Sunday, July 4, 2010

Land of the free and home of the brave




~ O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that OUR flag was still there.
O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream.
'Tis the Star-Spangled Banner, oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever, when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: " IN GOD IS OUR TRUST!"
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!~
~Frances Scott Key

Additional civil war stanza~

When our land is illumined with liberty's smile,
If a foe from within strikes a blow at her glory,
Down, down with the traitor that tries to defile
The flag of the stars, and the page of her story!
By the millions unchained,
Who their birthright have gained
We will keep her bright blazon forever unstained;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave,
While the land of the free is the home of the brave.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes

~GOD BLESS AMERICA~

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Reasons for...

...My prolonged silence. I had intended to post about our church VBS looooooooong before this
but a couple of interesting things occurred to prevent this. First I arrived home the day after VBS finished to find...(oh no!!! Not again!!!)... my camera completely destroyed by my dear little sister:(
After that I was attacked by a stomach virus and had to under go the joys and blessings of dehydration, not being able to eat any solid food and spending almost all week in bed.Passing a slow but sure recovery I under went the great privilege of having my braces installed and therefore am now suffering from a very sore mouth and not being able to bite, hence I'm once again on a soft foods diet. Of course after such an eventful week my poor nerves are quite tattered and I'm rather surprised that I'm still in one piece. Of course, it's a given that I have enjoyed a LOT of TLC from my loving family and am well on my way to being a VERY spoiled 15 year old. Well, now that you know the reasons for my inexcusable behavior in not posting I shall proceed to our VBS.

Story time

I was in the Torres class and we had such a wonderful time with all the 8 and 9 year old's.

The weather here in SC can be very interesting as you shall soon find out. 2 of my friends had come to get some supplies from our class and when they arrived it was raining cats and dogs. They didn't stay long, just long enough to grab the supplies and some candy from my treasure bag but by the time they left it wasn't raining anymore and the sun was out in all its splendor and one of my friends shouted out "there's a rainbow!!!" I ran out with my camera and was stunned by the beauty of that rainbow.I had never seen a full rainbow before and it was gorgeous!!! The picture can never do it justice.

My artistic verse. This was a lot of fun to draw and the children had a lot of fun learning their verses.
Of course, after being so well behaved all during the class all of us older kids (and the younger ones too) needed an outlet for all of our pent up energy. How do you get rid of all this energy? It's simple run out to the back field of the church and organize a soccer match. Us girls don't usually play, though sometimes we do get inspired and join in the games, but this time we all went to play. Because it is such a rare thing for us to play, I was nominated captain of Barcelona and Elizabeth was chosen captain for Real Madrid. After we flipped a gum packet ( we didn't have a coin and as gum is a very common thing amongst us it was a natural and original way of seeing who got to choose first*wink*) and divided up the teams the game began. The first night we played a 90 minute game and we won 6-5.

Jared and I, after the game.
The next evening, which was Thursday, we won 14-5 still playing 90 min. games and since then we have had a "perfect season" winning every game as far as I know. Now as you may remember it was raining cats and dogs so you might wonder how did you play in such weather conditions. Well truth be told we played in a flooded field!!!

So here is what Havi and I looked like after the games, sweaty, tired and soaking wet.
On the last day the Torres brought pizza for all of the kids of their class and bought foam sun visors to decorate.

Mrs.Torres and I

All the children
Also during the whole week of VBS our church was recording our 4th sacred CD so my daddy took me to the studio a couple of times.

David Chapman and my Bro. Camilo

The chihuahua belonged to Mr. Emory at who's studio they were recording. Now Milo has never liked Chihuahuas but Hershey loved sitting on Milo's lap. Quite a funny predicament:)
On Sunday we had a very nice Father's day with a delicious meal and the company of the best daddy in the world...

as well as my dear grandpa. I gave my daddy "What he must be... if he wants to marry my daughter" by Vodie Baucham and had the whole family laughing.
Also to finish this lengthy post this Saturday we celebrated Caleb's 19th birthday.
The USA fans.
We had some friends and family over for Mexican hot dogs and then we all watched the USA vs. Ghana soccer game. The only bad thing about his birthday is that USA lost and was therefore eliminated from the world cup. Oh well, that's life. Happy birthday Caleb!!!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

4 years ago yesterday...

... A little baby was born.
A little girl to be loved and petted,
to be cared for and cherished and yes, sometimes even spoiled.

This little girl is my dear little sister and playmate now 4 years old.

Affectionately known as "Pulga" because of her small size and
how she clings to you, Victoria Isabella Franco is a big blessing despite her size.

