Something Fishy

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable. - C.S. Lewis

Although the populous have requested details regarding daily life, school, and college, a story about a new member of our family is in order. Sir Tirian of the Lateral Lines is the sole survivor of a most tragic fishicide. For VBS (which, by the way, was about Jonah), I, Julie, bought forty feeder fish in order to gift two fish to each student in keeping with the water theme of the week. By the very next morning, twenty-one fish had perished from lack of oxygen. Fellow passengers in the Carlson bus subjected the nineteen survivors to brutal jokes. One helper at VBS even became the ultimate "floater fish" in honor of the deceased. Susie and I judged that placing an emotional bomb into the laps of dozens of mothers would be cruel and unusual. Not wishing to break the eighth amendment of our national Constitution, we agreed upon a plan which would place the burden of the emotional trama upon the shoulders of the main perpetrator - I was to adopt all nineteen fish. The subsequent scarring will require both time and counselling . . . Within the following week, I sent fifteen innocent creatures of the sea back to the sea (or the septic, as the case may be). Equipped for such difficulties with the quote above, I endured the agony of this situation with outward composure and a peaceful countenance, and sought to bury myself in work in order to reduce grief. After a week, I allowed myself and my siblings the pleasure of naming the remaining specimens, and so Alex, Cal, Gumpus, and Tirian joined the growing ranks bearing the name Carlson. When you name a pet, the line of disattachment is permenantly crossed. Further, I realized that I was becoming particularly attached to Tirian, the runt who was transparent (i.e. You can see right into him). This would not work. And so, to help the situation, I bought another beta fish for our bedroom, hoping that this one would steal my affections since beta fish generally have a longer lifespan than feeder fish. Unfortunantly, the beta fish did not help. True love would not be displaced. As Gumpus, then Alex, and finally Cal joined the swimmers invisible, Tirian remained the sole feederfish survivor of the forty unhappy victims.

Since Sir Tirian of the Lateral Lines was promoted to king of the bowl, he has honestly become our puppy guppy. His bowl sits on our ledge window right in front of the sink, and he will NOT allow us to forget his royal highness. As soon as a family awakens and turns on the kitchen light, he darts about the bowl hoping to draw our attention to him. Once he's gained an audience, he pantomimes eating food and then darts to the edge of the tank in hopes that our eyes will rest upon the bottle of fish food on the right of his bowl. If, during this state of frenzy, his feeder speaks in high, excited tones, and moves their finger around the rim of the bowl, Tirian's excitement pushes beyond bounds. Finally, food is sprinkled onto the surface of the water, and in his extreme extacy, Tirian often jumps out of the water feasting his eyes upon the entrees laid before him.

However, Sir Tirian has a well-hidden secret - he suffers from acute lavophobia (fear of cleaning). Everytime his tank needs cleaning, Tirian acts in his melodramatic way like a fish out of water. Somehow, the Chinese food container filled with old water straight from his tank is not good enough for nobility. It requires a whole day and a half for him to recover from the tramatic experience, because although the whole process takes only thirty minutes until he is returned to his natural habitat, he hoplessly fears a recurrence of the cleaning and almost looses his otherwise voracious appetite. Finally, after his short term memory effects blockage of the painful memory, Sir Tirian returns to his usual self - ravenous, egocentric, and otherwise adorable!

Stay-cation - continued

On August 20, day two of the Carlson stay-cation, we all headed into to New York City to visit one of our favorite places - the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the bus stop, we had a small scare. Right as the bus drove up, Detective Daddy discovered that Andrew had stashed all his pocket-knives and other sharp boy scout gear in an outer pocket of his backpack. A quick dash back to the car and a thankfully long line of passengers to board enabled Andrew to stow his weapons in a much wiser location, before the bus

departed for New York. A close call! Although Sheryl was disappointed that her favorite painting, "George Washington Crossing the Delaware," was in restoration, the day was on the whole a success. We toured the revamped American Wing. Actually, we moved backwards through the displays, because the Carlsons can

never tour anything properly, cannot take a hint from the masses of other visitors walking "backwards" through the exhibits, and refuse to notice signs stating what to do. Since it was a lovely day, we caravanned out of the museum to the adjacent Central Park, where we ate lunch and tried to nap - a prevailing fashion on city parks it seems!

