Narnia and Pride and Prejudice...

Yes, I finally went to go see "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"...what can I say?! I LOVED it!!!! Some of the acting wasn't the greatest ( I think that Edmund and Peter were both spectacular though!), and Susan was beginning to get a bit on my nerves (she kept bossing Peter around...He just took it so calmly! Like for instance when she said "just because some man in a red suit handed you a sword doesn't make you a hero!", I just about had it. That was SO mean!), but other than that I REALLY enjoyed it. I think that in the movie they added a bit more action than in the book, which was neat. For instance, the bit with the ice breaking, and being chased by the wolves, ect. All in all, I was facinated by the film and can't wait for the next one. Also, the big band music in the beginning was SO AWESOME! :D The music was superb...I have to go get the soundtrack! Everybody should go see it!

I also went to see the new "Pride and Prejudice" with Keira Knightly in it in the past few weeks as well. It was pretty good. I actually enjoyed it immensly! At the very end of the movie I admitted that I liked the new Mr. Darcy much better than the old one (he was much more real not so fairy-taleish), everyone started yelling at me "HERETIC"!!! lol. I really liked it though. :D

So if you're looking for any good movies to see this month. That's my suggestions!

Reformation Day Party Photos!!!! Part 3

Martin Luther aka Dad















Madddy Oakley
















Russell Oakley and Peter Allison II
















Russell Oakley
















Reece Oakley in the Stocks (homemade by Samuel Allison)















Ryan Oakley















Caleb McDonald and Lewis Allison














Virginia Grace McDonald

Reformation Day Party Photos!!!! Part 2

(Above) The league of the Pillsbury Dough Boys A.k.a Robby, Ryan and Reece Oakley















(Above) The Wise Scholar Aka Mr. Allison
















The Adorable Son of the Wise Scholar aka Peter Allison II
















(Above) Another photo of Peter.

(below) Katerina Von Bora Luther aka Mom

Reformation Day Party Photos!!!! Part 1

(Above) Two little Angels at the Party!















(Above) Tetzel A.ka. Mr. Oakley, teaching about indulgences.
















(Above) Abigail Lorraine McDonald

(below) Samuel and Robert Allison lecturing on weapons!

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

I had an interesting conversation with Emma (3) today. It went like this:

"Emma?" I brought her to my side. "I'm going to say 'Emma, what are you?' and you're going to say 'I'm a McDonald'. And I'm going to say, 'What are McDonalds? And you're going to say, 'McDonald's are free.' Okay?"

She nodded obediently. "Okay, Jekka."

I took a deep breath. "Emma, what are you?"

"A McDonald!" She replied confidently.

"And what are McDonalds?" I urged.

She paused for a moment. "Ummm...................Females!"

"Oh what a beautiful morning!"

Nothing is more exciting, than waking up in the morning to a warm fire and the cutest baby boy in the world grinning up at you! Another exciting element of this morning is that the weather outside is 32 degrees!!! Is there any felicity in the world superior to this?! I doubt it.
Well, anyway, here's a couple pictures of the cutest baby boy in the world:

No, I haven't left the planet. I'm still here. But I'm VERY, VERY, VERY busy. I mean, so busy that I can't even explain it. I'm shocked that I actually have time to sit here and post! But anyway, I'm here, so I might as well fill you in.

It's now the McDonald family and the Townsend family officially working at our Tea Room and bookstore. Running a restraunt is not as easy as it may seem. Actually, it takes a lot of time, effort, work, and groceries!!! It's extremly hard work and as I said before VERY time consuming.
So that's my excuse for not posting in a while. I hope it's a sufficient explanation.
I'll post again soon about our Reformation party, and hopefully I'll include pictures.

A Sad Day

I'm extremly sad. Yes, you probably all know exactly why, too.
Yeah, uhu, the Astros lost the World Series.
Why, oh, why?
I'm sad.
I'm depressed.
I want to bawl my eyes out.
Last night, as we watched the game on TV and the White Sox won I had to turn off the TV. I couldn't watch it anymore. It was too depressing.
I wish that they could've won.
But, hey, they got farther this year than the Cardinals....:D (Sorry, Cardinal fans, I just couldn't resist!)
I prayed and prayed and prayed.
Oh, well...as I told my dear friend, Robin, I guess that the White Sox were just predestined to win. :D
I guess I shouldn't get so upset about sports...after all, it is just a game.
Life goes on, I suppose.

Old Faithful

Tiffany, Caleb and Abigail beside Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park.

