OUR FRIENDS WON A CAR!!!

Our church, Revolution, gave away a car today, to a first-time attender, as part of its Easter celebration month.

We have been inviting our friends, Garey and Sharon, for quite some time now, but things just never worked out. When the timing was finally right, it just so happened we were giving away this car:

After calling the names of seven other people who were not there, David Trotter glanced at the eighth name. He started off with, "I know these people are here and I can't pronounce their last name." Behind me, Tim started in with "It's them!"

Then David said they were from Lakewood, to which Tim said, "It's them!"

I replied, "You're making me nervous!"

Then came the zip code 90713. Again, Tim: It's them.

The clincher was the address. He began, "5." I finished with him, yelling out the address I know by heart for some reason...

They started screaming. I started screaming. I rushed up on stage with them, figuring since we invited them, I could share in their joy. And joy it was. We were all shaking and hugging.

So cool!!

It's taken a while for the shaking to stop. I couldn't be more excited than if I had won it myself.

God is doing amazing things in the life of this family, and I am privileged to get a front row seat.

This day in History - July 13th

O.K., so Beth tagged my to tell this day in history information on my birthday - July 13th. I was challenged to find events, other people who were born on the same day, deaths and a holiday.

So here goes:

Births:

1396 Philip the Good Duke of Burgundy

1527 John Dee London, alchemist/astrologer/mathematician

1793 John Clare Northamptonshire peasant poet (Shepard's Calendar)

1821 Nathan Bedford Forrest Tennessee, brilliant cavalry leader, Lt Gen

1863 Emma Mary Wooley educator (Mary Anna Wells)

1894 Isaak Babel Russian short-story writer/dramatist (Red Calvary)

19-- Danitra Vance comedienne (SNL)

19-- Lois Kibbee actress (Edge of Night)

1901 Mickey "Toy Bulldog" Walker welterweight boxing champ (1922-26)

1906 Harry Sosnik Chicago, orch leader (Jack Carter Show, Your Hit Parade)

1913 Carolina Gisolf Holland, high jumper (Olympic-silver-1928)

1913 Dave Garroway Schnectady NY, TV host (Today Show)

1923 Susie Bond Louisville Ky, actress (Flo, Temperature Rising)

1926 Meyer Kupferman NYC, composer (In Fimi Tres)

1928 Bob Crane Waterbury Ct, actor (Hogan's Heroes)

1931 Bill Moor Toledo Oh, actor (Hanky Panky)

1934 Alexei S Yeliseyev cosmonaut (Soyuz 5, 8, 10)

1934 Wole Soyinka Nigeria, dramatist (Road, Kongi's Harvest)

1935 Jack Kemp (Rep-R-NY)/right-wing/US Secretary of Housing (1989- )

1940 Patrick Stewart actor (Capt Picard-Star Trek Next Generation)

1940 Paul Prudhomme cajun chef

1941 Robert Forster Rochester NY, actor (Lady in Red, Alligator)

1942 Harrison Ford actor (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Frantic)

1942 Roger McGuinn rocker (Byrds-Turn Turn Turn, Mr Tambourine Man)

1944 Erno Rubik Budapest, inventor (Rubik's cube)

1946 Richard "Cheech" Marin comedian (Cheech & Chong-Up in Smoke)

1948 Alf Hansen Norway, double sculls (Olympic-gold-1976)

1948 Daphne Maxwell Reid actress (Frank's Place)

1948 Don Sweet Vancouver, CFL, NFL place kicker (Montr‚al, Green Bay)

1950 George D "Pinky" Nelson Iowa, PhD/astro (STS 41C, STS 61-C, STS-26)

1951 Didi Conn Bkln NY, actress (Denise-Benson, Helen-The Practice)

1954 David Thompson NBA guard (Phoenix Suns, Seattle Supersonics)

1954 Louise Mandrell Corpus Christi Tx, country singer (Mandrell Sisters)

1956 Mark "Animal" Mendoza rocker (Twisted Sister-We're Not Gonna Take It)

1963 Bobby Rock Houston Tx, rock drummer (Nelson-Love & Affection)

1963 Spud Webb NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks)

1966 Myong Hui Choe North Korea, gymnist (Olympic-1980)

1970 Steven J Brown Hackensack NJ, guitarist (Trixter-Give It To Me Good)

Deaths:

