The Middle East (June 20, 2009)

Yes, I believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Christian Church, since we are only “grafted in” for a period of time (The Church Age) before God then once again uses Israel as His evangelical method of reaching out to the unsaved world (via The Two Witnesses and The 144,000). There have been many hints at this being that time in history where such a possibility has become so highly likely: We are in the generation of time that has witnessed Israel come together as a nation, for instance and much of Bible prophecy that has yet to be fulfilled is to occur during such a time.

So, anyway, I stumbled upon a news source trying to validate information received by a TV Evangelist I don’t always agree with that was rather sobering… SEE ARTICLE. It may mean something, it may not. Such is for you to decide.

What I was actually attempting to research was the possiblity of a statement made that ALL citizens of the world will take “a mark” by 2017 (Have you heard about that? It’s news to me! Unverified, as of yet.) – and it’s been said that it is a plan already set in motion among world rules today! That there is this drive toward a One World Government, or A New World Order with A Supreme Leader, and that such has been gaining steam in recent years, from efforts begun back with The Illuminati, and now carried forward by The Untied Nations… it should cause even the anti-Christian crowd to rise up in wonder and ask questions… But it probably won’t. They will likely buy into whatever argument is presented hook, line & sinker, by whomever is then their secular leader at the time the decision is made. Good luck to you, if that includes you.

Grace & peace, Ron

“Go, Lakers! beat The Magic!”

If you are a huge Lakers fan like I am, then you have probably gone through a series of emotions this playoffs season, from chewing your finger nails to walking away in disgust to shouting for joy! Thankfully, it is “better to be lucky than good” – at times. But referee calls aside, the experience of The Lakers as an organization may have a lot more to do with their success this year than anything else. The Orlando Magic had a great game plan in play for Game #2 but their “rookie” Courtney Lee missed THREE LAYUPS down the stretch – not just one. The supposed Pau Gasol “goal tend” of the most critical one with time expiring in regulation… Like I said: “Better to be lucky than good!”

The thing about LUCK is you don’t generally have any unless you first have talent! KB24 had his worst game of any playoff game he ever played, and I highly doubt there will be a repeat of that miserable performance of numerous blown defensive plays and SEVEN turnovers! Not tonight. Not by one of the very best DEFENSIVE players in the league, somebody who just so happens to always be one of the 3 best offensive players in the league year after year (Is that all you know about him? His scoring?).

Without Kobe Bryant, The Lakers are still a solid team. Their GM Mitch Kupchak has helped build a team with great chemistry, and I am astounded at his ability to acquire a former Cavalier (Shannon Brown) and a former Magic player (Trevor Ariza) so easily – possibly giving us an insider’s understanding of the coaching philosophy of those teams. That both players have come up BIG for The Lakers in the playoffs has been a HUGE part of why we have been so successful. Regardless of Bynum’s inconsistent play (which has been unfortunate), the steady play of Gasol and Fisher, as well as the resurgent play of Lamar Odom that has been borderline INCREDIBLE. The Magic have their work cut out for them if they are going to keep The Lakers squad from sweeping them in FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES as I hope will occur (six likely, five a possibility, but if they gather themselves together, they can do it in four).

The Orlando Magic are a very good team, but there time has not yet come: another two or three years, perhaps; but with Garnett on the mend, The Celtics could easily dash their hopes of making it back to The Finals next year. Time will tell. “Go, Lakers! Beat The Magic!”

Jay Leno’s 17 Years with “The Tonight Show” Complete

Did you catch the last Jay Leno monologue last night on “The Tonight Show”?

What can anybody say about O.J. Simpson? Leno got one more poke in at O.J.’s expense: “I found O.J.’s knife, I had it all the time” (in reference to cleaning out his desk, handing over the reigns of the show to Conan O’Brien).

Memorial Day 2009

Victoria and Isabella went with Daddy on a day trip, exploring the Antelope Valley – as Victoria might say, it was “a surprise.” She doesn’t always like surprises. She does seem to like trips down dirt roads, though; and that’s what makes today a bit more interesting than any other day because…

How can anybody ever fall asleep on a bumpy, herky-jerky trip down an unknown dirt road?

