After the closing of mobile me, we found that we needed a way to share our photos, videos and thoughts with our family. We decided to give this blogging a try......
The kids have been forced to write a weekly column (homework!). Often it chronicles what they did that week. Hope you find it interesting and it shares their summer with you.
Column One:
Summer in Rock Hill: Elle’s near Death
by Emma Gilleland
Trauma never seems real. Not when it’s happening; not when it’s over with. But you accept that it did because you don’t really know what did happen at least for me. This isn’t going to be long because I barely know what happened, so here it is.
Elle, Jacob and I were riding our bikes to Ichiro. Since Jacob is only going into 5
th grade he couldn’t go without Elle and me, and he couldn’t be in front. He did influence us a lot though.
If you ever have been to Ichiro then you know their Miso soup is the best, and only 2 dollars! So Elle, Jacob and I were drinking Japanese sodas and eating Miso soup and talking. When we were done we put our stuff away and got on our bikes.
We were doing great when we came to a cross walk.
On one side was a bank and on the other side was a church
.
We were crossing in a way other cars couldn’t see us. Elle was almost all the way across, Jacob was on the other half behind her, and I was still on the side walk.
Suddenly a man honked his horn and we all froze. I saw a blue car (later I learned it was white) speeding right at Elle. I screamed EL- but I couldn’t finish the rest- I was in shock. I heard the screech of tires and feared the worst. Then I saw Elle was ok. I didn’t see the car, just Elle and the lady driving it. The lady ran a red light and was talking on her phone. If Elle hadn’t stopped when that man honked his horn I think she would be dead. After Elle and Jacob were on the other side, the lady was out of there.
When I got to the other side a lady from the church that was on the other side poked her head out to see if we were ok; bless people like her. We were going to go to Fuel Park, but we were so spooked we went home.
Next time I’m calling the shots, and we are going to leave Jacob at home until we get better at riding our bikes near a busy road.
By: Elle Gilleland
Week By Week: ST-ARTS Kids
I figured that since I’m the only kid in this family that goes to ST-ARTS, I might clear up a little on how it works. Specifically, kids and the way the kids tend to think. One thing all the children have in common is that they love to do what they do. If you don’t love it, you probably wouldn’t have got into ST-ARTS. If you meet someone who is very good (by ST-ARTS standards) at what they do or another ST-ARTS talent, you will have a certain respect for them, whether you like them or not. The better they are the more you respect them; this goes for students and teachers.
If you are in drama (minor or major) and see someone who is really goofy, I mean they just ham it up, then you’ll respect them. However, if they choose to “ham it up” in chorus or music theory you’ll most likely be angry at them for preventing you from learning. ST-ARTS has extremely long classes, and if you’re not serious about learning you won’t be in them, you’ll be at home. But, it isn’t like ST-ARTS is no fun! You have lots of that, as long as you know when it’s ok and know when to quit.
Also, students dress similarly, in a T-shirt and jeans or shorts (except dance students who typically wear leotards, sweats, tights, etc.). Most kids have one or two special items they use to spice up their outfits and sometimes a snazzy top. If you see someone walking around campus dressed really fancy or with lots of “bling” you’ll probably think, “Are you kidding me?” or “Are they for real?”, because we’re not here to impress; we’re here to improve.
If you want to make friends be nice and funny but not annoying. Then when something fazes you don’t show it, instead play along like it’s something you expected (when you’re in drama or musical theatre, definitely follow this). There are always kids who say it isn’t fun, and chances are they won’t be back next year. If that’s true then either they’re really good or it’s just a fluke that they got in. Don’t let what they say discourage you or sway your opinion because as I said before, “it’s really fun!”
A Memorial Crawfish Boil
by Jacob Gilleland
Every Memorial day, all the people who live in our neighborhood come to either our cul-de-sac or to one of our neighbor’s cul-de-sacs (we/they don’t actually own the cul-de-sac) to have a crawfish (crayfish) boil.
At these crawfish boils we (kids) go on golf cart rides or Ranger rides (a souped up golf cart). Sometimes when it’s dark, fireworks are shot off and kids go
CRAZY over parachutes that come out of the fireworks. After fireworks, the kids go off and play a game like tag or hide’n go seek in the dark. Injuries like face plants on the asphalt occur about once every crawfish boil. This year it was a boy named Seth who fell on his face on the asphalt and sat out for a while (the rule no running on the asphalt was then made).
