over the time we were there so we got to attend. It was a nice kitchen-themed evening of games and gifts and of course desserts! She is now well on her way to a well stocked kitchen.

Christmas in Iowa

2010-01-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

Iowa was a lot of fun! We arrived Christmas eve despite the nasty weather. We played out in the snow a few times during our stay. Christmas morning was the traditional breakfast cassarol and the dinging angels. We then opened presents. Christmas dinner consisted of turkey and stuffing and yams (or sweet potatoes :) and the like. Yum! Later in the week after more fun and games Tim brought his three wheeler and pulled the kids on the sled. That was a hit!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

2009-12-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

I got a warm welcome back in cold MI, although my plane was late I got in safely and got to enjoy a welcome home cake. Mmmm!

My first day home we decorated the tree. Since then we have done so much I have begun to loose track. Lots of working and plenty of seeing people. Not as much sleeping as I'd like but better than at school. One highlight was going to my old school's annual Talent no Talent show. Seeing my sister cheer leading was pretty great too :) And of course, skating on the ice rink!!!

Tourist

2009-12-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma Cammenga both came to my choir concert. The day after I went to Church in Escondido with them like many Christmasses ago and they took me on a tour of the area. First was the greenhouse where Grandma volunteered, talk about a sea of poinsettias!!! Then we drove up above a lovely lake and saw the sprawling city beneath. Westminster Seminary was closed so we didn't look there. We did see a neat new nursing home though, with a really cool windmill really brought all the way from Holland! It was a bit of a trek to go so far, but it was great to spend time with them and see the area.

Wonderful PCC Choir Christmas Concert

2009-12-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

PCC Winter Formal

2009-12-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

Our Winter formal was themed fifties. It was so fun getting dressed up in period garb and swing dancing! For refreshments we had sliders and root beer floats. It was a really fun night and it was great to see guys and greasers and girls in poodle skirts. A great time to hang out with friends and make memories!!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

I spent Thanksgiving with my Aunt Barb. We decorated for Christmas - California style! I got to string lights on a palm tree and Lisa and I sunbathed with our Christmas hats on. For my birthday we enjoyed a cookie cake. On Thanksgiving day itself we went to a restaurant and had a great dinner, and went bowling in Hollywood where the stars do. Then we drove in the Hollywood hills. We found this amazing hill where we could see the Hollywood sign, the ocean, Beverly Hills, LA and hear everything coming from the Hollywood Bowl. It was sunset and so pretty! I wish cameras could capture that. After that we went to some of their friends' house and watched TV, ate great food and played Star Wars trivial pursuit. My team won!! :) It was a great break. And for all the doubters, I also managed to write a paper and read a whole book while I was there, plus more...

Disneyland!!!

2009-11-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

Perhaps there was no day as cool as the day I got to go to Disneyland! Uncle Jerry got free tickets from the Jazz band players on the ferryboat in the production of The Princess and the Frog. We got park hopper passes which was terriffic! We did fifteen rides in fifteen hours during the holiday rush! Everything was all decorated for Christmas - super pretty!!!! My favorites were Indiana Jones, Soarin', California screamin, the fun wheel and of course Pirates of the Carribbean! Star tours was pretty cool too though, it was like being in Star Wars!!! Dreams really do come true...

Drama

2009-11-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

The first drama production at PCC! We started with "A Marriage Proposal", which I was in and it was hillarious!!! The pictures are all of that play. Then was a production of "It's Nuts" and then "Charlie Brown and the Great Pumkin". All the plays went exceedingly well, ours was better than we had ever practiced, everything was spot on! We fed off the audience's energy so well, and the best part was that my Grandparents came and I could recognize his laugh out of the crowd :)

Hollywood and Amoeba

2009-11-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

A great day of hiking and shopping. We hiked to above the sign and then back to below it to take pictures. It was a good hike, enough to get you tired but not too sore. Great view of the sign too! Then to In N Out for lunch and then AMOEBA!!! Wow what a huge store. You can get disoriented in there. Luckily I had a list so I didn't get too sidetracked. I am very pleased to get some new music. What a great day!

