Free lunch for 25 and Tobasco in my Lemonade

I won a free lunch for up to 25 people at Chipotle recently. I always throw my card in their fish bowl for the raffle, and I have been fortunate to win twice within a couple months. I had invited all my friends when our intial angel tree group decided not to show. During my meal, my wife called me(she was sick at home) and I left the table to talk. When I came back I found that someone had been up to trouble! I took a sip of my lemonade, immediately finding that this wasn't my drink... oops, did I drink from pats cup by mistake?! but wait! what is that burning?! It taste like Tamarindo, but they don't serve that here! It sure isn't Dr. Pepper... and why Is it burning?!?! I looked up to see Chris Guess Crying in laughter and caught him literally red-hand by the stains of tobasco sauce! Well this was especially funny for everyone at the table, and I admit I was laughing too... Of course, the fun never ends there, and I wasn't going to be the last person to be messed with... so deeper into the meal... I did a couple switch-a-roos. Pat Jabbour looked away for a moment and I swapped him drinks. Immediately he takes a drink, ponders the sensation and swallows glaring over at me! HILARIOUS... I was crying! Two down (me included) and now it was Jen Jabbours turn... A stranger had her attention focused on her car, she had low air in a tire.. we made a quiet exchange in front of her and she must of been in a moment of deep thought because she subconsciously picked up the tobasco filled cup, shook it around a little and took a big drink! Immediately she spit it into my empty plate and repeatedly assaulted my left arm. sure, I deserved it, but it was definitely a moment that mastercard couldn't buy! Its nice to have good friends with a good sense of humor :) In turn we all had a good time and a Free Lunch, just a little hotter than usual. Tiffers, Julie, Ken, Jen S, Chris, Mihaela, Pat, Jen J, and Noah... thanks!

X-Country : Palm Springs

Finally got this flight done! This was really the only objective that I needed to complete for my pilots license. I have just a couple hours of touch up for the test. Here's how it went; I left Gillespie, flew over Julian and Borrego. I landed in thermal, filled the tank and took off over Palm Springs. I flew toward riverside, and down to Hemet. Landed at Hemet and Flew Home via temecula and Ramona. It was a great trip without incident. It built my confidence in leaving the home base, and really assured me in knowing that -I'm a Pilot!- In Thermal I was actually very unimpressed at how the CHP's plane was landing, I was even thinkng about pullng him over and asking to see his license!

when your kid has the flu. [its trickier than dodgeball]

(this one is kinda gross)--------------------------------------

AnnaBelle came down with something good this week. She slept for two days straight inbetween throwing up on all of us. We'd asked her if she was feeling well, and she responded "yeah", than out of the blue "blaaaaaaaaaah", it was all over us. The first sneak attack came late one night when I heard her crying. In the goodness of my heart I went to rescue her, and I embraced her only to find myself covered in her last meal. The most memorable attack came in a Starbucks with Friends, Beth saw it coming and put out her hands only to be holding soup and beans for the next two and half minutes while I retrieved rags. I was sooo bummed I didn't think to take a picture with my camera phone! The helpful baristas at Starbucks didn't even bring a mop... and we'll make sure we get free coffee out of there willingness to watch us. Yep. This flu was a nasty one. She covered Beth, Grandma, and I probably about two times each, She continued to be sick every thirty minutes that first night. She slept most of the next day...and the next, only waking up to throw up. Its day 5 now and she is throwing up once a day... She passed it along to grandma for a day, bethany a day, aunt laura(current), aunt jen and uncle adam... Its an epidemic - one nasty bug. [I'm terrified]

Dead Sea Scrolls in San Diego 06/29/07 to 12/31/07

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SCROLLS dated 250 B.C. to 70 A.D.

While the importance of these documents is multifaceted, one of their principle contributions to biblical studies is in the area of textual criticism. This is the field of study in which scholars attempt to recreate the original content of a biblical text as closely as possible. Such work is legitimate and necessary since we possess only copies (apographs), not the original manuscripts (autographs) of Scripture. The Dead Sea Scrolls are of particular value in this regard for at least two reasons: (1) every book of the traditional Hebrew canon, except Esther, is represented (to some degree) among the materials at Qumran and (2) they have provided textual critics with ancient manuscripts against which they can compare the accepted text for accuracy of content.

-Buy Tickets Here-
(they'll be going fast!)
-See Video Here-

Merry Christmas!

Sooo00oO00OooO0ooo much FOOD!