1762 James Bradley 3rd Astronomer Royal, dies

1793 Jean Paul Marat French revolutionary, murdered by Charlotte Corday

1890 John C Fremont declared Republic of California, dies at 76

1955 Ruth Ellis hung

1961 Arnold Schoenberg Austrian-US composer (Second Quartet), dies at 86

1973 Lon Chaney Jr actor (Hawkeye, Pistols 'n' Petticoats), dies at 67

1982 John Alexander actor, dies at 85

Events:

1568 Dean of St Paul's Cathedral perfects a way to bottle beer

1787 Congress establishes Northwest Territory (excludes slavery)

1793 French rev writer Jean Paul Marat murdered by Charlotte Corday

1832 Source of Mississippi River discovered (Henry R Schoolcraft)

1836 US patent #1 (after 9,957 unnumbered patents), for locomotive wheels

1863 Anti-draft mobs lynch blacks in NYC; about 1,000 die

1865 Horace Greeley advises his readers to "Go west young man"

1865 PT Barnum's museum burns down

1868 Oscar J Dunn, former slave, installed as lt governor of Louisiana

1896 Ed Delahanty, becomes 2nd major leaguer to hit 4 HRs in a game

1898 Guglielmo Marconi patents the radio

1930 Sarnoff reports in NY Times "TV would be a theater in every home"

1934 Babe Ruth hits HR #700 against Detroit

1960 Democratic Natl convention nominates Sen John F Kennedy for president

1978 BBC bans Sex Pistols "No One is Innocent"

1978 Lee Iacocca fired as Ford Motor Pres by chairman Henry Ford II

1985 Live Aid, a rock concert in London, Phila, Moscow & Sydney

So that's my day in history.

Now my turn to tag:

Rick Bambrick

Donna Gisbert

Christy Platt

and a player to be named later!

Nacho Libre Party

Last night our Life Group hosted a Nacho Libre party. We munched on nachos and toast and of course, salad. Since it was going to be casual and fun, it was a great opportunity to invite a few extra people to come hang out with us. All together, there were about 30 of us hangin' out at the Bambricks.

Everyone loved the movie. Rene Uribe even stayed awake this time!

Karla Goddu suggested we make this a monthly event. Now we just need to come up with our next feature film.

Homeschool Joke

A woman talked at our homeschool meeting last night about getting your kids into college. She used this joke to illustrate, that the academic part isn't the problem:

Q: How does a home schooler change a light bulb?
A: First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library
Then the kids make models of light bulbs.
They read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life.
Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles.
Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill.
On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill.
Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.
And there is light.

I heard that and I didn't get it. I'm wanting to know who is this homeschool mom and can she give me more ideas?!

One of those days

You know when you have one of those days - a day replete with frustration? It started out good. I just got a new laptop (WHICH I LOVE) and we were spending the day in Whittier. Regan was taking the Language Arts and Math standardized tests today, so I thought I'd take my laptop and Chandler and her schoolwork and we'd hang out in Starbucks. Since she finished school in record time, we also hit McDonalds, Target, Payless, and Panera Bread just because it was there. So far so good. The day went great up until an hour before I was supposed to pick up Regan.

Let me back up... This is the first STAR test she has taken since we began to homeschool. She didn't do that well in second grade, and for the last three years I have been looking forward to a chance to see how (or if) she has progressed during these years of homeschooling. This was my first chance to do an "apples to apples" comparison. So I bought a practice test booklet and we worked on it an hour a day for a month. We both worked so hard to get to a point where she could at least have some familiarity with everything on the test. Hopefully, between knowledge and skill and good test-taking skills, I was confident we would see a big gain in her score. I know these things do not matter, but this one mattered to me.

So, I get a phone call an hour before the test was supposed to be over. It's Regan saying she was done. Fortunately, I was very close by, so I told her I was surprised she was done an hour early, but that I would be right there. When I picked her up, she said she didn't know she still had an hour on her time. She saw a few other kids finishing up and even though she wasn't even halfway through, she decided to hurry and just guessed the answers for the rest of the test.

I was in shock. Here was the day I have been waiting for for three years, and she blew it. These scores and this day as well as the month of hard work were a complete waste. I can't describe how disappointed I am.

