Saturday, February 20, 2010

You may have noticed...

 I have been a bit scarce around here of late. My mind is on other things, you see, we are about to leave on a trip.



Next Wednesday morning we will be flying to the USA for a month of non stop activities! 

First, 
thanks to the generosity of family and friends, we will be able to participate in a family reunion cruise, SAILABRATION !
Take a break from your worldly worries and enjoy vacationing in a Christian atmosphere on a 5-night cruise to the Bahamas. The entire ship has been chartered for this unique Christian Cruise. Gone are the party crowds and the “Vegas” style shows. The casino is converted into a Christian bookstore, the bars are serving non-alcoholic drinks, smoking is prohibited in all public areas, and the ship’s entertainers are replaced by Christian entertainers, speakers, and comedians.
You will worship in song with a complete lineup of Gospel singers and musicians and enjoy inspiring Bible sessions with some of America’s best known preachers of the Gospel: Dr. Charles Stanley, Jerry Vines, Jonathan Falwell, Don Wilton, Johnny Hunt, Ken Whitten, James Merritt, and Jim Henry
.

Many of Clint's family will be going, including his father and brother. It is a great blessing for us and something we never expected to be able to do! We thank the kind, generous people who have graciously made this happen for us!

Secondly,
 Jewel has her Spring Break. 




Third,
I  will be able to go to a reunion of the small school I attended and where I also held my first teaching position!

of WAY BACK WHEN.

Fourth,
see all my children together!


And last but not least,
my grand baby should be born while we are there! 




oh... and some medical stuff I am trying to not think about at all....
  
We are probably the only people looking forward to going to the Caribbean for the COOLER weather!

13 comments:

Linda said...

Wow! You guys have fun, and make us all envious when you get back, with beautiful word picture stories!

Rest up!

Sarah Joy said...

Well then, we will be praying for you! We are moving down to Mexico City in early March, so we are busy too.

Shilo said...

Have a wonderful trip!!

Brenda said...

I'll be on the plane to Hawaii when you are headed to the US.

How fun to go on a cruise, I have never been on one, yours sounds fun.

Have a great time!

Harry said...

Vacations are always good. Enjoy yours.

Betty W said...

I hope you enjoy every minute of it!! You deserve to be there when a grand baby is being born! Hopefully we will hear from you in between all the fun... :)

Gringo said...

Have a good vacation. You are leaving just when things are starting to heat up in Ciudad Del Este, and I am not talking about the weather.

News involving sleepy Paraguay.
Two Americans and two Paraguayans in Florida have been busy aiding and abetting the organization that orchestrated the killing of 241 Americans, mostly Marines. The three were apparently part of a scheme to ship what would normally be considered benign goods -- such as Sony Playstation 2s -- to shops owned by Hezbollah in the tri-border region of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil…. "Hundreds of millions" of dollars were made from the scheme, and the money "goes directly to Hezbollah," one source said.

From the press release(more at the link): …..This investigation was initiated in 2007 by ICE, FBI, CBP and DOC, as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). According to the allegations in the Indictment, from at least as early as March 2007 through and continuing to at least January 2008, freight-forwarders Talavera, through Transamerica, and Gonzalez-Neira, through Jumbo, exported Sony brand electronics, including Playstation 2 consoles and digital cameras, to defendant Samer Mehdi, owner of Jomana Import Export, an electronics business located within the Galeria Page, a shopping center in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Safadi, through Cedar, was a distributor of the electronics to the freight-forwarders.
Since December 6, 2006, the shopping center known as Galeria Page in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, has been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity by OFAC, pursuant to Executive Order 13224. Consequently, any transaction or dealing by a U.S. person with Galeria Page, including any transaction or dealing with an entity within Galeria Page, is prohibited. The OFAC designation banned trade with Galeria Page and all tenants located therein. At all relevant times to the Indictment, it is alleged that the defendants were aware that shipping to Galeria Page was prohibited.
To conceal the true destination of the prohibited shipments, the defendants created fake invoices that contained false addresses and also listed fictitious ultimate consignees on the required Shippers Export Declarations (SEDs), and other necessary export paperwork. Locations referenced in these false documents, as well as corresponding emails, ensured that the electronics would reach the prohibited intended destination. Additionally, wire transfer payments from Mehdi in Paraguay to the U.S.-based distributors were routed through various facilities to mask their true origin.



You might call Paraguy the canary in the coal mine. When something drifts down to Paraguay, you KNOW it’s big.

firepig said...

Wow !

Sounds wonderful.Have an amazing time Rita, and send us a twit or 2 to let us know how it goes.

Gecko said...

What a wonderful family and friends you have!! How exciting being able to catch up with your family again, how long is it since you've all been together?

MightyMom said...

oh goodness!!!

will you come through DFW at all??

Humble wife said...

Are you going to be close to El paso texas...or near las cruces nm or alamogordo nm??? We on the farm would love to see you all!!
Jen

Dawn said...

It all sounds wonderful! Love the last comment - about going to the Caribbean for cooler weather - too funny!

Hope the baby cooperates!

Steve Harkonnen said...

Nice! Have fun over in the Bahamas...been there three times, one with the US Navy and two on cruise ships.