Glory Duty & the Gold Dome
50% Off!
Crossbow
30% Off!
30% Off!
The Mysterious Islands
30% Off
Bokken Training Swords
What boy wouldn't like any of these great gifts?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Vision Forum Storewide Sale-Last Chance Christmas Shopping!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Colon Cancer
My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer on the 14th of October (2009) and by the 19th we knew that the cancer was terminal. The official diagnosis is Advanced Stage IV Colorectal Cancer with Metastasis to the Liver. Here are some things that have been going on:
- The tumor in the colon is very large and my Dad is having very intense pain. He is uncomfortable sitting or standing. Because of the size of the tumor he is on a liquids-only diet.
- They found very large cancers in the liver and this is what made the cancer terminal.
- My Dad received 5 radiation treatments to help shrink the tumor, but so far it hasn't gotten smaller. We really won't know if the radiation was successful or not until he gets another CT scan sometim in December.
- My Dad took his first dose of chemo on Nov. 5, and plans to take another treatment on Nov. 19. The "regiment" of chemo he'll be receiving is the following: He'll go to the cancer center on Thursday, get labwork (to check blood counts, especially white blood cells), then he'll see the doctor, and with her ok, he'll go in for chemo. Chemo treatments require that he get hooked up to an IV through his port-a-cath for several hours. Before leaving the nurses will hook up another chemo med through a pump carried in a fanny pack for 46 hours. On Saturday a nurse will come out to the house and will disconnect the pump. He'll then have a break from the chemo for two weeks when the process will begin again. The regiment calls for this to continue for six months until 12 treatments have been given.
- My Dad lost his job many months ago and so we don't have medical insurance or life insurance. God has been good and He's been providing, but we're facing some pretty steep medical bills. It was $30,000 for the radiation treatments and it will cost $20,000 for each of the chemo treatments (there will be 12 over six months.) These numbers do not include doctors fees or any of the other numerous costs, but we're still trusting in the Lord!
- We don't know how many more days God will give, so we are trying to make memories while we can.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, my family and I appreciate it. You can keep track of my Dad's condition or write a special note on his guestbook by going to: http://www.kennwong.wordpress.com/
Friday, November 13, 2009
November 13-Deer Hunting Tomorrow
Early tomorrow morning we'll be hunting with my uncle on our neighbor's property. Benjamin and I set up some camouflage burlap and we set up some logs to sit on. Benjamin will be using the Remington .308 bolt action that he bought a week ago. I also bought a Marlin 30-30 lever action, but I'm not really interested in gutting a deer quite yet.October 31-Deer Hunting, Coyote Killed
Benjamin hunted for the two days of the youth deer season here in Missouri. He hunted at Kate's grandparent's farm where many deer had been sighted. Benjamin hunted from a blind but didn't get any good shots of a deer. After a break he was walking around with the gun and saw a coyote behind two trees. He looked through the scope and thought he was aiming for the coyote's shoulders, but the dog had turned around and he shot it in the abdomen. It was a clean kill in the sense that the coyote died right away, but he was using a 30-o6 and there wasn't much left of the coyote. The next day he went hunting after church and saw 7 deer. Ben also got a shot at a deer @ 150 yards, but he was free standing and missed the deer. However, it makes the time seem worth it if you at least see a few deer and take a shot at one.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Counterfeiting Crack Up-Video
The Lounge is an operating head quarters for one of the most effiecent counterfeiting presses in the USA. Two agents from the government have been commissioned to infiltrate the enemy’s base and to find and late destroy the press. However, to blow this case open they must battle with the Barefoot Boss and his guards. Can these two save the nation from the scourge of inflation by taking down the Lounge? Watch to find out!
We made this movie with some of our best friends, the LaMotte brothers. My brothers and I made our very first live-action movie with Nathan and Caleb and ever since then we’ve done a few other projects which include “The Tunnel Through Time.” The first movie that we made was called “Sherriff Whistler” and we made it on October 31-November 1 (we stayed ‘til 1 o’clock.) My plan is to put Sherriff Whistler on this blog for its three year anniversary.
We made this movie with some of our best friends, the LaMotte brothers. My brothers and I made our very first live-action movie with Nathan and Caleb and ever since then we’ve done a few other projects which include “The Tunnel Through Time.” The first movie that we made was called “Sherriff Whistler” and we made it on October 31-November 1 (we stayed ‘til 1 o’clock.) My plan is to put Sherriff Whistler on this blog for its three year anniversary.
October 8-12 A Whirlwind Trip to Florida
Last Thursday we left for a whirlwind trip to Lakeland, Florida. Lakeland is between Orlando and Tampa.
On the first day we drove through Chattanooga and enjoyed the amazing hills and mountains. I particularly enjoyed driving through Atlanta during the night and seeing the city’s lights. We drove through most of Georgia the first day and slept 40 miles East of Albany.
We were driving through Florida most of the time on the second day. We arrived in Lakeland that afternoon.
The wedding was on Saturday.
During the drive we had been traveling together with a long-time friend and one of us boys would ride with her, so that we had a lot of room. There were two-way radios in each car so that it was easy to give directions and have conversations.
Kate had flown down on Friday, but she rode with us back up.
We arrived at home on the evening of Monday.
On the first day we drove through Chattanooga and enjoyed the amazing hills and mountains. I particularly enjoyed driving through Atlanta during the night and seeing the city’s lights. We drove through most of Georgia the first day and slept 40 miles East of Albany.
We were driving through Florida most of the time on the second day. We arrived in Lakeland that afternoon.
The wedding was on Saturday.
During the drive we had been traveling together with a long-time friend and one of us boys would ride with her, so that we had a lot of room. There were two-way radios in each car so that it was easy to give directions and have conversations.
Kate had flown down on Friday, but she rode with us back up.
We arrived at home on the evening of Monday.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
A Shady Fortune-Video
Once upon a time... Men from the country side banded together to form a gang that would target banks. This gang was very successful and it was known that almost all banks were at risk of robbery.
However, this success streak didn't last long and all of the gang members were caught and hung. Their farms were sold to honest folk and the past was largely forgotten-but not quite!
Stay for the bloopers at the end!
