Ratanga

On Thursday we went to Ratanga Junction with Tessa and Zander.......

It was fun!

Mock Grading

Today was my mock grading for Karate, the real thing is on Thursday.

I wasn't as nervous as usual, I felt peaceful, which is a good thing! I punched this one person in the face, that's the second time!!!

I hope the real deal is such a breeze!

-Keren

The Looking Glass

Megan Marais has started a group for home schooled, teenage, Christian, girls to get together and talk about different topics every week. I have really enjoyed it! We have been getting together for four weeks. The girls in the group are Jessica, Esther, Amy & Jessica R, Laura, Monica, Kim, Claire, Paige, and me!

Megan emails the tasks for each week to Paige and Claire so they can join in too. We chat, pray, and talk about the tasks that Megan sets for us. I'm really thankful that she started this group, I have really enjoyed getting to know all the girls better.

We each have a journal that we decorated to stick our task lists in and write about our experience doing them. This is mine.........

I thank God that Megan started this group, it's just what I needed now, I pray that He would bless her for starting it.

Travelling

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I went up to the farm with Paige Arran, Auntie Catherine, and Claire van der Linde's granny, Memom.

Here I am in front of the truck we drove up in.

The driving wasn't bad, but it did get quite hot! I took some notes during the journey.....

- Paige never stops eating!

- Arran can sleep just about anywhere

- I should've worn something cooler

- I can read in the car

- Paige often asks for sweets

- Arran is sleeping again

- Arran is sleeping again, now with my sunglasses on

- Arran took my sunglasses off while he was asleep

- Paige eats really fast

- Paige is asking for sweets again

- Shouldn't give Paige sweets, makes her crazy

- Paige named the 3 Sisters jenny Penny and Lenny

- After all this time in the car, Paige and Arran are only irritating each other now, and they aren't even sitting next to each other!

- The rain sounds static

- (Paige wrote this) Keren is mad, and Paige just read two books

- Arran's foot looks funny

- The clock is wrong

- Mine and Paige's stomachs hurt!

- Auntie Catherine saw lightning

- Oh, wait so did I!

- I really need the toilet!

- Paige would love it if I wet my dress

- Paige hopes lightning isn't on the farm

- Paige is cold

- Paige and I feel like we have wet our pants

- It smells like rain, I love it!

- This trip has been really easy!

- Might have to change a tyre in Bloem

- Arrival time, between 9 and 10

- We passed a really pretty stained glass hotel!

- We just saw a really ugly shoe sign

- The walls are still painted for the Soccer World Cup

- Battling sleep

- We have all been asleep for ages......

- Almost there!

- Getting excited!

- Finally reached our destination!

I had a great two days on the farm, reconnecting with my cousin.....

After my two days on the farm, we drove to Peitermaritzburg to Uncle Sandy and Auntie Lesley to stay therefor a night. The next morning was my Great-Grandpa's memorial service.

The cousins.......

After that we went to Auntie Deborah and Uncle Dieter. It was so cool, all of the ladies slept in the main bedroom, it was like one big sleepover! The next morning we went to the dam that's on the property. There is a bridge across it for a cycling race, so we were walking along that, trying very hard no to get wet!

It didn't work too well since the bridge sagged and touched almost the bottom (in the shallow parts).

Eventually Arran pushed Paige in and uncle Dieter tried to push me in, but if i was gonna go down, he was going with me!

Uncle Chris enjoyed fishing in the dam....

I miss everybody so much and I can't wait until we're all together again!

Paige's surprise party!

The day after my blessing ceremony (Monday) we had a surprise party for Paige. Her Nana took her fabric shopping and then came back to Tessa's house to "say goodbye" to her.........

Here are everyone waiting for her to arrive.........

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!

Tessa put together a cake after the Woods came to spend time with us.........

Needless to say everyone was impressed!

Almost all the guests had a great time swimming in Tessa's swimming pool.....

Paige got to chat to the girls too.........

