ToshandProm

Kids-May 2010

2011-01-23T21:23:00.002-05:00

-Eryn turned 3 years old on May 12. Happy Birthday little Eryn! She picked out her own little cake--a little pink cat with her food bowl with 3 little candles on top. She enjoyed playing with the kitchen stuff she got for her birthday.

-Ryan turned 7 years old on May 26. Happy Birthday dear Ryan! He picked a pirate treasure cake for his birthday and had lots of fun playing with his new playmobil toy set he got from some friends.

Kids-April 2010

2011-01-23T11:05:00.004-05:00

Uncle Tim and aunt Kirsi visited, they brought firecracker fun! We ran and ran with sparkler firecrackers and we played dark tag! We waited and waited for the firecrackers to jump out and explode. Tim and Tracy got the firecrakers ready and we had lots of fun watching the firecrackers shoot up in the air and fall down. One of them Tim attached to the porch banister and it exploded out with a bunch of sparks.

Ryan: My favorite firecracker was one that shot up into the air and exploded with a bunch of colorful sparks--and it was loud!

Bradyn: The red ones were my favorite becasue they reminded me of Darth Vader.
Eryn: The birthday candle with Tiffy.

Kids-March 2010

2011-01-23T10:02:00.005-05:00

--The boys completed their last year of Homeschooling--Ryan finished 2nd grade and Bradyn finished K5. They really gave it their all throughout the year and we are so proud of them in every way! What a great accomplishment boys!
--The kids had fun exploring the hidden backwoods of their grandparent's property.
--The kids were very happy to enjoy visits from their cousins, aunts and uncles who all came for their Dad's (kids' Grandpa) wake ceremony.
--The boys tried their hand at jenga block building--Ryan with his domino effect skills and Bradyn built his towers and castles to go with his playmobil soldiers and figures.
--Eryn had her 2nd haircut from her personal hair styist, aunt Kirsi. She sat real still throughout the entire hair trimming session, it was so cute to watch!

Homeschool 2009-2010!

2010-03-23T20:57:00.006-04:00

This is the boys last year of homeschool. Yay! It's such a happy and rewarding feeling for students/teacher to have reached the end of a full school year together. You learn from each other, work hard together, enjoy many fun activities and projects, and the list goes on. The boys are so smart in their own ways , and I have to say, they studied hard and put much effort and time in learning and completing their classes, bookwork and assignments early this year. They are finishing early at the end of this month (March) and are looking forward to a LONG fun spring/summer vacation before the start of next year's school. I'm SO proud of them and all that they accomplished in the time I spent teaching them. Ryan(6) completed 2nd grade and Bradyn(5) completed K5. They have so much going for them in every way, I can't wait to continue seeing them progress and learn more as each month/year passes. Bradyn is even determined to become a doctor-ha! Cheers to my sons for a job well done! You guys are just awesome--I couldn't have asked for better! I feel so priviledged and honored being your Mom, teacher and friend. ILY boys!

Exploring our wild backyard jungle!

2010-03-21T21:41:00.013-04:00

We had so much fun today! Since Toshi is at work, the Sundays he's not home, we call it "Mom Day" (a freeday with Mom) We packed our day with: 1) A big breakfast that sweet Grandma made-yum! 2) Videos and playtime 3) Bible study outside 4) Got haircuts followed by a fun bubbly bath 5) Computer game time 6) Yummy snack of rasin bread with peanut butter 7) LOTS of exploring while on a hike 8) Movie 9) Filling dinner of hamburgers, fries and salad 10) Sweet sleep!

The exploring adventure we had today was awesome! Our backyard opened a whole new world of forest, prairie (or what's more like a wide clearing) jungle and winding river. We each handpicked our own special sticks to help protect us and clear the way. We looked out for each other as we made our way through the thick shrubs and wild plants and observed cool things (like a deer's nest, fallen tree covered in moss) along the way. The boys and I took some pictures of our journey--here they are.

We surely gotta alot to be thankful for...

2009-11-29T22:45:00.005-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

2009-11-29T22:38:00.004-05:00

Activated Ministries 10th Year Anniversary

2009-08-04T02:07:00.031-04:00

At Las Canadas Water Park:

Volleyball Tournament:

Fishing trip:

At the LA Cetto Winery:

Eryn and friends

2009-08-04T01:45:00.006-04:00

Family Day Fun!

2009-08-04T01:06:00.012-04:00

Grandma's Visit

2009-08-03T23:50:00.009-04:00

It was so nice getting to see Jenny again during her trip here. Although her time was limited, we were able to fit in a few quality hours of enjoyment and time with her. We took her out to eat at one of our special taco places. Thanks Mom for coming to visit---we were so happy to see you again! XXX!

Our special taco place

CHEA Convention

2009-07-26T22:27:00.010-04:00

The Christian Homeschool Education Association that was held this year was a SUPER good learning opportunity and experience for me. I am SO thankful to the ED Board for sponsoring this event for us to attend, as I learned alot from it. I hope I get to attend it each year:) as it's something you wouldn't want to miss as a parent, a teacher or just anyone who watches or cares for kids--you'll love it! Anyway, I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed it, but I'll end here with a few pics from it. Also, a BIG thanks to my dear husband and home who made it possible for us to go to this unforgettable event!

BBQ/Pinata Event with friends

2009-07-26T22:13:00.006-04:00

Seal Watching

2009-07-26T21:35:00.006-04:00

4th of July Weekend!

2009-07-26T19:00:00.013-04:00

My Little Girl Eryn

2009-06-15T00:35:00.008-04:00

A Daughter is...A joy bringer,A heart warmer,A memory maker, A Daughter is...Love.

Teaching the Word

2009-06-14T02:47:00.008-04:00

"At the heart of it all, the Family International is committed to fulfilling the mission of witnessing to others about Jesus and His love and salvation, teaching them spiritual truths, and training more laborers to help us to reap the harvest (Matthew 9:38). This is our purpose, focus, and conviction, as a movement. This is why we have embarked on the Offensive.

As you’re faithful to do your part, to minister the Word to people, to manifest Jesus’ love, you can trust the Lord and the Holy Spirit to do what only They can—the work of changing and transforming lives and spirits."

Pirate Birthday Party

2009-06-13T18:00:00.017-04:00

Here in Ensenada!

2009-06-10T02:42:00.038-04:00

Witnessing(Our Mission!)

Ensenada Cultural Day

Bradyn blends right in!

Hello Mexico!

2009-06-09T00:06:00.006-04:00

Here we are on the flight to our new home and team in Mexico! The trip went real smooth and the kids did so well during the whole duration of the flight, airports, etc. (TY to all those who prayed for us!)

Goodbye New York!

2009-06-06T14:10:00.016-04:00

I'm going to miss New York, but most of all, my home and team I got to love and share many happy memories, life changing experiences and get to know some of my closest friends over the last 12 years! The kids will miss their Grandparents, uncles and friends they had too--but the Lord is good and whatever He takes away, He always gives you something better in return--so there's alot to look forward to in our new home and team! It's exciting to see and experience what the new changes will bring--it's part of the ride of life!

Happy Birthday Toshi!

2009-06-02T21:29:00.007-04:00

Toshi, your birthday is here again and I'm so happy to dedicate this post to you! You are my closest friend, the most wonderful, adoring husband and such an amazing Dad! You fill so many areas and skills in my life that I lack or couldn’t have done without you which I’m extremely thankful for and blessed to have--THANK YOU! Life is so awesome with you, and I couldn't imagine it otherwise--it's been wonderful. I love you and hope this year ahead brings even greater and exciting new challenges along with lots more fun and fulfillment serving Jesus! Happy Birthday to you from me and the kids! XXX!--Oh, and with each year that goes by, you just keep looking better--such an awesome, handsome husband! ILYSM!

--Promise

Happy 6th Birthday Ryan!

2009-05-16T21:25:00.009-04:00

Ryan is 6 this year and time seems to be going so fast. There's so many cool things about Ryan and I'm so excited to see him growing up. He's an awesome older brother to the rest of his siblings and I rely on him so much. This guy has so much potential (as do all our other kids:) it's amazing to see where and how the Lord will use him in the future. To one of my coolest sons ever--you rock!!! I am so thankful for you and everything the Lord made you to be--I love you so much! Enjoy a wondeful year ahead and Happy Birthday!

Teacher Appreciation!

2009-05-16T17:32:00.007-04:00

Thank you Tiffany for being such a wonderful and great teacher to the kids! We are super thankful for you and all that you give and pour into our kids day in and day out. Not only is it wonderful to see all that the boys accomplished throughout the school year, but that they have you as their teacher helping to shape and influence their little lives and characters for the future. We love you and are truly thankful to you for your love and dedication to Jesus and the children!

