And just because I like 'em, and the fact that they're the two cutest little sisters around...
April 19, 2008
spring time
The weather's been quite interesting lately. Between yesterday morning's earthquake (yes, an earthquake) in southern Illinois and a torrential downpour of rain, spring is here and, unless snow comes down like it did last week, it appears to be here to stay.
And just because I like 'em, and the fact that they're the two cutest little sisters around...
And just because I like 'em, and the fact that they're the two cutest little sisters around...
April 17, 2008
an interesting video
April 7, 2008
reminiscing
Colorado is a beautiful area...God's handiwork in that state is such a testament to Himself...
not too bad for the old point-and-shoot, eh? And to think these were taken almost two years ago...so much has happened since then, I can't even begin to describe it all...ah, the life God has given us...such a blessing...
Speaking of which, I should probably cut down on the late-night snacks. Looking over at all the empty glasses, various wrappers, and that one granola bar box...college does that to you.
not too bad for the old point-and-shoot, eh? And to think these were taken almost two years ago...so much has happened since then, I can't even begin to describe it all...ah, the life God has given us...such a blessing...
Speaking of which, I should probably cut down on the late-night snacks. Looking over at all the empty glasses, various wrappers, and that one granola bar box...college does that to you.
April 2, 2008
liberty day 2008
So as you've probably heard, the Bandy family attended Liberty Day over the weekend, in fact around 70 people were represented from Providence Church. I had the great privilege of driving into the Chicago traffic, something I enjoy doing with all the crazy and insane drivers Chicago is so known for. Let's see if there's a picture around here somewhere pertaining to the lovely traffic we endured...
Well...not exactly what I was looking for...
We arrived around 9:00 or so later that morning, and most of the day was spent listening to Dr. Marshall Foster of California. Having never heard him before, I didn't exactly know what to expect but those lack of expectations were suddenly dashed away after listening to him for a little bit. Quite simply, I was blown away. Not only a gifted speaker, but one who can carry an audience, Dr. Foster is a man equipped with a Godly vision of returning America to its roots upon which it was founded, that of understanding liberty in the correct fashion and applying it to our lives effectively. Only a remnant is needed to bring America to its knees before the Creator and, interestingly enough, applied that remnant idea to those attending Liberty Day. Hopefully the response won't be apathy...
...the response must not be apathy...
Dr. Foster during the evening session
In-between sessions the audience enjoyed various things...
a WWII demonstration during lunch
the Fiddler's Three
he who hath meditated upon these things shall be, um, intent upon the goal ahead. either that or he's wanting to sleep after the early morning
the back of Caleb's head
As the day progressed, evening came upon us and so signaled the 10th anniversary of the Liberty Day celebration.
I didn't take this and therefore claim no responsibility except for posting it ;)
our local Dracula representative
two of the young men playing an excellent duet of Yankee Doodle
four pretty young ladies
Mr. Erber
the Liberty Day radio programme
the Fiddler's Three and Erberantey's providing quite the entertainment...though no dresses this year, much to our dismay *grin*
an Erber and a McDonald, giving a speech
about to enter the dancing hall
dancing!
concluding the military drill
And there you have it! Liberty Day 2008...
Well...not exactly what I was looking for...
We arrived around 9:00 or so later that morning, and most of the day was spent listening to Dr. Marshall Foster of California. Having never heard him before, I didn't exactly know what to expect but those lack of expectations were suddenly dashed away after listening to him for a little bit. Quite simply, I was blown away. Not only a gifted speaker, but one who can carry an audience, Dr. Foster is a man equipped with a Godly vision of returning America to its roots upon which it was founded, that of understanding liberty in the correct fashion and applying it to our lives effectively. Only a remnant is needed to bring America to its knees before the Creator and, interestingly enough, applied that remnant idea to those attending Liberty Day. Hopefully the response won't be apathy...
...the response must not be apathy...
In-between sessions the audience enjoyed various things...