We did find a funny sign along the route: a “TURTLE CROSSING” sign! That was after I had tried to take the girls onto Edwards Air Force Base to sneak a peak at Space Shuttle Atlantis; but it was camouflaged behind some scaffolding, being placed in position to be raised into its harness to be secured on top of the Boeig 747 Heavy Jet that will bring it back to Florida in a few days. If you didn’t know, it was the last mission for any of the space shuttles, astronauts performing an upgrade to the Hubble Telescope.

We eventually made it back onto familiar roads, and we made various attempts to “pop by” homes of different people we know. Since we were coming back down the 14 Freeway from Mojave, we called to see if their friends in Rosamond were home, Amy & Erin; but their Mom answered her cell phone – she was doing errands in Lancaster, letting us know the girls were with their Grandma. When we came back into Lancaster, we headed to a park in Quartz Hill, affectionately known as “Climbing Rock Park” (Lane Park).

But first I stopped by the house of some friends we haven’t seen in quite some time: and their son Joseph is now 2-1/2, and almost as tall as Victoria! Dad wasn’t home, off with Junior; but the older girls got to see how much Victoria & Isabella have grown since they had seem them last – probably over a year ago. I enjoyed the visit (I hope you all enjoy these photos!)!

Then we went to the park, but left right away, rushing off to Grandma & Grandpa’s house to use the facilities, since the doors to the restrooms were closed – Oh, yeah! It’s a holiday! Oopsy (Actually, two oopsy’s were avoided since they live so close by).

Somehow, we made it home to see the tip-off of the Lakers-Nuggets game, that I had hoped they would win – but even with an ankle injury to Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant & “The Rest of The Lakers” were unable to keep it close enough to steal this time (losing 120-101).

Ouch!

Hammond Reunion: May 2nd, 2009

Dear Lee, Ruth Elaine, Everybody,

I would have most liked coming again to see the family gathering in Carruthers again, but I can only offer my appreciation to you and thanks for your hospitality, and your continuing tenacity, for going to such an enormous effort to get everybody together regularly. Unfortunately, this is a year we will not be able to attend the reunion; and I am disappointed about it.

My work schedule has me working Friday 6am to 2pm plus the graveyard shift from Firday night at 10:30pm until 6:30am Saturday! I have trouble driving home a short 30-minute trip, sometimes; but 4 hours to Fresno/Carruthers after loading up the family… not even remotely possible. Mary’s mother is now staying with us.

“Mom” (Grandma Elaine), that is, Mary’s mom, is in poor health, on oxygen with emphysema, unhappily visiting long-term after I hauled her out here recently from Omaha, Nebraska. I/we didn’t have a choice: Mary’s brother Mike is no longer able to help with her day-to-day care/needs (details why purposely omitted). But also, we love her very, very much; and, I believe God directed me to do it – without hesitating. Therefore, I drove 25 hours straight, in obedience to Him, to be there soon enough to prepare her for the journey, and to collect her things. The trip back was… unique from day to day, and sometimes moment by moment…

So, we have new responsibilities to deal with, that can be tough to handle from one day to the next. Things get topsy-turvy, unexpectedly. But we are happy she is with us, Victoria & Isabella just think she is visiting (staying in The Guest Room); and it’s what needed to be done: family is our first priority.

Because FAMILY is PRIORITY #1 this “family reunion” we are missing is a heartbreaker. “Mom” (Grandma Joan) is bringing some pictures of Mary & I wth the girls over the course of the last year, and I know that doesn’t replace seeing people in person, but it’s the best we can do under the circumstances. Thanks for your understanding. We love you. Have a great time! Ron (Ron & Mary)

Victoria: 6 Years Young!

Yes, our oldest daughter enjoyed a low-key birthday party; and even with a small group expected, intentionally, it was quite demanding of her parents (mostly Mary) – while I was gone most of the day serving on “Jury Duty.”

I have been intending to re-gift my Nintendo DS unit to her for awhile, and she received it with components I never had while recovering from knee surgery 15 months ago: a Hannah Montana case cover, plus the Hannah Montana Movie game… And then the most surprising thing happened: she wanted to play the game we had enjoyed so much a year ago, Super Mario 64 where Mario and his two brothers are invited to Princess Toadstool’s Castle for lunch. Who knew?

 

 

 

She also received a new bike, which her friend Cristal test drove for her without the training wheels attached; Victoria rode her old bike so that they could ride around in our cul de sac together. She is still a bit too short to ride it without training wheels, but she’s not ready for me to take them off yet anyway (she doesn’t ride it enough to have had enough practice to figure out how to balance a bike yet).

