Sincerely Amanda
The Writings Of Amanda Read

Originally I intended to post this old interview on Veteran’s Day.  However, since the article was misplaced until now, that has been delayed. 

I remember the day when the news reporter and photographer stopped by our house to do an article for The Huntsville Times about military families for the Veteran’s Day issue.  They stayed and talked into the evening, so the photographer had to come out the next day to get a good family photo of us in the daylight.  This was the finished result…

___________________________________________

The Huntsville Times Saturday, November 11, 2000

Family forces

When there’s a career Army person at home, everyone is on duty

By PAT NEWCOMB Times Staff Writer

Amanda Read counts on her fingers.  She was born in El Paso.  From there she moved to Monterey, Calif.  She moved next to Ithaca, N.Y.  Then it was Germany, with a two-month stay in Uzbekistan.  Then West Point and now Huntsville.  Amanda is 10.  A pretty girl with long brown hair and olive-shaped eyes, Amanda is what is often referred to as an “Army brat”.  Her dad, Bryan Read, is a major in the U.S. Army.

But Amanda is no brat.  She’s articulate and self-assured.  She helps her mom, Chris, take care of her four younger siblings.  She’s smart, too.  “They know their geography,” said Bryan Read of his children.  “Amanda can point out on a globe where we’ve lived.”

For now, home is Huntsville.  The family of seven lives in a modest, red-sided rancher on Redstone Arsenal.  Chris Read has made it home, with family photos, baskets and a piano that has nicks in it from many moves.  Those scratches are memories, said Bryan Read.  “Each one represents a different move,” he said.

He is one of more that 1,500 active-duty military members stationed at Redstone Arsenal.  More than 2,500 military dependents are also on the rolls.  A typical tour of duty at Redstone is three years, said Dan O’Boyle, a Redstone spokesman.

Bryan Read has been in the Army for 15 years.  He and Chris have been married 12 of those.  Before she and Bryan married, Chris had lived all her life in Tuscaloosa where her father, Roger Sayers, was president of the University of Alabama.  She was a nursing student at Alabama when she met Bryan, who was from Jacksonville.  He was in ROTC while in college and went into the Army after graduating.

Moving with children, especially five ranging in age from 10 to 1, is no picnic.  It takes a lot of organization, said Chris Read. “I try not to be too much of a pack rat,” she said.  Because of their frequent moves, the Reads have eliminated one difficulty.  Their kids are home schooled so they don’t have to move them in midyear.  The Reads also do it because they want to include religious study as part of their children’s education.

A little room off the kitchen serves as a one-room schoolhouse for the Read children.  It’s a tiny room, but their education has been broad because of their military life.  “There’s been something about each place we’ve lived that I’ve enjoyed,” said Chris Read, “that I’ve been glad the children have experienced.” 

It’s not that there haven’t been sacrifices.  The family has never had a pet, unless you count a hermit crab.  They want a dog, but that’s not a good idea because of the potential for moving overseas. They have had to leave friends.  And there’s always the possibility the country may go to war, and Bryan Read will have to go fight.  “I think that’s always something in the back of your mind,” said Chris Read. 

But Bryan Read accepts that as part of his obligation.  “It’s what the American people pay us to do.   They’ve invested a lot in us.”

The Reads expect to be in Huntsville through the summer, maybe a little longer.  They don’t know what’s next.  He is a foreign language officer.  He speaks fluent Russian and that may determine his next assignment.

______________________________________________

Oh, to think what has happened in the seven years since!   Yet the LORD planned it all along.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

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Comments

Thursday, December 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Bluejane
Wow and I thought I had moved a lot!

Bluejane
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Thursday, December 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by ChristineDaae
Hello,

Thank you for the comment. I appreciate the tip on the links. I will have to try to fix that (although as usual I will probably need my sister to help!) I’m not very good with computers.

