Staff Writers: Caleb 24, Bethany 22,
Timothy 20, Joseph 17, Hannah 16, Jubilee 7
Code Breaker
Timothy sent this update after a few months in Taiwan:
“For all those who have wondered about how the Chinese language came about, wait
no longer! I have the answer!
Still not enough they said! So, an entirely new alphabet was developed! It used things never before seen like; ㄩ,ㄝ,ㄓ, and ㄞ. They used an entirely different counting system! They even made up different hand gestures!! It seemed impossible to crack this master secret code!!
One man in the back said, "But friends, we are old now (because we've worked on this code all our lives) and we must teach this system to our children. If outsider people set out to learn our code we made for our children, and try really, really, really hard, they might someday succeed."
The men thought and thought. Finally, the leader of the group said. "I've got it! We will base our entire written language on 214 random little patterns called radicals. From these little guys, we will derive innumerable bigger random patterns called characters. Then the outside people will think that the big patterns sound like the little patterns from which they are derived.... BUT NO! They will sound nothing alike and no foreigner will ever know our secret language!!! We can call it "Chinese Not Yours." Later the name was shortened to simply "Chinese."
Well folks, the Masters of Secret Code were proven wrong today... I bought a coffee, and the lady said “三十,三...零!,” which I have finally deciphered, and I think it means 30!!! What now, Secret Code Guys!
Why Tai?
For those who don’t know the scoop: Timothy
took a 1 month mission trip to Taiwan 2 years ago, and vowed to return. Last
summer, he jumped at the chance to spend a year teaching English in the
Taiwanese public schools (English being his weakest subject). He attended a 3
week “Teaching English as a Second Language” course in Indianapolis, packed his
bags, and took off.
He stays at a school in 南投 County (center of the island) that has had some of
the classrooms converted into a dorm like setting for Timothy plus 7 other
English Teachers. He serves in 4 schools, a different one each day, with
Wednesdays off to study. His first day in school caused riots as children
gathered around “The Tall American,” shouting to see his muscles (If your self-esteem
needs a boost, just move to Asia.)! The kids love “Teacher Tim,” and since
there are few Americans in the Taiwanese mountains, he enjoys celebrity status
almost everywhere he goes. We have already scheduled his deprogramming therapy
with Uncle Roy when he comes back home.
Read any good books, lately?
Bench press Buddies
Joseph kept up with football practice all summer, eyeing the
possibility of playing in the fall, but after a few pre-season hits to the knee,
he changed his path to glory. He is now on a power lifting team, pursuing the
title of Mr. Universe. If you were wondering how GNC is still in business in
these hard economic times, wonder no more. It’s the new Jack LeLanne stocking
the cabinets with muscle-man powder.
Hunting Report
With Timothy gone, and Joseph running off to
hunt with his friends, Herb found a new hunting buddy: Hannah Grace. They were
quite a team fighting over tree stands and snacks, but Hannah did nail her
first buck in 2012. It was a spike, but let’s not quibble over points. Joseph had
to come back home to shoot a very spry 7-point, which gave him a good run for
his money. Herb missed several bucks before we realized the problem was his
vision. He is getting older, and he
looks so cute wearing reading glasses! He finally settled for 2 doe, but
finished the season most unhappy. L
Private Bethany
It is hard to write an article about
Bethany, because she refuses to tell us what she has been doing. She is forever borrowing Herb’s GPS unit in order
to arrive at undisclosed locations. She took a jaunt to Dallas with some
friends in July and we haven’t even been allowed to see a picture. The only
reason we knew about the trip at all was because she needed a ride to and from
the airport.
Her publicized whereabouts include a little
rock rent house in Tahlequah from which she will finish up her Criminal Justice
degree next May. From there, she becomes
the property of the United States Military for 4 years. We have yet to
determine whose day it was to watch her when she signed her name on the dotted
line. An investigation is pending.
Jack of all Trades
Still a secret
Ever ready for a party, Hannah Grace went
all out for Herb and Kim’s 25th wedding anniversary in October.
