Skiing

Photo Credit: Josiah Wannemacher

Here's an article I was assigned to write for my homeschool co-op newspaper. Hope you enjoy. : )

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I could feel dread washing over me. I gripped my poles tighter, and shifted anxiously on my skis. As I gazed down the slope, my mind reminded me that skiing was a crazy idea and that I should detach myself from those things attached to my feet and walk back down to the warm and safe lodge. My father, who was standing next to me, began to instruct me on how to turn while skiing, how to-- Suddenly, I was bumped by a snowboarder as he exited the ski lift. Down I went, quickly gaining speed. I knew in that moment that I would probably die on that terrible slope; the bunny hill.

On the car ride home I declared I would never ski again. The day had gone hopelessly wrong. While I didn’t die on the bunny hill, I almost did (or so I thought) when Dad took me down Long John, a 2 mile long Green (easy) Trail. Halfway down, just as I was getting the hang of skiing, I tripped and tumbled for about 10 feet. When I tried to stand up I found I couldn’t. Somehow my left boot, which had come free from its ski, had slammed into my right knee creating a huge, horrible bruise (that lasted for over a week). Daddy managed to help me ski down the remaining mile of the trail, and then I stayed in the lodge for the remainder of the day.

Now, 2 years later, I look forward to skiing each year.

My stomach tightens with anticipation as we crest the hill to the entrance of Mount Snow. As soon as Dad stops the car we jump out and start carrying in our ski gear. With our snow pants on, boots correctly tightened, and coat zipped up to Mom’s approval, we traipse outside to our skis. Standing in line at the lift to the summit, we wait impatiently. Exiting the lift, we quickly make our way over to the beginning of the trails that wind down the face of the mountain. Gazing down, I smile with pure joy. Oh, how I love to ski.

The first run is always slightly awkward, being the first of the season, but soon I regain my agility. After what seems to be only a few minutes, we gather for lunch at the base lodge. If we hurry through lunch, we sometimes have time for one more run before our lessons begin.

In order to separate the 75+ students into classes, the ski class students are tested on the bunny hill, which has been prepared with obstacles to test our ability. Usually, I’m one of the last students in line, so I’m able to watch the kids from other nearby schools complete their run. Some fly through the course with ease, while others slowly inch down the slope. Last year, I did fairly well; I was placed in the “F” class – third highest (A, B, C… to H). 

While at times I despise the group ski lessons, as some of my fellow students are extremely annoying, they do help me advance my ability. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend joining a group that participates in ski lessons at a nearby ski mountain.

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-Autumn Story Mott

Cider Making :: Explained

     So those of you on Facebook and Google+ have probably seen a ton of photos of our family's cider making operation... but, unless you've either helped us in the past or you make your own cider, there's a good chance you don't fully understand how the process goes. Well, here it is, step-by-step:

1. Find an orchard that will sell you drops by the truck load. We recommend Green Mountain Orchards.

2. Gather the apples... Hint: Banana boxes work well... but they melt if it rains...we use plastic bins, instead.

3. Fill a 8 foot truck bed.... or build an equivalent (or two!) out of plywood and 2x4s. Hint: Friends usually make the process faster and easier.

5. Find and acquire an antique cider press. Craigslist is a good place to check.

6. Find a place to set up the operation.

7. Collect clean gallon jugs. Water jugs work best, no washing required. Hint: Try your dentist office- their machines go through a lot of distilled water. 

8. Start by washing the apples and cutting out and bad spots (open wound, really ugly bruise). 

9. Pro tip: Warm water keeps the washers happy. Use a blacksmith forge to heat water if one is handy.

10. Rinse apples twice in bleach water, then place in storage container to await pressing.

11. Grind the apples to small chucks in the first section of the cider press.

12. Slide the wooden bucket over, put wooden cap on and press!

13. Carry bowl full of cider over to homemade filter tower and pour in the top.

14. No filter tower? Sorry, I must have skipped a step. Get some 4 gallon buckets and add spigots to each one. Buy some wire mesh and make into filter screens.