The crawfish are very fun to take out of the cooler we keep them in. They are asleep at the time, but when you put them in the big bucket of water used to wake them up, they will try to pinch you and will grab on to everything they can. This year a second grade tom-girl (and I mean VERY much a tom-girl in every way possible) named Madeline let a crawfish grab on to her baseball cap with both pinchers and it wouldn’t let go!
The crawfish are really good, and they are huge. We eat the crawfish on a table with two big holes in it and we drop the shells into trash cans that are under the holes (they support the table too). When you break the crawfish in half (once they are dead or boiled of course), the front ends can be used like finger puppets. We have finger puppet battles and the first one to drop or break their puppet/crawfish loses. This game is a great pastime if you are waiting for other kids/friends to show up.
Column Two:
Summer in Rock Hill: Clay with Bob Doster
by Emma Gilleland
If you ever get the chance to work with a professional artist, take it. Last week I got the chance to work with Bob Doster. He is mostly known for his metal work, although he is a very good potter too. He isn’t Jackson Pollock or Georgia O’Keefe. He is only known state (South Carolina) wide.
Last time I worked with Mr. Doster I was making coil pots. This time I only did some of that, mostly I did animal figurines. My favorite thing to make is a bird. I made three of them. One has a long curved beak like Gonzo, so I call him Gonzo Bird. Another has a ridge on his head so I call him Ridge Bird. Also have a bird with its tongue sticking out and x’s for eyes. I call it Dead Bird.
Mr. Doster made up a game he calls the “Number Game”. You have to guess a number between 1 and 40. You can’t guess a number that’s already been guessed and you can’t guess a number less than 1 or bigger than 40, you also can’t take too long. If you were the last one standing you got to keep one of the things Mr. Doster made. I got a giant bird I call Leader. I also won a dragon I call fire. I made a dragon I named Marko, after a boy in my class I was friends with. I won a dinosaur too; I call to Seg because it’s a stegosaurs. I made a dinosaur too, it’s an Apatosaurus I call Abby after a girl in my class I was friends with. On the last day of camp I won a huge bag of clay I can use to make more things. Someday I could be as good as Bob Doster. We made a lot of animal figurines, but we did make a lot of pots too.
I don’t mean to brag but my coil pots were awesome. My coil pots last year were the worst in the class. My coils would always end up at the bottom of the pot, they were more like bowls than cups. One of my excellent cups has two birds on top. It’s like the coil turns into the birds. Another has a swirl that makes look like a sunset. My other two are just small juice cups. My juice cups are the only coil pots that got glazed. To get glazed the pot has to be dry and my two really cool ones didn’t dry in time. Now I can drink from them since they are gazed. I’m really glad I had this chance and I really enjoyed it.
Video Games: The Power They Hold
by Elle Gilleland
Have you ever thought about the power of a video game? How video games control us? If not, maybe you’ve never hurried to finish a job so that you can sit down in front of a computer or other gaming system to play for hours on end. If you’re one of the people who video games have no effect on, good for you! But you’re probably not, so listen close.
The power video games hold to make us want to play all the time, I find scary. I notice that days seem to drag on when I can’t use electronics. I feel uncomfortable, unhappy. Why does that happen, this addiction? I believe it’s because video games are an effective way to release stress and to get lost in “your own world”.
Sometimes we find we like this ‘own world’ better than the one we live in. In which case, we should probably take the time to explore the ‘real world’ and find things we like to do. Try to live in the moment and not waste your days away playing video games. There are tricks to use to stop the need for electronics.
Stay focused on the now, if you find your hands subconsciously reaching for an electronic, stop and busy them with something else. Set a time limit for yourself, say you can’t play for more than an hour or so. Always (if you’re a kid) ask your parents if you can play before you start, because they typically have better judgment then you do. You could also just ask a sibling or friend if they think that it’s a good time to play. But it’s not like electronics are cursed, they great to play and can be very helpful.
In short, be careful and aware of electronics and take them in moderation.
Call of Duty: the Millions Who Play
by Jacob Gilleland
When you think about Call of Duty, and all the people who have practically devoted their entire life to it, you wonder “How often do those people play Call of Duty?” “Do they really even live?” The times that really show are when a 30 year old person, who’s had the game for 3 years and plays twice a week, gets beat by a 10 year old kid who got the game two months ago and plays every day for a few hours.
