for Andrea's thanks list...only a month later

Oh man it is a happy day in St Louis, with nice clear skies and warm weather. I have been off line, what with driving to freeport and back with marli, and now (finally) painting the inside of the house here, the days have scooted right on by. but my thanks things: 

1) I am thankful that TRALE will be coming back to the USA, it will be real good to have him back with us soon!

2) I am thankful that my dad is still around, we had a real good time over christmas hanging out, and he re-taught us how to play Hearts, which was good fun. 

3) Mom, Dad, Marli, Becky, Karl, Jon, Liz, and Andrea coming down for thanksgiving. that was really fantastic. it was a great break and it was so good to get to spend time together with them

4) finals being over! the week was tough, but it was also fun to got through this tough set of tests with a bunch of other folks. 

5) winter break! I am enjoying catching up on things that I have prioritized over for school

HAPPY EARLY NEW YEARS!!!!! DO SOMETHING CRAZY AND FUN!!

Happy Holidays!

These are some pictures of the water park here in town, also one of the killing cow for Idul Adha, and the meat would later be distributed to the people around town, particularly those in poverty.
I saw the actual cutting, it was sort of grotesque, yet interesting for me to see all the people about and their fascination with the whole procedure.














The water park is very basic, but with the good company of friends, it was a very fun afternoon.















Now I am back out to the location for the last time I would guess, and we are standing by waiting to perform the job- I suppose that I will be out here over the Christmas (and maybe new year?) holiday, but looking forward to making the jump pretty soon after that, and getting back to the states probably sometime in the second week of the new year.

Love to all,

Trale

thanks

1. I'm thankful for a loving and forgiving God.
2. communicationability with family (travel to St. Louis, talking with Connie, Alice visit, this blog to name a few)
3. a warm home despite cold, windy weather with a fun, and a lively kitty (I guess his name's Kalvin now) to greet me at the door and climb in my lap when I sit
4. health to run/walk, play ping pong and hula hoop!
5. pumpkins to cook up into pie, bread and custard!!

Thanksgiving

Hello from Searcy, Like everyone else we have much to be thankful for! We'vehad a wonderful visit with Dad and Linda! They arrived on Friday afternoon and we had them until this Monday morning! when they headed back north to weather the snow on their trip! We enjoyed the proverbial Leininger game table while they were here. A main highlight was going to the Clinton Presidential Library, which continues to grow. This season they have state of the art Choppers on display, along with all the information about the Clintons.
Jimmy gave thanks with us here and spent 2 days before going back to Fayetteville. Our 'foster' son Michael spent 3-4 days here from Gulf Port, MS where he is laying fiber optic cable, still rebuilding from Katrina's devastation.
We also enjoyed having Cole with us yesterday for lunch and into the evening.
We are thankful for both our families and the fellowship we share with all!
We are looking forward to a warm and simple Christmas here at home, and will miss being with all of you. We are hoping to be with everyone this summer somewhere!
Love to all! Ken and Gladys
PS. This blog is great!
We have plenty of room if you're in our area! We'd love to have you all!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had great celebrations on Thanksgiving. We had a nice dinner with Kristina and her family at her house. I don't remember the last time I DIDN'T make a turkey. It was nice to make side dishes and deserts instead. Tomorrow is back to school for a week and then the kids have off for the week of Eid. Then, back to school for a another week and 2.5 weeks off for Christmas. We don't have any plans to travel - my suggestion is to get in the car and see how far we can drive from Jordan before we get sick of driving. I think I'm the only one that likes that idea so far though. We'll see what happens.

I am thankful for:
1. The health of my family
2. The whole Leininger clan (you guys rock!)
3. Great books to read and the ability to read them
4. Girlfriends to share, laugh, cry and carouse with
5. The internet - living in Jordan without it would not be the same

Well kids need to get captured for bed :)

Much love,
Lisa

We Appreciate Your Business

Greetings!

I'm thankful I still have a job and can finish paying off my roof this month.
I'm thankful when struggle in life turns to deeper insight and personal growth.
Tonight Linda, Dad and I watched Camilla on video. It was slow but beautiful and thoughtful.
I'm thankful for being able to watch such movies at home.
We walked in a forest preserve in town as well as along the Chattahoochee River. I'm thankful
for places I can go to be in nature.
We went to an open mike in Chamblee. I'm thankful for opportunities to perform with a
microphone. I'm thankful for opportunities to go out with my friends and meet new people.
I'm thankful for poetry that has inspired me and given me food for thought. I finished reading
Hafiz and am re-reading a collection of Chinese poems that I have. Here's one by Hafiz:

Friends Do Things Like This

Friends do things like this:

Tell which mat their house key is
hidden under.
Hafiz, jump over, cut right through
all the small talk today:
Look beneath the right-hand corner
of that Kirman behind
the barn

Where my sweet dog is usually
sleeping
(Don't worry, she won't bite)

For you would not believe
the extraordinary view
of God

From my bedroom
window.

-- Hafiz

Love,
Stephen

Nov. 27, 2008, Thanksgiving Day

In this modern day, some things don't change, like my wonderful family.
but this miracle of communicating across the miles. A great way to keep in touch, and to know how much we care for each other.
I remember what Jesus said, greater things will you do. That's what we are doing with these tools we have been given: to speak the truth in love, to lift up what is edifying and joyful.
This noon we attended worship with a quaker congregation, and then sat down to a marvelous potluck meal. We brought stuffing that was oh so good, and ate too much. Tomorrow I will try fasting. Linda and I will be driving 500 miles to get to Ken and Gladys' in Searcy ARkansas. We'll think of you as we go. Love to all, Dad, Lolo.