For day number three, Miss Ronda treated all of us to a Sight and Sound production "In the Beginning." Sight and Sound is a Mennonite, highly professional theater located in Lancaster, PA that performs stories fleshed out from biblical accounts. The play "In the Beginning" chronicled from Creation to the death of Adam. We were impressed by the tasteful managing of some difficult portions of this story as well as the pointed emphasis upon the themes of redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ introduced all the way back in the beginning.
Some of the pictures are from our lunch/dinner at Good an' Plenty, a country-style restaurant which serves amazing food.
"Man makes his plans, but God directs his steps." We had planned to spend our weekend visiting Boston's Liberty Trail. However, during the intensive time together,

we had been able observe increasing seizure activity in Andrew. On Saturday morning, Andrew had a very obvious seizure, which my parents and Andrew's doctor judged serious enough to demand immediate attention. Andrew was admitted to the Morristown's children's hospital to undergo tests and close observation. Although this was not the plan we had hoped for, the time in the hospital was still an extended opportunity for family time of which we took advantage. We are very thankful for that God is in control and that His timing is always perfect. Further, we are thankful for the excellent care Andrew received at the hospital, and the swift diagnosis by a doctor who specializes with pediatric seizures.

Carlsons Meet Teddy Roosevelt (kind of)

The temperature was a warm 82 degrees in the President's home located on Long Island, Sagamore Hill. Sagamore Hill - the location of unparalleled fun and games, the Summer White House of America for seven years - was the only house President Theodore Roosevelt, his wife, Edith, and his six children ever truly consider home. Although Oyster Bay, Long Island, was often used as a summer resort for wealthy New Yorkers, Roosevelt chose it as the location for his permanent residence. As one steps onto the porch, they encounter what Roosevelt felt was essential for his country seat, from where three bodies of water were visible (before all the trees grew). During his presidency, Roosevelt received many dignitaries, ambassadors, diplomats, boy scouts, and guests on that very porch. Inside are many of Roosevelt's original pieces of furniture, animal rugs, and wall hangings. The largest room of the house contains many of relics from Teddy and Kermit's hunting trips in Africa and South America. Framing the entrance curve two massive elephant tusks. On the desk sits a ink pot carved our of a rhinosorous hoof, and directly below it, an elephant hoof has been efficiently converted into a trash can. All throughout the house are gifts from foreign diplomats and monarchs. The entire house is so accurate that one almost expects to be greeted by quiet Edith in the parlor, run into Roosevelt coming out of his library, or have some boiling hot concoctions dropped on your head by mischeivous Quinten or Archie.
The Carlsons commenced their stay-cation by driving out to Long Island to visit Sagamore Hill National Park and Teddy's beautiful house. Also in the park is Teddy's son's house, Old Orchard, which has been converted into a small museum with relics of the family and the President. Behind the museum is a path through some woods towards Cold Spring Harbour, where the kids took off their socks and shoes to wade in the water.
After lunch, we drove down the road to the family grave yard, where we located the graves or memorial stones for each of the immediate Roosevelts, except Alice. Roosevelts were buried where they fell, and so many of those memorialized are actually buried elsewhere, because they were serving in the military. However, Teddy Roosevelt, the man of action, died in bed, and so we were privileged to see his actual grave in the small, shaded graveyard.
We returned home late, having enjoyed great family time and an educational while relaxing day of fun.