As the day progressed, evening came upon us and so signaled the 10th anniversary of the Liberty Day celebration.
And there you have it! Liberty Day 2008...
March 25, 2008
yeehaw!!
I got 'er back!! AND! With everything still on it!! Except they had difficulties with one USB thing...although, from what I can tell, that doesn't even have problems with it.
And now, for something completely different.
Pictures of a trip to get our haircut! Well, I already had the haircut, Emil needed a ride there...even...though...he drove. Yeah. Public school reasons and the fact we drove over during school hours. Exactly. ;)
taken with the iPhone
why Emil has all the strange facial expressions and I have the normal ones is beyond me...
[insert manly scream here]
i have no idea
then on the way home we switched
this is Emil. he wants to get home and out of the car. meanwhile, Ashton enjoys the moment
but at least he got a profile picture out of the deal ~ here
And now, for something completely different.
Pictures of a trip to get our haircut! Well, I already had the haircut, Emil needed a ride there...even...though...he drove. Yeah. Public school reasons and the fact we drove over during school hours. Exactly. ;)
taken with the iPhone
why Emil has all the strange facial expressions and I have the normal ones is beyond me...
March 20, 2008
of stories
Recently, the posters of our beloved student discussion forum did something...interesting, to say the least.
You can read about it here.
In other news, it appears the hard drive on my Mac crashed. Yep, thousands upon thousands of hours of documentation, pictures, music, school work, movies, and other miscellaneous things supposedly bit the dust. It's sitting at a local Apple dealer waiting to be diagnosed, so I'm stuck with them PC's for the time being. But! Thankfully I backed up the hard drive last week before taking a Chicago trip (another Chicago trip this weekend...pictures to come), so I don't have to worry much about it, except for maybe plunking down a good amount of money for a new HD. College students...no wonder we have a reputation for being broke. :P
But, praise the Lord, He is merciful and I still have my 2-3 years worth of computing.
You can read about it here.
In other news, it appears the hard drive on my Mac crashed. Yep, thousands upon thousands of hours of documentation, pictures, music, school work, movies, and other miscellaneous things supposedly bit the dust. It's sitting at a local Apple dealer waiting to be diagnosed, so I'm stuck with them PC's for the time being. But! Thankfully I backed up the hard drive last week before taking a Chicago trip (another Chicago trip this weekend...pictures to come), so I don't have to worry much about it, except for maybe plunking down a good amount of money for a new HD. College students...no wonder we have a reputation for being broke. :P
But, praise the Lord, He is merciful and I still have my 2-3 years worth of computing.
March 17, 2008
random pictures
just for fun
Also, Happy St. Patrick's day! And here I am wearing black and blue with a tinge of orange...such a horrible example am I. [edit]never mind! orange is in compliance with today's day. everything is remedied! so much for disproving the whole sheltered homeschooler image[/edit]
the taylor
our fan [cries of "ohh" and "ahh" sound forth]
thanksgiving time
twenty-five years and counting
certification
the controversial unnamed cat...i refuse to call him oreo...the terminator fits better
graduation pictures
awww...
another awww...
spring time! ...of last year
"what do you think you're doing with that camera?!? PUT IT AWAY!!"
target shooting
me dear mother reading
playing
Also, Happy St. Patrick's day! And here I am wearing black and blue with a tinge of orange...such a horrible example am I. [edit]never mind! orange is in compliance with today's day. everything is remedied! so much for disproving the whole sheltered homeschooler image[/edit]
March 11, 2008
theology ii...
...and what we learn in that class...
The demented opinions from the man known as Jean-Jacques Rousseau...
[background: "The General Will is the analogue of the human mind, and as such must remain as unified and undiversified as the mind itself. . . . [t]he General Will is indivisible, inalienable, and illimitable. It demands the unqualified obedience of every individual in the community and implies the obligation of each citizen to render to the State all that the State sees fit to demand."]