Hannah enlisted help from all the relatives, especially Nan, and dragged out
every photo album in the house (they still aren’t back in order!). It was
obvious that a lot has happened in 25 years! After all was said and done, Herb
and Kim both agreed: The secret to a happy marriage is…still a secret.
It’s a Jungle Out There!
Hannah Grace spent 3 weeks in the jungles of
Chiapas, Mexico last summer. Her mission: install cooking stoves and water
filtration systems. The team also taught Bible stories and songs to the
children who gathered to watch their every move. The crowd chanted “Hanna
Bataya!” (wash the clothes) whenever they caught sight of our heroine. In
addition, she helped in the medical clinic and entertained the children at a
small orphanage.
To show their gratefulness, one village
killed a pig for the team. The big pot of “pig soup” (which must be eaten) was blamed for the
intestinal illness that disabled the entire group for several days.
When Hannah finally saw some food she was
familiar with – green beans – she loaded her plate and her fork. One swallow
and she knew she had been duped. Her mouth and esophagus exploded with fire.
The “green beans” were really deceptive peppers. Hannah Grace screamed, danced,
and gasped for air while the waiter offered “Agua! Agua! Agua!”
Mishaps aside, she was ready to go back to
the jungle as soon as she touched home base. Hannah is looking forward to the
possibility of a language intensive trip sometime in the spring of 2013.
Mission Trip info - www.globalencounter.net
Tour of Duty
Among his many enterprises, Timothy started a tourism
business last summer with overseas clientele. Felicia, Bernita, and little
sister Bernadine flew in to Oklahoma from Singapore for a 2-week guided tour of
the US, courtesy of Timothy and his handy assistant, Hannah.
The fun started at the airport, when they
all tried to pile in the driver’s side of Uncle Curt’s truck (which served as
the tour bus). Singaporeans not only drive on the wrong side of the road, they
drive from the wrong side of the vehicle, as well.
The
coffee and Redbull flowed like water as the group took on the Rocky Mountains
(very cold compared to the equator), Cedar Point Amusement park in Ohio, the
Great Lakes, Niagra Falls, New York City, Broadway plays, the White House,
Maryland crabs, Amish towns, Krispy Kreme, 50’s diners, apple pies, the whole
American experience!
Of course the most fun was had right here at
the old Ponderosa. They went fishing, bottle fed a calf, climbed a tree, and
chewed some gum, all of which are illegal back home (everything is illegal in
Singapore). They also spent one whole day riding horses at the Turner Ranch in
Eufaula.
Oh and guns! Of course they had to shoot guns
while they were here! But shooting wasn’t enough for Bernita. She wanted to kill something! That chicken never even
saw it coming! Every day was a new experience.
Plans are already being made for another
sweep of the continent, but next time, Timothy will need to rent a Greyhound bus
for all of Felicia and Bernita’s friends who are begging for the same vacation
package. And don’t forget to save a seat for Mom!
Vintage Pigskin
Herb was invited to attend the reunion of
the ‘62 and ‘82 National Championship football teams at UCO. We were treated to
a fine dinner, and VIP status in the air-conditioned crow’s nest (the only way
to watch a ballgame, in Kim’s opinion). The ’62 and ’82 Broncho champs were
introduced on the field at half-time to wild applause.
Herb’s guided tour of the campus lasted all
day, culminating in a slow walk down memory lane to the stadium a few hours
before kick-off. A few hours? Oh,
yes. They hadn’t even unlocked the crow’s nest when Herb got comfortable in the
scorching sun to watch…some pre-game scoreboard tests and chain measuring. Well,
the cheerleaders had to inspect their pom-pons and the mascot had to get
dressed, things like that. There were actually 1 or 2 other fans in the stands
at that time, waiting for the old gridiron to come alive.
Kim, meanwhile, had fled to the nearest
shade tree, watching for Herb’s signal to start ringing her cowbell. Yea, team!
Goin’ Under
Jubilee pestered us for weeks to arrange for
her baptism. She made the decision herself, after reading a “comic book” style
Bible called Good and Evil from No Greater Joy. When the big day finally
arrived, she was so nervous, we thought she would chicken out. But she was
determined to follow through, and did just fine when Bro. Danny dunked her. J Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me...for
of such is the Kingdom of God,” Mark 10:14.