Wow, that article was neat. My family is also military so I understand about the moving and all that! We only have four kids though. We are actually moving in May or June. My dad went to the Naval Academy and was in the Navy until he met my Mom and they married. Than he went to seminary and was a pastor for five years. After that he got back into the Navy as a chaplain so we moved from PA to VA and now we live in NC and are about to move to Annapolis, MD. Ok, yes this is a really long comment, so I better go now! Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

-Christine
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Thursday, December 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by pokadot
hey amanda,
thanks for coming to my blog! we just got a knew camera last year and I am so happy. our old one took the most awful pictures. you have a great blog!

-Naomi
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Thursday, December 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BlogBoy
That is so neat! Y’all got to be in the news! Neato…

RYC: I’m not sure if the HSB mailing is that good. It is ok, but I send out all my email alerts by hand.

Eric
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Thursday, December 20, 2007 - Hello

Posted by Jocelyndixon
Yes, it did post your comments.I don’t know if it edited them. lol

I don’t think the HSB mailing list works very well either, and you can only have 30 emails, which I have almost 100 so that won’t work. lol

Blessings!
Jocelyn
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Friday, December 21, 2007 - Wow!

Posted by BreezyTulip
That is a neat article!

We used to have a hermit crab. After I read a children’s book about one, I had to have my own. Named him Francois Louis, or something thing like that…Dad’s idea, who also became the eventual “owner” of the little guy. When I told a friend he (the crab) ate crab cakes, he wouldn’t believe me. So naive, I didn’t realize it sounded like canibolism, but that’s what the package said - “Crab Cakes”.

BTW I think that is so neat that your dad speaks Russian fluently. Has he ever had to use it much?

Merry Christmas
-BreezyTulip

P.S. I’m glad I’ve got you on my friends list - I really like your blog, too!

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Saturday, December 22, 2007 - congrats

Posted by SuperAngel
Wow that is really neat you got that interview. Something special.
RYC:
Sorry you are cameraless. lol..
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a great day!!
Prayers and Blessings,
Amanda
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Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - Amanda…

Posted by SuperAngel
That is really great they surprised you with the camera. That sounds so nice.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a great day!!
Prayers and Blessings,
Amanda

Colonial America, being the turning point for the Old World and the starting point for the New, ought not be misrepresented.  The people and politics of the continental experiment could not have been perfect or utopian, and neither did they strive for such unrealistic ideals.  The uniqueness and excellence that the first founders put into the young civil government had nothing to do with power politics or even a blasé and tolerant democracy. 

No, it had nothing to do with making perfection, but rather having a completely Biblical understanding of imperfection.  By unanimously acknowledging CHRIST as CREATOR, SAVIOUR and SOVEREIGN and stating HIS WORD as Law, the people were given the responsibility of holding themselves as well as their elected leaders accountable.

With this outline of government in place, it was only natural that a generational mindset of education take place.  It was extremely important to the citizens that their children had a firm Biblical foundation and a respectful and discerning understanding of their heritage.  From the first literary primer to the college admissions requirements, a classical, practical and Biblical method of education was greatly esteemed.

As the colonies began forming a responsible government and learning style, society remained complementary to it.  A nation is, after all, built upon the family, and the family and its social setting were well balanced, with men and women accepting their different yet equally important roles.  It was not in any way a lifestyle to be ridiculed as primitive, but rather an instance in which workforce and home were regulated appropriately.

Now, it is not necessarily probable that people of that time were more righteous individually than they are now.  But the best way to evaluate the quality of social life is to examine what activities and beliefs are appreciated, tolerated or frowned upon.

In that particular era, the Church was considered valuable to both the family and the state.  Institutions for higher education made religious views and reputations as important in a student’s life as academics.  The Great Awakening further challenged and revived the people’s concept of GOD’s Providence in their country and reminded them of the dangers of complacency.  Fellowship and unity among believers was vital.

Thus, as that era of history came to a close, the young nation of the United States of America inherited its hard earned success.  Colonial America was not a shamefully blind and arrogant and irrelevant figment of past civilization, but rather the map of excellence that steered the country to greatness out of an age that was politically tumultuous worldwide.