15. Fill jugs with fresh cider. Hint: Three spigots at the bottom makes it a lot easier to fill the gallon jugs.

16. Cap, number and date the gallon. 

17. Repeat process until desired amount is achieved... or until you run out of apples.

18. Clean up your mess and go watch the football game! (Kindly recorded by your neighbor.)

19. Enjoy your homemade apple cider!

-Autumn Story Mott

India :: The Other Side of the Story

     I'm doing a program called CollegePlus. They are a company who works with you to complete college, online, in under 2 years (or however fast you want to go.) One of their features is called "Navigate". It's a 10 part program that helps you find your purpose for doing college. (Kind of like a college adviser.) Anyhow, just recently I completed a section titled "Who Owns Your Purpose?". I was asked to write about an experience when I had "conflict over control" of my life. I decided to write about before I left for India.

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     In April 2012, I was talking with a friend of mine about mission trip opportunities and she told me about a trip to India led by our church's conference youth director. When she told me that she was thinking and praying about going on it, I instantly decided that I wanted to go with her. The mission trip wasn't until January 2013, so I figured I had plenty of time to convince my parents. Not so easy. September arrived without a decision having been made. So I continued to remind my parents about it. October came and went. But it seemed like the odds were in my favor. Then one day at family worship, November 7th, Daddy said he had an announcement to make. I was going to India. Praise the Lord! I was wicked excited.

     I applied for a passport, while at the same time I (and Mom) wrote a fundraising letter. As soon as my passport arrived, I filled out the form for my Indian visa and sent the packet in. There had been worry about one of my parents needing a passport, as well, for me to get my visa, but this company assured us that wasn't necessary. December was half gone when I realized I still didn't have my visa. I called the company. "Oh no, everything is going fine... We're just busy with the Christmas rush..." Later that week I got a call from the trip leader. The company needed one of my parents to have a passport. What?! Mom quickly filled out a form and sent in it - rush order. Oh God, please! Once it arrived, a few days after Christmas, we called the company to see if they would work with us now that Mom had her passport. (Very long story short) NOPE. So we paid them to ship the packet (containing my passport, birth certificate...) back to us. I found another company online and decided to go through them. It was only two weeks before I was supposed to leave.

     I was mad at God. I thought He wanted me to go to India. I thought He had this all planned out. Why?! Was I to get this close and not be allowed to go? But slowly, I began to be at peace with the situation. I read the Psalms. I could relate (somewhat) to David's frustration. But I found comfort in the fact that God was still there, even if I couldn't always see the path I was to go down. So, I knew that if I couldn't go to India I would be sorely disappointed, but I knew God had a plan for my life... India or not. 

     Happy ending. My visa came 2 days before I was to leave. Thank You, Lord! When people ask me what I learned from my mission trip I usually say something about being content and happy with what we have, or that there is always a hunger and need for Jesus, but now I realize that one of the biggest lessons I learned was to always trust God. No matter what.

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-Autumn Story Mott

ThinkGeek :: Why I'm Broke

Hello?! *Buy Now* 

Yes... a camera timer! Why didn't I think of this?!

Oh wow! That's the same lens I rented to use while in India!! But a mug would have been nice, too!

Okay, it looks like I need to marry someone rich. Or win one of those $5000 radio giveaways.

-Autumn Story Mott

Stars :: Camp Lawroweld 2013

     My favorite place on earth? Sitting on the docks at Camp Lawroweld gazing at the billions of stars above Webb Lake. It's 9:45pm and I'm taking pictures of the Milky Way. When I gaze at the stars, me and my problems seem so small. I feel humbled, tiny and pathetic, compared to my God who created this all.
   
     As I sit on the dock, I look to my left to the spot by the shore where I was baptized a year ago. Before Pastor Ron baptized me, he said that all of heaven was stopping to watch. All of heaven. For me. Wow. Whenever I feel as if I'm alone in this life, I think of that and remember I'm important to God.
   
     After a few pictures of the docks and Mt. Blue, I move over to the canoes and kayaks. I play with the focus a little, then sit back and wait for the camera to capture the scene. I glance up at the starts shining through the trees, then back to my camera. I'm surprised to see that two minutes have passed. I might have fallen asleep.
   
     This is my second week of volunteering at Camp Lawroweld. When I arrived 9 days earlier, for Family Camp 1, I found that there were quite a few staff members sick with a 3 day virus. So I started helping out down at the Horse Barn, around Camp with Maintenance, and in the Bakery. By the end of the week, my parents decided I could volunteer for the second (and last) week.

     Four days ago, I discovered I had only taken 3 pictures throughout the week... wait, WHAT?! Three pictures? So I decided to fix that problem... I brought my camera to Smalls Falls on Sabbath afternoon and captured my friends cliff jumping and I documented the baptism of 5 youth later that evening, Now I'm sitting here on the Small Boats dock watching the stars.