I love you soooo much Pulga!!! Happy birthday!!!
~So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom~
~ Psalm 90:12

Saturday, June 5, 2010

A little bit of this and that

Or rather a LOT of this and a LOT of that!!!
As some of you may know, my family and I went on vacation the last week of May.
Our vacationing spot was a beautiful retreat set deep in the Mountains of SC.

The house is called BarCraKen after the three sons (Barry, Craig and Kenneth) of the people who built it. The first owners built it as a refuge after their son Craig passed away in a car accident.
Mrs. Janet Albury bought it from them after her husband and daughter passed away in a plane accident. She used the house to start a ministry called "C. Grace at work". C. Grace after her daughter Caitlin Grace and another young lady named Christiana Grace who also died in the plane crash. She lets full time pastors and missionaries stay for a week free in the house to be able to rest.
And rest we did. We spent a delightful week
with breathtaking views...

...beautiful hikes...

...And the beauty of God's handiwork completely surrounding us.

The gang

Enjoying the cool water at Table Rock.

Me and my pulga
While we were there we celebrated my 15th birthday
(which means the 2nd anniversary of this blog!!!).

On Saturday, which was the last day of our vacation, we went to the wedding
of Jon Cochran and Rebekah Jenkins.

The happy couple
It was such a blessing to see how God united these 2 people and to be able to meet up with old friends again.

Me, Alicia and Amy

Rachel, Me and Lizzy
And thus our vacation came to a close. Back here at home we celebrated David' s 6th birthday
with Camilo and Jessica.

And of course Hailey bug who has recently discovered the delights of Pepsi*wink*

Happy 6th birthday David!!! Thank you for being such a joy to all of us.
And for the record, David LOVES smores!!!
And finally yesterday we went on a homeschool field trip to "Ashtabula" plantation in Pendleton, SC.

Don't you wish that you could live in a house like that?

Listening to the tour guide.

Anna, Me and Katie

Aren't these dresses just beautiful???!!!
Oh how I wish we could still dress like that today.

The bedroom.

Learning what children did as pastimes before the age of technology.

Danny(AKA=Coon) thoroughly enjoying having to dress up(NOT).
Well now you are all up to date on the happenings of my family and I hope you have a wonderful Lord's day tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

All about May

We have had a chock full weekend and I hope you enjoy seeing the pictures.
Friday= The first swimming/getting wet spree of the summer.

Enjoying the sprinkler.

Even Shiloh joined in the fun.
Saturday=A mother-daughter tea at church.

Franky sent mother the roses all the way from NJ!!!
She was thrilled!!!


Enjoying delicious food and fellowship with friends and family.
Saturday afternoon= Taking fun, normal and crazy pictures with Friends.

Lizzie, Esp and Bess

It may not be very ladylike to climb trees, but boy did we have fun.

Thinking and talking.

Springtime bliss = Swinging with a friend.

Pictures on the swing set.

Best friends

After taking soooo many pictures we just had to lie down and rest.
Sunday=Mother's day and church.

Violeta

Me, Damaris, Elizabeth and Esperanza

Me and my handsome cousin, Cristian

Me, myself and I

The children love having a swing set in their back yard.

Sunny days, big smiles, spring joys.

Havi, after I did her hair.

For mother's day we invited Abuela and Pablo for lunch.

Mother and Abuela, opening their gifts.

Victoria was thrilled that I had curled her hair.

Auntie Victoria holding Hailey bug.

She did not want a picture.

Abuela, Aunt Chelin and Uncle Gonzalo

Now for mother's day I would like to share a poem that My mother wrote and that has been a great blessing to me.

~ Someday~

Someday I shall have
A house, oh so clean
Where all is in order
And my soul rests at ease

I shan't have to follow after
Picking up the dolls
Little toys and clothing
Legos, shoes and balls

There won't be so much noise
I'll read a book at peace
Without a single interruption
In concentration complete

I shall sleep the whole night through
Without a single one to call me
To complain of some pain
Or to climb in to my bed

I will not have to look
Under the little beds
And withe trembling, see
To what the Ants may lead

Someday I shall not have
My clothes all wrinkled an mussed
Because they climbed upon me
And made over me such a fuss

I will not be able to hear
The sound of little feet
Coming for the third time
To give me a loving kiss

O Lord hold back the time!!!
And help me to appreciate
The souls You've given me
To treasure and to love

I do not want comfort
If they are not with me
They are my gift, my inheritance
My company, my song

Thank you Father for my home
With it's joyous noise
For my wrinkled clothing
For my children oh dear Lord!
~Lizet Franco~
Happy Mother's Day!!!