Sincerely Amanda
The Writings Of Amanda Read

During the 2004 Presidential Election, I wrote the following while considering the possibility of John Kerry winning:

March 11, 2004

“Oh, LORD!  The only way I can see any good in his election would be to scourge a nation that had lost control of her land - which was stolen by her stepsister, Liberal.  But I see that poor America still survives - innocent!  Her mother, Liberty, was fooled - but please let them both be honored once again!  I am writing symbolically (hope I spelled that correctly), but it is true.  It will take novel after novel for me to explain what I mean.  It weighs my heart down - the politics, that is - and I am not even old enough to vote!”

What on earth was I referring to?  A fairy-tale like parable of sorts that I began writing when I was 13 (note: as such, this figment of my youthful imagination isn’t written very well and should have been clarified better, but it is funnier left the way it was originally penned).

INTERNATIONAL MAIDENS

The symbolic story of war between the nations

I - America’s Calling or America The Beautiful

Once there was a woman - young, tall and very beautiful.  She was the envy of all nations because of her wealth and beauty.  She was America, the daughter of Liberty and Sir Justice.  Now I am sure that you have heard of such things as America, Justice and Liberty, but I will introduce you to the people.

Liberty had an elder sister named Augusta.  Augusta became Queen after marrying Sir Monarchy.  Liberty became a princess, though she was often forlorn and not happy with her sister’s ruling.  After awhile she decided to flee to the unknown continent and establish her own country there.

After she escaped, she married Sir Justice, who had agreed to come with her as a guardian.  They had a daughter, and they named her America.  Sir Justice and Lady Liberty were concerned about America’s safety when Britain, the daughter of Sir Monarchy and Queen Augusta, rose up her army against the newly established one of America.  France, a distant relative, brought her army to help protect her.  This was the Revolutionary War.

~~~

The war was won for America, but unfortunately, Sir Justice was murdered afterward by Sir Falter.  Many believed this would be America’s downfall.  Sir Falter was a wicked and cunning man, and he murdered Sir Justice so he could marry the attractive Liberty.  He then pretended to be sympathetic, agreeing with everything that Liberty said, and acting as though he was just like Sir Justice.  Liberty did not know that he had murdered her husband.

She eventually married Sir Falter, not knowing that he was tricking her.  Sir Falter had divorced a former wife, and he had one daughter, who was named Liberal.  Liberal was fairly attractive, but she was spoiled and disrespectful deep within.  But alas, she became America’s stepsister.

From the time America saw her, she felt like despising her.  Liberal was a little younger, but still an overpowering young woman.  She often competed with America as to who had the best views in terms of the world nations.  Liberal also complained to her father that America was treating her unjustly, which was not true.  At times America had to be silent to keep Liberal from going into a rage.

~~~

One evening, when America fell asleep feeling both content and treated unjustly, she had a dream.  The first part of the dream showed Al Qaeda, her most bitter rival, sweeping across the country, killing and destroying with her army and general.  She then saw Iraq, a woman in the Middle East, being beat and whipped by a horrible ruler.  She saw France, who had been a friend to her and Iraq, care nothing of it.

She awoke with a start.  What was happening?  Was it just a dream?  Or was it a vision?  Something bothered America, and she felt as though something had to be done.  The next day, she met with the commanders of the army that protected her and her country.  She told them about the dream she had witnessed.  “That is true,” said Sir Patriot.

The story ends there on paper, but it actually went on in my imagination to reveal that Britain then became a good friend and ally of her cousin America as they fought to rid the world of this evil.  Meanwhile, Liberal turned everyone against them and used the difficult time for America as an opportunity for her to get a foot hold on world power.  It took an entire four more years for her to get closer to her goal, but she was crafty and united in her plan, perhaps unlike the grieving and confused heart of America that was desperately arguing with herself and trying to make up her mind.  My mother and I prayed and fasted all day yesterday, but apparently we were in a smaller minority than we realized.  The CLOWNS vote, uninfluential as it was, is likely fixing to get a trip to the woodshed, and I may very well end up bending over right next to them, biting my tongue to keep from screaming, “See, I told you so.”

But ultimately, I want the story to have a happy ending.  I have a feeling the One True Prince knows what is going on and isn’t impressed with Liberal (the spirit of humanistic liberalism) in the least.  Until the Prince comes, America must pray for her redemption as she slaves away for her stolen inheritance.  I want that inheritance back, and I am willing to fight for it.  One may argue that we have no reason to be frightened, but we have every reason to burn with a righteous jealousy…and with a feeling of guilt.  We were usurped, but perhaps only because we let our guard down.  We had the chance of a lifetime to fight for life and justice on the Supreme Court…and we threw it away.  We are now wounded and weak.  We cannot save ourselves.  Let us pray that by some miracle the LORD will begin preparing righteous Supreme Court Justices that have HIS heart - and that Barack’s heart will be conformed to HIS will.

