Tag Archives: life stories

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My 4th Grade Pen Pal

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I remember when the Gulf War broke out. I was in 4th grade and my teacher had a friend who was engaged to a U.S. Air Force captain, Stephen Phillis. He was deployed to Saudi Arabia. So, as a school assignment, we became pen pals with this captain and corresponded by handwritten letters. We got to know him as a real person as he faithfully wrote each one of us and answered the questions we 4th graders had for him.

A few months later, on February 15, 1991, Captain Phillis was flying an A10 “Warthog” and it was shot down over northwestern Kuwait. We received the shocking news that he was MIA. Our attention turned to his fiancee, Sharon, and we began writing her letters of encouragement, letting her know that we were praying for Steve. Weeks went by. Then we got the dreaded news that his body had been found. He had been killed. The war all of a sudden became so real.

Our class had a special ceremony honoring our brave hero and we planted a tree in front of our school. His fiancee, Sharon, was there and I just remember her and my teacher just crying and crying and crying. She brought his purple heart medal and we were able to see and touch it. I will never forget that day. That was 20 years ago.

I felt it was time to share this memory with my boys. It hits me much deeper now than ever before. As a 9 year old, I recall memories of the war being limited to phrases such as: Operation Desert Storm, scud missiles, stealth bombers, and Stormin’ Norman. But what really matters are that countless soldiers have lost their lives in order to preserve our freedom and rights. That means countless family members and loved ones have been devastated by a traumatic loss.

We typically spend Memorial Day as just another day off, but today I wanted honor the day for what it’s meant to be…a day to remember our fallen soldiers. It was totally unplanned, but a friend from Saudi Arabia came over and cooked Saudi food for dinner. I thought that was so fitting. Before eating, I gave a little mini-lesson to my boys about what Memorial Day symbolizes and shared about my special pen pal. I read one of his letters. Then, we listened to a recording of “Taps” and we remembered Captain Phillis and his family for a moment. I figured it was due time that I truly appreciated the ultimate sacrifice that he made for our country.

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Kabsa and Bamia. It was delicious.

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Being patriotic by making flags for dessert.

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A letter from his fiance written while Steve was MIA and a letter from him that I have kept.

Life is hard enough as it is. May God be near all those who were remembering fallen heroes today.

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Playing Mother Goose

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Last weekend, we went to Camp Sagola for UP Spring Retreat.  After church and potluck, Jeanette and I went for a relaxing walk by the lake that’s there.  We had a nice time chatting without the interruption of any kids or babies…until one came running straight towards us in the middle of the trail.  It was an adorable, fluffy, yellow baby bird of some sort.  We weren’t sure if it was a duckling or a gosling, but the webbed feet made it very clear that it was one of the above.  Jeanette and I weren’t sure what to do, but the baby bird just plopped right down next to us and wouldn’t leave.  We looked around for an irate mama goose or any other babies that naturally should be in the vicinity, but with no luck.  This baby was alone, shivering, and wouldn’t leave us.  To make matters worse, I knew that there was an eagle that lived right on that little lake.  We both knew this baby wouldn’t survive much longer without its mama.

We decided it would be best to take it with us and then find a wildlife expert to seek their counsel.  Immediately, I thought of Pastor Jim Nephew.  On our way to find him, we ran into our husbands.  They were not very supportive of our compassionate gesture.  Nethaniah’s response to our story was, “Haven’t you heard of the circle of life?”  Israel looked into my eyes and declared with conviction, “His eye is on the sparrow, Judy.”  They obviously weren’t there to see the desperation of this baby.  We didn’t choose the baby, the baby had chosen us!