Reformation Day

2009-11-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

Halloween at Providence was fun. We have a Reformation Festival for the faculty's kids and their friends. I ran the three legged race with another student. The kids had a lot of fun and there were plenty of cookies and candy :) After the games we watched Monsters Inc. Then we had a poetry/ scary story reading with just the students.

Tarantula

2009-11-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

The huge one we saw on parents weekend.

2009-10-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Family weekend! We had a blast! They came in very late Thursday night, and came again on Friday. They sat in on classes and enjoyed a planned night of the newlywed game and then I stayed overnight in the hotel with them. We went swimming :). The next day we did some shopping in LA, saw the Chinese Theatre and the stars in Hollywood and went to the foggy beach. Sunday they came to First Chino with me evening and morning and we hiked up Mount Baldy imbetween. It was so much fun to see them again. Love you all :) <3

Beach!!!

2009-10-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Simply beautiful! An evening swimming, roasting hot dogs, playing volleyball, watching the sun set, eating smores and singing songs of praise to our creator around the campfire. Priceless.

Softball

2009-10-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

We may not win, but we have fun.

Enough said :)

Living the Dream

2009-10-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

Probably the best weekend yet! (Sans John Williams :) We went waterskiing in one of the RD's family's boat. It was so great cutting through the water on a sunny day, surrounded by mountains, the wind in my hair! It was like something out of a movie. I am pleased to report that I got up first try :). Although I never stayed up too terribly long, I did also manage to go no handed - it was so fun!!! In N' Out after.

Mountain Retreat

2009-09-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

All Campus Retreat is a Providence tradition of which I now have the privelage to have participated in. We went up Friday afternoon and left Saturday night. Inbetween we listened to three talks by Bill Godfrey on PCC's new motto "In Christ all things New". There were also fun team games including making an ice cream sundae on someone's forehead from standing on a chair, making posters, writing promotional skits and knowing random facts about fellow classmates. During freetime we played ultimate frizbee, went stargazing and ate their camp meals. I saw a shooting star and my first live raccoon.

PCC Volleyball

2009-09-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

I've gone to games two nights so far, and they area always fun! Sure, we rarely win, but we play hard and I always enjoy seeing the game played. I had a great time taking pictures last time, some of them turned out alright.

New College President

2009-09-20T17:39:00.001-07:00

I took pictures at the inaugeration recessional thing, but not at the event itself. I did however somewhat document the question and answer session they had with the students. As you can see, if he got a "high stakes" question wrong he got water dumped on his head.

Curfew over...

2009-09-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

As most of you already know I got in my first car accident, a fender bender and front crusher, our first night of no curfew. We were going to drive to the beach and walk the pier but plans change as we three rear ended each other when a car suddenly stopped in a construction zone. Some people went to the beach still, but I went home.

Below we are balancing on parking lot posts while waiting for the tow truck...

WIPEOUT!!!

2009-09-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Student Senate hosted a campus event which involved dividing us into teams and taking on a series of challenges. It was a lot of fun. Events included balance beaming while being assaulted by water balloons, hulahoop passing, tug of war over a pit of wet flour, a five legged race, water balloon volleyball and a tie breaker involving a pool filled with koolaid.

Of course after the games were done, the boys had to dunk each other into the pool - boys will be boys. :)

Bonfire

2009-09-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

A wonderful evening under the stars and amid the mooing of dairy cows! Some of the students are from a dairy farm a few minutes away from campus, and they invited us to a bonfire. It was a great night of marshmallows, getting to know each other more and enjoying the California moon.

My first In n' Out Burger!

2009-09-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

After the concert enough of us wanted to stop so around 1:30 in the morning I ate my first time at In N' Out. It was good :). Now I can belong here... lol. :)

Hollywood Bowl

2009-09-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

What an amazing night! I will never forget it, I'm sure! Just seeing John Williams in person was so neat! Well, we arrived early at the Hollywood Bowl so we'd get out sooner, due to the insane California parking pictured right above. We ate in the picnic area and then went to our seats. There were lightsabers for sale and a lot of us bought them (including me :) and they really enhanced the experience! At first we messed around with them until the concert started. He played a lot of Harry Potter, then things like Casablanca and superman and a general tribute to the movies. Then he left! We all clapped but were wondering where our star wars was! Then he came back out and we all cheered and screamed and he played the Star Wars main title, (note the lightsabers coming out), went out, we cheered, he came back in and played ET then repeated this and played the empire theme - the stage turned red, as did many of the lightsabers in the audience. :) No Indy though, but he had us going for awhile. It was a great evening! I had sooo much fun!

