Posted by
Sudi in
Family on March 10th, 2006 at 01:33pm
Many years ago, my friend Pat told me “the only thing you take to Heaven is your children.” I remember thinking that was interesting but later I came to understand it. It is not money, or a job, or a house that we take to Heaven, but the people we lead to Christ. When we get to Heaven the only family members we’ll meet there are those who trusted Jesus as their Savior. Our time with my cousin was amazing! Vivi surrendered her life to Christ on Sunday. She prayed to accept the gift of eternal life and gave her life to Jesus. Her conversion had been in the works for many years, the Lord had been pursuing her for a long time.
That is my desire for all my family. If you ask me, that’s all that matters when it’s all said and done.
“Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again‘”. John 3:3
Posted by
Sudi in
Family on March 6th, 2006 at 07:08pm
Primichi- noun ‘pree-MEE-chee’ from the root “Prima” which means cousin.
My cousin Viviana came to San Diego for a few days. We had a great time! Steven and I took her to our favorite places….La Jolla, La Valencia Hotel, Del Mar, En Fuego, Sea Port Village and our church (it was a beautiful service). We enjoyed the sunny moments and the rainy ones. We shared lots of laughs. My cousin is on her way home right now. She left us with great memories and a truck load of Mexican candy. Mmmmmmm!!!
 Beach Bums
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 Love Birds
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 Flower Girls
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 The Three Amigos
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Posted by
Steven in
Family on February 21st, 2006 at 05:02pm
Our family cat is no longer with us. We’ll miss him. He was the friendliest (and fattest) cat in the world. He was probably also the most famous cat on the Internet. Countless people from all over the world watched Tiger every day on my brother’s TigerCAM. If you’ve never met Tiger, view Tiger’s Photo Gallery.
One of Tiger’s fans from Brazil says, “To balance the loss, my cat has just gave birth to a new kitten yesterday at about the same time tiger died. If he is a male, surely will be called Tigrinho, which is Portuguese for little tiger.”
This morning after church we went out to La Jolla for some pancakes at IHOP… but IHOP was, ummm, gone. They’re turning it into some new Italian bistro or something. I suppose it was just a matter of time. That IHOP always did seem like the only place on Prospect Street (aside from Starbucks) that was out of place among all the other fancy shops and restaurants. It’s too bad though because that was our favorite IHOP. It was very quiet and had a little view of the ocean from the patio.
Anyway, Sudi and Lucy are geniouses and suggested En Fuego (my new favorite restaurant) in Del Mar as a Plan B. We had veggie and Mahi Mahi fajitas, of course. Delicious! Somebody please give that chef an award! Great service too. After lunch we headed back out to La Mesa and went to Target where I finally picked up the Narnia box set. We had a very nice day.
Leaning Tower of Pisa. Really.
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It got chilly after lunch
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Leaving Del Mar
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My favorite stretch of road
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Narnia Box Set
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The books are pretty  |
Posted by
Steven in
Family,
Places on January 8th, 2006 at 08:24pm
Here are pictures from Lucy’s birthday. We drove up to Irvine and had lunch at Olive Garden, Lucy’s favorite restaurant. After that we went down the street to Spectrum Center (a really big, fancy California mall). It happened to be a night when they had live violin music by Jason & Nolan. We had a lot of fun!
Click a thumbnail to view:
Going to Olive Garden
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Make a Wish!
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Birthday Tiramisu!
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Down the street to Spectrum
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At Spectrum!
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The Coffee Girls
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Lucy’s Birthday Present: 2006 Jeep Commander 4X4 (hehehe)
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Posted by
Sudi in
Family on December 6th, 2005 at 03:31pm
I met Russ and Marcia Hensler on January 16th, 1999. A couple other families had considered taking me in but they were the ones who decided to be my host home during my church internship. Almost immediately their house became my home. I lived with them for 8 months, surely one of the happiest times of my life. Shortly before I left their home to go live in my own apartment, Grandpa told me he and Grandma had grown to love me like their own grandchild, like the granddaughter they never had.
Gm took very good care of me, very much like a grandmother would. She made all kinds of “vegan” food for me even though Gm and Gp were “meat eaters”. She welcomed a few of my friends on several occasions and my mother, Lucy. Everyone that came to their home walked away with a blessing. They always went out of their way to accommodate me and make me feel at home. They were both very generous with their resources and their love. Many times after a long day at church, I would come home and find Gm on her recliner, Gm was a very good listener and we would talk for hours. Through many talks and stories we shared, we became good friends.
Gm and Gp had a beautiful house with a pool. All of us enjoyed many hot summer days there. Gm and Gp’s house was our meeting place back in those days, all our activities as a family revolved around their home. Those summer days were fun and happy. We swam for hours, ate outside, played games, laughed. I look back and think how their love hovered over us and how being there in their home was like sitting under a big oak tree, it was a safe place.
Gm was a very warm person, very loving and affectionate, she always gave the best hugs. She was always happy… I think her secret was that she had a grateful heart. Every time I talked to her in person or on the phone, she told me she was grateful for her family and that not a day went by when she didn’t thank the Lord for the great life God had given her. Her parents “Mother and Daddy”, as she would call them, were her sweetest memory, her children - her greatest pride and her four grandsons - her deepest joy. Grandpa was the love of her life and the way they loved each other and cared for each other was a beautiful thing to see.
Gm was an amazing story teller. She told the funniest and best stories about her “time” which was of course “better.” Steven and I loved listening to her tell us stories about life, people and family members, we heard all about their marriages, their children, their fortunes and misfortunes. Listening to her was amazing. Gm used funny words like “spicket” and funny expressions like “I’m such a lazy lout today (yawn).” She had a great sense of humor and the best laugh (I can still hear it). Grandma always spoke her mind and we loved her for it.