Graduation 2009!

2009-05-16T16:51:00.012-04:00

This year Ryan completed first grade and Bradyn K4. They did so good and worked real hard! I'm SO proud of them for being such excellent students! Yay Boys for finishing all your schoolwork for the year! Enjoy a great summer vacation ahead--you deserve it!

Happy 2nd Birthday Eryn!

2009-05-16T12:26:00.018-04:00

Eryn, you are so cute, active, energetic, and an-all-around bundle of joy! You are growing so fast and there's so much you like to do and get your hands on--which makes for many memories, experiences and lively action. We love you and Happy Birthday!

Whats awesomer than Mikes Hard Lemonade?

2009-05-01T20:49:00.002-04:00

Mikes Harder Lemonade...

Warning: Hard. and then some.

Mikes Hard is brilliant but I think they have lowered the bar to like toe level on stupid jokes you can make about anyone drinking Mikes Hard. I mean please, for a nice tasting alcoholic beverage could you please make it just a little more difficult for the average tipsy Tom (I don't if Tom gets tipsy or not) to interrupt my relaxing beverage with a corny joke.

Tans gone wrong

2009-04-28T02:17:00.004-04:00

I totally hoped I would be out of here before it got hot enough to get any sort of tan but sure enough I had the misfortune of having a weekend of fundraising in 90 degree sun (stop calling me a wuss behind my offline back, it was snowing 2 weeks ago and I am used to Northeast weather, why oh why am I going to mexico again?) Anyhow now I am not only sporting a fantastic car litnesser tan but on the 4 hour drive home it morphed into a winning car litnesser\driver tan. For the uninitiated the car litnesser tan is when your arms (depending on the length of your t-shirt) and neck (depending on how proud of your pecs you are to wear a v-neck) are a shade of purple that even Prince would be ashamed of, while your chest and abs maintain your original lily white color. This is not to be confused with the driver's tan (left arm twice the shade of your right), or the co-pilot tan (right arm twice the shade of the left). All time worst is the half assed car litnesser tan (that goes for the idiot who forgot shorts for an unexpectedly hot weekend and ends up with just forearms and neck burnt to a crisp, while the legs and torso are white enough to sear the eyeballs). Anyhoo it is wickedly hot here and I am wickedly tired and for some reason I feel like partying.

Post Steal #1

2009-04-28T02:04:00.003-04:00

I hate stealing Prom's thunder, especially when it is one of the rare times she actually puts a post up here and once again managed to make me look good in a picture, but I found the pics she took of Eryn and my little girl looks awesome so I need to throw some more pics up here of her. Without knowing her you have to know that Eryn is the coolest little girl ever. She just ties everyone around her little chubby fingers and her sweet spirit infects you no matter how gray your mood may be.

Updates in Pictures...

2009-04-24T20:28:00.030-04:00

Bradyn turned 4 on February 26--he's such an awesome son!) and got to eat the biggest long-neck dinosaur cake ever! Happy Birthday Brady Boy!

An "Around the World" Dress Up Night

Michael and Joan's visit Bradyn and Ryan...

Little Eryn....

Here we are...

Managing Materialism in Kids

2009-04-19T12:49:00.002-04:00

Managing money by managing materialism in kids
BINGHAMTON, NY -- According to market researchers Packaged Facts, families with 3- to 12-year-olds spend $53.8 billion annually on items for their children -- $17.6 billion more than parents spent in 1997. Twelve to 19-year-olds spent roughly $175 billion in 2004 or $53 billion more than in 1997, per Teen Research Unlimited.
"Our modern consumer culture encourages children to find fulfillment in shopping by creating a climate where not having the latest clothes, the most equipped cell phone, and the best of everything else is unthinkable," says Muscari. "This "have to have it" mentality and its associated self-definition in terms of possessions, may lead to compulsive buying to regulate mood and escape from self-awareness, a problem that ranks disorder status along with other addictions."
Parents strive to do what's best for their children but sometimes this drive can go off course, especially when it combines with guilt and vanished quality time. A common by-product of this problem is giving in to frequent materialistic whims, which can lead kids to think that wallets are bottomless.
"If our children are to survive financially tomorrow, they must learn about money matters today - especially in this economic climate," says Muscari.
What's a stressed-out, guilt-ridden parent to do?
Start by buying less. Exam your personal values. If you live by the maxim, "shop 'til you drop," and know the local UPS man's life history from his delivering packages to your home, you need to change as much as your children. Most materialistic kids have materialistic parents.
You can also:
• Turn off the TV. Encourage your children to read books from the local library. They're free of cost and commercials.
• If you can't turn off the TV, monitor it, and explain the rationale behind commercials, which are designed to make kids want things they don't necessarily need. Reality helps put things into perspective. 
• Teach moderation. Children can't and shouldn't have everything they want, especially without working for it. Critical life lessons come from saving and working hard to achieve goals. 
• If you don't have savings or money market accounts for your children, open them, and have your children contribute to them regularly. 
• Reinforce the value of community service and responsibility. 
• When occasions occur, give gifts with meaning. Make your own gifts (photo albums, customized stationery, potpourri, afghans, scarves); give philanthropic gifts (buy gifts from community charities, donate in a loved one's name); or give the gift of time. 
• Ease up on the freebies. Let children work for what they want to create a link between effort and reward.  * Learn to say, "We can't afford it," and mean it.
(Mary Muscari, associate professor in the Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University)

Back in the City

2009-04-11T23:54:00.002-04:00

can't get enough the place, and besides the guys at the court are really warming up to me. Some of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, or maybe they just like playing against me cause I make them look awesome (my statue pose on defense does that). Trevor is getting quite the reputation there though, between his patented glove and his sharpshooting he is more popular there than I am.

Oh yeah the Canada trip was awesome, highlights included not having drinks with Mike, eating raw seafood, wooping Oli in Wii (awesomest game ever, I think I got tennis elbow after playing an hour), and being half of the awesomest scategories team ever (I contriguted in two categories, obscure sports stars and countries I think and Lainey filled out the other 12, but the important thing is we won). Although next time I need to work out staying overnight, driving from Markham to Scarborough at 3 in the morning and only going 45 is more tedious than you can imagine.

And Promise promises to post something here by tomorrow night, isn't that right?

Promise is late...

2009-04-01T23:50:00.002-04:00

...psych, she just missed her flight from San Diego and is getting the next one tomorrow

...speaking of Psych, it is awesome, bestest show ever! For some reason it reminds me of JayDee

...speaking of JayDee, and I don't know why this reminded me of him, but I just realized height is totally overrated. Most of the coolest guys I know are short, except JayDee he is tall AND awesome, Devon, Tracy, Philly, Ruthie (not a guy but still cool), Steve (little stevie from wordstock), Phil, even Andre, all short all awesome

...speaking of awesome, limoncello and Vodka, aaaaawesome. Although without ice it goes a smidge fast and hits you like a tank, a really really slow moving tank that leaves no trace in the morning (ok horrible analogy, NWO of mine)

...and not speaking of anything, that is what I really ought to be doing. I think it is well past time Promise took control of this blog so I can stop posting nonsense just to fill space on this wasteland. Bugger having my name attached to this silly thing, I feel obligated to fill the space and silly once I read it. Solution: don't ever bother rereading what you post. Yey ignorance!

Cali Again!

2009-03-29T17:06:00.002-04:00

Here we are altogether having a nice dinner out during our week of meetings. Thanks again to my dear husband, Tiffy (our childcare helper) and the rest of my dear sweet home who made it possible for me to make this trip again to Cali. Cheers to them!

Boring update Post

2009-03-27T20:46:00.002-04:00

Well Prom is gone for meetings, and she left without updating this like she was meant to. Not sure why I am voluntarily taking up the torch, blogging isn't my style. At least she should have some sunny pics of sunny people when she gets back to post, at least she bloody better (BTW I think if we have to swear we should do it like they do in WoT, it is so much more colorful and expresive. Well except for "blood and ashes", that makes no sense whatsoever.)

I am going up to Toronto on the 2nd for a couple days to take care of business,basically just to try to get my money back from Big Mike. I think a quick strike to the knee with a baseball bat is my only hope. I tried tequila the first time and it backfired, he was fine and I needed help finding my way to the car.

We got another big load of firewood that needs to be bucked, split and stacked before I leave. This time I need to cut the pieces for the OWB longer and the pieces for Mom's furnace shorter. Which means twice as much cutting and having to chuck heavier logs, special intercessary prayer will be needed for my back not to break.

I wish I had some cool pictures to put up here but no such luck.