We found Pastor Nephew and pulled him out of the afternoon meeting to tell him the story.  We learned it was a gosling and he told us that we should put it back where we found it.  He seemed quite sure that the mother goose would find it and he told us that the goslings often run around the beach area by the pond.  Even though we were still unsure, we trusted him and so we drove back to the site where we first encountered the gosling.  By this time, it had fallen asleep in Jeanette’s receiving blanket that we used to pick it up.  We found a nice spot in the area where the gosling would have a clear path into the water.  I got out of the car and placed the blanket with the gosling in it on the ground.  I opened up the blanket and nudged the baby, but it wouldn’t move.  I picked it up and place it on the grass.  It sat there for a while and then started shivering.  It was so hard to leave it there, but I knew that’s what we had to do.  I headed towards the car.  But then it began following me.  It sat right next to the tire of the car.  I picked it up and placed it back on the side of the trail but then right when I put it down and walked away, it immediately got up and tried to frantically follow me to the car.  Finally, I picked it up, placed it back on the grass, and just made a run for the car.  I jumped in and we drove off.  Jeanette watched from her rear-view mirror as the poor gosling ran as hard as it could, flapped its little wings, to try to follow us.  After a while, probably when it realized that it couldn’t keep up with the car, it stopped running.  We had left our baby in the dust.

This was such a heart-breaking experience.  I felt so misunderstood.  There was no way I could communicate with this baby that it was because we cared that we let it go.  A life in the wild being raised by its parents would be the best life possible.  It just had to endure this scary and lonely time for a while.  And likewise, God is often misunderstood.  When we feel abandoned and alone, when we wonder why He doesn’t wrap us up in safety and giving us the comfortable life we long for, and when the odds are against us, God longs to tell us that if we just endure for a while, it will be for the best.  He longs for us to trust Him.  He isn’t apathetic or too busy to intervene.  Every single circumstance in our lives has been weighed in the balance.  The amazing news is that God is never wrong.  He knows the end from the beginning.  He loves us with an undying love.

This baby has been in my prayers.  I do hope that it was reunited with its parents.  I’m not sure if we did the right thing, but I find comfort that God does care about our little gosling. 

So, Jeanette and I were mother geese for a day…and one day was much too long.

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Our Newest Neighbors

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Last week, Manu and Micah were playing outside near our large pine tree when they wildly exclaimed that they saw a nest in the tree.  My boys tend to think a lot of things look like nests.  I was quite skeptical, plus, I was busy evening out our front lawn where the snow plow had uprooted rather large chunks.  I gave my vocal affirmation and continued to rake.  Then, Manu yelled over to me that he sees a bird in the nest.  He really wanted me to come and see it and so headed over.  To my amazement, there was a bird sitting up high in a nest.  Not wanting to scare the bird family, I asked the boys to play in the other side of our house. 

About 15 minutes later, I put the two younger boys to bed, and Manu and I got our binoculars and camera to do some further investigation.  This time, there were 2 birds!  I thought it was a mama and her baby, but after doing some research, I realized it’s most likely a couple who is taking turns sitting on their eggs! 

When we first moved up here, there was a particular bird song that we would often hear in our yard.  We were sure it was coming from an owl.  One of the first things our friends told us when we moved up here, was to make sure we didn’t leave our dog or cats outside after dark.  It wasn’t uncommon for owls and other raptors to snatch up small pets.  Whenever we’d hear this hooting sound, I’d panic and make sure our pets were indoors.  Well, one day, a friend incredulously informed us that it wasn’t coming from an owl. 

They were mourning doves. 

And we are absolutely stoked that a young family of mourning doves decided to move in to our pine tree!

      

our tree in front of our house


our new neighbors:  still working on their names…

Facts about mourning doves that we’ve learned:
– they are also called the Western Turtle Dove or Rain Dove
– diet consists 99% of seeds
– they are generally 12 inches in length and average 4-6 oz in weight
– pairs are monogamous
– they are prolific breeders (up to 6 broods per season), but very high mortality rate (~50-70%)
– females construct their nests while males bring her all the materials
– clutch size is almost always 2 eggs
– incubation & fledging both take about 2 weeks
– males incubate eggs morning/afternoon shift and females take over during evening/night
– young are fed crop milk by parents
– dedicated parents, if threatened, may perform broken-wing display or other nest-distraction display
– primary predators are diurnal raptors including hawks and falcons
– it is the leading game bird in the U.S. with over 70 million shot annually
– it is Michigan’s official state bird of peace

We’re hoping we’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the babies once they hatch and also during fledging.  That would be so exciting!  They are such beautiful birds. 