Of course, there were grandparents in the audience, lots of food, and a “Hello Kitty” cake. All in all, it was a fun time. The best part for Mom & dad is: the new trindle bed we put together for them last week that is in Isabella’s room, since Grandma Elaine is sleeping in the Guest Room / Victoria’s room, they are finally sleeping in it mor than they are sleeping in our bed in the Master Bedroom! Yippeeee!

I am a Fantasy Basketball League Winner!

SoCal BeachBums win the title!

It may be the first and last season I ever play fantasy basketball; it’s a lot of work! But I thoroughly enjoyed a couple leagues I was a part of. Of course, winning helps! Right? But an 82-game schedule is grueling.

I much prefer Fantasy Football with weekly action, one game per week; that’s comparitive to a NBA season where a team may play 3 to 5 games in a week, with possible back-to-back games… the variables become endless, roster concerns are greater, especially if you factor into it injuries, trades…

Guys at work tried to get me interested in a Fantasy Baseball League… Are you kidding me! A 162-game schedule with the same problems as the NBA scheule? No thanks.

While I may be a huge Los Angeles Lakers fan, and a mere interested bystander of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the world of fantasy sports, fantasy football most definitely reigns supreme!

Even so, it was a thrill to overcome the odds, watch the favorite choke in the playoffs, and pull out a not very convincing win coming from behind on the last day of the regular season with many starters benched for the playoffs, seeing the trend and trading for bench players that would receive more playing time than normal and see them come through! Way to go, team! I mean, my team that’s not really a team, my fantasy team, The Champion SoCal BeachBums!

Easter 2009

From the lips of children and infants You, God, have ordained praise!

Those are words Victoria gets to speak (loudly!) at The Children’s Concert next Sunday morning (April 26th), at our local church: Grace Chapel. She’s very excited, and ready! But mostly she is excited to be singing a number of songs “on stage,” performing before a “live” audience!

Victoria & Isabella are also very excited that they got to do Easter egg hunting this year! Mary & I are more thankful that they got to see Grandma Elaine this year, for this special holiday, commemorating the fact that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead and the ascend into heaven – from which He will be returning, soon. Yet I was reminded that the power is in the blood, and Jesus could not rise from the dead or ascend to heaven unless He had, in fact, first died… “according to the Scriptures”! (1 Corinthians 15:3,4)

And what did we do? We ate food, we strolled through poppies, spending time with family because that’s a priority we should all keep: the value of people, especially family members.

Mary’s Mom (Grandma Elaine) is now living with us, on an extended visit, suffering from memory loss, and likely other complications. Pray for us, as we attempt to deal with this additional responsibility. Thanks! Maranatha!

USAA Group 110 Reunion

Manhattan Beach was the location for this year’s reunion (August 2008), and quite a few families made it to the get-together! Polliwog Park. Ironically, a previous post is titled “From Toddlers to Tadpoles to…” Anyway, the park is very nice, and the pond is a central part of it; but, many of us were amused at how the play areas are fenced but the pond is not! “The Polliwogs win! The kids drown?” No, that didn’t happen: ever-watchful eyes. Some of us have girls from earlier adoption trips to China, and still others have American-born children that are a bit older: it was a good mix. They seemed to get along well with each other, having fun individually, and in a group, as a group. The kids seemed fascinated by the turtles in the pond, and some of the girls tried to jump rope. Playgroung “swings” are always a big hit. There was plenty to do, and plenty to eat!

 

 

Some of us have older children, but these 3-year olds we all traveled together to China to adopt are finally walking and talking and playing with each other without parents needing to coax them to do so too much. It’s great! Hopefully they will be able to develop lasting frendships with each other, right? Isabella has always been a somewhat socially well-adjusted child, confident in who she is, able to keep herself amused but equally enjoying playing with others… Victoria, on the other hand, is unhappy playing by herself; so, this was great for her to be able to spend time with so many other girls she calls “my friends.” But Isabella claimed this reunion for herself, exclusively. For her this wasn’t “a” reunion but “my” reunion (it was for all of our 3-year olds). As you can see by the picture below, it was a bit cold when we first arrived; but it got hot & humid in a hurry, didn’t it? Thank God for the breeze created by the Gazebo… Notify Us Via eMail If You Request a CD of Photos