Hello from Linda

Hi to everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving! Dad-Lolo and i are visiting Stephen, so we're adding our blogs while in Atlanta.
What I'm thankful for: 1) A supportive family, even while I try to loose weight.
2) The sunshine in all seasons
3) Friends at church
4) Our car which is taking us on this U.S. trip
5) Music, like Steve playing his guitar and singing ("You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille")

Thanks

1) Thanks for a world so full of wonders that they will never run out or grow old
2) Thanks for LOVE
3) Thanks for music
4) Thanks for Strength and Health, of body and mind
5) Thanks for life- so I can know all of the above!!

Trale

Thanks

I am not sure how often everyone gets on the blog to check updates, and I guess it doesn't matter if you comment before Thanksgiving or after, since really it shouldn't take a holiday for us to give thanks. Anyway - I just thought it would be nice to share a short list of 5 things that we are thankful for. So...comment back! :)
1) Of course, loving, supportive, encouraging and FUN family. JAKEB and MM run this weekend!
2) really amazing friends, both new and old at college
3) very real mentors/role models. specifically, a 30-something staff member at BV that is an excellent life example and advice giver to me both in areas of academics and faith.
4) a car that runs. (friends have been having car troubles, and i am thankful that mine has been reliable)
5) peace in knowing that God has a plan for my life, no matter how stressed i might get about the future and where i will be next year.

Wetland reserve visit

Hi again, I told Mom, Connie and Becky about this former oasis visit and wanted to show them and others the pictures. This used to be a huge wetland oasis up until 20 years ago. It's in the eastern part of Jordan in the middle of the desert. They started pumping out water when Palestinian refugees came in '67 and eventually it was pumped dry. Now, it's back to 10% of what it used to be - they pumped water back in. There are loads of water buffalo to eat the reeds but we only saw their poop. There are also ibex and ostrich but we didn't see them either. We DID see a heron which I loudly pointed out to the kids so that it quickly flew away.

Have a great week everyone,
Lisa, Amman

Jon as Indiana Jones

Karl, just got me signed up as I wanted to post I picture of my office Halloween costume. The trip to Petra last year was still on my mind so I went as Indiana Jones. I found the leather jacket in a second hand store for $25.00, and everything else I already had. People said,"I don't want to know why you already have a whip." But this was a gift to Karl from a trip to Mexico.

Hi from Amman!

Hi there everyone,
Here are some photos we took of pretty leaves on our street and of our resident sheep. I sure miss living through Autumn in the States, but am happy that all the fruit trees change color here. Amer's dad got the sheep as a gift from someone who farms some land he owns in Kerak. There haven't been any crops for the last two years because of drought (thus not payment) so he gave him the lamb and he brought it here. He's pretty tame now, but really likes to eat the best of our plants so we usually tie him to a tree. I'm not sure how long he'll be here before he makes it to the dinner table. He needs to be at least 6months before they do the deed.

I'm happy about teaching spin class two days a week and taking Arabic with Kristina two days as well. I finished an ESL teaching certification course online but haven't looked very hard for an ESL job yet. Something was available at a college here, but it was in the evenings which isn't good timing for me. Maybe I'll tutor some folks in the future.

The kids are both well. Laila likes track and AJ has soccer practice or games 5 days a week which he loves.

It's so cool to read what you guys are all doing. Miles, what an undertaking - it sounds scary and amazing at the same time. I wish I could come for Thanksgiving! Have a great time everyone. I'm also envious of Mom being able to see Ken and Gladys who I haven't seen in too long.

We will go to my friend Kristina's house for Thanksgiving. Their family came here last year...maybe a tradition starting I hope. I have two good friends leaving Jordan soon and I sure hope Kristina stays around. She lives very close and our children are in the same school which makes helping eachother out easy.

Well I'm going to sew a patch on AJ's PE shirt now. Have a fun week!

Love,
Lisa, Amman

Speaking of exercise, I read "A Walk in the Woods" by Bryson, about his attempt to walk the Appalachian trail. That's about as close as I got to exercising.

Not really. I went to healthquest a week before election, and walked all over clarion and Eagle Grove, running up to houses. Sometimes talking, but usually just leaving literature. Our county is very republican, but initial counts showed that Obama only trailed McCain by 100 votes. I'm hopeful for our nation with his Leadership. I'm listening to "the Audacity of Hope" that I downloaded from Our Library website onto an mp3 (as I do dishes and drive).

I'll work gathering veggies tomorrow, from a hoop house, despite (predicted) snow outside.

I better get in shape for the Living History Farms event the weekend before Thanksgiving. it's 7 miles. It goes down through a creek as an option. Our whole family is going to Des Moines for this.

I would like to do a little bit of the Appalachian trail sometime... This is an urge I got a long time ago. Highschool? any body game to come along? The trouble is, we'd have to get equipment. The "Walk in the Woods" book was funny, and somewhat educational about the history of the trail, National park system, smoldering coal that ruined towns, hotels built in the middle of nowhere as vacation destinations (great gatsby time?), soon to be abandoned. The funny part was his perspective on the friend who went with him.

Becky

Daring to live up to One's Potential

Hey Everybody!

Its nice to see what you are all engaged with these days. It makes me proud to see all the wonderful and interesting things that you as my family are involved with. Reading about the weather changing and the advent of the fall there in N.A. brings on a bout of homesickness; indubitably I have an affinity for the colder climates. But I am enjoying things here for the time being. I am more and more involved with this high-profile project for Chevron, and getting on better and better with the people who I know from work. There are lots of ppl that work in our base, and although I do work directly with some of them, there are many more that I have no professional association with, yet through work we are acquainted and develop external relationships, which is good.
I, like my younger brother, am getting more interested in running- here there are plenty of good places to wander out into the country, with only the sky, the road, and strong legs to carry you.
I just moved into a freshly re-furbished home here, which is in the same complex where I had been living before. Its pretty cool- I have my own bathroom, and a pretty big bedroom, and as ever its nice to have a maid so that those dirty clothes somehow disappear, and the bed gets made "by magic"!

