Israeli Blogging

Hey Everyone,

I'm sitting in an Internet Cafe just inside Jaffa Gate in the Old City Jerusalem. Behind me lies the Citadel of David (not Hatfield, Silver, or Jinkins), and behind that place where Herod's Palace once stood. We're staying just minutes from the Temple Mount and have been all over the city the past 5 days. We just returned from the Israel Museum where we saw the Dead Sea Scrolls...amazing. We've hiked the Mt. of Olives, sat in the Garden of Gethsemane (while Gracie napped, much like the disciples). We've visted the Upper Room, the Western Wall is a nightly hike, and ate lots of great Middle Eastern food.

The weather's been amazing, Gracie's been even better (except some killer jetlag for the first 3 night where we ended up wathing movies an eating Cheerios from 2-4am). We're off to the Sea of Galilee on Thurs, then back to Jerusalem for a night at the famous King David hotel. The a day in Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean and back to SoCal!

Happy New Year to all. I guess we'll ring it in 7 hours before the MidWest crew and 10 hours before SoCal.

Much love,
Jacob

HEARTBREAK yet again...

They always seem to do it. And with the 2 min. drill about to happen and momentum swinging green and white,...the 4th INT. Ouch. But let's move on...

First things first....the bowl pool is closer than ever. With Jake (the SNAKE)...NEWSFLASH sniper, we're playing STRAIGHT-UP WINS here so you're 7-2 right now, SArah (make me eat my words...may be...) is 6-3, and the rest of the pack, 5-4...4-5....and the party has just STARTED!

Here's the way it will play out...I think we'll have this thing nailed down to 2-3 peeps by Monday so watch closely...here's where the 1/2 marathoners begin there push of seperation. And here's where your UPSET SPECIAL BETTER come through to make the move or you will be out of luck and gas.

Hold on tight, grab a fallafel JAke and a get to a sports bar, Sarah keep smilin', Wes crack open another (bag of chips), Norm turn off the TV with 2 mins. to go, Bill wipe off the saliva from the Go BLUE R-ROd news, Steve take some time off the ole' Greyson-Daddy header drills, and I'll hold onto that BARNES and NOBLES card as LONG AS I CAN...which could be tomorrow if Joe Pa doesn't come through for me.

And remember..ONLY RECORD COUNTS (as stated between myself and Wes on 12/23/07 I think) not PERCENTAGES etc.

Not surprised but disappointed again, ...but go GREEN!

Jeff

A Christmas Eve tribute to Dr. Steve Georgiou

I have been waiting for this day, the birthday of our beloved father, father-in law, uncle, doctor, friend, etc, Steve Georgiou. I want to share the video that I made for him after he passed away to be with our Lord and Savior. Feel free to watch and and even make a comment if you want to of how you remember Dr. Steve. Some of you have seen it already, but there is a new short clip at the end with Caleb. WE DEARLY MISS OUR FATHER, and on this evening we remember what a remarkable person he was to all of us. He will live posthumously through the lives he touched. If we can, could we have this blog run through Christmas Eve so people have a chance to see it. Thanks. xo

Love,
Jeff

The Wesleys

I love lists. Its a list time of year. Here are my 2007 favorites.

MUSIC: I didn't listen to a lot of new music this year but here are three I liked:

1. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga I wore this one out this year. It is fun from start to finish, great production and arrangements. My favorite track was "Black Like Me".
2. Explosions in the Sky - All the Sudden I Miss Everyone If there was a song that completely blew me away this year it was "Catastrophe and the Cure" by these guys. Worth 99 cents.
3. Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature Simple, beautiful songs and great guitar playing.

BOOKS: Three books I read that I recommend to you:

1. The Road - Cormac McCarthy About a father's love for his son as they walk down a road and try to survive after America has been torched in a nuclear holocaust. Eerily realistic.
2. Middlesex - Jeffery Eugenides Our first Fort Wayne Book Club book. Full of Detroit history, Greek history, and everything you never knew about hermaphrodism. Oprah loved it, Pulitzer loved it, I loved it.
3. Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson Our second book club book. About a man in his sixties who moves to northern Norway to get away from a tragic past but ends up having to face it and relive a summer he spent when he was fifteen, the last time he saw his father. I can tell you're all salivating.

Quoteable: "I guess I'll party like a rock star if everyone else is" Gramie at Joel's wedding

Unforgettable:

• Wonderful week in Tahoe: (Andrew and Steve flip and stall jet-ski in the middle of the lake, polar bear swim, Caleb learns to hit a fastball, Buckdoefawn trivia, leave the kids with the grandparents for the day, come back and they all have massive splinters everywhere...hmmm....., look teepees real Indians (had to be in the car with Bill for that one)
• Four one year olds in one year, Dad's cake mishap at Grace's party was amazing, I'm so glad we got that on video
  
• IU v. MSU in the Izzone (not really, we were literally in the rafters) This year we'll be enjoying it Jeff's living room in HD baybee!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!!

Happy Birthday Cash

One year ago today William Cash 'lil C' Gaines was born! This has been one of the best years in memory, we can't imagine life without him! Happy Birthday son.

OH I love Technology.....

Thanks to my man, Jake, aka Rich Adams....we're going oNLINE for this NCAA bowl challenge. Jake, it's all good, I had Steph's cousin, Martino, on the first plane out to LA last night to have a lil talk with Mr. Glendora who "thinks he knows everything" but I have called off the dogs.

