Year in Review

It's hard to believe that 2015 will be here in less than three days. Where did the time go? While Marin and I are looking forward to the new year, we'd also like to get a bit of an evaluation done with you.
This is your chance to tell us what you think of the blog, what changes you'd like to see made and give us suggestions for what you think we should do in the upcoming year. Marin and I have a couple of ideas of what we might change for next year, but we want to hear from you!

So if you can, please comment in the sections below and answer these quick survey questions. Also, if you have any other suggestions/comments that are not included in the survey, just go ahead and tell us your thoughts. We look forward to your feedback!


1) What is your favorite post/part of the blog?

2) What is your least favorite post/part of the blog?

3) If you could add something to our monthly schedule, what would it be?

4) On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being nothing and 10 being I learned everything from your blog, what would you rate your history learning from this blog?

5) What time eras that we have not covered yet would you like us to cover?



Please note that though we appreciate all suggestions, we might not use all of them.

Thank you for your feedback! As a heads up, January is organizing month for us and once more we will not have our regular history schedule. Instead there's going to be a couple of surprises coming your way...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, dear blog readers. May God Bless you this Christmas season as we remember and celebrate the birth of his only son, Jesus Christ. We're so glad to have gotten to share our adventures with you this last year, and even more glad that God is faithful and has delivered us from every bad situation. There is much to think about and praise the Lord for.
And of course, it's always fun to get presents. :)

Enjoy the day with your families! Marin and I are enjoying a quiet day here on our island. And we're having ham!

-Trevor and Marin

Yummmmmmyyyyy!

And the trivia winner is...

Audrey French!

1) What is the name of the town Marin and Trevor go to during the Gold Rush? Grizzly Camp

2) Who helped Trevor escape the worker's mob in Coulee Down? Woodie Guthrie

3) What is Marin's real name? Elizaveta Rifka Maklakov

4) What kind of horses were Trevor and Marin riding in Spies Be Warned? Two-bit draft horses

5) What does 4T stand for? Trevor’s Time Travel Teleport

6) In Saddle Up, Partner! The Old West, what does Cowboy mean? Vaquero

7) What were the names of the two spies during WWII who landed in Maine in 1944? William Colepaugh and Erich Gimpel

8) What Russian submariner was friendly to Trevor and Marin in Troubled Waters? Nikita

9) In Trail Blazers: The Oregon Trail, who started the Oregon Trail? Fur trappers and traders

10) What are the types of animals Marin and Trevor own? Tigers, chickens, tropical birds, and horses

Our three entries all had the same answer score. I used Random.org to select a winner, and Audrey's name came first. Congratulations, Audrey! You get to choose a character you'd like to join us for an adventure! I will be emailing you your form.

Thank for the entries everyone! You all did a great job!

-Trevor and Marin

INSERT

MYKOLA SHAPOVAL

-OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE-

Everyone got the bonus question right as well. Good job. You all are smart.

CONTINUE

~END~

Trivia Time!

It's time for another fun post! Who's up for some trivia?


Here's how it works:

1) all the questions can be answered by reading previous posts

2) Email your questions on the blogger contact form. Please do not post your answers in the comments section

3) One winner who gets all the answers correct will be picked out of the entries. If more than one person gets them all right, there will be a drawing.


Sound simple enough? We hope so! Enjoy the questions, answers will be coming out on Monday of next week.
Have fun! One winner who answers all the questions right will be announced on the blog and will get to name one character they'd like to join us in one of our time travelling stories. For example: if you have a character in your own stories or imagination, or you'd like to have yourself be a character in a story, then you just tell us what the character's name, age, likes and dislikes are and what time period they're from. Then they can be in the story!
If more than one person gets all answers 100% correct, we will do a drawing and announce the winner on the blog.
You have until Sunday night, 12:00.


Good luck!


1) What is the name of the place Marin and Trevor go to during the Gold Rush?

2) Who helped Trevor escape the worker's mob in Coulee Down? 

3) What is Marin's real name?

4) What kind of horses were Trevor and Marin riding in Spies Be Warned?