     That was written on Monday. Despite some rain at the end of the week, FC2 was a great week. From the rodeo on Tuesday, to moose hunting from the back of a pickup truck Friday night, I had a wonderful time.
   
     Being out in the middle of nowhere, with limited wifi (you have to be within 30 feet of the camp store) and no cell coverage (sometimes you get lucky standing at the end of the diving board) you end up having plenty of time to think and pray. I worship at night. I feel God best in the dark and quiet. Also, when the alarm goes off at 7:30am, it's all I can do to stumble down to staff worship. But when night comes, I'm usually wide awake, so after reading a chapter or two of what I'm currently reading, I pull out my Bible and switch my iPod to Jamie Grace and Britt Nicole. Or, on a clear night, I grab my camera and tripod and head outside.

-Autumn Story Mott

THIS IS WATER :: Real Life

"In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn't become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we've ever come across, and perhaps the most simple and elegant explanation of the real value of education.

We made this video, built around an abridged version of the original audio recording, with the hopes that the core message of the speech could reach a wider audience who might not have otherwise been interested. However, we encourage everyone to seek out the full speech (because, in this case, the book is definitely better than the movie)."

-The Glossary

Achoo!

**Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!**

     I have photic sneeze reflex, which means I sneeze when exposed to bright lights... like the sun. So, whenever I walk outside, our step out of the car, I sneeze, usually 5-7 times.
     Ever since I was 3 or so, Mom noticed I'd sneeze when she's help me out of the car. Around the age of 10, I joked to someone that I was allergic to the sun. That person was Marcel. Wrong choice. I ended up with a 15 minute lecture about how you couldn't be allergic to the sun, blah, blah, blah... I decided I'd prove to him that I actually had something different from most people.
     A year later, I received a kid's science magazine about the topic of Light. On the front it said, "Does Light Make You Sneeze?" After searching through, I found this short article:

"Does light make you sneeze? If so, you have a condition called photic sneeze reflex. (Photo means "light".) This reflex makes some humans 'achoo' when they go from a dark room into bright light. Scientists aren't sure why." 

     That helped. Well, at least I now knew that my condition has a name.

     Some time after, Hannah and I were on YouTube watching VeggieTales silly songs. The song, Sneeze If You Need To, started out all funny; Bob needed to sneeze, so he goes the The Sneeze Dr. Mr. Lunt, the nurse, pops up part way through to give you an Interesting Fact; "the average sneeze travels at 100mph..." 2nd "Interesting Fact"? Photic sneeze reflex. Totally made my day.

     Anyhow, this all makes for a good laugh for those around me when I start sneezing...once, twice, a third time.. and so on. Oh, and I'm special; photic sneeze reflex affects only 25% of the population. Great.

-Autumn Story Mott

Mother's Day :: Photos

I love you, Mom!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I got you flowers!

Yep, it's all about her!

-Autumn Story Mott

I hate science... NOT :: YouTube

     Okay, so when I first started my new science curriculum in 8th grade, I immediately said I hated science. It wasn't the curriculum; I just didn't find science interesting. I continued to have that opinion until sometime last year when I clicked on a video on YouTube by Vsauce. Michael Stevens, the creator and host of the main channel (there are also Vsauce 2 and 3), was talking about Guns in Space. I found myself intrigued and, for the first time, actually interested in science. First he talked about how astronauts in orbit are experiencing about 90% of the gravitational pull we are, "but their angular velocity is so large that they're falling just as fast as earth curves away from them". So, if you shot a canon out in space, what would happen? Then another YouTuber (Henry Reich from MinutePhysics) explained Newton's Canon and relativity with animated drawings. So, the point was, if you shot a cannon in space (the moon to be exact) and then waited, it theoretically could hit you in the back of your head! After that question, Michael moved on to another interesting question. What if you had a water gun in space and shot it at the sun. How much water would it take to "put it out"?
   
     He and Henry went on to explain how the sun works, blah blah blah... but I was hooked. I clicked the link under the video which brought me over to MinutePhysics and the video: What if the Earth were Hollow? In it, Henry explained why you couldn't "dig a hole to China", or just from one side to the other. At times, he spoke of some of the same info that Vsauce had just covered, but at the end of the video, Michael pops in and invites you over to Vsauce and tells you to bring your gun. Anyhow, it turned out that both videos were uploaded on the same day and everything was linked. After checking out other videos on Vsause (What If Everyone JUMPED At Once, What Color Is A Mirror) I decided to subscribe.
   