This year our plans entitled giving thanks with four families... and our intentions were to give thanks for the FOOD at all four dinners, but the food was ALL just too good to stop and think about rationing. so we ate. Our Itinerary began with the Jabbours, then to the Halls, the Rays and concluding with the Tiffany Family. We didn't make it to the last one :( So what are we thankful for? a Good God, a Hope in Heaven, Our Marraige, Our Kiddo, our supportive family, our awesome friends, life plans steadily coming together, a couple good Churches, two working cars, paid off bills, and too much FOOD. AnnaBelle of course was fed plenty of pie by all participating grandparents... It was a Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Playstation Adventure

(Updated: This video was edited to exclude vulger language not endorsed by the videographers)

In our efforts to further our capitalist endeavors, Chris Guess and I thought we'd go on a little camping trip at the local BestBuy. Sure people had been camping out a week prior at other local stores, But this BestBuy was different! This store wasn't going to have any loitering on their property until the day of the big sale. It was an attempt to arrive after the police had escorted the final group off the property 26 hours before any ps3 sales. We instead found 500 cars parked in the parking lot with similar intentions. There were probably a thousand people simply parked outside for a camping spot! Chris and I soon found that instead of documenting our ps3 story we would document everyone elses. We started with interviews and "sell it or keep it" polls just before all the chaos happened. It was 15 minutes before midnight and the legal time to find a plot of land when a single man made a rush for the doors, immediately an anxious 400+ people dashed in the same manner, many getting hurt in the process. The mob now occupied the front of the store. There was no legitimate way of recognizing a line, BestBuy was in trouble. One Joker decided to take matters into his own hands, he ran to the otherside of the door and shouted "the line starts here"...two hundred people immediately followed! Now there was two lines for the Management to choose from, and what looked like two armies waging war!! In the End the second line seemed to be the final line to their glory...You'll also see on the tape a Bestbuy employee pleasantly inviting the friendly customers to go back to their cars, and they politely declined. All this for an announced 26 playstations! In the end there were really 108 gaming systems... and our footage, it hit the channel 10 evening news, as the headline story!

Dress Up.

Halloween was a blast this year... we dressed up on multiple occasions. First we dressed up in Asian outfits from our China Town visit for Brian's Party. Then We put on our old Starbucks Aprons to use for Amber Tiffanys party. We liked Matt and Missy Mcguiness' Hershey Bar outfits far better! Finally we dressed AnnaBelle up as a Cheetah on Halloween Day. We decided to go to Shadow Mountain, they put on a huge Carnival full of rides, animals and booths. We had a great time there with the Guess' and the Jabbours, especially in the fun house! It was good to see some of our favorite faces again too ( Barbara Boucher, Jenine Lewis, Troy Leeman, and the Wickens...we miss you! ) AnnaBelle was a great cheetah, but she didn't do such a good job at flirting for our candy. opps, "her candy".. I guess she knows she always has a grandpa around with chocolate in his pockets. :)

the truth about our futures.

I've often neglected telling my plans of our hopes for a certain future in efforts to keep people happy. In covering the truth about what we really would love to do whole-heartedly, I have simply diminished the plans at hand. I've even made myself somewhat miserable in the process. Our plans are by no means glorious or prestigious; they are simply, what we feel we were made to do. To anyone that has witnessed my pursuits down other paths, you have found me less than satisfactory. It is for the simple reason, that NOTHING in my inner-being can justify the attempts to succeed at anything other than bringing a lost people to Christ. I hope that has remained evident to those close to me despite my following this life's distractions.

God has never spoken to me audibly, but he has never ceased to make clear what He has for me to do. It is in the person He knitted together within the infinity of His mind before the foundations of the world. He has put in me certain talents and desires that guide me in the direction I am to go! He has arranged family and friendships to mold me into the person I am to become. He sends trials to shape my character more "set apart" for a new day. By His Word and by the blueprints of Creation, He speaks to me. He says Go.

So, here is the "gameplan" everyone has been asking of us. It is not appealing to most of you, and as I am human, there might be changes. Beth and I must abandon the parts of our lives that do not adhere to these goals, and resurrect the faith to believe we can achieve these objectives. It is because of your constant concern for direction in our lives that I disclose this to you, and am confident that you will only assist us in achieving these goals from now on.

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We would like to serve on the Missions Field as a Missionary Pilot and Nurse.

Pat is going to attain His Pilots License and all appropriate ratings.
Pat is going to train by way of Apprentice for an Airframe and Powerplant License.

Pat would also like to master the following areas for ministry, provision, or survival:
Car mechanics, Carpentry, Guitar, Construction,
Pat would like to finish school too, Biblical Studies.

Beth is going to obtain a Bachelors degree at SDSU via the Nursing Program.
Beth is going to be a mom and wife forever. (that is enough :P )

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The start of the "gameplan" has already been initiated and is in practice. I have nearly obtained my private pilots license and Beth is currently taking the necessary classes for her Nursing Degree. Please take us seriously in encouraging us by helping us in these areas. Keep us accountable in running toward these goals. Use us as a resource if you need any help in the areas listed above - we understand we are insufficient in the listed items, and its experience that will make us proficient.