Everyday Life

We've certainly had plenty of posts about the exciting things that are happening on the Julie front, but you all probably would like to be reassured that the others in the family are keeping plenty busy.
Daddy is ramping up for a trip to the Philippines where he will be teaching a pastoral module on ethics as well as preaching several times in various places. He's ending his trip with a short visit to Hong Kong and the Chungs.
Busy as always, Mommy is working to close out the last school year and prepare for the upcoming one, with one less student. *tears* She has also been spending time helping a couple of older ladies in our church with medical, financial, and other personal matters. She's also running two Boy Scout first aid merit badge sessions, wading through many CALVARY co-op matters, trying to accomplish her summer-cleaning/project list, and planning for VBS in August.
In between and beyond all the excitement, Julie is still the same old Julie. She's working three days a week at the church and gives piano lessons on Wednesday. She is working really hard to finish the Crown (see the 2008 post for the trailer).
Sheryl is enjoying summer, and of everyone, seems least busy, but don't let that fool you. She's teaching three students the violin, and has been really diligent with regard to the co-op yearbook, which is trying to get finished! In between responsibilities, she likes getting together with friends and planning fun things for us siblings to do.
And Andrew . . . he's been astounding the family by his determination and diligence as he prepares for his six day of Boy Scout camp next week, but he still finds plenty of time for fun!
As for upcoming events: Vacation Bible School begins August 3rd, with Julie and Mother dearest teaching separate classes, and Sheryl helping in another class all together.
Then after our resident pastor returns from the Philippines, we're hoping to have a few days of vacation in which we'll be doing some day trips, etc.
Therefore, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. The Carlsons are keeping busy and at the same time greatly enjoying the Summer of 2009.

Julie's Graduation and 18th Birthday Party

On June 27th, Julie had her joint graduation and 18th birthday party with Nathan Adamo. After a busy morning of preparation, the festivities began at 1pm. What followed were six hours packed with food, fun, fellowship, and games. Mommy Carlson and Mrs. Adamo made lots of dips and finger foods with the much appreciated help of others who supplied the meatballs, vegetable trays,

salads, etc. We had borrowed a volleyball net, and between that and our ping-pong table, the swings, and a vigorous game of hide-and-seek, the kids had plenty of fun. After several ping-pong tournaments, some of the older children invaded the garage, and started a stimulating game of round-robin, in which the players run around the table, and as they get to either side, they have to pick up the ping-pong paddle, hit the ball, and then put the paddle down, before relinquishing the spot to someone else. Whenever someone messes up, that person is out of the game. The players continue to be eliminated until only two are left to battle for the chaplet! Andrew Adamo and Daniel were fierce

competitors, but Catherine, Julie, Phil, Stephen. and Becky held their own pretty well!
In the back yard, the much calmer adults sat, ate, and talked at tables under the shade of three

canopies. The color scheme was multi-primary colors, and so the tables had a various colored table clothes. Marcus enjoyed the audience, and posed for any cameras that happened to point in his direction!
In the house, the kitchen received a constant flow of visitors looking for food. In the dining room, a small table held the graduation cake and other desserts. At about 3pm, everyone was called into the house to sing "Happy

Birthday," and Julie and Nathan blew out their token three candles. On the entryway table in the living room, Nathan's computer and Julie's computer were set-up, running simultaneous slide shows with pictures from their babyhood up until present day. Sheryl had kindly made up Julie's slide show and had added music, which wafted throughout the house.
At 7pm, the last of the guests left, and the Adamo and Carlson families rolled up their sleeves and began to clean-up. To complete the day of fun, Carlson kids and co. headed over to Montville to watch their spectacular fireworks display.