September 26-Visiting the Inyarts
We left the condo in Brandon today and headed towards home. It was arranged that we would visit the Inyart family on the way. The Inyarts go to our church (Reformation Christian Assembly) in St. Louis and every week they travel 3 hours one way to worship with us.
After lunch Mr. Inyart and his son, David, shot some rifles and handguns in their yard. They have two ponds that are full of frogs and so we began to “frog hunt.” We used a .22 rifle with a 9x scope. The frogs were easier to shoot than I had originally imagined. We’d walk around the edge of the pond and pick off frogs. By the time we’d walk all of the way around the lake, there’d be more frogs to take the place of their dead comrades. We went inside to eat dinner after we hunted about 12-18 frogs.
After dinner we tried to play some football and tag with David, but once it was dark and too hard to see we decided to make a movie. You can see the movie here.
We started on the way back home 20 minutes before nine and got home after midnight.
After lunch Mr. Inyart and his son, David, shot some rifles and handguns in their yard. They have two ponds that are full of frogs and so we began to “frog hunt.” We used a .22 rifle with a 9x scope. The frogs were easier to shoot than I had originally imagined. We’d walk around the edge of the pond and pick off frogs. By the time we’d walk all of the way around the lake, there’d be more frogs to take the place of their dead comrades. We went inside to eat dinner after we hunted about 12-18 frogs.
After dinner we tried to play some football and tag with David, but once it was dark and too hard to see we decided to make a movie. You can see the movie here.
We started on the way back home 20 minutes before nine and got home after midnight.
Swimming-Photos
Noah really enjoys swimming, so he was pretty happy when got to swim just about every day. One of the days, Benjamin swam 1 mile in less than half an hour.
Someone 15 or older had to be present while they were swimming so Mom and I played cards quite a bit.
In one of the pictures you can see Kate doing her school work. She had a test to take on the following Thursday and had to get some studying done.
Someone 15 or older had to be present while they were swimming so Mom and I played cards quite a bit.
In one of the pictures you can see Kate doing her school work. She had a test to take on the following Thursday and had to get some studying done.
Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks
The condo we were staying at was right on the beautiful Table Rock Lake and I got some neat pictures.
Fishing on Table Rock Lake-Photos
Benjamin fished just about every day we were in Branson and he’d start at 6am. The fishing was off and on. Because it was so easy to catch Sunfish Benjamin tried to be selective with what fish he caught. He did this by changing his lures and fishing technique.
Among his adventures that happened (which are inevitable when you spend hours on the lake) to Benjamin he almost caught a ferocious Muskie.
He also saw what appeared to be a hotel near the lake on fire! See the video below: Coming Soon!
Silver Dollar City Rides-Video
There are many more ride at Silver Dollar City, but I lost my SD card and so I only had footage of these four.
On the last ride of the video, I could barely get my knees under the safety bar.
Silver Dollar City-Photos
Noah’s a really enjoys swimming so he was pretty happy when got to swim just about every day. One of the days Benjamin swam 1 mile in less than half of an hour.
Someone 15 or older had to be present while they were swimming so Mom and I played cards quite a bit.
In one of the pictures below you can see Kate doing her school work. She had a test to take next Thursday and was barely in time to finish all of her homework.
Someone 15 or older had to be present while they were swimming so Mom and I played cards quite a bit.
In one of the pictures below you can see Kate doing her school work. She had a test to take next Thursday and was barely in time to finish all of her homework.
Hangin' Out in Branson-Photos
When we planned our vacation down to Branson we were only going to have one day that would have something planned out of the nine days we’d be there. So we truly had a vacation of relaxation and refreshment.
However, at Westgate Resorts where we were staying there was a clubhouse with an indoors swimming and there were various activities planned through out the day. They also had a shuffle board, miniature golf, board games, ping pong, basketball and an outdoor swimming pool.
Benjamin fished just about every day and would start at about 6AM. Noah went swimming almost every day as well. I played Shuffle Board almost everyday. We had a fun time!
However, at Westgate Resorts where we were staying there was a clubhouse with an indoors swimming and there were various activities planned through out the day. They also had a shuffle board, miniature golf, board games, ping pong, basketball and an outdoor swimming pool.
Benjamin fished just about every day and would start at about 6AM. Noah went swimming almost every day as well. I played Shuffle Board almost everyday. We had a fun time!
Branson Belle-Photos
Twice a day the “Branson Belle” would slowly pass by; once in the morning and once at night. The “Branson Belle” features an interesting show and a delicious lunch/dinner.
A few years ago,-no it was 8 years ago-we went on a lunch cruise on the beautiful boat.
A few years ago,-no it was 8 years ago-we went on a lunch cruise on the beautiful boat.
Westgate Resort-Photos
During our vacation we stayed in a nice condo with a full kitchen, dryer/washer and a nice view of Table Rock Lake.
The first time we stayed at Westgate Resorts was when we attended the “Defending Your Faith” conference in 2008. However, we had stayed in a room that was much smaller than the room we were in now.
There was a Queen bed and a pullout, but we didn’t want to deal with the pullout couch every morning so we brought two air mattresses. Benjamin and Noah slept in the screened-in balcony during the night.
The first time we stayed at Westgate Resorts was when we attended the “Defending Your Faith” conference in 2008. However, we had stayed in a room that was much smaller than the room we were in now.
There was a Queen bed and a pullout, but we didn’t want to deal with the pullout couch every morning so we brought two air mattresses. Benjamin and Noah slept in the screened-in balcony during the night.
Westgate Resort-Photos
During our vacation we stayed in a nice condo with a full kitchen, dryer/washer and a nice view of Table Rock Lake.
The first time we stayed at Westgate Resorts was when we attended the “Defending Your Faith” conference in 2008. However, we had stayed in a room that was much smaller than the room we were in now.
There was a Queen bed and a pullout, but we didn’t want to deal with the pullout couch every morning so we brought two air mattresses. Benjamin and Noah slept in the screened-in balcony during the night.
The first time we stayed at Westgate Resorts was when we attended the “Defending Your Faith” conference in 2008. However, we had stayed in a room that was much smaller than the room we were in now.
There was a Queen bed and a pullout, but we didn’t want to deal with the pullout couch every morning so we brought two air mattresses. Benjamin and Noah slept in the screened-in balcony during the night.
