Even though I was staving off the remnants of my cold (I was pretty miserable on Sunday), I thoroughly enjoyed the conference!

Our trip over on Sunday was uneventful...for which we were glad. 

(Click on the pictures to see them larger.)

                                                                              The Travelers

I had a fever by the time we got there (actually a 99.3--so a real fever), so I was allowed to be lazy about unloading Annabelle. I went to bed fairly early.

Monday morning...(excuse me while I refer to my blue spiral bound that effects to by my journal [yes, you may gasp with surprise, I actually do keep a journal now...even if it does end up with substantial holes in it, I haven't given up this time around])...ah yes...Monday morning, I went downstairs an whole hour early, due to a misprint on the email I had gotten concerning my impersonating. Anyway, I eventually ended up offering to help the lovely ladies setting up the registration table and while I felt more in the way than anything, they did accept the offer. Thus was the slightly awkward beginning to a fantastic three days.

When the time rolled around for myself to actually start my impersonating business, I took up my station (I *ahem* rather put my stakes in right there by that sign). I forget all the people I talked to over the course of next two days as they tried to guess who I was portraying (the impersonators where the clues in a treasure hunt): Mrs. General Stuart. I mean Flora Cooke Stuart, wife of James Ewell Brown Stuart. :) Since nobody knew who Flora was (she didn't do anything spectacular), the means of guessing my identity was really guessing JEB Stuart's identity. I got quite a lot of practice referring to "my husband"--rather an odd sensation to an unmarried woman. :D

Anyway, a few instances stand out to me: the tenacious determination of a blue-eyed boy of about 10 and his reticent little brother (about 6) who had no idea really even who JEB Stuart was (I was really impressed by this kid), the three little girls who would end up being my playmates for the latter half of Tuesday, the young man who won the 18+ age bracket of the treasure hunt, the pretty lady that reminded me of a lady at church, the sparkling blue eyes and dimples of a fellow impersonator (so I'm a sucker for dimples), the rapidity of the two brothers who tied for the win in their age bracket (they made me laugh), the family with all the pretty little girls in their matching dresses and their three brothers. The youngest was missing both his top front teeth and completely charmed me. :D

Well...that seems like more than a few, but you get the idea. I talked to a variety of people and enjoyed it all for the most part. I only fell out of character a couple of times, which I thought was pretty impressive since it was my first time impersonating like this. (Um...did that sound like a brag?) 

Between impersonating, I attended sessions like any other normal conference goer. Monday's sessions:
The Cause of the War Between the States (Dr. Morecraft): The long and short of this one was the theological background; the differences between North and South. Roughly, the South still maintained an orthodox Protestantism whereas the North had accepted "Enlightenment" theology and had become Unitarian. 

The Pirate Lafitte (Bill Potter): Lafitte was a pirate, despite his helping Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans. :D Anyway, Mr. Potter discussed pirates in general a bit and drew the distinction between an pirate and a privateer. Of course, he actually told Lafitte's history! (One of the Summer's sons was impersonating Lafitte...his costume was quite dapper...and he had a great pair of boots. So did his brother... :D [Boot-philia, I think we might call this].)

You Ain't Just Whistling Dixie (Mrs. Morecraft): I didn't take any notes...but I laughed all the way through it as Mrs. Morecraft drew Southern words and phrases out and laid them before her appreciative audience. Dr. Morecraft informed Daddy and myself later that he was watching me (I was in the very back of the room and he was sitting in his wheelchair near the doors) as much as he was watching Mrs. Morecraft. Apparently, I amused him. :D It's really quite a compliment. 

The Industrial Revolution and the Family (Wesley Strackbein): I must have been either hungry or not feeling well, because my notes (and memory) on this particular talk are rather sketchy. However, this (edited) little scribble probably sums things up fairly well: The industrial revolution destroyed the family economy unit; children were up until this point an asset, not a liability--this was switched with industrialization. Technology must be our tool rather than our master.

The Fascinating History of American Music (Geoff Botkin): I immediately thought of one of my brothers when Mr. Botkin began this one. :) Anyway, I did not take any notes for whatever reason...but did find the session interesting, despite my current inability to regurgitate any of it.

Tuesday's sessions:
The War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans (Bill Potter): I do so enjoy Mr. Potter's talks, even if I have a time of it taking notes from him. At any rate, he opened the issue with a discussion on whether or not the War of 1812 was even a just war. I confess I had never thought about the question before. The consensus was that it was a little iffy as to legitimacy; I would have to do a little more research on my own before I would state conclusively either way. (An interesting factoid here...during this war, New England threatened session...just thought you might like to be reminded of that fact. ;]) And...my notes are rather sparse...

Old Hickory (Wesley Stackbein): Of course, me, myself, and I had to go to the session on a fiery red-headed hero of mine! As Mr. Stackbein reiterated a couple of times, Andrew Jackson was by no means a perfect man, but he definitely had traits to emulate. I won't give you his history here though...

Economics, Law, and Liberty (Dr. Raymond): The more I listen to Dr. Raymond, the more I understand why Savannah has such respect for him. This was the first of several of his sessions that I attended. He is such a...vivacious...blunt speaker. Anyway, this talk was essentially on tithing...and the implications of it, etc.