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Helping Israel Find His Roots

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Sometimes I crack myself up.  LOL.  *SIGH* 

Okay so, to get him back for every wrong he’s done towards me, I just signed Israel Ramos up for a salsa-making contest that will take place at the public library on Cinco de Mayo.  He is so not the type that would want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at a U.P. public library with a crowd of yooper strangers.  HAHAHA!  But, I think he’ll do it.  He may not be excited to do it, but he’ll do it because he loves me.  I’m hoping that he will be able to represent his people (including his 3 boys) and take home the title of winning salsa.  Who knows, maybe this will be the tipping point for all of his culinary endeavors!  It may start with a corner salsa stand, then grow to a store front.  For all we know, he may become known as the U.P. Salsa Grand Master…. 

But in all seriousness, I’m hoping it will be a fun & special family memory and that it will instill in our boys the importance of Cinco de Mayo, and that contrary to popular belief, it is not synonymous to Mexican Independence Day. 

All our local yoopie friends should come too!

http://www.pldl.org/2011/04/cinco-de-mayo-salsa-contest/

By faith, I will only have good things to report on Thursday evening…

PS:  This is what happens when Israel leaves me for a few days.  (He’s downstate for CAMPUS meetings.)  Too much time on my hands!  🙂

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We’ve Been Infected

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So~ I should be at church right now.  Instead, I’m at home sitting here at my desk trying to wrap my brain around what has happened to my boys.  To say that they are sick is an understatement.  It all started with Micah (-which seems to be the trend around here-) when he came down with a fever.  In addition, his symptoms included niagara nose and watery eyes.  The very next day, Titus fell victim.  He had fever, loss of appetite, stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing, loss of voice, and darth vader breathing.  We could hear the poor thing all night.  He definitely has had it the worst.  And just when I thought I had kept it contained, Manu came into our room in the middle of the night and he was burning hot with fever.  Apart from a miracle, going anywhere today was not an option.

I have obviously been trying to nurse them back to health for a few days now, but this morning I kicked things into high gear.  After Israel left for Marquette church, I took turns giving each of them a hot-half bath, warm lemon-honey water, their vitamin, and a nice slather of the cure-all for any sickness or disease, vicks.  I made sure their fevers were under control, their room was warm, and I tucked them into bed again.  Now, the house is quiet. 

It sounds easy since I crammed all of that information into two swift sentences, but it definitely was a battle.  The process which in my mind would produce the best odds of them getting better was in fact a torturous ordeal for them.  They didn’t want to take an uncomfortably hot bath.  They didn’t want to get doused with cold water.  They didn’t want to blow their nose.  They didn’t want to get into bed.  They didn’t want to drink all of the tea.  And of course, they didn’t want to go right back to sleep.  Trust me, the list could continue…

But I totally had an ace up my sleeve. 

Although the boys weren’t thrilled to comply, they ultimately did because they trusted that if they just endured the things I was putting them through, they would get what they really wanted.  At least this is what I kept reminding them over and over again.  And what they’ve wanted, and have been wanting for the past 3 weeks, was to be alive and kicking on Sunday, March 27, 2011 from 11am-3pm for Kaelan’s birthday pool-party.  This, folks, is why the house is actually quiet.  Some would call this a miracle in its own right.     

It made me think of those things that I’ve been really wanting in life and where I am right now.  It sometimes seems that trials and set-backs seem to threaten those very things.  But I’m reminded over and over again to see the bigger picture and to remember that overcoming these things will actually strengthen me to get me there. 

And I’m hoping and praying that this will help get them there too.  Tomorrow is gonna be their first pool party and it would be an absolute shame if they had to miss it.  Prayers welcome.

