JOHN'S BLOG, His Life, His Thoughts, and More

Boerne Village Band

2006-07-19T15:30:00.000-04:00

Last night my family and I (except my brother who was unable to come due to work related matters) went to a performance by the Boerne Village Band. Of course, the event took place in Boerne. We were treated to some German favorates, like Lucka and one of the numerous polka dances. We also heard several patriotic melodies, including Stars and Stripes Forever by John Sousa and the armed service medley with the Army, Navy, Airforce, Marine and Coast Guard songs. There were probably about five hundred people in attendence. That number contained a large amount of families, of which we were one.

My Sister's Birthday!

2006-07-11T21:35:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to the wonderful post which my mom wrote on my family's blog about my sister's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Cara!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

2006-07-10T15:26:00.000-04:00

A Mother is, a loving person,
a beacon in the night.
They give to us, both love and peace,
and are a warming light.

My First Listing on eBay!

2006-06-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

I just completed my first listing on eBay! If you want to see it, click here.

Who Am I?

2006-06-05T18:07:00.000-04:00

I was born in 1794 in Dorchester Massechusetts, and I died in 1865. I graduated from Harvard College at seventeen, and was known for being a brilliant writer. I was a pastor, and was known for my eloquent preaching. In 1814 I was elected Professor of Greek Literature in my Alma Mater. I was elected to Congress, and held that seat for ten years. I was the Govenor of Massechusetts for 4 years, and I was appointed Minister to England. I was also the President of Harvard University and the Secretary of State. I helped buy back Mt. Vernon with the proceeds from a lecture that I wrote. Who am I?

2006-06-01T15:50:00.000-04:00

Of late I have been rather sick. Since Friday I have had a cold, and on Tuesday night I had a fever. Hopefully I'll be better soon.
On Saturday we went over to our house and did some cleaning, well, actually the rest of my family did, because I was sick. My uncle Steve who had driven up from the Fort Worth area met us there and then went back with us to where we live right now. He stayed that night, Sunday, and then went back in the morning on Monday. We had a fairly quiet Memorial Day. After a late breakfast, my mom and I went shopping at a thriftstore. Then we got back, had a little lunch, and did different things. That night we worked on yardwork.

A Home

2006-05-19T20:38:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday we bought our first home in Texas! Since there were no other viable options, my family decided to go back to the mobile home that we had originally been under contract for. We bought and now own a home, and are still debt free!

Who Am I?

2006-05-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

I have written more than ninety, large books. My main characters are usually between sixteen and twenty. Almost always they get captured, but then escape. Usually a war is going on. I started the series by telling stories to my children, with no thought of writing them down. Then a friend told me that I should write them down. I lived a long time ago.
Who am I?

The Storm

2006-05-08T18:35:00.000-04:00

I did not leave the blogging world again! On Thursday night we had a thunderstorm with hail, rain, terrific lightning, thunder, the whole nine yards. Anyway, the breaker for my dad and mom's room was knocked out. Since the weather person had said that there would be no thunderstorm in Bexar county, the computer was left on. That was a BIG mistake! As you may have guessed by now, our computer was turned off. When we turned it back on, the internet wouldn't work! Hence the reason for my absence. Tim got back last night from the conference in Georgia and he managed to work on the computer. This morning there was still no internet, but he told us to turn the computer off and then on again. And it worked!
We had thunderstorm watches on Friday and Saturday, but not much with it. However, there wasn't too much sun over the weekend. On Sunday at church there was mud everywhere!
Today has been another hectic day. My mom and I spent about five hours in the car this afternoon. We also learned today that we can't buy the mobile home that we were looking at. The development that we would be taking it to said that it was too old. I guess ten years is a bit old.
Before I had said that we are looking at land. We still are, and it is in a place called West View Estates. It is a development, but it doesn't feel like one. It feels like the country. It is outside the city, but we are close enough to everything we need for life, practically!

I'm Back!!!

2006-05-03T18:28:00.000-04:00

Hi, it's me again. Today my sister left to go back to New Jersey and visit for about two and a half weeks. What will we do without her? Tim also left today for Georgia, he'll be manning a conference there for Vision Forum.
Right now I'm getting over a cold. Yesterday I went in to Vision Forum to work, but I had to go back home since I wasn't feeling too good. I hope to be totally better soon.
Our computer is working again. For a while it wouldn't let us get onto the internet because of a virus. You never know how dependent you get to be on something until you don't have it anymore.
My family is looking at buying land, and then putting a mobile home on it. We were under contract with another mobile home that was on land, but there were some major issues, and we decided not to go through with it. However, we hope to have a house and be debt free! What a blessing that will be.
It sure has been a long time since I've blogged. Sorry for getting so behind.
Here's a good blog to look at. http://thethortonfiles.blogspot.com/ It's the blog of Harry Thorton, a detective. He was created by James Thompson.
That's all for now.

SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-02-18T19:13:00.000-05:00

Sorry for having not posted so long. Our computer is having some problems with bad popups so that now I can not go on the computer without my dad or my mom. Consequently, I have not been able to post. Right now I'm not quite sure what to write about, but I'll try to get back on soon and give you an update.