The Social Engineers and What they Designed (Geoff Botkin): At this point I had "lost" my notebook (in the form of handing it to Katherine to take back to the room because I was unable to handle it and keep up with the little girls). Therefore, I obviously did not take notes. 

I missed a session on Tuesday because first I was talking to "Captain Jack" and tying knots...and then because I was talking to a 12-year-old laddie...and then because the little girls descended upon me. I am still not exactly why they took to me the way they did, but I guess my internal "kid-magnet" must have activated. I didn't mind it at all, that's for sure!

Wednesday's sessions: 
Robert Lewis Dabney, a Giant Among Men (Dr. Morecraft): A short history of Dabney.

Principles of Christ's Lordship in the Founding of America (Dr. Raymond): Oh, bother. I simply do not know how to condense this one! He covered too much history! (And ground.) Let's see if this passes: Dr. Raymond demonstrated that these United States were founded on Christian God's Law, not "natural law".

The Geo-Political Ramifications of the Incarnation (Dr. Raymond): My notes on this one were really, really sketchy. Hardly enough to jog my memory. Let's see...God's Kingship should be a fact to us...total comprehensive rule over all nations, laws, people, etc. 

Woodrow Wilson: A Sacred Fool? (Bill Potter): I chose this session over the other two because I really didn't know that much about Wilson, except that he was a progressive and was president during WWI...and that he was from Virginia. Now, I know a little more about him and more about his politics. He really was what we would call a "liberal" and became such by turning his back on the staunch southern Presbyterian upbringing he had had. I thought this little sidenote was interesting: the 19th Amendment granted women suffrage...and the majority of women were actually opposed to the idea. Oh...and the 16th Amendment (Income Tax); it never was ratified!

The Challenge of the Reformation in Modern America (Geoff Botkin): The final session of the conference, Mr. Botkin exhorted the attendees with a list of "mandates" (these may not be quite right, I didn't always get them written down fast enough): 1) Be prepared to walk alone for a season; 2) Providence leads us to hope; 3) Remember what is at stake; 4) Re-learn everything if you  must; 5) Defend, assert, and model what the church should  be; 6) Disciple Christ's men by inspiring them to courage; 7) Stand firm, but do not be formulatic and rigid; 8) Maintain a pioneer spirit; and 9) Be gentle and magnanimous.

However, to drop back in time a little...
We didn't get any pictures Monday...and Tuesday the photos Savannah took of me in my "day clothes" were so bad (somebody forgot to remind me to lift my chin! ;P) that I decided not to post any of them. I do have enough vanity you know. But there were some nice pictures of my sisters, so I'll let you look at those instead!

Tuesday evening was fun! There was the big "reveal" of who was who of impersonators, a costume contest (which I'll go ahead and tell you that I did not win ;]), dancing, and the announcement of the treasure hunt winners. 

There wasn't really much dancing, because all the other stuff took up time, but it was still fun. The last dance I did with a toddler on my back. :) I really do enjoy incorporating small children into the dances. The look of joy in their eyes far, far outweighs any "inconvenience" their ignorance causes. 

Anyway, I'm sure y'all want to see my awful hair-do. Mama saw the pictures and she gasped in horror. Literally. I'm not kidding you.

I was so impressed that I got "the look" that I left it up and wore it that way in public. The things we will do for our 'art form'.... What was really "funny" about it is that I am the one that cannot stand hair over my ears. I think the only reason I handled it was because the hair is actually poofed off over the ears and doesn't sit tight against them.

Anyway...here are the girls:

I had issues with my skirt...originally, the skirt opening was in the back, but when Savannah stitched the bodice to the skirt to keep them together and spare me the embarrassment of my corset strings doing a jig down the back of my gown, she had to turn it around (for obvious reasons). the pleating is heavier in the that portion of the skirt, so it hangs down differently and therefore I kept stepping on my skirt. Before I wear it again something has to be done. 

The next day, I returned to my preferred hair style. (And yes, I did wear my Secession Cockade all day long.)

I did my shopping that final day, purchasing several books, though certainly not as many as last year. 

Thursday morning, Daddy and I sat with Dr. Morecraft while he ate his breakfast, along with Mr. Botkin. It seems to me, on the one hand, rather odd and awesome to be sitting and talking to these well-known men...but then on the other, sitting and watching them eat breakfast reminds me that they, like myself, are just regular human-beings. Sure, they may be older and wiser than myself, but they are also just like me, persons created in the image of God, fallen in Adam and redeemed by Christ Jesus.

We pulled out and headed into southern Illinois to pick up our sink...

After collecting the sink, since we were going through the area, we contacted brother Andrew and met up for a coffee (his pretty sister was unavailable or she would have joined us to!) Unfortunately, we plumb forgot to get any pictures!! 