When you’re in the Call of Duty multiplayer main menu it will show statistics for the day. Sometimes there are things like this: 11,584,319 players are currently online, or 17.3 kilometers were fallen today, or 197,346,512 bullets and projectiles were fired today, or 23,478,991 kills with a assault rifle happened today. There are always insanely high numbers for all the statistics in the game.
Call of Duty gets a lot of players from people who’ve seen videos and seen how good the graphics are, the game's graphics have either got players or repelled them. For instance Call of Duty Black Ops and modern warfare 3 got a lot of hits because people saw the game’s graphics and assumed the game would be the same quality. In my opinion, they were right.
My dad and I play Call of Duty about once every week or two and we’re reasonably good. But every game we play online there is always 3 or 4 prestige 8 level 50s who kick our tail because they’ve been playing every day for a year, outnumber us, and they are talking to one another so they know “there are 3 guys in the garage” and “ sniper in the wooden tower! Get around that building!”. Whenever I get shot through 2 walls or 3 windows I just think, “Wow, How can you devote yourself to this game to the point that you can make that shot?"
Column Three:
Summer in Rock Hill:Horses and the Greenway
by Emma Gilleland
Horses are not really what people think. Some people think they are dangerous, and they can be very peaceful. Some people think they are very peaceful, but they can be very dangerous. Like people, it depends on the horse. If I had a horse I’d want it to be a black mare. I’d name it Nightmare (get it, it’s a play on words). I would love a horse but it cost more to care for one than to buy one. A good nice one would be very expensive and a mean one would be very cheap. I would like one in between, a challenge but one I could control.
The horse I rode all week was named Blaze. She is gorgeous with mostly black hair and some dark brown hair. She has a white stripe down her head that starts with a circle. Blaze was born at The Greenway, Her dad is a beautiful horse named Billy Bob. Billy Bob is grey, white, and brown. There is one other horse Blaze is with a lot, his name is Goliath. Goliath is just like Blaze only bigger, and he has only a white circle on his head. I think that Goliath likes Blaze. He always follows her around. Strangely enough, Blaze and Goliath are very different from each other. Goliath is very mellow and Blaze has an attitude. Blaze hates water. She will ram me into a tree just so she won’t get her hooves wet. Once after crossing a creek, she was so freaked out she fell on a little root. She tripped and went down on her two front feet.
Camp wasn’t all about the horses. I had a few people friends too. One of my friends was in the advanced group with me. Her name was Brooke. I was with Brooke a lot because she rode Goliath, and horses, like us, have people they get along with, and people they don’t. Goliath got along with Blaze very well. Like I said earlier, I think Goliath likes Blaze. Another friend was Kaley. She was in the English group. They did jumps and stuff. She also rode Elle’s favorite horse, Gypsy. Last, but not least, is Halle. She was in the beginners group. She rode Kunuk. So, at camp I learned a lot and made some really good friends. I hope I can come again next year.
Family
by Elle Gilleland
Family holds a special place in your heart. You should have unconditional love for family. Why? What makes family different? Is there some magical bond or is there a real answer?
I think that it might be because family is always there, something you’re used to. I like this computer, sometimes it doesn’t work but that doesn’t make me hate it. It’s normal: going without it is weird, a change, so I almost can’t hate it. If I don’t use electronics or eat candy for too long, I’ll miss them. Just like if I don’t see family for too long.
But that doesn’t explain unconditional love for family you don’t often see. Maybe it’s because no matter where your family is, they’ll always be there for you, be nice to you, and care about you. If it is family that you call and they don’t know what to say, chances are they’re young and cute enough it doesn’t matter, because you can’t stay mad at a baby or toddler.
We love God because he first loved us, so we probably love our family because they first loved us. They first loved us because like I said, you can’t hate a baby and over time love only grows. You could probably hate family if they did something truly horrible and terrible, but that doesn’t often happen. Don’t take advantage of family’s love for you and be good to them especially.
Remodeling: how crazy it is
by Jacob Gilleland
When your remodeling every thing seems chaotic. There will be 20 guys with hammers tearing up your house and banging on what seems like anything that will make a loud noise. It’s so crazy you just want and need a break from it. My family is currently remodeling, so I know this from firsthand experience.
