Chirstmas Day With the Harty Family

Christmas Day was a Harty Family Celebration. Mom and Dad Harty were already staying with us then Stew(Gordon's brother) came with his wife Linda and their two boys Erik and Andrew. They live in Texas. It took them two and a half days to drive here. We wish Richard (Gordon's older brother) and his family had come also. We miss them.We cooked, ate, open gifts, listen to music, and played a Christmas vertion of Family Feud that was a lot of fun. We culminated the night by watching the movie CARS. The movie was one of Dad Harty's Christmas gifts.We love it that Christmas Day was celebrated at our place.

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve was a lot of fun! Our group was; Mom and Dad Harty, also our friends David, Matt and Hiedi came and Amor and I.We cooked, had dinner, talked and laughed a lot (Matt is very funny), listen to music and had a great time until about 1:30 a.m. We enjoyed having this gathering at our place. We think we should do gatherings more often

Mom and Dad Harty's Rental Car

Mom and Dad Harty come from Tracy to celebrate Christmas with us here in Temecula. They rented a car for their trip here. The rental car was exactly like our new car we purchase a month ago. The difference was that the rental Matrix did not have a sun roof. See the two cars side by side in our garage.

LADY Is No Longer in the Family

I am sad to announce that LADY in no longer in the family. LADY is Amor's green Acura (it looks black in this picture but LADY is really dark green). It got the name of LADY by Amor's brothers because LADY are the first 4 letters in it's licence plate. It has been in the family for 11 an a half years. It used to belong to Amor's brother Stew. Stew's first son Erik came home from the hospital when he was born in the LADY. Them Amor became the next owner of the LADY for the last 8 years. It was the car he had when we were dating. So many romantic memories of places in the San Francisco Bay Area we went with the car :-) It is also the car we had have now that we are married. It was a very special car.

LADY never gave us any problems since my hubby took good care of it. But lately it was coming to need lot's of mayor maintenance that were worth more than the car. It was also loosing its paint and needed to be repainted. So after thinking about replacing it for a year, it has finally happened. We have replaced LADY with a 2003 Toyota XR corolla Matrix. This one has a CD player so we are enjoying playing music and listening to audio CD books as we drive places.

Following is a quick picture I took of our new Toyota as Amor is backing out of our garage ready to drive it to work for the first time. He loves his new car. It has all the extras with the exception of navigation.

Thanksgiving!

We had our Thanksgiving get together with my family this year. We drove up to Sacramento Wednesday to my parent's house. It was so nice to be there that even after the long drive north(almost 10 hours) we had energies to stay up until midnight just visiting talking and catching up.

The next day, the morning was full of the fun busy activities in preparing the food. My mother cooked some delicious garbanzos and also rice. Amor and I worked in our contribution to the meal which was a zucchini, black bean, cilantro and salad greens salad. We also prepared a home made salad dressing to go with it.

At two we drove to my sister's place to where both the Funes and the Sousa( the sousas are my sisters husband Carlos family) gather. We had a great meal and great fun eating, visiting and playing games until midnight.


We had a lot of food! The meal was; Garbanzos, rice, sliced creamey bake potatoes , vegetables, vegetarian meat, freshly brake home made wheat bread, salad and turkey(Carlos' family is not vegetarian). We also had apple/cherry pie with icecream. We were so full that the next day no one ate until lunch.

Family gatherings are therapeutic and a great blessing. I thank God for giving us a family. It is a great gift from God to have a family that is there to support each other in the good and hard times.

Each Painting is a Sermon

Last week I worked as a substitute receptionist/taking orders for Hart Classic Editions. Hart Classics sells Nathan Greene's art work. Nathan Greene is a Seventh-day Adventist well know artist from Michigan. His studio is in Berrien Springs near Andrews Uninversity. I enjoyed talking to the people that called to ask questions and take orders. People are impress with Nathan Greene paintings for different reasons and sometimes they want to talk about it when they place their order. So I heard all kinds of stories.

I invite you to visit the website that shows the art work by Nathan Greene at www.hartclassics.com The paintings are just beautiful! Each painting is a sermon.
I have one, a print of the one title Storytime (Jesus sitting among the children in a classroom listening to the teacher read a story). I had it in my classroom when I was teaching.

TAGnet and Hart Classic are in the same office, this means I got to come to work with Amor, my dear husband every day(Amor works at TAGnet/NetAdventist). I was glad to have the experience to help sell this paintings. I did not know it will be this interesting. It was a blessing.

Panama independence Day!

