Summer Ends

I can't believe summer is over! Or well...almost over : )

I'd be lying if I would say it was a normal summer. It was almost until my brother's car accident of which he is doing much better, by the way. So much better, he's taken my car for himself! At least I gave my car up for a good reason. Now that he's better we can finally focus on the wedding, which is October 29! It's coming up so close and everything is almost done. We got our bridesmaids dresses about three weeks ago and they're beautiful! I can't wait t wear mine.

 ~ ~ ~

Of course, everyone knows that one thing that makes a great summer are great movies and I've seen quite a few this summer! Which is rare because in the last few years, summer movies have been terrible.

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X-Men: First Class

I wrote a review about this movie on my previous Xanga site, but I think  it's worth writing about again : ) I really didn't know what to expect from this. I loved the first X-Men movie, the second was fairly good, but the third was terrible! Thankfully X-Men Origins: Wolverine gave the series a sense of redemption.

First Class completely blew me away though! The acting talent of James McAvoy just keeps getting better and better, I totally think he's going to be the next Christian Bale in a few years. His performance as a young, cocky, Xavier was humorous and lovable, and seeing the transition from his beginning character to a strong, compassionate leader was very well done.

I had never really cared about Magneto, because he's like the bad guy, so who really wants anything to do with him?? Well, that changed after seeing Michael Fassbender's portrayal of this very complex and confusing character...and a rather attractive one as well. 

If First Class did anything it gave a wonderful look into Eric Lehnsherr's past. Frightening, painful, hard, and vengeful. Instead of depicting Eric as an arrogant self seeking villain (which he does become later on), it focused on a man whose life has been dominated by fear and hatred and his struggle between who he is and who he can become.

I just watched the movie on DVD and it was just as good as when I saw it in theaters. It is definitely my favorite summer movie of 2011.

~ ~ ~

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Yes, I cannot believe it has all ended. An entire decade of my life has been spent in anticipation of seeing every Harry Potter movie every summer or Thanksgiving holiday. I have practically grown up with Dan, Rupert, and Emma, and now that they've grown up and Harry Potter's life story has now been completely told, it almost seems to hard to say goodbye to all of it.

I've read all the books and so of course I knew how it was all going to end. The movie portrayed it in such a beautiful and yet, almost simple way. Harry is one of the best literary heroes of my generation, as well as Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Neville, Ginny, Luna, the Weasley family, Lily and James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and so many many more!

The most extraordinary character development is without a doubt, Severus Snape. He was truly the most unlikely and greatest hero (aside from Harry) in the entire series. His unconditional love for Lily Potter from the time he was a little boy and even after she married his school enemy, James Potter, was incredible. Eventually that love for Lily sprung into a love for her son...the boy he believed that should have been his son.

Now, the movie world of Harry Potter is done. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have all grown up, but a decade of my life will always be remembered with growing up with Harry Potter. My insatiable crush on Daniel Radcliffe, wanting to look and dress like Emma Watson, raiding fansites looking for any information on upcoming movies, and of course, the neverending countdown to when they movies premiered.

Something I can't wait to tell my kids about : )

~ ~ ~

Rise of The Planet of The Apes

This was...a surprise. I was familiar with the original Planet of The Apes movies with Charlton Heston, but always written them off as crazy, sci-fi, movies that promoted evolution. This movie on the other hand was not the case. Aside from the fact that James Franco was in it, this was a great watch.

In spite of the tagline on top of the poster, I didn't see a hint of evolutionary promotion at all. Or at least the traditional theory of man evolving from apes wasn't in there. The lead monkey Caesar, was so endearing that I almost saw him as a child and not as a chimpanzee.

Near the middle of the movie, Caesar is taken away from his happy home with his 'adopted scientist father' who has raised him since he was a baby, and is sent to a science center. He is placed in what I would call, a monkey daycare from hell. There are some rather frightening scenes of him getting attacked by the alpha male of the center and he is so confused by all of it. I really began to feel awful for him. 

Then comes his rise from the new boy on the block to the alpha male that was not done in fighting, but in complete...negotiation. The end of the movie is wide open for a sequel and I hope, if they do make it, it's just as good as the first.

~ ~ ~

I find it humorous that I saw the end of a movie series and two prequels to movie series. It has been a great movie summer! Lets just pray the next year will be the same if even better : )

-Ivy

Hurricane Irene

Suffice to say, my family and I survived Hurricane Irene! It started on Friday with just wind and rain, but early Saturday morning we lost power. Thankfully by about 9 in the morning it turned back on! It was an incredibly long and boring day. The wind and the rain was unbelievable and so so loud.

