WYOMING!

A few quick notes

I am at Wyoming Catholic College and it is SO COOL!!!!!! I and a couple friends have been learning snatches of Euclid, Theology, Thucydites, conversational Latin (it's so cool to listen to oral Latin, spoken at normal speed of speech, and UNDERSTAND IT!), Compline, history of Cardinal Neuman and plant classification. We've also been having a WONDERFUL time with the students and faculty, everyone is so friendly and welcoming!
We have probably at least a foot of snow, which sadly, cancelled star gazing tonight, but is coming in useful in the way of snowball fights (:
There are a lot of visitors here right now, including a cousin of my cousin, who I had no idea was going to be here, it's kind of cool!

My companions have made a general exodus, and I should probably follow... hopefully I'll have more soon!

The Screwtape Letters

I finished it along time ago, loved it, and have not had time since to sit down and blog on it, until now.

The storyline is fairly simple, and probably pretty well know, a series of letters from an elderly and experienced devil, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, during the period of the latters first attempt at temptation. Lewis uses this rather unusual basis to produce an absolutely brilliant book. Below is one of my favorite quotes:

He (God) is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set that off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on it's own legs- to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in such a state of dryness are those which please Him best. We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them only for the table, and the more their will is interfered with the better. He cannot "tempt" to virtue as we can to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away his hand: and if only the will to walk is really there he is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be decieved Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks roundupon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.

Happy Birthday Dickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Blog Header

Yesterday, along with two birthdays, a Geography Bee and an expedition to Trader Joes we went to the Zoo. It was absolutely lovely. The cold yet gorgeous walks taken between the warm buildings created just the right mix. We visited: the monkey house, enjoying the whole rambunctious lot of them, but especially the playful Bonobos, the birds, the cows, a few seals and the big cats. My personal favorites, the pair of Lions are responsible for my new blog header. The first thing we saw upon entering the abode of the Big Cats was the Lioness inches away from the seperating glass. After ooing and aahing picture taking for quite some time, we moved on to the next window and found her mate similarly positioned. More of the same naturally ensued. Not long after, we left with cold faces, a ton of pictures and a strong resolve to return very soon.

Found in The Wisdom and Innocence by Joseph Pearce:

"...this splendid stir and thrum was to have a marked effect on Douglas Hyde during a train journey through south London:

Through my mind, in rhythm with the wheels, ran a verse from Chesterton's
Ballad of the White Horse I had re-read not long before:

Therfore I bring these rhymes to you,
Who brought the cross to me,
Since on you flaming without flaw,
I saw the sign that Guthrum saw
When he let break the ships of awe,
And laid peace upon the sea

Could there be so many Catholic Churches? I asked myself, as cross
followed cross. Why had I not seen them before? Through Herne Hill, Tulse Hill,
smug, suburban Streatham, the crosses came and went. And still the wheels
hammered out Chesterton's lines:

Out of the mouth of the Mother of God
Like a little word come I;
For I go gathering Christian men
From sunken paving and ford and fen,
To die in a battle, God knows when,
By God, but I know why.

Hyde was, at this time, a leading member of the Communist Pary and newseditor of its paper, the Daily Worker. Soon after, he resigned from its ranksand became a Catholic."

Emma

From our first performance of Emma: Jane Austen (who narrates the play), with her literary creations: Mr. Knightley, Harriet Smith, Emma Woodhouse, Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill.

A Slighty Random Photo

GilbertGirl and I at Caddie Woodlawns house on the way back from ChesterCon!

Our Prop Table

At one of our recent Emma practices.

Busyness

WOW, I'm almost to three months inactivity here, tehe (:

Need I say it's been busy? But oh it's been incredible.

Grandparents 50th, CA cousins in town, ballroom dancing, preparations for the TMAH production of Jane Austen's Emma, catechism, madrigal choir, my first job, Shakespeare lit program, latin club, of course some school, John Bosco Youth Day and a thousand other things have kept me most delightedly busy, and led to a sad neglect of this blog. But stay tuned, we have TONS of pictures from the time elapsed since my last post.