I'm very excited about the prospects that lay ahead of me- about the ability to leave what some people would see as everything behind, looking toward an uncertain yet hopeful future.

Dear family,

Love to you. I haven't put a word on this blog until now. Just too too busy DOING.

I want to be a human being, not a human doing. Sometimes I do stop and center myself, often on a solitary walk through the woods or up and down the ridge in our neighborhood.

Otherwise, I keep doing, wake up by watching Morning Joe on MSNBC, get to the train by 6:33, think about the students in upcoming classes, give the class to GOD, talk to friends on the phone, relate to my household, prepare for sermons, etc and look forward to the next thing. What's next, what's next? As you can tell, on today, I feel a little less like "centered."

I am jazzed about the election and about the good prospect for Obama to be president elect come tomorrow. I appreciate his pragmatism, steadiness and intelligence. I pray tht there won't be a sense that anyone "stole" the election this time.

Yesterday I took off from work and went with a group from Chicago to Indianapolis where we stumped for Obama. We knocked on doors and urged people to vote, making sure they knew where their polling place was. There were young people there from other countries working on the campaign, as well as Americans of different ages and races. I enjoyed meeting the people I rode and worked with. One man had been a cameraman for ABC news before he retired, another was a counselor with mentally ill people, one had been an outstanding skier before she had a stroke (she now walks with a cane). We had fun. And I was happy to feel more invested in this historic election.

I am part of a six week seminar about Prison reform sponsored by the Diocese of Joliet. we are reading a very good book titled The Church of the Second Chance. It is written from a faith viewpoint and by a man in prison. It includes a lot of good facts and arguments about how our US system works and doesn't work. I'll write you a better review of the book later.

Really great to hear from all of you, see pictures of Lisa's car and Trale's and Miles' houses and happy times. Really great. Please keep it up.

I'm planning to go to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving and Laurie's 60th birthday bash. She and her family were happy to come to our celebration of my 60th. Her kids realized tht at an experiential level, they never thought about my coming from a close family with nieces and cousins like theirs. They always just saw me by myself! Thanks for making them feel "at home."
(Laurie comes from a family of six children, her four children have 12 - 13 cousins.)

Linda and Ensign plan to travel over Thanksgiving, I will let them tell you about that.

Of course all the eloquent phrases I rehearsed before I sat down to write have flown out of my mind. Waah! I am very blessed in my life, my work, my friends and my family !!! Thank you for being part of my life. I am grateful you are blessed as well. Glad to say I suspect even if I didn't have so many external blessings, I could still give thanks for the peace and joy of God's presence.

Well, if I think of any thing more I just have to tell you or ask you, I'll post again. LOVE to each,

CONNIE

I'm Grandpa - Lolo

We are having beautiful fall weather, with lots of red and yellow leaves. Many interesting things going on. Tuesday is voting day, a chance to get a new direction, although we know one person can't do it all, but he can give a new vision. Connie and Linda both voted early, so maybe there won't be so many in line.
We were able to talk to Trale "live" via computer. It was great. This is birthday time! Tomorrow is Becky's and Wednesday is Linda's, and Andrea's on the 13th or 14th.
This blog is such a great way to keep in touch. Love to all. God is good, all the time! Ensign.

Hello and Happy Fall

Hi to the family, It is great to hear from Miles, and the other entries!! I do want to sit in that special Mercedes that Mowafis got. What a purchase, I do think I instilled in Lisa the love of old 50's and 60's cars, cuz now they have gone and purchased one.

We had quite a few kids come to the door for Trick or Treat night. We gave out Smarties candy and other candy, and had a good time. We have a stuffed black cat that plays "Got a Black Magic Woman", wags it's tail, and flashes it's green eyes. We played it for most kids who came to the door.
For a church book club we read (and I am still reading bcz it is so thoughtful) Field of Stars by Kevin Codd. The author tells of his journey as a pilgrim across Spain - east to west. He was & is a Roman Catholic priest, he saw fields of grain & thought of the grain becoming the bread in communion, and also grapes on the vine, which might make it to the wine in the communion cup. That's just a detail, but he tells of meeting other pilgrims cuz this trek is a known route taken by pilgrims for hundreds of years. The ending point is where (presumedly) St. James' bones are buried. There were people from S. America, Australia, countries in Europe, and others. Many were in pairs, tho' some, like him, were alone.
Anyone out there read any good books lately??
Daylight savings time ended last night. How strange for the evening to get dark so fast. By 5: p.m. it was totally dark here.
I appreciate a woman who attends our Sunday morning Bible study. She is Connie Yokley, a lovely spirited black woman in her early-fifties or so who is a Chgo Public School teacher. She teaches 6th, 7th and 8th grades. She just brings good insights to our Bible discussions, and to our book club. When she leads the book club she brings props, like apples to eat or a special fabric made in the country we're reading about. Wish you all could meet her. She was drawn to our church bcz Mom and Dad had her & some other black people over for a Unity and Diversity dinner. This was a thing they did to get races to talk to one another. Mrs. Yokley felt she really wanted to be associated with the church that our parents went to.
Marli, keep working on the studies, this being your senior year.
This all for now. Happy Thanksgiving.
Love, Linda

Greetings from the STL

Hello Leininger Family, 

The fall is flying past for me; School has been really challenging, though it has been very nice that Janet is only 20 miles away. I was inspired during our orientation to begin running more as well. further, I have been spending some time working on the house I live in, and on a car that I bought a few weeks ago. Finally, I have had a few good chances to socialize with old and new friends, in between the many hours of reading I have been doing. 

