This is one hymn that I have found myself singing a lot lately. It is always a refreshment and inspiration to me.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
Refrain
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Refrain
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
Refrain
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Refrain
~ Edward Mote
Random Photo of the Random Moment: Sweet Ride?
Random Photo of the Random Moment: Hmm... Sweet Ride?We saw this truck when we were in Maine a few years back. Not sure who the artist was, but a major commendation on the job!
Call Of Duty
Last Saturday we had some friends over to play Call Of Duty for my Birthday. It took us a while to get everything installed, but thanks to Daniel Hill and Grant Iler (who set up the LAN) all the computers connected very smoothly.
Many thanks to everyone that contributed to the evening! I had a blast (literally :-), and I hope everyone else that came did also. Here are some pictures from the evening.
Many thanks to everyone that contributed to the evening! I had a blast (literally :-), and I hope everyone else that came did also. Here are some pictures from the evening.
Team 1 from left to right: Myself, Luke VonHolten, Nathan DeLadurantey, Ethan Webb, and Sebastian Fowlks (plus Tom DeLadurantey who you can't see hidden in the back on the other side of Ethan)
Team 2 from left to right: Grant Strand, Josiah Erber, Grant Iler, Joshua Erber, Daniel Hill, and Joseph Erber.Spring Has Sprung!
Wow! Talk about warm (or HOT!) weather today! I think it got up to 72 degrees this afternoon!
I took a nice long bike ride today and didn't feel cold for a split second!
I love this weather!
It better not get any hotter for a while, I think I'd melt.
I took a nice long bike ride today and didn't feel cold for a split second!
I love this weather!
It better not get any hotter for a while, I think I'd melt.
Um, Hello?!?
Yes, I am still alive - but just barely! I've been swamped with school stuff (lots of music), and haven't really had time for anything other than that.
Liberty Day was a couple weeks back, which went very well! I personally had a lot of fun and I hope all the attendees were blessed.
On the car front, things haven't been going too well at all. A 1988 s10 pickup that I had blew a head-gasket a week and a half after I got it (I didn't lose anything on that, but I sure didn't make as much as I wanted!). Overall it was definitely worth getting the truck. It was a lot of fun driving around in a beater with that much guts, and let me tell you, that thing had guts!
My 1994 Hyundai Elantra GLS has been one problem after the next.
1: Due to some bad idle speed sensors I had to get those replaced.
2: Due to a tiny hole in the block and a jumped timing chain I had to get the engine replaced.
3: Due to a bad computer the car wouldn't start and the computer had to be replaced.
4: Due to the new computer I can now read all the codes and see everything else that is wrong with my car. Grr...
5: Due to a bad air-flow sensor I had to get that replaced.
6: Due to the fact that I was told I could pick up my car today from the shop, I drove 50 minutes just to find out that it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow.
Would somebody please accidentally run into my car so that your insurance will replace it?!?!
We'll see what tomorrow holds...
(Ok, that's not actually my car - mine is bright red, but that is what it looks like when I'm driving! ;-)
Liberty Day was a couple weeks back, which went very well! I personally had a lot of fun and I hope all the attendees were blessed.
On the car front, things haven't been going too well at all. A 1988 s10 pickup that I had blew a head-gasket a week and a half after I got it (I didn't lose anything on that, but I sure didn't make as much as I wanted!). Overall it was definitely worth getting the truck. It was a lot of fun driving around in a beater with that much guts, and let me tell you, that thing had guts!
My 1994 Hyundai Elantra GLS has been one problem after the next.
1: Due to some bad idle speed sensors I had to get those replaced.
2: Due to a tiny hole in the block and a jumped timing chain I had to get the engine replaced.
3: Due to a bad computer the car wouldn't start and the computer had to be replaced.
4: Due to the new computer I can now read all the codes and see everything else that is wrong with my car. Grr...
5: Due to a bad air-flow sensor I had to get that replaced.
6: Due to the fact that I was told I could pick up my car today from the shop, I drove 50 minutes just to find out that it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow.
Would somebody please accidentally run into my car so that your insurance will replace it?!?!
We'll see what tomorrow holds...
(Ok, that's not actually my car - mine is bright red, but that is what it looks like when I'm driving! ;-)
A quote by Patrick Henry
"Adversity toughens manhood. And the characteristic of the good or the great man is not that he has been exempt from the evils of life, but that he has surmounted them!"
~Patrick Henry
~Patrick Henry
Skiing!
Yesterday we went skiing with some friends at Wilmot Mtn! Check out the report on our family's blog.
