A Special Weekend & my BIG Surprise... (Note: I'm almost NEVER surprised!)

After spending several weeks back in Loma Linda, enjoying my friends and working on some ministry projects, I was excited knowing the Lee's were soon coming down from Oregon to visit me. (This is my Korean FamiLEE that I've gotten attached to over the last few months!)

Well honestly...they weren't just coming to visit me...they actually were coming because Jed, otherwise known as "Obba" or "big brother" to Sue & I, had been invited to speak at Advent HOPE. So in anticipation of their arrival...I set to cooking!! And cook I did...for at least 2 days before they arrived. (Whew!!! What a task!)

When Sue arrived...a little before Obba and Irene and the kids....she helped me cook too! Here we are making "Korean pancakes." Yum yum!

However, unbeknownst to me, Sue - along with my Loma Linda girlfriends, had something else cooking up their sleeve. But at the time...I had not a clue! I was just sooo excited to get to spoil Sue and her family and introduce them to all my friends!

Here we are after they all arrived for our first meal together! They had a flat tire and had been delayed, so were very tired...but I was excited to see them all!

This was our dinner - "Lentil haystacks" with rice...something Holland's and I like to make! I hoped that they would like it too...since they eat lots of rice and veggies. Irene usually does all the cooking, and I have grown to love her food (her too!!), so it was nice to be able to make her "sit down" and treat her for a change.

The most exciting part was seeing the kiddos again! I love my little TaeHo and HeeSunny!!!!! And I love being their "American Auntie!"

Aren't they simply the cutest??? I think so!!

So...despite a few setbacks (flat tire) and "scares" along the way - the weekend went as planned! In fact, it went better than I hoped for. Obba preached at Advent HOPE Sabbath morning...and it was POWERFUL!!!!!! (You can hear his series online at Audioverse!) Praise the Lord - I could really tell the Holy Spirit was working. He also spoke again in the afternoon to a full house. His topics centered around one of his favorite themes - that of CREATION! (A significant topic we all really need to re-focus on in this day and age.)

Sabbath evening I had invited a bunch of my Loma Linda friends over for a fellowship get-together. I did this because I wanted to have one more good get together before I left, and also because I wanted to introduce the Lee's to all of them! Amazingly, even though I'd only e-mailed everyone once about it...like 2 weeks before...they all came! (I didn't know until later that "someone" else had also e-mailed them a reminder...plus told them "secret plans.")

It was fun! Everyone seemed to be having a good time...we had plenty of food (remember I'd been cooking for 2 days before)...and I was happy! Happy to have everyone together!!!

Here I am hanging out with some of my favorite Loma Linda gals... As you can see, the evening was successfully fun and progressed along well. However, I was really tired (after all, I had been cooking for 2 days!), so I asked Sue if she'd take care of games that night after we'd finished eating. (But remember....she'd also been cooking too....and suddenly....SUDDENLY....)

I had the biggest surprise of my LIFE!!!! Yes Indeed!!!! My birthday was fast approaching...and my friends decided to use the occasion that "I" had planned to do something special for my birthday!!!! I didn't suspect a thing...I had no clue...for the first time in my life...I can say I was honestly caught off guard! I WAS SURPRISED!!!!!!

And embarrassed too! (Especially when Sue showed us ALL a video she'd taken of my family and their good wishes and my dad was acting like a clown and my brothers announced to the world my age!) Arrrrrghhhhhh ......but then again, what is family for...except to make you happy and embarrassed all at once!!! :-)

I felt very LOVED, SPOILED, PAMPERED....and treated like a Queen!

Awwwwww.....I love all you guys!!! Honestly...my friends are my most valued treasures!!! Thanks for all you do for me!

So....what started out as a "Special Weekend" with my girlfriends and famiLEE turned out to be something even more...a true treat...that will always be remembered!

Thanks Sue, Marlena, Season, Val, Amanda, Cara and all the conspirators!! Like I've often said...my Advent HOPE friends - they are the BEST!!!!!

So as you've guessed by now...I've just turned ONE YEAR older...if you were at my party, you know what number that means (since my brothers so beautifully pointed it out for all to hear)! But if you weren't at my party...well, then...I guess that means you have to keep guessing!!! :-)

Here's to a starting another year together....with God!!

*I wrote this blog awhile back....but am just now posting! So I back-dated it to the date this all occurred. Just in case my readers thought you'd missed something, you didn't!