Then at about 7 o' clock the power went out. It wasn't that bad, but it got really hot. I had a hard time trying to sleep that night, because I like the comfort and the feeling of blankets and comforters, but because it was so hot I couldn't keep them on all the time. At about 9:30 this morning the electricity came back on!

It has been such a beautiful day. So bright and warm and sunny : ) I'm very thankful that we came through it with no trouble at all!

Great Dismal Swamp Fire

The GDS fire has finally hit our neck of the woods and smoke is everywhere! It smells like there are a thousand campfires being lit.

I know that's not a very good picture, but believe me, the whole nieghborhood is covered in smoke.

Victoria & Albert: A (real) Love Story

 Yesterday I decided to watch The Young Victoria and I had totally forgotten how wonderful that movie was! Emily Blunt was so beautiful and she looked like she was pulled out of the pages of royal history. Rupert Friend was very charming and dashing as his role of Prince Albert. His soft spoken nature was such a healing and soothing balm compared to the harshness and the loudness of the rest of the male cast.

Albert & Victoria have always been my favorite royal couples (followed by Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip, and Crown Prince Frederik & Crown Princess Mary of Denmark). Their rather unique love story is definitely novel and script worthy.

 In 2001 the BBC made a mini-series about the couple simple entitled Victoria & Albert and as much as I enjoy The Young Victoria, this mini-series is incredibly beautiful and well done. Their version of Albert is very different from Rupert Friend's interpretation. Albert in this is somewhat feisty and short tempered. He is by no means in love with Victoria at all and marries her out of duty. His sense of morality is incredible though. He utterly refuses to read Lord Byron because of the poet's extravagant personal life.

After a certain incident where he sees a married member of parliament with a long time mistress in the palace, he urges Victoria to have her removed. When she refuses and asks why he tells her that his mother's life was all but destroyed because of his father's philandering behavior.

Albert completely turned the monarchy around with his moral, Christian, and upright decisions about marriage, family (he was the father of nine children), social class, work, education and much more.With time and patience his no nonsense, but congenial public behavior eventually endeared himself to the British people and even to Parliament.

 ~ ~ ~

Unlike The Young Victoria where Albert is seen as a romantic hero, when I watched the mini-series, I didn't see anything particularly romantic about Prince Albert. He didn't sweep Victoria off her feet or shower her with flowers and jewels. Instead her counseled her, protected her, and eventually loved her more than anyone else in the world.

Webster's definition of romance: To forge and tell fictitious stories; to deal in extravagant stories.

Basically romance in it's entirety is...a lie; and yet for years and years, people have succumbed to the lie that romance is an important aspect of love. Society today has an unrealistic view of romance and what love should be.

Now Prince Albert was not what one would have called romantic; at least by today's standards he wouldn't be. He was shy, quiet, and kept to himself. Being a German, he was disliked by many members of the British Parliament.

  His marriage to Victoria was practically arranged, but it was she who made the final decision in who her consort was to be. He was not quickly accepted by Parliament and it seems they did everything in their power to demean him in anyway possible.

  In his own words he says of his marriage to Queen of England.

"I am very happy and contented; but the difficulty in filling my place with the proper dignity is that I am only the husband, not the master in the house." 

He was also intensely moral and would not condone any immoral behavior in the palace.

Victoria & Albert's marriage was not easy at first. With the constant demands on Victoria as Queen and Albert leaving everything he knew and loved in Germany to come to England and be treated like a complete outsider can make for a stressful beginning. Victoria was absolutely convinced that she had made the right decision though.

After her wedding night she wrote: 

I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!!! MY DEAREST DEAREST DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his arms, & we kissed each other again & again! His beauty, his sweetness & gentleness – really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband! ... to be called by names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before – was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life!

I think she's made her point.

One Step Farther

 Jasmine Baucham has just written on her site that she's finished her new novel. I'm really excited for her and I can't wait to see what it's about.

  I'm also happy in the fact that yesterday I just finished my first piece of fiction! "A Moment With You," is definitely not a novel, but hey, it's a start in the right direction. It's about a trip to Georgia that I took in May, the events that happened and the people that I met...
 The first person to read it was my best friend and she said she loved it and that it was very beautiful, and she's a pretty hard critic, so I'm was relieved that she enjoyed it.

  I never ever thought that I would be able to right my own story. To some people it might seem stupid, but I've been writing fan-fiction since I was sixteen and to finally break away from the fan-fic mode and slowly step into my independent work is an incredible feeling. In many ways I owe all of this to quitting my job. If I still had a job, I wouldn't have time to write and I would have never had gone to Georgia at all! Time will reveal...

I probably won't become a world famous author like J.K Rowling or Stephanie Meyer, but many people have told me that my Narnia fan-fictions have really inspired them, that they have made them laugh and cry. So, if I can invoke such emotions in fan-fiction, then why not in regular fiction? How exciting to finally be able to find myself! And hopefully help other people find themselves as well.