After Grandpa died on Dec 5th of 2002, Gm, Steven and I became even closer. My favorite memories are going up to her house for the weekend. We would make lunch, she loved Steven’s delicious pita pocket recipe. We’d go to church, watch movies or the news. Sometimes we looked at old pictures or sat and talked while we drank a cup of tea. On lazy Sunday afternoons we’d read the paper and take a nap. Sometimes we would buy a strawberry cheesecake and gobble it up and sometimes right before bed we would have our favorite snack, peanut butter and Ritz crackers. Gm made everything special! We loved coming over, her home always peaceful and warm. Many times when it was time to go, Gm would thank us for visiting her and maybe she assumed we were doing it for her, but the truth is that Steven and I needed her just as much as she needed us and that our times with her filled our memory banks with rich deposits.
I didn’t grow up with grandparents. I never met my mom’s mom or my dad’s parents. My mom’s dad passed away in ‘86 and even though it was hard to see him suffer and die, I never had a relationship with him. It didn’t take me long to realize, after living with Gm and Gp for a while, that these 4 grandsons, Dan, Steven, Mark and David had been given a very rare and special gift and that theirs was a great legacy left behind by two wonderful people. Today that legacy is mine also and I am very proud of it!
Steven and I got married on September 8 2003, that day Gm and Gp would have celebrated their 62nd Anniversary. By that time Gp had been gone for 9 months, but I know he was watching and he must’ve been very pleased. Now, more than ever Steven and I feel privileged to share with them our anniversary date. Their love for each other and their wonderful marriage will always be our inspiration. I feel very fortunate to have known my husband’s grandparents so well. Because of that, I can see where so many of Steven’s wonderful qualities come from. Gp’s gentleness, wisdom and love for the Lord, Gm’s warmth, affectionate nature and generosity. Having Steven with me will be like having a piece of Gm and Gp for the rest of my life.
Grandma had a deep faith and love for the Lord and was very grateful to Him. The evidence of her faith was the way she treated people. She had the amazing ability to accept others exactly the way they were and to see the good in them. She loved everyone and she often described people as “lovely people”. Another thing I remember is that Grandma always noticed beautiful things, whenever we drove somewhere she would notice all the colors in pretty flowers. Everything about her had a touch of beauty, her home, her table settings on Christmas, her outfits. Now I know that the beauty she saw and displayed was a reflection of her heart.
When Gm’s health started to decline and we knew the end was close, one day this song by Steven Curtis Chapman came to mind and it gave me great comfort.
Her house was where the family gathered every Christmas eve;
A feast was set on the table and gifts were placed beneath the tree.
Everything was picture perfect, Grandpa would laugh and say,
That woman spends the whole year getting ready for this day.
One year the leaves began to fall and her health began to fade;
We moved her to a place where they could watch her night and day.
But she kept making plans for Christmas from her little room;
She told everyone, I’ll miss you but I’ll be leaving soon.
I’m going home for Christmas and I’m going home to stay;
I’m going home for Christmas and nothing’s gonna keep me away.
I’ll be with the ones I love to celebrate the Savior’s birth;
This gift will be worth more to me than anything on earth.
I’m going home, home for Christmas.
And as we sing ‘Joy to the World’ I can’t help thinking
Of the joy that’s in her eyes right now.
And though our hearts still ache, we know that as we celebrate,
She’s singing with the herald angels and heaven’s glowing on her face.
And now she’s home for Christmas and now she’s home to stay.
She’s home for Christmas and nothing could’ve kept her away.
She’ll be face to face with Jesus as we celebrate His birth.
She’s home, she’s home for Christmas. She’s home to stay.
Thank you Grandma for taking me into your home.
Thank you for opening the door through which I would be so blessed.
Thank you for telling Steven and I to love and enjoy each other always.
Thank you for teaching us with your example how to live a good life.
Thank you for being the only Grandma I ever knew.
Thank you for loving me like your own!
I love you and I will miss you and in the hope we share for eternal life,
we shall meet again.
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3
Rest in peace sweet Marcia. Rest in the arms of Jesus.
Posted by
Sudste in
Family,
Home on October 21st, 2005 at 10:05pm
Saturday October 15th. Moving Day. Our day began at 6am followed by coffee at BK and Budget truck at 7:15am. Our helpers arrived at 7:55am. The “dynamo team” Steven, Cindy, Dan and Mark had everything loaded in the truck by 8:25am. We said good bye to our old home and drove 10 miles east to La Mesa still in San Diego county to our new cozy apartment. At 9:30am we were all done and concluded it was a bit early for lunch… so we seized the opportunity and went to Wal-Mart for a shopping spree. When we got home our family went beyond the call of duty, Mark and Mom assembled our new futon and Dan installed all computers to perfection in no time.
Finally “Party Time” came … the long awaited visit to “Fuddruckers.” The best burgers in town and a fabulous selection of cookies and brownies. Some people say moving is a hassle, but for us it was great fun. We had the best help in the world and things couldn’t have gone better. Later that day Steven and I drove by a flower shop that said “October 15 - Sweetness Day.” And that it was!
 Sudi in her big bad truck |
 Monkey being a monkey! |
 Bye bye house…fairwell! |
 On the way to La Mesa |
 Moving in… |
 Party Time! |
 Dan enjoying his Coke |
 A nice shot of mom |
 Sudste and their veggie burgers |
 Decisions, decisions… |