Shopping in Branson-Photos
We don’t really do any shopping in Branson and the only places we occasionally visit is Dick’s 5 & 10 store and the Grand Village. Dick’s 5 & 10 is a little store in the Branson Landing that’s always crowded with people and memoirs from the past. It’s fun to look around the store and maybe even find a deal. The Grand Village is a neat sort of strip-mall with little interesting shops that cater to grandparents. There are also a couple of restaurants. One of these is called “Mel’s Hard Luck Diner.” It is a fun experience-even if we just eat burgers and fries. There are movie posters everywhere and the waiters take turns singing songs as they walk around.
We also visited the large Kringles Christmas Shop that sells Christmas items year-round. I’m sure I couldn’t count how many ornaments they have inside of the store!
We also visited the large Kringles Christmas Shop that sells Christmas items year-round. I’m sure I couldn’t count how many ornaments they have inside of the store!
September 18-Traveling to Branson
We packed up last night and got on the road before noon. We had a nice drive down to Branson and picked up some food that we ate at the condo. We had made a meal schedule and a grocery list and picked up the food for the week.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Two Hours, Two Shots, Two Turkeys
Today is the first day of the Fall Turkey Firearms Season in Missouri!
Turkey hunting is much harder in the fall because turkeys won't be intereseted in calls until next spring. Turkeys also have excellent sight, so it can be hard to bring one down.
Last night Benjamin patterned his shotgun and tried using the high-power turkey shells that he bought. They literally blew him away!
Early this morning we headed down to Kate's Grandparent's Farm ("The Farm.")
Kate's Dad ("Grandpa Dave") had been staying at the farm and had given us "Game Reports" every day. He had spotted deer, coyote, fox and a dozen turkeys. The turkey's daily routine was to walk (or strut) around the house, walk across the field and into the woods. They usually did this at about 9-10AM. However, it had drizzled during the night, so we thought it would probably distrupt the turkeys' schedule.
Benjamin and I walked quietly through woods bordering the field and stopped at about 50 yards from the house. It was about 8:00 when Benjamin and I propped ourselves up against some trees.
Almost two hours later we were ready to go inside. It was chilly, windy, wet, and cloudy. Mom, Grandpa Dave and Noah took a last glance at the field from the window of the house before calling us in. They saw at least 18 turkeys that had taken a different route that day. Benjamin and I could not see them because of a small ridge in the field that hid them from our view. The turkey spotters in the house called Benjamin on the cell phone and told him about the birds.
We should have waited for the birds to come up to us, but Benjamin wanted to get closer. He and I walked quietly through the woods until we came up onto a hill that was only a few yards from the turkeys. Benjamin quickly fired a shot into the head of a bird and killed it. We obviously thought that the birds would immediately run or fly away, but they seemed shocked. Benjamin ran up a few feet and fired again into the neck of a running turkey. We only had two turkey tags, so we ran down the hill and tagged the turkeys' legs.
The folks still in the
house drove down in the truck and we loaded the turkeys into the bed. We weighed them and examined them before telechecking them and found Benjamin had shot one adult hen and one juvenile hen. The young one weighed 7 1/2 pounds and the adult weighed 9 1/2 pounds.
Because we were all amateurs it took four hours to pluck, gut, wash and skin the two turkeys, but at this moment they're sitting in our freezer!
-J. Andrew Wong
P.S. I (of course) had my video camera and the entire shooting adventure is on video, so I'll try to edit it together as soon as possible.
Turkey hunting is much harder in the fall because turkeys won't be intereseted in calls until next spring. Turkeys also have excellent sight, so it can be hard to bring one down.
Last night Benjamin patterned his shotgun and tried using the high-power turkey shells that he bought. They literally blew him away!
Early this morning we headed down to Kate's Grandparent's Farm ("The Farm.")
Kate's Dad ("Grandpa Dave") had been staying at the farm and had given us "Game Reports" every day. He had spotted deer, coyote, fox and a dozen turkeys. The turkey's daily routine was to walk (or strut) around the house, walk across the field and into the woods. They usually did this at about 9-10AM. However, it had drizzled during the night, so we thought it would probably distrupt the turkeys' schedule.
Benjamin and I walked quietly through woods bordering the field and stopped at about 50 yards from the house. It was about 8:00 when Benjamin and I propped ourselves up against some trees.
Almost two hours later we were ready to go inside. It was chilly, windy, wet, and cloudy. Mom, Grandpa Dave and Noah took a last glance at the field from the window of the house before calling us in. They saw at least 18 turkeys that had taken a different route that day. Benjamin and I could not see them because of a small ridge in the field that hid them from our view. The turkey spotters in the house called Benjamin on the cell phone and told him about the birds.
We should have waited for the birds to come up to us, but Benjamin wanted to get closer. He and I walked quietly through the woods until we came up onto a hill that was only a few yards from the turkeys. Benjamin quickly fired a shot into the head of a bird and killed it. We obviously thought that the birds would immediately run or fly away, but they seemed shocked. Benjamin ran up a few feet and fired again into the neck of a running turkey. We only had two turkey tags, so we ran down the hill and tagged the turkeys' legs.
The folks still in the
house drove down in the truck and we loaded the turkeys into the bed. We weighed them and examined them before telechecking them and found Benjamin had shot one adult hen and one juvenile hen. The young one weighed 7 1/2 pounds and the adult weighed 9 1/2 pounds.Because we were all amateurs it took four hours to pluck, gut, wash and skin the two turkeys, but at this moment they're sitting in our freezer!
-J. Andrew Wong
P.S. I (of course) had my video camera and the entire shooting adventure is on video, so I'll try to edit it together as soon as possible.
September 30-Photos
We continued our little pond renovation today and are pretty happy with how the pond area turned out. We'll put some mulch and plants where the pond used to be.
We also built a retaining wall to help with some erosion problems we have in our yard.
You can see the first post about this pond on September 1.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Celebrate Constitution Day!
You are invited to a
Constitution Day Celebration!
Thursday, September 17, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
GreenPark Christian Academy
3635 Union Road
St. Louis, MO 63125
Come help us celebrate the document that established liberty, freedom and justice in our blessed nation!
Listen to stirring messages by John Stormer (Founding Member of the Constitution Party, Missouri's First State Chairman, Author of "None Dare Call it Treason" and "Betrayed by the Bench") and Cindy Redburn. You can also help celebrate by joining along with the Jubal-ation Singers of St. Louis as they sing our patriotic songs.