FIRST THINGS FIRST... go to:


http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/frontpage

and then create name (if not already registered with espn...do that) and make a NICKNAME!!!

join private group (search "Gaines-Lampi Mafia"

the password is "rob harris"

and then you can do the rest.

I have already put my Barnes and Noble goft card I got from a student last week on this bowl challenge and there's more to come.......

The next job is to SPREAD the WOrD to the INLAWS etc! Bring it! Let's make this a fun, engaging, healthy......whatever....ask for forgiveness up front.....I want YOU, BILL GAINEs!

Jeff

Guess, who's back, Lampshadys back, he's back again

Yo mis dos familias mas favoritas del mundo! It's that time of the year when good ole Jeff gets that little guy in his ear telling him, "go ahead, c'mon, you can do it, just get some $ out of Caleb's piggy bank, you're the man, you're good for it, just a few games, call your shots, what's it gonna hurt,.....etc" and THE GAMES BEGIN.

But I have yet again, gotten clearance from Steph to bring out the lil black book, spend a few hours making some calls and creating a most fabulous GAINES-LAMPI BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PREDICTION COMPETITION!

What's new this year? Well, for starters, MY SPARTIES ARE IN! Secondly, everyone must have a NICKNAME (just for kicks). And I would really LOVE to have more extended family members (aka inlaws, etc.) this year. WIVES, PLEASE JOIN THE FUN! Although the girls usually sprint out in the lead with some of their outlandish picks only for so long then get smoked by the real men who play the game right. (aka SARAH)ha!

SO if you're in.......I NEED YOUR PICKS BY THIS WEEK SOME TIME. GAmes start soon. You can respond to the blog or an email I send out later. I still haven't thought of a PRIZE for the winner and runner-up...but I'll take suggesstions. One idea: the losers have to send an old tee shirt they have (one/family) to the winner??? I dunno. We can always do straight up CAKE ($ for those you don't gamble a lot).

Let the games begin....and I'm NOT PUSHIN baby BUGGIES here...you know what I mean...no holds bar.....,

Jeff xo

Winter is here!

We got over 4 inches of the white stuff last night. The flakes were over an inch wide. It's pretty, but then there's shoveling. Hope all is well. What a beautiful time of year.

7 WEEKS LEFT

Only about 7 more weeks until Jackson Gaines makes his entrance into the Gaines/Lampi Family. He is growing, moving a ton and getting ready for his debut. Becky has been an absolute trooper throughout this pregnancy and as you can tell in the most recent pictures, is looking quite amazing!

Triple Header at the Staples Center

Before the Clipper's game and the Laker's game yesterday, there was one more important game at Staples Center; KIPP: LA Prep vs. KIPP KAO. In our very first game of the year, we fell 42-30 to our sister school. I felt like Phil Jackson standing there on the sidelines coaching our team in a hard fought loss. Our kids played their hearts out, but in the end I think it was the demographic make-up of each team that decided the game: our school over 95% Latino vs. KIPP KAO over 95% African-American. After the game, shaking hands with the other coach, I said, “Let’s play soccer next time.”

Greyson enjoying some music

So daddy did a small gig at the church coffe shop and nobody cared because guess who was there. Mr. attention getter. It's all good, the music was average at best. Greyson showed off some of his sweet dance moves to everyone's enjoyment. He's got mad skills with the twirl and whirls. Hope all is well.

Qoute of the day: "It was a simple jack-knife!"
-Andrew Gaines: before getting Ben, Jacob, and Steve kicked out of the pool in Azusa. A memory that will never leave.

Interview with Wes

Heartland is coming out with a new CD in the next couple weeks, and Wes has two new songs on it that are really beautiful. If you want to hear snippets of the songs and a quick 1-minute interview with our main man, Click Here.

Concert at TVHS

Through a series of wild events, my school Temecula Valley won a contest for a concert by some of the new pop artists through the local Ryan Secreast radio station KIIS FM. On a two day notice, I had to scramble and prepare my school for such an event. So Monday morning, we hosted a concert for the students. Pretty wild brushing shoulders with Bow Wow and the kid from Sister Sister. Check out the pictures and the article in the local newspaper.
Article: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/04/news/californian/temecula/17_52_0312_3_07.txt
Pictures: http://www.kiisfm.com/pages/jojojamphotogallery.html

Advent Sunday One

The advent season is traditionally a time to slow down and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah. Each year it seems that more T.V. commercials tell us that this season is about getting what we want, and showing our loved ones we love them by giving them the "perfect gift". Its clearer each year that two "holidays" are celebrated during this season, one that worships consumerism and one that worships a savior who humbled himself and was born in the most lowly of circumstances. The verse in the gospels that states that one cannot love both God and money seems so appropriate. Can or should Christians celebrate Christmas in the way of the world? One way to be "counter-cultural" this season is to rediscover the practice of observing the advent season. A time to quietly wait and prepare ourselves, a time of repenting, confessing, longing, praying... Here is a liturgy for the first Sunday. Light a candle, make a wreath, and have a joy filled advent season!

Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. This is the candle of HOPE.

With Christians around the world, we use this light to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May we receive God’s light as we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.”
– Isaiah 9:2

Let us pray:
Lord as we look to the birth of Jesus, grant that the light of your love for us will help us to become lights in the lives of those around us. Prepare our hearts for the joy and gladness of your coming, for Jesus is our hope.
Amen