Seton Hall Orientation

To catch up everyone on my future plans: This fall, I (Julie) will, Lord-willing, be attending Seton Hall to study History and Secondary Education. Further, I was accepted into their intensive Honors program. On the 25th and 26th of June, I had a two-day orientation at Seton Hall. My mom and dad attended a separate orientation for parents that extended through the first day. They were both heartily impressed and excited. My two days were very informative, although rather drawn out and long. Thankfully, there were fun highlights sprinkled throughout the days, not to mention the delicious ice cream at the cafeteria! The most exciting and stressful part of the first day was registering for classes. Somehow (although it makes no sense whatsoever) we are supposed to sign up for classes before we even know who our adviser is. This caused some uncertainty and stress in trying to sign up for my recommended schedule. I will be taking a total of sixteen credits in the fall: a six-credit honors' class which will be studying ancient history and literature, the History of Education, Adolescent Psychology, American History II, and a one-credit University Life class, which tells us how to manage our time, do our laundry, and other things necessary to be successful college students! At dinner on the first day, I was able to meet one of the Honors professors, and had the opportunity to ask any questions which I had about the honors program. Since I had no inclination to attend mass, I had some down time which I spent on the Green getting to know a Hindu girl who is in my honor's class. As evening activities, the college had organized a money-less poker tournament, dancing, and even karaoke. Thankfully, my room-mate was a very quiet person, and when we went to check out the activities in the student-center and realized how loud the music was, we chose instead to head towards the gym and take a look at the pool. On the way, the library captured us, and we spent about twenty minutes exploring the most beautiful library I've ever seen. When we returned to the dorms, we both washed-up and settled in for a good night's sleep.
The next morning, in my devotions, I read about the instance of Jesus' healing Peter's mother-in-law. Here I was in the middle of a very Catholic college reading about how "the first pope Peter" had a wife - God has a sense of humor!
The second day was spent with those people who will be in my honor class for the next few years. I was very thankful for the opportunity to get to know some of those people even before school officially begins. Although the second day seemed to drag more than the first, it ended in an exciting way, when we received our laptops from the school. The computers are Lenovo Think pads and have some amazing capabilities! Finally, at four pm, my family arrived to pick me up, and my mom, dad, and I showed Andrew and Sheryl around the campus, making us one of the last families to leave!
After the orientation, I'm much more excited for fall and school to arrive, and very thankful for God's evident leading as I take this huge step into the unknown of the future.

Graduation Update

Julie's graduation last night went very well, and God was certainly glorified by the program. The high school choir commenced the night by singing Beethoven's Hallelujah, after which two of the graduates spoke. While Sharon Seiter encouraged the Seniors to proceed into the world to be lights for Christ, Kevin Hanse exhorted his classmates to persevere to

the end - through every circumstance. Following the speeches, the Senior Ensemble sung "Still" by Reuben Morgan, which was a beautiful reminder to be still in the hand of God, knowing that He is in control.
Finally, it was time to present the diplomas. Since it is a home school graduation, each of the parents come up on stage and present the diploma to the child, while short biographies are read about the student and seven pictures of them are shown in the background on the powerpoint screens. Directly
after the presentation of the diplomas, our dad gave a brief devotional on the importance, pleasure, and necessity of Knowing the Lord.
Concluding the musical aspect of the evening,

Choral, a select music ensemble, sang two very moving selections: "How Great Thou Art" and the "Irish Blessing." Then, to the great pleasure of the graduates, Mr. Forstrom, the

emcee, presented the Class of '09, and as the room erupted into cheers, the graduates turned their tassels - and were high schoolers no more.

Julie's Graduation

Since she has finally finished high school, (Wow! My big sister is so grown up!) Julie is going to be graduating with 34 other home schooled, hard-working seniors next Tuesday. This graduation is for the home schooled seniors of North Jersey. Daddy has the honor of giving the commencement message. Then, he is directing the turning of the tassels and then the "distinct privilege" of presenting the class of 2009. The choir that Julie and Sheryl were in this year (this was Julie's fourth year) is also going to be singing at this memorable event.
We all are looking forward to this milestone in Julie's life.

You are all invited to this graduation. It is at Hawthorne Gospel Church on Route 208. at 7:30 PM

For those of you who can't make it, we will miss you, but we will be sure to post pictures!!!

The two pictures are two of Julie's senior pictures. The top left one is her official one, while the bottom right one is just another pose.

Carlson Christian Homeschool Academy has finished another year!

This is just a brief update to inform everyone that every student of the Carlson Christian Homeschool Academy has officially completed all their work, and that the school has closed its door for everyone but highly-specialized staff, aka Teacher Mommy!
Andrew Barton Carlson has completed seventh grade!
Sheryl Kathryn Carlson has finished ninth grade, and is no longer a freshman!
And Julie Louise Carlson is graduating from high school entirely!