2006-01-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to my brother's blog. http://www.timhorn.blogspot.com. He will tell you about the camping trip we took a week ago. Sorry for the late notice, you'll have to scroll down a bit on his blog to get the story.

End-Of-The-Year Party

2005-12-17T15:02:00.000-05:00

Last night we, (my family and I), went to the end-of-the-year dinner party held by Vision Forum, the company that my dad and brother work for. The party was held at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, famous for their fabulous steaks. During the party, we were taught about hope by Wesley Strackbein. We heard from Doug Philips, and other Vision Forum leaders. We saw the year-in-review video, and also a humorous video by the interns. It was a great night, lasting into the early hours of the morning. There was much more that happened, but I don't have enough time to tell of it right now. Perhaps next time.

I Better Post Again!

2005-12-01T14:11:00.000-05:00

I'm afraid I've spent too much time without blogging. So here I am! I think I should tell you about my weekend, it was quite interesting. Of course, on Thursday, Thanksgiving day, we had the traditional turkey and side dishes. It was delicious. We had over the Howells for dinner, and had a great time of conversation. Then, the men watched the Dallas Cowboys, who were playing football, lose. Hooray! Anyway, it was fun.

On Friday we went to the RiverWalk, and the Alamo with my Uncle Steve who was visiting from Fort Worth, Texas. I would have gotten some pictures, but my camera's battery was low, and I had to recharge it. On Friday night, my brother Tim had arranged for a group of friends to see the Nutcracker at the Majestic Theatre. The music was tremendous. And the ballet, well, ballet isn't my favorite thing.

On Saturday my Dad had to go in to work at 6:30! I didn't go so early, but I went to work a little later, getting some more sleep. I sure had plenty of work to do! On Sunday we heard a great message by Doug Phillips about controlling the tongue from the Epistle of James. That evening I started watching StarWars for the first time. It was pretty good.

On Monday, it was my Mom and Dad's twenty-fourth anniversary. I went in that day to work too. We had a ton of orders. Well, that's my weekend, and a little bit beside!

Give Thanks!

2005-11-23T09:32:00.000-05:00

As Thanksgiving comes tomorrow, I just thought I'd say something about it. My personal belief is that people in general are slowly beginning to forget the meaning of Thanksgiving. It is becoming another day to get off work, and a time to have a huge traditional dinner, with turkey and everything else. But it's much more then that. It was first established as a true day of thanksgiving, a time to give thanks to God for all the blessings that He has given to us. As it says in Psalm 100, we are to 'Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.' So tomorrow, when you celebrate Thanksgiving, think of it more of just a national holiday, think of it, as God's holiday.

Latin Words

2005-11-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

I study Latin, and am trying to learn the language. Here are some Latin words with their English meanings from one of my review lessons. Happy reading!

aquila eagle
corona crown
culpa fault
ecclesia Church
fama fame, rumor
fuga fugitive
gratia grace
Hispania Spain
hora hour
ira angry
luna moon
Maria Mary
mora delay
pecunia money
silva forest
stella star
unda wave
ursa bear
amicus friend
animus spirit
annus year
barbarus barbarian
campus plain, field
capillus hair
Christus Christ
cibus food
Deus God
discipulus disciple
dominus Lord
equus horse
filius son
gladius sword
legatus envoy
locus place
ludus school
mundus world
murus wall
populus people
socius ally
servus servant
ventus wind

Some Schoolwork

2005-11-09T12:41:00.000-05:00

This morning I had some school to do. I worked on writing this little essay. I didn't come up with the information, but it was a writing assignment, and it's in my own words.

The Effects of Bitterness on Bones

In Scripture, God clearly pronounces that we are to give mercy. If we do not, we will be affected emotionally and physically. Here are some enlightening examples.
Stress reduces the ability of your body to valiantly fight disease. Bones, although usually resistant to disease, when sometimes weakened by stress, are vulnerable to the attack of disease and infection.
Osteomyelitis is a bone infection produced by bacteria called, Staphylococcus aureus, also known as staph. The symptoms of osteomyelitis are extremely painful burning sensations in the bones.
Arthritis is a painful condition of an inflamed joint. Bitterness unfortunately may intensify the pain of arthritis. Cruelty, bitterness and anger all harm physically, causing bones to "wax old", be "consumed", and "burn".
These examples reveal some of the devastating things that happen to us when we tragically become bitter. God has told us in His Word, what we should do, and bitterness was not included on the list! By showing mercy, hopefully there will be no effects of bitterness on the bones.

Yesterday

2005-11-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to work with Dad, as I always do on Fridays. However, we only worked to twelve because Vision Forum was only open half a day, being closed down after noon as a thank-you to the staff members for working so hard at the Film Festival. This worked out great for my dad, because he and my mom were going to a bed and breakfast to get a little time together. They left around two o'clock, and my uncle got in around four fifteen. My uncle was going to stay here and help take care of my grandfather. So on Friday night, Cara and Tim went away to a party, and I was alone with my uncle and grandfather. I watched a movie, and stayed up to ten o'clock.

Company!