The workers will come at around 7:00 in the morning. You’ll be woken up at 7:05 to the BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!! of workers tearing out some part of your house. If you’ve ever remodeled your house before, you’ll know what you feel like during the remodeling. If you haven't remodeled before I’ll tell you : you’ll feel tired, agitated, and upset. My family is having the roof done and a new window cut out and our kitchen is being torn apart AND we’re adding a new room AND in a week or two we are going to put hardwood floors in most of our house. So as I’m sure you can imagine, it is absolutely CRAZY at my house, and it will be most of the summer.
If it’s your neighbor remodeling expect almost as much noise as the neighbor having remodeling done, especially if their roof is being done too. Some of my family’s neighbors that live down the street have said they could hear the workers at our house, inside their house, about as clear as we could hear the workers at our house.
When you remodel a lot of guys with different jobs come to your house; sometimes there will be plumbers, carpenters and brick masons. Sometimes there will be a demolition crew, roofers and glass guys ( I don’t know the name of guys who put in the glass ). Now that you know how much noise and craziness comes with remodeling; Are YOU ready to remodel??????
Column Four:
Summer in Minnesota: The Cabin
by Emma Gilleland
The cabin is a really special place. It is the most fun when many people are there. It gives a feeling nothing else does. My great, great uncle Bob built the cabin and the garage, but it seems like it is always improving. Papa built a playhouse, the bunkhouse, and a sauna. Last, but not least, he is building a treehouse. If I had to rate them, it would be a four way tie. I guess the playhouse was the easiest thing to build, and I think the treehouse will be the hardest. We are all doing our part to build it. I have nailed some nails in the walls.
The lake's real name in Little Rock Lake, but we all call it The Lake. Most of the time it is as green and murky as pea soup, but it can look like Jasper as well. From a distance it looks clear because the sky is reflecting across the water. The lake leads in to the Mississippi River, which leads to The Gulf of Mexico. The lake has a certain smell to it. I could tell if you were swimming in the lake or in a pool. I wouldn't wear a white swimming suit. The algae would turn it green. I love the way the lake looks when it has no waves. It looks glassy and perfect.
At the lake we play with our Minnesota Cousins a lot. We take the pontoon out to five or six feet, them we jump off the back end away from the motor. One of my cousins Meg and I sometimes make soups but they never taste any good. Once we made a soup for my cousin Oliver, but my Aunt Becky (his mom) wouldn't let him eat it. Now I don't blame her, it was all gross and brown. When Oliver couldn't eat it, Meg and I did! Whenever we can, my cousins and I swim in the lake. There are times when we can't because there is too much algae.
When the treehouse is done we will sleep in it, maybe even more than the bunkhouse. I love the cabin very much, but love the people there much, much more.
Joseph's Technicolor Dream Coat: The Musical
by Elle Gilleland
Last Friday I finished St-Arts. That was our showcase day. We did many fun presentations like the chorus, sight singing (which I happened to be in), African drumming, and band. But my favorite presentation was the musical we put on of Joseph's Technicolor Dream Coat. Ryan had the lead role of Joseph, and that was very cool, but I really liked my part because I got a solo.
My solo was pretty short. All I sang was, "Joseph's bothers weren't to pleased with what they saw.", but I had a ton of fun singing it. After I sang my solo I just had to stand back by the piano and watch until my group got up to do our routine. The entire musical was so much fun for me, the dancing, the singing, all of it!
The play is about Joseph and his colorful coat. Joseph is sold to become a slave in Egypt and ends up becoming Pharaoh's right hand man. It starts with everyone singing a song about Joseph and his twelve sons. It starts off with an amazing solo done by a rising ninth grader whose name I didn't get. It then goes to my solo and a song about Joseph's brothers and their resentment towards him. The narrators then tell about Joseph getting sold to Egypt. The next song is called One More Angel in Heaven. In it, Joseph's brothers lie to their father saying Joseph is dead.
This song is when my group dances, with two solos done by Mary and a girl I don't know. Later in the song Anna and Ashby do a descant. I think our song was the most energetic. After that song we moved to Song of the King, where Pharaoh pleads with Joseph to tell him what his dream means. My group was background dancers in that one. The Pharaoh was played by Hannah Finch, she has an amazing voice but the chorus was so loud nobody could hear her.