Random Photo of the Random Moment: The RV Crew with The vonTrapp Children
Random Photo of the Random Moment: The RV Crew (back row), with The vonTrapp Children (front row).I was organizing the photos on my computer when I came across this photo from May 2005 when The vonTrapp Children sang at the annual ICHE state homeschooling conference. If you can't tell, we're all doing our best not to smile for this picture.
The RV crew did the ushering and crowd control for the concert, therefore we're not in our usual uniform of blue on blue w/ burgundy bow ties.
The back row from left to right is: Joseph Erber, Adam Back, Dustin Webb, Jonathan Erber (me), Aaron Englund, Joshua Erber (the Boss), Nathan Back, Isaac Back, and Luke VonHolten.
The front row from left to right is: Justin, Amanda, Sofia, and Melanie vonTrapp.
1988 Chevrolet Diesel Suburban FOR SALE!
Firewood!
This morning I asked the tree trimmers that were on our road if I could pick up the wood that they were cutting. They said yes, and here's one of the loads of wood that we got.Hurray for free firewood!
The LaSalle Bank Do-It-Yourself Messiah
Thursday night our family along with about 65 other friends, rode the train into Chicago to the Civic Opera House to sing Handel's Messiah along with about 3,000 other people! The event was the LaSalle Bank Do-It-Yourself Messiah.
The orchestra and soloists were on stage, and the choir was us, the attendees! Maestro Stanley Sperber was our director. We did our best to stay together with the orchestra, but in spite of our best efforts we were still off at times. As a matter of fact, I don't think we've ever been more off before. I'm not sure the exact cause of this occasionally extreme division, but it was still a lot of fun.
On another note, I might add that I think the soloists were the best they've had!
Here are some pictures from the evening.
Getting ready to head out!
Many thanks to Michael Stallings and the use of the Millennium Falcon, in which seven of us were safely transported to and from the Crystal Lake Train Station.
Here comes the train!
Surprisingly, we showed up just as the doors opened and we were still able to get a seat all the way in the front! Here we are in the opera house lobby waiting for the doors to open, so we can find our seats.
Yeah! We got six seats in the very front row! Here's a picture looking back from our seats during the intermission.
On the far left you can see the bass soloist singing "The Trumpet Shall Sound". I am so glad that they had the trumpet soloist come to the front during that piece. They both were incredible!
Ahh, another one of my favorites, the tenor and alto duet "O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?". I might add that (as you can see in the picture) the alto part was sung by countertenor - Brian Asawa.
The orchestra and soloists were on stage, and the choir was us, the attendees! Maestro Stanley Sperber was our director. We did our best to stay together with the orchestra, but in spite of our best efforts we were still off at times. As a matter of fact, I don't think we've ever been more off before. I'm not sure the exact cause of this occasionally extreme division, but it was still a lot of fun.
On another note, I might add that I think the soloists were the best they've had!
Here are some pictures from the evening.
Getting ready to head out!
Many thanks to Michael Stallings and the use of the Millennium Falcon, in which seven of us were safely transported to and from the Crystal Lake Train Station.
Here comes the train!
Surprisingly, we showed up just as the doors opened and we were still able to get a seat all the way in the front! Here we are in the opera house lobby waiting for the doors to open, so we can find our seats.
Yeah! We got six seats in the very front row! Here's a picture looking back from our seats during the intermission.
On the far left you can see the bass soloist singing "The Trumpet Shall Sound". I am so glad that they had the trumpet soloist come to the front during that piece. They both were incredible!
Ahh, another one of my favorites, the tenor and alto duet "O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?". I might add that (as you can see in the picture) the alto part was sung by countertenor - Brian Asawa.
Driver Returns On Foot
Wow! Talk about a lot of snow! Two Fridays ago the plan was for me (Jonathan) to pick Jeremy up from the Mechanic at 8:30, and drop him off at his house on the way to Rockford. Well, as you may have guessed that didn't happen. I was allowing an hour and a half for me to get to school (due to all the snow), but I didn't even get out of the driveway until 8:45 (I'd been trying to get out since 8:00). When I finally got on the road, the snow was so deep that I couldn't drive more than 25 mph because I was going sideways half the time. Rte. 173 was a mess, occasionally I saw the two yellow stripes in the right wheel rut, but most everywhere else I'd guess that the snow was about 5" deep of heavy, packed road snow. Needless to say, I decided not to go to school.When I finally got into Harvard fifteen minutes later (that's about five miles, and I've gotten there faster on my bike), I had already passed one snow plow that was in the ditch (I think he missed the road), three cars in the ditch and one pickup truck stuck in the middle of the road.
The snow was falling so fast that my windshield wipers were clogged with snow, and the side windows were continually being covered with snow, so when I actually got to the mechanic I passed it by accident because (due to the limited visibility) I just didn't see it. I ended up driving the whole way home at about 15mph with my head out the window because the windshield wouldn't stay clear. I really felt like I was in a boat because with the engine speed going up and down spinning the wheels on the snow it sounded like a boat, and with the car sliding around it felt like it too.