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The Zamboni Show

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It was going to be an exciting day.  Karen invited us to go watch the Copper Country Skating Academy ice show at MacInnes and we gladly said yes.  Well, not Israel.  He’s too manly to enjoy the art of figure skating.  He agreed to stay home with Ty.  Our friend Tammy and the two older kids wanted to come as well so it was official.  We were going to see our first figure skating show!  None of us, save Karen, had ever seen figure skating in real-life so we were in for a treat.  My boys had never even seen an ice arena so I knew they would be thrilled.  There was a little confusion because the boys thought they were going to ice skate.  Once that was cleared up, they seemed enthusiastic about the idea of watching other kids skate.  Yes, it was going to be an exciting day.

I decide to squeeze in a run before the show so I go to the SDC early and hit the “dreadmill” as Lynda DuPreez likes to call it.  🙂  I have about 5 more minutes to run when I get a phone call from the IR.  The car won’t start.  Israel seems to always have this sort of luck…particularly when he is with the boys.  He is supposed to meet up with Karen and Tammy at the church at 1:30pm and then drive together over to the ice rink and drop them off.  For 30 minutes he’s unable to get the car started.  Finally at 1:25 it somehow starts and they are on their way.  Because of the delay, I decide to purchase all of the tickets so we could just go in and find a seat. 

At the ticket counter, I realize that kids ages 5 and under are free.  What a STEAL!  I think to myself.  Both of my boys can watch for free!  They all arrive and we head over to find seats.  We sit down towards the front and then we anxiously wait for the program to begin. 

After about the third act, Micah begins to get antsy.  There are a total of 31 acts.  From this moment, I knew we were doomed.  For the duration of the program, I ended up doing the following:

– taking the boys to the bathroom twice during the show
– picking up Micah’s gloves that kept falling down (-or more like was being dropped)
– literally saving Micah from toppling down over the seats in front of us
– running up and down the hallway with the kids during intermission         
– bumming candy off of my pregnant friend, Tammy, to give to them
– asking them to sit down over and over
– sitting Micah on my lap
– and shushing him nearly a hundred times

All the while, Micah kept asking loudly, “Why are they skating so long?  Can we go home?  I want to go home.  I want to go to Daddy!  I’m hungry.  I have to go to the bathroom.”  Not in that particular order, but you get the idea.  I was foolish enough to threaten him by saying, “Micah, if you continue to act this way, we won’t ever come to shows like this again.”  To which Micah honestly replied, “Okay.  Can we go home now?”  It was at this point when two things dawned on me.  Now I know why kids ages 5 and under are free.  If they charged them, parents would be upset demanding that they get their money back!  The second revelation was that maybe my boys aren’t and won’t be as into watching figure skating as I am.

And so, it would have been an anti-exciting day save one thing.  There was one thing that caused my boys to sit still for about 7 minutes and for their eyes to really light up.  The Zamboni.  I guess it’s something I should have known but never guessed.  So, here’s to our first and last figure skating outing.  It was nice for the first couple of acts.  I’m beginning to feel my first twinge of loneliness being the only Ramos girl.   

 
Tammy, Micah, Abi, Israel, Manu, and Karen waiting for the show to begin!

The star of the show…and he didn’t even know it!

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My Guam Adventure

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I got back from my 2 week excursion to Guam just a few days ago, and as my jet-lag is slowly subsiding, I’m realizing how this amazing trip has impacted my life.  It was socially rejuvenating, physically refreshing, and spiritually liberating.  Now that I’m back, I feel as though I can conquer the world.  My love and appreciation for my family has grown and I really believe I have come back a better wife and mother.  I feel so blessed to have such a self-sacrificing, caring husband who “forced” me to take a break and vacation with my sister and mom while he took care of our 3 young boys.