You'll also get a special chance to Sign the Constitution!
Prizes will be given to this year's "Essays of Freedom" Winners.
They'll also be Refreshments, Raffles and Door Prizes!
FREE ADMISSION
www.ConstitutionPartyMO.org
Download Flyer
Constitution Day Celebration!
Thursday, September 17, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
GreenPark Christian Academy
3635 Union Road
St. Louis, MO 63125
Come help us celebrate the document that established liberty, freedom and justice in our blessed nation!
Listen to stirring messages by John Stormer (Founding Member of the Constitution Party, Missouri's First State Chairman, Author of "None Dare Call it Treason" and "Betrayed by the Bench") and Cindy Redburn. You can also help celebrate by joining along with the Jubal-ation Singers of St. Louis as they sing our patriotic songs.
You'll also get a special chance to Sign the Constitution!
Prizes will be given to this year's "Essays of Freedom" Winners.
They'll also be Refreshments, Raffles and Door Prizes!
FREE ADMISSION
www.ConstitutionPartyMO.org
Download Flyer
Thursday, September 3, 2009
September 1-Photos
Benjamin dumped all of the water out of out pond with a bucket and then pulled the pond liner out.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Signs of Tyranny that Warned a Nation
www. ClunkerCongress.com
Below are actual posters from the 1930s, found and arranged by Dan Ford of Dan Ford Illustration. Please take some time to read the posters and see how it aplies to our government today. To download hi-res images to share goto http://www.clunkercongress.com/
State Propaganda the Warned a Nation
By Dan Ford
"The Fuhrer promises: to Motorize Germany."
Family Concerns=State's Business
"Volksgemeinschaft" = "The People's Community"
Losing Freedom of Speech:
Opposition Lampooned as "The Complainers"
Messianic National Leadership
National and Social Salvation Through the Power of the State
Nationalized Education System
"Adolf Hitler's Youth Attends Community Schools."
National Healthcare=
Mere Monetary Value of Life
"60,00 Reichmarks is what this person suffering from hereditary defects costs the People's Community during his lifetime. Comrade, that is your money too."
"The Government Can"
Watch this humorous video by Tim Hawkins:
This video is very funny, but to sober yourself up, read my next post about Hitler's propaganda posters.
This video is very funny, but to sober yourself up, read my next post about Hitler's propaganda posters.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Aug 25-Baseball Game (Cardinals vs. Astros)
I'm obviously not a huge sports fan so I apologize in advance for any errors:
Last night we went to a baseball game at Busch Stadium (est. 2006.) The game was against our Cardinals and the Houston Astros. We (Cardinals) are #1 in the division and the Astros are #3, so we expected a close game. Here are some pictures:
However, the game wasn't fantastic. In the first inning Albert Puj
ols got an RBI and put the score at 1-0 and that was pretty much it. Even though it was a close game and the tables could have turned at any moment, nothing really happened. Our pitcher, Wainwright did a great job and pitched to the 8th inning.
We had gotten an extremely great deal on seats and sat with Kate's sister and father and his friend.
Last night we went to a baseball game at Busch Stadium (est. 2006.) The game was against our Cardinals and the Houston Astros. We (Cardinals) are #1 in the division and the Astros are #3, so we expected a close game. Here are some pictures:
However, the game wasn't fantastic. In the first inning Albert Puj
ols got an RBI and put the score at 1-0 and that was pretty much it. Even though it was a close game and the tables could have turned at any moment, nothing really happened. Our pitcher, Wainwright did a great job and pitched to the 8th inning.
We had gotten an extremely great deal on seats and sat with Kate's sister and father and his friend.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Trout Lodge August 17-19 Video
We spent three days at the beautiful Trout Lodge on Sunnen Lake in Missouri. We had a funt time fishing, canoeing, geocaching, swimming and alot of other fun outdoor activities. I didn\'t record as much footage as I would\'ve hoped for, but I still decided to edit a video. The fish you see are carp that are 3-5 feet long and weigh up to 35 pounds!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Trout Lodge (Facility & Lake)
"Trout Lodge" is placed on the beatiful, spring-fed Sunnen Lake. The lake covers about 360 acres!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Yes, More Pictures of Lydia
I'm sure everybody already thinks I'm a wierd dog-lover, but just to make it concrete I'll show you these pictures.
How Much Is Your Liberty Worth?
I received a video Mr. Kish had made and got inspired by his message. I added music, photos and special effects. After spending a few hours on it I sent it back to Mr. Kish. The Constitution Party leaders of Missouri like it and sent it the National CP, who sent it out to their members! I'm thankful I could help spread this message around the nation.
Democrats and Republicans have robbed our country blind. There is not a dimes difference between the two major parties. Don't let them steal your
country. Don't wait around for politicians and pundits to come around to the
truth. Take the lead and push them aside. Join the Constitution Party. Lets get
back to Americas founding principles.They will reform health care as well as
they have run Social Security. They will run it into the ground. They mock you
at your town hall meetings. Tell them you have had enough and vote them
out.Change your vote, vote Constitution Party. -Ray Kish
August 9, 2009
Kate’s sister, Leslie, is visiting St. Louis from Texas and she expressed a wich to learn how to shoot a gun. So after church we loaded our armory in the back of Miss Wiggles (Kate’s car) and headed for “The Farm.”
We mostly fired .22’s but Benjamin and I did get to fire a 7 millimeter magnum rifle. Watch the video below to see the kick this gun had! Actually, the kick didn’t hurt at all and neither of us were bruised.
August 8, 2009
Today we spent the day with a family from our church (Reformation Christian Assembly). Benjamin and I got some hands-on carpentry training as Mr. Grable showed us how to make the shelves for the cabinets he had made.
I got to use a table saw for the first time after I listened to a short lecture on table saw safety. I learned a lot and had fun.
After dinner we split some scrap lumber and had a campfire. It was already over 80 degrees and the fire sure didn’t cool anything down.
August 6, 2009
In the past I’ve done slideshow presentations for funerals and there always has to be a quick turn around, but this project was more of time crunch than any of my previous projects. We didn’t leave the funeral home with the photo album of my Aunt Jean until nearly ten and it was midnight before we got home.