Frustration number two: Since I do have a new laptop, I assumed I would spend DAYS getting it up to speed, but actually the transfer of programs and information has gone smoothly. I've been able to work from it almost out of the box. One small glitch, however, is the home network. The printers were attached to my old computer, and it is no more. So I had to move them to the girls' computer - no problem, but then I had to get everything all networked together again. Big Problem. Let's just say after four hours, it still doesn't work. My dad is taking pity on me and has offered to come over tomorrow to get it going. He thinks my BRAND NEW wireless router, that was working, died. It better be dead, because if it's not, I will kill it myself. So here are some photos to commemorate my day:

Old computer and the plethora of cables and miscellaneous stuff that went with it.
Boxes everything came in that are taking up valuable space in my already overcrowded office, but I cannot get rid of them because I do not yet know what is going back.

Picture of the screen on the girls computer - the one I am trying to network to. Notice the blank windows.??? What the heck? I have no idea what is going on here. Perhaps I should ping the TC/TCP or something like that with an I.P. address I just happen to have in my head. Or I could re-enter the network code which is 26 random characters long - another snappy little piece of information taking up space in my brain.

Here is the beautiful part. My laptop, hooked up to my beautiful desktop monitor, working perfectly. All my peripherials are attached and running wonderfully. This gives me hope. I might have it networked before it becomes extinct.

UPDATE:

The Power of God and a Good Cry

After I finished my blog post, I notice the Network window still open on my desktop. Miracle of Miracles, I saw the icon for the girls' computer. I added the printers, no problem. I printed test pages, they worked!!!!!!! Then I unplugged my laptop from the router and it's still connected... WIRELESSLY!!!!!!! Yea!!!! It appears everything is working that wasn't working when I last touched my computer.

I credit God.

Emma's Room is Done!

No thanks to any of you, we came up with a saying for Emma's room. It is from "Baby of Mine" in the movie Dumbo: You're so precious to me, Cute as can be, Baby of Mine. It's on the wall and it looks adorable!

This makes me happy

I might seem like a high-maintenance kind of girl, but really, it just takes some very small things to make me happy. Yesterday, I saw the Staples ad advertising 12 multi-colored Sharpies for FREE (fine print: with mail-in rebate). So I raced over there the first chance I got, expecting them to be gone, but there was plenty!

I love Sharpies. It's a sickness. And all these colors! I think I need to lay down and rest for a while.

Scrapbooking

Many of you know I love to scrapbook. I don't have a lot of time for it, but after the Easter rush, I sat down at the computer and did a few pages. I love them. Unfortunately they are from 2005!!! Ugh... I'm going to catch up someday!

Of course one of the cool things about being behind is I get to relive it. I have so many photos and as time goes by you kinda forget all the things you have done and places you have been.

Sharing the pages this way is a fun way for me to relive the moments with some of you who were there.

This is the one I am working on right now. I love both of these photos. Both haunt me. The first was snapped of Tim and his siblings after their mom's funeral. She had been suffering from Alzheimers for many years and we had actually lost her long before her death. The second photo is of her as a teenager. She looks beautiful and full of hope and life, excited about the time that lies ahead. She had no idea it would end in a fog that stole everything from her. She's in full possession of her faculties today in heaven and I look forward to seeing this saint of a woman again someday.

The part about the first photo that strikes me is the way Tim's dad was not even looking at the camera. He's looks lost. He doesn't know where to go. While all the siblings dealt with their mom's illness, I began to see signs of demise in their dad. Of course no one who is losing their mom, wants to even consider the possibility that their dad may be suffering from the same insidious disease. After she was gone, it became rather apparent that he too had fallen victim to the same malady. It wasn't long after this photo was shot that I'm not sure he knew Marilyn was gone. But this quick shot, revealed something prophetic. He was already in the process of being lost to us as well.

I have no answers for why God allows certain things. The pat, Christian reply of, "All things work together for good" is not very reassuring. Tragic circumstances occur in our lives and they are painful and we go through them and maybe many years later, we see something positive. Or not. All I know is I have these two people to thank for raising my amazing husband, and for that alone, their loss is painful.

Dennis Prager

Some of you know , I absolutely LOVE Dennis Prager (870 am 9-noon). He is by far the best thing on the radio. I found this website that archives his show. Now I listen while I'm on the computer and each hour takes 35 minutes, because there are not any commercials.

I strongly recommend this guy. He could make a discussion of tooth paste interesting. Click here to check him out!

NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!!

I know I shouldn't be putting this out there, but, seriously, this is freaky!!! I saw a bizarre story of a Taiwanese vet who got too close to a crocodile. Fortunately, they sewed the arm back on.