Memorial Day

Trinity Baptist Church did something fun and new for Memorial Day and held a huge picnic at a local park and invited sister churches and the Boy Scouts and families from Troop 777. The day began with the annual Trinity A v. Trinity B softball game. Meanwhile, the Boy Scouts of Troop 777 marched in the Pequannock Parade, family and friends cheering them on, while they sung "Onward, Christian Soldiers."
The Boy Scouts and their families then made their way over to the picnic grounds to meet up with the sweaty softball players for a lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers, and plenty of amazing salads. After the meal, the Boy Scouts performed a flag ceremony and one of the scouts played taps, while we all meditated upon the lives that had been spent for the freedom we now enjoy in America. Next, Pastor Daddy gave a devotional about how true freedom comes from life in Christ.
Although the planned activities of the day ended at 4pm, people continued to enjoy fellowship and play volleyball until almost 7. Sheryl and Andrew built up arm muscles pushing kids on a mini merry-go-round, Julie tried to kill herself and everyone else practicing her volleyball skills, and Mom and Dad did what Carlsons do really well - talk and talk! The Carlsons thoroughly appreciated the day of relaxation before the final sprint to the end of school year.

Co-op Presentation Night

On April 28th, CALVARY co-op had it's fifth annual Presentation Night. The Carlsons were highly involved, particularly since Sheryl, along with Bethany Seiter, was the main organizer. After weeks of much planning, the evening was an amazing success. All the families stayed after co-op for a pizza dinner and practice. Then at 7 pm, we all gathered into the auditorium for the main event! Over 16 classes from the adorable Pre-K and Kindergarteners to the High school Seniors gave presentations. Andrew's Science class made a dramatic entry and then shared several things that they had learned. Following the more studious presentation, his speech class acted out and recited "The Jaberwockey." (Below is the tum tum tree.)


Sheryl's classes were also well represented. For Formal Logic, the students dressed formally and in polished British accents discussed

logical and not so logical subjects!
Then, as the highlight of the evening, the Spanish I and Spanish II classes joined and regaled the audience with The Wizard of Oz in Spanish. Sheryl played Miss Gulch and then the Evil Witch of the West. (Below are pictures of her trying to steal Dorothy's dog, and
another one of her escaping after a heated encounter with Glinda.)
As a last minute addition to the program, Julie's Rhetoric class pulled together a dramatic interpretation of the "Saint Crispian's Day Speech" from Henry V by William Shakespeare. The Seniors then ended the progam with their "Twelve Weeks of Co-op" (see a previous blog entry) and a more poignant attempt at "The Irish Blessing."
The enjoyable evening concluded in dessert and fellowship - and as Mama Carlson always says, "Fun was had by all!"

Picture Gallary

Since pictures speak louder than words, we'll update you on the Carlson's whereabouts via photos this time. To back up a couple of months . . .
To the right is a picture of Julie just before a Victorian teaparty/sleepover. Sheryl had lots of fun dressing her up and doing her hair.
Another girly activity: Sheryl and Julie are part of a girls' book discussion group. The most recent book which was discussed was Old Fashioned Girl. Presently they're reading Wind in the Willows.
Andrew is determined not to be out done by his sisters in the dress-up,
but believe us, he really does know how to be the epitome of a boy!

















On the school front, co-op ended on May 12th (the picture of Sheryl is from the last day of co-op. Everyone ate lunch outside), and since then we've been busy trying to finish all of our other subjects. The target date to finish school is June 12th, one month after co-op! With that date approaching, the students of the Carlson Christian Academy are keeping very busy.
In preparation for the next school year, Karen and Bart attended the Pennsylvania Homeschooling Convention, and had a wonderful time on their annual get-away. Julie was also at the convention, but not as their sidekick - She's helped at two homeschooling conventions this month, selling Logic and Latin curriculum for Classical Legacy Press. Having just learned all about verbal persuasion in Rhetoric, she had a great time putting her new found skills to use!

Carlson Update

The Carlsons have been very busy, but the prediction is that it's about to get better! Of course, better is relative. This coming couple of weeks will include the end of co-op push, and then we'll have Julie's graduation as the next hurdle. But right now, we're feeling like we've biked to the top of the hill and just have to bike down the other side.