Thankfully, we got home with no issues...
~~~
I might as well briefly tell you that I mowed today...and that I managed to bend the blades even worse than ever by hitting a stump. However, in the process I learned that I can indeed take the blades off and straighten them--to a degree. If I had worked at it a little longer, the really badly bent blade could have gotten straightened out better. Oh well...

I ate enough dirt today, what with me mowing and the farmers plowing...and the wind blowing. :P 

A'right. Good-night, y'all!

Oh and where to begin??? What a glorious, joyful weekend!

I suppose, for the sake of coherence, I probably ought to start on Friday and the trip over to Illinois. It was, thankfully, uneventful and we did not arrive late, even though we got out a little later than we intended. One of the first things I noticed was that Providence Church did not have the usual castle wall facade up...things seemed to be a little more loosely organized in general this year, but it really didn't detract from the lectures and fellowship, so I am not complaining. :)

Unfortunately, we did not get very many pictures, so I haven't any pictures to show you of our dear S's. They were already in Illinois visiting family and came to RefDay for Friday and half of Saturday. They came on over here Saturday afternoon  and just left this morning, taking my elder sister with them...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I was standing in a doorway talking with my 'brother' Andrew H. when I spotted the S's. I rather unceremoniously blurted, "Oh!" or something like that and left off in the middle of a sentence to dash the fifteen feet to where they were sitting. I'm afraid I was really quite rude and I must apologize for it.  

However, minutes later, I grabbed Andrew by the elbow and propelled him over to meet the S's...and then R and L...I think, were roped into the group to meet them. There was so much talk and laughter and joy that I cannot remember everything that happened...or what order it happened in.

Friday there were three lectures. Two by Phil Kyser and one by Douglas Bond. The topic of this years Reformation Day was the Huguenots--of whom I knew practically nothing. Dr. Kyser first spoke in a general overview sort of way about the theology and orthopraxy of the Huguenots. One could say that they were the "Christian Reconstructionists" of their day; with the same kinds of total-life view of the application of Scripture. (By the way, I do classify myself among the 'Reconstructionists'...there is of course, some variation within that categorization because of human nature.)

Dr. Kyser's second talk (after Mr. Bond's) landed right down my alley--the Huguenot just war theory. He referenced a book "Vindiciae Contra Tyrannus" (or something like that) by a Frenchman named Mornet (I believe; and it's probably not spelled correctly) that I put on my "must-read" list. I agreed...and I nodded...and I took notes...and I grinned...suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed that talk.

Douglas Bond's three talks (one on Friday, two on Saturday) were really rather like one, just split into three parts, in which he told stories about different persons and event that took place during the Reformation in France: he spoke of Calvin, Verit, the queen of Navarre, Renee of France, Gaspard Coliny, and others. (There is a bit of story that goes with that, but I'll get there in the chronology.) Anyway, Mr. Bond is an engaging speaking, though, rather like Bill Potter (also a story-teller) not someone I am able to take notes from--so I didn't; I just listened. 

Friday evening, the Josties did the concert. I enjoyed it more than I expected too. For some reason, I assumed that they did gospel music--and a lot of gospel is rather well...not my cup of tea (partly because of the theology of the words and partly because of the way people sing.) I was pleased to hear that they actually know how to sing. (Sound like a snob, don't I?) 

Saturday is always the most particularly exciting day...we girls got up and got decked out in our outfits:

We had a little time to spare, so we goofed around a little...the above mentioned attempt at opening the window was part of that. Turns out, I had actually locked it when I was trying to unlock it. (In other words, I did get it open eventually.) Katherine thought I looked so funny tugging on the window that she had to get some pictures...and they did come out funny, so I thought I'd share them for your amusement.

We got to the church a little early, so took a brief reconnaissance drive around to locate the school were the dance was going to be that evening. (I knew where it was, but we thought we'd familiarize ourselves with the route.)

Well, we got back, pulled into the parking lot, and parked next to a silver car with an NRA and AOPA sticker on it. We made a few remarks about it...(NRA's a good thing!) without knowing who it belonged too--turns out as we found out that afternoon, it belonged to none other than our adopted brothers R!! It was hilarious that we unintentionally parked right next to them!

So, we go into the building, not knowing the R's were there yet, trot up the steps and who do I see across the foyer but Caleb! In a matter of minutes, three sisters and three brothers were greeting each other and talking 90 miles an hour, across this little circle. The S's arrived and were dragged into the circle by yours truly. I don't know exactly whose idea it was to sit together, but we ended up in a single row like this: Andy, Caleb, Katherine, Racheal, Savannah, and Dan. The S's were in the row ahead of us since we all wouldn't fit in one row.

My fingers went nearly ceaselessly during the three talks that took place that morning (Rev. McDonald's impression this year was of Gaspard Coliny's elder brother--the name I forget) and I got the entire cuff of Andy's second kilt sock finished! Yay! (I finished the first sock Friday on the way over.) Toward evening, I had Andy try on the completed sock and it fit perfectly! He seemed to really like it...and it appeared to me that he didn't want to take it off! I am going to make him and Dan both a set of kilt flashes to go with their kilts/socks. (Dan got himself a kilt...I forgot to ask what tartan it was, but it looked rather like Graham to me and Graham is my primary tartan claim.) I have also been commissioned to knit Dan a pair of kilt hose. :) However, you're not here to read of the Socketeer's business prospects...