The primary thing I have been doing has been getting in to the culture of law school. It sure is harder than many things I have done before, and I will have my hands full until Dec. 13th, when finals end. Briefly, for those who have not been close to someone who has gone to law school, the process is very different from most traditional classes. 90-95% of the course grade for all my classes but one is based on a comprehensive essay final examination. This makes preparing a new challenge, because there is nothing by which to gauge one's performance until the grades come back! well that is not quite true, of course we confer with one another, and can build outlines of the courses to study from. this is in addition to the readings that are assigned daily which has varied for me from 35-100 pages each night. Too much on Law School. suffice it so say that I have IMMENSELY enjoyed the challenge and all the fine people I go to class with.

Janet started dental school this fall as well, at So Il School of Dental Medicine. She sure has been busy, with Anatomy, Physiology, Histology, Ethics, Morphology, and Bio Chemistry; she has class from 8-5 every day. I believe she has wanted to be a dentist since she was a little child though, and she has only become more excited about it as the classes have cranked up. We study together at least a couple times per week- good nerdy fun. 

During orientation a intense old lawyer came and talked to us about the import of working out in law school. He still has an impressive regimen, though he is around 60-something, and told of how he trained for the Boston Marathon while attending Washington University law school. I found his presentation quite inspiring, and have taken to running pretty regularly, doing various 5k events around St. Louis, and running every other day after school. On Monday the 24th I got an email about a half marathon happening Today (sunday Nov. 2), and signed up. I had not run quite that far before though, so I decided to try to run the course monday night, just to make sure I could do it. I ended up messing up the route, and running over 15 miles. My legs (just) recovered in time for a successful event this morning. It was really a beautiful day, with bright leaves and fresh air. 

I scouted out a house here in St. Louis this spring, which Trale then bought in July. Accomplishing that alone, from Indonesia, was tricky. The house, to put in in the most favorable light, needed some sprucing up. it still does. but I have replaced all the plumbing, fixed the furnace, replaced both bathroom floors, done a minimal amount of dry-walling, and removed most of the (very distressed) carpets. I have largely ignored the project since I got the occupancy permit on Sept. 10th, since school is just a lot more important than the house right now. the house is functional though, and located in an excellent spot, right next to Tower Grove Park. The address is 3137 Alfred Ave. St. Louis, Mo, 63116, if you like looking

 things up on Google maps or Earth. the house had some rough times. see photo of bullet hole...

funny story...I came across a 2001 Hyundai Elantra on Craigslist for $750; it turns out the car was given as a first car to the seller's son, who immediately proceeded to run into someone with it. A little ticked off at his son, and clearly frustrated, the father sold (me) the car for a good deal. it has been working very well for me, with just a handful of new parts, which I installed last sunday ( an headlight, fender, bumper, and power-steering fluid tank.)

I have had a few very fun social times as well. The law school has it's own softball league, which I participated in. This was held every Friday afternoon, sometimes with double-header games. I also made it down to SIU for Homecoming, though I did end up working on a paper most of the day while I was there :). 

Additionally, I am MOST EXCITED about Marli, the Ahrendson's, and HOPEFULLY my folks, coming to St. Louis for Thanksgiving!!! Anyone else who would like to come is welcome to do so. please bear in mind that the house is still quite rustic inside...but will be furnished with lots of holiday cheer. 

I hope all y'all are doing great with everything and I have really enjoyed everyone's posts on the blog. 

a quick tale from an interesting case I recently read: while flying from Memphis to someplace, a passenger had to switch planes in St. Louis. on the Hour flight from Memphis, he had about six alcoholic beverages. upon arrival in St. Louis, he stole a golf car used in the terminal, and began tearing around in it. finally cornered by gate service personnel, he decided to hide in a trash chute. The story has an unhappy ending: he climbed in too far and fell into the compactor, which automatically compacted him. though the end effect was unfortunate, it was funny for me to picture him speeding thru the terminal in the stolen service car.

Have a great week

Love, 

Miles

Hello, hello!

Dear family,

I enjoy seeing the pictures that many of you have sent and maybe some day I will get a digital camera so I also can send pictures. Sometimes I think about dating through the internet, and most people want to see a picture before anything else. Beyond that, I've never really been that interested in taking pictures.

I don't think I mentioned before that I have a house mate named Elizabeth, who stays in the back room. She moved in during the first week of September. She hadn't been here even a full week, when she had what looked to me like a stroke. I found her on the floor in her room. She was conscious, but kind of jabbering and did not have the strength to get up, even with my help. "What's up with you?" I asked her. "Mental problems", she said. "Can you tell me your name?" "Yes" "Please say your name for me." She struggled to say something, but couldn't, and after consulting with Halima on the phone, I called the ambulance. She was released from rehabilitation on Thursday, and seems to be her old self (seventy some years). But she's still pretty weak and it's a struggle for her to walk, even with her cane. They're supposed to send a social worker out here two or three times a week to see if she needs any help and to check that she's taking her medications. She says the doctors in the hospital never could figure out what happened to her. It wasn't a stroke. It probably wasn't a spider bite, as she thought it might have been. I enjoy having someone around the house that I can talk to. I cook, as does she, and she does all the dishes. She also has nice friends, who come over fairly often. Still, I worry that her being so frail like she is could be a liability for me.

Love,
Stephen

Baby You Can Drive My Car!