2005-11-02T19:25:00.000-05:00

Today we had Mark Stubblefield and his fiancee, Amy over. Mark is a great friend of my brother's. We had a nice brunch to celebrate their engagement, and followed that by several hours of conversation. Then they had to set out for Fort Worth Texas, where Amy lived.

Yikes!

2005-11-01T16:24:00.000-05:00

Yikes! This is Nathan Hayden, wielding a sword in my bedroom.

Sentimental Journeys

2005-11-01T16:22:00.000-05:00

Before the showing of "The League of Grateful Sons", we heard music from the sentimental journeys band.

On The River Walk

2005-11-01T15:21:00.000-05:00

On Friday night, after the showing of "The League of Grateful Sons" at the San Antonio Christian Film Festival, we watched George Sarris, and Charlie Zahm perform on the river walk. This is a shot of Mr. Sarris.

The San Antonio Christian Film Festival

2005-10-31T09:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry for not blogging recently. I'll try to get back on the blog, now. Thursday night was the beginning of the film festival. (Before I go on, I must say that I didn't go to most of it). My sister, Cara was volunteering, my brother Tim was working staff, and my dad was also doing some work. My mom and I stayed home while they were away. Some of the time was taken up by my grandfather, who was having a problem. That night I didn't get the best night's sleep, being woke up when my Dad, sister, and the different friends who are staying with us right now, got home. (My brother was staying at a hotel to be closer to the convention center where the film festival was being held). The next day, I went with my dad to drop off Cara, Lydia, her brother Micah, and Nathaniel. (The last three are the friends who are staying with us. Mark Stubblefield was also supposed to stay here, but he found lodging elsewhere). After we had dropped them off, I went with my dad to work at Vision Forum. They've started their busy season, so I had plenty of work to do. I heard we sent out more than four hundred boxes that day! That afternoon Vision Forum closed early, to let people get ready to go to the world premier of "The League of Grateful Sons", also known as the Faith of Our Father's project, at 6:30 P.M. It was exciting to see the movie that had taken so long to make. It was worth the wait! It was an excellent film, dealing with the experiences of several families, and lost loved ones in the war, and also the return to Iwo Jima. It was a faith building time. We heard beautiful music on the harp from the two Bodkin girls. We also heard Mr. Phillips, Col. Henderson, and others talk about the making of the film. We got home pretty late, and I didn't get to bed until sometime around 12:00 A.M. The next day was Saturday, the last day of the film festival. I didn't go at all that day, but stayed home with my mom. On Sunday, we went to Church at the Gonzalez center, (where the film festival was held), and listened to a sermon from R. C. Sproul Jr. It wasn't nearly so long as most of our services, but there was a long time afterwards of people saying good-bye to each other. That afternoon we had some of Tim's friends come over, ( although Tim himself was on our couch, sleeping through our talking about him, and then some rousing games of fooseball). It was great. That night we were to have over the Haydens, from Kansas. They had come for the film festival, and Caleb is a great friend of Tim. I had a good time meeting Nathan Hayden, (I have a link to his blog with the other links), and playing army men, fooseball, and some other stuff. That night I didn't get to sleep until, again around 12:00. Well, today is Monday, (as you probably already know), and I'll have to get off the computer soon and go do school.

What I've Been Doing

2005-10-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

It has been delightful over the past few days. For the first time I've finally had to put on a long sleeve shirt and long pants to get warm. It was great! We've had a cold, (wait, not cold, colder) front. This week is going to be very busy. We are having several people stay with us during the film festival. Today I was doing history with my sister, and I had to write a small essay on Deborah. So here it is.

Deborah was a judge of Israel at around 1300 B.C. To read the full account, turn to Judges, chapters four and five. At that time, the children of Israel sinned against the Lord. Because of that, the Lord gave them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan. The captain of his army was Sisera. For twenty years he had been oppressing the Israelites sorely. Deborah called Barak, and told him that God wanted him to take ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun. Barak was to lead them to the mount Tabor, but Barak said that he wouldn’t go without Deborah. So they went to attack Sisera and the Lord went before them, killing all their enemies. Sisera fled to the tent of Heber, because they were friends. But Jaal, the wife of Heber, killed Sisera with a tent pin while he was sleeping. Deborah wrote a song, telling of the victory, praising the Lord, and mocking the house of Sisera. And after that there was peace for forty years.

The Sinking of the Titanic

2005-10-24T18:01:00.000-04:00

While the Titanic went,
It rapidly neared,
A towering iceburg,
Which those aboard feared.

Soon it would strike,
On an iceburg hard,
And become, a ledgend,
To be sung by a bard.

And though not head on,
It would to them be,
Fatal indeed,
As they would soon see.

As rivets popped,
Along the massive hull,
The Titanic charged,
Like a massive bull.

To the ocean's depths,
To remain for 'eer,
And to become the fishes,
Home and lair.

Prayer For This House

2005-10-20T17:01:00.000-04:00

I have been memorizing this poem for school. Though the meter is a little off, it is still a good poem.

Prayer For This House
By; Louis Untermeyer

May nothing evil cross this door,
And may ill-fortune never pry
About these windows; may the roar
And rains go by.

Strengthened by faith, the rafters will
Withstand the battering of the storm.
This hearth, though all the world grow chill
Will keep you warm.