The next song is Benjamin's Calypso, it is done in Jamaican style. In this song Benjamin is accused of stealing so the brothers plead his case. This is where Joseph and his brothers are reunited. The last song is Go Go Go Joseph. Joseph is reunited with his father Jacob. Ryan got some big solos here and everybody danced like idiots. It was so much fun!
The Chirhart Cousins
by Jacob Gilleland
Every year my family and I go to Minnesota to visit my Mom's family (parents, siblings, etc....). When we go to Minnesota my sisters and I get to see our grandparents, all our aunts and uncles....and cousins. All my cousins are alike and different at the same time. Here I'll write about each one of them.
Carmody is a blonde five (almost six) year old girl. She likes these little beads (perler beads) that you put on a rack and melt together with an iron. Carmody can be kind of bossy but is very funny. She can be a little moody. Despite what they say about blondes, Carmody is very smart.
Theo is a five year old, extremely funny, active boy. He can't sit still, has the best laugh, is a troublemaker and is a little bit of a chatterbox. My favorite thing that Theo has said is, "Hello Mister Cuppasaurus, do you want a cupcake?" Theo loves chocolate milk and macaroni & cheese. He can be slightly annoying but you can't stay mad at him for long.
Oliver is Theo's eight year old brother who has autism. He drinks only water or milk, and doesn't like candy. Oliver loves Start Wars and trains. Oliver is really funny almost all the time; just this morning he said, "I was so thirsty for that milk and water I drank them in two gulps!" Oliver is the oldest cousin.
Ambrose is Carmody's nine month old brother. His head is bigger than my head (I have a big head). Ambrose smiles a ton and goes, "buh buh buh buh buh" when he is happy. That's all I know about Ambrose because he is a baby and can't tell you anything about himself.
Keefer is both Carmody and Ambrose's brother. He is three, almost four years old. Keefer is incredibly shy and timid. He does not like to eat much of anything healthy. Keefer likes to play in the sandbox and go on wagon rides. At parks and playgrounds he will only go on things that are solid and sturdy; he won't go on nets, elastic floors or anything that gives under you a bit.
Now I've told you about my five Chirhart cousins.
Column Five:
Summer in Minnesota: Soups and Mistakes
by Emma Gilleland
Like I said in the last column, every year while I’m in Minnesota, Meg and I make soup. We’ve made so many I’ve lost count of them all. Out of the hundreds we’ve made only one of them has tasted good. It was made from Sprite, this limeade sherbet stuff, and raspberries. This year we made two and both of them were awful (one we tried to make it be as bad as we could). We had olive juice, ranch dressing, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, mint flavoring, vanilla extract, hot sauce, and much much more. I would be disgusted with anyone who could swallow it. Partly because it was so hot and partly because it looked so gross. It had a red color like hot sauce and little things floating in it. Gah! It makes my stomach hurt just by thinking about it.It was the worst soup that we ever made, even worse than Oliver Soup (A soup me and Meg made that is the second worst)! But hey, it was supposed to be like that.
Have you ever tried to do something good but it turned out awful? Maybe you added a little too much of something. That’s exactly what happened to me and Meg's second soup. This time we were both doing different soups to see which one was better; there was no need. They were both awful. It got really nasty when Meg put hot sauce in hers. Mine was too sweet. It had Sierra Mist, jello, honey, and whipped cream. It was not as bad as the red one. And I wouldn’t be disgusted with anyone who could eat it. But it was still awful. I put way too much honey in it.
Everyone makes mistakes as a kid. But, that’s OK it’s the time to make them (so you don’t as an adult). You only learn by doing. The first time you do something you make mistakes. Like when you first learned to ride a bike you fell down a lot. When you fell down you probably got scraped and that made you tougher. I really believe Meg and I got a better Immune system from eating those soups. Mistakes are helpful. They make you tougher and they help you not make them when it really matters. If you never make mistakes as a kid you won’t know how to act when you do. You’ll make one when it matters and then get fired. So as a kid make mistakes, have fun, and prepare for the future. I’m doing it. Look out world here I come soups and all. Just hope I don’t become a chef!
Basilica Block Party
by Elle Gilleland
Do you know what Basilica Block Party is? It’s a really cool concert held over a period of two days in Minnesota. Minnesota has a big cathedral called The Basilica; it throws the Basilica Block Party annually. There are three stages with three bands that perform on each stage; so nine bands perform every day. It happens on a Friday and a Saturday, so eighteen bands perform total. Each year they have different bands but they’re always really good.