"A socially independent Church, like any form of non-political loyalty, would constitute an interference with the functioning of the General Will. It would represent a flaw in the spiritual unity Rousseau prized so highly in his political order. Yet it would not do to repress the religious propensities of man, for 'as soon as men come to live in civil society they must have a religion to keep them there. No nation has ever endured or ever will endure without religion.' But, argues Rousseau, it is not enough that a nation should have a religion. The religion must be identified, in the minds of the people, with the values of national life, else it will create disunity and violate the General Will. It is not enough that a religion should make good men; it must make good citizens. Religion has a responsibility toward civic or political ends before any others. It must reflect, above all, the essential unity of the State and find its justification in the measures it takes to promote that unity."
Gotta love those last two sentences.
Then this wacky piece of art:
"The family should not be granted the all-important duty of education, for too great a responsibility hangs in the balance. The traditional educative function should be transferred from the family to the State, so that, as Rousseau states it, the 'prejudices' of the father may not interfere with the development of citizens. However, the disintegration of this age-old basis of the family should in no wise create alarm. 'Should the public authority, in assuming the place of father and charging itself with this important function, acquire his rights in the discharge of his duties, he should have little cause to protest; for he would only be altering his title, and would have in common, under the name citizen, the same authority over his children, that he was exercising separately under the name of father, and would be no less obeyed when speaking in the name of the law than when he spoke in that nature.' In this almost incredible statement is to be observed what is surely the ultimate in the totalitarian absorption of society. Family relationship is transmuted subtly into political relationship; the molecule of the family is broken into the atoms of its individuals, who are coalesced afresh into the single unity of the state."
Followed by his reasoning behind this opinion...simply priceless...
"'If the children are reared in common in the bosom of equality, if they are imbued with the laws of the state and the precepts of the General Will, if they are taught to respect these above all other things, if they are surrounded by examples and objects which perpetually remind them of the tender mother [the State] who nourishes them, of the love she bears them, of the inestimable benefits they receive from her, and of the return they owe her, we cannot doubt that they will learn to cherish one another mutually as brothers ...'"
And the horrifying part about it? People actually believe in it and attempt to implement those principles into society.
The demented opinions from the man known as Jean-Jacques Rousseau...
[background: "The General Will is the analogue of the human mind, and as such must remain as unified and undiversified as the mind itself. . . . [t]he General Will is indivisible, inalienable, and illimitable. It demands the unqualified obedience of every individual in the community and implies the obligation of each citizen to render to the State all that the State sees fit to demand."]
"A socially independent Church, like any form of non-political loyalty, would constitute an interference with the functioning of the General Will. It would represent a flaw in the spiritual unity Rousseau prized so highly in his political order. Yet it would not do to repress the religious propensities of man, for 'as soon as men come to live in civil society they must have a religion to keep them there. No nation has ever endured or ever will endure without religion.' But, argues Rousseau, it is not enough that a nation should have a religion. The religion must be identified, in the minds of the people, with the values of national life, else it will create disunity and violate the General Will. It is not enough that a religion should make good men; it must make good citizens. Religion has a responsibility toward civic or political ends before any others. It must reflect, above all, the essential unity of the State and find its justification in the measures it takes to promote that unity."
Gotta love those last two sentences.
Then this wacky piece of art:
"The family should not be granted the all-important duty of education, for too great a responsibility hangs in the balance. The traditional educative function should be transferred from the family to the State, so that, as Rousseau states it, the 'prejudices' of the father may not interfere with the development of citizens. However, the disintegration of this age-old basis of the family should in no wise create alarm. 'Should the public authority, in assuming the place of father and charging itself with this important function, acquire his rights in the discharge of his duties, he should have little cause to protest; for he would only be altering his title, and would have in common, under the name citizen, the same authority over his children, that he was exercising separately under the name of father, and would be no less obeyed when speaking in the name of the law than when he spoke in that nature.' In this almost incredible statement is to be observed what is surely the ultimate in the totalitarian absorption of society. Family relationship is transmuted subtly into political relationship; the molecule of the family is broken into the atoms of its individuals, who are coalesced afresh into the single unity of the state."