With Rte. 173 being as bad as it was, we decided not to try to take my car down our road, so Jeremy dropped me off at the end of our road, and then drove my car back to his house. Thus I enjoyed a 1 mile walk through the snow in the middle of a snow-storm on the way home from what would have been school (just like the old days right?).
During my walk home I did get a call from a friend saying that RVC was closed. So much for what they said about community colleges never closing due to weather. :-)
We ended up with +16 inches of snow that day. Now two weeks later - it's all gone...
Will we have a white Christmas? We'll have to wait and see.
A New Mercedes
Ok, ok, it's not really new, as a matter of fact it's really not new!
Last weekend I went out to Ohio to pick up a 1980 Mercedes 300SD Turbo Diesel that I traded a laptop for. I rode to Toledo with everyone from my family that were on their way to Plymouth for the Vision Forum Faith and Freedom Tour. From there I boarded a Greyhound Bus and headed down to Dayton, OH where Adam and Nathan Back picked me up from the bus stop. I spent the rest of the day/night with them and headed back home on Sunday around 12:30am EST. The ride home was fortunately quite uneventful. I got back home at about 6:10 CST and needless to say, I was glad to be out of the car. Six hours in a car isn't bad, but when it's by yourself... ...well, I just don't recommend it.
Don't you love the hood graphics? Any guesses on what it says?
Last weekend I went out to Ohio to pick up a 1980 Mercedes 300SD Turbo Diesel that I traded a laptop for. I rode to Toledo with everyone from my family that were on their way to Plymouth for the Vision Forum Faith and Freedom Tour. From there I boarded a Greyhound Bus and headed down to Dayton, OH where Adam and Nathan Back picked me up from the bus stop. I spent the rest of the day/night with them and headed back home on Sunday around 12:30am EST. The ride home was fortunately quite uneventful. I got back home at about 6:10 CST and needless to say, I was glad to be out of the car. Six hours in a car isn't bad, but when it's by yourself... ...well, I just don't recommend it.
Don't you love the hood graphics? Any guesses on what it says?
My First Buck
...wouldn't it be nice. :-) Would you believe he dropped dead right by our path?
Had to take the picture.
Update 11-14-06
Boy I sure haven't posted anything for a while, but here's a brief overview of a couple of things that I've done over the past month.
Oct. 5th was the first concert of the semester for the RVC Chamber Singers . We presented two pieces at a small dinner party at the Rockford Country Club. This went pretty well and was a neat experience, especially as I've never sang in a formal choir before.
That weekend on Oct. 7 a group of about 15 music students from RVC went out to Augustana College for a Music Educators' conference that was out there. I learned some helpful stuff, and had some great conversations during the trip out and back.
On Oct. 14 I was able to participate in a voice master class which was very good. I've been learning a lot about singing through my voice lessons, and other voice activities around RVC. Last Sunday (November 12th) the RVC Chamber Singers sang for the church service at Second Congregational Church in Rockford. We sang the anthem and the offertory, both of which were pieces that we have been working on. We also sang with the church's choir for the hymns and the benediction, which was "The Lord Bless You And Keep You" w/the Amens. That was incredible, especially as all the organ pipes were right behind us!
In the piano world I've been working with the RVC concert choir on a piece called The Lamentations of Jeremiah (by Randal Stroope). With my previous piano teacher (Mrs. Bendorf) I'm working on a Scott Joplin Rag Rhapsody with three other piano students. This piece was arranged for two pianos and eight hands (lot's of fun!). I also was able to participate in a piano master class with Dr. Glenn Utsch (I got to play on a 11' Bosendorfer grand for this!). This master class was really good, and I learned a number of things about technique, as well as a few specific pointers for the Brahms Hungarian Dance that I'm playing.
Well, that's pretty much a basic sketch of what's keeping me busy. There are a number of recitals/concerts that are coming up over the next month that should be good, but due to some construction problems in the library (which is in the same building as the Performing Arts Room) these might end up being postponed or possibly even canceled. The biggest problem yet is that last Friday a water main that runs over the Performing Arts Room broke, and flooded much of the building including the PAR. Fortunately none of the pianos or other music equipment was damaged, but there is a possibility that asbestos may have been washed out with the water. So due to health issues, we may or may not be able to use the PAR anymore this semester. Everything is still up in the air on that, but we'll see what happens.
Oct. 5th was the first concert of the semester for the RVC Chamber Singers . We presented two pieces at a small dinner party at the Rockford Country Club. This went pretty well and was a neat experience, especially as I've never sang in a formal choir before.