Beach Day!

2009-09-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hot dogs, surf, sun, shopping, jamba juice, enough said!

Quakes game

2009-09-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

The great amarican passtime.

Many students attended a Quakes game last week. It was a time of fun and fellowship and getting to know each other even better. I just loved that we could see the mountains. It was also fun teaching one of my roomates to "charge" since she hadn't really attended many of these. :)

Popular Passtime

2009-09-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Night volleyball is a huge hit at Providence and I must admit I have really enjoyed it! It is fun and relaxing, even though we do keep score. I even served overhanded a few times!

Mountain Retreat

2009-08-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Freshman got to go on a retreat to the mountains. I cannot believe how fast we grew closer together! We did a talent show, went hiking, boating, window shopping, out to pizza and slid down the apline slide! Busy, adventurous and fun!

Pictures Week one Providence

2009-08-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

this week has gone better than I could possibly have expected. Thank you all for your prayers! I have met great people and seen a lot of things (mountain retreat pictures to follow). these include ice cream socials, scavenger hunts and countless orentation meetings as well as fun mixer games in Hessed and the Chapel. The five standing outside the building are my roomates and I.

Cran Hill

2009-08-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

More high quality pics! Our family camping trip to Cran Hill, the last of the summer.

Fun and relaxing and gave me time to finish my college summer reading. We had some crazy rain and wind so it was good reading weather.

New Camera

2009-08-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Say hello to my new camera, Nik, a Nikon D40 who brings a whole new quality to my photos. :) This camera focuses like you wouldn't believe and is so detailed it shows pollen I didn't see with my naked eye! Anyway, I love it.

Summer Collage

2009-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

Since I am so behind, I thought I could sum up the summer in a nice list of pictures collected during these months.

The rainbow is from the barbeque we had at work. The rain did not bother us under the pavilion and made the most beautiful whole rainbow I have ever seen. I couldn't get the whole thing in one camera shot...

Andrew and Janelle are on the beach at Sleeper state park where we vacationed a weekend.

TEA party number two for me! Handing out pamphlets and ice cream afterward.

July 4 we did our own fireworks at home then went to the city ones. Andrew has the line since he of course wants to link them all together to go off in a continual line.

FEE seminar. One of the many perks to working where I do. :) I learned so much about economics and government this summer and met so many amazing people, some of whom are pictured in the photo.

Star Wars marathon, I watched all six with two friends in about fourteen hours, quite a day!

Cousins from the huge family reunion we hosted.

Andrew made a hovercraft, and even Grandpa tried it out!! :)

Fathers Day Feast

2009-06-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Fathers day afternoon started out with a bang and a lot of people! We hosted a lunch for one of our Church's missionary families and several others. After a long nap following this activity present time finally rolled around. He was happy with his manly gifts, I was not happy that on the second flash he put a gift box in front of his face to ruin the picture so I wanted to make sure you all saw it, not that it would guilt him into changing, quite honestly if he ever sees this he will laugh.... dads! All in all, it was a good day of enjoying Dad and all the things he's done for us all year round.

Ludington

2009-06-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

On the road again! One of the favorite annual camping trips for the family is Ludington State Park.

The first night's sunset looked like it was going to be lame, but at the last minute there was a beautiful explosion of color!

We always enjoy the lake walk, this year we saw more wildlife than ever! A swan had made her next right by the bridge, there was a crane calling for his mate, and there were chipmunks everywhere too!

It is always nice to sit around the fire and enjoy catching up on each other's company. Biking up to swim at the beach and the dam was nice too. The ducks were very bold in the swimming area looking for food. We also walked to the dunes. One night we had ice cream on Oma - that was really a treat!

And yet, the best laid plans of mice and men so often go awry! As you can see in the last picture - we are waiting along the side of the road for AAA to bring our smoking trailer bearing to somewhere it could be fixed - now that messed up or afternoon nicely! But as you can see, we really know how to wait out a problem. :)

Party Party!