TYJ for Smirnoff Ice

2009-03-21T21:41:00.002-04:00

Always cheers me after a crummy car litnessing day.

Have two days and then Prom goes to meetings for a couple weeks. In the meantime there needs to be an update here.

My street cred is coming along nicely, still stuck with the Dirk moniker but at least it is an upgrade over Nash which is assigned to every new white guy on the court, now I know I am being accepted. I am even being greeted with the fancy handshake-slap-chestbump-jumdownturnaroundtouchtheground move. After the 5th time I got through the whole greeting without messing up and scratching someone (note to self: trim nails).

That reminds me, what is the deal with Patron? I mean I hear it glorified in song all the time but it tastes like bottled sweat and homeless guys drink it so it can't be that expensive. What makes it so "street"?

After my extensive search I found that I was about 16th to cut my hair, that puts me firmly in the bandwagon caboose. In my defense I never had any idea that short hair was the new long hair but I will take my shame well and next time go with something completely new, I am thinking Hok from Quest Crew has some fine ideas.

Jesus is doing miracles by the shipload, and more are still on the way.

Brady's birthday

2009-02-21T22:08:00.003-05:00

So basically I found I am a wiz at these box cakes. I can make like 3 cakes in under 15 minutes. Never has diabetes been this attainable!

Bradyn's birthday is on the 26th but we are going ahead with his birthday party tomorrow, Prom should have his official birthday post up soon but I couldn't resist this opportunity to pimp my mad baking skills as well as my new poofy do'.

Little bit of heaven in Lower Manhattan

2009-01-23T20:39:00.005-05:00

A few years back we found this grand place in Manhattan that is right on the way back to the apartment. You get a pretty great blend of all different countries and styles of play from the brazilians to the Italians, Chinese, Koreans, Americans. From what I hear this even where Steve Nash plays in the summer though I have never seen him.

Happy New Year 2009!

2009-01-12T18:43:00.008-05:00

Homemade Christmas Projects

2009-01-08T18:34:00.025-05:00

The boys made their own cute manger scene out of homemade dough. Their homemade Christmas decor and projects they put together gave the house a kind of "Child's christmas touch at home" which I always loved and had fond memories of in my years of growing up. Homemade decor at Christmas is my favorite kind of way to decorate as it makes everything look and feel so much more personal, homey, and makes for fun times and memories for the kids and as a family. Here are the boys making the manger scene. Ryan (5) prepared the dough for it.

Here the boys made and painted homemade dough decorations for the Christmas tree. Bradyn (3) is prepared the dough for it. The boys cut out the shapes with cookie cutters and then I baked them in the oven. The boys then painted them and once the decorations dried, they hung them on the tree.

Trip to Tree Farm!

2009-01-08T17:55:00.011-05:00

The boys got to meet our dear old friend at his tree farm last month. He has donated our Christmas tree(s) over the last several years and lets us pick whichever one we like. So the kids were really happy to be the ones to pick out the tree this time (which also happened to be the biggest one we've ever had to fit in our living room) and be a further witness to our dear friend. Here are some pics of the event:

Happy Thanksgiving 2008!

2008-11-27T16:24:00.006-05:00

We love you and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Home Offensive Idea!

2008-11-26T20:12:00.010-05:00

Here is one practical idea we did this week in bringing the Offensive to the children and helping them participate in it:

" Ask those AMs or friends who spend time in your Home if they would like to teach the children a class about their country, job, language, etc. Or they could just talk with the children and answer their questions."

"Teaching the children about cultures, languages, mentalities, religions, walks of life, and codes of conduct in each of these circles is one of the greatest educations you could give them."

"The training they receive through the Offensive will enhance every aspect of their lives"

Uday(AM) gave the kids a class all about India, showed them pictures of him and the work there and answered any questions they had on India. It was very helpful and informative for the kids in their knowledge of the country and for when they do meet or come across people of that nationality/culture in their witnessing. Thanks Uday for teaching us! After the class, the kids then quoted their Bible chapters they had memorized to him.

--Prom

Our Property

2008-11-12T00:00:00.003-05:00

Our property is so beautiful. TYJ! There is so much space for the kids to run around and play, it's perfect. The view during the seasonal changes is just beautiful and I couldn't miss taking a few shots of this year's change.

--Prom

Family Diary

2008-11-11T23:33:00.002-05:00

Recently my boys and I have started what we call "Family Diary". It's pretty fun and it consists of the boys telling me their thoughts of the day and what they remembered of it while I type it down--their words, thoughts and expressions exact. Some evenings they get really into it and want to keep going on and on especially after an extra fun or busy day. I really enjoy doing it with them and it's been fun to hear different people's perspective and thoughts of the exact same day. I'm thinking "This will be fun to read over and remember ten years or more from now not only for me, but for them as well." Anyway, let's see what tomorrow brings!
--Prom

To My Home--Thanks!

2008-11-11T11:31:00.004-05:00

Thanks again to my dear Home who worked it out for me (and a few others) to attend the training seminars that happened last month. They willingly stayed by the stuff to keep our home fires burning and I am truly thankful to them for all their hard work and love for us in this way! TY guys so much--you are wonderful teammates that I am so proud to be working alongside with!

Daddy Day Care

2008-10-15T14:28:00.005-04:00

Prom, Terri, my Mom and Tiffy (the kids teacher) are all the teaching seminar which means JD and I are with the 4 little guys till they get back. The kids are loving it though, yesterday we had a paper airplane war. Basically we had two Duplo tower towns and you had to knock down the other teams town with paper airplanes. The kids played for about 3 hours and would have played longer if it weren't lunchtime.

Today we got our fire wood for the season. In order to cut down on costs we bought a wood furnace to heat our boiler for the baseboard heating. We have been trying to get the wood through picking up trees that had been felled but it just wasn't working. We needed roughly 10 cord of wood and up till now we had maybe 2 cord. So the Lord brought us to a guy that was clearing lumber near the house and he gave us a really good deal on a truck load of wood. By the time it is cut up it should be between 6-8 cord so hopefully we will have enough for the winter.

Of course as soon as he was done unloading the kids spent about 2 hours climbing all over it and Bradyn had to find each and every crevasse that he could fit in. Now all that is left is to cut that pile into 18" pieces and stack it all in the wood shed.

Graduates!

2008-09-04T13:33:00.018-04:00

We had a short and sweet graduation ceremony for the boys who completed K5 and Pre-K this year. They are now ready for the New School Year ahead with all the new materials and books that came in. It'll be cool to see them continuing to learn more again this coming year. Since Ryan has tackled reading during his K5th year and can read any book you give him, it'll now be Bradyn's turn to take on the reading focus everyday. I really like teaching kids to read, so it'll be exciting to see the progress he makes. He is now on his 3rd reader, but I have to take that time each day in order to get results. So far, it's been doing very good and the goal is that he reads fluently by the time he starts K5. Here are some pics of them graduating.

Family Reunion!

2008-08-24T23:52:00.003-04:00

We finally were able to pull off having our big Family Reunion over 3 packed fun-filled days. There was the big day at the Hambletonian Horse racing event, including kids rides, games, music and all, then there was the BBQ and swimming event, and then the last day where we all said our fond farewells as we left the hotel. All in all, it was fun for us, the kids and the whole family. Definitely a memory to be kept and cherished through the years--we missed you Timna and Phil!

Cali!

2008-08-24T22:59:00.007-04:00

It was really fun getting to be with and enjoy two wonderful weeks with some of these wonderful people......
They aren't all here, but they are just as missed and thank you guys for having me. You guys are wonderful!
--Prom

Happy Birthday Sister!!!

2008-08-13T18:02:00.005-04:00

To a wonderful LEO: Hope you have a great year ahead! You are beautiful, and such a great sister and friend!! I love you and Happy Birthday!!!

Her Life Changed Forever!

2008-07-07T12:33:00.026-04:00

This has always been a captivating story of love written in the most wonderful book ever printed about a woman whose life was changed simply by a touch. As I think about it, I can only write what I imagine could have somehow happened like this:

"Close your eyes and imagine a woman in that era of time with the twelve blood disease who went to every doctor spending all the money she had earned in her working years to be healed and set free from this plague. Talk about dissapointment!--Everytime she tried something different that seemed promising and a "This is it!" substance to cure her, she was still only met with worse dissapointment. Here she was struggling everyday for her very life for twelve long painful years probably going through alot of the same battles that us women go through today, except in an even worse condition, because life was harsher back then plus she was at the point of physical death. She suffered many things in the hands of many physicians and was left with nothing to live for, no hope to be found and no where to turn.

