Jamandabeth

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I *heart* NY

Ah, there's nothing like a cruise. Unfortunately we didn't take one last weekend, but we did go to New York with Rachel and Paula. And what fun we had!
Leaving Thursday night after everyone got off work, we made it to the city in a mere 14 hours! PS-We didn't have to pay for parking all weekend long, it was great!
Rachel and Paula stayed with friends who live at the Sands and we stayed in a guest room there too. Zane's lifelong dream of being at morning worship was fulfilled on Saturday and Monday too. It was a great trip. Saturday we went to the beach and, as Rachel says, the ocean made mixed drinks with us. We battled the waves and played volleyball.
We didn't take that many pictures but you're welcome to view the video montage I made. Don't forget to turn on your speakers, there's music too!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Robyn's Visit- Part A

Last month our friend Robyn visited us! We had so much fun. I'm making a slideshow of all the pix we took, but it's not done yet, so here are some of my favorites to hold you over till I can finish it.

We had our Hindi public talk on the first Saturday of Robyn's visit. Here she is looking great in her first saree! (Vilas, Rachel, Me, Robyn, Seconda, Jonelle and her friend, and little Daniel in the front)

Here we are again.

Posing under a rock (where I grew up), just outside of the Chicago Aquarium.

BETHEL!

We are in New York this week to visit the 3 Bethel branches, and attend our Hindi special assembly day. We are so excited because for some of us it is our first chance to tour the facilities.

Here we are with an Indian sister we met in the lobby of Patterson, Seetamah. She is also here with about 30 people from the Hindi group she attends in L.A. They just had their first public talk a few weeks ago!

Amanda, ME, and Rachel, in the lobby of Wallkill.

Amanda, Zane, ME and Kyle. Kyle was our tour guide. He is also from Illinois and has been friends with Rachel's family for years. And if I may say, he was the coolest tour guide that four people from the Hindi group could have ever had on a Wednesday in April of 2007! The absolute BEST!

Seattle, WA

You might be from the Pacific Northwest if:

You feel guilty throwing aluminium cans or paper in the trash.

You use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.

You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal.

You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best and Veneto's.

You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye.

You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon and Willamette.

You consider swimming an indoor sport.

You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast : rain followed by showers."

You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just an adjective.

You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the clouds.

You put on shorts when it gets above 50F, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60F, but keep the socks on.

You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

You knew immediately that the view out of Frasier's window was fake.

You measure distance in hours.

You carry jumper cables in your car and you know how to use them.

You shop for things you know will look good under a raincoat.

What accent do you have?

Here are my results. Go ahead and take it, then leave a comment and tell me what your results are. (I know, I know, it's EVERYONE ELSE that has the accent, not you. Please, just humor me.)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The South
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

February's Here

Here are the scores for January's Trivia Challenge. Thank you, loyal quizzers.
Looking forward to more points and players in February!

Roberta's Visit

Earlier this month my sister came to visit us, many of you know. We really had fun, and I dare say she did too. We went directly downtown the next day, which was really a good thing because it started snowing that weekend and hasn't stopped.

Here we are freezing in the wind on Wacker Drive, downtown Chicago.

Those of you who are familiar with the z and me probably already know that eating Giordano's pizza is almost mandatory when one visits the Windy City. Isliye, it was only natural for Roberta to eat there on her first day in Chicago, and where better than right downtown?

Here's the front of it, just one block north of Millenium Park.

Gee, she looks excited! Oh right, we're waiting to be served our delicious lunch.

For Rachel

Just try not to laugh. I dare you.

Cajamarca, Peru

My cousin Syringa recently moved to Cajamarca, Peru. She very generously shared some experiences with me. This one is from a Circuit Assembly she attended in November.
At the assembly there were two elderly women who got baptized. They looked to be the same age but they were mother and daughter, 90 and 70 years old. The daughter is deaf and they both walk using a cane but they had huge smiles when they got baptized, as did the rest of us. They were wearing their traditional Peruvian clothes and hats. Here's their picture:

They are the two in the middle

These two new sisters wasted no time and decided to sign up for auxiliary pioneering in January. If they make their time and have a good month they plan on going to reg. aux. pioneering. The daughter is deaf however and does not know sign language, so in order to preach to people she draws pictures of the paradise and then has the householder read a scripture that corresponds with her drawing. Isn´t that amazing?! How often do we come up with excuses not to do more in our service to Jehovah?

Ice Skating!

Saturday we went ice-skating for the first time this year! It was so much fun. Rachel set it up, since it's in her town. I haven't gone in years, but for Seconda and Jonelle it was the very first time. Even so, they both did great!

George and Cindi

Guess Who?

Amanda and Jonelle
Whoo-hoo! She's going strong!
I'm happy to report that we had no injuries, no serious falls. But Zane kept falling on purpose to show the newbees that it's not so bad. :) What a silly.