2009-06-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

Plenty of petit fours, mounds of meatballs, darling decorations, constant conversation and a house filled with friends. This pretty much summarizes my graduation open house! It was a great day, despite the wind in the morning! Sunshine all evening and excellent food and company! Everybody was so generous and I had a great time celebrating with so many people who care about me.

The Big Moment....

2009-06-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Graduation! It will linger forever in my mind! Possibly the most memorable moment was it's very opening. Our pianist lost the music to pomp and circumstance, so instead my father hummed it in front of the entire audience! Won't forget that any time soon. :) The ceremony went very well, I got to read the class verse, thus the picture of me by the microphone. After pomp and circumstance, everything went off without a hitch. The last day as a student at MCS went perfectly, I will never forget all the wonderful things that happened to me there - it was a huge part of my life and I loved it!

Thanks to my grandparents and everyone else who came to celebrate with me, there or at my party with attendance or cards and gifts! It's those little things that make times like these times really special.

And just for the record, several of these pictures came off my friends facebooks, so credit where it is due, they weren't all me. :)

Senior Trip Day Five

2009-06-24T04:35:00.001-07:00

We did it! We hit all four parks! :) I don't think I missed a single ride I wanted to go on. It was so neat to see the parks I had never been to. Epcott we visited the night before and rode the viking ride, Soarin' and Test Track. We could see the dome all lit up from our balcony, right across the water. In the morning we headed out to Animal Kingdom. We got a fast pass for Expedition Everest and rode the safari while we were waiting. Then it was over to Hollywood Studios, where we got a fast pass for the rockin' roller coaster and ate lunch. One friend did the tower of terror - I didn't, sorry all. We rode Soarin' again while waiting for our fast pass time to come around. Rockin' Roller coaster was cool. As soon as we were done with that, we shopped around. Then we met up with the big group and as a big group went to the Magic kingdom. With our disney-experienced chaperone at the lead we were able to get to all the rides there we wanted too - it helped that we had until one o'clock. :)

What a great trip! It really is the happiest place on earth.

Senior Trip Day Four

2009-06-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Universal Studio Day!! Not only did they have rides, the whole atmosphere was amazing! We actually went to the part of the park called Islands of Adventure, which has more rides, I believe. Anyway, we certainly enjoyed it there, I think the best part was how artistic the place was. In the cartoon land you felt like you were in a cartoon, same with the comic book section, and the Seuss Landing and medieval section. Even standing in line was fun.

That night we started Epcott and got settled into our new room; the girls got four balconies from which we could see the Epcott dome and an actual staircase- in our room!!! Though you could call it a house!

Senior Trip Day Three

2009-06-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

BEACH DAY!!!! We spent the day swimming, watching classic girly Disney movies and just hanging out.

We saw a cute crab, shown above, and I had plenty of time to take pictures. We had the usual rainstorm, but two boys in my class dubbed it a hurricane and kept yelling "run for your lives." :) I was almost killed by a falling palm leaf. ;) You do have to admit, it looked kind of scary...

We grilled hamburgers for lunch and got to eat them at a pagoda-hut thing. They were really good!

And then, over the ocean, there was a rainbow! You can kinda see it behind me and Kayla at the very top. What a perfect way to enjoy an evening.

And as every night before, we finished out the day by playing Mafia. It was so fun!

Senior Trip Day Two

2009-06-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

The next day was NASA. Some of my friends went early with me to learn more, but some just came later for our red carpet tour. We enjoyed the rocket garden, the museum for early space exploration, the art gallery, a robot exibit building and touching a meteor AND a moon rock! The globe of constellations was a hit, it was very fun to roll the ball around.

On the tour we got to see the tallest one story building in the world, the shuttle runway, the huge crawler, dolphins, an alligator and more.

Interestingly enough, the globe sculpture and palm trees made me miss Providence.

Senior Trip Day One

2009-06-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Because of a generous donation, our class got the trip of a lifetime, so we flew to Florida! First day we landed and drove to Vero Beach where we stayed at the Disney Resort, which had everything we could want and then some! Cute towel animals and everything. Girls had two separate two room condos with Jacuzzis and the boys shared one. First thing- hit the beach! They had a pool with a water slide and across on a boardwalk was steps to the ocean. It was one of my classmates first time seeing the ocean and it was fun riding the waves with her. Although I've been there before I forgot how salty it was! Florida was WARM too. We spent the day relaxing and shopping and swimming.