She then hears of a certain man who loves and gives life and health to anyone who needs Him and His healing power. He loves and reaches out to the downtrodden, the heartbroken, the outcast of her day. Was this the man of her dreams? Could she possibly meet someone so wonderful as He? Did such a man in her world exist? Would He love and care for her enough to touch and deliver her from this disease that had left her as good as dead? She must find out and meet Him! Even if it would cost her the last of her life, blood, sweat and tears, she would find this man if that's what it took!

Then one day she is told He will be passing through her town and knows this is her one and only chance of a lifetime she has to pursue! She persistently tells herself "If I can but only touch the hem of His clothes, that'll be enough, I will be free!" She then goes out into the streets struggling and squeezing through the crowd with all her strength and sinew as she gets bumped and pushed from all surrounding sides. But yet she did not give up, she could not give up, not now. She kept on pushing forward towards this man who would make her ultimate dream of heart and life come true! As she is just about to make it to him, just then, she falls to the ground for lack of strength to keep on going. With tears streaming down her face and with her last ounce of strength and energy, she then reaches out her hand and barely grasps hold of his tunic with her frail fingers. She finally lets go and collapses on the ground with the crowds still pushing all around. As she drops down, eveything in her thoughts, mind and surroundings come to a standstill, everything around her goes silent. Suddenly in an instant, she feels this powerful surge sweep through her entire body, a feeling so undescribable, yet she knows deep inside, her body has been made completely whole! No more pain, no more diseased blood, it is complete freedom! In that moment of time, all her hopes and dream finally came true!

Just then this Man in the midst of the press felt something within Him, some kind of power so strong it made Him stop for a moment to recover the virtue he felt had just left his body. Though many people were surrounding Him, He turned and looked around and said, "Who touched me?" He himself wanted to know this person face to face! With curiosity further rising, His eyes searched the crowds who this time had fully stopped to hear what he had to say. Again, He asked, "Who touched Me?"

The woman who was on the ground crying and so overcome with joy, then heard His voice ask so clear and true. Overwhelmed with all she had just experienced, she came forward and fell to His feet and said to Him, "I touched you." She then told Him all the truth in her heart. That was the most unforgettable moment she would never forget as she looked into His eyes full of love, compassion and what the human soul longeth most for. She finally got to personally meet this Man that made her dream come true! As He looked at her full of understanding and love, He felt everything she had gone through in her lifetime as she spoke to Him. He then reached out his hand to lift her up and drew her near. As He looked deep into her eyes, He said to her,"It was your faith in Me, your hope in Me, your love for Me, that made you completely whole!"

From that moment on she knew she had finally met her Saviour! She now understood why. Her disease had brought her to Jesus! She became alive again!

---Promise

4th of July Birthday belongs to......

2008-07-04T23:20:00.005-04:00

There's a good reason to celebrate and remember the 4th of July--it's her birthday! Everyone knows how wonderful and great a person she is, so here's to you Terri to another exciting year ahead and all the many surprises that are in store. We really love you and are so blessed to know and live with someone as special as you. The Lord sure made you wonderful! Happy Birthday to you and Happy New Year ahead!
--Prom

Ahh...a life raising sons!

2008-06-24T21:43:00.007-04:00

Sticky fingers, dirty face
Rugs and pillows out of place

Cars and trucks here and there
Playing toys without a care

Gold and silver have I none
But worth trillions are my sons!

--Prom

God's Many Provisions

2008-06-18T13:40:00.007-04:00

The last two weeks the Lord supplied a few things that we needed, and again, prove His promises that He always supplies all our needs and we lack nothing because we are His children.

-Someone donated the repair of our sewing machine which would have cost over 200$ to get fixed

-Someone donated their time to dry clean one of the girls' wedding dress which would have cost over 200$

-Someone donated a riding lawnmower which also would have cost us over 900$ to purchase

-Someone packed our van with lots of household items and decor that they didn't need, but helped to upgrade our home.

-Every two weeks we unload our van full of fresh fruits and vegetables that are worth 300$-400$ if we had to buy it (not including all our other provisions like meat, eggs, milk, frozen goods, dry goods, laundry soap, dish soap, health food, children's clothing, women's clothing, hotel rooms for free, etc. that we get on a monthly basis.)

Next week one of our girl's will be getting her hair cut and styled for free which would have cost her between 30-50$ just to get done. Thanks to the hairdresser contact who schedules her time to help anyone in the home who needs to get their hair trimmed, cut, dyed, styled, etc. at her hair salon shop.

God is so good to us and we have so much to be thankful for! It's just awesome and rewarding serving Him!
--Promise

Leadership is Influence

2008-06-09T14:53:00.008-04:00

There have been numerous leaders throughout history. Some did a better job than others at actually leading. But few were what you would call “inspirational leaders.”

By inspirational, I simply mean that they had the ability to motivate others to accomplish something significant, perhaps even heroic. William Wallace was such a man.

Remember his speech in BraveHeart before the battle of Stirling Bridge. He said,

"I am William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny! You have come to fight as free men. And free man you are! What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?"

A veteran shouts, “Fight? Against that? No, we will run; and we will live.”

Wallace responds,

"Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live ... at least for a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take ... our freedom!"

The men are inspired and Wallace leads them into battle. They defeat the British, who were more numerous and better equipped.

Later on in the movie, Robert the Bruce has a discussion about leadership with his father. He understands that there is a fundamental difference between having a leadership title and actually being an inspirational leader.

Robert the Bruce: “Lands, titles, men, power ... nothing.”

Robert’s father: “Nothing?”

Robert the Bruce: “I have nothing. Men fight for me because if they do not, I throw them off my land and I starve their wives and children. Those men who bled the ground red at Falkirk fought for William Wallace. He fights for something that I never had. And I took it from him, when I betrayed him. I saw it in his face on the battlefield and it’s tearing me apart.”

Robert’s Father: “All men betray. All lose heart.”

Robert the Bruce: “I don’t want to lose heart. I want to believe as he does.”

Fortunately, in real life, Robert found his heart and became a great leader. He led the Scots against the English in the First War of Scottish Independence and eventually defeated King Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

What does this have to do with us? Everything. Each of us can become that inspirational leader— a leader who can inspire others to give their best efforts for the sake of the greatest cause--to live and die for Jesus.

Remember the movie We Were Soldiers? (Mel Gibson as Lt. Col. Hal Moore)
Prior to leaving for service in Vietnam, Moore delivers a moving speech to his troops. He says,

"I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive, but this I swear: I will be the first one to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off. And I will leave no one behind. Dead, or alive, we all come home together."

Moore then literally fulfills this promise. He is the first one to step into battle and the last one to leave. This is real leadership. True leaders don’t ask their people to do anything they are unwilling to do. They lead by example. They model the behavior they want others to manifest.

The ultimate goal of course is finding your place in the Lord's highest will. This is incredibly motivating. Your job is to help people understand that what they do, not only matters in this life, but in the life to come. It will “echo into eternity.”

We all get bumped and bruised as we go through life. Circumstances constantly come up to undermine our esteem. It’s easy to lose heart—to begin doubting our ability to handle the challenges we face.

That’s why it is so refreshing to have others in our wonderful Family who can support and encourage us. But the most admirable thing about those folks is their willingness to verbalize it. It encourages and gives us that faith and confidence that maybe we do have what it takes.

Great leaders—like great parents—help people believe in themselves. They look for opportunities to catch people doing something right. They focus on their people’s strengths, not their weaknesses. And, they have a knack for offering encouragement at strategic moments—when someone in your home or team needs it. Not everyone is put in a position of leadership. But, as Robert the Bruce pointed out to his father, leadership is influence. And that is something all of us have.

Man Carves Wife a 6,000 Stair Path in Mountain

2008-06-09T13:28:00.001-04:00

I just stumbled on this sweet love story:

A weird love story has come out of China recently and managed to touch the world. It is a story of a man and an older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace for over half century.
Over 50 years ago, Liu, was a 19 years-old boy, fell in love with a 29 year-old widowed mother named Xu. At the time, it was unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older woman.
To avoid the market gossips, the couple decided to elope and lived in a cave in Jiangjin County in Southern ChongQing area. In the beginning, they had nothing, no electricity or even food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used to lighten up their lives.
Starting the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began, and continued for over 50 years, to hand carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily.

A half century later in 2001, a group of adventurers were exploring the forest, when they surprisingly found the elderly couple and the over 6,000 stairs of hand carved ladder.
“My parents loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over 50 years and never been apart a single day.” Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, “He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother’s convenience, although she doesn’t go down the mountain that much.The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week. Liu, now 72 years-old, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her arms.
So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife’s hand even after he had passed away.
“You promised me you’ll take care of me, you’ll always be with me until the day I died, now you left before me, how am I going to live without you?” … …
Xu spent days softly repeating this sentence and touching her husband’s black coffin with tears rolling down her cheeks.
The local government has decided to preserve the “love ladder” and the place they lived as a museum, so this love story can live forever.