Peace shall walk softly through these rooms,
Touching your lips with holy wine,
Till every casual corner blooms
Into a shrine.

Laughter shall drown the raucous shout
And, though the sheltering walls are thin,
May they be strong to keep hate out
And hold love in.

Common Word In Fooseball

2005-10-19T18:09:00.000-04:00

The most common word (if you can call it a word), said playing fooseball is AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! It's most usually said when you just scored on yourself, or you just watched a ball go right past all of your men into your goal.
(_**_)

2005-10-18T18:24:00.000-04:00

The New Jersey beach!

Another Poem Is Near

2005-10-16T15:12:00.000-04:00

Two nights ago I came down with a cold. However, I am not throwing up, and I can still type on the computer. Several days ago I had an inspiration for a poem. The poem goes very well on a blog, as you shall see.

A Blog

A blog shows little moments,

That come along the way.

Like cutting trees; or bringing in,

Some ragged bales of hay.

They can be just,

A simple thought.

That others would,

Think naught.

It could be just,

A little something.

Or song, that you,

Could sing.

A moment to jot down,

For some, other time, to write.

But that's the way I like it,

Just out in my plain sight.

I hope you enjoyed it. See you later.

10:00!

2005-10-14T17:34:00.000-04:00

Today was not a typical day. I slept in this morning until 10:00! When I woke up I wondered why my mom or my sister hadn't already woke me up. When I went downstairs I found out why. My sister told me that my mom was in bed because my grandfather, (who has alztheimers), was up all night, and when he is up, my mom has to get up with him. My sister had decided to let me sleep in. Because of this, I didn't finish my school until around four o' clock in the afternoon. Of course, that's counting a few breaks. Well, right now I'm just snatching a little bit of time before I go downstairs and feed the animals. Goodbye until I return again!

Tim's Back!

2005-10-13T17:49:00.000-04:00

Finally my brother Tim has arrived, from back in the east. He has been spending two weeks in Cherry Hill, and Philadelphia, first for a HSLDA conference, (Home School Legal Defense Association), and then for the annual Faith and Freedom tour that his company Vision Forum holds every year. From his accounts it sounded like it was a good learning experience. It's nice to have him back after not seeing him, for, it seemed like ever! We're finally pretty much settled in at our new house, and I started school, (as I said in a previous post), two weeks ago. I've been a little rusty after the long summer, but I'm getting back into the hang of it. Well, I guess that's all for now! Good-bye 'till next time.

2005-10-11T13:31:00.000-04:00

"Texas Tom"

This Weekend

2005-10-11T12:48:00.000-04:00

I spent this weekend doing many different things. On Friday, I went into work at Vision Forum's warehouse with my dad. He is the assistant warehouse manager, and it was my first time in since he has worked there. It was not a very busy day, so I didn't have to much to do. In the morning I worked on different things, and then late afternoon I spent a little time having a dart war with a crossbow. It was fun! That night we watched Life With Father, a hilarious movie that I recommend. On Saturday we left early to leave for Fredericksburg. It was interesting, walking around and looking at the different shops. It was founded by Germans, and there is still a strong German influence. Then that night I went over to the Siratt's house for dinner. We had the best chicken and some other very good foods, also. Then we played some air hockey, and catch phrase, while our parents talked. It was quite a fun night! Sunday was Church. We had a very good sermon from Mr. Gill, about James. The Church has been working on memorizing the entire book of James. Since my family came in late, we were a little behind in the memorization. However, we are starting to work on it now, and I have memorized through chapter one, verse eleven. That night we did different things, one of which was sitting out in our backyard, enjoying the breeze. We are finding out that Texas is really getting cooler after all! Well, that's our weekend, good-bye for now. I recommend to look at my family's blog, which I have posted a link to this afternoon. Due to lack of communication, I did not find out we had one till then. See ya'll later!

Back to the Blog!

2005-10-05T14:35:00.000-04:00

Hi, this is John and I'm back to the blog! Sorry for not writing for so long, but I just wanted you to know that I'm still here. We've finally made it to San Antonio, (about two weeks ago,) and we're starting to get settled in. Yesterday was my first day of school, and I'm slowly making progress. I have been working on memorizing some of James, and other such things. The time in the car coming out here was quite interesting. I rode in our van on the way out, and it was quite cramped, having three animals in their cages. But, I've finally made it. We all love our new house and I'm having some fun in the yard. Oh, I have to correct something in an earlier post. The wall in our back yard is more like six feet instead of three. I've also enjoyed listening to the latest Jonathan Park, a creation science radio drama. It has been quite exciting.

2005-09-11T15:53:00.000-04:00

The bottom level.

2005-09-11T15:52:00.001-04:00

The top view.

2005-09-11T15:52:00.000-04:00

The steps to get to the second tier.

2005-09-11T15:51:00.001-04:00

My bedroom!

2005-09-11T15:51:00.000-04:00

The front yard.

2005-09-11T15:50:00.000-04:00

The new house's kitchen.

