Huntington Beach/Concordia University, Irvine

January 14th/14 de enero

el miercoles por la tarde - el aire refrescante, el lameo de las olas, el mejor lugar para memorizar los discursos y hacer tareas.

Huntington Beach, California, January 2009

Wednesday afternoon - fresh ocean air, lapping waves, a perfect place to memorize speeches.

A perfect sunset. Una perfecta puesta del sol!

The Concordia Tournament in Irvine, CA. The stress, the joy, the long-days, the amazing students and wonderful speeches/debates and even some recognition for Risa and both of the girls' and their partners. Good work teams!

El Torneo de Concordia en Irvine, CA lleno de estress, gozo, dias largisimos, estudiantes con habilidades asombrosos y discursos y debates maravillosos, y hasta un poco de reconocimiento de sus esfuerzos para las ninas y sus companeros de debate. Buen trabajo!

Concordia University, Irvine, California, January 2009

We bookended our visit with beach time at my beloved HB pier/beach, spending the last day, Sunday, January 18th at the beach with friends before driving 8 hrs. home. Empezamos y terminamos nuestra visita playera en mi playa querida HB antes de manejar las 8 horas para llegar de nuevo a casa.

In With a New Speech Reminiscent of Old

1-19-09 Matin Luther King Jr:
" I've seen the promise land. I may not get there with you. But, I want you to know tonight that we, as a people will get to the promised land. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the Coming of the Lord."

1-20-09 Barack Obama:
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there."

In honor of this new presidency and to mark the day as significant I prepared an Inauguration Meal - It was Black-Eyed Peas with Garlic and Greens and my delicious Cornbread (did I ever say that my Great-Grandma Mary was from Texas? Cornbread truly runs in the family!)
*2 lds kale or chard
*2 tbsps. olive oil
*3 cloves garlic
**2 cans/cooked black-eyed peas
*1 pinch red chili pepper flakes
*2 tbsps. cider vinegar
*zest from one lemon

Wash and chop greens into one-inch pieces. In large pot, boil greens until tender @ 10 min. In large skillet saute garlic in oil 'til golden. Add peas, pepper flakes and kale and cook briefly over low heat. Add cider viengar and lemon and serve! Mmm. I liked this vegetarian dish A LOT, but my family DID NOT.

The Apostle's Creed

Credo de los Apóstoles
Creo en Dios Padre todopoderoso,creador del cielo y de la tierra. Creo en Jesucristo, su único Hijo, nuestro Señor. Fue concebido por obra y gracia del Espíritu Santo y nació de la Virgen Maria.Padeció bajo el poder de Poncio Pilato.Fue crucificado, muerto y sepultado.Descendió a los infiernos. Al tercer día resucitó de entre los muertos.Subió a los cielos,y está sentado a la diestra de Dios Padre. Desde allí ha de venir a juzgar a vivos y muertos.Creo en el Espíritu Santo, la santa Iglesia católica, la comunión de los santos, el perdón de los pecados, la resurrección de los muertos, y la vida eterna. Amén.
January 5 - Twelve Drummers Drumming/Doce Tamborileros ( The Twelve Points of Doctrine in the Apostle's Creed)



January 4 - Eleven Pipers Piping/Once Gaiteritos ( The Eleven Faithful Apostles)

January 3 - Ten Lords A-Leaping/Diez Señores Saltando (The Ten Commandments)
January 2 - Nine Ladies Dancing/Nueve Bailarinas (The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit)
January 1 - Eight Maids A-Milking/Ocho Lecheritas (The Eight Beatitudes)
December 31 -Seven Swans A-Swimming/ Siete Cisnitos(The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Seven Sacraments)
December 30 - Six Geese A-Laying/Seis Mamá Gansas (The Six Days of Creation)
December 29 -Five Golden Rings/Cinco anillos dorados, (The First Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the History of Man's Fall from Grace.)

Endings & Beginnings

* Risa tuvo hoy su ultimo dia de trabajo en la Casa de Te. Sara sigue trabajando.
*Trabajamos casi todo la noche en los varios discursos que quieren presentar los ninos en el Torneo de la Universidad de Concordia (Irvine) dentro de dos semanas. Nos queda mucho que hacer!
*Risa worked her last day at A Cup of Tea. Sara is still working.
* We worked all night tonight on speeches for the Concordia University Tournament (Irvine) coming up in a couple of weeks. So much to do!