Happy Birthday Honey!!!

2008-06-02T22:00:00.004-04:00

This is the man who knows me better than anyone else. He has seen me through the best of times, through times too embarrassed to speak of, through the fun and happy times , and of course, he even stuck with me through the sad, frustrating, painful moments that also come through the growing process my life has had to go through as part of my personal training here on Earth. It’s interesting to see how someone can commit and be the closest thing to you than anyone or anything else no matter what you go through, how you are like, and how you change through the years. They are there for the rest of your life and share experiences and moments you also go through from their eyes. You trust them more than anyone, because you know they are there to stay and still love you anyway. That’s the key—LOVE—it’s unexplainable, but that’s the underlying force that makes me so dependent on my other half—his love which comes in the best ways he knows how to show it—support, care, work, time, fun, friendship and so many other ways that I feel and see each day. Thank you honey for everything about yourself and what you are that makes you the most special person in my life. I know this is a little late for your birthday, but I finally got some time today as I watched the kids fall asleep to tell you from my heart to yours that you mean the world to me and more. I am really looking forward to another year with you, it’s exciting! I love you and Happy Birthday!

Happy 5th Birthday Ryan!!!

2008-06-02T20:59:00.008-04:00

Ryan has accomplished so much this year. He completed 3 sets of readers (he was always a book worm), is almost finished with K5, became the older brother for the second time, loves reading the Word on his own, and has grown up in so many ways. His mind is so alive and he loves to soak up what he sees and hears around him use--he has a thinker's mind, that's for sure! It was so cute hearing him read to everyone his birthday prophecy from Jesus to him. Him and Bradyn had alot of fun at the blowing bubbles activity, followed by an outdoor treasure hunt which was then topped off with the birthday cake Ryan specifically asked for (thanks Terri!). All in all, it was a fun filled family day and we are so proud of you Ryan for all that you are and mean to us! We love you so much! Happy 5th Birthday and year ahead! We'll be enjoying it with you!

It's late but......

2008-06-02T20:57:00.001-04:00

Gosh, two birthdays in one day! I have my son and my husband both born on the same day (May 26) which is cool (Toshi’s firstborn, a son, and born on his birthday) I regret not putting the name “Toshi” somewhere in Ryan’s name, it would have suited the occasion too well. Anyway, I’m putting up their birthday posts real soon once time and more time allows me too. Till then…

You Can Go The Distance!

2008-05-22T17:14:00.005-04:00

Double Amputee Sprinter Cleared For Olympic Competition
Oscar Pistorius, whose prostheses were previously considered an unfair advantage, has been given the thumbs up to compete.

Those who feel like they can't make it, but who are doing what they can-fighting, obeying, overcoming, trusting‚ and doing their part-they will make it, they will go the distance. There's no doubt about that!!!

With determination and courage, a fighting spirit and persevererance, you can overcome almost anything. If you don't give up, you will overcome.

Commit yourselves to persevering with the Key of Determination.

Still Her Week...

2008-05-17T11:38:00.005-04:00

A baby girl...one of the most beautiful miracles in life,one of the greatest joys we can ever know,and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter and happiness in our world today.You're the end of my rainbow, my pot of gold.
You're mommy's little girl, to have and hold.
A precious gem is what you are.
You're mommy's bright and shining star.
You're sugar, you're spice,
You're everything nice,
And you're mommy's little girl.

The Walking Stage

2008-05-16T14:51:00.003-04:00

The many joys of watching my kids grow up are treasured memories that I try to put down for memory’s sake. Today as I watched my little girl take several steps, did I praise and fill those moments with overwhelmed cheering and happiness to let her know how pleased and happy I was with what she's taking on—her beginning walk of life and learning. The first time I saw her take her first small step, soon ended with a collapse to the ground. I knew this was her start of many more falls yet to come, but that eventually she would learn to walk. But she doesn’t know that. She just realizes that she can get to a step that goes past crawling to one that is on a totally new level that's far better and more advanced than being on the ground. This is something new, this is a challenge! It seems that part of her nature pushes her to want to walk, yet there’s that stumble that comes with it, but hey, to her, it is just part of the whole process. The feeling of balance and finally being able to stand tall and move on her feet far surpasses any fear of falling. That's why she keeps at it over and over again. How many times do I not see life that way! One of the key parts in our lives of challenge, change and growth is the stumbling, the falling, the downward drop. But we look at it as the end, the ultimate failure, the “I can’t ” perspective and give up trying after the first fall or two. But if we realize that it’s all part of building and shaping character, and personal training to go through, we’d anticipate the challenge, we’d relish the fight because we know that’s what we have got to do to get our “walk” down just right and from there tackle the next challenge that comes. One of my favorite example characters in history of persevering and loving the challenge and fight is General George S. Patton. I’m reminded of a line of his where he said “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory. The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”
--Promise

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2008-05-12T23:15:00.014-04:00

This week is a highlight for my little Taurus as she is had her 1st birthday! It's her week for posts, so I'll have a few of those up as well. She's wonderful and I love her to bits! I can truly say "Thank God for girls" because Eryn portrays just that--the loveliest little girl ever--just the BEST!!! But then again, it's said that Taurus babies are the easiest ones to take care of, so that's a plus:) She came down with a fever the other day, but recuperated enough to attend her first birthday celebration and enjoy her cake. It was fun seeing everyone come with "say it in pink" style of clothes and her brothers got to show off the cool cards they made for her. Anyway, I love you Baby Girl and wanted to thank you for picking me to be your mom--I couldn't thank you enough and am so looking forward to the special time we have together here on Earth along with the rest of our little family! I love you baby Eryn!
--Prom

Your Day, Mothers!

2008-05-12T10:18:00.005-04:00

Seems all too familiar? Well, I‘ve always thought that a “perfect day” in the busy life of a mother would consist of fitting everything in that needed to get done that day workwise or personal, plus have time with your kids, your husband, family and friends and then top the day off with a relaxing bath and spa before settling down for the night in undisturbed, deep, blissful sleep (Of course everything on this wondeful timetable is going just as planned without any snags or problems, perfect weather, kids on their best behaviour, you at your happiest and things are just smooth sailin’)

But those days aren’t frequent visitors, in fact, they are more often perfect strangers—and as a mother you KNOW that! You are just as happy if you can get one or two main things done on your to-do list, your kids are safe and near you , you faced the challenges of the day, you have your family and friends around for support, and of course, a 5 minute shower works just as well to top things off before thankfully falling asleep appreciating the few hours you have left before a new day begins. So to all you dear mothers who give of your lives and time to raise and help not only your kids but other’s lives, this is your day and we are so blessed to have you because….. we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you! Happy Mother’s Day!

(Jesus:) Call on the key of equilibrium to help you to find the right balance in your parenting—the type of balance that will help you maintain progress and remain strong on the long term. Through the key of equilibrium you will have access to the stabilizing force of My Spirit that will help you to be the rock-solid and yet flexible parent that I need you to be. By invoking this key it will be easier for you to find and maintain a good balance.

This Week...

2008-05-09T22:15:00.006-04:00

It was a fun week with lovely Nicole visiting, 2 day home trip to Canada, Chinese night, spring cleaning and yes, even a farewell evening party for....Mark who we have known for years. There's that missed feeling that comes around when special people move on, but have left dear memories to friends, family and home to always cherish! We will miss you so much! Anyways, here are a few pics of the last few days with special people that touched our lives.
--Promise

Taking a Step Back

2008-05-04T09:13:00.003-04:00

In the beginning hours of each morning, the daily habit of making sure my kids are set and ready for the day comes automatically. It is an opportunity to bond with them as well as help make things easy for the kids’ teacher/caretaker to be set for the day. Today as the kids and I started our morning routine, I strongly suggested to my 4 year old that he wear warmer clothes on this rather overcast and chilly day. He insisted on wearing his light summer outfit that he had worn the day before and questioned frustratingly why he had to wear something warmer. I thought, “Oh great,here comes again another case that I must persuade this strong willed little guy of mine to comply with”. As I started to feel that impatient side of me quickly building up inside, I hastily told my son, “Ryan, my time is running out and I’ll be leaving soon. If you would like Mommy to help you, this is your chance now before our time is up and your caretaker will be here to help you”. He knew I wasn’t going to be around much that day, as I was taking that day off with my husband. In his low voice he calmly remarked “The sun is on its’ day off too”--figuring because it was cloudy and he had to wear warm clothes, the sun was not going to be around that day either. He then suprisingly complied to my request. My three year old then ran up to me and said “Mom, I have a picture of you” He then held a small mirror up to my face for me to see. “So, that’s what he pictures me this morning” I told myself. Upon hearing those rather amusing observations from those two little guys, it automatically brought my tensing side at ease! I didn’t realize how intense I let myself get over little things through out the day that don’t seem to be turning out right. It is those little moments of humor, sincerity and simplicity in my kids’ words and actions, that help me to step back and put myself at ease which busy times do tend to overlook. Being a mother, I enjoy and appreciate every bit of that side of life my kids bring out in me.