Hi All, I hope you are enjoying Autumn and all that comes with it. I wanted to share a picture of our new 1966 car. We just got it today and this is how far it made it into our driveway before it couldn't drive anymore! It seems that the emergency brake was rubbing against something and boy was the smoke heavy. Hopefully we'll get it all fixed up soon and I can drive it.
Love,
Lisa, Amman

Still more from Asia

Hey all, Trale here making my first appearance. I agree, this is a great way for us to all keep up with each other and its sure interesting seeing all these posts!
I'm in Balikpapan now, still working for Schlumberger, lets see how long that lasts. Our client is Chevron, and I get to do quite a bit of offshore work- I like that too. Balikpapan is a center of activity for international oilfield and coal mining companies- the natural resources here are plentiful. This results in an abundance of ex-pat workers and business visitors, which in turn results in the highest prices of living of any city in Indonesia. Food prices are I would say comparable to prices in the States. The cost of housing is supposedly high too, but as I do not have anything to do with paying for my lodging I can't say exactly. I'll take this moment to note that I am only relating a fairly watered down and un-offensive version of whats really on my mind.
In general, I enjoy the environment here, and the chances for local adventure finding are phenomenal. The people that I work and associate with are ok, but too normal, and in general too focused on performance, success, financial and material achievement. Thats a big turn-off. A lot of the locals are so damn poor that all they can see about me is the sickening difference in our salary.
I am managing to keep pretty active->Basketball, Rugby, Running, mountain Biking, and I hope to soon add to that Sailing! My motor bike is finally on the way here from Jakarta- It took sometime to get the process in motion, and then to actually get the thing up here.

I really enjoyed Ramadan, and the very evident observation by many locals. Most here are Muslim and observe Ramadan- of course this makes for dangerous situations when ppl are trying to work in the sun during the day, with no drink. And usually, by the end of the day, even my co-workers who typically would sit in the office most of the time would be making sense about half the time. But, breaking fast was good, and the town was always alive with ppl celebrating and basically being jolly. Banners and signs abounded, wishing all a good month.

The pictures show the offshore production facility, and the corner of my home (on land).

Keep the posts coming!
Love Trale

Great Wall

Here's a picture of the Great Wall. We had a nice cool day which was really lucky. We took cable cars to the top from the parking lot and then a slow roller coaster type ride down again. Touristy I know!

Hi Everyone

Hi All,

Well this is just great, I love this idea and thank you Karl for setting it up for us. Well we are enjoying a week of vacation here in Amman. Ramadan ended on Monday and the kids have off until Sunday. We had some visitors yesterday which was nice. That's the traditional thing people do after Ramdan - visit eachother and say happy Eid. The kids will be back on a regular school schedule now which will be nice for everyone. They were getting out early for the whole month of Ramdan. AJ moved to Laila's school this year and it has gone fairly well. One of his good friends from his old school is in his class and that helps a lot. He's never had homework before so that is the biggest change. He's supposed to write down the assignments in a homework book and that seems to be a big challenge for him. We realized that he hadn't been doing homework for the first three weeks of school! Hopefully it will all fall into place soon. Speaking of fall :) , we've had some nice cool weather and even some rain this past week. It sure is nice to see clouds and put on a sweater. I'm sure it will warm up again but it's nice to get a taste of what is to come in the winter. I put a picture of us in China on the blog but need to figure out how to put it with my post. More later and lots of love to you all,
Lisa, Amman

Mowafis in the Nest

Fall and all that comes with it!

Today was the first day I had to dig out the suitcases under my bed and pull out a sweater to wear. It served as just another reminder that we are already into the month of October and Fall is upon us! it makes me very happy because I love everything about the season: beautiful fall leaves, Halloween and pumpkin carving (yes you can still carve pumpkins in college!), sweatshirts and campfires, the smell of pumpkin spice candles, and of course some Illinois Football!!
I'm especially excited for Homecoming this year, because I made it onto the Homecoming Court! It was quite the process of applications and interviews, but being selected to represent my senior class was an amazing honor and I am so excited for all that it entails. Next week the festivities begin with a number of receptions, alumni events, the parade and pep rally, concluding of course with the game. Woooot! Go Illini! It's been a really exciting week for me, and I just wanted to share my big news! Hope everyone stays nice and warm in these chilly fall days!

family visit

It was great to have Connie come and visit on her way back from San Diego. We watched the Obama speech during the Democratic convention at Nancy's home, and swam in the lake.

I made Karl's vest from a green top, and those purple pants so he could be a joker twin during homecoming week.

For our Rally Sunday we had a hayrack ride at Riverside Campgrounds, where the sunday school offerings will go.





We had a nice trip to Nebraska this last weekend of Sept.- Jon's nephew, Chris (Jon's sis: Jan & Jim's son who lives in Rhode Island) told everyone he and his wife (Jen) planned to be camping at Mahoney state park (between Omaha and Lincoln) and he'd welcome seeing anyone that could also make it there.

It happened that Karl & Martin's Friday game took us 90 miles west, so we decided to keep going west and south and get together with them for Saturday. Andrea and Liz came along. I enjoyed getting to know Jen's family as we paddle boated, and painted ceramics, and ran up and down a grassy way to a beautiful view of the platte river. miniature golf, and throwing a football around. enjoying the changing fall colors. Martin and Karl got a tour of Offit AFB and went to an air and space museum with Jim. They lost the game by a couple touchdowns. this was Martin's first time to kick for varsity. He kicks on Monday nights in the JV games and has been just standing on the sidelines watching on Fridays. Jon's sister, Alice, was there, too.

This park had cabins, that were pricey, but an option for camping, too that was only $18 per night for a tent.