Today, November 3 is the independence Day Celebration of Panama! A day like today, my country of Panama declare it's independence from Colombia (not from Spain)

The Spanish explorers arrived in Panama at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Colonization followed and Spain ruled the region for three centuries.

In 1821 Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela got their independence from Spain and formed the Republic of Grand Colombia.

Grand Colombia dissolved in 1830 and Colombia and Panama became Nueva Granada. But in November 3 of 1903, Panama declare independence from Colombia after a civil war that lasted from 1899-1903.

In 1903 the United States supported Panama in their independence and bought the rights to build the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Here is a link to pictures of Panama, enjoy.

San Diego, Miramar Air Show

Last Sunday we went to the San Diego Air show in Miramar. I have seen the Blue Angels show over the San Francisco Bay area two times but have not really attended an all day Air Show before until last Sunday. I am not into airplanes but Amor is (he is a pilot). Amor looked forward going to the Air Show for months and I was excited because he was. So we took some water, our chair, ear plugs and off we went. Our friends David and Allan came too. The event was bigger than what I had ever imagine! It was pack with people, there were all kinds of great exhibits everywhere and always some demostration show flying over the sky. We did not know where to look or be. When at the exhibits, we were missing the airplane shows. Since the exhibits had long lines we decided to go find a good place to sit and enjoy the Air show. We found a place with a good view of the the runway, I could not believe we were that close to the runway. The airplanes went by us slowly at first which allowed us to take a good look at the airplanes when going to get ready for take off, then they went by fast and loud as they took off. It was so great to watch the airplanes as we hear information about the pilot, the history of the airplane(s) and the different demostrations and simulations they were doing. The Blue Angels were the culmination of the show. This year is the Blue Angels 60th Anniversary Celebration so they did an extra long demostration. I was fantastic! We decided we come again next year but not for just one day, we will come one day to see the exhibits and the other day to enjoy the air show. The San Diego Fleet Week runs for a month so we could go two Sundays easily.

Taking Anas to San Francisco

Just before our fly to Sacramento to help in my father's recovery from his stroke, Amor got notice that one of the engineers that he help trained while in India three years ago was in Berkeley for a few weeks on a work assignment. His name is Anas. He did not know anybody and did not have a car so we decided to show him around before Amor had to go back south to work. My sister and her husband let us use their car and we had a day in San Francisco with Anas. It was Anas first time in the US. We had a lot of fun showing him around. Like always the city was beautiful. He loved San Francisco.
Anas is back in India now. He said that the only time he went out sight seeing during his days in the US was the day we took him to the city. We were glad we did that for him. Being back in San Francisco was a treat for us as well. Being there once more reminded me that San Francisco is my favorite city. I miss living in the area.

A Little Taste of L A

I had a great time visiting my parents. I was sad to leave because it was so rewarding to help them and they still need someone to drive them to the store when they need something, to their doctor's appointments and to church. As I was in the plane flying back I wishsed I was not leaving them. But once I saw Amor at the airport I felt better. He was so sweet in welcoming me back. He had come early and waited for over half an hour in the packing lot(my plane was not late). It is so good to know that he loves me so much. He is the greatest blessing from heaven for me!!!

Saturday afternoon we dediced to escape to Los Angeles. Since we moved here we have gone to San Diego many times but not to L A. Amor lived in Glendale when he was a little boy and remember some of L A from a child's perspective. But I don't know L A at all. By the time we got there was already Saturday afternoon a so we only had the afternoon to explore the big city.
After we found a place for lunch, we decided to go to Holywood. Holywood was very busy and full of people so we decided to go to Beverly Hills; it is a gorgeous neiborhood! Since it was a beautiful day, we decided to go up to the Holywood mountains(hills). We took a scenic drive that had many stops to view the city. The sky was blue and clear, there was still some smog over the city but people told us it was less than usual.
It was so good go get away, get some good air, oxigen and know a new place. It was also very refreshing. Great times are always good and healthy for the soul and spirit.

"The heavens declare the Glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" Psalm 19:1

Prayers For My Father

The past two weeks I have been in Sacramento. My father had a stroke so I went to help in his recovery. It affected his speech and some vision and motor skills. He is doing better but life is not the same for him. There are things he can't do any more and this is very hard for him and us the family. I enjoyed learning more about how my parents live the day to day routine and also taking them to the different doctors appointments and to the stores as my father can't drive. If he keeps improving hopefully he will be able to drive again. My father takes a daily walk around his neighborhood, I went with him some days, the days that he was able. One of the great things about visiting my parents is my mother's food. Her food it's simple rice and beans with vegetables and salad, but it is so good. She cooks low salt and uses olive oil but her seasoning is so good. It is also very healthy food. I was eating tree meals a day and I lost ome pound, I think it has to do that her food is low in calories. I felt like I was having a feast every day(this does not happened when I cook). They also eat lots of grains and fruits for breakfast. I ask for prayers for my parents; for my father's recovery and strength for my mother's as she needs it to take care of him.