--Promise

Will that be me?

2008-04-29T20:01:00.006-04:00

As I was sitting at the local bookstore, reading some material I had brought with me, I noticed that across from me sat a younger woman about 19 or 20. An older man then approached and greeted her in a very friendly manner as he sat next to her. As they talked and conversed over a coffee, I wondered what type of relationship they had with each other. Were they friends? Teacher and student? In a relationship perhaps? Not sure. I couldn’t figure what the relation type was because it was warm and friendly, but at the same time respectable and comfortable. They happily laughed and talked for some time, still leaving me guessing their connection. As the man got up to leave, they parted in a friendly manner . As he walked off, the woman then abruptly said “Oh, Dad…” and quickly said her last few words before he finally left. “Oh, so that’s what they are—Father and Daughter” I thought to myself finally able to put my curiosity at ease. As I replayed in my mind that last hour of those two just talking and relaxing together, I thought about my own kids when they grow up and becoming of age like that young woman. The journey that father and daughter took in life, led up to the friendship and interaction they now had and shared. Would that be me 15-20 years from now? Will that kind of friendship and closeness flourish and grow with my young kids in the years to come? With all my heart, I hope so. Only time will tell from the choices and decisions I make with them each day. Are my actions, words and sample today one that will build us closer or further from each other? The way I interact with them today, will they benefit and become better person(s)because of it?

What we go through together and how we deal with it together, will be the bond that will shape our interaction in the future. I hope to be that parent, who like that father, experiences the reward of friendship and close bond with his child not just in their younger years but in their older years to follow. From those few moments of observation that day, I pray I too can show that same pride and joy to others (if they too happen to observe) that a parent and child can become the closest of friends.

--Promise

Sports and Family

2008-03-27T22:29:00.009-04:00

I was thinking about it tonight and most of my best memories involve Tracy, my Dad, and sports. Not all of them mind you, getting married, times with my kids, meetings, home activities and time with my family all are big but alot the best times in my life have Tracy, my Dad, and sports prominently involved. Playing football in Shanghai, going to Shanghai Sharks games, watching the Superbowl at 7 in the morning, going to Yankees-Red Sox games, 24 oz Zima's and sunflower seeds, wearing a Red Sox cap to a Yankees-Royals game and drawing more attention than the actual game, watching the Azzurri win the World Cup and dancing around the barn in joy, playing basketball in Jersey, playing football in Manhattan, going to the race track and winning an exacta (won 75$ on a 1$ ticket), being in goal for our Azzurri teams' 5-0 trashing of the French team, wiffle ball games in the summer, watching Pats games and "el muey grande nachos", going to the Pats playoff game, I think I could keep going indefinitely. Anyhow all that to say I love my family and look forward to playing football next weekend, more Yankees and Red Sox this season, more John Sterling , more Euro 2008. and hopefully I'll be able to spend that time with Tracy and my Dad too.

Happy Birthday Brady Boy!

2008-03-03T11:08:00.006-05:00

This is a little late, but with everything that has happened in the last week, I ran out of time to make this special post for my birthday boy....Happy birthday Bradyn!!!
You are growing and learning so much, it's so amazing to see what you have learned this last year. You are such an amazing boy and there are so many cute things about you, I don't know where to start....let's see....you always carry around the toy that you are most attached to, you laugh when you know you are in the wrong, you take drying your hands too seriously, you have taken on reading very well, you are such a cuddly little one, you have the cutest smile that you put on, food and snacks make you very happy, your little boom box of a voice is even more special when you sing, your highlight of all activities is when you hear the word "playmobil", you love burning off energy with your fast feet and speed, you love reading Word stories that involve whales or the fish family, the outdoors is a whole new world for you, you get up in the wee hours of the morning to be with your baby sister and you spend many happy moments of every day with your older brother that you love to bits. I could keep going on, but there's too much to fill here not to mention all that you have learned this last year of your growing life. We love you so much and are excitedly looking forward to many more happy days with you in our lives. XXX!

After-Wedding Sports

2008-03-01T14:55:00.010-05:00

JD and Terri's Beautiful Snow Wedding!!!

2008-03-01T14:15:00.010-05:00

Winner's Mentality

2008-02-23T18:41:00.003-05:00

Know what you want to accomplish and know how to get there. You have to have that winner's mentality of being the best you can be, doing the best you could possibly do because you have that one goal in mind--to win. What are you most passionate about? Find your key and thrive on it. Make it your biggest motivation and try to overcome that--be it positive or negative. If you put forth the effort, the results will come. Realize that all aspects need improvement--that's the challenge of professional athletes--you can never be perfect and it just makes you work that much harder. What are you afraid of? What holds you back? Overcome it and love the challenge! Put 1oo% of yourself in everything you do and 10% more. What you are up against is not as important as giving everything you got, taking it at the same level, and being proud of the victory won. Love the fight! When there's a challenge, it brings out your best--if you take it.

--Prom

Are you that Hero?

2008-02-23T12:44:00.002-05:00

I am working on this one by making sure that I will raise 3 of those heroes for the purpose that they where put here on this Earth--to save the souls of men.
--Prom

Birthday Wish for this Year!

2008-02-22T15:46:00.009-05:00

I like today......I get a shot at wishing something for the coming year ahead. Of course, whenever I think of what I would like, or pray for, etc. the first thing that comes to my mind are my kids because they are the treasures I've been given and indeed am most richly blessed.

Jesus,
Of all the things that I hope my children will be and become, I pray they will grow up to be loving, people who know how to give and receive love‚ and who are willing to make sacrifices out of love. Love is at the heart of everything I do, everything I believe, everything I stand for because that's what You are and that's my wish for this year.

Eclipse of the Moon

2008-02-21T15:35:00.006-05:00

Last night (2/20/2008) in the dark winter cold, I stepped outside to search for something. Before quickly running back into our nice, warm house, I stopped for a moment and turned my gaze to the moon and thought "That's kind of odd, but strangely pretty at the same time". Half of it appeared as black as night and the other half as white as snow but seemingly transparent with a bright glow around it at the same time. "Oh, how unusual, " I said as I dashed back in and went on with my business. 2 hours later someone said, "Hey, guess what? There is a lunar eclipse tonight, come outside and see!" So that was what was different about the moon tonight! It now made perfect sense as I remembered how beautifully strange the moon looked earlier that evening. I quickly grabbed my camera and took a shot of it. Here it is:
--Prom

Little Snow Angels

2008-01-09T21:22:00.000-05:00

Here they are....and they are lovin' it!
Eryn just taking it all in
Bradyn having fun with snow

Ryan making snow angels

Indian Summer

2008-01-09T21:07:00.000-05:00

For some reason, right smack in the middle of our cold winter we happened to have an "Indian Summer" this week, odd isn't it? And this all just happened in the span of 2 days! Anyways, the weather forecast is back to winter cold and snow in a couple of days, so we are enjoying this "spring" climate while it lasts. Here are some pics of it!

Christmas 2007

2007-12-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

You know you have played too much Fantasy Sports when.....

2007-12-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

You come up with a Fantasy Spirit Helpers prayer vigil idea.

The way it works is everyone picks 3 Spirit Helpers and then you go around and have prayer vigil and see how many prayers your guys helped out on.

The sleeper picks were Ruth and Billy Bojangles, Trevor cleaned up on those two alone.

or

if you come up with a Car Litnessing game where you try to name athletes or coaches that start with a certain letter, you start at A and work your way through the alphabet. We played for 4 days and still haven't finished the alphabet, Actually we spent an entire day on M alone.

Kids

2007-12-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

You don't realize how slick they are until you don't see them for awhile.

To those Born 1930 to 1968

2007-12-06T23:16:00.000-05:00

I read this and thought it was pretty amusing, ..but then you have to be in your 40's and 50's to really really get it! It's a bit long, but a bit of a peek into our parent's world! It just shows what a "fear based" society the world has now become:

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

Shine Through

2007-12-06T22:48:00.001-05:00

Tis light makes color visible; at night
Red, green and russet vanish from thy sight.
So too the light by darkness is made known.
All hid things by their contraries are shown.