Update

2005-09-11T14:14:00.000-04:00

Hi, this is John again, sorry for not blogging for a while. As you know, my family is moving from our present home in New Jersey, and going to San Antonio Texas, on the 15th. For those of you who have moved before, you must know that it is quite a job. So far we have 209 boxes packed, and we still have to pack a lot of the things that you can't pack until the last minute. We are still trying to sell our house and are praying that the Lord will give us a buyer real soon! We are going in between a u-haul and a full fledged moving service, by going with a service that lets us pack the truck, and they drive it. During all the bustle, I have been able to get in a few SCRABBLE games with my Mom, and am proud to say, that I have been beating her often! Also, my Uncle Jack, who is very good with computers and that kind of thing, has given me his old laptop! I have had a lot of fun working on it. Although it does not have internet access, I have been working on my books on it. Ooops! I better give an explanation for what I just said. I have been writing a mystery series, and that is what I mean by books. We have a house lined up out in San Antonio, and my brother Tim who already lives out there, will take possesion shortly. It is a five bedroom rental house, and has quite a good number of square feet. We had to have a room with a bathroom attatched to it, for my grandfather who lives with us and has alzheimers. The back yard of the house that we are renting is a little different than most. It is built into a hill, and so there are two tiers. In the middle of the yard is a little wall about three feet high made of railroad ties, and which supports the upper tier. My bedroom is, at least from the pictures I've seen of it, one shade of blue, on the bottom of the wall, and another shade of blue on the top portion. It is the bigest of all the other bedrooms except for the master bedroom, which my parents have. We will be living in a development, which is about all they have out there in San Antonio. The development is also a gated community. It's going to be a change living in a gated community, where there is almost no traffic, because where we live now, there is a good deal of traffic passing us. I am looking forward to being able to live again with my brother, and meet all of his friends. Right now, the house is a little messy, because who ever heard that five days before you move, things don't start to come of the walls, and such like. Soon we'll be in the car for the long trip across country!

2005-08-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

Jo, (top) and Tom (bottom), enjoying some snooze time.

2005-08-18T20:27:00.000-04:00

Making daisy chains.

A Poem

2005-08-09T18:38:00.000-04:00

A Tribute to a Sea Captain
by: J J. Horn
"Breakers away!"
Came the shout,
"Haul in the jib,
In with the foresheets!"
Here comes a wave,
Covered, with foam,
Charging to take,
The sailor's, poor lives.
While at the rudder,
The captains, taut hands,
Skillfully guided,
His boat load of men.
Though rocks were ahead,
And waves in pursuit,
He worked his ship,
In, and out.
Then a cry,
As the ship struck,
Firm on a rock,
So jagged, and hard.
Down with the boats,
Was the good captain's cry,
Filled were the boats,
As a wave came forward.
But nary a place,
For the captain to stay,
"Out for your lives,
Said the brave captain.
Though he well new,
Of a seamen's fate,
When left all alone,
Struck on a rock.
Then the wave,
The towering wave,
Gave vent to it's fury,
And dashed over the deck.
Over and on,
The captain, himself,
Was washed to sea,
To never return.
And not to this day,
Have his seamen forgot,
Of their old brave captain,
And his care, for them.

2005-08-07T18:52:00.000-04:00

By looking close at the side of Tom's face, what will appear but a cell phone! (Tom chatting with Tim)

Blog Quo:

2005-08-07T18:23:00.000-04:00

This Blog Quo is a little different. The person who answers the question will be the one to come up with the next Blog Quo! (Just put it in the comment box). Okay, so here is today's Quo. What is the book, the Bronze Bow about? (This is a note to my family, you cannot comment on this).

Blog Quo:

2005-08-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

Who wrote the book "A Tale of Two Cities?"

Blog Quo:

2005-08-04T20:14:00.000-04:00

This is a Blog Quo, (short for Blog Question). I would ask all my readers to state their names or at least tell me if they are reading my blog. In that way I will be able to find out who actually does look at my blog. Thanks.

SCRABBLE

2005-07-30T10:49:00.000-04:00

Several days ago my Mother and I played a game of SCRABBLE. (We have been playing a lot lately but this game was special). Anyway, I, for the first time in my life, beat my mother in SCRABBLE!. Also for the first time in my life I got a 50 point bonuus for using all seven letter tiles! It was quite a game. Though I have been trying hard, I have not been able to beat her again. It will probably be some time before I suceed again.

2005-07-26T12:52:00.000-04:00

A picture taken by none other that John Horn!

2005-07-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

Who did they kill?

2005-07-10T14:48:00.000-04:00

This is my sister painting our kitchen cabinets.

The Reason

2005-07-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

My Uncle has left and Leslie has come! My Uncle left N.J. to go back to his home in F.L. Also Leslie Thompson had graciously come to help us with getting our house look nice and things like that. (I say had because she also has left by now.) Some of you may have been wondering why we have been doing so much around the house and also why I have not written in sooner. The answer comes with two words. WE'RE MOVING! This is rather startling intelligence, isn't it? This has come about after much prayer and consideration. My family has decided that the law office is just too stressful for my dad. He has accepted a position in San Antonio, Texas working with Vision Forum, the same company that my brother works for. He will be an assistant warehouse manager. He must be there on his job by the first of September. We are hoping that our house sells soon enough so that we will all be able to go out at the same time. We are putting it up for sale and miracuosly a family is looking at it today! We have been thinking about this for about a year and have just decided in the last couple of weeks. Right now my other Uncle from Texas is here to help take care of my grandfather so we can put our whole mind into work. We have a lot of boxes packed and we've hardly even started. We are not looking forward to the heat, lack of small trees, and leaving old friends,but we are looking foward to less humidity, a reuniting with Tim, and being in a strong Cristian community. Now it's my turn to ask the questions. How many boxes do you think we will have to have to pack up our stuff?

