Family Time... John's 40th Birthday

We had so much fun with our family last night!
My cousin came to visit all the way from New York and we had a blast at Titi Rosie's house. Titi Rosie is my mom's sister who lives in Ocoee. It was John's birthday, so we went to Olive Garden to celebrate and then we celebrated some more later at Titi's house. All the cousins had a blast spending time together! Especially Claudia, Diana and Tatiana. I particularly had fun spending time with my cousin Taihiti! She's awesome!
Loved it!

My aunt makes the most delicious cakes EVER!!!!!

Off We Go

Off to Olive Garden in Orlando for John's 40th birthday.
Fun times with family.
It's stormy out there... Ricardo won't like that.

We NEED G-d in AMERICA TODAY!

Today Was Yum...

Yeah, it rained... but we had fun. Books A million, Red Brick Pizza, and shopping. All I have to say that G-d is good.
That pizza and those mini gelato cones where so delish... and I only spent like $12! Isn't that awesome?

E-mail Code of Ethics...

It baffles me how many people have tons of people on their email accounts, but don't group them.

Several friends wondered why I answered e-mails right away.
What kind of a question is that?

I'm no procrastinator. I am also not THAT SPECIAL that I have to make people wait for an answer.
I forwarded my group of family and friends (a total of 31) to my text messaging so that I can respond via text messaging promptly after receiving their emails. Business and other matters can wait, and trust me... they won't be offended. 

Just wondering if I'm missing something here... you know... some email ethics I haven't heard of yet?
Am I supposed to respond to an email a week or two later?
Is that how it's done?
Isn't that... rude?
So when my friends from South Bend wrote to me and I wrote back right away, they were a bit shocked... you know... like, "Whoah! Nobody answers emails that quickly."
I had a friend from Arizona who was wondering the same thing, and I had to basically explain I categorize  group contacts and forward emails. It's pretty simple.
 Ladies and gentlemen... it's called common courtesy. That's all I'm trying to say here.

A quick, "I'll get back to you as soon as I get home" or "Hi! Nice to hear from you! Will write more later. Kind of busy." are already plugged into my quick responses. My favorite one that I use a lot is, "Nice! Glad to hear from you. Have a blessed day!"

So, why bother when others don't?

Simple answer.

 If you're on my VIP list, it's because you are important to me.
If you contact me... please don't be shocked if I respond right away.
Why be surprised?
That's kind of preposterous. Don't you think? LOL

Abuelita's 97th Fourth of July Birthday!

So we are planning a really nice birthday for Abuelita... and well, here is the menu in pictures.

Churrasco and chicken kabobs.

Macaroni Salad

Tabbouleh Salad

Fruit and Cheese Kabobs

Jello Berry Parfait

Berry Iced Tea

It'll be an all American outdoors 4th of July. Picnic blankets and picnic baskets... you know... nice and relaxing. I bought red, white and blue leis for the kids along with these really cute hats! Ahhh...the grill, great food, a nice refreshing pool and lots of family picnic fun. Sooooooo nice. If it rains, it's off to plan B.  We'll have a great time with family, with plenty of board games, movies and laughs.

Abuelita wants a cheesecake instead of a regular cake, and her wish is our command!

At 97 she can ask for whatever she wants! :)

Then it's off to see the fireworks (weather permitting) and spend awesome time with family at the Liki Tiki Village. My cousin is visiting from New York with her husband and four children. It'll be fun!

Summer is turning out super. Thank You G-d for wonderful quality time with family and friends! Love You!

On Hiatus for a Bit...

Praying...