5) What does 4T stand for?

6) In Saddle Up, Partner! The Old West, what does Cowboy mean?

7) What were the names of the two spies during WWII who landed in Maine in 1944?

8) What Russian submariner was friendly to Trevor and Marin in Troubled Waters? 

9) In Trail Blazers: The Oregon Trail, who started the Oregon Trail?

10) What are the types of animals Marin and Trevor own?


Hope you're excited as we are. Can't wait to see how you all do!

INSERT---- MYKOLA SHAPOVAL---- 

BONUS QUESTION: What was the Major's name from The Unknown posts?

END

Answer Session 2

We're back for part two of the answer session! Depending on how long this takes us, we may actually have to do one more answer post after this. We'll see.

Time to continue on...

Marin: What is your favourite colour?

Marin: Purple!

Marin and Trevor: What are your favorite time periods in history?

Trevor: Oh boy, that's hard! Pick something easier!

Marin: I know what my favorite time period is!

Trevor: Oh you do?

Marin: Yes. When Jesus was born.

Trevor: Ah yes. That would have to be my favorite time period as well. The day our Savior was born.

Trevor: Here's one that has had me a bit confused. When you went to the Cold War era and were transported back home before you knew if you made the Russians fire the missile... If the world did get blown up by the nuclear bombs, wouldn't you not have been born, and therefore not exist? It's kinda a confusing question...But it's had me a bit confused.

Trevor: Uhm, yeah. Didn't even think about it. *Clunks head against tree* Duh, you're right! I would not exist. So I guess I could've taken a hint and realized that since I was there that the world hadn't blown up. Thanks for pointing that out...

I feel so dumb sometimes. ;)

Marin: Do you want to be an inventor?

Marin: That's an interesting question! I haven't give it a whole lot of thought, but it definitely sounds like it could be interesting!

Trevor: Do you ever think about what could go wrong and try to plan against it when you go on your trips?

Trevor: Uhhh.... no.... I never actually have planned ahead for a trip into the past.... Perhaps I should...

Marin: That would be great if you tried and planned ahead. It would save me a lot of headaches.

Trevor: Hey!

Trevor and Marin: What is your favourite instrument?

Trevor: bagpipes!

Marin: Davul!

Trevor: okay... how about we pick one we both like?

Trevor and Marin: Fiddle!

Trevor: Do you have a Scottish last name?

Trevor: Yeah. I do... but I prefer to be called Trevor Trekker. My Scottish last name is a secret, kinda like an alias.

-OVERRIDE OVERRIDE OVERRIDE OVERRIDE-

Mykola: I thought I already answered this question for you readers. Trevor's last name is McIntyre.

-RESUME-

Marin: What is your favorite country you've visited so far? Besides Czechoslovakia! ;)

Marin: Honestly I have no idea. Like Trevor, I really love the United States. But when I really think about it, I enjoyed Trevor's homeland the most. I loved Scotland. I thought it was beautiful, what with its rolling hills, highlands and oceans. So pretty.

Trevor: Where is your favourite place on earth?

Trevor: Our home in Hawaii.

Marin: If you could have been born in a different time in history (or the future), would you have wanted that?

Marin: No. Though I was born in one of the most troubled time periods the world has ever seen, I would never have chosen any other time to have been born. I loved my mother a lot. And I love my country. If I'd been born in a different time period I wouldn't have the same wonderful Mom.

Trevor: What is your favorite flavor of Ice cream?

Trevor: Moose Tracks!

Marin: What is your favourite food?

Marin: French fries! Yes, yes, I know they're not exactly healthy but they taste so good!

Marin and Trevor: How did you get animals to your island (I'm not sure, but did tigers live in Hawaii years ago?)?

Marin: Most of them were already there when I came to the Island. Trevor had made this huge time-travel bubble thingy (I have no idea what it was) that he would coax different animals through with treats and stuff. It would lead them through the warp and onto our island. Don't ask me why he did this or why we don't time travel this way regularly, but that's how he did it! The only animals that weren't there when I got there was Zachary, my horse, and our parrot, Fuity-Toot. We got Zachary here because I grabbed onto his mane just was we transported back to our Island, and Fruity-Toot was sitting on my shoulder when we came back from one excursion.

