Skype Birthday Party for Rebecca!

What do you do when your daughter turns 30
but she's 9,000 miles away in Singapore?

Throw a Skype Party, of course!

(Yes, that's the Taj Mahal, in India. Josh took her there for her birthday, and made her wear the goofy tee-shirt and mask. As you may notice, she's carrying her next child, due in August.)

First thing was making sure she got her favorite cake! For as long as I can remember, Rebecca asked for cakes with strawberries on her birthday. I got online and found a place in Singapore, 7th Manna, that delivers fresh strawberry cakes at a reasonable price! They were so easy to work with.

Next, we invited about 30 local people to come (and Jessica from Roseville who is in frequent contact with Rebecca). I prearranged with Josh to have Rebecca home and ready on Saturday morning, when it would be Friday evening for us. The time zone difference is 15 hours, so we set it for 6 PM here.

A couple of weeks ahead of time, we mailed a box full of small gifts, paper party goods, and a couple of decorations to Josh at the school where he teaches. He did a great job of hiding it from Rebecca. The day before the party, the cake was delivered to Josh, also at school, and he took a taxi home to keep it fresh (it gets pretty hot in Singapore, and he usually rides public transportation).

We had a sketchy start; we lost internet connection for two hours before the party started. I was pretty stressed knowing the party couldn't happen without a connection. Dan was on the phone with a tech at our provider's, then Dustin came and helped complete the fix. We came back online FIVE MINUTES before the start of the party! Soon, we had a room full of well-wishers.

Yvette and I had told Rebecca we would be calling. Ever since they moved over there, we talk frequently by Skype. It's a FREE internet video calling service, requiring a webcam. For the party, we set up Dan's Mac laptop in my kitchen. We had it turned so that she could just see Yvette and I. Everyone else was waiting a few feet away, quietly, in the living room.





We chatted a few moments, then told Rebecca that her Grandma and Grandpa had come in and wanted to say hi. As we turned the laptop, everyone started singing "Happy Birthday". I think Rebecca was TRULY surprised! I hope she'll comment about it here...




One by one, everyone from the party came up to the monitor to speak a few minutes with her. She was online for about two hours!




Dan (above) explaining to Rebecca that he was bummed when she turned 16 before him, but now...






Then, it was time for Cake! Josh had gone to get the cake from their refrigerator (he'd told Rebecca that she couldn't look in the fridge that morning), and I was off-screen lighting the one we had here. Simultaneously, she had cake coming from behind and on-screen. Once again we sang, and she blew out her candles in Singapore. Rebecca D. blew out the candles here!


As Rebecca continued to speak with all her guests, Yvette, two of the D. girls and I handed out cake here. Then, she opened her gifts.




All in all, it was the next-best thing to being there! I only wish I could have given her a big ole birthday hug and kiss. I can't believe it's been thirty years since that wondrous day when my life was blessed with this beautiful daughter.

Happy Birthday, Rebecca!

*for some reason, the photos are pretty blurry.

Pair-a-Docks

Ever wondered why a person who touts Tolerance can be so Intolerant of those he deems Intolerant?

Good News!

My sister got a reprieve! We are so thankful. She will have to keep a lifelong vigilance, but we are optimistic that it will be a long vigilance!

How I am Feeling

In the The Silver Chair, a Chronicle of Narnia book by C.S. Lewis, there is a character named Puddleglum. His personality is much like mine. A pessimist. Always expecting the worst. An Eeyore.

Nevertheless, when the chips are really down, he knows where to look. Up.

In one significant scene, the characters -Puddleglum, Jill and Scrubb- have left the wonderful land of Narnia to search for its abducted prince, and are now captive in a distant dark Underworld. They have found the prince, but have hit an obstacle: the wicked Witch who kidnapped him. She is casting a spell, and Puddleglum's companions are quickly falling under her bewitching. Puddleglum is resisting with all his might. I'll quote the story from this point, beginning with the words of Jill, one of the good companions...

"I suppose that other world (Narnia) must be all a dream."

"Yes. It is all a dream," said the Witch, always thrumming on her magic fiddle.

"Yes, all a dream," said Jill.

"There never was such a world," said the Witch.

"No," said Jill and Scrubb, "never was such a world."

"There never was any world but mine," said the Witch.

"There never was any world but yours," said they.