My Mom helped me to select and scan in the pictures and we made a good team. After I was done editing we tried to preview the video before I burned, but we kept on dozing off in the middle of it. It was half-past four before I clicked “Burn” and went to bed.
We got at the funeral home at about 9AM and started to work. The funeral home didn’t have their own video equipment so we brought our own projector and speakers.
The video presentation played without a hitch!
Throughout the day I absent mindedly started searching for my Aunt Jean at the funeral home. It was odd that she wasn't going around and comforting every body.
The funeral home wasn’t big enough for all of the visitors and there were people standing in the back hallway. It was quite a funeral possession. We had three police escorts who blocked traffic at the intersections and kept back the incoming traffic on the entry ramps to the interstate. In fact, when a vehicle that wasn’t part of the procession would cut in one of the escorts would pull alongside and yell through a mega phone to “Get over!” One time, while the hertz was changing lanes an escort stopped in the middle of the lane we were currently in order to let us over. The procession was so large that we should have twice as many escorts.
It is amazing that the tradition of respect for the dead is still held in reverence and that it is protected by law enforcement. There is always a large contrast between funeral possessions in the city and in the country. In the city cars are constantly cutting in and being obnoxious. However, in the country cars will pull over unto the shoulder and quietly wait. Actually, one time a man pulled over his truck got outside and took off his hat and put it to his heart!
On arriving at Shepherd Hills Cemetary there was a short service and everyone was dismissed. There are so many familiar names on the gravestones. My mother’s family seems to have a lot of deaths, but most of them are of young people that are killed tragically.
Our house isn’t too far away from the cemetery so we had all of my aunts and uncles over. It was great for all of the siblings to be together.
July 25, 2009
The family was tired from the work this week, so Mom took the day off-but my brothers and I sure didn’t.
We started a game of soccer, but it was really hot. Benjamin and I ended up working on a Lego movie. I usually dislike making Lego movies because I’m the post-production man and Legos don’t give you much of a head start when it comes to dialogue, sound effects and ambience. However, maybe I’ll post some of the rough drafts of our LEGO movies on this blog.
That afternoon Benjamin wanted to go down to the creek and fish. Three children of one of our neighbors also came along. A 9 year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl. The fishing spot that Benjamin wanted to try was about three quarters of a mile away. It’s a little difficult to get through the fields now that there are soy beans planted, but we walked along the edge of the fields and made it to the creek.
The fishing wasn’t great, but that may have been caused by our neighbor’s dog who kept on jumping and swimming in the water and probably scaring the fish away. However, Benjamin did catch one good-sized Sunfish.
I had hoped to make a GTC Outdoors episode while we were at the creek, but it would have been hard with the company. However, I did squeeze out a promise from Benjamin that during our 8 night stay on Table Rock Lake in September Benjamin would help me produce three GTC Outdoors episodes.
July 24, 2009
We had my Grandpa over and had a good dinner. (By the way I made sweet tea and cookies.) Our grandpa gave us an enormous model of the Mayflower to commemorate our trip to Massachusetts. While we were in Plymouth we got to tour Mayflower II-an almost exact replica of the first Mayflower. I believe that the decks were raised a little bit when they made Mayflower II. On board “Master Jones” and the First Mate were played by hilarious re-enactors.
July 23, 2009
I began by cleaning off the roof with the leaf blower. Meanwhile Mom started painting the first gable.
We have a small pond with rock around it that we want to get rid of (I’ve wanted to get rid of it for years-so I’m really excited.) So my brother’s and I set up a little system to filter through all of the dirt and keep the landscaping rocks. It goes something like this:
I use the pick axe, shovel and rake to beat up the dirt and scoop it into a little bin. Next, Noah shakes the bin to get rid of all the loose dirt. The loose dirt lands in a box so we can use it to fill in the pond later. Noah hands the bin to Benjamin who dumps it into a big Rubbermaid box full of water. He shakes the bin around and skims off any leaves that come to the surface. Then he dumps the clean rocks into a box.
Anyway, we almost got the whole pond area done, but it’s pretty back-breaking work.
We had to cut this day a little short because Lydia had to go to the groomer and Mom and Kate went to go see a movie. So my brothers and I stayed at the house and tried to surviveJ. We played a good game of soccer that evening, but it had rained and we were constantly falling and tripping-a good game like I said.
Lydia also got groomed tonight. As you can see from the before/after pictures she almost looks like a new dog. The entire family would rather that she had long hair, but when her hair’s long it get knotted up.
Paint gables I of III
Rake out around pond
Blow off roof
July 22, 2009
This morning Noah took a peek at the other tractor that won’t start up. He played with it a little bit and got it to startup and run just fine. I sure could have used another driver while I was mowing yesterday!
We went into town to pick up the paint we needed for the gables and we also grabbed some pizzas and ravioli to eat while we’re working.
After getting back home in the afternoon, Benjamin began cleaning the white lamp post at the end of our driveway and my Mom began painting above (not on top off) the garage door. I began to wash down the second gable.
Benjamin and Noah had planned to go down to the creek yesterday, but the rain had stopped them and they went down there to fish today.
While Mom painted and I washed the gable we listened to the CDs of Paul Jehle from Liberty Day 2009. He does an excellent job in breaking down the doctrine of interposition and then applies to the government today.
We had also picked up a new door knob from the store to replace the broken one on the deck. I thought it’d be easy, but for some odd reasons it took us a long time to put on.
Replace deck door knob
Wash gable II & III
Wash white lamp post
Paint over garage door
July 21, 2009
After a fairly late night we got up and attached the new mower blade onto the mower deck. After getting the mower deck hooked up I began mowing the yard-it felt good to be on the tractor again! 
Some pop-up storms later in the day slowed us down a bit because we couldn’t continue to paint.We did the following:
Repair tractor blade
Paint screen door
Paint front door area and other trim areas
Mow grass
Tonight I made some excellent cookies and some sweet tea which was quite an accomplishment for me. Because of my slightly inferior housekeeping skills I have been nicknamed, “Domestic Disaster” and “Culinary Catastrophe.”
Paint screen door
Paint front door area and other trim areas
Mow grass
Tonight I made some excellent cookies and some sweet tea which was quite an accomplishment for me. Because of my slightly inferior housekeeping skills I have been nicknamed, “Domestic Disaster” and “Culinary Catastrophe.”