Trevor: As far as how I got the rest of the animals here, it was exactly how Marin said. And no, there aren't tigers on Hawaii normally. I put them there. And since I know someone's going to ask this, the reason we do not travel through time through the "weird bubble thingy" as Marin put it, that's a top secret invention I created that went down the drain. It had a bad habit of exploding. I figured that wouldn't be a safe way to travel through time.

Trevor: Can you do the Highland fling?

Trevor: Sure can!

Marin: It is the most embarrassing thing ever to watch...

Trevor: She just thinks its weird I wear a kilt when I do it.

Marin: Guys were never meant to wear skirts.

Trevor: For the millionth time, it's not a skirt!

Marin: In one of your posts you mentioned that your "Father, slipping away while I was being dragged off." Why did your father leave you?

Marin: My father was a Communist. I think I mentioned before that he was Russian, traditionally from a long line of Kazaks, but turning into a staunch Bolshevik during the 1917 Revolution. When the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia, my father feared for his life. Nazis hate Communists, and even though they had made a "peace pact" with the Russians, it was well known they still didn't take kindly to Communists. On top of that, my Mother was a Jew. Yes. I'm half Jewish. This was part of the reason I was so terrified when I was taken off to the school to reform kids into German citizens. Somehow it slipped past the Germans that I was half Jewish, and I was just waiting for the discovery to get out.

But that's a bit off topic. To answer the question, my father left because he thought the Nazis would kill him for being a Communist and for marrying a Jew. I don't want to sound cynical of him, but he wasn't a very good man. I forgive him for leaving my Mother and me, but I can't say I often wonder what happened to him. He had a lot of problems.

Trevor: Why don't you like ladybugs?

Trevor: Oooohhhh. I hate ladybugs with a passion. It began as a child. I was going swimming with some friends in a lake when a whole swarm of ladybugs flew in among us. When there are lots and lots of ladybugs in one area, they start to get hungry and bite everything. I got bit more times than I could count, and it hurt! I've hated ladybugs ever since.

Trevor: Do you have a tartan for your family? Also, have you, in your travels, met any of my ancestors (some were Scottish, Irish, Northern Irish, English, and Norwegian, on the side that we know about!)?

Trevor: No Tartan for my family. I was fostered, so I have no idea what our Tartan was. And alas, if I met your family I had no idea it was them. It's hard to keep track of all the people we meet!

Trevor and Marin: Do you have any more book suggestions for the Civil War period, books that would be geared more towards older teenage girls?

Marin: You can look up Christian books on the Civil War on sites like Christian Book Distributors: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=105883&sp=1001

I've read a lot of books on the Civil war, but I can't remember them all currently. Sorry!

Trevor: I can't keep track of any of the books I read. Probably because I read it once and then I forget what I just read about a week later. I can reread a book about three times before I realize I've already read it!

Marin: Who drew your pictures? They're really good!

Marin: You know that illustrator Mrs. Susan Marlow got to do her Goldtown books? We liked her pictures so well that we asked if she'd do ours! Her name is Melissa McConnell. You can see her art on Mrs. Marlow's website. She is very talented.

Trevor: Have you ever seen the time travelling video "Time Changer" (great video!)?

Trevor: No I haven't. But I'll try to see it sometime.

Marin: What is your favourite outfit?

Marin: I really like this one dress I have. It's a beautiful red color and it goes a little past my knees. It's a velvet texture. I have a cute pair of black shoes and white stockings that go with it. My Mother made it for me when I was seven. Though I can't wear it anymore since I outgrew it, it's still my favorite!

Trevor and Marin: What is something that you both disagree on most? What is something that you both agree on most?