Before I left, it wasn’t easy.  There were moments when I would be so overcome with panic and guilt.  For the weeks leading up to the trip, we emphasized to the boys that I would be spending “girl time” and they would be spending “boy time”.  They were excited about that.  But of course there were times when Manu and Micah thought it’d be a better idea for all of us to just stay together.  I had compiled a list of things I felt I needed to do before I left with hopes that the boys would have just as much fun as I would.  I typed up and printed off a food menu and an activities’ sheet for the boys that I stuck on the fridge.  I enrolled the kids in an indoor play area where Israel could take them during the day and I listed all of the kid-friendly events from the public library.  The weeks leading up to my trip, I bought little things for the boys which I individually wrapped.  I bought a toy mailbox and I asked Israel to put a little gift and one of the cards that I pre-wrote in it each morning on the days they were at home without me.  The cards, written by faith, usually stated that I was having a blast in Guam and hoping they were too.  For Ty, I made videos of myself and asked Israel to show them to him every morning and evening.  I packed a Valentine party bag that was to be opened and used to celebrate on Valentine’s Day complete with Valentine cards for everyone, treats, and more gifts.  I scheduled animated e-cards to be sent out to them every so often during my absence.  Israel’s birthday gifts from me were ordered online and scheduled to arrive by the time they drove back home from Detroit.  And before I left, I had Israel take a picture of me with each of the boys and had him post them as a private album on Facebook where I could dialogue with each of them via the comments.  The house was stocked with their favorite foods and rearranged to be Ty-friendly.  It was in perfect order before I left. 

This sounds extreme.  But perhaps it helps to know that I did this more for myself.  I knew the boys would be fine with Israel.  Yet somehow this whole process helped me feel more at ease.  It helped prepare me to go and enjoy myself.  When I left, the boys were ready to see me off (with the help of some parting gifts), Israel was ready to see me off, and I was ready to go.  I had literally completed everything on my things-to-do list and there was nothing else that could be done in my mind to ensure the boys wouldn’t miss me so much, save cancel the trip itself.  I left feeling free and with a sense of peace.

And that was the longest and quietest plane ride I had been on in a looooooong time.  Wow.

When my sister and I get together, magic happens.  We are all about being active and making the most efficient use of our time.  No wasting away days being lazy.  In the 2 short weeks we had together, we checked off nearly everything we planned to do.  I must say, that out of all of the places that I’ve visited (including Spain, Cancun, and Grand Cayman), Guam has some breath-taking scenary.  It goes head to head with French Polynesia (where we went on our honeymoon), but I think some spots on Guam are even more beautiful.  Not the best sand or the best ocean life, but the overall visual beauty itself is really indescribable.  Because of the coral, the water is a thousand different shades of blue.  There are gentle waves crashing nearly a mile in from the shore which you could walk to (if you’re wearing reef shoes, that is).  It is a clean island and the people are so incredibly friendly and kind.  I had never heard of Chamorros, but I’m so glad I was able to meet some of them.  Guam would have been a totally different place if I wasn’t immersed into the local culture and spent time with those who live there.

So, here’s the crazy list of everything we saw & did:

Famous Places/Landmarks:
– Ritidian Beach
– Mt. LamLam (the tallest mountain in the world – yes, from its submerged base it beats Everest)
– Ipao Beach
– Hiked 1,000 Steps
– Talafofo Falls/Yokoi’s Cave
– Two Lovers’ Point
– Governor’s House & Huge Latte Stone
– War in the Pacific Memorial (Nimitz Hill)
– Adventist World Radio – Guam
– Guam Mission Office (were Louis Torres now works)
– SDA Clinic

Water Activities:
– Snorkeling
– Banana Boating
– Swimming
– Sun-bathing
– Parasailing
– Scuba Diving & Padi Certification Course

Restaurants/Cafes:
– Top ‘O’ the Mar
– Infusion Cafe
– Simply Foods
– VIP Chinese
– Mariana’s Trench Thai
– Taco Bell (our go-to meal after dives 🙂

Tourist Attractions:
– A day at ABC : Alupang Beach Club which is THE BEST on island and Adventist owned!
– Fish Eye Observatory
– 2 Boat Trips (saw wild spinner dolphins & flying fish!)
– Downtown Tumon
– Rented scooters for 24 hours and rode around island
– Skydive Guam!
– Hilton Fireshow
– Sunset Cruise on board the Margarita