July 20, 2009
We got up early and after breakfast we wrote a list of projects to work on during the next six weeks before we put our house on the market. However, I’m sure that the list will be twice as long before we’re done because we continually add projects to the list.
Benjamin washed down the garage door and painted it very white-a little too white!
We washed down one of the three gables and hope to be painting it tomorrow.
Noah took apart the down spout of the guttering system and cleaned it out. It had gotten clogged up and the water wasn’t flowing away from the house last time it rained.
I recently cleared some area of our yard that had “grown up” in the past couple years. WE have a few grape vines so I had to be careful when I was cutting all of the underbrush down. There were also a whole lot of thorns so I was pretty thankful for my leather work gloves! Anyway, I dragged all of the branches and thorn-um-plants to a burn pile.
I also stripped some old caulking from a window with a screw driver and utility knife.
“Replace Porch Carpet” is on the list so I pulled off the old carpet and scraped some of the adhesive away. Benjamin & Mom washed the old carpet and put it on the deck.
We have three riding lawn mowers. Zero work. We haven’t mowed in a month (the day before we left for Boston) and although the grass isn’t too tall for tennis shoes it’s still pretty dangerous for sandals.,.
This spring we had gotten two of the tractors fixed, but a mower blade was bent on one and another one won’t even start up. We took off the mower deck and tried to bend the broken blade back in place (try saying that five times fast!!) However, we couldn’t pry it in place plus it wasn’t pliable enough to position it (alright enough with the tongue twisters.)
Tonight we went to Sears & K-Mart to pick up a new mower blade and some paint that wasn’t so white. However, the paint area had been removed and the paint areas at the other stores had already closed down.
Today we marked off:
Replace light bulb in white lamp post
Gather aluminum cans to recycle
Haul away branches
Remove caulking from Noah’s window
Wash down garage door
Paint garage door
Wash down front porch area
Wash gables I II & III
Clean gutter extensions
Clean porch carpet
Benjamin washed down the garage door and painted it very white-a little too white!
We washed down one of the three gables and hope to be painting it tomorrow.
Noah took apart the down spout of the guttering system and cleaned it out. It had gotten clogged up and the water wasn’t flowing away from the house last time it rained.
I recently cleared some area of our yard that had “grown up” in the past couple years. WE have a few grape vines so I had to be careful when I was cutting all of the underbrush down. There were also a whole lot of thorns so I was pretty thankful for my leather work gloves! Anyway, I dragged all of the branches and thorn-um-plants to a burn pile.
I also stripped some old caulking from a window with a screw driver and utility knife.
“Replace Porch Carpet” is on the list so I pulled off the old carpet and scraped some of the adhesive away. Benjamin & Mom washed the old carpet and put it on the deck.
We have three riding lawn mowers. Zero work. We haven’t mowed in a month (the day before we left for Boston) and although the grass isn’t too tall for tennis shoes it’s still pretty dangerous for sandals.,.
This spring we had gotten two of the tractors fixed, but a mower blade was bent on one and another one won’t even start up. We took off the mower deck and tried to bend the broken blade back in place (try saying that five times fast!!) However, we couldn’t pry it in place plus it wasn’t pliable enough to position it (alright enough with the tongue twisters.)
Tonight we went to Sears & K-Mart to pick up a new mower blade and some paint that wasn’t so white. However, the paint area had been removed and the paint areas at the other stores had already closed down.
Today we marked off:
Replace light bulb in white lamp post
Gather aluminum cans to recycle
Haul away branches
Remove caulking from Noah’s window
Wash down garage door
Paint garage door
Wash down front porch area
Wash gables I II & III
Clean gutter extensions
Clean porch carpet
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Tragic Death of Jean Halloway
Late on Saturday night my great-aunt (my grandpa's sister) was killed in a head-on car collision down in Farmington, MO. Five people were killed nearly instantly.
"Aunt Jean" was returning from a high school reunion. She was carpooling with her high school friend, June Barker and her new husband, Walter. They were traveling on a two-lane road and were about a 3 1/2 miles from home when the accident occured. It took place at about 11:45 PM.
The three passengers were killed instantly.
They hit a Cadillac with a couple inside. Mr. Fulton was taken to a near-by hospital, but was proclaimed dead on arrival. Mrs. Fulton was airlifted to a hospital and died soon after.
This tragic tale was the top story on Sunday. KSDK and FOX interviewed my Grandpa at his home. You can watch the news story from FOX here: http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-fatal-car-crash-stfrancoiscounty-folo-080309,0,6198595.story.
Here are the funeral arrangements:
Hoffmeister Funeral Home
1515 Lemay Ferry Rd
St Louis, MO 63125
Visitation: 2-9 Wed
Service: 11 am Thurs
Burial Service following at Shepherd Hills Cemetary
Barnhart, MO 62012
The investigation is still going on. We're really wondering why the car my Aunt was riding in was in the wrong lane. The police don't suspect that alcohol was involved. There was a slight fog, but the road didn't have alot of turns and the accident occured on a straight stretch of Highway OO. Interestingly there weren't any skid marks which shows that neither driver anticipated a collision.
We appreciate your prayers for the three families,
J. Andrew Wong
"Aunt Jean" was returning from a high school reunion. She was carpooling with her high school friend, June Barker and her new husband, Walter. They were traveling on a two-lane road and were about a 3 1/2 miles from home when the accident occured. It took place at about 11:45 PM.
The three passengers were killed instantly.
They hit a Cadillac with a couple inside. Mr. Fulton was taken to a near-by hospital, but was proclaimed dead on arrival. Mrs. Fulton was airlifted to a hospital and died soon after.
This tragic tale was the top story on Sunday. KSDK and FOX interviewed my Grandpa at his home. You can watch the news story from FOX here: http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-fatal-car-crash-stfrancoiscounty-folo-080309,0,6198595.story.
Here are the funeral arrangements:
Hoffmeister Funeral Home
1515 Lemay Ferry Rd
St Louis, MO 63125
Visitation: 2-9 Wed
Service: 11 am Thurs
Burial Service following at Shepherd Hills Cemetary
Barnhart, MO 62012
The investigation is still going on. We're really wondering why the car my Aunt was riding in was in the wrong lane. The police don't suspect that alcohol was involved. There was a slight fog, but the road didn't have alot of turns and the accident occured on a straight stretch of Highway OO. Interestingly there weren't any skid marks which shows that neither driver anticipated a collision.