CHILDREN AND PARENTS BEWARE - GRAPHIC PHOTO FOLLOWS:

Easter

Well Easter vacation is officially over. It's after midnight on Easter. School starts tomorrow and I haven't given it any thought whatsoever. Oh well. I do have to say however, what a great Easter season!

The festivities started with our traditional egg decorating and egg hunt at Jenny's house. Each year since they were about five, the kids have gotten together to color eggs and hunt for candy filled plastic ones. Since Dylan's diabetes diagnosis, Jenny's been more creative in deciding what to stuff into them. One year, it was "Carrot dollars" they could use in her store. Another year it was clues that led to a reveal of a day at Boomers. This year, Jenny and Darrenn made clues for different areas that contained three eggs. After deciphering the clues, they had to find an egg and move on. The eggs contained money, Disney pins and certificates for movie nights and other thing. It was great!












Saturday was the pancake breakfast and easter egg hunt. Once again, Tim and Darrenn split the Easter Bunny duties. My dad took the photos and Regan helped out by being his test model while he was getting the lighting right.







Finally Sunday was the big day. I was so excited that two families we have been inviting to Revolution for some time now actually came. THAT WAS SO COOL, and such a God thing. I love that God was already working in their hearts and I just needed to lay in on the line. In each case, I decided to stop simply being polite and issuing a "It's no big deal if you can't make it apology". I told them straight from my heart how I felt and how much they and their families matter to me. I desperately want them in a place to grow in their faith and to be in a community that works towards that goal.



Here is a copy of one of my emails: I know we have invited you guys many times and I know you are busy. I don't want you to think we are harassing you with all the invitations, but I wanted to take a chance to just tell you what's on our hearts.

We have been friends with you guys for many years and obviously, we care about your family. I know you grew up in church and have a relationship with God, and we would love to see that grow and to see you guys surrounded by others who can support you in your faith or even in those "searching for faith" times. You are a great mom, and I know you want your children to have what you had. I know you want them to believe in God and have a relationship with Him. It makes it easier to pass on those values when you are surrounded by a community of faith.

We honestly want what is best for your family, and we personally would love to see you give our church a chance! I think it would be a great fit for you guys, but even more important than which church you may or may not attend, is your relationship with God. We all struggle with life in this world and I know I would have a very hard time holding onto my faith without the support I get from other Christians.

Anyways, I'm not trying to put any pressure on you. The invitation is yours to respond to with a "yes" or a "no", and it won't change our hearts towards you at all. We care about you guys, and we hope you can see the value in learning more about God, His plan for our lives, and His love for us in a community of other believers.



This is not to pat myself on the back, but to encourage others to lay it out there. Time is short and the stakes are high.

I don't know what the future holds for these families, but I am praying for them and for God to keep working in their hearts.

After the AMAZING service at Revolution, we came home for our annual family Easter dinner where the Peeters and the Lasch family eat till we cannot eat no more. Of course we had an egg hunt, but the big hit was the egg toss. The record was set a few years ago with an egg being tossed from our garage to our street - about 100 feet. This year, Tim and Alvin almost broke it. Unfortunately a tree broke their egg first! The Bambricks, Paul McKenzie, and Rick and Laurie Hallbeck joined us, making the day even more fun. What a lot of laughs!!

Tim's brother, Scott, catching the egg.

Dawn Bambrick jumping out of the way of the egg!
Alvin Velarde making a spectacular, textbook catch!

Tim with the infamous tree right behind him.

Saying for Emma's room

So I finished painting the swirls in Emma Platt's room last night. The only thing missing is some kind of phrase or verse or saying to really finish it off. If you have any ideas, go here and let Jenny know.

The First Day of Easter Vacation

Today was the first day of Easter Vacation. We started off right by taking the kids to see a movie at the El Capitan - Meet the Robinsons. We joined Darrenn, Jenny, and Dylan Platt, and Laura, Waverly, and Emerson Trotter. Then we went off shopping at the Grove - one of the best shopping places EVER!!!

The evening was spent painting Jenny's soon-to-be-here-baby's room. It was already pink on the bottom and white on the top with a black chair rail. I just painted the swirls. It's really starting to come together. I CAN'T believe she is going to be here so soon!!!!

Facing the Giants Trailer

This movie was recommended by the Bambricks and so we rented it to see what the hype was all about. Even though the acting was spotty, the story was great and inspiring. I highly recommend it myself!