There were insanely huge crowds, and I think I heard an adult saying that there were “only” 1650 tickets! The music was blasted out of huge speakers, so it was loud, but sometimes it was hard for me to understand what the singers were saying. We only got to go on Friday because we were going home on Saturday. Mom was disappointed, because in leaving on Saturday she missed The Avett Brothers.
The bands that played on Friday were: Matt Kearney, Tyrone Wells, A Wolf and Her Claws, The Head and the Heart, Imagine Dragons, Prissy Clerks, Phantom Tails, Cake, and Train. I saw Matt Kearney, The Head and the Heart, Imagine Dragons, and Train. Dad saw Cake instead of Train because Cake is his favorite band. My 2nd cousin Clare saw Cake with my dad and her dad. She said that she didn’t understand it.
My favorite band was Train. There were noises like a train was starting up coming from the speakers before Train got on the stage. The fans went crazy! The lead singer started calling people up and taking pictures of himself with people in the front row’s cameras; he really knows how to play the crowd. He called up two girls to dance on the stage, they were hilarious! It was a blast! I hope I can go again next year!
Building The Minnesota Tree House
by Jacob Gilleland
My relatives in Minnesota are building a tree house at their cabin on Little Rock Lake. My Papa is a serious builder. He plans to have windows and siding, and he said he’ll run some cords out and have electricity in the tree house. I’m really excited about the electricity part!! My Papa and other relatives did a lot before my family came, so I missed about 1/3rd of the building.
Now I’ll tell you the steps in the best detail I can. First holes were dug, and the supports were put in the ground and secured with cement. Then the rafters and floor were added. After that, the framing for the walls and rafters for the roof were added. My family comes in here. Then, my family and I enjoyed putting on the sheeting for the walls and roof. Here my family went back to South Carolina. Next, the siding and windows will be added. Then the door and shingles will be put on. Finally, the interior will be decorated. It will be played in by all of the cousins.
Working on the tree house was great. Even though it was hard at some points I think everyone enjoyed it. Out of everyone working on the tree house I think Papa enjoyed it the most; he would work from 4:00am to 12:00pm if Grandma would let him!!!
In my opinion, the tree house will be a great place for both adults and kids. Adults could read or do other adult things. Kids could play all sorts of games.
I know this tree house is gonna ROCK !!!!!!!!!!!
Column Six:
Summer in Rock Hill:Camp Bonclarken
by Emma Gilleland
Every one loves camp, some more than others. I love camp so much because I go to Bonclarken. The people there are so nice; like our counselor Nikki. While she’s nice, she’s also strict. Nikki has the best singing voice. She would sing us to sleep sometimes. Also during worship she would braid my hair. She’s pretty good at that too. One night she was really mad at us for being loud when we should have been sleeping, and it was the third time she came down. She said: “If I come down here one more time I’m going to be pissed.” We were so surprised we all shut up. I didn’t know counselors were allowed to say that.
Your cabin mates really effect your time at Bonclarken. If you have bad cabin mates you’ll have loud, long, bad nights with no sleep. You’ll have loud, short, fun nights with a little sleep if you have good cabin mates. This year my cabin mates were: Elle, Gabrielle (my Dad's friend’s daughter and my friend), Courtney (a friend), Mabry (another friend), Lauren and Cameron (two new friends). They where really good cabin mates and made my time a lot more pleasant.
Bonclarken is a wonderful place where I literally grew up. The people there have seen me grow and change over the past four years. They have seen me grow in faith because much that I have learned about God is from Bonclarken. I feel like I understand God better now since when I was 8. I did not understand church. The sermons in church are made for adults, but at Bonclarken the sermons are made for kids so I understand them so much better. Bonclarken has also taught me how to get along with people. I find it easier to not be annoying now. Also I know how to live with people, even ones I don’t like. That’s how Bonclarken helped me, only a few reasons why I love it so much.
Camp Bonclarken
by Elle Gilleland
Camp Bonclarken is a Christian camp for kids ages 8-14. When we go there we learn about being a Christian and what we should do to glorify God and get to Heaven. I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say, but I do respect it. I don’t think you need to dedicate all of your time to God, but like Dad says, I think the best way to honor God is by raising well-behaved children. Actually that’s probably the second best way after singing, because cherubs and angels were made just to sing and glorify God 24/7.
