The Creation Museum

The Creation Museum

4.4.17

The Creation Museum was awesome!!!

If you don't want to see bugs, scroll down quickly now!  😉

Jadan loved the Insectorium and requested that the following 2 photos be included here...

His favorite are the metallic-looking beetles.

 

The exhibit about Lucy, the Australopithecus, was so interesting.

It showed clearly that the same evidence can be interpreted differently

depending on the assumptions you start out with.

Here, Lucy is shown as an ape.

And here is an example of different interpretations of the same data...

with some cuties reading all about it! 

And these were the most interesting creatures we saw all day!!

Hmmmm... how shall we interpret this?  😜

We loved learning about dragon legends

and the evidence that dragons very well could have been very real.

We listened to fascinating presentations by Bryan Osborne... a highlight for all of us.

There were also plenty of impressive exhibits, including one on the history of the Bible.

And, of course, you gotta love the bookstore!!

We met some awesomely interesting creatures at the petting zoo!

Pretty sure this is Gomer (or CJ?).

He showed us how he dances when he wants to be fed.  Hilarious!!

The coati was a hit!

He enjoyed observing us as much as we enjoyed watching him.

...and a goat kiss for Jenna!  😚

The gardens around the museum are beautiful.

 

The big take-away we all got from the museum 

is that science does indeed support a literal interpretation of the Bible.

The Bible can be trusted to tell all of the truth all of the time.

People interpret facts differently depending on their world view.

With almost every museum and roadside sign we've seen representing the "millions of years" evolutionary viewpoint, we are so thankful that the Creation Museum does such an 

excellent job of representing a very intelligent alternate viewpoint.

Detroit & Sandusky

Goin' back to Belleville

Last week of March 2017

We landed in Detroit

 and took the kids right away to the gool ol' homestead...😉 

The folks who live in our old house have made some lovely changes.  It's lookin' good!

This is the house that Jadan and Ellie came home to when they were born.

We drove around the neighborhood and told the kids stories.

Jadan enjoyed seeing the very spot where he fell on his face on the sidewalk, 

left a bit of his face on the sidewalk, and came up smiling.  😊

We were in the Detroit area for just a few short days, and then we headed to Sandusky.

A friend hooked us up with a manager at this amazing place,

 the manager took very good care of us,

and we got to spend a few days at Kalahari Waterpark Resort.  WOW. 

OK, and here's the best part of our time at Kalahari...

💙 Andrea and her darling babies came to visit us!!!  💙

Not only did I get to spend the day talking with my sweet friend

and watching her little princess and my darling daughters delighting in playing together...

I got to hold this gorgeous boy for hours!  Look at that smile!  Come on!

Andrea babysat my kids when they were the age her kiddos are now...

What a blessing that they got to spend time together.

We are so thankful that God has made us family,

 even though we live across the country from each other.

Kalahari is an African-themed resort,

so you know we enjoyed the adventure of exploring the place...

In addition to the HUGE water park, they have a huge arcade.

Andrea taught the kids how to actually win at those claw machines... 😎

and we enjoyed the games... and the prizes...

What a cute family I have!

Thankfully, you can't see into my heart in this photo...I was pretty crabby.

Check-out day.  Had to get in some water sliding in the morning. Time stress = ugly mama.

Oh, yeah... and I did laundry after we checked out, while the kids played in the arcade.

So, there's your glimpse behind the frame of this photo...😉

Thankfully, that yucky heart of mine didn't last for toooo long,

my family is good at loving me through the crabby moments,

 and we were back on the road with bright shiny faces - and hearts - soon enough.

And all so thankful for the time we got to spend at this way cool resort!!!

This is our drive-by photo of Lake Erie.

We saw it!

Yeah, that's about it.

Chattahoochee & Stone Mountain

Chattahoochee River

Atlanta

The Chattahoochee River didn't have to be beautiful.

With a name like that, we just wanted to go so we could say, "Chattahoochee".

But of course, God's amazing creation and the good ol' NPS do not disappoint...

Look!  A different kind of trillium on this side of the US!

This crazy adventurer.... 💙

 was also able to stop at Stone Mountain because he had schools there one day...

Stone Mountain is a huge exposed granite wall displaying a carving of

Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson.

You can imagine the controversy.

The private owners of Stone Mountain allowed the KKK to meet there, beginning in 1915.

The man originally commissioned to do the carving in 1916 abandoned the project in 1925

and went on to begin Mount Rushmore.

The state of GA bought the land in 1960 and no longer allowed the Klan to meet on the premises.

Work began again on the carving in 1964 and was completed in 1972.

Great dinner conversations were had about what this monument and its history represent.

This mountain, in the same area where MLK Jr's civil rights battles were birthed,

and where the Carters still live and work for peace through the Carter Foundation.

And then you have "Gone With the Wind"...

What a diverse and interesting nation we live in!

Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum

Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum and Library

March 2017  Atlanta

"Before we went to the Jimmy Carter Museum,

I thought Jimmy Carter was just a president who didn't do much and smiled a lot.

But no, Jimmy Carter worked hard to make the world a better place,

even after his presidency!"

-Ellie

This portrait by Octavio Ocampo was a gift from President Portillo of Mexico in 1979.

Look closely.  There are fascinating stories in this portrait.

Jimmy grew up in the segregated South. 

Most of his childhood friends were black.
They lived in the same neighborhood and played together, 
but could not go to the same school. 

After college, Jimmy went into the Navy and worked on submarines.  He worked hard and rose to the rank of lieutenant.  When he returned home for his father's funeral, he saw the impact his father had had on his community and determined that he could make more of a difference staying there and taking over the family business than continuing on in the Navy.

He and Rosalyn took over Carter farms and the warehouse his father had operated.

He had little interest in politics, but decided to run for state senate in 1962

 when he heard the opposing candidate declare that he would close Georgia's public schools if even one black student were allowed to attend a white school.

The election was rigged; Carter lost.  He contested the results and won.

He became President 14 years later. 

 Jimmy Carter worked hard to negotiate peace between Egypt and Israel.

Rosalyn Carter was a trusted advisor of her husband.

She visited foreign diplomats and strongly advocated for mental health.

She was very active and influential in her role as First Lady

and continues to work hard to serve others.

In 1982, the Carters established the Carter Center, which works around the world to

resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease.

"The Center has spearheaded the international effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease,

which is poised to be the second human disease in history to be eradicated."

 

In 2002, Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize 

"for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts,

to advance democracy and human rights,

and to promote economic and social development."

It would be amazing to get to sit down with the Carters

 and hear some of the stories of how they have worked hard to help others,

from fiery diplomats to filthy children with worms in their feet.

They seem to have beautiful hearts.  They love God and love people.

We're thankful for what these great people have done for our country and our world.