December 28: On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me *Four Calling Birds (the Four Gospels and the Four Evangelists proclaiming the good news,) three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
28 de diciembre: El cuarto día de Navidad mi amor me mandó *Cuatro pajaritos (los Cuatro Evangelios y los cuatro Evangelistas que proclaman la buena noticia de Dios,) tres gallinitas, dos tortolitas y una perdiz picando peras del peral.

The Twelve Days of Christmas/12 Dias de Navidad

The words from this song first appeared in a book titled Mirth Without Mischief (1780) in England. It describes "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as a "memory and forfeits game" played by children at that time. Another source claims that it was actually more than a repetitious melody, but a catechism song to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith. This source has since been questioned, but I still find the singing of it helpful and lovely.

Las letras de esta cancion aparecieron por primera vez en un libro titulado, Mirth Without Mischief (1780) en Inglaterra. En el, describe "Los 12 Dias de Navidad" como un "juego de memoria y de prendas" al que jugaban los ninos catolicos en aquel tiempo. Aunque en actualidad se ha cuestinado el origen de este catechismo, me parece didactico y bello.

December 25: On the First Day of Christmas my true love gave to me *a partridge in a pear tree (The partridge in a pear tree is to represent Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem:
"Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)

25 de diciembre: El primer día de Navidad, mi amor me mandó *una perdiz picando peras del peral (Jesus Cristo - Lucas 13:34)

December 26: On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me *two turtle doves (the Old and New Testament, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.) and a partridge in a pear tree.

26 de diciembre: El segundo día de Navidad, mi amor me mandó *dos tortolitas (el Viejo and el Nuevo Testamento, que juntos sirven como testigos a la autorevelacion de Dios en la historia y la creacion de una gente que contara su cuento verdadero al mundo.)

December 27: On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me *three French hens (Faith, Hope and Love-the Theological Virtues -1 Corinthians 13:13) ) two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

27 de diciembre: El tercer día de Navidad, mi amor me mandó *tres gallinitas (Fe, Esperanza & Amor-las Virtudes Teologicas, 1 Corintios 13:13) dos tortolitas y una perdiz picando peras del peral.

Christmas Lights!

Sacramento Christmas Lights Tour, December 2008

In an hour or so, our family of 8, with Grandma & Papa and another family of 9 will all ride up together in our SUV and their 12-seater van to discover the BEST LIGHTS in Sacramento. Yes, we're off to famed Dovewood Court, Orangevale.

Four - Candles and Books

Faith. Love. Hope. Joy.

Fe. Amor. Esperanza. Gozo.

One Advent Candle Left/Solo Queda una Vela

JESUS

John 1:14, 12-13 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become Children of God
Juan 1:14, 12-13 - Y aquel Verbo fue hecho carne, y habito entre nosotros y vimos su gloria, gloria como del unigenito del Padre, lleno de gracia y de verdad.
Mas a todos los que le recibieron, a los que creen en su nombre, les dio postestad de ser hechos Hijos de Dios.
These are my favorite books each season. . .Algunas de mis libros preferidos de esta estacion se encuentran entre los juveniles que tengo guardados durante el ano. Los descubrimos cada diciembre cuando abrimos la caja grande de libros y revistas navidenos de otros anos, musica, y decoraciones. Me encanta El Abecedario de Navidad/The Christmas Alphabet por Robert Sabuda con su arte de papel "pop-up." An amazing book of Christmas "pop-up" art.

El tesoro de The Tale of Three Trees, a Traditional Folktale que empieza con lo que suenan tres arbolitos de cuando crezcan a ser grandes. Up on a mountaintop, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up and whose wishes come true in a surprising way.

y One Wintry Night escrito por Ruth Bell Graham, la esposa del evangelista Billy Graham. A young mountain boy is caught alone in a sudden snowstorm and takes refuge in a cabin built by his grandfather. The woman living there shelters the boy and while she attends to his badly swollen ankle she tells him the Christmas story.

Finalmente, A Cup of Christmas Tea por Tom Hegg de lo que le pasa a un hombre joven cuando por fin le hace una visita a una tia anciana antes de la Navidad (el foro no aparece aqui). Estos son de los mas especiales que hay. A touching story of what happens when a young man finally goes to visit his aged aunt at Christmas.