During worship at Bonclarken we do lots of singing and listen to a short sermon. The day starts with waking at 7:00 A.M. and heading to breakfast, then the little kids go to Bible Class while the older kids go to their first option. Next the little kids go to their first two options while the older kids do their 2nd and 3rd. Then we all have lunch and rest time. After that the little kids go to Nibble Nook and then their last two options while the older kids go to Bible Class, Nibble Nook, and their last option. We end the day with dinner, recreation, worship, and cabin group devotions.
Rec. is my favorite part of the day, you basically have the whole camp doing an activity that a group of maybe 20 kids would do in options, like capture the flag or swimming. Options are really cool too. Some of the options are swimming, boating, zip lining, shop and rock, or dodgeball. If you’re not a sporty person there’s always lots of crafts. A lot of people’s favorite part of the day is Nibble Nook. That’s when you go and buy a lot of inexpensive candy. It’s really cool!
The staff (not the managers, nurse, counselors, or C.I.T.s) works at the Nibble Nook, making meals, and cleaning. They aren’t very social, unlike the counselors. The counselors are the coolest! They’re really fun people. To be a counselor first you have to be a C.I.T. (Counselor In Training). They’re cool too. They serve meals and help the counselors run and do options. C.I.T.s start out as campers (which I explained earlier). All these people are very close. We’re like family. There’s a feeling of love everybody has that makes it hard to be mean or hurtful at all at camp.
The biggest bond is between the counselor, camper, and cabin mates. I know this because I’m a camper. Your cabin mates are like your siblings and your counselor is like your older sibling. The friends (especially your cabin mates) that you make at Bonclarken never go away, are there for you, and know how to make you laugh. When I’m at Bonclarken, if I look around I’ll see everybody laughing and smiling in a way that doesn’t happen often at school, but happens all the time there. I think it might be because we’re closer to God. So I think there’s no way God can’t be real.
Camp Bonclarken
by Jacob Gilleland
Camp Bonclarken is an awesome Christian summer camp that my sisters and I go to. Bonclarken is one of my favorite places. The camp has great counselors; they are nice and fun to be around. The three counselors I had in my three years were BJ, Cody, and most recently Will. Camp Bonclarken also has great meals. My personal favorite is breakfast. But the activities are super too!!! There are two zip lines, a telephone pole that you jump off of (you have a harness), and you can go caving. I love the zip line! This year I took two pictures while I was going down it!
At camp you make friends, and the friends you make are very special. You only get to see them once a year; so, you really enjoy seeing them. At camp you get to go to two little candy shops called The Nibble Nooks. The candy they sell is very inexpensive, and you go every day. I love the boiled peanuts and Cowtails. Every day at Bonclarken after lunch there is rest time. For the girls cabins rest time means time to rest. For the boys cabins rest time means MASS PILLOW FIGHT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When the boys pillow fight, you can use anything you want if you let the counselor Connor hit you with it as hard as he can. If you can’t take it you can’t use it.
Your cabin mates have a big influence on your time at camp. Say one kid in your cabin never listens or can’t stop talking, your counselor stops and talks to them about it, and you wind up late for breakfast and get picked DEAD LAST. If you have good cabin mates that behave you get to stay up an extra hour and talk.
I would recommend Bonclarken to anyone who wanted to go. It is my favorite camp, and I think it will be yours too!!!!
Column Seven:
Summer in Rock Hill: Kiawah
by Emma Gilleland
Kiawah Island is a resort off the coast of Charleston. It’s not like what comes to mind when you think of a resort. There are no big fancy hotels or any tacky souvenir shops. That’s exactly what some people( including me) like about it. When I said there are no hotels that may have made you wonder where the people vacationing stay. Some other people own houses there and when they aren’t enjoying them they rent them out to other people. People love to go there to get away from every thing, but most importantly they spend time with their families.
At the beach there I relearned how to boogie board with Elle and Jacob. If you get it right you ride on the waves. I think it should be called wave riding. Another cool thing you can do in the water is jump waves. If you are my size it is almost impossible, but you suck it up and have fun with your family. Also I learned that windy days have big waves.