Let's see...we were to have a jam session between lunch and the Highland games (about an hour); so we gathered out in the cold wind and the slight sprinkle and waited....and waited...and waited while the poor over-taxed food vendors worked as fast as they could to feed the line of people. Both Dan and Caleb had already eaten by the time Savannah, Katherine, Andy, and I had gotten our food. (The H's would have already eaten, I guess, because their last name falls in the first half of the alphabet and we were assigned to eat according to last names.) Once we ate, we went in and jammed. As promised, Andy helped me on 'General Taylor' both during the jam session and later as we headed toward the Highland Games. (As of this afternoon, I'm doing terrible on it; but I do know what it is that I need to work on.) I still can't keep up with Andy's flying fingers, but I did a little better this year because I am in practice better than last year. I don't know exactly what it is, but my guitar's tone doesn't seem to blend overly well with his...even though I was in tune.

We actually did a few of songs that we girls are proficient at--including "Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah"--which our brothers informed us was much too fast. Ha! ;) It's not a dirge, you guys! ;D (It was actually rather humorous, the banter about that...) 

But we did 'Salley Gardens', one of my favorites (me finger-picking to boot!)...'Be Thou My Vision'...oh boy...I can't remember the rest, but it sure was fun. Strumming, bowing, percussion, whistles, voices...I look forward to the next jam session. :) (Maybe I ought to practice a little harder too!) 

We moved on to the Highland Games with little ol' me trying to match my  voice to Andy's and conquer General Taylor; by the time we got there, Andy told me he thought I had it...well, sorta, Andy...sorta. :)

Caleb did not win the cabor toss this year; I think he came in second (or third at the least)...and someplace along in there in the rock toss. I went and bugged Andrew about getting in on the 'funn' but he didn't because he had a shoulder bugging him. I agree, it's not a good idea to stress already bothersome joints/muscles. I stayed over there instead of wandering back to where Savannah and Katherine were because I could see better (the announcer) had stepped in front of us three and I got busy hollering for all my "brothers" (the H's, the R's, and the B's). I figured I might as well get into it and have fun. 

Christopher, Thomas, William, and Joshua B. were being noisy in a different fashion and I vainly tried to get them to slacken their "war chant". Andy told me to ignore them and they'd quit--but they wouldn't have. I know those guys...they are so much themselves (which sounds weird).  I heaved Christopher up at one point and he was squawking, "Put me down!" with a huge grin in his voice...and so I kept ahold of him until he asked sweetly if I would, "Put me down...please." What? PLEASE? From the Lion-hearted?? Yes, dear...

I grabbed William around the shoulders at one point too...I forget what it was about...but he really doesn't mind the affection. (Those boys know that I love 'em--because I've told them so.) Thomas doesn't stick around as long for hugs. :D I'm doing good with Joshua just to ruffle his hair--he's never been as receptive to it anyway (he likes Katherine best of us three girls).

Daniel B. did the cabor toss for the second time this year. He's such a scrawny looking young man, though tall enough, that the he doesn't look like he could handle it well, but he did pretty decently. Give him a couple more years and he may be giving the standing camps (Caleb and a feller named Matt [who plays a pretty mean piano, too!]) a run for their money. (Daniel doesn't talk to me much these days [he's 16 and too into football after church to want to stand around and exchange pleasantries with me], but we're still family, as his coming up Saturday evening to let us know his 'battle wounds' were not hurting anymore, showed. I'm pretty fond of that tall, skinny, blue-eyed kid.)

Let's see...there were all kinds of humorous little situations, from one guy taking a head-first dive into the dirt right after his rock went flying, to joking about the Canadian running around in shorts and shortsleeves while everyone else was dressed a little heavier; even the guys in kilts had on more clothing with long sleeves and all.

I did it...I really did. Whether or not I should be embarrassed about it is another question. I gave my last year's critique of Andy's sword play to him--and like a gentleman he listened to me...and even took it. I could see that he was defending himself a little tighter. In other words, he stayed in the fight a little longer! I mean, literally, there were a couple of times that I wanted to snatch a fallen boffer and chase some dude off from Andy last year. :D I do so enjoy a good bout of sword-play that it can be hard to "just watch" the boffer wars. The three R's fought shoulder to shoulder...and at one point, some guys in front of me encouraged themselves, "Let's get the Canadians!" and promptly descended upon the three of them. I was thinking: "But they're not Canadian!" Oh, well...odd.

Let's see...I don't want to bore my readership with flash-tidbits of moments that either amused me or had significance to me...but would be "blah" to you all...so I'll just sum up the Games in this way: I had much fun watching them, talking to Andrew and Andy, teasing the B kiddos, yelling in support of my friends, laughing, and looking "goofy" (according to KT) with my shawl tucked on top of my head. After a while, I got cold and along with that, both my 'Lymie' wrist and hip started to ache a little, so when Savannah, Caleb, Katherine, and Andrew headed in, I went with them.

Shortly after that, the other two R brothers came back from the wars. Andy with beat up hands (not good for a professional musician); he held his hands up to show me his swollen knuckles and his hands were still quivering. Dan had a goose-egg on his right wrist, though I didn't know that until we were dancing the Virginia Reel and he had to quit clapping because it was bothering him. (I stamped my foot so hard I make my knee hurt during that dance. :D)