-Ivy

Joshua's Homecoming Post

I've always been a great supporter of Vision Forum and reading Doug's Blog is always an enjoyable read. It seems Doug has passed on his gift of writing to his son Joshua.

I found this humorous post on Joshua Phillip's site : )


As many of you know John Horn and I recently were in Europe where we were studying history and the Providence of God through Rome, France, England and Scotland.

"...When people spoke of my Bonnie land I didn't know what they meant, but then I took to travel and I roamed far and wide and now when I sing of my native land I sing with love and pride!"

After 33 days of travel and adventure I have finally returned to San Antone, my home territory, more grateful than ever for the state and country in which I live!  The flight home this afternoon was one of very mixed emotions for me. On the one hand I am so excited to be returning to this greatest of states and to once again be joining in the battles of life here. On the other hand I am dearly missing the home of my heart and imagination, Scotland, as well as the journey which I was part of for the last month. Truly, that journey through Europe is still fresh on my mind and heart, and I have no intention of letting it move to the back of my mind. From May 26th, when I last stood in my home, to today it has been one of the most incredible journeys of a lifetime. Tonight I will once again put foot in my room. But it's important to catalogue the things of life as well.

From these United States to Europe. From living in airports for three days to Roman dinners. From the Coliseum to Pompeii. From Rome to the Overnight train through Switzerland. From the Arch Di Triumph to Notre Dame Cathedral to the Eiffel Tower. From American tourists in Paris to largest American Reenactment division in Normandy on June 6th. From the beautiful Norman countryside to wonderfully grouchy ol' Brittish customs agents. From Les Miserables to the British Museum to Fish and chip shops. From Glasgow to Iona. From climbing the crags and cliffs of death during a rising tide to on a whim belting out "Flower of Scotland" at the highest point of Iona. From the Wallace Monument to Edinburgh. From Stirling Castle to playing "I hea seen the Hielands" with Sam on the green. From the Sir Walter Scott Monument to late night excursions. From late "Alba Gu Bragh" parties to making new friends with a "broad scot" in the local McDonalds at midnight. From the very last book store visits to running to make our plane, very late and very overweight with book purchases.

Today as I look back on the last month I want to consider the things I learned and experienced. If you were to ask what my very favorite part of the last month is, it would certainly be hard to specify one particular point. But as I think about it now, of all of the Europe we visited I would have to say that the two places I loved the most and learned the most from are Normandy and Iona in Scotland. They are now two of my favorite spots on earth, after the South which I love even more. Both these places are spots which I have studied for the last year, yet in both Normandy and Iona I learned more in the three days we spent in each place than I had ever dreamt of learning before.

To visit Normandy on the actual anniversary of D-Day (June 6) and to stand with the dozens of veterans who had returned to the battles of their youth. To be part of the hundreds of reenactors gathered to honor the men who died. To sing songs with old men who had been little boys in the villages during the liberation. To storm the bridges and fields of the same countryside that was stormed 66 years ago. To stand before Omaha beach and witness the iron warriors weep at the graves of their brothers and friends. Though it seems cliche to sum it up in a word, it truly was incredible.

My brother Justice, and two of our best friends Samuel Turley, John Horn and I were in 101st Airborne gear with the other reenactors. At one point I heard one veteran point to our group of men and boys in 101st and say "That's just how I looked this day, 66 years ago..." Justice and John are sixteen, I turned eighteen in mid May, and Sam had just turned twenty on the 31st. Its a strange thing to think that you're the same age that these old heroes were when they hit the beaches and fields. But it was true. Theres no way to study history as well as it is to live it out, we saw this first hand in Normandy.

As I sit here remembering, I also think of sweet Iona. Iona in the Northwest of Scotland. Iona, two miles by one mile in size. Iona, the home of the first explorers to Scotland, possibly the descendants of Gathelus. Iona, the haven of the Druids. But in the 5th century it became the manger bed of Christianity in Scotland, and then in Europe, when a man by the name of Columba cleaned the island of Druidism and began the spread of the unvarnished Gospel in the North. Over time it became a type of holy spot for Christians, far away from the Luke warm-waterings down of the Gospel. On Iona would be buried between 47 and 60 kings representing at least four different nations. These kings wished to be buried on Iona to identify with its great legacy of Christianity and Heroism.

Much can be said of Iona, but it would fill pages here. We spent three days and two nights on the island. Several of us stayed in tents on the mountain side. It was a memory never to be forgotten. While on Iona we read of Columba and visited the island bookshop. We saw the life of a dear friend spared from the jaws of death. We prayed for the Legacy of our children. We climbed the tallest mountain and spied out the whole island from it's top. We sang the songs of Scotland, heroism, exploration and manhood from the Abbey. We made plans and plots for the future and walked together as friends.