I'll be memorizing lines for a funny play again... "Christmas Belles" 1st 2 weekends in Dec.

We've decided to do some water proofing to our basement, so that will take some moving of stuff to put in 2 sump pumps - one in andrea's closet, and one in jon and mine. In Oct. After I'm done working 2 days a week at the farm, I hope. We're lucky the cold air missed us in sept. I'll miss working with Jan and Tim and their crew.

Construction has started on our Library expansion. Our new temporary location is working out OK. check it out a www.clarion.lib.ia.us ... scroll down for the latest picture and also see some on the blog within that site.

I love you all, and like reading your posts.
Love,
Becky

Fall is here !

I love this time of year--clear sunny days, cool nights, leaves turning.
A walk in the woods helps me feel good, away from the chatter that is so often with us. The other afternoon Connie, Linda and I went to the Morton Arboretum -- founded by the Morton Salt guy. It's a huge "park" with ponds, groves of trees, plantings. As we approached it, the skies opened and poured down rain. We thought we were going to miss the experience. But soon the sun shown and we had a good walk around the place. On the way home we ate at Portillos on 95th street.
Today I attended the Hunger Team of our Presbytery. Gladys was once chair of the Team, back in 1980. But the job isn't yet done; we still have hunger in the world. In fact, with the price of food it may be worse today. So our churches collect money, and our Team has the fun of distributing it to food pantries in Chicago. And Linda and I plan to walk for hunger in the CROP WALK on October 19th.
On October. 5th our church will observe World Communion, and passages from the Bible will be read in different languages. Guess who w ill read in Tagalog? Me! But no one except Linda will know what I'm saying.
This evening our book club attended a talk by Elie Wiesel, the holocaust survivor and author. It was right here at our nearby University of Saint Xavier. He spoke informally of the lessons he has learned. He spoke of his faith that has carried him thru. I read somewhere that in the death camp he couldn't believe that God would let those things happen.
Let's keep the blog going. It's great. Chicago, Ensign

What I'm Doing

How are you guys out there? Hope Martin is getting along fine at his American high school in Clarion. We are real well. Dad is getting over his cold and cough, and is better each day.

On Sat., Sept. 6th, Dad, Connie and I went to "Building the Beloved Community - Anti-racism workshhop". About 60 men & women attended. We participated in excercises that got us acquainted and opened our eyes to the discrimination that is directed to certain people.
We got a new cat who is a calico. She may be one or two years old, the vet could not tell, but said she is full grown. We named her Elsie. Connie found her on the east side of Chicago, and the people there told her they had been feeding her because she seemed to be a stray.
I am doing campaigning for Obama. I got a list from his internet posting of 24 people in my neighborhood who they have found might want to do work for him. I am supposed to visit them, get their emails and cell phone numbers and pass the info on to my higher ups. I have 2 weeks to do this. I need to go a little faster, because my deadline is close. Now Dad will do his post. Bye!!

Just what's going on!

Dear Ones and Twos,

That Sarah Palin sure is pretty! I still want to support Obama for president, but I think I would rather see Sarah's performance than Barrack's! I'm not saying Barrack isn't pretty! It'll be interesting to see how this election plays out.

Last night, I dreamed I was working again at the Open Door Community. The community was on an outing, and as we walked down the street, I tried to get some feedback from Ed Loring on how I was doing. He told me he didn't want me to try to get him to talk to me about that kind of thing. He said he keeps records on what I do, and compares them to standards he has set which I don't need to know about. He said I just need to go to Jesus every day and search my soul to see if I'm living in line with his teachings, and that ought to be all the feedback I need!

I'm scheduled for only 21 hours this week, which I'm doing over the course of three days. Mike has hired a couple of new workers and I don't know if he's planning to let me go soon, or if he thinks he might keep me on as a part-timer. I got a new housemate named Elizabeth, who's staying in the back room, perhaps temporarily. My other two room mates are still a little more than three weeks behind on their rent, and I give them ultimatums which I retract, as long as I see progress towards getting current with their rent. My friend Linda is offering me $12.50 an hour to do maintenance projects on her house, but I haven't gotten geared up to do very much for her. It's good to have friends that I can also work for, but our companionship gets in the way of productivity sometimes. Also, the work itself is often a series of temporary fixes and little tasks; not projects into which I can sink my teeth. This week, the fall quarter is over, and I'll have a couple of weeks to scout around for another job.

I joined a co-op with Halima. I'm doubtful that it's really a good deal. Even so, maybe good things will come through being a part of it. Nice people. Nice neighborhood feel. I also dug up the garden and planted for the fall within the last week, and the young plants are already coming up! We had a bad bug problem with the broccoli and the brussel sprouts, but I left those plants standing in case they still might produce something. The pepper plants are still producing, so I left them up as well.

School feels like a big waste of time and energy, unfortunately. Nevertheless, I'm planning to go ahead and take more classes starting the first of October.

I continue to participate in at least one open mike every week, two sing-alongs per month, and a jam session once a month. Last night at the Open Mike I recited Father William, Maggie and Milly and Molly and May, by ee cummings, and The Kermiss (The Dance) by William Carlos Williams. My performance was good, but the scene seemed depressing to me. It seemed to lack something to bring it and us together. I'm sounding whiny and I don't want to be this way. I am grateful that Atlanta has these kinds of opportunities to offer and that I have the energy to participate however I can.

The last poem I shared from Hafiz went over well, so I think I will share another one; today's reading:

Don't Die Again

I am a man
Who knows the ten thousand positions of
Divine love.

I can tell by the light in your eyes
That you are still most familiar
With the few earthly ones,

But would not a good father
Instruct all his heirs
Toward that path that will someday
Deeply satisfy?