___________________________________

“Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom.  I hope you will make good use of it.”

- JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

That was an essay I wrote for World Views earlier this year.  If I had a lot of extra time on my hands I probably would have rewritten the whole thing and been more detailed before posting it, but I guess it will have to do.  I already had this set for November 22nd, but it took me so long to edit out the errors my sloppy typing fingers created that I didn’t make it before the splendid festivities of the past week set in.  We had our delicious Thanksgiving meal at lunch time on that pleasant rainy Thursday, beginning with The LORD’s Supper to thank GOD for the ultimate gift - salvation in CHRIST.

We had dessert at our great-grandparents’ house.  The weekend that followed was wonderful, with visiting friends and family.  Recently we’ve enjoyed playing a Biblical trivia game called “Bible Baffle”.  It’s a lot of fun!

Rachel and Jillian (who was visiting) sent out the Priceless Purity e-zine.  It’s a good one, and I think all of you will enjoy it!

I spent today planning more so than studying.  I want to really work at managing my time better.  I don’t want the internet - even blogging - to be my big “thing”.  I want my “internet life” (haha…;-D) to be uncluttered and purposeful.  I still want to be able to get a blog post out at least once a week, but my other writing priorities will have to be my main focus.

I’m done with Chemistry, so I hope to successfully accomplish Geometry and the rest of World Views of the Western World within the next few months.  I want to especially focus on historical research, since I will probably end up majoring in History at a nearby college someday (I have no intentions of leaving home, believe me) and I’m also interested in writing historically themed scripts.  But I also don’t want thoughts of college to become my big “thing”.  I don’t want to be intricately involved in anything that draws me away from what I believe the LORD is calling me to do in life.  I only want to focus on things that will help me develop my skills and talents.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

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Comments

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - Oh..

Posted by nancysnook
I’m sure whatever or wherever God takes you, you will never lose focus of what is a main priority in your life…You’re so wonderful and you have a great sense of responsibility. I’m sure your family are all very proud of you.

Nancy
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Friday, November 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by pokadot
you have a great blog!!! very very cool! come check out my site sometime and leave me a message got to…
http://ww.homeschoolblogger.com/pokadot

-naomi

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Thursday, December 6, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by DarthYxpu
Thanks for the comment and sorry it’s taken me this long to reply.

Mom and the baby are doing great and they are home now.
Susanna is so cute. She’ll just sit there and grin if you rub her cheek.

Thank you for your prayers.

-Paulie
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Thursday, December 6, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BlogBoy
I end up reading something out of one of the books every few days. Just because I work with Narnia so much. Lol.

Good point about the Uncle Andrew quote!

Eric
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BlogBoy
RYC: Thanks, I think it looks kinda’ like Narnia too

Yep, it is time to post again on here. But I totally understand being busy.

Good idea, they can send stuff to me, but make sure it is at ericnovak@dls.net. I don’t check my yahoo email much.

Aww! Was that your new camera? Was it under warranty?

Eric

Perhaps that title doesn’t make very much sense.  I was referring to the busyness going on as this year reaches its height of Fall.  I have had quite a few blog posts in mind, but I have delayed posting them deliberately.  I’m considering saving my more topical posts for NJAO and Priceless Purity.

As for my recent busyness, I’m spending this week studying for my final chemistry tests.  Then I’m done with chemistry…officially!  I will then have Geometry and World Views left to complete within the next few months.  Then my “school” as the grading system knows it will be over.  That’s when my writing projects will excel to their full potential, LORD willing.

I went grocery shopping with Mom and my sisters on Monday.  I came across a DVDXpressDX2 device that converts your VHS or VHS-C (or whatever new-fangled technology has burdened ordinary home filmmakers with) to DVDs using your computer.  I’m still trying to get it to work.  It says it’s compatible with Vista, but I think I’m going to have to download an upgrade from their site in order to coax my laptop into accepting it.  One moment it appears to be working fine, but the next moment there is a warning on blue screen that my computer is restarting in order to protect it from “damage”.