As I walk away from these two wonderful memories, Normandy and Iona, I can't but help feel incredibly blessed. Blessed and thankful, both to my heavenly father and to my earthly father. I am now thinking about everything else there is to learn about these two place! There is more than I can ever hope to fully understand. But the research will continue, the reading press forward and my thoughts will always be grateful for this opportunity. In this journey of a lifetime we solidified friendships, traveled fast, learned faster and were able to see the providence of God over and over throughout history. From this journey I walk away not simply thankful for the legacy of the men who died before us, but also realizing that we need to leave a legacy as well. And I thank God for my home-land, truly I hae seen the highlands and I hae seen the low', but I will sing of my native land wherever I may go!

Praise God for the legacy of history he has given us! It truly is history that teaches us to hope!
~Joshua Titus Phillips

Addendum: There are four more spots which now come to mind as I consider the great points of the trip: The Protestant Cemetery in Rome where R.M. Ballantyne is buried. The Sir Walter Scott monument in Edinburgh, Scotland. The William Wallace monument in Stirling. And our visit to London's Queen's Theatre where we watched the "immortal" performance of Les Miserables. But I will have to write on these another time...

Afterword:
From Europe, the Phillips family arrived in the Atlanta airport only to split in preparation for the next leg of the trip: half the family heading home, and the rest of us (Dad, Jep, Lib and Me) flying directly to the Denver homeschool conference without even setting foot outside the airport in between jaunts. (Oh, and did I mention that our flight was cancelled and we once again spent the night in the airport? But it was great fun anyways...)  We arrived in Colorado had a wonderful and very profitable time with the folks from CHEC (Christian Home Educators of Colorado) and on Sunday heard a wonderful message from Dr. Sproul on Mathew 6.
The next day we headed directly to CHEF's homeschool conference in Missouri. The conference had a fantastic line up of speakers including my father, Vodie Bauchom, Bill Potter, Samuel Turley, Herb Titus and John Dwyer. On Tuesday Dad gave a fantastic message on the Christian Life of Stonewall Jackson. Then Wednesday night Dad and Mr. Potter gave a  slam-dunk joint message on the Legacy of D-Day and the Providence of God. While in Missouri we stopped off at the home of Dan Ford, bibliophile, where we filmed several clips on the legacy of Liberty and Property in American History.

Finally we headed to South Carolina where we were honored to be part of a special multigenerational celebration and 13th birthday of Harrison Weir, a good friend and fellow traveler. While there we were reunited with several of the friends who we had traveled through Europe with. It was a wonderful and joyous occasion with great friends, great music and good times all around. Today, June 28, thirty-three days after we departed our home in Texas, thirty-three days since we last had our beloved Tex-Mex food, we once again boarded a plane to head south. To head home. To sleep in our own beds. To raid our own pantries. And to remember the stories of our grand, grand adventure!

He's a good writer.

Congratulations to the Beckhams!

Congratulations to David and Victoria Beckham on the birth of their daughter, Harper Seven Beckham!

Harper Seven – a daughter for Victoria and David Beckham

 

Victoria Beckham has given birth to a baby girl – the first daughter for the former Spice Girl and her footballer husband David.

The baby, named Harper Seven, was delivered on Sunday at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.
In a statement on his Facebook page, former England captain Beckham said: "I am so proud and excited to announce the birth of our daughter Harper Seven Beckham.
"She weighed a healthy 7lbs 10oz and arrived at 7.55 this morning, here in LA. Victoria is doing really well and her brothers are delighted to have a baby sister xx."

The Beckhams, who married in 1999, already have three boys - Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and Cruz, five.
Their spokesman, Simon Oliveira, announced the happy news on Twitter.
"David & Victoria Beckham are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter," he wrote.
In another posting, he added: "Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are excited to welcome their new baby sister to the family."

Friends of the couple were quick to send their congratulations.
A delighted Mel B, who is expecting her third child later this year, expressed her excitement on Twitter, writing: "congrats!!! Yipeee another spice baby is born, damn it wish it was me this AM cos I feel like I'm about to POP!"
Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton also tweeted: "Big kiss to @victoriabeckham can't wait to meet your gorgeous little girl!"

Before the baby's name was confirmed, stylist Sally Lyndley alluded to a possible name for the newborn, writing: "congratulations on gorgeous baby Beverly!!! X." While Brooklyn was named after the place where he was conceived, this appeared to suggest the pair – who live in Beverly Hills – had once again opted to name a child after a location close to their hearts.

-Guardian