The discussion of "where are we going to go eat supper" started in earnest. No one wanted to see me out of sorts from food (me most especially!) and so we settled on a Bob Evans some 10-15 minutes away. The R's led the way in their car and I moved to the backseat to allow Andrew the use of the front seat (afterall, his legs are twice as long as mine!) and thusly we went, "Won't Caleb drive a little faster? I'm hungry!!" :D Turns out, he was driving so slowly because he thought Savannah was an overly cautious driver. (I.e. a duffer--like me.) Anyway, so we got to Bob Evans and I laughed something about only Caleb and Andy be the normal looking people amongst the seven of us, for Dan was kilted and Andrew was decked out in early 1800's styled finery, not to mention the medieval/Reformation style outfits of the ladies of the party! I really didn't feel as awkward as I thought I was going to. Some lady in the restroom asked me if we were with 'the show' (apparently there was some sort of Broadway-esque show playing in Peoria)...

After we were seated, I cornered Dan to get some information concerning the voice over he is supposed to be doing for me and as soon as I said "Voice Over" he got this look on his face that really cracked me up. I swallowed his excuses (I have less excuse than he does for not being any further along than I am!) and proceeded to order my salmon. There was lively conversation and plenty of laughs over our supper. I'm afraid I looked askance at the blueberry pancakes that ended up in front of Dan...I could just imagine eating that and being so sick I couldn't walk straight. :D It was even more fun though to tell Andy "Eat!" every two minutes...he really only glared good-naturedly at me once. (We had a time limit because the ball started at 7:30.)

Well, we made it (and many thanks to Dan for picking up the tab for the entire table!) and were there and ready when the dancing started. Mrs. B called this year and I think did a pretty good job for her second full ball. I was pleased as punch when Christopher strolled up and proffered his hand to me. I don't recall the little stinker ever asking me to dance before...that was the Waves of Tory...so we had short me and even shorter Christopher--but we managed the arches without over much trouble. :)

As previously mentioned, I did the Virginia Reel with Dan, whose arm was hurting him. He kept clapping, then stopping, and then starting again. It's odd how somethings just "happen" even though you know it would be better if you quit doing whatever it is. (I've done that while playing spoons before; the blisters start coming and I just keep playing.) It's practically impossible not to clap during the Virginia Reel!!

The Virginia Reel and the Gay Gordon (or Carolina Promenade, depending on who you are talking to) are my favorite dances and both were done. I started that one (it's a mixer) with Andy...likewise the Pattycake Polka (and of course, I had to mention how 7 lb.s of Bacon does it...and he quipped something about 7 lb.s of bacon sound good. Goofy! ;P) 

I think nearly all the dances were ones I had done before...since I am learning the ECD terms and steps, I'm getting to a point where I can just pick up and go with a dance after a real quick walk through. Remembering the names and which is which is the hard part! I love to dance! 

It was roundly agreed amongst ourselves that we could have kept dancing much past 10...but since we had to be out of the building by a certain time, we had to quit. I was sooo wound up that night that I didn't conk out very fast and then I woke up early. 

We wiled away the time before it was time to go to church by packing and loading the car. Oh, and 'peep ob-ing'. ;) Looking out our window, we could see the parking lot of the neighboring hotel--even from that distance, I recognized members of the J family (whom I don't actually know, but I know who they are). Minutes before we left, I spotted two heads bobbing along...as soon as they appeared from behind a tree, I knew who they were. Of course, the guitar case really helped, but I knew it was Andy and Dan without it. :D

The sermon was edifying and interesting as Rev. McDonald spoke on verses 9-22 of II Timothy 4 (the end of the book). He was noting how this was, in a way, rather like Paul's last will and testament and how he was thinking about people, not possessions or position, as he neared the end of his life.

I find that communion is a bit on the awkward side at Providence, but I appreciate being able to take it all the same. And that church sings. Not just robustly, but in parts. You can hear the sopranos, the basses, the tenors, and probably the altos if you're really listening (we tend to get lost, I think, between the sopranos and tenors). It is just a joy to sing at Providence because it is so beautiful. 

The church kindly provided people lunch on Sunday afternoon. I went downstairs with my sisters and Andy, but, because I offered to take Bibles and jackets upstairs, I ended up going through the line with Caleb and Dan (rather than cutting back in, I just joined the end of the line). Dan filled up a tray again this year, but not as much as last year...and once again, he ate practically all of it. :D I was full after a single plateful.

During lunch (like last year) Savannah and Andy talked non-stop. Caleb interjected into whichever conversation he wanted to, and Dan and I probably spent more time talking about guns than anything else. :D Katherine was quiet for the most part and just ate while listening intently to Savannah and Andy; until R came over and slipped in between KT and I...there was some joking about me having enough room...which I assured her I had enough room and we'd know that I didn't when I fell off the end of the bench and hit my head on the brick wall beside me. ;)

Before we left, we spent roughly another hour doing a hymn-sing in the sanctuary. Seth, someone I know who they are because of filmmaking, accompanied us on the piano. We concluded with "God Be With You Til We Meet Again" (which I did not know)...and it was so beautiful, I was beginning to choke up!