We appreciate your prayers for the three families,
J. Andrew Wong
Friday, July 17, 2009
Michael Jackson Dies-3 Weeks Ago!
For the record:
I’m pretty tired hearing about Michael Jackson’s death.
It just shows that the attention span of the public is longer than I had thought.
Anyone else have the same thoughts?
I’m pretty tired hearing about Michael Jackson’s death.
It just shows that the attention span of the public is longer than I had thought.
Anyone else have the same thoughts?
Fun with Cousins
This week we’ve been watching our cousins almost everyday. We’ve had some fun. Their names are Paige, Eli and Brianne. On Monday we made a movie, “The Gold Shipment.” One of the many things that my brothers and I do when children come over is to attach a cart onto a back of a riding lawn mower and let the kids hop in. Usually we throw them some “Fool’s Gold” and tell them to get it past the bandits that attack them while they’re riding.
On Tuesday we went to West City Park and had some fun fishing.
On Thursday we went to our aunt’s house and went swimming.
On Tuesday we went to West City Park and had some fun fishing.
On Thursday we went to our aunt’s house and went swimming.
Reformation 500 Videos
Well it's going to take me awhile to post about the Reformation 500-we learned and did so much!
However, I'd like to share these videos with you so you can get a taste of the conference by watching the videos below:
However, I'd like to share these videos with you so you can get a taste of the conference by watching the videos below:
Becoming Charles Darwin from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.
To watch more great videos from the Reformation 500 check out Doug Phillips & Vision Forum on Vimeo.
Lydia Looks for Kate
This is one of my favorite pictures now. Lydia can be pretty cute! If you say “Kate” she immediately runs for the front door and looks for the car in the driveway.
Here are a couple more I took the day before we left for Boston:
Sight Seeing in Plymouth June 28
We attended “Paul Jehle’s” church, “The New Testament Church” that morning, but we had the rest of the day to sight see. We started driving through Cape Cod, but we didn’t go all the way to the tip. We ate lunch at Sam Diego’s. The motto for their restaurant in Plymouth was “South of the Border, A Block from the Rock” (Plymouth Rock).
After stopping at Trader Joe’s and getting some popcorn we turned the rental car back to Plymouth. We enjoyed the bright houses in Plymouth.
Benjamin went fishing in the harbor, but didn’t catch anything. I had wanted to do a GTC Outdoors FIELD CAM episode, but we didn’t have time.
We had to get to bed fairly early (for us) because we had to be in the hotel lobby in the morning to begin the faith & freedom tour.
After stopping at Trader Joe’s and getting some popcorn we turned the rental car back to Plymouth. We enjoyed the bright houses in Plymouth.
Benjamin went fishing in the harbor, but didn’t catch anything. I had wanted to do a GTC Outdoors FIELD CAM episode, but we didn’t have time.
We had to get to bed fairly early (for us) because we had to be in the hotel lobby in the morning to begin the faith & freedom tour.
Flying to Boston June 27
Our grandma drove us to the airport and also took care of the house/dogs while we were gone. We made it through security (even though the entire time Kate kept on whispering that it was communistic), but we nearly had a heart attack when my Mom left the boarding passes on a table during the security fiasco. However, we got them back and headed towards our gate to fly to Detroit.
It’s always been my experience that the staff at the St. Louis Airport (Lambert International) are grumby, forbidding and downright crabby. We were watching as some TWA crew just stood around “looking official” with their plastic gloves, uniforms with numerous patches and medals and their stern official-looking faces. It’s pretty odd.
Anyway, we made it to Detroit and from Detroit to Boston although this flight was delayed due to some fog.
We picked up a rental car in Boston and checked in at our hotel in Plymouth that night.
It’s always been my experience that the staff at the St. Louis Airport (Lambert International) are grumby, forbidding and downright crabby. We were watching as some TWA crew just stood around “looking official” with their plastic gloves, uniforms with numerous patches and medals and their stern official-looking faces. It’s pretty odd.
Anyway, we made it to Detroit and from Detroit to Boston although this flight was delayed due to some fog.
We picked up a rental car in Boston and checked in at our hotel in Plymouth that night.
CHEF Conference June 23-24
We attended the Christian Home Educator Fellowship (CHEF) Conference and had a great time. Some of my favorite speakers were Doug Phillips and Dr. Voddie Baucham.
Benjamin and I also manned the Constitution Party of Missouri table in the vendor hall. We actually had a fun time watching people’s reactions to a third party!
We had the opportunity to meet Nick & Chad Burns from Pendragon: Sword of His Father.
The conference was held at the St. Charles convention center and attached to the convention center is a beautiful Embassy Suites hotel where we stayed during the conference.
Benjamin and I also manned the Constitution Party of Missouri table in the vendor hall. We actually had a fun time watching people’s reactions to a third party!
We had the opportunity to meet Nick & Chad Burns from Pendragon: Sword of His Father.
The conference was held at the St. Charles convention center and attached to the convention center is a beautiful Embassy Suites hotel where we stayed during the conference.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Attention: Everyone we met at the Reformation 500
To everyone we met at the Reformation 500:
It was great to meet you in Boston and we'd like to stay in touch!
You can email us at gallant-films@hotmail.com
-Andrew Wong
(The tallest of the brothers.)
It was great to meet you in Boston and we'd like to stay in touch!
You can email us at gallant-films@hotmail.com
-Andrew Wong
(The tallest of the brothers.)
We're Back From Boston!
We made back home last Monday after having a great time in Boston & Plymouth. I'll post an extremely short tale from the past week.
Saturday, June 27, 2009-We got on a plane in the afternoon and flew to Detroit and from Detroit to Boston. We picked up a rental car in Boston and drove down to Plymouth and got settled in at the hotel.
Sunday, June 28-We attended "Paul Jehle's" church called the "New Testament Church." After the special patriotic service we hopped in the car and attempted to drive to Provincetown in Cape Cod, but we didn't quite make it. Instead, we did some sightseeing and ate some Dunkin' Donuts (in some places in Boston you can count multiple Dunkin' Donuts from the corner of a block.)