In my opinion the tide pools were the best part of the beach. I could get fish to swim all around my legs by putting sand on them. First it was just me sitting quietly and enjoying it. Then Elle came; then Jacob, then Ollie and Theo. Although we ended up sending Theo away, because he was scaring the fish. You could use the same thing to catch them by putting your net on the bottom of the tide pool and wait, when a fish comes pull your net up. In the tide pools there are a lot of star fish. Elle, Jacob, and I loved looking for them. Some people think starfish in tide pools need to be saved, but they don’t. Tide pools are like a safe heaven from predators, and even if you do throw them back they’ll only wash up again the next day. If the tide pool they are in starts to dry up, they will just bury them selves and are fine. A funny thing was when Elle, Jacob, and I were playing in the tide pools, Jacob got pinched by crabs like three times and I never got bit even though I spent more time in the tide pools. I also enjoyed just floating. I would have my eyes and ears in the water and listen to my heart and feel really at peace, I could have done it for hours.
Elle, Jacob, and I could ride our bikes anywhere we wanted, but we mostly spent time with Ollie and Theo. The beach was the best place to ride and I learned never to ride in the water because you never know how deep it really is.
Kiawah Island is a really good place to spend time with family and to get away from distractions I know I sure did with Elle and Jacob.
Alvin
by Elle Gilleland
Who is Alvin? Alvin is a squirrel, a baby squirrel. He fell out of a tree with three other squirrels. One is with its Mom (we don’t know if it survived) and the other two (Simon and Eleanor) didn’t make it. We nursed Alvin the best we could, but to no avail. He died this morning.
I don’t know why he died, but I do have some theories. Maybe he was hurt worse in the fall than we realized (in which case the one that was taken by the mother probably didn’t make it). Perhaps he just needed a mother squirrel, like people need human mothers.
In the week we had Alvin we grew to love him very much. He was really cute and innocent. He didn’t know the world or even open his eyes! We loved how he was attracted to warmth like a human is. It makes me think, maybe he didn’t need a mother squirrel; but instead, just a squirrel companion like how people need to be around other people. It was really fun to feed him because he would open up his tiny mouth and roll his tongue around to swallow . If he was hungry or uncomfortable he would open his mouth and squeak like a guinea pig.
We would sleep with Alvin in a box next to our beds and cuddle with him frequently. He spent most of his time asleep as he was only a newborn. When he got hungry we would warm up milk like you would for a human baby and feed it to him with a syringe. I said how he loves heat, well if he got too cold we would hook up a heater and put him in front of it. He would crawl way to close so we’d pull him back, but he’d just crawl up again! It became something of a game.
It kind of makes me feel philosophical. Like in the Calvin and Hobbes comic where they find the baby raccoon that dies over night; what Calvin says kind of sums up what I thought. Calvin wondered why God would take him away when he was so young and he also figured that you should live every day, every moment to its fullest, because you never know, it could be your last. Sense you‘re a alive (and incredibly lucky to be) you should do something with your life. I don’t know why, but I’m sure God had a reason to take Alvin, Simon, and Eleanor away. I figure that you should live life to its fullest and make it great. I also figure that you shouldn’t let tragedy ruin your life, get over it and keep going.
Time With My Cousins
by Jacob Gilleland
Spending time with my cousins is special to me. My Chirhart cousins live in Minnesota so they are not part of my regular daily life.
Theo is fun because he is so entertaining . He makes up the best games -they are so imaginative. One of his games was one person was the “ghost” and the others were the humans. The “ghost” had to “find” the humans (who always had to hide in the closet). The “ghost” had to be scared of the “crab” (a packet of dyed red clay). Sometimes his games are a little pointless, but they are always fun.
Oliver looks up to me for a lot of guidance because I am a role model to him. Since I’m the youngest in my family I never get that experience. When Ollie and Theo are here I have pressure to behave because they will do what I do. An example is when I’m on the boss level of a video game and I die, I’d usually say, “Crap!!!” But, when Oliver and Theo are around I’ll just say, “dang it!!”
Oliver, Theo, and I all like many of the same things. The thing I think we all like the most are legos. We would build for hours if we could. On car trips we like to draw and play the Nintendo DS. We can download and play the same game together. Theo likes to watch over my shoulder. We, like other boys, love horsing around playing lazer tag, wrestling, running and lots of other things.
My Chirhart cousins are fun all around. Right after they leave everything gets a little boring. So I just look forward to the next time we see them.