After everyone left Josh and I went to Karate and then went back to Tessa to have a braai, all of the cousins (except Josh) piled onto the slide.

Blessing Ceremony

For my 13th birthday I had a blessing ceremony in Tokai forest. All my friends and family joined us and we braaied afterwards. It was a lovely day and it was so special that everyone made an effort to be there with me!

Here are Paige and me before everyone arrived. It was so nice that they could come up for my birthday! It was so much fun having them here!

Paige's little cousin, Zander, with chips in his mouth.......

My Dad read what he and Mom wrote for me first, it was so special......

my Granny and Auntie Deborah emailed their blessings, since they couldn't be here.......

Opa and Oma also had something to say, I was so glad they could come........

Auntie Catherine wrote me a letter that she read out........

Paige read me a song that she wrote, it was beautiful!

Grandpa said something for me too......

And Uncle Chris........

After that we ate and chatted.

Tessa made me some yummy caramel cupcakes, aren't they amazing?

Time to party!

My 13th birthday party was on the 1st of October, we all had a great time.......

Here are all the guests together on the couch.

Eating party food.

Playing the famous chocolate game, it was so much fun!

We had Singstar going throughout the party, almost everyone had a go!

We also played Dancemat, there was some serious competition between some of the girls!

This is my amazing cow cake that Tessa made for me, isn't it great?

The three cousins, all in blue.......

Paige and little Sarah, she is so cute!

After all the guests left, all of the cousins swam along with Nicole (who slept over) and Ashton (whose parents hadn't picked her up yet). It was freezing, but refreshing!!!

It was so great, i think everyone had a great time and my friends gave me amazing presents! It was wonderful!

My amazing 13th

Wow! Yesterday was my 13 th birthday, it was so amazing! In our house the birthday tradition is we all wake up and pile into our Mom and Dad's bed to open presents. This usually happens very early, for me it was 07:00......

When we finished Mom and Dad surprised me by taking me out for breakfast at Mugg and Bean in Constantia, where I ate a Chocolate Overload waffle, the name does this waffle no justice! I definitely couldn't finish it on my own! While we were there they gave me a purity ring, something I've wanted for a while. They each gave me a card as well. It was really special for me!

After that Mom and I went to Blue Route shopping mall so I could buy myself an iPod with some money Mom and Dad owed me. Mom also got me a nice pair of summer shoes, do the blessings ever end????

When we got home we packed a picnic and made our way to the beach with my cousins, who came down to be with me on my 13Th, and their auntie, Tessa. We had a wonderful time looking in the rock pools!

After the beach we drove to the most amazing ice cream shop, where I had a half scoop of Belgian chocolate and a half scoop of lemon sorbet! It was like a party in my mouth!

Thank you to everyone who made my day so special! I got amazing gifts from everyone, I'm so happy!

One of my favorite gifts was an air ticket from Mom and Dad so that I can drive back to the farm with the Woods, stay on the farm for 2 days, drive up to Natal for my Great-Grandpa's memorial service, then fly home with mom, who is also going up, but is flying both ways.

Karate Kid premiere

At Karate we have been talking about going to do demonstration outside Blue Route Ster Kinekor for the release of the new Karate Kid movie. So, on Friday we got an sms from our Sensei asking us to come to train that evening to get together a dem for the next day. Josh and I were very excited to do this, so at the drop of a hat we went to go train. Not many people showed up for training, but we put together a dem in one and a half hours!

First of all, two of the Orange belts did a Kata, an imaginary fight.

Then, to show the different levels of pre-practiced fighting, Josh and Logan did their level, and at the same time Ashton and I did our level.

Then two of the younger kids did a high level Kata, called Jion.

Next, Megan and Alex did some free fighting.

Some of the more senior students then attacked our Sensei, and he took them each down differently.

We rounded it off with a plank breaking demonstration. It was so awesome, here is the link to see it on You Tube:

Jion Martial Arts, Plank Breaking Demonstration

www.youtube.com