Karen , her sister Cynthy, Deena Ortiz and I wrote this school year during the summer of 1994 in Deena's parents' home while they were gone for a week.
I left a day early because of a miscarriage, but the next day Karen came to my house and brought my binder completely filled with all the curriculum and resources for the year.
As we looked at this cover we both felt overwhelmed with what we had in our hands--
SHARING
Right then we decided we couldn't keep this to ourselves, but should share what we had with other families. Several weeks later I showed my binder to Diane Hopkins and her husband, who owned Latter-day Family Resources. Diane told me that if I self-published it, she would sell it in her catalogue.
I told our group, and we decided to put it together so others could use the curriculum too. Cynthy and Deena did not live near us, so Karen and I reworked the theme for publication. We practically rewrote the entire year since we didn't want to infringe on copyright laws. Normally we can use key points straight out of the encyclopedia, but to publish it we had to revamp everything.
Amber and Jasmyn helped me so much that summer. While I worked on the computer they took care of their siblings and cooked meals. During the month of August we went to Karen's home a few time so that we could work together. It was a very hot summer, and Karen and I worked up in her third story attic room, which was sweltering. We sympathized with the Founding Fathers who endured a hot summer in Philadelphia while writing the Constitution. We put together almost 100 extra pages of resources and explanations, including some extra artwork by Karen and Cynthy.
While putting the book together for publication, Karen and I found many tidbits of history that weren't necessary for key points, but were interesting and important. So at the end of each topic section we added one to two pages of Fascinating Facts, which are some of my favorite pages to read.
After we got the book ready, I took the stack of copies to Staples where our book was printed and bound. Through the years we re-printed and revised the book, and sold copies personally and through other companies. We eventually stopped printing it altogether when Karen offered it for sale on her website, which is no longer online. Karen added even more explanations, resources and photos, using our families' experiences with this curriculum.
As of 2026, several used book sites, including Amazon and Walmart and Ebay, are selling copies of our book. After Karen passed away, a friend helped put several of our curricula online at hsepicadventures.com
THE SONG: MY NOBLE BIRTHRIGHT
One day Hal came home from work and said he had some inspiration for our school song. He wrote the words and I helped put the song together. Then he bought a computer program that I could use to write it out in music notation.
A few years ago the Kindrick girls told me some stories about this song that Hal and I wrote:
Ashley told me that she was eight years old during that school year, and that she loved the song so much that she sang it to her cousin Thalia for a wedding gift. We laughed a long time about that!
Bridey said that her children sang the song for a patriotic church function, and now that I think about it, I think our family sang it once in public too.
A few years ago a homeschool family contacted me and asked if they could sing our song for a CD they were recording. The theme of the CD was courage. Of course we let them use our song and later they sent us a copy of the CD and a small commission check!
A RESOURCE
For many years I have pulled this book off my shelves and lent it to a friend to show her what an EPIC ADVENTURE is like.
Our family has used it for a resource for family home evening many times as well, usually around Independence Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving. Jasmyn and I seemed to be the ones who pulled out this book whenever we wanted to share something patriotic for a lesson.
A LEGACY
The supreme purpose for writing this curriculum was to inculcate the knowledge of the divine origins our liberties within the hearts of my children and the desire to risk everything for the defense of these liberties.
Many times I have read to may children Joseph Warren's impassioned plea as quoted in A Noble Birthright,
"The voice of your fathers' blood cries to you...in vain we crossed the boisterous ocean, found a new world, and prepared it for the happy place of liberty. In vain we toiled, in vain we fought, we bled in vain, if you, our offspring, [lack valor] in your exertions for the preservation of your liberties."
Amen.
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