Then, seriously right before we left, we had a little photoshoot where Katherine got to use the timer on her camera. Here's the results:

It's really funny...because if you are scrolling through the pictures, we look like we're all swaying if you flip between them. :D (Obviously, we did not stand in age order, or height order or in any usual sense of photographic orderliness. We just lined up like siblings and waited for Katherine to dash back to the group.)

And just one final picture...Andy, waiting for his brothers to return so they could start home:

It was a grand weekend...and I look forward to seeing all the friends mentioned in this post "the next time" whenever that rolls around!

God Bless Y'all! It's a joy knowing you!

In summary: WHAT A FANTASTIC EVENT!!!!

Ahem, now that that is out of the way, I can get down to the nitty-gritty of it all. I am sure I will forget some things, but I'll try to give you a good picture of what it was like. Also, we didn't get as many pictures as I thought we might, so please excuse any apparent gaps. :)

This story starts last Sunday when the four ladies of our household piled into the red car and pointed our faces toward St. Charles, Missouri. We had an uneventful, roughly six hour drive.

I decided not to use any of the pictures of Savannah because Katherine took them all in the side mirror and they didn't come out very well.

We arrived at this huge hotel/conference center (Embassy Suites) someplace around 6:30 or thereabouts, got checked in, and immediately went out to supper. I got soo sick...I wasn't nauseous, but I was buzzy, the inside of my mouth felt swollen, and my legs were shaking so bad I wondered if I was going to fall down. I have had food reactions before, but never anything like that!

I was supposed to meet up with my friend Andrew H. to discuss a certain film project that evening, but after a few minutes, Mama told me to forget about it, call Andrew back and cancel, and then me go to bed. Well, I felt totally unable to call, so I had Savannah do it for me. Andrew was very gracious (as usual) about the whole situation.

The next morning, I felt fine and was impatient to start the day. Before I go any further, let me remark at what a blessing it was to have the hotel connected to the conference center. When I got hungry, or just needed a minute, I could just disappear to our room for a few minutes and then return to participation in the conference. It was great. :) The one thing I did not like was the elevators...

On the first day, I wore my sailor suit (and my hat, of course). Savannah wore a black and white dress and Katherine a purple plaid skirt and pink blouse.

Monday morning, and multiple times throughout the afternoon, Chief Justice Roy Moore spoke. I attended all his lectures since I do have an interest in the history our government's founding and law. All his sessions were good, the second to last one being the least interesting. His presentation of that particular lecture wasn't the best either...I think partly because he was tired and partly because he kind of switched up what he was doing on the fly.

Anyway, his first session was a short history who he was, where he came from, and, of course, the famous battle of the "right" to display the Ten Commandments. Here is one interesting quote I managed to capture from that session:

The point being, the sovereignty of God was never in question for the Founders and when Jefferson made that oh-so-famous remark about "separation of church and state" he was referring to the separation of the two institutions, not the separation of God and state. In other words, the First Amendment is simply a prohibition of any particular denomination being set above any others--a separation of institutional jurisdiction.

Judge Moore's second lecture was entitled: Jurisdictional Aspects of God's Sovereignty. In other words, God rules through different jurisdictions, each one having their own sphere of authority--family, church, and state.

As I mentioned earlier, his third session was not as billed and wasn't overly memorable...however, as I glance over my notes here, this quote sticks out to me:

It appears I must have neglected to take notes during his final session, The United States Constitution and God's Law...if I recall correctly, it was in the same vein as the rest of his lectures, pointing to the fact that yes, indeed, America was founded as a Christian nation and only Christianity produces freedom and it is only through a Christian worldview that our Constitution can be rightly understood and followed.

The only other speaker I listened to that day (Monday) was Bill Potter. His topic was, Was WWII a Just War?: Franklin Roosevelt, Imperial Japan and Pearl Harbor. He opened up a whole new world of conspiracy theorists for me when he remarked that some people think that FDR provoked, planned, and conspired for Japan to attack us so we would enter the war. (Thankfully, and to my great relief, Mr. Potter believes that's a bunch of baloney as much as I do.) The long and the short of the story, without getting into all the most fascinating and terrible details of the attack on Pearl, December 7th, 1941, WWII was a just war because it was a defensive war (on both fronts). We declared war on Japan in defense of our soil and we engaged the Germans in warfare because they declared war on  us!

Monday closed with the "Officer's Ball"...and no, it wasn't swing dancing, but rather English Country Dancing (ECD). Some of the young men/boys came in uniform, though really not too many of them. My above mentioned friend Andrew came in an actual WWII uniform (very neat). In fact, I did my best to track down extra information on Cpl. McPherson...

Anyway, Andrew's elder brother came in uniform (didn't catch his rank) and his younger brother as a Navy captain. I will admit that the number of officers of rather high rank made this enlisted man's daughter smirk a little...most of those guys, if officers, would have held the rank of 1st or 2nd Lieutenant in real life. But what ho! If I were a lad, I would have gone as a Master Sergeant (in honor of my father) and at my age, I probably wouldn't have held much over the lowest sergeant rank in the book...so I guess there isn't that much difference. :D