The first week of November featured a football game and three birthdays in our family. Our Aunt Crystal and cousins visited this past Sunday.  We will most likely have guests around Thanksgiving.  I took some photographs of the Guest House which will appear on FairHillsFarm.com shortly.

Today one of our next door neighbors (a guy about my age) came by to see if we would be interested in giving one of our cats to his sister-in-law.  I have recounted occasionally the experiences of the Cats of Fair Hills.  Well, we are now down to five; Mirette and three of her original five kittens: Sebastian, Felix and Guinevere as well as Mirette’s half-brother, Hunter.  They are all very docile cats that have never been aggressive towards us and get along with Rex, the chickens and the little children.  They live out doors, but are somewhat maniacal in regard to food.  Every time we step out the front door they clamour around our feet and put on their loudest charming meows in hopes of receiving a treat.

Just the other day Hunter killed a copper-head looking young snake, and is renowned for his snake slaying escapades.  He is the one Dad favors, so he stays regardless.  Guinevere (Abigail’s cat) and Mirette will stay since they are queens and least likely to wander. Sebastian (my cat) and Felix (Joseph’s cat) quarrel incessantly.  Each wants to boot the other out, yet they both love this place so much that neither of them will give in.  Mom and I both concluded that one of them would be the best give away bet.

After checking with Dad, the deal seemed okay.  This evening our neighbor and his sister-in-law came by to pick up a cat.  It was dark, and Felix was the nearest one around, so he was the chosen one.  When I picked him up he appeared unusually nervous - partly because the neighbors’ little corgi/chihuahua/whatyoumaycallit mix looking dog came over as well.  We mentioned that if it didn’t work out they could bring him back any time.

A little while later our neighbor drove up and dropped off the carrier, saying that as soon as they opened it Felix dashed off into the woods.  Sure enough, he was back home a few minutes later.  What a feline exhibition of loyalty {haha}.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

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Comments

Thursday, November 15, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by moreofhim
Sounds like you’ve been very busy. I’m anxious to know if you get your new software working - sounds like something I’d like to try! Your kitty definitely seems to want to be with you!

God bless you ~ Julie
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Thursday, November 15, 2007 - WOW!!

Posted by SuperAngel
busy busy busy. But being busy is good too.
yes, let us know how your new software is going.
So Glad youliked my post. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know
As Always,
Amanda
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BlogBoy
Wow, snake killing cats? I thought it was the other way around!

We have a lot of cats, but we don’t have that many snakes being from IL and all.

RYC: I’m glad you liked the post, I really enjoy writing those.

My blog was broken because I put a music player in and it knocked out the main column. Fixed now!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eric
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Saturday, November 24, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BlogBoy
RYC: It is true Amanda. Single people get so overly involved in thinking about getting married it totally takes over their thought process. Soon all they think about is getting married.

I don’t think that is what God wants.

Eric
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Sunday, November 25, 2007 - You have a beautiful blog

Posted by Anonymous
It is fabulous and I just love it. I look forward to coming back more often.

I also enjoyed reading a recent article of yours in the Girhood Home Companion Magazine.

Have a blessed day
Page
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Monday, November 26, 2007 - You are

Posted by nancysnook
Welcome…you are more than deserving…

“Man gives an A-Ward, God gives the RE-Ward”
~Nancy King

As the ways of the world expand and become more complicated, things that should be sharp and clear become hazy, dull and nearly unobtrusive to some. Is the majority simply too weary to debate ancient cultural traditions that have since been commercially modernized?