Indeed without the thorn, there would be no rose. Without the battle there would be no victory. Without experiencing the hardships, we would not build endurance. Without going through the disappointments of life,we would not know the Lord's unspeakable joy. Without His death, we would not have known the depth of His great love for us. Something to think about next time you are going through a hard time.
--Promise

Happy Thanksgiving 2007!

2007-11-26T17:54:00.001-05:00

It has truly been a Thanksgiving year to the Lord for everything He has done and brought us through up till now. I'm thankful for SO many things--I mean, EVERYTHING--I wouldn't know where to start, but one thing for sure that I treasure more than anything (except for the Lord) is my lovely family that He has given me to care and be there for. You are the best Jesus!--Thank You!

(Here we are-except baby Eryn who fell asleep)

First snowfall of this year!

2007-11-26T16:49:00.001-05:00

We got our first snow last week--and it's only the beginning of lots and lots of it in the next winter months ahead. The kids were so happy to be the first ones to see it.

Updated News

2007-11-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while, but that's not because we've haven't been up to nothing--Oh, there has been-- PLENTY, I just haven't been putting the time in to keep things updated. Let's see, I'll try to remember some of the many highlights of the last two months: Joan visited with baby Roewn which was lots of fun, Sam and Maria moved on to their next heavenly home (we miss you!) we had room changes in the house, Toshi and I had our vacation, JD's mom came to visit, we had a crew of guys come help us fix our roof and redo one of the outdoor bedrooms (Thanks, Jeese, Jared, Tracy, Justin and Sam) we all recuperated from a stomach bug that went around, our boys were the happiest bunch to have cousin Shawn come visit for 2 weeks, we started a new witnessing ministry at the universities near our home (upcoming post of that to come) and including all the many things that make home life the busy yet fun-centered place to be. Here are some pics of those recent happenings.

Home, sweet Home!

2007-09-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

In light of all the hip hop happenings this month with people going here and there, meetings held, building projects, etc. there was always one thing that held all of this together and more--my dear Home team. They were there the whole time holding things up so that folks like me could go places and do things that I would not have imagined I'd do without their help and support. Thank you so much guys! I can't express to you enough what you mean to me and all the ways you make our world rock! So instead of me trying to describe who they are, as the famous quote says "A picture is worth a thousand words" I think I'll let the pics say it themselves. To my heroes!

Forever XD!

2007-09-30T17:35:00.000-04:00

It's through the offensive that the second generation will come into its own and realize their anointing. They'll see that all that they've been through in their lives, all of the training, all of the tests‚ all of the trials—all of it—has been worth it, for it has made them into the warriors that I've promised that they would be. They'll see that they're no longer the "hope of the future," because the future has arrived, and they are the warriors of the present. It's their day to shine.

There are so many things I would like to say to all those I got to know during this last month. But words aren't enough to thank and appreciate them for being part of our wonderful Family and the special key role each one plays. I'm so blessed to be a part of it all and to truly say "It was worth it all". THANK YOU so much Ryan, Becca, Nicole and home for helping this to all happen. THANK YOU my co-staff team (you know who you are) for all the tremendous qualities you have that I pray one day I am able to gain. THANK YOU Jules, Connie, Ryan, Timmy, Aurora, Kevin, and Jeff for our times together and for putting up with me :) and to all of you who I had the privilege of getting to spend a month of my life with: THANK YOU But of course, the greatest thanks is to You, Jesus, our wonderful Husband who without You, none of us would have been here--THANK YOU!
I think this quote from "Carry the Flame of Revolution" sums up who we are (or have the potential to be):

“You are destined not only to be soldiers, fighters‚ and warriors, but champions and winners. You are the ones who will carry the flame of revolution into the future. You are the ones who will make up the primary core of the structure of the Family of the future. You are the ones who will lead that Family into battle, into victory, into its destiny. I can't entrust this calling to children or mere youths. I need grown‚ mature, strong men and women of faith, those who have faced life's struggles and pain, and who have experienced the depths of sorrow and trial, who know what it means to ache, to suffer‚ to weep, and to despair.

We win, again!

2007-09-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

W&R night was Sunday night and with my good fortune the Lord said it was cool to watch the Pats-Chargers game, and what a game it was. There is nothing quite like seeing a well disciplined, well trained team perform. You just see the difference between the two teams. If anyone remembers from last year there was a play on 3rd down when the Chargers got called for an unsportmanlike conduct penalty that gifted the Pats a 1st down, well the same thing happened again. 3rd down and one of the Chargers LB's decides it would be a good idea to punch Brady in the head way after the play was done. This was supposed to be a big rivalry game, a chance for some "payback" from SD but instead they just shot themselves in the foot. Once again Colvin was being a bit of a bum with some of the stuff he was doing. What can I say, when they mention the leaders on the Pats team you never hear Rosy Colvin's name mentioned because he isn't a leader, he is a good soldier who does his job. Sure we expect more maturity from him but you can't blast him But the team revolves around guys Bruschi, Brady, Vrabel, Harrison, Brown, Seau, and Seymour. There are talented guys like Samuel, Colvin, Warren, Moss, Maroney etc but they just do their jobs, the others guys are the ones that make the Pats what they are. And the best part was at the end of the game when the players all came over to Bill and gave him a hug. Bill has practically been painted as Satan this past week for doing an act that, in the long run, isn't all that different from anything everyone else has done. You can have camera's all over the stadium picking up the opposition's hand signal's. There are no rules about that, and like Madden pointed out (and Bill confirmed) there is no way that it can help in the present game. But no everyone was ready to lynch Bill and the Pats for being cheaters, and unlike most they just came together and won a game that was supposed to be a grudge match and they just dominated. Once again Ladainian Tomlinson chickened out too. Last year he was all hot under the collar about nothing and runs his mouth about how wrong the Pats are, then he actually meets Bill at the Pro Bowl and he is all "everything is fine, it is in the past". Then as soon as some new evidence comes out he goes back to his "the Pats are cheaters line", and then the Pats shut him down and instead of apologizing he says "oh I was just joking". Come on Ladainian that is a cop out, you promised revenge last year and you got whooped, be a man and own up to it.

With even more of my good fortune I also the Yankees-Sox game on at the same time. Everything was going fine until top of the eighth Schilling started to unravel a little. Anytime you see Jeter up is dangerous, to see him come up in the 8th with 2 on and the game tied you know something bad is going to happen. Sure enough he blasts one and now the lead is only 3 1\2.

Culebra

2007-09-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

Bus ride to the ferry and back (I had the honor of sitting next to the most energetic reggatone dancer aboard--love you CB)

An old USA army tank from the war

The Lord and my home (thanks guys!) worked it out for me to come help at the XD. It's been really inspiring and I'm super thankful to be here. It's been busy, but the Lord has also done special things for us while here. One of them was getting to visit one of the ten top beaches in the world. It was beautiful and I got to play some beach soccer, nap, taste the Puerto Rican shishkibab, and go on a lively, energetic bus drive there and back. Of course, the ferry ride there was no fun thing for my stomach and I'm glad I brought a bag with me, but coming back I did much better as I opted to sit up on the deck instead of down below. Anyways, here are some pics of that trip.

Nothing News

2007-09-13T23:28:00.000-04:00

Don't really have an update, Prom was supposed to take care of that but she is uber busy at XD. Nothing new at Home, Eryn has developed the annoying habit of waking up at night and not going back to sleep for a couple hours. Will work on that. Bradyn started getting potty trained. Most of our legal work has been taken care of. You see there are just so many things you can take care of when your wife is gone! Of course I doubt I am doing most of these things right, I tried doing the laundry and ended up washing it 3 times cause I kept forgetting to hang it up. Folding laundry is skill I never learned too well so the kids drawers look kinda messy.

Not that it is important to anyone else but I finally bought a sharp cooking knife. I tell you it is a gift from heaven. I couldn't stop cutting things. Tomatoes, onions, slabs of beef, fingers, you name it I cut it. Try cutting anything with a dull knife and you will see pretty fast how annoying it can be, but a sharp knife is just a thing of beauty. I quartered and defatted (defatted: to remove the fat from a large piece of meat, usually done with a sharp knife) a thing of beef in no time.

BTW I am extremely annoyed with this whole Pats camera thingy. When a guy like LDT can come out and say the Pats live off the statement "you aren't trying if you aren't cheating", well that is just pure class. Especially when he has two teammates who are confirmed cheats! What happens if Marty says on TV, "well in my San Diego days we did that quite often, there was this one time....." All I am saying is the Pats aren't alone in trying to figure out oppositions play calls, it would serve some of these wise guys best to keep quiet and be thankful it wasn't their team caught.