That weekend on Oct. 7 a group of about 15 music students from RVC went out to Augustana College for a Music Educators' conference that was out there. I learned some helpful stuff, and had some great conversations during the trip out and back.
On Oct. 14 I was able to participate in a voice master class which was very good. I've been learning a lot about singing through my voice lessons, and other voice activities around RVC. Last Sunday (November 12th) the RVC Chamber Singers sang for the church service at Second Congregational Church in Rockford. We sang the anthem and the offertory, both of which were pieces that we have been working on. We also sang with the church's choir for the hymns and the benediction, which was "The Lord Bless You And Keep You" w/the Amens. That was incredible, especially as all the organ pipes were right behind us!
In the piano world I've been working with the RVC concert choir on a piece called The Lamentations of Jeremiah (by Randal Stroope). With my previous piano teacher (Mrs. Bendorf) I'm working on a Scott Joplin Rag Rhapsody with three other piano students. This piece was arranged for two pianos and eight hands (lot's of fun!). I also was able to participate in a piano master class with Dr. Glenn Utsch (I got to play on a 11' Bosendorfer grand for this!). This master class was really good, and I learned a number of things about technique, as well as a few specific pointers for the Brahms Hungarian Dance that I'm playing.
Well, that's pretty much a basic sketch of what's keeping me busy. There are a number of recitals/concerts that are coming up over the next month that should be good, but due to some construction problems in the library (which is in the same building as the Performing Arts Room) these might end up being postponed or possibly even canceled. The biggest problem yet is that last Friday a water main that runs over the Performing Arts Room broke, and flooded much of the building including the PAR. Fortunately none of the pianos or other music equipment was damaged, but there is a possibility that asbestos may have been washed out with the water. So due to health issues, we may or may not be able to use the PAR anymore this semester. Everything is still up in the air on that, but we'll see what happens.
RVC Chamber Singers
I thought you all might like to see a picture of the RVC Chamber Singers (I'm at top left). We got this picture taken last Sunday in front of 2nd Congregational Church. Two special people to note are: Mr. Laprade our director at front - far left, and Carol Ostrom our accompanist at front - far right.
Update coming soon!
Boy do I have a lot to update this blog with!
I think I might have time to update it early tomorrow evening, so stay tuned!
Sorry, the computer lab was closed so I couldn't get around to it.
I think I might have time to update it early tomorrow evening, so stay tuned!
Sorry, the computer lab was closed so I couldn't get around to it.
Random Photo / Update 9-29-06
Well, it looks like updates might be pretty boring for a while. Here it goes: School is going fine, I'm having fun and making lots of music.
________________________
Random Photo:
I'll be posting a few pictures with problems in them; some edited and some not. Here's the first.
Can you figure out what's wrong?
BTW: This is Aaron on the way back from Arizona earlier this year. Boy, it was HOT! It actually hit 118 degrees while we were there!
________________________
Random Photo:
I'll be posting a few pictures with problems in them; some edited and some not. Here's the first.Can you figure out what's wrong?
BTW: This is Aaron on the way back from Arizona earlier this year. Boy, it was HOT! It actually hit 118 degrees while we were there!
Camping and College
Things are continuing to go well with my classes at Rock Valley College. I may have said this already, but the music program at Rock Valley is very good, and I'm really enjoying it. Here's a picture of the "PAR" where the Choir and Chamber Singers meet for practice. This picture was taken just before Chamber Singers.
One thing that's kind of neat is that there are a lot of other homeschoolers in the classes I'm taking! It's funny to watch the reactions when we find out that each other was homeschooled. You'd think we all went to the same school!
Just last week I also ran into an old neighbor from back when we lived in the Chicago area who is also attending Rock Valley! I could hardly believe it.
Here are some pictures from the church campout that we had last weekend.
I'm not sure what's going on in this picture, but if you look at the difference between everyone's faces, it's very comical.
Here are some pictures of the guys getting some music ready for around the fire.
The fire got a little bit hot for a couple of the kids, so they took care of the problem with face shields.
:-)
One thing that's kind of neat is that there are a lot of other homeschoolers in the classes I'm taking! It's funny to watch the reactions when we find out that each other was homeschooled. You'd think we all went to the same school!
Just last week I also ran into an old neighbor from back when we lived in the Chicago area who is also attending Rock Valley! I could hardly believe it.
Here are some pictures from the church campout that we had last weekend.
I'm not sure what's going on in this picture, but if you look at the difference between everyone's faces, it's very comical.
Here are some pictures of the guys getting some music ready for around the fire.
The fire got a little bit hot for a couple of the kids, so they took care of the problem with face shields.:-)
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