Marin: We've never agreed on if it's better to make up a story when you time travel to tell someone so you don't mess up their lives or if we should just tell them the truth. We're still undecided on that. I always believed we should avoid saying anything, but if asked straight out to tell the truth. Trevor forgets sometimes and just makes up stories as he goes, totally forgetting that it's the same as lying. We're trying to work on that. :)

Trevor: One thing we agree on wholeheartedly though is that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Says so right in Genesis, folks, and we believe every word of the Bible is true! Besides, we've been to the first days of the earth. It's fun!

Trevor: Describe how you met Marin.

Trevor: Honestly it happened so suddenly it's hard to remember all the details. I just remember that my watch was about to break. I knew I had to get it fixed, but it was a very special watch. I traced the maker back to Czechoslovakia, and when I transported myself there in 1939. I discovered the shop boarded up and no one there- except a little, frightened blond girl who insisted that I leave right away because I didn't speak a lick of German of Czech. She actually brought me to a secret hideout and got me out of more situations I could count, and in the end helped fixed my watch, 4T. That's how I met Marin, from the very beginning she figured out I needed and help and sprung into action, even though when I first met her she'd escaped not two days before from a German reform school. She was still willing to help me though, which was what made her stand out to me more than anyone I'd ever met before. I knew this girl also needed my help, because her mother was gone and her father was missing. I realized that I had to help this girl- just like she helped me.

Trevor: When did you get the idea to make a time-travelling watch?  

Trevor: When I was five, I told my foster brother Rodney that I was going to invent one. I thought, how crafty that would be? Imagine me, travelling wherever I wanted whenever I wanted, all at the convenience of a watch! Through much experimenting and a whole slew of scientific stuff (I won't get into that, it's way too hard to understand) I got my 4T Wristwatch to work for the first time when I was twenty. My life has been nothing but excitement since then!

Marin: If you ordered a pizza with one topping, what would it be? Pepperoni. :)

Trevor: Do you ever wish you could fix something in time but weren't able to do it?

Trevor: Several times. One time in particular. The first man I met on my first time travel journey asked me to do something for him. He begged me to go back in time and save his family from a bomb that exploded in an apartment in Moscow. I tried and tried and tried and tried. Every time I went back and attempted to save the family, it failed. At this time I wasn't a Christian, but later on when I became a Believer I realized that God wasn't going to let me mess with life. That was up to him. So even though I can time travel, I cannot change things when someone dies. That's up to God, not me. I can't play around with things like that, as much as I'd like to save people.

Trevor and Marin: If you could be somebody else, who would you be (or would you remain yourself)?

Trevor: I'd be a dog.

Marin: I think the question meant what person, not what animal.

Trevor: In that case, I'd be Doc from Back to the Future.

Marin: Trevor, you basically are Doc from Back to the Future. And you're younger.

Trevor: I know! But that's who I would be.

Marin: If I could be someone else for a day, I'd be one of the legendary Resistance members from WWII. There was a girl in one of the Slavic Resistance groups that I remember hearing about. She saved over a dozen Jews. I would be just like her if I was someone else.

Well, I think that covers all the questions! We didn't have to do a third post after all.

I hope you enjoyed these answers. Thanks for all the great questions, we had a blast answering these!

God bless and have a wonderful weekend!

-Trevor and Marin

-OVERRIDE OVERRIDE OVERRIDE OVERRIDE-

Mykola Shapoval: Listen up. This is not a question, or request. This is a command. LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or, as you've been keeping us updated on your plans, maybe we should let the police know!!! And believe me, you can't corrupt every force in the world. Good people will stand up for what's right. And they will stand against evil.

I hope that Trevor and Marin get rid of you right quick.

Mykola: I like your spunk, m'dear. Don't worry, I will leave Marin and Trevor alone.

Once I get what I want from them.

-RESUME-

Answer Session 1

Wow! We got quite the turnout on questions. Thanks so much for all the great inquiries guys!

Since there were so many questions, we're going to split this up into two posts. Hope that sounds fair to you. If your question wasn't answered in this post, that means we're going to answer it in the next.

Hope this one's not too personal...but how come you've never gotten married, Mr. Trekker?