Puddleglum was fighting hard. "I don't rightly know what you all mean by a world," he said, talking like a man who hasn't enough air. "But you can play that fiddle till your fingers drop off, and you still won't make me forget Narnia; and the whole Overworld, too. We'll never see it again, I shouldn't wonder. You may have blotted it out and turned it dark like this, for all I know. Nothing more likely.

"But I know I was there once. I've seen the sky full of stars. I've seen the sun coming up out of the sea of a morning and sinking behind the mountains at night. And I've seen him up in the midday sky when I couldn't see him for his brightness."



Lately, my world has seemed dark. But, I have seen the Sun. And I shall never forget the Son in His brightness...

Please Pray

Someone very dear
to me was diagnosed
with lymphoma today.

We don't have any
details yet, and I'd
rather not say just
now who it is.

But, God knows,
and I'd like to ask
you to join me in
praying for her
complete recovery,
and the strength to
fight this head on.

Thank you.

(L.- if you're reading this: I love you.)

Movie Recommendation

Do you have an open mind? Did you see "An Inconvenient Truth?", "Fahrenheit 9/11", or "Bowling for Columbine?" ...Add this one to your list. (If nothing else, you'll enjoy the trailer.)

If you have heard of the new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, opening April 18, chances are you have heard all kinds of distortions and myths about it. So let's set the record straight about some of the most common myths.

Myth #1: Darwinists interviewed for this film were tricked into participating.
Not so. Each scientist interviewed for Expelled, on both sides of the evolution debate, knew who would do the interview and what it was for. Each of them signed a release, allowing the producers to use the footage of their interviews.

Myth #2: The film is anti-science.

Wrong again. Many distinguished scientists were interviewed for this film and given the chance to express their views. Just like their Darwinist counterparts, the advocates of intelligent design and their supporters who are interviewed are there to talk about science, not to dismiss it. These are people like Cambridge physicist John Polkinghorne; Oxford mathematician and philosopher John Lennox; journalist Pamela Winnick, who has received hate mail for covering the issue; and biologist Caroline Crocker, who was fired from George Mason University for discussing intelligent design in the classroom. Some of them are religious believers; some are not. But what they share is a commitment to science and the unfettered pursuit of truth. Expelled is not anti-science; it is anti-censorship.

Myth #3: Ben Stein, the actor and writer who hosts the movie, has lost his mind.

Bringing up this very issue in a conference call, Stein quipped that he probably has, "but it was a long time ago . . . probably sometime around 1958." Well, I have known Stein well for years, and he is as bright as a button and anything but out of his mind. On a serious note, Stein and his film's producers explained that the mud that people are flinging at him is just one small example of what happens to people who question Darwinian orthodoxy. The original idea for Expelled, said co-producer and software engineer Walt Ruloff, came to him when he was working on a project with a group of biotechnologists and learned "that there was a whole series of questions that could not be asked."

The prevailing ideology among many scientists—it turned out—he concluded, was keep your mouth shut, take the research money, and publish only the data that fits with "the party line." The issue that concerns Ruloff and the others behind Expelled is whether the scientific establishment in this country is going to allow genuine "freedom of inquiry," or simply shut up—and slander—those who do not toe the line.

Given all this, Ben Stein states, "As long as the cause is right, I'm happy to be in an uphill struggle."

Myth #4: Popular author and atheist, Richard Dawkins tells Ben Stein in this film that there could have been a designer of life on earth, but it would have had to have been "a higher intelligence" that had itself evolved "to a very high level . . . and seeded some form of life on this planet."

Well, actually . . . that one is not a myth. He really did say it—striking admission, though it is.

So, I urge you to go see Expelled when it opens at a theater near you. Believe me, in this case the truth really is stranger—and more compelling—than any fiction the film's detractors could possibly dream up. (from Breakpoint, 4/11/08)

New Post

Hey 3-peas-in-a-pod (Lori)... here is the new post you asked for!

I don't have any fresh ideas right now, being impaired by a low blood sugar. Rick is taking me out to dinner in a few minutes. For now, scroll down to the very bottom of this page, and see our GrandBaby Ticker!

More Later!

;-)

Do You Know Someone with this Condition?

=D

Time for a chuckle... Dilbert does it again!

It's My City... Love It or Leave It!

Here we go again.

Not that I disagree, but where you live is ALSO about friends and family. However, if it weren't for friends and family, we'd be long gone!

Flying Our Flag: Upside Down or Right Side Up?

.

Guess which one is the anti-war protester? Read this and you might be surprised!