One chilly night in Ithaca, New York my parents turned off most of the lights in our house and after eating a light supper of tomato soup (why do I remember these things?) we quietly retreated to the little room that was Dad’s office. Nothing drastic or important was going on. But I was 3 years old and slightly bewildered. The reason for our actions was simple: it was Halloween, trick-or-treaters were out and we had no candy in the house to give out to anyone. In attempts to avoid an awkward confrontation, we “hid”.

Halloween never interested me. I’ve never been one to get into dressing up, knocking on neighbors’ doors or eating candy. I’ve never been one to get intrigued by horror, no matter how silly. My parents told me that it wasn’t a good thing to celebrate because of its original and permeating affiliations with death and the devil, so I developed convictions against it and never devoted much mental energy to the issue.

A couple of years later, an approaching Halloween found me 5 years old and in Garmisch, Germany. My closest little German friend (well, she had a German accent and her mother was German, but her father was an American in the military), Elaine, shared my interest in horses. One day her mother brought me along on an outing to the library. As Elaine and I listened to her mother read aloud a happy-go-lucky picture book about children deciding what to be on Halloween, her mother light-heartedly asked us what we wanted to be on the occasion. “A horse!” said Elaine. At first I payed little attention, but after further imaginary thought about Elaine harmlessly skipping around playing horse, I said, “A unicorn!”. When I remembered that the topic we were discussing was actually regarding that forbidden day which Dad referred to as “Satan’s birthday”, I felt deeply humiliated.

A few years later, another approaching Halloween found me 8 years old and in West Point, New York. An outspoken little friend that attended public school (and was very proud to remind us of it) named Savannah loved playing with Rachel. Savannah, about the same age as Rachel, many times played nicely enough but talked a lot. Upon discovering that we didn’t celebrate Halloween, she began her inquisition. Her family never perceived it to be evil and participated in it fully. Why should we think any differently? She still wasn’t finished with the inquisition regarding our homeschooling, so she threw that one in there too a few times as the controversial day drew near.

I responded repeatedly with everything I could think of regarding my family’s convictions about Halloween and trick-or-treating. But she wasn’t silenced. She insisted that everybody does something on Halloween. If we didn’t celebrate it by trick-or-treating or decorating, then what did we do? “Nothing,” I said over and over again. She still wasn’t convinced. Out of final desperation, I said the most radical thing she had ever heard: “We hide from trick-or-treaters.”

That wasn’t entirely true, of course. It was a mere reference to the quiet evening in Ithaca and the errands and restaurant outings we frequently took on the 31st of October. Interestingly enough, Savannah was satisfied with that response. Days and weeks later, parents all over the military post were talking about the Reads’ mysterious habit of hiding from trick-or-treaters. When Savannah’s father asked my father about it, my parents were understandably a bit irritated and amused at my debating style.

A couple of years later, another approaching Halloween found me at the age of 10 and in Huntsville, Alabama. Our friends and acquaintances in Huntsville never interrogated me much at all, but they remained curious about our veto of the day which to them meant laughs and treats. “You know, it’s really nothing to celebrate,” they mentioned casually, “you just knock on somebody’s door and they hand you a bowl of candy.”

When I recited their statement to my mother, she replied, “That’s like when people that aren’t Christians say they’re not really celebrating anything when they celebrate Christmas. The fact is, they still are, they just don’t want to admit it.”

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

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Comments

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - Interesting…

Posted by nancysnook
Nice post Amanda, I enjoyed reading it very much. I never cared much for Halloween either, what do people get out of scaring each other anyway. I posted earlier today if you want to go see…

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/nancysnook/418207/

Nancy
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Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by moreofhim
I loved your story!!! So much of it reminds me of our family. We used to celebrate Halloween - I was one of those that thought it was a harmless holiday. However, once I was REALLY saved, I realized that it was not harmless and we stopped any kind of celebration. This includes the “harmless” harvest festivals they hold at some churches. You and your family were so right all along!!

God bless you ~ Julie
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Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BlogBoy
Good post, I’m thinking I might still write something up about Halloween.

RYC: It is an great movie. I really enjoyed it. Something to do with it following Shakespeare?