Trevor: Oh, well, uhm... it's not really that it's personal, it's more of that, well, I actually have never gone out with a woman or found one that I was really attracted to. That is, except one. But, I never actually officially have met her. I just know who she is and about her life and stuff, but she's... well, she's British. And Scots don't marry Brits. Otherwise she would have been perfect, despite the fact we've actually never met and she has no idea who I am.

Marin: In other words, he really likes this lady but was too afraid to approach her and talk to her.

Trevor: Marin!

Marin: He really likes her. I mean, really likes her. He wants to marry her. :)

Trevor: I will neither confirm or deny that...

Trevor: What is your favorite country besides Scotland?

Trevor: Oh. That is really hard. I've been to many great countries that I loved. I like them all! But if I were to chose one, it would be the United States. I love the history, the people and the culture. America really is like no other country. Not to say it doesn't have its problems, but it is quite a fascinating place.

Marin, What was the most exciting adventure you have been on with Trevor so far?

Marin: Oh, goodness. That is hard. I don't know how to answer that. We've done so many exciting things... but probably by far, the scariest and most exciting one was when I first met Trevor three years ago, in Czechoslovakia. That was the scariest and most adventuresome adventure I ever went on with Trevor. It was crazy- the Nazis were ripping up the town trying to find Trevor, and I was terrified that he as well as I would be caught and imprisoned. Or worse. It was by far the biggest adventure I can recall.

Marin: Do you ever wish that you stayed in Czechoslovakia, and never meet Mister Trekker?

Marin: I miss Czechoslovakia a lot. I miss my hometown, I miss my people. I miss talking to people who speak my language. But no, I would never, ever wish I had not met my adopted father. I know God arranged this. Trevor is my Dad. And I love him a lot. So no, I don't wish I stated in Czechoslovakia.

Trevor: Well, I'm glad to hear that. I was getting worried...

For both Trevor and Marin: What is your favourite song?

Trevor: Hmmm... What would you say, Marin?

Marin: I have no idea on one song we could choose.

Trevor: I've got several ideas.

Marin: Let's just choose one.

Trevor: We both love Be Thou My Vision, that is our favorite song in the hymnal. That's probably our favorite song.

Marin and Trevor: Who is your favourite composer?

Trevor: Oh boy, I have no idea.

Marin: Uhm, Tchaikovsky?

Trevor: Sure, let's go with that. Tchaikovsky. I always did have fun helping him write the 1812 Overture. Those were some good times.

-OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE-

Mykola Shapoval, How did you get on Trevor's blog without him knowing, and how do you control what comments he can see???

Mykola: Too complicated for you to understand. I have my ways.

-CONTINUE-

Marin: Do you like time traveling?

Marin: Yes, I do! There's so much to see and so much to learn. Not to mention all of the adventures waiting. But sometimes it's also nice to just sit back and enjoy times when things are at a slow, easy pace, too.

Trevor: Do you have a family?

Trevor: Well, I consider Marin my family, after all I did adopt her. As far as parents, I was fostered as a child in Scotland, I didn't really ever know my parents. I had a great foster Mom though, she was the one who encouraged me to pursue my love of inventing. I had a lot of foster siblings, one of which was like a brother to me. His name was Rodney. I haven't seen him in years, I don't know what became of him. He was moved to a different family when I was seven, I never saw him again.

Trevor: Will you ever make a book about all your adventures?

Trevor: Uhm, I'd like to. Someday.

Marin: Keep asking him everyone. Maybe someday we'll convince him to finally sit down and do it!

Trevor: Well if you haven't noticed Marin, I'm kinda busy. I haven't had time to write a book. If I did, I'd write about the first time I met you and how that entire adventure happened. It was quite fun.

Marin: I wouldn't use fun...

Trevor: I thought it was fun. Until the last part.

Marin: What is your favorite animal? And what is your favorite breed of horse, and dog?