I regret to inform you that there are no pictures of the ball...but regardless, we all had a wonderful time (even though there were only seven dances). Katherine and I sat out the first one, but joined in as a "couple" on the second one (I love the Spanish Waltz!) and thereafter didn't have to rely on each other as dance partners. I only got to dance with two uniforms...but oh well. I had a delightful time dancing with a charming little man by the name of James, and then twice with a little girl named Elizabeth. Kids like me for some reason. :D

When the ball was over, we all fell into bed and went to sleep (at least I did).

Tuesday morning, a couple of friends and I missed the first session because we were sitting around a table in the breakfast room talking filmmaking.

We all headed into the conference center (as far as I am aware) for the next series of sessions. I don't know where everyone else went, but Katherine and I headed for Dr. Morecraft's Natural Law and Biblical Law. That lecture helped to clear up a few fuzzy notions I hadn't completely sorted out when I first studied the topic in high school. It also rather explained why Puritan New England ended up Unitarian and the like so quickly (in the scope of things). My rough summation of what Dr. Morecraft said runs something like this: the 17th and 18th century American Puritan's weakness was that their confidence in God's word was equal to their confidence in logic and reason...or in other words, Thomism crowded out their Augustinianism. For some of you, that may make even more sense to you than it does to me.

After the session, Katherine and I caught up with a friend who we haven't seen for several years...the main topic of discussion was Lyme disease, of all things.

All of us went to Bill Potter's next session...after all, we are a household of Winston Churchill fans. :D

I find Mr. Potter extremely hard to take notes from--he is a fabulous story teller, but that doesn't mean that notes are easy. In essence, he told his audience the story of Winston Churchill, and left us with three lesson we can learn from the man's life. 1) Always aim high. 2) There is no substitution for hard work. 3) Never allow mistakes/problems to hinder you.

I next headed (by the way, I'm skipping vendor/snack/lunch/dinner breaks here...I'll talk more about that portion separately) to a session on bee-keeping the natural way. I do have an interest in keeping bees, but I need to do some research on how much effect GMO's have on bees and/or the make up of the honey.

In any case, it was an informative session and I scrawled two pages of notes and came away with a little better idea of what I might be getting myself into if I actually do decide to do bees.

The next session was a general session and my first listening to Dr. Paul Jehle speak. Regardless of topic (which was very interesting indeed), I came away with a huge appreciation for Dr. Jehle's presentation style...he is really quite engaging and grabs your attention firmly with both hands, so to speak. The lecture was on Bonhoeffer, but covered more than that. His headings were (my rephrasing for speedy notation): "Nazism and the Church", "Nazism and Economics", "Nazism and Religious Liberty", "Nazism and Propaganda", "Nazism and Education", "Training Heroes or Robots?" It was after this set-up that he really began to speak about Bonhoeffer himself. I like Bonhoeffer's description of Hitler:

I won't go any deeper than that because I took almost three pages of notes on that particular speech and it was all very interesting.

The event of the evening was a talk by the Duggar's and a musical presentation by some of their 19 children. The music was scheduled for after the talk, but got flipped around. I may be scorned for this, but really found the Duggar's talk rather boring. Not to mention that I disagreed with some of their theology, but overall, I easily could have skipped that session and never regretted it.

After it was over, tired as I was, I decided to do a little socializing that evening and basically drug Katherine with me. :D That's not exactly true, because she and a friend were quite happily engaged in conversation, photography, and hair styling while I attempted to play Dutch Blitz with some Dutch Blitz whizzes. (Fast games when your eyes are having trouble focusing aren't exactly recommended.)

After a while, I "folded" because I couldn't see straight enough any more.

Then...someone, I forget who, suggested going down into the lower lobby and dancing for a while. Needless to say, I ignored the fact that I really needed to go to bed and headed downstairs with some of the others to dance for a little while. (It appears there are no pictures of that either...at least that I borrowed off Kt's camera.)

That was blast! Even when I was confused, couldn't keep up, or out of breath. I'm afraid I don't turn under with the left hand very well. I get confused and forget to let the gent get me moving. My apologies to the young gentlemen who had to put up with that foolishness on my part. (I am still used to dancing the gent's part!)

When Katherine and I finally did go upstairs (all the way to the eighth floor) and to bed, it was 1:30 our time, though only 12:30 locally in Missouri. I guess I dropped off pretty fast.

Wednesday morning, I woke up with a start as Mama's cellphone (acting in the capacity of alarm clock) went off full blast about two feet from my left ear. I was awake...no doubt about that! Even had I been interested in drifting back off to sleep, I couldn't have done it I was so thoroughly awake.

We all headed down for the first session of the day, Dr. Morecraft's sermon on the Solas of the Reformation. As with anything Dr. Morecraft does, it was good. :) For some of us, it was recap (though not boring!), but I'm sure some folks were hearing it for the first time.