Foal!!!

2009-06-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

This adorable baby is at the barn where we have Tall in the Saddle, thought he was sooo cute! Pictures can't capture it though... :(

Cedar Point

2009-06-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite school trips to be sure is Cedar Point, where the secondary often goes in the spring. I just love roller coasters and moments of crazy intense self inflicted terror as you perch

at the top of a huge hill, and then the feeling of flying falling down. The memories we create are amazing, for instance, standing in front of the cow, why we don't know but it was fun. :) This year I overcame a fear I have had for, well, it must be about three years now- the Top Thrill Dragster, pictured above. It's only one hill, but it's the tallest in the park and they shoot you up - straight up, and then you plummet - straight down with a twist on the way. It's one of the tallest coasters in the world- I think there's one in China 20 feet higher or something but that might be it.... Anyway, it's crazy, but it was so much fun!!! I was shocked how much I liked it. I rode the Maverick too, the new one, with a 90 degree drop- now THAT was scary! Also ridden; Max Air, Iron dragon, Raptor... well, by this time I think I rode every one in the parks at least once! Time to move on, I guess. All the coasters pictured I have ridden. Green is Raptor, one of my favorites, the one with the sun behind it, like a stick in the sky, is the Top Thrill Dragster.

Visiting

2009-06-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

A surprise visit from Grandpa and Grandma Cammenga was nice! We packed in some great stuff including dinner, rummicube, showing off the go kart and some pictures with my grad gown which came in just in the nick of time. :) Always nice to see them.

It was my first time actually driving the gokart for me, so that was fun! :)

I love you, Grandpa and Grandma!

Mother's Day

2009-06-07T15:54:00.001-07:00

Yes it was a long time ago, but I thought it worth a post. For mothers day we got mom (drumroll please) among other things... a lawn swing!!!! Yes she wanted it, but it was still a surprise that we actually splurged on it. :) We brought out the good china for a steak lunch- dad cooked, and spent the afternoon roasting marshmallows and playing taboo. Good times, we love you mom!!

Hamlet- With extra cheese

2009-06-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a long time ago, we

put on a school drama production called "Hamlet with Extra Cheese", a spoof on four shakespear plays. It went off very well! I was both lady Macbeth (in Macbeth) and Queen Gertrude (In Hamlet). Andrew helped with the sound system and was also Malcom and Laertes (his pic is a little blurry, but in my defense the conditions back there were less than ideal. The top picture is me with Macbeth (we got the "best actor/actress award") and in the picture on the bottom are Prince Hamlet, Richard the Third, Macbeth and... well, she wasn't in the play, but she's my friend anyway. :)

Junior Senior Banquet

2009-06-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

Two words describe my life right now- "Very Busy". I am so sorry at how much time has elapsed here. So much has happened that it becomes burdensome to even think about catching up sometimes. But now here I am with something of a free night and I'm going to try to give an abbreviated version of the events of the past few months.

One highlight was the Junior Senior Banquet which we put on for the seniors last year and this year the juniors did for us. Pictures were taken before hand and then we went to the fancy banquet. It was a very nice night of honoring the seniors and sharing memories with smiles and a few tears. We each gave a speech of where we were going with our lives, favorite memories and activities and also thanking those who impacted our lives so much at school. Another nice thing is that parents can come, so mom and dad got to share the night with me.

Tea Party

2009-04-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

When there is a problem with the government, we have the right for peaceful protests and so many assembled to protest the taxes and excessive government spending, along with the general direction which the country is taking. From the tea party here, about 500, most were eager to participate. Many posters were very clever. I was glad to attend, it was my first protest. I am so excited to play a part in history! And I'll leave with this thought for free market thinking: Free people are not equal and equal people are not free. :)

Mark Twain

2009-04-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Twain's Childhood home

The gallery of Norman Rockwell illustrations to Twain's novels.

"Life on the Missippi."

"Roughing it."

