Wow, it has been a while since I have posted here. I have a lot to catch up on, and many events to talk about. Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures! However, since I last posted I have made another trip to Fayetteville, as well as one to Kansas City, Missouri and the Robert E. Lee Camp of the SCV in Germantown, TN (April 23). I also spoke at the MHEA Homeschool conference in the summer (June 12-13).

At the MHEA Conference, I was blessed to be able to share a new topic about my experiences as a self-published author. It is easy to try to do good things for God, but it is a lot harder to let God do good things through you! Yielding is the main objective of the Christian life, but it is often overlooked. This is the topic I discussed with the students of Fayetteville Christian school on my return visit in August, and also to the 4-H Honor Society in Memphis on August 8.

In Kansas City in September, it was wonderful to be able to fellowship with another homeschool family who opened their home to us. Although it was only for one night, we had a good time watching their son perform magic tricks, discussing many topics, and of course, eating cinnamon rolls!

I have also been busy finishing up The Orphan and His Golden Bars. It is the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. I hope to get it to the presses sometime in the next couple of months. We are excited to see how God will use this book to minister to hearts and spread His truth. A friend and compatriot of mine, Danny Honnoll, has written a Foreword to the book, drawing from his recent travels to Virginia and the place where Stonewall Jackson died. It is a real honor to have Mr. Honnoll's encouragement in this endeavor. He is the President of Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trails and the former commander of the Arkansas Sons of Confederate Veterans. He is also presently running for the office of commander of the Trans Mississippi Division SCV. You can check out his website at Honnoll.com.

Besides all this, I have been taking online classes from the University of Arkansas, and hope to graduate next year. Also, I have been working at getting some freelance material published. My work was recently published in Nature Friend Magazine, and another article will appear soon in The Storyteller. Hope to see you in Springdale and Searcy, at the Arkansas Homeschool conventions this summer! Drop me a line when you can.

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Wednesday (April 22), I visited Northwest Arkansas. I spoke at the Washington County Women's Republicans and talked about the drummer boy's life and the similarities between the War Between the States and the American Revolution. On Thursday, I traveled to Fayetteville Christian School and spoke with the young people in the adjoining auditorium at Mission Boulevard Baptist Church. It was a very productive trip, and we also enjoyed meeting with friends in the area and watching them cut down a hollow cedar tree!

Below, I am playing the fife for the Washington County Republican Women.

Today, I just got back from court where I disputed an expired tag ticket that I got one evening. I always find it fascinating standing before a judge. We had to sit for a long time waiting on him, and then when he appeared, we rose to honor him and waited for him to meet out justice. It is very symbolic of what it is like waiting on Christ, the Righteous Judge, to appear. I have also been studying for final exams, which are nearly over for this semester. I'm looking forward to the summer where I have a lot of fun planned taking CLEP exams.

Watch for us next in Germantown at the meeting of the Sons of Confederate Veterans!

Genealogy Road Show

The rain did not stop us Saturday (March 28), at the Genealogy Road Show in Paragould. Above, members of the Shaver Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and I are placing the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance. We all had a great time at the Community Center, where I presented the life of the drummer boy and several others spoke on historical themes. We also manned booths and talked with the public as they came through to view Civil War paraphernalia, arrowheads, and other historical objects. My thanks goes to the Greene County Historical and Genealogy Center who hosted the event!

I will be speaking next in Springdale, Arkansas at the Women's Republican Meeting on April 22 at 11:30am and Fayetteville Christian School on April 23, from 10:55 to 11:47am. Look forward to seeing you there!

Sons of Confederate Veterans

Thursday (March 26), I was in Little Rock at the Fletcher Library and attended the meeting of the Newton Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. I gave a presentation on the drummer boy, and also "If My People" on the similarities between the Revolution and the War Between the States. My appreciation goes out to the commander Corey Dunn (far left) and all the gentlemen of the camp for their Southern hospitality.

Meanwhile, I am finished writing the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Now, it will go into the editing/proofing stage. Hopefully, I will have it out this summer, so be looking for that. I'm also excited about making a video on "how to make a drum" to load to my blog. Make sure you view that when it comes out.

See you in Northwest Arkansas on the 22nd!

Germantown, Tennessee

On Saturday (January 10), I spoke at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center. The Center was holding a history program and Harry Cloyes, a long-time Germantown resident, displayed his paintings of historic buildings. Rick Cohen also spoke about the life of a Civil War soldier. Pictured above is Rick Cohen, me, Jennifer Baker of the Center, and authors Jama and Charles Richardson.

Watch for my demonstration video about A Courier for Stonewall, The Orphan and the Beaten Drum, and my living history presentations. It will soon be available online.