Busy Busy Busy!

2005-06-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

Because of a week of hard labor, (also termed work), I have not been able to write on this my blog. The reason for the extra work is that my uncle Bruce has been here from his home in Florida. He is a very good handyman and has been gracious enough to fix some aspects of our house. Some of the projects on his extensive list were things like putting up a new ceiling fan in our dining room, fixing a leaking sink. Also, patching our living room ceiling plus putting on a new screen door in the front of our house. I will have pictures of all the work as soon as I get them on the computer. So, until then, see ya.

2005-06-18T16:25:00.000-04:00

My step-grandmother painted this. She's an excellent painter and has her paintings all over her house.

A Poem

2005-06-07T17:53:00.000-04:00

The Excavation of Troy
by John Horn

Harder, dig harder!
Uh, this wrethed sand!
Ho there, harder!
That crie echoed, over the sand.
The burning sands of Turkey.
Where is that city?
It must be here!
A man says,
He stalks, to, and fro.
Counting the hours.
On those burning sands.
When suddenly, as from a dream,
A shout,
A wall! a wall is found,
He rushes, to the spot,
The cry is true!
A wall,
High, and lofty.
Then a town,
Burned, and broken,
Then a name, a glorious name,
The famed, city of Troy!

A Day To Remember With Great Satisfaction

2005-05-31T17:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was indeed, a day to remember with great satisfaction. Yesterday was Memorial Day, (as you may well know), and to celebrate it we decided to invite our friends the Thompsons and a friend of my sister, Joy Cortez. The morning was devoted to cleaning, setting up, preparing, and everything else that comes with a celebration. Then at about 2:30 the invited began to arrive. At about 3:00 we began to eat. It was a typical picnic. Hotdogs, lemonade, salad, potato salad, chicken salad, and last but not least, chips. Mmmm. What a delicious meal! After the food and the talk that goes with it, we headed to a park, just down the road. After a time of throwing the frisbee, (and the dives that occompany it), we turned to the kite. After several unsucsesssful trials we were forced to go home owing to certain heavy rain to which certain young ladies did not appreciate much. At home we had time to sing some songs and read a poem I wrote. After that came two,very exciting games of Imaginiff. It was however a trial to Joy Cortez as she did not know the Thompsons very well. Oh dear, how could I forget, waffles and icecream! That came before the singing. It was a delightful time. To hear a different account visit Leslie Thompsons blog on the right side of the screen.

It's almost here!

2005-05-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day is just around the corner. Soon there will be parties and get-togethers all across the country. (I will tell of the party at my house at a later date.) But, back to the subject. I wrote a poem about Memorial Day, So, here it is.

Memorial Day
by J J. Horn

Memorial Day,
The day when we remember,
Those who died,
To protect a country free.
O, all those brave men,
That is all a heritage true.
When they fought,
And died the death,
Of the bravest soldier yes.
All they thought of, was the noble thought,
I will fight, and die my country for.
O, how war can bring out courage,
'Cowardness, and loyalty true.
Remember those,
Who fought for you,
On many a field,
So covered with dead.

"Something to add to my list"

2005-05-28T11:34:00.000-04:00

On Thursday I had something to add to my list of favorite foods. It was gelato (ge-la-tI.) It is ice-cream and water-ice in several layers. The water-ice was blue raspberry, and the ice-cream was vanilla. (It was the first time I had it.)

Starwars: Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-25T20:10:00.000-04:00

Starwars: Revenge of the Sith sold for the most money on its opening day than any other movie ever. I believe it sold for at least $50,000. What does this lead you to think? That it's a good movie? It leads me to think that people don't have enough to do. Hundreds of people were watching it when I'm sure they had much better things to do with there time. They could be studying, or working around the house, or many other things. Unfortunately this is happening with movies and amusement parks and games. They are so intent on what the next movie will be like, or the next fun thing they can do that they lose the desire to work and such like. Now believe me, I am not against entertainment by any means, but some just carry entertainment to far.

The Pics

2005-05-24T18:58:00.000-04:00

The recent pics that I have put up are, thankfully, from my camera. My uncle Jack was getting a new digital camera, so he gave me his old one. Also, I have to thank my sister for after several trials got the pics on. And lastly, I have to thank my brother for giving her some advice. So, thank-you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-05-24T18:49:00.000-04:00

James readying for a killer serve.

2005-05-24T18:48:00.000-04:00

Another picture from volleyball. Derek (the second to the left) is pretty happy.

2005-05-24T18:46:00.000-04:00

This is Mrs. Davis (my mom's friend) playing volleyball at the picnic during Tim and Mark's visit.