     Soon, I found myself watching other science related videos on either Vsause or MinutePhysics. Then Henry started another channel, MinuteEarth. While this channel talks a lot about evolution, he does cover some interesting topics, such as Why Are Leaves Green? Parts I and II; How Tall Can Mountains Be? and Why Does Earth Have Deserts?
   
     Not long after, I found AsapSCIENCE (Which I don't recommend for younger children, as some of the topics aren't exactly "PG") and SciShow, hosted by Hank Green, which covers topics like Why Do Cats Purr? and The Mayan Calender & 2012 (which is more history than science, but who cares...)

     About a week ago, Vsause uploaded a new video: How Much Money is There on Earth? At the end, there was a link that read "pennies"; when I clicked on it, it brought me over to CGPGrey's video Death to Pennies. The video explained why pennies (and nickels, for that matter) are worthless in the US. If you've chosen not to watch any of the linked videos (I completely understand!) I highly suggest you at least watch a video or two from CGPGrey. He has a wide range of topics, including The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England Explained and Coffee: The Greatest Addition Ever. As far as science videos go, he's made 8 Animal Misconceptions Rundown and Is Pluto a planet? along with others. Most of his channel is full of cool, interesting geographical and historical videos.  

     As far as the rest of the channels on my subscriptions list; TheFineBros, I watch their React shows (that's about all I can recommend from them); ThePianoGuys are, well, The Piano Guys;  Jamie Grace is just amazing; HarperStill is Jamie Grace's and her older sister, Morgan Harper Nichol's, shared channel (I totally recommend subscribing!) and BlimyCow has some awesome videos about everyday life. Jordan, the show's host (most of the time), is hilarious, sarcastic and ... well, it's easier to understand if you just go watch a video, or two.
   
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     So there you go, my YouTube life and how I fell in love with science... well, kinda.
     

Every Grammar Nazi's Worst Nightmare :: Mikey's Funnies

A "Technically Correct" Poem 

Eye halve a spelling chequer; it came with my pea sea.

It plainly marques four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word and weight four it two say

Weather eye am wrong oar write.  It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid, it nose bee fore two long

And eye can put the error rite. Its rarely ever wrong.

Eye ran this poem threw it, I'm shore your pleased two no;

Its letter perfect in it's weigh. My chequer tolled me sew.

Mikey's Funnies :: April 30th, 2013 

Garlic and Sapphires :: Ruth Reichl

A MUST READ :: Autumn Story Mott

Noah :: The World We Live In

Here's a quick recap of the past few days: 

Boston Marathon Bombing:   3 dead; 170+ injured

Texas Plant Explosion:          12 dead; 200+ injured

Ohio Basement Shooting:      4 dead

Okay, I know this may be wicked random, but is this was Noah went through?  The above list is just in the US alone.  I was scrolling though the NY Times reading headlines about other events happening around the world.  And the Bible says it's gonna get much worse!  Anyhow, back to Noah:

The Bible says in Genesis 6:5 

"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (NLT)

From 9/11 to the Boston Marathon, mass tragedies are becoming a sad reality.  I hate to admit it, but when I first heard about the bombing, I wasn't that surprised.  I was (and still am) deeply saddened by these events, but they're unfortunately becoming more and more frequent. Thankfully, we know that God will never again allow a flood to wipe out the earth. Genesis 9:13-16  But how long will this last? When will He come and take us home to heaven?

I really don't have much more to say; I just wanted to leave this thought in your mind:

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:6

John Adams

A MUST WATCH:: Autumn Story Mott

Rollerskating!

Life in the Middle of Nowhere | Part II

-Using a hay wagon as scaffolding to paint the side of your house,
-Sledding down your dirt road 'cause there are never any cars,
-Hauling hay home in the back of a Cadillac,
-Laying down in the back of a pickup truck to avoid the cops as you drive through downtown Keene, (okay, not the middle of nowhere, but it's still country-ish)
-Stringing lights through the trees so you can go sledding and ice skating at night with your friends,
-Your neighbor plows your driveway when you're on vacation... with his John Deere,
-Walking through town gathering sap with your neighbors,
-Shooting off fireworks for Thanksgiving, knowing the cops won't mind and the neighbors keep asking when we'll do it again.
-Being able to play the alphabet game by using your neighbor's last names. (Andrzejczyk, Chenausky, Elwood...)
-Taking a "quick run" to Hannafords and stopping at three different sugar houses on the way back.