Isabella was able to pal around with Olivia & Sarah Marie hung out with Victoria quite a bit, so it was fun for both of them. It was great to see so many people there: Peaking at Mary’s e-mail this morning, it’s obvious this was a group effort, something the wives/mom’s worked on for weeks. Great work, everybody! What did I do? I took pictures. Here’s a good one of Kris & Ebba-Marie. But taking pictures generally gives me the bulk of being responsible for watching the kids, by default – so, I had fun! Mary had fun talking with lots of you. It’s all good: win, win, win… for everybody! When will we be doing this again?

 Polliwog Park, Manhattan Beach

 

 Thanks, Bill & Kelly, for hosting this event!

Nice location: Polliwog Park on Manhattan Beach Blvd. west of Aviation Blvd. Kris came with Sophie & Olivia (without Bill – – this time) . Adam & Allison were there with Addicus & Esmay (I forgot that they had moved to the beach from Pasadena awhile ago); Andrew & Annette were apparently the catalysts for Paul & Jean coming down from The Bay Area – winners of The Long Distance Award this year.

Regular winners of The Long Distance Award would be Robert & Diane (sorry, guys!). We not only spent time with them at the reunion but also at Redondo Beach afterwards! That was a lot of fun: Victoria enjoyed playing with Sarah Marie, who taught her how to dog crawl into the surf (caught on video, and it’s hilarious!); and they also worked together with Isabella & Grace building a sand castle… I mostly talked “politics” with Robert, while Mary & Diane got to know each other better. We had a great time!

Just getting started uploading pictures, so check back! Thanks, Ron

Isabella’s Birthday Party

Wow!  This was a very exciting day, especially for Isabella, our birthday girl, but also for all of her friends that were able to come to her Ariel theme, “Water Fun” Birthday Party!

“Isabella, how old are you” I asked again, after the party, already knowing what reaction I will receive.  And right on cue she responds, again: “I’m three!!!“ – at the top of her lungs.  She can be very, very loud, but it is so incredibly cute how she works into it, and it always comes with a joyful smile.  She had been looking forward to this day since Victoria had her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza a few months ago.  Until then, Isabella had desired us to get her a “Minnie Mouse” birthday cake; but after Victoria’s party, with total confidence and conviction she settled on a “Ariel” theme for her birthday party.  Isabella seems to have a knack for how to do things, so I’m sitting back and watching the show unfold before my eyes every day.  I know, I know: Little Miss Producer at the age of three!  If you ask her, “Isabella, whose idea was it to go see the poppies?” (See ABOUT Page for Poppy photo) It was her idea; and, she remembers it vividly – even though it was months ago. Well, anyway…

We were excited that Bill & Kris came up from “down below” with Sophie & Olivia, as we have enjoyed the friendship we have forged with them adopting our two girls from China on the same trips, spending time with them on holidays, at birthdays… We weren’t sure how many people would be coming to this birthday party, but we parked our cars next door, since it is currently vacant, just in case the space was needed in our cul-de-sac for the cars of the parents bringing the expected 18 little kids.  Most of their friends are more “local,” from their time together with our main babysitter (who is really more of a Private Childcare Provider) or from our church family.  Isabella gets to do it all over again when my sister visits in a couple weeks with her daughter, and my cousin comes with her 2 girls…  I believe we topped out with a head count of 13 kids, which was definitely enough.  They first did crafts, then off to have fun in our doughboy pool and our water slide.

 

Once they all dried off, it was time to play games: Dig for Buried Treasure, Catch a Fish, and a version of “Pin the Tail on The Donkey” that has morphed into “Place a Sticker on The Picture of… (Ariel).”  The kids enjoyed all of it.

  

Of course, Isabella’s favorite part was likely the Ariel Birthday Cake, being the center of attention as we sang to her “Happy Birthday.”  And then the blowing out of candles, but mostly the eating of the cake.  Isabella has quite a big sweet tooth for a little girl.  But there really weren’t any kids saying, “No thank you!”

And it was good cake; I had seconds…  Lastly, there was the opening of gifts in the front living room.  That was pretty cute, too.  All the kids seem to enjoy watching Isabella open all the gifts.  Well, “Mommy” helped her a little bit…

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