Happy Birthday, Christa!!!

On this day, twenty-one years ago, Christa Marie McDonald was born. Christa is a blessing to our family. She is quick to be kind, to smile, to apologize and to lend a hand. She is a gift from God and I thank our Lord for her. Happy Birthday, Christa! God bless you.

A Picture Tribute:

Let's Go ASTROS!!!

I'm sooooooooo happy...THE ASTROS WON And BEAT THE CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They're making it to the World Series!!!!
hehehe. Sorry you Cardinal fans. Good game. :D

Reading...reading...and reading some more!

I've thought of something to post on finally!!

The other day Melissa and I made a trip the library, where I checked some really great books! Here's a list:
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
The Elusive Pimpernel
The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel
The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel
The Idiot's Guide to Acting

Whew! When I brought all my books up to the desk, the guy that checked me out looked at me like I was nuts. I just smiled. When I looked to my side, there was a teenage girl gaping at my pile of books. Gosh, hasn't anyone ever seen a teenager that loves to read good long over two hundred page books? I guess not. I mean, she was holding a pile of Mary-Kate and Ashley's(okay, maybe not, but I'm sure it was something of that sort.) !!
This past month I've discovered that I have a passion for literature. I'm not talking about G.A. Henty books. (sorry my dear friends, but that isn't exactly my favorite author. No offense to you Henty fans!) I'm talking about Alexandre Dumas, Cervantes, Baroness Orczy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...the list goes on and on! I was just reading The Man in the Iron Mask today and couldn't put it down. Although I was weeping for poor Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Argatan, I just couldn't stop reading on. I wanted so much to shut the book and not have anything to do with my favorite characters (did I mention that some that were very dear to my heart were dying? D'Argatan in particular?). Of course, The Three Musketeers is much more satisfying, as only a few people die, and not the main characters....
oops. I'm giving away the entire book. Sorry. :D What I'm basically trying to impart to you is that you should read the above books. They're simply marvelous! :D

Random picture of an...odd moment! (Caleb and Our Cousin, Kyle at the Zoo.)

The Latest in October

I think it's about time for a new post. What say you?
So many happenings in the month of October! Here's a short list of some. (If I'm missing any events, please inform me!)

1. Emma's 3rd Birthday
2. Christa's 21st Birthday
3. My 15th birthday
4. My Great-Grandmother's Birthday
5. Reformation Day (The day that Martin Luther posted the 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenburg.)
6. William Alexander's Christening
7. The anniversary of my dear Grandpa Ernest Debakey's Death
8. The Townsend Family moving in with us!! :D
9. The San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival
10. It's a whole month closer to my death!!! :D YIKES! LOL. (Be sweet to me while you can...you never know, I might die before you get a chance! :D)

That's all that I can think up at the moment. Does anyone else know of a special event in October?

I'm quite sad at the moment.
Our dear friends, The Townsends just left our abode. They are going back to their home, and haven't decided if they're going to move down here for sure yet. It's all very depressing. We're all praying that they come back soon. Also, if they come back perhaps we'll be able to host a ball (they know a LOT of dances that they can teach us)!
Let's see...what's happening around here? Um... well...
I'm reading one of the best books in the world, The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas! (By the way, in case you were wondering, yes it is the unedited version...I don't like edited books)It's EXTREMLY intriguing and full of plots, deceptions, bravery, duels, and excitment.
Also, I wrote a song the other day that I thought I'd post. It's based on C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. It's supposed to be from Edmund Pevensie's point of view.

Lead Me On

Vs 1
I hear a voice inside me
It’s been calling out my name
I feel it pulling me along
Into the heart of your world
And I’m scared, I’m confused
Will you lead me?

Chorus:
I’ve been waiting for you
Though I never knew it
You take me out of this world into realms I never knew
I know you’re there with me
Though I can’t feel you
Please lead me on, lead me on, into your world!

Vs 2
I was deceived by her words
I ignored your holy voice
And I listened to her calling
Instead of following yours
But still you save me thoughI’m unworthy?

Vs3
No one has a heart like yours
No one shares your deep mercy
Why did you save me from darkness
When I so deserved to die?
Your hand stayed the dagger…My death sentence

Bridge- Thank you, for being there. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for leading me on.

Photos from Sunday Part II

Some of us, struggling to pull Mr. Allison up the tree. :D
Benjamin and Samuel against 4 of us girls.


William, enjoying the show in Tiffany's arms.