No matter which side of the aisle you sit on, you'll be proud of these men for the way they resolved this.

I hope this story is picked up nationally for its 15 minutes of fame in the limelight. There is a lot to learn from this incident.

We Three

(us at the rest area, 3-18-08)

What a day we've had!

We woke up this morning and decided we needed a day off work. Since Rick took an early retirement two years ago, we've had our noses to the grindstone, building our Offbeat business. Things haven't gone as planned exactly (in more ways than finances; children moving away, health, etc.) and I've been really blue lately. We thought a drive to the mountains to immerse ourselves in Spring and all the fresh green hills and colorful wildflowers would be comforting.

Right away, I sensed the Lord in our conversation. We talked easily of our dreams, our disappointments, our vision for our future, and how we trust the Lord to guide us. Can I just say that I am married to an amazing man?! I am so blessed to be partnered with this guy. He provides such a balance for me. I have a natural tendency to pessimism (don't look so surprised-HA!) and melancholy. The further we drove, the more optimistic I felt about things. I felt hopeful with a renewed sense of Christ's love for me.

About 40 miles up, we passed over a river bridge and noticed a little deserted rest area. Deciding to stop for a few moments, we turned off the road and doubled back to it. As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw a car tucked back out of sight from the road. It looked familiar.

(Bryan, Ces, Mia and soon-to-be-born Baby)

Before I knew it, I was jumping out of the car and running toward some of our very best young friends, Bryan and Ces! What a random meeting! A Tuesday morning, far from home, on a work day. Coincidence? I think not...

We had such a pleasant interlude with them and their tiny daughter, talking about our lives and catching up. (They have filled some gaps for us since Bec and Josh have moved, and Shay and Charity live a few hours off.) This dear family was out there with their canoe, fishing, also enjoying the day, and reveling in their Creator.

As we drove away, Rick and I looked at each other and just smiled. It was obvious that our Silent Passenger had spoken; we were driving, but He was directing. We can count on Him to do that with us. Always.

And that is very comforting.

(continued...next post down)

~~

Further Up the Road...

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

We stopped at a country cemetery. It's really interesting to read all the headstones, and to realize that someday, all any one on earth may know of you might be what's written there.

When we walked back to our car, I caught a reflection of the cemetery in our back window, alongside a sticker, "Don't waste your life". That struck me as very symbolic.

I took a quick digital snapshot. When I got home, it looked really strange to me! The cemetery was completely whitewashed, due to the sunlight and the contrast between the black car and the bright background. I'm not trying to be overly artsy, but I did a one-step tweak (poster edges) in photoshop, and I thought this turned out kinda interesting.

Tag- You're It!

I was tagged by Jessica, I think. (Okay, I'm a little late, but I've been preoccupied.) The deal is to ask a "would you rather..." question and then tag five more people. I'm not tagging anyone, but here's my question.

It's summer.

Would you rather (body or board) surf in the cold Pacific Ocean with big waves

-or-

in the warm Atlantic Ocean with small waves?

Happy Birthday, littlest C!

We celebrated our grandson's birthday yesterday at his home in Marin. Little C. is one year old! He's a delightful, happy boy. His big sister, S., had a lot of fun orchestrating the candle blow-out, and overseeing the gift opening. When he went to bed early, she took his toys for a trial-run and approved of them all. ;-)

You know you've lost your head to technology when...

...you wake up in the morning and check the weather on your Blackberry while still in bed, instead of looking out the window. Don't ask me how I know this.

Go ahead, comment. You can be anonymous!

Visit Elizabeth!

Elizabeth has a new blogspot to keep everyone caught up on her life at college. She asked me to pass the word on...

Taco Feast!

We had some young friends in this evening for a Taco Feast! C----- brought a chile relleno casserole, S---- brought the guacamole, and Y----- brought Coca Cola and Jaritos in the glass bottles. I fried 25 terribly-unhealthy-but-delicious-tacos; not one was left.

We girls (two are expecting) ate at the kitchen table, and the guys balanced plates on their laps in the living room.

It was a wonderful evening! We also celebrated C------'s birthday. I love the freshness of these friends. I'd like to make it a monthly event...


(The first two pix are taken with my camera phone; not the best)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Flowers and a mushy card from my best friend and awesome husband, Rick.

Selling a Bill of Goods to the Poorest of the Poor

A short 2.5 minute video from John Piper.

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