Pride and Prejudice

Recently I watched Pride and Prejudice, the six hour one.  I love that movie, and for those of you who haven't see it, I feel sorry for you.   Why?  The acting is very good, and it is such a classic.
Colin Firth is the best Darcy EVER!! I also like Jennifer Ehle, who plays Elizabeth Bennet; we mustn't forget her!  However much "Mr. Bingley" talks, he almost never stops smiling which makes him the BEST Bingley there is!  If I had to rate the characters, it would be difficult to choose a favorite.  I would most likely go with Darcy because he never smiles and has a witty remark for just about everything.

But then again, I also enjoy the "relationship" between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.  For example:
Mrs. Bennet: "Oh my dear Mr. Bennet! Nothing you say shall ever vex me again!"
Mr. Bennet: "I am very sorry to hear it."

Darcy and Lizzie at the Netherfield Ball

Bingley.

Smile :)

Sorry about the photo quality. :(

~Abigail

M-M-Mayhem

Here, in our lovely Lupburgian locale, we are hooked on phonics.  From Plutarch's Lives, The Return of The King, and identifying adjective subordinate clauses  to "There was a p-p-pig who jumped up on the t-t-table and began to do a jig because he was a d-d-dancer"... this is the month of May - ahem.  Today, with the older children's school year drawing to a close, Bear and I were able to turn our focus from a quick review of the letters "M," "P," and "B," to the more serious work of the eraser end of pencil-to-purple paint-to-pansy in our attempt to imitate the "pointillism" style of, say, Georges Seurat.

The budding artist was able to complete most of his masterpiece before declaring, "Mom, I think I hear some of my friends outside."  After a quick swipe or two with the magical, acryllic-removing wet-wipe, the screen door was swinging shut before the paint dried.  It is May.

Writing Assignment

In Omnibus, we are currently going through 'The Caunterbury Tales' whose author, Chaucer, is a poet.  He describes his characters vividly.  So as a writing assignment, my teacher, Dr. Joost Nixon, had us write in Chaucer's style.  We could write about anyone we wanted.  I decided to write on George Washington!  I hope you enjoy.

More Than a Hatchet Man

A stern nature he is; he was courageous,                                                          

Yet merciful in every judgment, very contagious.

Stood he head and shoulders above all others,

Enemies belittled; worried mothers and fathers

Were the parents of the young men.

He would not deter from his purpose he was bidden,

To chase those British lobsters back to the ocean.

Broad-shouldered, strong arms, hope of clans,                                        

Keen and piercing his glance, brawny, thick hands.

A white blouse with a blue tailcoat and stars,

Plain wool pants clad his legs to hide his scars.

His able legs could carry that brave man,

None could keep with that American

As he fought the Brits in his land.

Wield could he anything that came his way                                                 

Be it rock, stone, tree or branch he could lay.

In war and battle, fearless and brave

He sent those turn-coats to their grave.

Wise in devising while odds were slim,

Loss of men could not deter him.

A commander of men in time of loss and win.

Isaac's Dog & Lawn Care

Dog Care:

Are you looking for a chance to get away and not worry about how your dog(s) are doing? Are you wondering where you will put them? Do you want to go through the trouble of paying and putting your dogs in a Kennel? There is a better alternative. What if your dogs were cared for at home? By a dog lover like yourself. I will walk your dogs, feed them, and...I will even clean up after them!

You can reach me at:
Home Phone: 09492-954-8271 (Isaac Lopez)
And you can also reach me by email: samwiseonabike@gmail.com

Lawn Care:

Are you worried about weeds and long grass overtaking your yard? I can help you with your yardwork. You can reach me at:

Home Phone: 09492-954-8271 (Isaac Lopez)
Email: samwiseonabike@gmail.com

Please contact me for references.

Hungarian (or Good Ol' Southern) Hospitality

Prior to breakfast (for some), Patrick systematically loaded three large duffels, one big orange cooler, four green commissary bags stuffed with groceries, five backpacks, two camera bags, two laptop computers (for the online classes that broke for spring a week earlier than us), a garment bag protecting Easter Sunday clothes, the travel folder, the lunch bag and a Belle-bag into the mini-van.  A quick check confirmed that everyone was in place, and I climbed into the front passenger seat and promptly received one of the laptops, GPS dangling from it, whose screen revealed the time still needed to complete the download of map upgrades.  Our departure time was dependent upon the success of this operation.  As Patrick drove toward the one necessary stop prior to any lengthy trip, the backerei, I kept my eyes on the computer screen to make sure that the download was not interrupted as we left home-base.  Evidently the download from Garmin had completed overnight and was securely stored in our computer … the transfer to the GPS did not require further internet-connection.  And so began our Hungarian Adventure!

Somewhere in Austria, the clouds thickened and a light shower trapped us in the van when we stopped for lunch.  The travel day remained gray and cool, but after settling into the Eden House (our home-away-from-home), we hopped into the van for a quick drive to our friends’  home and enjoyed a warm welcome and a delicious dinner of Hungarian goulash.  Easter Sunday dawned bright and beautiful (fittingly), and after we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord with other believers at Danube International Church, we feasted at the Pitts’ home and then explored the castle district of Budapest with our very own personal and gracious tour-guide-family!  Did I mention that our family of seven is a tad smaller than the Pitts’ family of nine?  Moving through the city of Budapest always kept us on our toes!

in the Castle District of Budapest

on our way toward Matthias Church

Matthias Church

strolling

evening excursion along the Danube ...
fewer "strollers" = greater peace of mind

formerly the Gresham Palace, now the Four Seasons Hotel

Parliament

This narrow alley in Szentendre
kept the group in a tighter formation!

the Pitts & Lopez crews in Szentendre
(minus the youngest of each family)

The vote was unanimous ... everyone had an incredible time in Hungary!  And the biggest reason why?  The hospitality and generosity of our dear friends, the Pitts.  THANK YOU!

Younger Two ;)

Adele Cristabel and Solomon Barak are fun and cute, and at times can try my patience.

"Bear! Can you get a napkin for Belle? Please?"

"Sure!"

One minute later he comes back into the room, without a napkin.

"Bear!"

"What?"

"The napkin?"

"Oh yeah I can get one for you!"

"Thanks Buddy."

I then hear him talking to Isaac.

"BEAR!"

His head pops out of nowhere.

"YEAH?"

"The NAPKIN?"

"I can't reach them."

..............


"Hey Belle, here's a toy!"

"Come on Belle over here!"

"Da-da-d-da-da-.."

"Come on Belle"

"m-mo-m-mo-m-...."

"Adele! Over here!"

"bu-buh-buh"

"No, it's A-B-I!"

She heads toward the door.

"Well, I feel the love anyway! Thanks, Belle!"

Love you both, Bear and Belle.

Firsts and Technology

Today we celebrated Belle's first year of life.  As we prepared for the festivities, we wandered down Memory Lane and  stumbled across some other firsts.
1996

Micaiah ... needing a little Daddy-support during her big day

1998

Isaac ... supported by "big" sister during his historic day

2000

Abigail ... a bit uncertain of those clowns on her cake

2008

Bear ... diving right into his cake after luau celebration

2012 ... today.  Over the years we have been blessed to have our extended family (at least some) nearby as we celebrated these milestones ... that is, until today.  Today we recorded another first -- celebrating a 1st Birthday on two different continents via Skype!  Grandma and Mimi joined us as we watched Belle watch Bear open her presents, as we sang "Happy Birthday," and as we searched for a bib to catch the cake crumbs escaping from Belle's fingertips and lips.  Here are a few of our new cobblestones in Memory Lane ...