Churches Visited:
– Guam Korean Church (whose building was the first Adventist church on island)
– Northern Guam Church (where we played special music)

Other Fun Memories:
– Playing night tennis at the Agana courts
– Planning and having a blast at the Ghetto Valentine’s/Surprise Birthday Party
– Joy-riding on scooters in the middle of the night
– Bumming Internet off of Outrigger Hotel and Port of Mocha
– Playing with my sister’s adorable kittens Remi & Rex
– Watching people ride the Sling Shot
– GAA’s Free Health Screening & Science Fair (where my sister was asked to consult & judge)
– Shopping trips to K-mart
– Padi E-Learning all-nighter
– Spotting carabao around the island
– Hair Salon & Pedicures
– Coming with 100+lbs of luggage and leaving with ~30lbs
– Meeting and hanging out with all of my sister’s cool friends

When I came home, I was ecstatic that my boys were so happy and excited to see me. Ty was a little shy at first, but eventually, his little grin turned into a great big smile, he said “mama”, and stretched his arms out to me. It was a precious reunion. When I asked Israel how things went at home, he said, “I don’t know if we were productive, I don’t know if I did a good job, but we had lots of fun.” And that was enough for me.

It was an incredible trip that I will never forget it! I’m so thankful for this opportunity to find myself again. It was even better that when it was time to leave Guam, I was able to come home to my sweet boys and my hero.

 

 
 
 

 

 

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There is a Fountain

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The first communion I partook in after Imanuel was born, our close friend, Sikhu, sang for special music.  The song she chose to sing was the famous hymn, “There is a Fountain”.  I had heard this song many times, but for the first time this song came alive to me.  She sang these powerful lyrics:

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The first time I ever saw my child’s blood was soon after I gave birth to Imanuel.  It was from the infamous heel poke that they do to draw blood for newborn tests.  I will never forget that experience.  The initial poke made him cry a little, but it was when the nurse(s) would squeeeeze his tiny foot to collect the full vial of blood that just made him scream.  I remember just staring at one nurse in disbelief because it seemed like she was totally oblivious to our child’s pain.  Initially we were in shock because she even had the nerve to get frustrated with him because he kept squirming around.  By the end, our feelings evolved into anger.  But Israel and I held our peace and as soon as the nurse put the band aid on, we grabbed Imanuel to hold and comfort him. 

As Sikhu sang this first verse, an overwhelming image flooded my mind.  Contrary to the few droplets of blood from a heel poke, I saw a literal fountain flowing with blood, but I saw that it was pouring from Imanuel’s, my son’s, veins.  It made my heart break, and as much as I wanted to erase that image, I knew that this was a reality for One infinitely greater and purer and holier.  His Father held His peace, and had the strength to even turn His back on His dying Son.  Not only was this done because His love for our fallen world is so amazing.  He also did this because His love for His Son was so great that He knew this was what Jesus ultimately wanted – to commune once again with His beloved creation.  It was then I understood, that while the Father chose to hide His face from His dying Son, His heart was breaking too.  Here at the cross, we see two different, but powerfully equal demonstrations of God’s great love for us and for Each Other. 

As we begin this new year, I am reminded of our desperate need to love God and each other more.  What a great sacrifice that was given so freely from God!  What incomprehensible love towards no good sinners like me!   Who wouldn’t want to serve Him? 

Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains!

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Meeting Mushers

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On Wednesday, December 1st, we went to one of the free programs at our public library called, “Mushing in the U.P: A Family Experience”.  This mushing team from the UP shared with us about their lifestyle, training, and racing.  It was so inspiring to hear dedicated athletes who not only care so much about their amazing dogs, but have so much respect and appreciation for nature.  The team, which is co-ed, won 4th place in the Copperdog 150 which is an annual UP race.  They are currently training to race in the Iditarod which is a 1,150 mile dog sled race in Alaska. 