It would not surprise me if the majority of families with children of marriageable age headed into Dr. Paul Jehle's next most informative (and amusing at times) session: Courtship, World War II and the Dating Game. Granted, my notes weren't very good, but I highly enjoyed this session and did come away with some new items of knowledge tucked up under my hair. I continue to laugh each time I remember Dr. Jehle (you would have had to seen his expression to really understand why this is so amusing) remarking about the young people "scouring the halls" and parents thinking that three days is a long event and the young people are like: "Only three days???" I guess it was so funny, because it a way, it is really very true. There isn't a young woman (or man) I know that isn't interested in getting married at some point. And yes, we're looking around because it's natural. Still, it does help when you consider that yes, God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass...and that nice young man or young lady is a brother or sister in Christ.

I next betook myself (all alone) to Bill Potter's lecture on two historical characters from WWII. Jacob DeShazer and Fushida (the top Japanese pilot who led the attack on Pearl Harbor). It was a highly interesting talk about these two men who's paths eventually providentially crossed. It would go beyond the scope of this blog post to tell their story however...

The final two sessions/tribute had me in tears. Dr. Jehle spoke of Iwo Jima and drew life lessons for the Christian from the struggle...his headers being Cause, Character, and Courage.

The Patriotic Tribute that followed Bill Potter and Dr. Jehle doing a joint talk, was really pretty good. The Sentimental Journey dance band was outstanding and I wished they could have played more/had more air time. Dr. Jehle gave a first person impression of Francis S. Key that was quite engaging.

But...before that, there was this:

The patriotic music made me cry, for sure, nothing new there...but what really made me want to just break down and sob uncontrollably (which I managed not to do!) was when the two WWII vets in the audience were honored. One was seated right behind us, in his old uniform (Tech Sgt.)...I got to both hold his hand and hug the dear, dear elderly gentleman. He was trying not to cry and I was trying not to cry and I cannot tell you the deep honor it is to have one of these grandfather's standing there, holding your hand and telling you that he went to fight so his sisters...and girls like my sisters and I, would not have to undergo what the girls in Europe did. He also told me I was beautiful...but he, with his wrinkles and cane is far more beautiful to my eyes than all the lovely girls in the room put together. For he stands for something that is passing, something that I wish I could hang on to. The WWII generation is dying out and it is such an honor and privilege to meet the remaining veterans. And now I'm getting all teary eyed again...

All in all, it was a grand event...and I would very, very much like to attend next year, for the topic is that of the SOUTH. As you here all probably know that I'm a southron born and breed, I doubt that comes as a surprise to any of you. :) Besides that, the fellowship was very great.

Which leads me to tell a few stories that took place in the vendor hall...

Katherine and I were wandering around (I believe it was Monday) and as we peered at a particular table, the young man behind the table addressed me rather as if he knew who I were. That was rather, well, odd at first, but it soon became apparent that Mama and Savannah had already visited this table and told him about me (the majority of the books were about the WBtS) and my documentary. :D (And they apparently told him what I was wearing...and I was the only girl there in a sailor suit, so I guess it wasn't too hard.) We talked for a little bit and I ended up purchasing Robert L. Dabney's In Defense of Virginia and the South. I would return the next day and buy a couple more books from Sprinkle Publications...

The first thing that happened when Savannah and I walked into the vendor hall for the first time on Monday was a pleasant accosting by Mr. Raymond of the Chalcedon Foundation...he handed us both a book bag (Mama and Katherine would also each get one eventually). They contained free books, pamphlets, and copies of Faith for all of Life. I almost immediately forked over the dough for the latest "Bell Mountain" book...it was half price, to boot! :)

I was going to get three more books from the vendor hall, but I only ended up getting two. Douglas Bond's The Thunder was gone by the time I got back to that particular table Tuesday afternoon...but I did get these two!

The last day, I decided to do something I had considered since I first saw a particular young man in the Chalcedon Presbyterian Church booth and put two and two together as to his identity...I had been party to a conversation on Google plus in which both he and I were engaged sometime in the past year. Seeing that he wasn't covered up by perspective book buyers and was leaned back a little in his chair with a steel-string Yamaha guitar on his lap, I poked my chin out, walked over and demanded (pleasantly, I hope), "Are you Evan N.?" He looked up at me with a curious expression on his face and assured me he was. By now, I was feeling slightly silly, but couldn't back out now, so I introduced myself and reminded him of that ridiculous post of our mutual friend's.

And he laughed.

He did remember...and I think he was slightly surprised (or something) that a particular joking phrase had continued to be used fairly regularly amongst a certain number of us. (Evan apparently doesn't waste as much time on G+ as some of us do! :P) Anyway, to continue conversation, I made one of those rather inane comments: "I see you play the guitar..." I made it not so "duh, obviously!" by tacking on, "So do I..."

From there we talked about guitars and music a bit and when I said I played classical, he asked me if I would play him something as he likes classical (and wants to learn himself)...so I gladly sat down (guitar players are like that you know...it is rather a social instrument.. :D) and picked out a few things out of my embarrassingly small repertoire of memorized pieces.

My sisters came over and we had a pleasant four way conversation (along with his adorable little nephew) for a few minutes before it was necessary for Evan to get back to the work he was there to do--selling Dr. Morecraft's books. :)

It is always nice to meet other reformed young folks...and I thoroughly enjoyed doing so this past week...but now, I really am in need of sleep (again). I will have to tell you what Katherine and I did this afternoon in a post tomorrow. So, until then, farewell!