This world is a treacherous place
And will surely slay and drown the lazy.

The only life raft here is love
And the Name.

Say it brother,
O, say the divine Name, dear sister,
Silently as you walk.

Don't die again
With that holy ruby mine inside
Still unclaimed

When you could be swinging
A golden pick with
Each
Step.

Love,
Stephen.

the joys of music

I have just returned from a free Christian music festival called Lifelight; the weather was beautiful, the bands were entertaining, and I had lovely company for the entire weekend. All in all, I would say it was a good three days! I made the 2.5 hour with two of my classmates, and we had excellent bonding for all the time on the road. Also, Liz and her roommate took themselves, so we got to meet up with them at the festival. I'm not sure I can write a coherent entry with good transitions and interesting tidbits, so I am going to go ahead and make a bullet list of the top 6 things from the weekend. (not in any specific order...i can't pick a BEST..)
- getting lunch from Bagel Boys and dinner at Hu Hut
- practicing dance moves with Molly (liz's roommate)
- sneaking in the "employee entrance gate" to see the pool when we went to pick up my friend from work...and then mistaking a different lifeguard for my friend!
- sitting on the blanket talking with Sarah about the ethical issues medical schools ask about in applications/interviews and also talking about whether pediatric oncology is a profession Sarah can handle.
- rocking out to familiar songs
- laughing
just to name a few.

Can a blog take the place of a Round Robin?

Hi Everybody!

Karl, I want to thank you for putting this blog together. Just days before, Trale asked me if I thought it would work to do a Round Robin via e-mail. I replied that rather than having our turn to write be contingent on someone else writing something, we could assign everyone a particular week to write, and go around the Robin every six weeks. I can't think of a better way to do it. Can you? Of course, any of us can write at any time, and we don't have to write anything on our week -- but I hope this framework will encourage us to communicate at least once every six weeks.

Week 1: Trale, Michael, and Joy (8-31)

Week 2: Patty, Phil, and Steve (9-7)

Week 3: Ken, Gladys, and Marli (9-14)

Week 4: Ensign, Linda, and Miles (9-21)

Week 5: Becky, Jon, and Connie (9-28)

Week 6: Amer, Lisa, and Andrea (10-5)


It looks like I may not be able to keep my job at the hardware store, or maybe that they will offer me a position that pays less, instead of the one I've been doing. One of the things I have to do twice a week as the person "in charge" of the tool department is make a list of all the out of stock items (usually about 100 things). If there's an empty hook or shelf space, I'm supposed to scan around to see if the item was misplaced on another hook, or if there are any double tags. I haven't done very well at finding items that are missing. Mike told me today that they're looking to trim people out of the company anyway and that I'm the next person he's looking to trim because my accuracy is so poor.

It seems like my vision has been steadily and speedily deteriorating. I was having trouble on the job and at school because I needed my medium-range vision but my bifocals were only set for things very close and very far away. A couple of weeks ago I got a pair for close and intermediate range, which is actually what I need for almost everything I do, although it's weird to wear them because everything that's more than eight feet away is a blur. So I switch my glasses out a lot, or try to get by without wearing either pair. And that's okay, as long as I don't have to read anything.

Last Friday my truck and my bicycle broke down. First it was the chain on my bike. Then my battery died. The truck's okay now, but the new chain I put on my bike is slipping, and I'm thinking I'm going to need a new derailer.

I've been reading Hafiz lately, picking out the poems I especially like, and here's one of them:

TODAY

I
Do not
Want to step so quickly
Over a beautiful line on God's palm
As i move through the earth's
Marketplace
Today.

I do not want to touch any object in this world
Without my eyes testifying to the truth
That everything is
My Beloved.

Something has happened
To my understanding of existence
That now makes my heart always full of wonder
And kindness.

I do not
Want to step so quickly
Over this sacred place on God's body
That is right beneath your
Own foot

As I
Dance with
Precious life
Today.


Tell that to my out-of-tune guitar! But it does help remind me of what I want to feel, enjoying the ride even if it might be bumpy at times, and not to sweat the small stuff.

Love,
Stephen

hi from Ensign

My turn: I am thankful that Connie and Linda live here. I am included on their activities--swimming, biking, and socializing. Connie often cooks vegeterian meals for us which are varied and very tasty. Do you think we should eat more veggies and less meat because meat uses up lots of grain and water?
The pictures from Lake Geneva are great, both indoors and outdoors--an unforgettable time. Linda and I went to a festival at the home town of Patricia Mitchell (who was with us at Geneva.) Her family has had a food booth there with cat fish and chicken for 16 years, a jolly affair for the whole town.
I note we talk a lot about food. I'm glad for the nourishment of our minds and spirits which God sends our way (even at festivals like Patricia's where we felt the wonderful unity of family and neighbors. ) Love to each and all. Ensign

HOWDY!! Linda here!

Hi, this is a great idea to make sure we are in touch.
About Lisa and kids, the day before they left, the kids went to day camp (10:30 to 3:) then the 4 of us took the train to Chicago one last time. We waded in the water at Millenium Park, walked around, then went to eat at the Walnut Room at Macy's. It is a somewhat formal atmosphere, nice wood decor and the food is very good. They left on July 30, Wed., and the next day called to say they had made it back to Amman fine. The house is quiet now, we miss them very much!
Yesterday, Dad & I went to a concert at Millenium Park held outside. It was the final concert of the season. Different composers were played and sung, the choir had about 80 voices, including children. My favorite piece was one I knew--the Toreador song by Bizet who wrote "Carmen".
I am back to volunteering now at the Presbytery office. Two days a week are great. The people there are lovely to work with. Nice talking to you. Linda

Mama Mia

We (who can see movies for $3/person) saw "Mama Mia" and laughed at the far out antics of the leads and supporting cast. Having seen the play a few years ago, and listened to the music often, imposing it on the rest of the family as we travel, it was hard for me to stay in my seat and not get up and dance on the stage. I went with Nancy, a librarian and Chorallair member, who couldn't get her husband or her mother to go with her.