May the LORD give us the strong, prayerful, respectful and genuine heart that King David had towards King Saul - acknowledging him as an anointed leader, even though his appointment was the result of a bad choice made by the people.

On a final note, just remember that we never know exactly what will happen in the future - not even what will happen tomorrow.  Something might suddenly realign the course of the nation.  But until then, it is time to gird up our loins and get back to the drawing board.  Prepare to be tested unlike you have ever been tested before.

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

- Proverbs 21:1

PRAYERS FOR THE NATION AND THE WORLD,

~Amanda Christine Read~

As this Election comes to an end, I would like to share with readers why such political experiences so deeply affect me.

I didn’t think anything of politics and government until Election 2000, when I was a 10 year old child.  I didn’t really have a clue about what was going on initially, but I heard my parents talking about the Spiritual significance of the time and why we so badly needed a godly leader in the White House.

I didn’t sit around contemplating or interpreting what was going on in the news…until I had a strange, out-of-the-blue dream.

Tuesday, October 24, 2000

“Last night, I had a dream.  It was that George W. Bush and Al Gore were standing on maps.  At first, it seemed like Al Gore’s map was filling up with votes.  But, he seemed afraid of something, I don’t know what.  When I looked at George W. Bush’s map, votes practically covered almost all America.  After having this dream, I feel that George W. Bush will win the Election for sure!”

In my second, more private journal I included further details about the dream.

“One night in October, I had a dream.  George W. Bush and Al Gore were standing on maps.  Every time they were colored in, it represented the number of votes they got.  At first, it looked like Al Gore would win.  In panic, I looked over to G.W. Bush’s map and he won by just a little!  Hopefully, G.W. Bush will win.”

Then, on Election Day…

Tuesday, November 7, 2000

“The Election - finally - the day all waited for.  All seemed like in my dream - Al Gore seeming to take over when it all came down to Florida.  But then, there was a toss-up.  ‘Too close to call’ it said on the news.  I was not feeling good today.  So I missed some of it.”

If I recall correctly, Florida had flashed back and forth from red to blue to red in my dream.  I was sick with a bad sore throat and fever on Election Day.  Mom came in my bedroom and prayed with me about the Election.  I kept insisting, ever since Oct. 24th, that Bush was going to win and that was all there was to it. 

I was later amazed to see that the very electoral map pictured in my dream appeared after the Election.  The LORD had allowed me, a clueless child, to see what would happen.  Oh, how I miss having the innocent faith of a child.  A child who awoke one morning and praised GOD in complete trust that regardless of what the media was saying, Bush would be the winner - but by “just a little”.

Shortly after the map dream I had a more comical sort of dream.  I dreamed that we were decorating the house for Christmas when suddenly George W. Bush and Al Gore came through our front door and set up their podiums in our living room.  We were all bewildered, especially my parents, who insisted that the Election was supposed to be over with before Christmas season.  I later figured out the meaning of that one - the Election was still going on in December!

During the 2004 Election my dreams were more vague, but several featured Bush winning.  One strange dream featured Bush winning the Election and my family and I visiting the White House.  When we were at the White House, strange things indicated that Pope John Paul II and Yasser Arafat died.  Perhaps needless to say, those people rarely crossed my mind.  However, after President Bush’s reelection, both of them did indeed die.  Another interesting twist to include - around the time of that dream, my sister Rachel and I both dreamed on the same night that Mom had another baby, and it was a boy and we named him Benjamin.  That came to pass too.

This year dreams seem to be held back from me.  The closest one to predicting the Election came in September.  My dream actually began with me arguing with a guy about the Election over the internet (oh my…it just dawned on me…that IS scarily accurate).

Sunday, September 21, 2008

“Restful Sunday.  Read the BIBLE and sang songs.  Had a dream last night pertaining to national politics - celebrations of McCain-Palin inaugural in Alaska, prayers of Thanksgiving in advance for victory morning after the Election - Mom, Rachel and I were running to see the news - I was coming last, hearing the cheers from the TV in the master bedroom as I ran down the stairs - but the further down the stairs I got, the more my fear and doubt rose, which ended my dream.  How could I be so convinced and then lose faith?  I mustn’t do that again…I long for the faith of my childhood.”

The one especially encouraging part of the dream was of my entire family rejoicing in the brisk fall air outside.  It went something like Psalm 126:

“When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream.  Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”  The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.

Restore our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the South.  Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.  He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Let us all, whether we agree regarding this Election or not, pray that the LORD JESUS CHRIST’s will be done.

PRAYERS FOR THE NATION AND THE WORLD,

~Amanda~

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

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~