Monday, June 29-We met in the lobby of the hotel for a two-day Faith Freedom Tour. We toured a host of lankmarks including: Plymouth Rock, The Jenney Grist Mill (one of my favorites), and the Forefather's Monument.
Tuesday, June 30-Toured Mayflower II and Plimoth Plantation. At the plantation we played a volleyball-like game called "Stool-Ball."
Wednesday July 1-Packed up and drove to and through Boston and checked in at Boston Park Plaza.
Thursday, July 2-Saturday, July 4-Saw many things and heard so many things I'll write about them later. :)
Sunday, July 5-Had a Sunday service with Mr. Scott Brown and finally got to rest.
Monday, July 6-Boarded a plane in the morning and arrived in St. Louis in the afternoon.
Saturday, June 27, 2009-We got on a plane in the afternoon and flew to Detroit and from Detroit to Boston. We picked up a rental car in Boston and drove down to Plymouth and got settled in at the hotel.
Sunday, June 28-We attended "Paul Jehle's" church called the "New Testament Church." After the special patriotic service we hopped in the car and attempted to drive to Provincetown in Cape Cod, but we didn't quite make it. Instead, we did some sightseeing and ate some Dunkin' Donuts (in some places in Boston you can count multiple Dunkin' Donuts from the corner of a block.)
Monday, June 29-We met in the lobby of the hotel for a two-day Faith Freedom Tour. We toured a host of lankmarks including: Plymouth Rock, The Jenney Grist Mill (one of my favorites), and the Forefather's Monument.
Tuesday, June 30-Toured Mayflower II and Plimoth Plantation. At the plantation we played a volleyball-like game called "Stool-Ball."
Wednesday July 1-Packed up and drove to and through Boston and checked in at Boston Park Plaza.
Thursday, July 2-Saturday, July 4-Saw many things and heard so many things I'll write about them later. :)
Sunday, July 5-Had a Sunday service with Mr. Scott Brown and finally got to rest.
Monday, July 6-Boarded a plane in the morning and arrived in St. Louis in the afternoon.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Noah's Green Machine
I used this short clip for some practice in piecing camera shots together. I pretty much failed-but I was impressed how smooth the shots were at the beginning. I had on rollerblades and coasted down the hill with the camera. I still can’t believe I made it all of the way down the hill backwards on roller blades-oh what a cameraman has to go through!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Jonathan Park: The Journey Never Taken
The Jonathan Park dramatic audio adventure series is hands-down one of our favourite resources in our home. For only 4 more days you can get 25% off of the VI Volume in the series and follow the Creation Response Team and join them in "The Journey Never Taken."
To listen to a sample please click this button:
An Update-CHEF Conference
Despite the fact that I haven't posted in almost a month and the last post was about eating squirrel we survived and are OK!We have been very busy for the past few weeks. On Monday we'll be leaving for the Christian Home Educators Conference in St. Charles, MO. If anybody in the area is open on Tuesday or Wednesday I highly recommend you to come.
This is not just a "homeschoolers" conference! This year has an extremely powerful line up of speakers-including Doug Phillips & Dr. Voddie Bauchaum-both on my top 5 list of favorite speakers. For more infromation goto www.CHEF-Missouri.com
If you do end up coming to the conference drop in and say hello! You should be able to find us near the Constitution Party/Essays of Freedom table.
We'll be getting back home on Thursday and on Saturday we'll be flying out to Boston for the Reformation 500 or rather the Plymouth tour. I've already made some posts on the Reformation 500, so I want say much more about it here.
Hope to see at the CHEF conference or in Boston!-J. Andrew
Monday, June 1, 2009
Winner of the GallantCenter.com Drawing!
The winner of the drawing was the Rodgers family and they chose, "The State of Parental Rights in America." The speaker on this DVD is Don Hart. Here's more information about the DVD from the Vision Forum website: "Parental rights are under assault like never before in the history of this country. Consider the recent assault on parental rights by the state of Texas in taking 465 children in El Dorado, Texas in the Summer of 2008 (The largest seizure of children in American history) or the serious possibility of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child being ratified by the current administration. What does the Bible say about the jurisdiction of the parent vis a vis the state? In this lecture, attorney Don Hart addresses the Biblical and Constitutional issues every parent needs to understand in light of the perilous state of parental rights in our time."
For more information on this DVD please visit: www.VisionForum.com
The drawing was for a free DVD from the Vision Forum. You could enter by signing up for the www.GallantCenter.com email newsletter. Remember, you can still sign up for the newsletter and receive all of the exciting news, videos and events right to your inbox!
One Day Left to Win FREE DVD
The winner for the drawing of the free DVD was the Rodgers family. They chose Remember, you can still up for the GallantCenter.com email newsletter and have the exciting news of the website emailed right to your inbox.n Forum.
Your choices are:
• You May Not Take Our Guns (DVD)
• The Devolution of Law (DVD)
• Top Ten Questions About Genesis and Creation (DVD)
• The State of Parental Rights in America (DVD)
• Christianity and Science Fiction: Reclaiming the Genre for Christ (1 DVD & 2 CDs)
• You May Not Take Our Guns (DVD)
• The Devolution of Law (DVD)
• Top Ten Questions About Genesis and Creation (DVD)
• The State of Parental Rights in America (DVD)
• Christianity and Science Fiction: Reclaiming the Genre for Christ (1 DVD & 2 CDs)
Have more questions? View the FAQ page of the contest or ask me a question by adding a comment. Hurry, before time runs out!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Our First Squirrel Meal!
A couple of days ago (as you can watch in GTC Oudoors-Squirrel Hunting) we shot a few squirrels and Benjamin skinned them and gave the meat to a friend to cook. Today he came over and brought squirrel & dumplings. It was very, very good! I was kind of leery about eating it at first, but the meat was very tender and tasted like-yes, you guessed it-chicken.
-J. Andrew Wong
P.S. Benjamin had killed two squirrels and one of them was hunted on GTC Outdoors-Squirrel Hunting.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Young Raccoon with Mother
Young Raccoon with Mother from J. Andrew Wong on Vimeo.
We caught this raccoon in a small squirrel trap on Sunday. I experimented with some dramatic editing, but I should probably be practicing holding the camera still.
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