Richard and Tammy

Yesterday we took a mid-week drive to San Diego. We went to meet our friends Richard and Tammy. We have not seen them in about two years, ever since they moved to Washington D.C.
Three months ago they moved to Mexico City. They are in Tijuana in a bussiness trip this week so they crossed the borded to meet with us in San Diego. They took the San Diego Trolley from the border. They said it just took them half hour from the border to our meeting place in San Diego Down Town(I did not realized Mexico was so close to San Diego). We had a nice time at an Italian restaurant at Seaport Village eating and catching up. They invited us to go visit them at Mexico City. So maybe our next vacation could be, Mexico!

Los Angeles County Fair

Sunday we went to the L.A. County Fair. We went because we like a day at a fair and we wanted to see my friend Celia and her husband Joby. They have a booth there. Celia met us at the parking of the fair's administration building and gave us; entrance tickets, parking ticket, a map and a fair booklet. She, made sure to have us set up for a good day at the fair. She is such a sweet friend!




Once in the fair there was so much to see. Following is a general account of our day at the fair;
-One of the first booths we went to was a Mola booth. I was surprise to see Molas there! Molas are handmade crafts, native Cuna(Kuna) work from Panama, the land where I was born.
-Amor found a leader wallet that works for him for a good price(he has been needing a new one for years, the one he has now is falling apart).
-We spent some time in the Home and Garden area looking for ideas for our backyard(it is still not landscaped).
-We ate lunch(a bit greasy lunch).
-Went to a live horse racing(our first time ever). As the horses were out on the track warming up for the race, Amor chose number 4 and I chose number 7. It was neat to be there seeing all the people with the anticipation of the race. The race finally started. We were surprised at how fast the horses were running! The ambulance that was following them could hardly keep up with the horses. The winner was number 7, I could not believe it! My horse wan! How lucky is that? I should have bet real money. Maybe next time :-)
-We went to Celia's and Jobby's booth, The Wildflower Seed Company. They gave us a gift from their booth, they are such sweet friends :-) They were busy with customer and we had a lot more to cover so we only visited with them for about 5 minutes.
-We saw a Chinese gymnastic show. It was a great show! Thank you Celia for the recondition.
-Amor got himself a pair of Shoemate Orthotics for his flat feet (he has been needed some for a long time). I got a pair of Hydropedes Glycering filled insoles. I used them right away and they worked well. My feet were happy the rest of the day. It is just what I need it.
-We got ourselves some Aroma Sensations These are oils with a variety of aromas that can be use to help relieve specific symptoms.
-We spent the rest of the day at The Big Red Barn seeing the animals. We saw all kinds of animals and their babies including some huge pigs. I don't know what they do to grow them so big and fat. We were also able to catch the end of a baby lamb being born.

At this time it was already dark and we were tired and hungry. We went back to Celia's and Joby's booth and shared about our day and thank them for everything. It was great to see them. They are such cool friends! We had a great day at the fair. I think we'll do it again next year.

Our Garden

We started a garden late April. It was fun to set it up, plant it, water it, and watch it grow. There is so much more to gardening than just watering it. There is pruning, fertilizing, some plants need more water that others, some need more sun than others, not all need the same kind of soil etc. Not everything that we planted actually grew. In other words we learned a lot and we have much more to learn. The first thing that we harvest were the radishes. They were huge! See the size of them as compare to the fork in the picture above.

We were not big fans of radishes but there is something different about them when we grew them ourselves from seed, cared for them, anticipated the time of harvest and then used them in our cooking. That something is that they do taste better, they are special. I went out of my way to find recipies of salads to use our radishes. We also simply ate some of them just plain like if they were apples and yes, we were so exited about finding different ways to use them that we even put radishes in Amor's recipe of Spicy Fryed Potatoes (I think we like the spicy potatoes without the radishes better). Our atitude and taste have changed about radishes. We have developed a taste for them. I think we are now set to like radishes from now on, the rest of our lives.

