short and sweet

Google talk at 1AM and Skype at 9AM. Rachel now has internet connectivity, so we have heard from her. Met her friend "Nick" (or was it "Nate"?) from Washington State, and he danced the bugs bunny, we'll have to capture it for posterity ...



She's finding things expensive, (charged .20 "bag tax" at Target to have her things placed in a plastic bag) ... and so begins the slow bleed of her savings account. She seems to be having a blast, though it is winter there, so it is quite cool compared to NC.

She finds eating vegetarian not to be easy, but she says they oodles of bread each night. She's made friends with all kinds of folks, spoke French with a girl from Mozambique. Life is good!

Why is Rachel in Perth Australia?

OK, so you've been praying, and probably you asked yourself "What?" "Why is Rachel in Aussie-land?"

She is enrolled in a program with YWAM Perth (Youth With A Mission) in their MUSIC Discipleship Training School (DTS)

This is the "promo" for the program which starts THIS Sunday, July 3rd:



Well this guy Adam, is part of the reason Rachel was excited to go, (He's married, so NO that's not the reason). Adam's been emailing back and forth since Rachel first indicated interest in this program last Fall.



And of course, there's the "goofy" friends she'll make, here are some of the team members:

Music DTS Staff having a Laugh! from Samarah Musumeci on Vimeo.

We will have her back in our arms Christmas night at 11:32 PM when she arrives back in North Carolina.

The eaglet has landed ...

We got this at 2:56 PM EST:

I am officially in NZ. I am exhausted, but really excited to be getting to Perth (finally) I have about a 7 hour layover here, and am in desperate need of a shower. I can't find wifi so I am emailing from this little samsung kiosk and can barely type on this tiny keyboard. I love you guys, and will update you more later!

Love, Rachel

Destination Perth Australia

Click on a link below during the times (they are local to where they depart from) and you can see where Rachel's plane is.


Flight # Airport Dest Seats Dep Time
1766 RDU CLT 13E 06/29/2011 12:50 PM
1437 CLT LAX 4:35 PM 6:38 PM


NZ5 LAX AKL 41F 06/29/2011 8:15 PM
NZ175 AKL PER 19D 07/01/2011 2:25 PM


to track US Airways 1437 and has sent you the following flight link. Please click on the orange Find Flight button once the page is loaded.

USAir 1437

After the flight results are presented, click the blue "go" button to experience Live! for this flight.

-----------------------------------------------

LAX to AUCKLAND NZ: (leaves 11:15 EST June 29)
ANZ 5

(arrives June 30th 2:15 PM EST)

ACK NZ to PERTH Australia:(she'll arrive at 6:15 AM EST July 1)
ANZ 175

Musings

Aborigines, Yosef, Dominicans
Kangaroos, Mountain Lions, Sea Turtles
Outback, Western NC, Hispaniola

A child, a daughter, a woman, independent, strong, intelligent, beautiful.
Why should I worry?
I shouldn't, I musn't.
It is not my battle, it is not my life.
She has graduated from high school.
She has completed her first year in college.
She has worked her first job since college.
Her opinions forming, often quite formed, she shares them.
I know what she thinks, and it isn't expressed to necessarily please me.

Why would I worry? I won't, I can't. She walks her path, with direction and certitude. She could be in college with her high school peers. She could find a soul-mate with a much safer job. She could be locating herself closer to home.

She could be learning more, setting her course for a lifetime.
She will be learning more, perhaps more than if she were nearby.
We are but caretakers for such a short time. Attempt to impress upon them right from wrong and set them free.

Not too free, we don't want them to crash and burn. So I watch them spread their wings. Choices I may not have made for myself.
Prayer, it's really all I've got. Pray to God, that they walk righteously, that they choose Him over me. Please Him. Stay the course, and please Him.

I will not be afraid. They've made good choices, all three. They aren't choosing for me, they choose for themselves. The daddy in me, wants to scoop them up, keep them close. Here it comes, trust. Trust in the Lord, trust in my daughters. Trust they will consult Him who is in charge.

Spouses on the horizon. I know what I know, but what do I know? Would I choose differently? They know I would weigh in if I saw danger (that is outside the normal danger we all face just by living, that ever-present danger where one will experience the ups and downs of a life lived fully.) I just want them to live fully. I want them love wholly and do plenty of laughing.

I hope and pray that they will always feel safe to come home. Fly far away, experience much, but know that Mom and Poppy have a safe haven for you to return to.