SPIRITUAL PREPARATION


Pray: Spend time daily in prayer seeking God as to what you are to do personally in the way of physical preparation. This could be in areas of moving to a different locale or simply storing some extra food and emergency supplies. If you have no money to make preparation, ask the Lord in faith to supply for you. He will make a way when there is no way! Pray daily with your family and attend the prayer meetings at your church. (If your church does not have prayer meetings you should consider seeking another church or talking to your pastor about establishing one). Jesus said in Luke 19:46: "Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves."
Study the Bible: Turn off the T.V. and spend time studying the Word of God. Bible.com has Bible studies available to help you grow in God. A systematic study of the Word will equip you with the knowledge you need so that you can overcome the destruction facing us in the days ahead and to be able to hear the voice of God. Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." The Lord will reveal many things that you need to know about how to overcome. You can gain direction for your life, principles to live by, and most of all, you will strengthen your faith in God. We will all need faith to be able to prevail and help others in the future. Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Assemble with like Believers: As believers we need each other. There is strength and protection as we stand together in unity. Strong relationships will be important in the days ahead as we will need to help each other. The Bible also tells us we should be submitted to church leadership as God equips His five fold ministry to lead the church. Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Reach out with the Gospel: As Christians we have been commissioned to take the good news of the gospel to the whole world. We must reach out to our family, friends, neighbors and others that have not heard and or need to be reminded of our Lord's message to the lost and backslidden. We must share the gospel with those who will be seeking answers as troubles multiply in the world. Mark 16:15: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Readjust Your Priorities: Seek God first and His righteousness. Place the importance on the above things, plus work on establishing good relationships with your family, friends, work mates and neighbors. Cut out worldly entertainment. It will take both spiritual and physical readjustments if we are to be ready for the tribulation, persecution and other judgements that the whole world faces at this time. These times are predicted to happened just prior to the coming of the Lord.
Matthew 24:42-51: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Warnings are given so that we can take action and either prevent, prepare for, or flee the danger or suffering that is sure to come without a change in the course of affairs. Let us heed the warnings of the Bible and God's prophets so we will be able to escape all of these things and stand before our Lord when He comes.


Luke 21:36: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."


BIBLE WARNINGS


The Bible records many warnings throughout its pages. Those who heeded true warnings from God were spared the predicted consequences. Before we look at some of these, let us look at the primary dictionary definition of the word "warn": to tell (a person) of a danger, coming evil, misfortune, etc.; put on guard, caution.


Throughout the history of the world, God has always made known to his people impending times of trouble, and given them time to prepare (or escape):

He warned Noah and his family of the coming flood and directed them how to prepare to survive it.


Hebrews 11:7: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."


He warned Lot and his family of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and told them to flee.


Genesis 19:14: "And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law."

He warned the Pharaoh of Egypt, through Joseph, of the coming famine and used Joseph to prepare stores of grain during the seven years of plenty, which saved Egypt and Joseph's family when a seven year famine followed the times of plenty.


Genesis 41:30-31: "And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous."


He warned the Israelites living under Egyptian slavery that the "angel of death" would kill all the first-born of every family and that they must protect themselves and their families by placing the blood of a lamb over the door posts, so the angel would "pass over" them.


Exodus 12:23: "For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you."


He warned the wicked people of Ninevah, the capital city of Assyria, of God's coming destruction through Jonah. When they repented, the judgment was averted and did not come for a number of years.


Jonah 3:4-5: "And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.


Article taken from http://www.bible.com/

From the Desk of Rose Rivera

G-d doesn't scare us, but He does give warnings to help prepare us. It happened many times in the Bible as you can see from the above references.
As the time draws near, some of you will mock and gossip about those of us who are preparing. I already heard of someone who did precisely this... and of course my heart became saddened from all the ignorance that continues to thrive in this person's life. Let me just say that the exact same thing happened to Noah. People saw him building that ark and mocked him... perhaps gossiped about him. I can only imagine Noah feeling helpless at the thought of knowing that many people would perish because of their personal decision to remain ignorant.
I choose to listen to G-d.
It's that simple.
At some point, I hope you take the time to listen to Him too.
How?
Spiritual preparation. The instructions are written above. Trust me... He will take the time to show you if you take the time to listen. Just, please... don't wait too long. There isn't much time left.  

From the bottom of our hearts,
Rose, Claudia and Ricardo

Deep Cleaning Day!

So today we deep clean EVERYTHING!
The bathroom, the bookshelves, the carpet and the closets! We are on a roll and loving it.

Tomorrow we hang out with friends at Downtown Disney! I think we're gonna go see the new Pirates movie. :)

Cool runnings!

:-)

Wow.
I am so incredibly blessed.
Thank YOU G-d.
YOU ARE SIMPLY AWESOME!
I love You.

Transformers and Falling Skies!

TNT rocks tonight! We're ready!!!
Pop corn, iced tea, brownie bites... FAMILY!
My parents, my sister Sally, my kids and myself all cuddled together having an "out if this world" movie night!
LOVE IT!

Father's Day!

It's dinner with the best DAD in the WORLD!

We love you Papi! You are simply AWESOME!!!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

The Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards Harvest Festival WAS AWESOME!

THIS WAS FUN! Do I need to say more? Nah... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves! In case you're wondering, NOBODY drinks that juice full of feet! LOL! That's just a competition they have to see who can stomp more juice out of the grapes. The winner gets a T-shirt.

Claudia and I found the most DELICIOUS TEA EVER!!!! YUMMY!!!!!!!

Off to the Vineyards!

It's gonna be very hot today... but we're off to the vineyards!
We might not stayfor too long if the weather gets too unbereable. Lets see what happens.