I’m going to have to write about that, maybe after I read the play. “If only God had not set his cannons on self slaughter!”

Eric
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Friday, November 2, 2007 - Halloween

Posted by Anonymous
That’s okay Amanda, we’re the “hide from trick-or treaters” kind-of family too. I love your posts.

Mrs. Kneuper
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Monday, November 5, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by DancingFeet
Hello from a fellow non-trick-or-treater! lol I actually did go trick-or-treating once when I was little, before my parents started realizing what Halloween was really about. I can’t say that I’ve ever hidden from trick-or-treaters, but we always debate every year about whether or not we would have anything to give one if they showed up on our doorstep. Thankfully, no one ever has, although one year we were camping on Halloween and we had to dig through the camper to find something to give one little boy.
Hope you’re having a good week!
Love,
Briana
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Thursday, November 8, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous
An MP3 player? *is confused* how do you make a podcast with one of those?

I used my computer and a mic.

Eric
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Friday, November 9, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BlogBoy
RYC: There are a ton of different formats. WAV, MP3, RAW, etc. The format I used is MP3, but that has nothing to do with a MP3 player.

Eric

I planned to include some excerpts from my old October 2001 journal this fall. That year was hectic because we had to do lots of traveling immediately after we moved to our new home due to Dad’s military work. To us children at the time it was a lot of fun. I took some time to write a detailed description of our first few days at Ft. Monroe (I was 11 at the time). I brought along my little blue calligraphy pen and jotted away…it was such fun!

Our Trip To Williamsburg

Day 1 - Today we went to Wellington, AL. We visited our grandparents and great-grandparents. Alabama lost to Tennessee in the football game. Went for a walk. Traveled some more. At 2:30 in the morning we got to a motel.

Oh, that first entry….It reminds me that I’m glad Alabama had a big win against Tennessee this year!

Day 2 - Even though we only had 7 hours of sleep and a fair-sized breakfast, we were ready to leave again. There were cirrus and contrail clouds in the sky. It was a warm, beautiful day. We stopped at Arby’s. Then we left again. After a long while, we made it to Virginia. Stratus cumulus, cirrus, and contrail clouds deck the blue skies which hang above the auburn, red, and gold tree tops. Lovely iridescence also occurs. As we neared the James River, the sky around the water shone down lovely colors of sunset.

They checked Mom and Dad’s ID cards (they didn’t need to check mine). When we got to the guest house, which was a duplex, there was a small front porch with a blue - painted wood floor. It also had a glider and a coffee table. Inside there was a small living room with a pull-out sofa and tv. There were two windows (three counting the door). Next was a long hall with a high ceiling and an attic. The first turn to the right was a bed room. It had a tv, dresser, and nightstand. It had two windows, which, like the living room, had dark blue curtains. The second turn to the right was a large bathroom (you can guess what color the shower curtains were).

There were two sinks and a large closet. There was one, small, window which had a short skirt-like curtain which had an interesting dark, oriental floral print. Straight forward was a kitchen. It had a table, refrigerator, microwave, stove, sink, tv, and a pull-out sofa (also a washer and dryer). There were two windows (three counting the back door) with blue & white-checked curtains. The walls throughout the house were a light, creamy, beige color. It was quite nice. But I couldn’t help but remember that we had left our large house at Marion, our pets, and many of our belongings - we would, in fact, be separated from them for two weeks. We went out to eat at Applebees. Rachel and I slept in the kitchen.

“Only had 7 hours of sleep” - that makes me laugh now. I was also entirely too obsessed with adding commas.