Busy as a timothy
As we often say, Timothy should start his
own newsletter. It appears as if he is the only one who does anything, and the
rest of us just sit around and watch (makes us look bad).
This past year was no exception. In addition
to graduating from Thomas Edison State College with his bachelor’s in Business
Marketing, working for Rapid Repair, and doing all the other things a Timothy
does (deep breath-), he went snow- boarding, learned kite boarding (head first,
with an oversized kite that no human could control. That's why it was on
sale.), took Scuba classes, took art classes (which accidently turned out to be
“modern art” instead of a horse), kayaked down the Illinois river with brother
Joe and friend Peter (barely surviving a storm), began tennis training with a
jim-dandy pro racket (watch for him on ESPN), and lastly, took up the mandolin
(most Taiwanese have never seen one, so he sets the bar). Bear in mind these are
merely the things we know of before he moved to Taiwan in the summer…
One thing the Allison's have learned is that the worst disasters make the best stories. If we did everything perfect, no one would want to read about it… right Timothy? "All things work together for good to them that love the Lord," Romans 8:28.
One thing the Allison's have learned is that the worst disasters make the best stories. If we did everything perfect, no one would want to read about it… right Timothy? "All things work together for good to them that love the Lord," Romans 8:28.
Jumping to contusions
Timothy
spent a week in California jumping off bridges – not the Golden Gate. His
antics paved the way for his first ever visit to the chiropractor.
Bethany did some jumping, herself, from an
airplane! Her painful landing was also fodder for the doctor (her tailbone no
longer comes to a point).
End Notes
Uncle Curt took Caleb and Joseph to visit
the Alamo last summer. We think his true motivation is to get his name in the
newsletter. There you go, Uncle Curt!
Herb was the only representative of the
Allison family on the church mission trip this past year. The other Allison’s
were coming and going elsewhere. We hope this trend is only temporary, and the
family will re-convene on the other side of chaos. Hope. Hope.
Joseph’s FFA skeet shooting team qualified
for state competition, but no title. L
Joseph will just have to keep practicing with Herb’s ammo. It’s free.
Hannah Grace and Jubilee were the only 2 of
our peeps to be involved in piano recitals this year. Numbers are dwindling and
it is a scary thought…
Kim ran a taxi service to the airport in
2012, escorting Nan and Aunt Judy to their plane bound for Costa Rico and keeping
Timothy and Hannah Grace coming and going from all parts of the world. Barring
road construction, Kim could make it to the airport blindfolded.
We all know Joseph is accident prone, but try
to picture this. He says he accidently dyed his hair blonde. Friends, I am only
repeating what he said.
Herb discovered that when you raise wild
turkeys, even if you take them far, far away and let them loose, they always
come back home to roost. It’s hard to hunt something that won’t leave your
front porch rail.
Hannah Grace participated in STEP (Skills
Training in Emergency Preparedness), a 4 week survival course in Texas last
summer. Upon graduation, she became our
step-daughter. J
After 3 years of employment, Bethany had to
retire from the Muskogee Public Library in order to spend more time doing ROTC
activities. Not only do we miss seeing her smiling face every week on town day,
L we actually have to pay our overdue fines!
Joseph finally got his driver’s license in
2012, and Hannah started her Driver’s Ed, thus allowing mom to log in many more
hours in the Highway Patrol’s Office. Better bring along a good book, is all I
have to say. After enduring 5 driver’s ed classes, Kim has finally come to the
realization that she is indestructible until her purpose is finished.
Joseph’s current max is 290 on bench press.
Timothy’s max is undisclosed, but according to Joseph, it is considerably less
than his. J
If you want to send Timothy a note or a BBQ
sandwich, his address is:
Yingpan Elementary School
No 136 Yingpan Road
Nantou City, Nantou County
540-47 Taiwan
Late Breaking News: Trouble seems to follow
some people around, but in Joseph’s case, it gets in front of him. Both the cow
and the truck had to be towed away from “ground zero” on Highway 64. Once
again, Joseph was unharmed, other than a familiar queasy feeling in the pit of
his stomach. He should never leave home without a roll of Tums.