Andrew and Janelle whitewashing the fence for an incurably lazy Tom. :)

The town of Hannibal boasts many Mark Twain Sights. The famous Author, then Samuel Clemens, lived there and they think many of his characters and places were inspired by his hometown. It was in view of the Missippi where he used to guide steamboats. I am seen in the mock riverboat - it was soo cool! You could actually see the river from the window. The museum was really cool, and it was also neat seeing all the displays and quotes around his home. I learned a lot about him. It was neat to see places similar to those he described in books and walk the ground that he walked. Our last stop was to Abraham Lincoln's house. Also a nice place.

Anhuiseer-Busch (Apoligies for the spelling)

2009-04-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

What a well decorated factory! Complete with wrought-iron fences, flowers and a chandelier from the World's fair, the Budweiser plant was very fancy. My favorite part was definitely the Clydesdale barn. Did you know there are standards each Clydesdale has to meet to become part of the hitch in weight, size and coloring? It takes about five hours to get the eight horse hitch ready to show. When we were there, they were getting groomed to go to the Cardinal's opening night. Their stable had a golden chandelier, roomy stalls and stained glass windows. I have never seen such a clean barn!!

Zoo

2009-04-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

The next stop was the St Louis Zoo. My favorites were the penguins. We got so close! The one with his head up is making an amazing penguin call, it was pretty funny! Of course inside there was this duck in one of the exhibits that decided to splash me and I smelled like Salt Water the rest of the day! :)

There were lots of great exhibits- it was a really well designed zoo, even the fountains were fancy! I like the photo of us on the statue, of course right after we took the picture we noticed the "do not climb on" sign- whoops! Another funny thing was when we were next to a snake statue and there was a little boy working up the courage to touch it. As soon as he did my dad hissed really loud and he jumped back- poor thing. The little boy's dad thought it was really funny though. :)

Church

2009-04-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you to who reccomended the Church we attended on Sunday. It was very beautiful and had a good message. I thought the whole Church was very attractively made up, but I didn't take too many pictures since I didn't want to be a distraction. :)

St Louis Arch

2009-04-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Well, when it rains it pours! After a photography drought, my fam did something that left me scrambling to keep up with my photos! Our trip to St. Louis this spring break was great! Down there it's all in bloom already. Our first stop was the St Louis Arch; Gateway to the West. We visited the museum and also watched a video on the making of the arch. - it was CRAZY! People with no harnesses and huge cranes pulling themselves up half finished structures? Wow. I'm just glad I wasn't the photographer that had to document it! And yes, we did go to the top- through the 4 foot hole into the little pods that intermittently corrected themselves to line up with the ground to the swaying top where little kids were yelling and running. It was pretty cool though once you get past all that: it is a marvel of engineering and has a great view. I liked the shot I got of the old Courthouse below. Anyway, we survived to come back down, and all in all it was a very nice day we spent. The park was really nice and I think I managed to get a few unique shots of an over documented landmark.

And the drowning statues? We have no idea why they were there in the river. If you know, we'd love to know. :)

Beautiful Downtown

2009-03-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

Which of these things is not like the others? The clock! I may not have found it downtown, but I did use it for my photo project. I'm taking an online photography course and thought I'd share some of my artsy fun with you! :) It's been awhile! Don't worry, I'm alive and well, just very busy.

A recent event in poetry

2009-02-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Oh the cascading fountain
Sparkling, but dirty in spurts
An solid wall like a mountain
Of water falling to earth

The tile looked better before
This deluge interrupted it's shine
The water is constantly pouring
What shall we do to make it fall behind

The sink it does weep very loudly
I do wish it would stop
This is why I am hurriedly
Searching for towels and mops

Ah, it is all cleaned now
Both up here and down the stairs
But I do hope this isn't how
Other sink-clogs will catch us unawares. :)

Apologies for the meter- which leaves something to be desired, but I thought it was an interesting way to tell about a flash event I had no pictures for. Don't worry, didn't take long to clean or anything, just a little excitement in the household!

Feasting Senior

2009-02-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

What better way to end a chapter on Medieval times than to have a Medieval feast! And what better way to celebrate being the Chief Photographer than to assign yourself to take the pictures! :) It was a good time.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

A single rose amid a sea of carnations from dear friends. It was a happy valentines from my sister. She is so sweet!