2005-05-24T18:38:00.000-04:00

This is Mark about to pick up a piece of luggage when they were leaving.

2005-05-24T18:37:00.001-04:00

This is one of the salamanders that I saw on my hike.

2005-05-24T18:37:00.000-04:00

Another picture of the winning chess game (I didn't have red eyes).

2005-05-24T18:34:00.000-04:00

A victorious chess game against my dad (the first time I beat my dad in chess).

2005-05-24T18:32:00.000-04:00

A beautiful view of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

2005-05-24T18:31:00.000-04:00

A self portrait. By John (me).

A Hiking Trip

2005-05-22T14:39:00.000-04:00

On Friday, my dad and I went on a hiking trip to the Delaware Water Gap. For the first two hours it rained. Then it stoped raining. However, it did not clear up till we got back to our car. O, and in case you didn't know, the park is in Northern New Jersey, not in Delaware as I was inclined to think originally. We hiked for about nine miles, and seven hours. We saw several salamanders. If you do not know what a salamander is, it is like a lizard but is not. It is small and orange with black circles. We also had to cross a stream several times. There were lots of rocks. It hurt a little walking over them.

A Day In The Park

2005-05-18T18:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to a park with my Mom. We were admiring God's beautiful creation. I am so glad that God showed us so many animals. We saw lots of wildlife. We saw robins, ducks, an egret, and even a bluebird! We also saw two birds I have never seen before. One was yellow and orange, and the other bird had a white belly with a black back and blue wings. It was so magnificent.

2005-05-12T19:58:00.000-04:00

Mark saying "don't destract me!" Tim saying "get ready"

2005-05-12T19:56:00.000-04:00

Mom with her present. She's pretty happy

2005-05-12T19:55:00.000-04:00

Some beautiful flowers from Tim to my Mom for Mother's Day

2005-05-12T19:53:00.000-04:00

The customers have arrived! Mark and Tim are finally happy

2005-05-12T19:51:00.000-04:00

Mark enjoying a one person game at Cracker Barrel

2005-05-12T19:49:00.000-04:00

My brother Tim behind the booth

2005-05-12T19:48:00.000-04:00

A mountain of Jonathan Park cassettes and CDs

2005-05-12T19:46:00.000-04:00

Setting up the Vision Forum booth

A Poem

2005-05-12T19:20:00.000-04:00

This is a poem I wrote while I was in PA. It doesn't rhyme but it is sort of a poem.

Ungrateful Man

Ungrateful man to God we are,
Saviour, Creator, Redeemer our Lord.
He scoffs at Him and blasphemes too,
They Him treat like filthy scum.
Their praises should to Him go up,
But alas, only lies ascend.

And even in old time they did,
scourge and beat Him cruelly so.
Instead of royal crown on brow,
They, gave Him plaited thorns.
And o'er His head a wicked sign,
And on it writ the King of Jews.
But blasphemy to Him on cross
They give Him not His rightful praise.

Journal

2005-05-11T18:31:00.000-04:00

As I promised, here is my journal.

Thursday 5/5/05

Today is the start of a road trip! I got up early and got ready to leave. We finally left at ll:37 a.m. We're going to the Christian Homeschool Association Pensylvania (CHAP). At l:52 p.m. we arrived at the Howard Johnson Hotel. After freshening up a bit we went to the conference. It dosen't start till Friday so we helped my brother, (who works for Vision Forum). It was fun. Then we went back to the hotel and relaxed. After a while we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel. I'm writing this just as we have returned to the hotel.

Friday 5/6/05

After a good nights sleep I got up, got ready and went to the continental breakfast at the hotel. Then went again to CHAP. After listening to Ken Ham and R C. Sproul Jr., I stayed behind the Vision Forum booth doing odd jobs. Then we ate dinner at a Chinese Buffet.

Saturday 5/7/05

This morning we checked out and went back to CHAP. I was behind the booth all day. Then we drove home. On the way our back opened and our luggage fell out. Then It wouldn't shut. But a policewoman fixed it. I slept mostly after that. We got in at l2:30 a.m.

Mother's Day

2005-05-02T19:32:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day is a happy day. It symbolizes how much of a role mothers play in every day life. Here is a poem I found about mothers.

When Mother Reads Aloud (Author Unknown)

When Mother reads aloud, the past
Seems real as every day;
I hear the tramp of armies vast,
I see the spears and lances cast,
I join the trilling fray;
Brave knights and ladies fair and proud
I meet when Mother reads aloud.
When Mother reads aloud, far lands
Seem very near and true;
I cross the desert's gleaming sands,
Or hunt the jungle's prowling bands,
Or sail the ocean blue.
Far heights, whose peaks the cold mists shroud,
I scale, when Mother reads aloud.

When Mother reads aloud, I long
For noble deeds to do-
To help the right, redress the wrong;
It seems so easy to be strong,
So simple to be true.
Oh, thick and fast the veseons crowd
My eyes, when Mother reads aloud.

I also want to thank my mother for being a patient loving mother. I love you mom, and Happy Mother's Day.