Global Internet Evangelism Network Forum

This past weekend was the Global Internet evangelists Network Forum http://gien.adventist.org
The TAGnet's group was there. Amor had gone to a few of them in the past. But for me it was the first time I attended. It was in San Diego this year, about a 55 minute drive for us.
Following is a picture of the TAgnet's team. See Amor in the second road middle left.

There were a lot of ministries there from different parts of the world. It is neat to hear how different ministries are using the internet for evangelism,to serve their community and to serve their church members. In other words for God's work.

Mom and Dad 50th Celebration

We had a great weekend celebrating Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary! I was almost a week of family being together. First the days preparing for the celebration, the celebration night, and then the days after the celebration. Family came from Oregon, Texas and Southern California. Amor and his brothers did a lot of catching up. Us, the wives had fun connecting, and the cousins got to spent time together. It was great to learn new things about each other!
Mom was enjoying every single minute, she was glowing all the time. Dad was not sure about everything but got into it as well. It was a joy to honor them. We all enjoyed creating this memories.
The cake table was very special because the decorations used were the original ones from their wedding cake 50 years ago. Look very carefully to the small bride and groom on the top of the cake and the small attendance figures next to the photo frame. Mom save them for 50 years. We also had Mom's bride and broom candles and a photo of them cutting the cake their wedding day 50 years ago.

Preparation for Mom and Dad 50th Anniversay

This next weekend, August 26 to be exact, Amor's parents will be married 50 years. This calls for a celebration! Not everybody makes it to celebrate 50 years of marriege. They want something simple. So we have been planning a simple and sweet special party for them. The celebration is the gift their three sons and their family are giving to them to honor and thank them for all they have done for them as parents. There has been a lot of details to think about and do every week. The first thing we did is to create the invitation and sent it so family and friends could save the date. Amor and I came up with a simple invitation we created and made ourselves(see a photo of the invitation above). All the other things to do came rolling after. Now, we are only a few days away and it looks like it's coming togehter. The best thing is the joy of having the family together for a few days.

Picnic and Golf

This weekend we had a great outing! We set out to drive the back roads of Temecula towards Julian. We looked in the map and decided that Lake Vail would be a good place to have a picnic. When we got to the lake we found out that it is a private lake and needed a membership to go in. So we kept on driving looking for a good place for a picnic. We ended up in a small town called Warner Springs. There was a beautiful golf park there and nice green areas with tables. We ate our picnic lunch there. There was a golf tournament going on so we sat there and watch the action of the different groups of golfers while we ate.

After we ate, Amor took out his set of golf clubs he keeps in the trunk of his car. We played golf all afternoon. We had a great time playing golf. Amor had to have a lot of patience with teaching me the techniques of golf. I did not even know how to hold the golf club correctly. But at the end of the evening I was hitting a few balls the right direction and far enough. I had a great time! I think Amor did too because on the way back home we stop at a sport store and Amor was looking at a few golf club sets that are good for my hight. This definitely means he wants me to have my own set of golf clubs so we can play more often. Could this mean he prefer to play with me better than with the boys? Only the future will tell :-)

2006 ASi Convention

We just got back from some very great 5 days at the ASi Convention! This year the convention was at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center on Lake Grapevine in Dallas. It is a huge indoor resort. It has huge glass atriums to make everything in the resort be indoors. There are restaurants, shops, 2 swimming pools, spas, and a four and a half acres of lash indoor gardens. It was such a luxurious place to stay! Being there made me think of heaven and how much more beautiful heaven will be. Here is the link to the Gaylord Texan

This is my 5th year attending the yearly National ASi Convention. Ever since I married Amor. My first one was three weeks after Amor and I were married. We were practically in our honeymoon. ASi or Adventist-Laymen's Services and Industries, besides being a convention where many ministries come together to advertise and share what they do; it is also a spiritual retreat. There are some great meetings, great seminars and joyful fellowship. We got to see old friends and make new ones. Amor and I look forward to it every Summer. Following is a link to the ASi website ASi ministries We go representing TAGnet, an internet ministry that Amor and two other friends started 11 years ago. They had a booth promoting the new product that TAGnet is working on called netAdventist. Following is a link to their website netAdventist. The picture above is Amor busy at the booth.

Finally Started!!!

I have been wanting to start a blog for a long time but never got around to actually do it. There are so many out there and never decided on one until now. But here I am, I finally did it, I register in this one today! I think I will enjoy recording events in the life of Amor and I. As I am writing Amor is packing for our trip to Texas for the ASI Convention this weekend. We leave tomorrow morning.
Since we have an early fly we have to get up at five in the morning to drive to the San Diego airport. So I can not write much tonight. Adios!