A Night at the Oscars

2009-02-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, a friend's church put on a fundraiser for children in Africa called a Night at the Oscars. It was a talent show style night with performances and videos. Some were really good! It was a nice time, and a great excuse to get all dressed up. And who doesn't love an event with huge cardboard characters like Gandalf and Artoo-detoo? The girl in the middle of the top picture won best dressed- she made her dress!

School Snow fun!

2009-02-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

Do school and fun go together? Sure they do! Of course it seems even nicer when it's that or sit and continue to contemplate Gulliver's Travels. I, for one, like English, but after an hour or two of hard work we were ready for a break! It's so beautiful when it snows!

Snow fun!

2009-02-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

Snow forts! We got these nifty block-makers for Christmas (like Dad had when he was little) and Andrew and Janelle had a grand old time making forts across from the driveway for snowball fights. They turned out well!

Basketball!!

2009-01-31T12:19:00.000-08:00

I had a fantastic time at the basketball games yesterday night! Both the girls and boys games were very close, and the Crusaders played hard! The other team tends to be very aggressive, so it's great to see our team really step it up a notch. Girls lost by not too much, boys won by not too much- held their lead to the end! It was pretty intense! The fans were on their feet the last five minutes.

Last Last Last College visit

2009-01-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

Finally Exams are over (my last ones in high school. Yippee!!!) and we had the weekend off. Dad and I took that time to look at another college, the last one, for serious this time. Our visit started badly, as the professor we were supposed to talk to was out and the class we attended instead went so long we missed our meeting with my admissions councellor. However as the day wore on things got better. Quick list of things I liked:

I thought the chapels were good, nice music choice, use of scripture, ect.

The campus complete with bell tower and multi level dorms, nice architecture

I enjoyed the class I sat in on, interesting, organized, fun

They have my major, photojournalism, and a good lab to go with it

It's nearer home!

And these are among other plusses. Decision date draws near. It's between this one and Providence. And both call my name very loudly.

A Monster Size Concert

2009-01-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the extreme tardiness of this post, I've been pretty busy, and it's not looking like it will be lessening with exams coming *shudder* and my new job (Yay!!). Well, last Saturday Janelle participated in the monster concert, where many students play the same duet at the same time on different pianos with percussion added. It went very well and everyone enjoyed themselves. They played a lot more well-known songs this year. Janelle played Bijou Rag and Swirling winds.

Ice Skating

2009-01-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

I recently attended an ice skating party. It was great! It was fun to be with friends- and be on the ice again! I got a few compliments on my skating, so that felt really good. Of course we have had and ice rink in our back yard... And Alan wasn't there, he's much better than me! ;)Afterward we went to a friend's house and watched chick flicks, just us girls. There was food and lots of games. A great way to spend a night in the winter of your senior year!

Christmas at Home

2009-01-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

One of the things that keeps our spirits up as we fly farther and farther away from our beloved extended family is the promise of presents when we get home. And they were great! Andrew liked his Periodic table shirt, and Janelle got two webkinz, so she's happy. ;) Among my favorites received from my family were a thesaurus, Prince Caspian, books, a tripod (though that was from a grandparent I guess), and a CELL PHONE!!!!!! I never expected that one, I mean it's one thing to ask and beg, but there are some things you just never actually expect to get. I am a happy camper. I have been really blessed this year, not just from gifts received, but by the friendships I have been given; they seem even richer and brighter this year, or maybe I'm just appreciating them more.

End of our Trip

2009-01-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

A few last miscellaneous pictures. Top- pretty windmill near where we went shopping, laced with snow. Next, the rare breyer horse models I got a fantastic deal on while shopping. Bottom, where we slept in the basement all week. And that is the end of our relaxing trip. We got home half an hour before the ball dropped and so didn't have to celebrate in an airport again. How nice. Happy new year!

Christmas Day

2009-01-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning started with Church being cancelled because of the snow- after all if it snows there everything closes... So we began our white Christmas at a leisurely pace with a lovely breakfast of coffee cake. Out came the angels that hung over the candles and spun around singing "ting ting" whenever they encountered a bell (I love those!) Then we opened gifts. Grandpa and Grandma got a digital picture frame and liked it. I received body lotions, money, chap sticks and pens. This was followed by lunch and a game night with Uncle Harold. There's no place quite like Grandma's for Christmas.