An Update

2005-05-02T18:35:00.000-04:00

I will not be able to post anything new for awhile because I will be at a homeschool conference in Harrisburg, PA. I will also be seeing my brother there. But I promise to make a full report of doings there when I return. So, goodbye till later.

2005-05-01T17:45:00.000-04:00

More animal pictures! Jo (cat) loves Tom (dog).

Keep Working!

2005-04-28T20:18:00.000-04:00

Most Americans and many others around the world commit this common mistake. The mistake is that they are always trying to do less work. They always are happy when they retire from work. Yippe they think. But they should not think that. Also when we are doing a project I always try to do my work fast to finish it. But Paul said that if we did not work we would not eat. So don't commit this mistake.

Is it Fun or History?

2005-04-26T19:35:00.000-04:00

The cakes I just posted are part of a history assignment. My sister (Cara) teaches me history and we had to make a cake look like a map of Egypt. The blue line in the middle of the cake represents the Nile. The blue at the top is the Mediterranean and the little lines under it are rivers flowing into the Nile. I was also supposed to make little flags representing places in Egypt. Although they cannot be read on the computer, they say Cairo, Thebes, Karnak, Giza, Memphis, Nile, Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt, Abu Sibmel, and Valley of the Kings. It was also the tastiest history project I ever did!

2005-04-26T19:33:00.001-04:00

Say cake!

2005-04-26T19:33:00.000-04:00

History cake!

Rugs

2005-04-25T20:06:00.000-04:00

The most recent pictures I put up are of rugs that my mom and I made. There are several names for that kind of rugging but we call them toothbrush rugs. It's neat to do and I have made 2 rugs, while my mom made 3 rugs amd 2 placemats.

What, Where,When?

2005-04-24T16:38:00.000-04:00

The title is rather unusual but you will shortly know what it means. This post will tell you what I've been doing, where I've been doing it, and when I've been doing it. (Hence the title). I'll start from Thursday. Every Thursday I take piano lessons, and this time I got Pachelbel's Canon. (Or at least part of it in the easier form, but it still sounds magnificent). I love it! Then on every Friday I go to my great-grand-mother's house in the after-noon. We watched an Andy Griffith show then played pinochle. I won. Then we came home and watched the Scarlet Pimpernel which is about an Englishman who saved French aristocrats from the guillotine. Then on Saturday I worked on Latin, (I'm learning Latin), and that night I played Bible Trivia and lost.

2005-04-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

My mom's rug

2005-04-23T19:42:00.000-04:00

A rug I made

A Good Verse

2005-04-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

Hi there, I'm back but I will not be writing today. My mom has been meditating on Matthew 7:7 and I've asked her to post her insights on it. So, it's all yours, Mom!

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

John and I have been reading a book on meditating on God's Word and John selected the above passage for us to work on. This past week, as I have meditated on these verses, I have found my questions to be more than my answers! However, he has asked me to share some of the insights we have been discussing. I noticed that the words "ask, seek and knock," are action words and require activity on my part. I have wondered if this passage reflects 3 separate actions or if it is encouraging a series of steps. I have realized that I often stop at the "ask" stage and have been considering the necessity to continue to "seek" and "knock." When I looked up the word "seek," I was delighted to find that the word can mean worship. It gave me a fresh look at the passage and directed me to more of a spiritual view than just the practical one that I was using to apply the passage. I truly have only scratched the surface of this marvelous scripture and am being careful to read the whole chapter and reflect on the passage in context. One thing I am finding is that my meditating is giving me such a hunger to read my Bible!

Thanks, Mom!

Will It ever grow?

2005-04-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

We've been asking that question a lot at our house. You guessed it, we just planted grass seed. Actually, the landscaper did the front yard but we did the back. Besides watering twice a day with bad water pressure, we've been weeding and working on the rotten fence. I'm even writing this (on paper) outside where I just finished weeding. We're not letting the grass grow under our feet.(We're not supposed to be walking on the seed.)

A Fun Adventure!

2005-04-18T19:53:00.000-04:00

Are you looking for fun and adventure? Then look for the Jonathan Park Series! Not only is it fun to listen to, but it also increases your knowledge about creation! The Vision Forum sells them and your bound to love them! If you buy them you'll learn alot. And you just can't hit the stop button. And as the Parks and Brenans say, "To God be the glory!"

Happy Birthday Dad!

2005-04-15T08:27:00.000-04:00

I want to thank my father for being kind and considerate. But most for being a loving dad. He cares about me, and works hard so that I can eat and have things. Thanks, and happy birthday, Dad.

My Pets

2005-04-14T19:01:00.000-04:00

My dog Tom is a very baaaaaaaad dog! But he's still cute. He loves to jump but only straight up. Then there's Jane. She's a scaredy-cat. If anyone new comes into the house she's upstairs and under the bed like a streak of lightning. Josephine is a food adoring cat. The only thing she likes more than food is Tom. Then lastly, there's Liselle. Most of the day she sits around and sleeps or growls at Tom. They don't get along very well. Well, that's all.

2005-04-13T19:56:00.000-04:00

The big, lazy one, Liselle

2005-04-13T19:55:00.000-04:00

My evil, food-loving cat, Josephine