Photos from Sunday Part I

Sarah A., Abigail A., Myself, and Bethany H. playing tug-a-war against Samuel and Benjamin.
Benjamin getting ready to play.
Emma Kate, in the air!
Mr. Allison in the air. He was actually really high up, you just can't really tell in the picture.

Abigial up on the rope waving.

Have you ever tried throwing a rope over a tree, making a large loophole at the bottom of the rope, putting someone in it and lifting them up into the air?
We tried it last Sunday. LOL. It was so much fun! First all the little kids tried it (they pretended they were Peter Pan and Wendy…go figure. :D) , we heaved them up with little trouble. Then we did older kids (or otherwise known as teenagers.), with a bit of trouble. THEN…..guess who we tried? MR ALLISON! Yikes! LOL. We took a bunch of photos of our little “event” and especially of Mr. Allison…swinging from the tree with the greatest of ease! (I’ll post the pictures as soon as I get a chance.) :D We tried to convince my dad to do it, but he made an excuse. :D
Also, we played tug-of-war! At one point, Ben Allison (19) and Samuel Allison (16) were going against Abigail Allison (12), Bethany H. (12) , Sarah Allison (11) and myself. We beat them. I don’t know if it was because we’re stronger, or the fact that we had shoes on and they didn’t. :D
All in all, it was a very exciting Sunday evening!

Hurricane Katrina

What is the world coming to? Everyone knows about Hurricane Katrina (At least, I hope you do) and the terrible damage it has done to Louisiana. My heart aches as I hear about people who are left with no home, no food, no income, and no way to support their families. Thousands of people are ready to help these survivors: the Red Cross, churches, ministries, and various radio stations, to name a few. But what do these people get for their troubles?

My father and my brother, Caleb went into Whataburger last Saturday. They were ready to enjoy the best fast food in Texas when a large group of people walked in with a Red Cross agent. The charity worker had brought a group of displaced families here for a free meal. However, the way they were behaving was despicable. They were arguing, fighting, acting selfishly, and disrespecting the Red Cross agent. All in all, they were acting like heathens….of course, they are heathens.

I find it amazing that a man who has nothing and is owed nothing, can still have the audacity to angrily demand more of the gifts he is freely given. But, when I contemplate the truth about myself, I realize that I shouldn’t be so surprised, for I frequently do the same thing to my Lord and Savior. Just as I hope for mercy, I pray I will also offer it.
My friend, Darby Sproul, and I were talking about the hurricane when she suddenly said to me, “You know, the hurricane took place a few days before a major homosexual rally.” I guess God knew what he was doing when he destroyed the sinful city called New Orleans. Judgment finally came upon that horrible place. In New Orleans, people would shoot guns freely at each other, and the murder rate ranked the highest than any other city in the nation (the city “Tombstone” all over again!). 3 out of 4 murders went unpunished. Talk about a city rank with sin. When God pours out his wrath on a city… who can stand?

O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of God, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the stain.
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!
-By William Blake

Random Picture

Yes, that's me! It was at my 6th birthday party and I posed for a picture with my friend. It's amazing how time flies!

Random Picture of The Day

One day James decided to dress Abby up in his shorts and shirt and stuff her with pillows. She got a big kick out of it.

The Highwayman

I just heard a new song that I absolutely must post on. It is by Loreena McKennitt and it’s called “The Highwayman”. It’s actually based on a poem by Alfred Noyes, I believe. Here is Loreena McKennitt’s version:

The Highwayman

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon the cloudy seas
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
And the highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding,
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door
He'd a french cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin
A coat of claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and
barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's blackeyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by the moonlight,
Watch for me by the moonlight,
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way"
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand
But she loosened her hair I' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; and he
kissed its
Waves in the moonlight, (oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
The he tugged at his rein in the moonlight,
And galloped away to the west
He did not come at the dawning; he did not come at noon,
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching,
Marching, marching
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door
The said no word to the landlord, the drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow
bed;
Two of them knelt at the casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every windows,
And hell at one dark window;
For bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride
They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" And they kissed her
She heard the dead man say
Look for me by the moonlight
Watch for me by the moonlight
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way!
She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat of blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness and the hours crawled by
like years!
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it!
The trigger at least was hers!
Tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs were ringing clear
Tlot-tlot, in the distance!
Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming!She stood up straight and still!
Tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment!
She drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moolight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him with her death!
He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know she stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her
Own red blood! Not till the dawn he heard it; his face grew grey to hear
How bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness
there
Back,he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier
Brandished high! - blood-red were the spurs I' the golden noon;
Wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his
throat.
Still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon, tossed upon the cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
A highwayman comes riding,
Riding, riding,
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

I like her version of this fabulous poem because she adds drama to the poem which really brings the whole thing to life for me. I think she left out three of the originals verses. If you want to hear a sample of it, go on amazon.com and look up "Book of Secrets" AND Loreena McKennitt. The song is on that cd. Two other good songs of hers are Dante's Prayer and The Lady of Shalott.

