Memories For Ever After

So we made it back home safe and sound after almost a month of vacation. It would seem appropriate to give a dissertation on what has been going on while my blog was so sadly neglected, so I'll give a brief dialogue on it.

As the last post suggests, we spent the first week playing imagination games. On the second week, I, Percy, Seph, Dana, Bob, and Ani had the privilage of attending the OYAN Summer Workshop/Reunion. Saying it was amazing seems inadequate by tenfold at least! The blessings and lessons we learned could not even begin to fit on a single page.

Seph and I and another OYANer looking over song lyrics.

One part I particularly enjoyed -- the awesome lectures by Mr. S, Jeff Gerke, Mark Wilson, and others aside -- was Celtic Day. On Wednesday of the Workshop week, as many as wanted dressed in something Scottish or Irish themed. I and the PenKnights all wore a medieval outfit, and Dana wore his kilt and beret. Ani wore her Korean Hanbok instead of a medieval dress, though, because hers didn't get made in time. We looked rather spiffy, if I do say so myself.

In the afternoon, and that evening, all of us involved in Celtic Day had a jam session. Pennywhistles, violins, a guitar, a bodhran, and even a cello, plus all the excellent voices lent to two truly amazing performances of Celtic folk music and hymns. One of the things I love so much about Celtic music is that it has a magical way of bringing people together. None of us had ever played or sung together before in our lives, and yet we still played and sang the simple Celtic melodies well enough to put angels to shame. The music left everyone smiling with gladness in their hearts, and that evening sent me to bed glowing inside for the beauty of people coming together and just having honest fun with music and dance.
I can say without a doubt that the entire OYAN Workshop experience was an incredible blessing, and it has undoubtedly changed my life in many ways that I haven't even noticed yet. There is a revolution going on in the realm of Christian writing, and I got to meet and be a part of the next generation of storytellers who will change the world. God is doing great things, and the future is actually looking like an exciting place, now.

The third week! Ah, the third week. Thirty people in one house. We all stayed at, I shall say, the MacDonald place in Maryland. All three of our large families living practically on top of each other for a whole week straight. It was great! Good thing I don't mind doing dishes. There were dishes to do. A lot of dishes.

A lot of dishes.

Anyway, the fun part was that Bob had written a script and gotten a new amazing stupendous camera. Movie time! We filmed a whole movie -- fully choreographed fight scenes, brilliant costumes sewn by Lynn and Lynnae, better acting that in our previous two movies, and some pretty neat props that included a passle of PVC pipe swords made especially for this occasion -- called A Heart of Corruption. It was a learning experience in and of itself to make this movie, as we've never done one with this ammount of consecutive dialogue, complex plot, that many actors, or over that many days in a row. (I believe it took three days in all to get all the shots needed.) Bob had a little bit of a hard time because he was director this time instead of me, so he had to learn to deal with the pressures that come with that position. I told him to come up with five things he learned over the course of filming before I and my family left, and here's what he said:

1. Patience
2. Flexibility
3. Not to work with small children (or animals) if possible
4. Time management
5. Never give up

Isn't that an excellent list? I'm very proud of him. You did an amazing job, Bobby my boy, even if you don't agree. I'm very proud of you!

And thus with very teary eyes and many hugs, the three of our families parted ways at the end of an amazing three weeks of friendships and many, many lessons learned. Leaving the MacDonald house, I had the strangest feeling. Even though the three weeks had come to an end, it felt good; like a relief. Not because I was tired of them, quite the contrary, I miss them very much even now. No, a relief because we'd made it. Months and months of praying, several close calls, numerous doubts, and God allowed us to have those three weeks together. I don't know if there's any way I can express to God how grateful I am to Him for allowing us to have that time together. So, so many things had to go right, so many 'coincidences' had to happen, in order for this vacation to have even been considered, and God put everything right in line for us one after the other from start to finish. He led us all the way through to the end, and now it's safe in our memories forever. Forever! Do you know how long that is? That's until the day we die, and even beyond.

My friends -- you know who you are -- I love you all more than I could say or show. You're all awesome, and I mean that in every sense of the word.

My God -- you certainly know who you are -- I love you more than I'm capable of even feeling. I will serve you all my days, and in your name I will wield my sword and pen for as long as I inhabit this Earth, and still then after that.

To all who read this blog -- yes, you there -- may God keep you strong and bless you and yours for all the days of your life!

Dia duit,
~Penny

Let The Games Begin!

And so!

We have arrived in Maryland safe and sound. The drive was not too bad at all, compared to a lot of the other long drives we've taken.

The very day after we arrived it was out to the woods to hack each other to-- er, I mean, to play. Hee. The armory of PVC Pipe swords were a smash hit right from the start. Dana adores the claymore Percy made for him, and Bob (Dana's younger brother) likes the Wander Blade Percy made him. Lynn's wardrobe of various costumes and cloaks is incredibly impressive, and has kept our whole company well robed in medieval garb.

So far I've been involved in two games. We've discovered that the element of 'objects' in an Imagination Game is very near essential.

Obviously, for an Imagination Game, one needs characters. That's a no brainer. Costumes come in close second, and weaponry, and location. Those kind of go without saying. But one element that has been invaluable and I think often overlooked or poorly defined is the element of objects, which can be anything from a coke can to a ring of dungeon keys. An object is an inanimate thing that allows the balance of power in the game to shift back and forth, usually because it is desired by more than one party of characters within the game itself. Objects are fast, easy ways to spark conflict, which is what makes Imagination Games fun.

For example, in the first game I played with the others (Dana and I had to go out for a bit so we missed the first Imagination Game everyone played), the main object was a ring of oversized keys that I'd bought from JoAnn's just before leaving home. Dungeon keys. We had three character groups, two in each group; Rosi and I, who wanted the keys to save my Uncle; Dana and Percy, who wanted the keys to rescue their family; Lynn and Pippin, who wanted the keys because they owned them; and then Seph, who wanted the keys because he was the official Key Keeper of the realm.

So you see, there are five groups who all want the same thing. Some of them could forge alliances, since their causes are common, and there is no specific villain even though some of the groups must also work against each other in order to achieve their objectives.

There doesn't have to be just one object, either. In the game we are currently playing, there are two: a diamond and a message to the king. However, in this game also, I am playing the villain. Needless to say, we have a plethora of conflict, especially since I am the type of villain to play tricks rather than fight head to head. (I have alos managed to con both groups holding objects out of their objects and hidden them, but they aren't meant to know that yet. Shh!)

In both games, the balance of power has shifted numerous times. Whoever holds the object(s) automatically has an advantage over the others. Since everyone's trying to get them, and since several will undoubtedly succeed, the game never stands still. There are obviously other elements that play into keeping the game on its toes, but objects are extremely helpful.

As you can see, there are no pictures. I apologize. I haven't had time to download the pictures from the SD card onto the computer yet, but I promise I will soon.

Dia duit,
~Penny