Daddy Day Care

2007-08-28T00:25:00.000-04:00

Thursday Prom is leaving for the XD and I am going to be home with the 3 kids for the next 4 weeks. I know that this is going to be a super great experience for her to learn and grow as a shepherd and I am super happy she will be going but at the same time I can't help feeling a little apprehensive. Taking care of a 3 month old certainly isn't my specialty but hey if our parents could do it why can't we. My mom had to leave Terri for a month to go to meetings when she was about the same age so I figure why not try to best her time!

Besides if 3 of us can take care of 7 kids under the age of 8 without a house to live in for 3 weeks (that was the Wordstock before last) this ought to be a walk in the park. Just don't remind me I said this a week from now when I can't wake up for devotions.

Anyhow here is a great pic of Prom and Eryn.

Ryan is getting pretty good at wiffle ball, if you see in the back of this pic Ryan knocked me in from 3rd.Eryn got a little lost

I got stuck with all the stragglers

Dear Cousins...

2007-08-13T20:52:00.000-04:00

Dear Jordan and Brandon,

It was so much fun to see you again. Thank you for all the fun times we had together during your visit. Thank you for helping us ride our bikes, play baseball with us, building a cool fort by the creek, barbecues, birthday parties, water fun, and all the fun things you did with us. We will really miss you when you go back home and hope that you can visit us again with Shawn. You guys are the best! We love you!

Love, Ryan and Bradyn

Boys

2007-08-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

I don't even have a cool story or any anecdotes to add to this picture. I just found it on the computer when I was trying to find a new background for my computer and loved it. There is nothing like having two rambunctious, foolish, crazy, wild, funny, and totally wonderful boys.

BBall, Jersey City Style

2007-08-05T23:12:00.000-04:00

Down in the City doing fundraising right now and one of the best things about it is being able to play ball down here. Up at the house the nearest bball court is about 4 miles away and is broken so everytime we go we have to bring a piece of copper piping, a tape measure, and a hacksaw to fix it. Of course we could just save the piece of pipe that we cut the last time but it is too much work to do after playing ball and we are hoping the little bastards that keep messing up our brilliant fixit job will knock it off, or at the least save our piece of pipe for us.

Anyhow so when we are down here there is this lovely little court we can play ball at, of course the rims are about 3 inchs short, the court is covered in sand and broken glass, and no one bothers to keep any sort of rules but it is all good in the hood.

With a little help from JD I have even started to learn the local language. I still cant understand most of what they say but I know they have dubbed me Dirk (these guys arent the most imaginative, I guess they see a tall white guy with long hair and figure he is white like Dirk so he must play like Dirk), JD is Sprite (no idea where they got that from), and Mark is either Steve Nash or White Cracker depending on the day.

I have learned the two worst things to do are to fall over when defending someone, and to jump on a pump fake. Either way you will be ridiculed mercilessly, I have done both of those and everyone there still recounts it whenever I show up. Of course I am also one of the only ones who bothers defending anyone (JD is the other, he is quite good too). Another thing is that you have to taunt, if not you wont get anywhere. Yesterday I stuffed a guy with both hands and since i said nothing no else said anything, then I slip on a crossover and the whole neighbourhood sounded off on it.

Yup becoming one can be hard on your pride sometimes but I am learning, pretty soon Ill be ready to dunk, and yell, and swear, and taunt, and dribble for half an hour before I try shooting. What, thats not the vision, drat. Well i guess I will stick to enjoying ball and not worry about whether the neighborhood thinks I am whiter Tom Green.

Prom pic

2007-07-19T22:01:00.000-04:00

Well I think Prom just did 3 nice posts for me but I never returned the favor. I would really like to but if I did put some pics up I would make a fatal mistake and pick one she "looked fat in" or something and it would totally backfire on me. Actually Prom is surprisingly calm with that, she just thinks she looks bad in every picture, and I think I look bad in every picture, so together we just try not to post pics of each other. But Prom has broken that unwritten rule so now I get to post a pic of her without it backfiring.....I think. Being away from Home might be making me a tad too bold. No seriously Prom isn't like that, I am just being foolish, now I am apologizing for being foolish which prolly makes me look like I am whipped. I prolly shouldn't say that either, see it is this being away from Home, does funny things to you. Well I think I have put my foot far enough down my throat for one night. I think I should just post the best pic I can think of and make a run for it. I think that should be okay. I think me thinking is probably a bad idea, nothing good usually comes from it. Screw it here goes, big deep breath.

Love you tons Babe, there was another one I really like but I can't find it anywhere. See ya.

To a Wonderful Person....

2007-06-24T23:36:00.000-04:00

I wanted to put this up on Father's Day--but better late than never. It's about a wonderful person who I am not only blessed to have as a father to my kids, but a great husband, friend and love to me. When I first met him, he didn't come like that as the "package" deal, but with time, wife, kids, experience and lots more that came along, he developed those beautiful attributes that I'm so blessed to enjoy and cherish. Thank you so much Toshi for the deep love you have for me and the kids. We have gone and are still going through alot, but it's the Lord's love through you that has pulled us together. I couldn't ask for better and the Lord knew what the kids and I needed--YOU! You have left no stone unturned to express your unconditional love towards us...Now its our turn to express our love for you--We Love You!!!

Ryan with Daddy

Bradyn with Daddy

Eryn with Daddy

"Anyone one can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad!"

10 Best Things from PEP

2007-06-24T22:28:00.000-04:00

Since we just got back from PEP I thought I should put something up about it. But then again everyone does that in the usual way, you know "got back, tired, was fun, blah blah". So while out car litnessing (lets get rid of that dumb canning word, it is car litnessing and that is final. It started as car litnessing, it should be car litnessing, so long as you are getting the lit out, being a sample and a witness you are car litnessing and there is glory in doing that!) I thought of doing a top ten kind of thing from PEP. So here it is.

10 Best Things about PEP
(in no particular order)

1) Seeing Tim and BBQ Ribs

2) Chucks victory dance for getting out of Tijuana without a map or a clue where she was going

3) Top Bunks and sharing a room with 4 guys, I don't think I did that since I was 11

4) Oso Negro, 5$ for Vodka is a very good thing and a VERY bad thing

5) Seeing how freaking talented my mom and Joan are, I mean I already sorta knew they knew all about ECE but hearing them go over it and all the stuff they know is just daunting. And to think that Timna, Terri, and now Tiffy know all about this stuff is just fantastic for Family children everywhere.

6) Doing the humble thing and playing ball with the Families best, Darren, Big Mike, Regular Mike, Tracy, Ryan, Eli, Philly, even Dan of Gin was just awesome.

7) Discussing the aerodynamic qualities of nuts and then being amazed by Mike's skill when he tossed an almond across the room (a good 20 feet) and hit his target (Ryan's forehead) rid in the middle. That has to be some sort of super power right? Who can throw an almond 20 feet and hit a target 2x3 inches in size?

8) Discussing Theology, Astrology, Assology(the study of what race can shake it better), and Beer with Jer.

9) Serving Drinks with Nina, and if anyone felt a little hammered after that last evening I swear I had nothing do with it. It was all Nina's fault, with just a little encouragement from me.

10) Well I ran out of things that I can or should post on here but I can't finish this without saying that the best thing about PEP is coming back Home to 3 beautiful kids and knowing that the future is pretty good for them with all the wonderful teaching and input they are getting or will get. God bless all those who put their time and work into making the PEP happen, it was wonderful, everything was super great. Thank you for doing it. And most importantly to Promise for again taking the kids and being a wonderful mommy\teacher for 3 very rascally kids so I could go to a meeting. I have done it once and thought it was Hell, you have done it 4 times now and haven't voiced a complaint yet.

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-19T01:03:00.000-04:00

Children need a Daddy

For many, many things:

Like holding them high off the ground

Where the sunlight sings!
Like being the deep music

That tells them all is right

When they awaken frantic with

The terrors of the night.
Like being the great mountain

That rises in their hearts

And shows them how they might get home

When all else falls apart.
Like giving them the love

That is their sea and air,

So diving deep or soaring high

They'll always find him there!

Curious George

2007-06-02T21:25:00.000-04:00

Tonight Ryan asked me as he lay in bed, "Why do big people don't go to sleep?" I said,"Well, because we have to wait for little people like you to go to sleep first." He lay his head on his pillow, closed his eyes and responded, "Ok Mom, now it's your turn."

--Prom