Come back safely, having grown, having learned new skills. Make many new friends, meet new brothers and sisters, but come home to share what you have seen. I don't want to stop any of you from living Your life. Take many mental photographs and actual photos too. Post on facebook, so we can see what you see, be in awe of what is awesome to you and perhaps be jealous and wish we too could be there.

Represent us, whether in the mountains, by the sea or near koalas. Let them who meet you wonder where you hail from. Know that we love you. We are praying for you. We are proud of you.

WD40 and power washers

Just had a great visit from my brother Leo and his wife Linda. They vacationed in Virginia Beach and then traveled down to visit us.

Now it would have been just great to see and visit with them, but Leo is not one to sit idly by ... he saw that I had some "stuff" to take care of, and being the good big brother, he took care of them. Not that he wouldn't have been "good" if he hadn't, but it amazes me how generous he is of his time and talent. My two older vehicles are now safe to drive, brakes, shock absorbers and a wheel bearing were all part of the repairs. Some cool maintenance adjustments, fluid top-offs and air filters should have the cars hummin' for a bit longer.

Aside from cars, my air no longer hisses released air and I now have a power washer that works! A little WD40 and the crazy tip that locked up is cleaning better than I can ever remember it doing ... and while my gutters aren't level yet, they are now "unplugged" (Leo wanted to level them, but I felt he had done enough). Amazing how leaves, pine needles and muck make a fertile environment for seedlings to grow and a green tree frog to live in.

His inspiration had me cleaning out those gutters and power washing my brick stairs ... needless to say Miss Lucie is thrilled. Who knows, maybe I can keep this stuff up and there won't be anything for him to do on his next visit.

Linda also graced us with her secret recipe for salsa (Bekkah's new favorite) and somehow we ended up with home cooked meals .... and 3 cakes (albeit one was from the Cheesecake factory). So now, Lucie and Linda are planning a Caribbean get-away ... Punta Cana I believe, in the Dominican Republic. That's a February 2012 event, though I remain a little skeptic, with an upcoming wedding, colleges ... and besides, what will Leo fix in the DR?

All joking aside, it was great to re-connect with family, we rarely get to see each other, except for weddings/ funerals and alternating Christmas times. We talked about old times, recollections of our childhood, and I believe with repeated psycho-therapy we'll get over it.

Happy Birthday Jeanne

May 1966 Happenings

May was a busy month the year you were born
May 1 – Floods occur on the Finnish coast. Miss Jay-Dee Poulin is born.
May 3 – Swinging Radio England and Britain Radio commence broadcasting on AM, with a combined potential 100,000 watts, from the same ship anchored off the south coast of England in international waters.
May 4 – Fiat signs a contract with the Soviet government to build a car factory in the Soviet Union.
May 5 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.
May 6 – The Moors murders trial ends with Ian Brady being found guilty on all 3 counts of murder and sentenced to 3 concurrent terms of life imprisonment. Myra Hindley is convicted on 2 counts of murder and of being an accessory in the third murder committed by Brady, and receives 2 concurrent terms of life imprisonment and a 7-year fixed term for being an accessory.
May 12 - African members of the UN Security Council say that the British army should blockade Rhodesia.
The Busch Memorial Stadium opens in St Louis, Missouri.
Radio Peking claims that U.S. planes have shot down a Chinese plane over Yunnan (the U.S. denies the story the next day).
May 14 – Turkey and Greece intend to start negotiations about the situation in Cyprus.
May 15 - Indonesia asks Malaysia for peace negotiations.
The South Vietnamese army besieges Da Nang.
Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators again picket the White House, then rally at the Washington Monument.
May 16 - The Communist Party of China issues the 'May 16 Notice', marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
A seamen's strike is called in Britain.
The legendary album Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is released.
Bob Dylan's seminal album, Blonde on Blonde is released in the U.S.
In New York City, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his first public speech on the Vietnam War.
May 19 – Gertrude Baniszewski is found guilty of murdering and torturing Sylvia Likens and is sentenced to life in prison. (she is released on parole in December 1985).
May 24 - Ugandan army troops arrest Mutesa II of Buganda and occupy his palace.
The Nigerian government forbids all political activity in the country until January 17, 1969.
May 25 - Explorer program: Explorer 32 is launched.
In St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Vice-President Hubert Humphrey and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall dedicate the Gateway Arch, as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
May 26 – Guyana achieves independence. Cecile celebrates her 4th birthday.
May 28 - Fidel Castro declares martial law in Cuba because of a possible U.S. attack.
The Indonesian and Malaysian governments declare that the Indonesian Confrontation is over (a treaty is signed on August 11).
May 30 - Mom & Dad celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary.
May 31 – The Philippines reestablishes diplomatic relations with Malaysia.