We keep the Olympics on every night, and cheered for Shawn Johnson from Des Moines.

wheat and zucchini bread, tabouleh, sweet corn and chocolate chip muffins are filling my thoughts and my tummy! ahh the fresh foods of summer!

Hi from Connie in Sunny California. Not a cloud in the sky today! Laurie and I, her son Joe and her sister-in-law Sarah (Jane's mom) went to San Diego and ate a leisurely lunch in a 50s diner. The waiter (who looked like the 50s) threw straws and bubble gum at us, and we played with the straws and ate a lot. We also went to Balboa Park, and the seaside where we saw seals and pelicans. I still love them.(pelicans).

This is my month off from work, As you know, I went to New York the first week of Aug then enjoyed a week home before I came west. I'll be in Cal until Mon Aug 25 when I'll drive back to Chicago with Jane's car. School starts after Labor Day.

This blog is great, easy and fun. Was it Karl who set it up? Thanks!!

Praying for wisdom for Ken adn Glad, scintillating phrases for Andrea, and physical energy for Karl.

Love to all

CONNIE

Steve here!

Dear family,

I, too, have school to contend with, and I'm hoping I can get an hour of studying in before I go off to a jam session. I bought two watermelons this summer, and this year, for the first time ever, I saved the rinds and juiced them. Sometimes I mix the juice with apple juice, but it's good by itself. You have to drink it up because it'll go bad faster than most other juices will. I had a half a pitcher from the first batch go bad on me. I've been able to make a couple of big batches of salsa with tomatoes, jalepenos, sweet peppers, and fennel from the garden, which I've been eating with everything. We've had a few successes in our garden here and a number of failures. It's time to dig it up soon and plant for the fall. My housemates have fallen behind on their rent, and it's motivated me to insist on more communication, especially from myself. I hope they get caught up soon. I'm only scheduled to work about thirty hours a week, and I have to make my money stretch. I thought about looking for other work today, but I don't want to sacrifice time I need for music and for school. I think I will look for another housemate who can stay in the back room, although the last person who stayed back there ended up stealing more stuff than he contributed in rent. Love, Stephen

Contemplating changes

Hello from Searcy! Just looked at some pics from Linda of the gathering at Lake Geneva! What a great group of people! We missed being there SO much. Gladys is doing better now, she is able to walk again though her leg is still not well, it is much better.
Ken is working long hours everyday...4 days and two nights. He is ready to make a change, and is actually contemplating movng to Chicago, but that will take a lot of planning and effort, and there is no definite decision about that. We have been established here in our little house for 12 years now and it seems like a LOT of work to move!
Jimmy is doing really great! He has a good job in Fayetteville, that he likes very much. He met a young woman there who was 2 months pregnant at the time. He took her under his wing since she has no parents, had no home and was staying at the Salvation Army shelter. He found a clinic for her prenatal care, moved her into his apartment and is helping her to get SSI because she was disabled from an accident at work. She had her baby on Wednesday of this week! A boy! She has named him Michael Lee Branson. (I'm not sure why she wanted to use Jimmy's last name but he says it's OK. There are no legal ramifications.)
He has been clean for ONE YEAR! and is doing very well.
They will be here on Wednesday for an overnight. Gladys can hardly wait to see the baby! His mother's name is Jaimie, and she was texting Gladys messages through her entire labor which went very quickly! The last text was sent at 9 cm! Both mother and child are doing well.
We are looking forward to reading everyone's entry, and hoping we will see everyone soon! Somehow!

procrastinating

this is me doing ALL i can to put off working on my application for medical school. not that i don't want to complete the application - I would love it if it were done! but there is so much pressure to create an exceptional one, that i avoid it more than I should. ahh, well. it will all work out okay in the end. :)

well, i just wanted to throw my two cents in and say that I am on board.
here comes school and being busy, i hope everyone enjoyed the summer!

ps, the picture at the top of the blog is AWESOME. i really enjoy the personal touch to the page, and Lisa makes the whole thing look VERY exciting. :)

Law school orientation

so I just got done with Orientation for school, and class starts up on monday. the orientation was good, I got to meet several new people with whom I will be spending a lot of time over the fall semester. There are 210 people in the full time class of 2007 at St. Louis U Law, so it is a fairly compact group. I had one class so far during orientation, but it was not a really good look at what it will be like, I feel. From what everyone has said so far, it is just really easy to get very caught up in the work, and forget to do other things than study. I am preparing myself to study as little as I can, which I am sure will still be a whole lot, so I can maintain a good mental condition.

I have also been working on the house that Trale bought here. It sure needs a lot of work done on it- everything from fixing some bad flooring in the bathrooms to patching walls and updating plumbing and electric fixtures. I am renting a place up by the school until I can get the permit to move into the place

Football In Clarion Iowa

Hey everyone, just wanted to kind of give a post example

I just got done with a week full of football practice. We had two practices each day that were 2 hours long for a total of at least 4 hours each day of football. Thankfully they decided to let us have Friday afternoon off and our family went to the Iowa state fair to get some delicious, artery clogging, deep fat fried everything. Now it's Saturday and I'm still sore from football and I have to work all day at the pool.

Just in case anybody didn't get the message, I'm excited for our exchange student Martin from Germany to come soon.