Followed by his reasoning behind this opinion...simply priceless...
"'If the children are reared in common in the bosom of equality, if they are imbued with the laws of the state and the precepts of the General Will, if they are taught to respect these above all other things, if they are surrounded by examples and objects which perpetually remind them of the tender mother [the State] who nourishes them, of the love she bears them, of the inestimable benefits they receive from her, and of the return they owe her, we cannot doubt that they will learn to cherish one another mutually as brothers ...'"
And the horrifying part about it? People actually believe in it and attempt to implement those principles into society.
March 7, 2008
California Case Involving Homeschooling
It's time to take some action.
Within recent weeks, something has been brewing over in California, something that could affect homeschoolers across that state and beyond if nothing is done to stop it. The negative impact involving families goes beyond the scope of understanding considering what type of power those elected could execute.
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/200803030.asp
Here's the gist:
"On February 28, 2008, the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles handed down a very bad decision regarding a case involving a homeschool family. HSLDA was not involved with this case, and the family are not members. The opinion holds that homeschooling is not a legal option in California. HSLDA strongly disputes this interpretation of California law. We believe that the court made a mistake when it relied on a decision from 1953 in order to show that homeschooling is not a legal option.
If the opinion is followed then California will have the most regressive law in the nation and homeschooling will be effectively banned because the only legal way to homeschool will be for the parent to hold a teaching certificate." [emphasis mine]
Please sign the petition linked on the side of the page, because, like alluded to, this situation could get out of hand rather easily. But we have this one reminder: God is in control of it all. All are encouraged to sign, not only those associated with homeschooling; this could just be a stepping stone to include other areas such as public and private schools in imposing more restrictions.
And be in prayer for all those involved, that the Lord of all things may be glorified.
We've been through these types of things before, and we can pull through again unscathed with the Lord's help.
More information:
http://hslda.org
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/200803060.asp
Within recent weeks, something has been brewing over in California, something that could affect homeschoolers across that state and beyond if nothing is done to stop it. The negative impact involving families goes beyond the scope of understanding considering what type of power those elected could execute.
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/200803030.asp
Here's the gist:
"On February 28, 2008, the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles handed down a very bad decision regarding a case involving a homeschool family. HSLDA was not involved with this case, and the family are not members. The opinion holds that homeschooling is not a legal option in California. HSLDA strongly disputes this interpretation of California law. We believe that the court made a mistake when it relied on a decision from 1953 in order to show that homeschooling is not a legal option.
If the opinion is followed then California will have the most regressive law in the nation and homeschooling will be effectively banned because the only legal way to homeschool will be for the parent to hold a teaching certificate." [emphasis mine]
Please sign the petition linked on the side of the page, because, like alluded to, this situation could get out of hand rather easily. But we have this one reminder: God is in control of it all. All are encouraged to sign, not only those associated with homeschooling; this could just be a stepping stone to include other areas such as public and private schools in imposing more restrictions.
And be in prayer for all those involved, that the Lord of all things may be glorified.
We've been through these types of things before, and we can pull through again unscathed with the Lord's help.
More information:
http://hslda.org
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/200803060.asp
March 1, 2008
a birthday party
Last night the Bandy family descended upon our favorite chinese restaurant located down south somewhere in particular to celebrate an uncle's birthday. Talk about a evening filled with cholesterol: the food is GREAT and results with enough heart burn to justify a bottle of Tums. Just look at this platter full of chinese goodness...
So yes, I like chinese food...it must be hereditary.
T'was a wonderful evening...
now you see them...
now you don't...kinda
worry spreads across Emil's face as he considers the possibility of me taking his crab rangoon
the birthday person himself
i always knew good things were in store for my future ;)
a priceless look from Emil
So yes, I like chinese food...it must be hereditary.
T'was a wonderful evening...
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