The Seawall

Day 3 - I woke up to Rachel shoving my arm saying: “Amanda! Amanda! Would you like a doughnut-hole?” We ate doughnut-holes and talked for awhile. Momma and Rachel went for a run by the moat. Rachel told me about it, and I couldn’t wait! It was beautiful! The afternoon sun shone on the water. For awhile, Abigail lagged behind. “Come, come, come!” I said to Mary, who I almost tripped over. We went to the PX, noticing the newspaper that said, “CIA given order to kill bin Laden”. I believe, whether we’ve experienced it now or not yet, that America shall always know that while you are dealing with one thing, you are fighting another. In the PX, we grabbed pamphlets about different areas of Virginia. We bought “102 Dalmatians” to watch at home. Mom promised to buy Abby and Mary candy if they were good. They picked out M&Ms. We all 4 got a Snickers bar. We sat on a bench (after the “extra” M&Ms container was brought back) and ate our candy.

“Amanda, you can have this.” said Abigail, handing me her empty candy container. “Oh, thank you.” I said, agreeing to use it for specimens, placed it in the grocery bag. We went to a quiet playground for awhile. Then we went to the Sea Wall. The water was clear and beautiful. The waves lapped the algae shore. We examined the “NO SWIMMING, WADING, BOATING: ONLY SUNBATHING ALLOWED.” sign.

“Look at those steps - may we go there?” I asked, not realizing there were bars guarding the aged stairs. “No, you may not!” said Momma. Joseph and Abigail pleaded to go there, but Momma said it was almost time to go home. I noticed that Joe and Abby ran to the steps. I notified Momma and ran after them. By the time Momma and I both got there, Joe and Abby had climbed through the bars and were walking down the stairs! Just then a fire truck drove by - the fireman watched them climb out.

As we walked home, we first passed the East Gate. Walking through the Old building was neat. Even though the building at the North Gate was smaller than the building at the East Gate, it was still quite interesting. As we came to the Moat Walk on the bridge, the water bottle in the grocery bag fell into the road. I grabbed it before a car hit it. Because I was holding the bag and there was enough trouble already, I was blamed for it. About 2 seconds later, it fell out again! This time I was determined to prove I was not the cause of the “mysterious falling bottle”. Sure enough, there was a hold in the bag.

As I lowered the bag to rearrange every thing, the orange empty M&M can slipped out through one of the holes. Before I could grab it, it bounced off the side-walk, through the fence, off the cement ledge, and splash! It landed in the Moat, which was more than 4 feet below the fence. It was bound to happen sooner of later.

“People will think someone littered!” said Momma, watching it float away. “It was an accident!” I said. “I know.” said Momma. I was embarrassed to see the orange speck floating away in the beautiful water - but it was funny at the same time. We went to the Millers’ house after supper.

The Millers are military family friends of ours. Oh, and that who/whom thing drives me crazy. One little irritating thing about language….

The Casemate Museum

Day 3 - Today we couldn’t wait for the next adventure. When Momma announced we were going to the Casemate Museum, we were excited. At the museum, we learned alot about the Civil War. Then we came to the gift shop. There was so much to look at and to buy. I collect spoons from different places. I saw spoons in the gift shop. Momma asked me if I wanted one. I looked at all the spoons. One was a small silver spoon with a cannon on it. One was a small silver spoon with an emblem on it that said “FORT MONROE”. One was a small gold spoon with an emblem on it that said “FORT MONROE”. One was a large gold spoon with an emblem that said “FORT MONROE”. I chose the small gold spoon. We went to the Millers’ house to play.

YORKTOWN

Today we went to Yorktown. We went to the theater there. We saw many different displays. Then we went outside to observe the Revolutionary War tents. It was so neat! We learned that six soldiers would sleep in one tent, that the doctor had to cure more diseases than wounds, and that the general’s tent was the largest and warmest. The meals consisted of salt pork, beans, and rice. After that, we went back inside for another look around. We saw swords.

What I would have mentioned next was that the American swords were the heaviest, the British swords were the second heaviest and the French swords were the lightest. We ended up touring Busch Gardens, Colonial Willamsburg, Jamestown, the Airforce Museum and the petting zoo. It was great.

I found my old nature journals, by the way. I hope to scan them in and share some of the old paintings and sketches.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~