What have the past weeks held? Daddy has been busy with his various responsibilities as a pastor as well as juggling family activities. Last Sunday, he preached two excellent sermons. The first was on the verse "Jesus Wept" and the second on Psalm 134 about enjoying the worship of God.

Co-op responsibilities for Mommy have been lots of work, since she and the other ladies on leadership had prospective new members to interview and evaluate. On top of that, her A&P Biology class at co-op yesterday just performed the pinnacle experiment of dissecting a fetal pig. Many hours of preparation on their diligent teacher's part preceded this fun class. (Of course, it was fun until two of the boys started gouging out the eyes. Then it turned rather interesting!) In addition, Mommy has started her first First Aid Merit Badge classes for Boy Scout Troop 777. She has six boys, who prefer talking over treating a wound, so I suggest never getting hurt around them.

School has occupied much of the kids time, although they did enjoy spring break last week. Julie is ramping up for a ten page paper on whether the United States should be in the United Nations, Sheryl's trying to keep on top of a hefty biology load, and Andrew is hoping to finish history before August! Besides school, Julie works an afternoon a week, has two piano students, and is loving her last year of choir. She plans to attend Seton Hall University in the fall. Sheryl is also in choir, and has two violin students. Violin occupies much of her time, because she's also been part of an amazing North Jersey Youth Orchestra this school year. Andrew spends his spare time on boy scouts, and just won the patrol election to become Patrol Leader (every troop is divided into several patrols). Last Saturday, he worked at a boy scout camp with others from his patrol, building a path as well as cleaning up garbage.

This coming weekend, our church is having their annual ladies' retreat, and for the first time all three Carlson ladies will be attending! Pastor Daddy gets a break from preaching this Sunday since Pastor Lush will be ministering the Word in conjunction with the ladies' retreat.

That's all to chronicle for now. Goodbye.

Thoughts from Narnia

Recently, we, Carlsons, visited the Franklin Institute to see the Narnia exhibit that was shown there. It was a really enjoyable family day, and the exhibit was great. I was struck by the amount of detail put into the props for the Narnia movies - particularly Prince Caspian. Lord Glozzelle's chair from the throne room was carved front and back; Miraz's shield had the entire story of Old Narnia etched into the rim; Pruniprismia's dress had lovely lace and embroidery. Further, specifics from the books had been preserved to the minute detail. We were able to see the book "Is Man a Myth?" from Tumnus' living room; Mrs. Beaver really did have sewing machine on set; Edmund's flashlight and Peter's pocketknife were all there just as the book had described. This was exactly what the movies are - Precision without accuracy. Lucy eats an apple in the ruins of Cair Parvel, and Tarvar and Alambial salute in high heaven, coming so close that it looks like they're about to collide. Even the Bulgy bear sucks his paw during the dual. But something was missing. Where was Aslan?

I don't mean to unduly pick on the Narnia movies, because they are very enjoyable. However, they made me think, and I realized that it isn't just in the Narnia movies that this happens. Our lives can sometimes be just that - precise but not accurate. We keep all of God's commands. We spend time reading our bible and praying. Every church activity is faithfully attended. But something is missing. Where is love for Jesus? Why are we keeping all His commands? Is is just because we would feel empty otherwise? I certainly was convicted in my own heart that I often keep all the rules with no desire to glorify God. I do my school and chores without any thought of the Savior who commands us to glorify Him in everything. Indeed, we must not remember the details while loosing the big picture. Oh, we must keep His commandments, but for the right reasons. "The greatest commandment is this that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." and "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Let each of us be Christians characterized by having the heart of the matter in us, and then, including all the details.

Twelve Weeks of Co-op

Here is a video of the CALVARY Co-op Seniors performing their rendition of the Twelve Weeks of Co-op. For years, it's been a tradition for leadership to sing a mom's version of this song, but this year the seniors were enlisted to revise and refresh this tradition from a student's point of view. This is how they did it.

Poetry Out Loud

These are selections from the North Jersey Homeschoolers' Poetry Out Loud competition. Julie performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Johnson, and got second place, while Jacob Roberts, the first-place winner, recited "The Man Moth" by Elizabeth Bishop.