Looking forward to a really nice time.

John 14:1-31

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; [1] believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [2] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” [3] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. [4] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me [5] anything in my name, I will do it.

Sushi Time

So glad we got there earlier than we had intended to because it totally poured as we were getting ready to come back home!
We had fun, though!
There was live music outdoors and after some delicious sushi, we moved to the patio area to enjoy the nice environment, a chocolate fudge brownie and some sweet potato fries.
By the time we got home the rain had ceased and we enjoyed the most beautiful sunset!

We Are Having This Deliciousness Tonight!

My kids are begging me for sushi...fully cooked, of course. Our favorite spot? Downtown Kissimmee! At 3 Sisters Speakeasy Restaurant!
Nothing better than delicious food out in the City Centre Patio...live jazz music included.

Looking forward to a nice relaxing time.
After a bit of an onerous morning I am all for some relaxing entertainment outdoors with my little bohemians! LOL.

Summer Fun

Ok.
So it looks like my cousin is visiting from New York and we'll get together to celebrate her husband's 40th birthday! They'll be staying at the Tiki Liki Polynesian Resort.
Then some friends (Lizette and her husband) invited us to spend some time with them and the kids at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort next week. It'll be nice to just hang out with them at the pool. The kids would like that.

The staff picnic got cancelled, (probably because it's going to rain) so tomorrow we might just go to the movies or something.
Then on Sunday it's off to the vineyards!

Thus the fun times continue!

Love our summer so far.
G-d has been good!

Relaxed

I've had three days of rest...

Desperately needed it and so did the kids after all the hard work.

This Saturday it's off to the beach with friends! The kids will enjoy that.

Nice.

Ha ha ha! These are FUNNY! LOL!

I had a good laugh with these! Yes, more fun-at-the-pool pics... but hey... so CUTE!

And YES... they did bump into each other and GOT GROUNDED! It's one at a time... OR keeping enough distance...but they forgot the rules, I guess! Almost gave me a heart attack!

"Resentment comes from looking at others. Contentment comes from looking at G-d."

-D.De Haan-

Barack Obama Visits Puerto Rico

So... this is ONLY the SECOND Presidential visit to Puerto Rico in what... like...50 years?

Forgive me for not being impressed.

Yeah... Today Was Yummy!

Service was glorious! Menchies was delicious! Books A Million was fun!
We had a great day!

Blessed, Fun and Busy Day Ahead!

Up and ready for G-d's Word this morning!
I know it's gonna be good!
Then after service, it's lunch and frozen yogurt at Menchie's... and finally it's grocery shopping at BJ's.

Blessed, fun and busy day ahead!

Gotta love it!

Isn't it awesome to see how G-d honors our lives when we decide to honor Him in everything that we do?
Yeah...

I love You my King!
You are my everything!
Woke up singing these songs this morning! From one of our favorite movies, "Joseph, King of Dreams".
Here is the scene of when Joseph and the people of Egypt begin saving seeds and wheat during the seven years of plenty in order to survive the seven years of famine!
Wow... it's about to happen again which is why G-d is moving His people to do the same. Thank You HaShem for taking such good care of us my L-rd! Even when others don't understand and probably mock what we do, we know that our instructions came from You.
I am still in awe of how many people (believers) we have met JUST recently who were also moved by G-d to do the exact same thing and have been storing food and essentials for months!
That in itself is confirmation enough for me. It truly is.
Enjoy
.

The Lion King on Broadway!

YES! It is coming to Orlando on April 2012 and WE ARE GOING!
BEAUTIFUL!

Most definitely something PHA students will enjoy... and my kids too!

Veggin Out!

It is Shabbat and today we rest.
The kids don't even want the pool today.
They just want to stay cool indoors reading and hanging out with Okelani.

Me?
Totally chillaxed.

Lunch?
Tuna sandwiches with chicken noodle soup.
Simple.
Tomorrow it's non stop.
Today we do NOTHING!

Mi Mama Esta Loca

These pals from the Dominican Republic sure did a GREAT job with this video!
Te AMO Mommy! You are crazy for REAL... just like any other Spanish Jewish mommy out there... but I love you!
Te quiero mi loca! Te amo mucho Ma!

Awesome Day!

Great time with friends and fellow teachers!
Loved my day!

Tired

Wow. Today was just AWESOME!
The workshops are super! Love how much we are learning as teachers!
We sure had fun today... but now I am sooooo tired.
Yawn.

Time for bed.

Loved my day.
Thank You Yeshua! You are awesome!

Love You my King!