Marin: Hmm, this is a tough one. Well, I love all animals but I'm going to say horses. They're magnificent creatures! My favorite breed of horse would be the Kinsky horse, I think. They're so pretty, and powerful, and... yeah, they're amazing! My favorite dog breed is the Russian Wolfhound, also known as the Borzoi. I have a soft spot for sight-hounds.

-OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE-

I do have one for you Mister Mykola Shapoval...

What is your reason for trying to get rid of Mister Trever Trekker? What has he ever done to you?

Mykola: Simple. I don't like him and I'm going to show him he can't go and stick his nose wherever he wants without consequences. He thinks he can do anything he wants- except what other people want. And he didn't help me when I needed it, so I'm going to rub his face into the ground.

-CONTINUE-

Trevor: What was your favorite adventure?

Trevor: Oh wow. That's hard. Really hard! One adventure that sticks clearly in my mind was when Marin and I decided to head to Russia. I couldn't speak a lick of Russian and Marin spoke it with a heavy Czech accent. Before we knew it, KGB agents showed up out of nowhere and drugged us, dragging us off to interrogation! We would never have escaped if it hadn't been for the fact 4T transported us back at the last possible second. I went back later and discovered in the KGB files that they have been searching for us for years, determined to figure out how we escaped. Needless to say, we haven't actually gone back to Soviet Russia since then. We don't want them to catch us!

Marin: Who's your favorite author? There are so many! But my favorite author is Leo Tolstoy. I really enjoy reading his short stories.

Marin and Trevor: What is one word that you would use to describe each other?

Marin: For Trevor I have one word. ADHD. ;)

Trevor: Hey, that's four words! Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder!

Marin: Ah, but when it's abbreviated it's only one word.

Trevor: I can't stand it when you're right. Fine. You win.

My one word to describe Marin: Considerate. Marin's always thinking of others and trying to help people.

Marin: Aww, that's so sweet. Now I feel bad I called you ADHD.

Trevor: Do you have a better word then?

Marin: If I could choose a second word for Trevor, it would be: Excitable. Trevor's always excited about everything and wants to share that joy with others.

Trevor: ...which I guess is covered by ADHD. I still like your second choice better.

Marin: What is your favorite Christmas memory? Hmm, I think my favorite Christmas memory is probably during the Christmas Truce in 1914, during World War One. I was with the British Troops, while Trevor was with the German Troops. We had gotten separated earlier on and had no idea what happened to the other. When both armies met in the middle of No-Man's Land, I was so surprised and relieved to be reunited again- without more fighting breaking out! We spent hours with both armies singing Christmas carols and laughing together.

Trevor: What is your favorite Christmas song?

Trevor: Snoopy's Christmas, for the same reason as Marin's favorite Christmas memory. :) It's about the Christmas Truce.

Marin: Do you do the cooking normally?

Marin: I do. Don't tell him I said this, but shhh, Trevor is a terrible cook! ;)

Trevor: I am not!

Trevor: Do you ever visit the future?

Trevor: Rarely. I prefer to stay away from the future. Too many strangeness going on then. I'm not a big fan. Far into the future doesn't exist anyways. Y'know, end of the world and stuff, things predicted in Revelation.

Marin: Do you miss Czechoslovakia?

Marin: Yes, I do. I often think about it. I had a good friend when I was younger. Her name was Lenka. We played a lot when we were younger. After the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, I hardly saw her. She was a Jew and had to go into hiding. I don't know what happened to her. I miss her a lot. I miss the Czech countryside too. It was beautiful, full of farms and hills and beautiful buildings.

Okay. Well, we will do another round of questions on a post on Thursday. Hope you enjoyed these answers. If your question didn't get answered, it will get answered on Thursday!

-Trevor and Marin

-OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE- OVERRIDE-

Well I'm not done. I've got a couple more things to say.

Mykola Shapoval: What do you have against Trevor???

Mykola: No comment. I already answered that.

Mr. Mykola Shapoval... What do you intend to do to Mr. Trekker and Marin to get back at them for what ever they did to you???

Mykola: Ah, now there's a question that's interesting.

To answer it- I have many plans. But my first plan will be to do a test. You will see what will happen.

-END-