Nationals 09

Sorry for my absence last week but I was away on a trip.

My boys were on a team that had won our states Bible quizzing and Elaine and I took the team to the National competition which was held at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The top picture is Levi and some of the team at a Long John Silvers.

Levi checking in with his girlfriend.

Joel with some of his teammates.
The boys at the college after a nine hour drive.
Breakfast in the cafeteria. Joel is on the left.
Levi with his famous sideburns.
Elaine and Joel.
The Coach giving last minute instructions to the Bible quiz team.Levi looking nervous before the quiz.
Levi and Joel waiting for the match to start.
This competition is called jump seat quizzing. The seats have a pad on them that sets off a light at the quiz master table and indicates who jumped first to answer the question.

They are testing the seats before they start the round.
Here was the score after our first match. We were on the board but not enough to win.
Good thing its a double elimination competition.
In the hall between rounds seeing who we compete against next.

Before our next and last round.
We were in second for most of the round and lost at the end.
In the hall after the second loss. Now a week of watching others compete and to look at the campus.
The dating room. It is a huge room full of couches.
Going off campus to take a break at a local mall.
One of the competition areas.
Bob Jones has the biggest religious art work museum in the United States and here are a few of the pieces in this chapel.

These were massive paintings. No photos were allowed in the museum but it was okay to take pictures here, I think.
Some of the art competition.
This one won for sculpture.
This was the winner for oil painting.
Elaine liked it because it reminded her of our dog Scooby.

This was a cool paper sculpture.Waiting outside for chapel to begin.Inside the chapel.
Over 2,000 competitors from around 37 different states plus the campus students.


Pretty amazing to listen to some of the nation best singers all sing together during chapel services.
Levi checking in with his girlfriend.
The final three teams in the Bible quizzing competition.
Our group.
Levi is on the far left and Joel is in the middle on the back row.
Elaine and I talking to Megan on the phone.
My bunk for the week.
These were not built for 6'4 men in their forties.
Headed home.
We stopped at the original Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky for lunch on the way home.
Levi next to an old highway sign.
Joel got pretty close to the Colonel while we were there.
The group shared their Ipod with Colonel Sanders.
Elaine looking at the original kitchen.
Setting down to eat between the kitchen and an display of an old motel room that Colonel Sanders had attached to the original restaurant.
The van parked next to the huge sign.
The kids tried to various ways to climb the pole.
Packed in like sardines but closer to home.
Levi and a friend climbing out from the back seat.

Long post from a long week.

Nice to be home again.