Random Picture of the Day

Two anonymous little dancers!

Glorieta, NM

Sorry that it's been so long since I've posted. We've been gone for a while, attending a Family Camp in Glorieta, New Mexico! It was VERY fun! There was Golf, boating, volleyball, dodgeball, hikes, horseback riding, and a ton more! Unfortunatly, our digital camera ran out of battery power and as the result, we have only a few photographs. I got a bunch with a disposable camera, so maybe I'll photocopy them on the computer and post them that way.
Oh, and James, Christa, Caleb and I got to go horsebackriding. It was so much fun! When most people think of horses they think of Cowboys. When I think of horses, I think of the Rohhirim and Rohan. :D It was so awesome. We also didn't get led around by a rope, they let us hold the reigns and do EVERYTHING ourselves. Of course, they're trained horses, but we had control over them, which was pretty cool.
R.C Sproul Jr. was there as a speaker (my parents were speakers too) and as a result I was able to spend a good deal of time with his daughter, Darby. We had so much fun and I'm so glad that we could meet. I also met several other great people and enjoyed a lot of like-minded christian fellowship. In the evening we got some young people together and did some dancing! It was so neat to finally be able to dance with a large amount of people. Eventually, so many people came and danced that we could hardly fit in the small area that we danced in. It was wonderful! The next night, we moved to a larger space.
I hope that we have the chance to go again.

I finally got the pictures downloaded from James' and Nathan's birthday party. Plus, a ton more pictures that have been taken recently! Here goes!

Tiff's Home!!!

Tiffany's home! Yeah! We're so happy! Last night, while Dad and Mom went to get her from the airport (She was going to land at 8:30)Christa, Melissa, James and I got out a deck of cards and decided to play until she showed up and eat "After Eights" simply because it was after 8. :) Tiffany did finally arrive, her suitcase filled with things that made us jealous to the EXTREME, I must say. :D But we're all so happy for her to be home!!!

Two birthdays that should be honorably mentioned

I just thought I'd mention that we recently celebrated Nathan Huber's 23rd Birthday and my brother James' 22nd birthday (Yikes these guys are getting old!) We had part of Nathan's family down here (the rest of them were in different states for various reasons. :), and of course my brother's family is already here :). It was lots of fun! I took several pictures (before our camera went dead!) and I'll post them as soon as I can.

I thought I'd post and mention that I've seen three new movies this week that were very enjoyable and good. The titles: "Two Brothers"; "The Village" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"(the new one, with Johnny Depp). I must admit that I really liked them all. The only thing that disturbed me about the Chocolate Factory was the last Oompa-Loompa song. Other than that it was fine. Johnny Depp is hysterical and the boy that played for Charlie Bucket is adorable. I can't reccomend it, since there isn't really any NEED to see it, but if you ever want to have a little fun, go watch it. I was laughing so hard...VERY funny.
As for the Village, let me tell you...it wasn't as scary as it's made out to be. It was a little tense at times, and I was quite disturbed when the blind girls fiance gets stabbed, though. Many people have told me that it's terryfying and that they literally screamed....but I didn't find it as scary as that.
As for "Two Brothers"...it's adorable. I cried on it, just because it was so sweet and touching. Nothing objectional in it that I can think of, a good family movie.

A sad forenight ahead...

My dear sister Tiffany has left us for 2 weeks. I am very heartbroken. She is staying with Matt and Jennie Chancey to help them out a bit with their kids (which is a VERY good cause, if she had left us for any other reason I wouldn't have let her go!). If you want to read about her flight you can go to: www.itsthesimplethings.blogspot.com . *sigh* It's very gloomy around here without her. I just don't know what I'll do when she gets married and moves away. (Actually, I do know what I'd do...but I won't mention it :D) I miss her so much. We always had the nicest chats together or walks. Just the other day she and I had a nice walk around the neighborhood...barefoot...just before a storm. Is there any felicity in the world supperior to that?! I don't think so.
Well, my Dear brother William is crying so I'd better close.

Caleb looking around the corner.