-Autumn Story Mott

Meet the Family | We're weird...

Mom: "She had a brain tumor, in her head!"

Nana: "I got a two-foot yardstick for 50 cents!"

Dad: "I introduced my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law to Mrs. Johnson. 'But their not married.' I said. Mrs. J was like 'Ohh thats nice.' Then I said, 'Oh no no, there's another sister involved!!' "

(Daddy was running errands with Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Andrew; Uncle A is married to Aunt C's sister, Lisa; Aunt Cheryl and Aunt Lisa are my mother's sisters. Get it?)

Mom: "Where's my phone?"

*Hannah and I notice she's on it talking to Dad*

Us: "You're--"

Mom: "Girls, did one of you take it?!"

Us: "No, Mom, you're on--"

Mom: "Lijah, did you take it?!"

Us: "MOM, YOU'RE ON YOUR PHONE!"

Mom: >_<

*Dad upset about us playing games on his smartphone*: "You want to play Tetris? You can pack the car next time we go on vacation!"

Little Josiah wanted some M&Ms, but Aunt Lisa was saying no. So Daddy decided to teach him how to negotiate to his best advantage.

Daddy: "If you want 20, ask for 47; she'll settle in the middle."
Josiah: "Mummy can I have 47 M&Ms?"
Aunt Lisa: "No, no..."
Mom: "Lisa your brother-in-law is trying to teach your kid how to scam you!"
Daddy: "Try asking for ice cream."
Josiah: "Mummy can I have 47 scoops of ice cream?"
Mom: "Ron!!"
Daddy: "I'm trying to teach him how to negotiate; he'll use it later in life."

-Autumn Story Mott

Something I read today... | Enjoy!

GREAT TRUTHS THAT CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

~  No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
~  When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
~  If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
~  Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
~  You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
~  Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
~  Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
~  You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
~  Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
~  The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

~  Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
~  Wrinkles don't hurt.
~  Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
~  Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
~  Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
~  Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

~  Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
~  Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
~  When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
~  You get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
~  It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
~  Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
~  Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

 :: Mikey's Funnies ::

"I Go Back" | Music and Memories

"And I go back to watchin' summer fade to fall,

Growin' up too fast and I do recall,

Wishin' time would stop right in its tracks,

Every time I hear that song, I go back, I go back,

We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives,

Takes us to another place and time..."

     Music is powerful.  Every time I turn the radio on, hit play on my iPod, or open Pandora, I'm reminded of different times and places.  "Blink" by Revive brings me back to NNEC Campmeeting 2010; "Got It Good" by Rodney Atkins reminds me of my mission trip to India; "Live Out Loud" by Steven Curtis Chapman recalls memories of being 10 and Daddy blaring it on Sabbath morning to get us up out of bed.
     But it also impacts my emotions.  When I listen to a bunch of sad songs, I find myself slightly depressed for a while.  But when I listen to upbeat, energetic music I feel like I'm on top of the world!  But we need to be careful about the music that we listen to.  While I'm in no way saying secular music is bad, or evil, I am saying that we need to choose what we listen to.  If I spend hours listening to Taylor Swift (yes, I'm a fan) I end up wishing and daydreaming about my future Knight in Shining Armor.  But if I listen to Jamie-Grace or Britt Nicole instead, I end up feeling closer to my Heavenly Father.
     I'm a huge fan of Country Music (as you might have guessed by now), but whenever I go through tough times I always end up listening to my Christian albums.  I just need the reassurance of knowing God's right there; always with me.

-Autumn Story Mott

India | Photos

Here's the link to view my pictures of India. Even if you don't have a Facebook account, this link will still let you view the pictures.

View Photos

-Autumn Story Mott

Sightseeing | Day 10

There was a death in the village we were gonna visit in, so we switched our rest day from Wednesday, to today. Although breakfast was still at 7:30am, most everyone slept in. We left the compound at 9am and headed to Vijaywada. There, we took the ferry across the river to an island. It's somewhat of a tourist attraction, so it was wicked beautiful! There are "tree houses", that you can rent for $60USD a night. Not bad!

Also on the island is a rope playground. They was the suspended rope walkway, a rope pit hung from the trees, and a rope slide, of sorts. Although most everyone got minor injuries in some way, we all had fun! :)

-Autumn S. Mott

PICTURES!