About Bethany

I love looking at blogs but I have never been very good at posting them. But as it turns out this whole Hall Family Blog is currently only about Patrick and AnnaBelle. And so, I am going to finally attempt this thing.
My life is quite crazy. At the moment I am attempting to go back to school to become a nurse. I have a handful of general ed. classes and then I'd love to get into SDSU's nursing program by spring of 2008. I am also working part time at Allstate and of course there is my most treasured job as wife and mommy.
Three years ago I was anticipating getting married and was planning on becoming a teacher though the idea of pursuing that as a career was becoming less and less exciting. In these short 3 years my whole life has changed especially with becoming a mother. Motherhood has taught me and changed me more then anything else ever has. God used AnnaBelle to make me stop and realize how precious life is and how my plans are exactly that, my plans. Although I constantly struggle with allowing Him to take the drivers seat in my life, I am far more content when He is. I think I have a control problem and God tries to keep me on my toes by constantly changing my life :)
My long-term dreams are to be on the missions field. With Patrick as a pilot and myself as a nurse I pray God will be able to use us in great ways. At the moment those dreams seem so distant but I know God has a plan for us wherever we end up.

So, there you have it, a little peak into my life and my heart. I'll try my best to keep up with this thing.

AnnaBelle

AnnaBelle is 20 months old (1 yr 8 mos) - Already 10 months past her first steps shes starting to put sentences together. Right now she is really practicing all the words she's heard us say. She tells us she wants to put her "shoes on" and "go outside", she'll give us the "keys" and tell us to all "go" in the "car", and she'll bring us our misc articles labeling them; "daddy's guitar", mommy's book" etc... She is learning!!- she understands soo much, but its tricky getting her to say it. We'll find her practicing to her self before she'll blurt it out to us :) ... we're not to afraid as she already has a vocabulary of about 80 words, phrasing many of them together!

Potty training has been tricky, she enjoys the convenience of going wherever she wants. She is clever and embraces the idea of potty before bedtime trying to grasp a few more minutes. She's pushing the terrible twos a bit, but we're putting up good resistance so far - but again, she already has a fake cry pretty well together alongside occasional escape heists. 95% the time she is a good kid... we think its all the treats her grandpas feed her when we're not looking that send her into chaos..

She loves playing with dog, reading books , and climbing as high as she can! She'll stop anything to sing a song or dance a bit, which is our way of diverting her attention (ha-ha-ha)...

Beth is at school, getting some prereqs out of the way for her nursing, so two days a week for four hours annabelle goes to Cuyamaca daycare- It is an incredible facility! She comes learning things that hadn't crossed our minds. She'll clean off her plate after every meal, and has a mastery of the kitchen utencils and any drawing tools! She has good interction with the other kids, so the social skills can be aquired :)

Her closest friends are Noah, Brianna, and MyMy.. She talks about them all the time, and always takes joy in seeing there pictures.. She always talks about her first beach experience, which noah happened to be on, now I think they are dating. Noah holds her hand and guides her around the house. Brianna is the closest to AnnaBelle in age, they like to play a form of tag and hug, MyMy is annabelle playmate when we take her to work. Usually the spend time hugging each other and sharing toys.. but these are deep friendships! :)

We look forward to Christmas with Annabelle, and weil probably take her to see all the lights, snow, and festivities, she is especially excited about anything new - it will be a blast - we hope to share that with you too!

My journey to become a Rockstar

slowly but surely I am learning to play this guitar!! The church asked me to play during the main service - practice went great, but when it came to the service... there's been kinda of an awkward silence ever since... I expected the first couple performances to go like that anyway :P ... If I could only learn 3-4 christmas songs.. at least my family would think I'm a pro! hahaha-

Officiating weddings?!

the lack of "Holiness" Disclaimer:
About 6 months ago.. I was asked by a good friend to offciate his wedding. At first I was a little unsure about it. "This is a job for somebody that has been through seminary, not me" ... He told me to think about it... They were to be married in Twain Harte, California. This is a little town just north of Yosemite National Park, yet still caught up in it beauty. They didn't know a pastor in the area and they weren't settled into a church. While thinking about it, if figured better me than somebody at a courthouse somewhere, at least I'd put some prayer and effort into it :P

What a blessing, and moreover what a blast! This turned out to be a beautiful little town, and an even more beautiful occassion! With much thought as to what I would include in the ceremony, I began in a sense renewing my own vows with Beth - it was a true reminder in my study that my love is practiced in the littlest of things! When the big day came and I had practiced the "I Do's" with Beth about 75 times.. I performed the ceremony... They are a great couple from great families... Everything went great !!

See a Wedding Clip! or see the message and vows!

About the Wedding :)

Flying Airplanes

My first flight, top secret at the time, was back in december of last year. I've been flying just as the schedule, weather, and finances permit... and it has dragged out sooOOOooooOOo long! Its been a year!!! Really I've flown just under 50 hours. I'm gonna go for the last group of flights very soon now... In fact I'm gonna call this weekend to schedule them all! So I can wrap this up!! Its been fun and exciting...and honestly, its been cool to wash and wax planes to save a couple bucks, getting to taxi around the airport ( i especially like that part)... I do want to move forward with the flying after this... there are instrument, commercial, multi-enngine, and mechanic certifications that I want to obtain so that I'm able to make a difference with them some day.. that'd be nice...In the mean time, come Christmas - we should be able to go for some joy rides!!

See My First Solo