Some cool facts we learned:
– Mushers consider their dogs athletes.  From rest to training to diet, they only give them the best.  They start training as pups where they learn the mushing lingo.  But for this team, the dogs are family too.
– Many dogs wear booties during the races to prevent the pads on their feet from cracking.  Some snow can be very dry and suck all of the moisture from their pads.
– Sled dogs really love to run.  Mushers have a variety of ways to brake and sometimes need to resort to all of them.
– Each team on race day is required to have certain tools in their sled at all times.  This includes snow shoes, a stove, food, matches, and a sleeping bag among other things. 
– Most sled teams have many dogs that train.  But for races, they have their 1st string, 2nd string, etc. teams according to ability and leadership.  Their team has an older blind dog that is one of their strongest leaders!
– Apparently, very few things beat a moon-lit sled-dog run through a quiet trail in the woods.

They brought 2 of their 50 Alaskan huskies and at the end of their presentation took some of the kids on a dog sled ride on a trail by the library.  The dogs were so gentle and friendly!  Hard to imagine that they are such fierce competitors. 

We look forward to being spectators at next year’s Copperdog 150 which tours the Keweenaw Peninsula!  That race will be on March 4, 5, and 6, 2011. 


The leader of the Bauer team with 3 kids piled in front of the sled.  The 2 dogs pulled all of them with ease!


The 2 boys standing in front of the sled.

Here is a video clip of the memorable opportunity we had to meet and watch these mushers and sled dogs in action!

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Wii had a Game Night

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On Saturday evening, December 4, 2010, we hosted our first Wii Tournament of Champions.  Our student from Michigan Tech came over in the evening for amazing food and some major calorie-burning fun.

Srinu prepared for us an Indian feast and taught us how to prepare some yummy dishes.  From rices to curry and even a home-made curd, we were well-fed and happy.  Then we were ready to put on our game faces.

We began by creating a Mii for all of our participants:  Alanna, Gabriel, Daniel JF, Srinu, and Robert.  Israel and I already had ours made.  After this, we hit up a beautiful Resort with unlimited free amenities!  We round-robined in 3 activities:  canoeing, archery, and wakeboarding.  We were all pretty head-to-head with the most memorable moments coming from Daniel JF’s epic flop on the final archery round to lose to his greatest rival, yours truly.  Alanna’s canoeing skills also shined as she took down Gabe with ease.  And who could forget the first game in the tournament where Robert demolished Israel on the wakeboard.  It was hard to believe that Robert never played before.

We duked it out.  It got really intense after a couple hours and 2 of our competitors made an early exit, however, they didn’t leave empty-handed.  They were awarded consolation prizes as we saw them out.  Then without any further pause, the Wii sticks continued to flail and fly in all sorts of directions as sweat drops splashed on the on-lookers. 

Then, the bona fide tournament ensued.  The 3 round Sword Fighting competition.  This was for all the marbles.  And by “all the marbles”, I mean the coveted prizes which were brought to us by a generous donor in conjunction with Walmart’s always low prices.  It was for the big-time.  We played round-robin again to determine rank.  I was undefeated against everyone so that got me a Bye and saved me a place in the championship bracket.  The other guys fought through the semi-finals and one guy finally came out up top.  Robert Gordon.  In the intense finals, not only did we burn about 500 calories, it was so close that spectators who were intensely cheering, burned about 300 calories too.  And finally in the third round, I plummeted to my defeat into the cold water. 

Robert was deemed the Wii Champion for the night.  He received a cute snowman mug with a hot cocoa kit.  Daniel JF was awarded runner-up for his nearly pristine performance in archery.  His prize was the classic Snowman Pez Dispenser with 3 multi-flavored packs of Pez.  Gabe came in third place for his record-breaking wakeboarding run, (which Judy definitely did NOT beat).  He was awarded Cool Mint Blistex to keep his lips nice and supple throughout the cold winter months.

The award ceremony was simple, yet elegant.  Beautifully wrapped prizes were presented to the winners…and in fact, we were all winners.  There are no losers when you play in the Ramos house.  Everyone got a prize…just not as good as the top prizes.  As we bid them farewell, they walked out in the dark night, the snowflakes silently and gently covering the ground.  Before we knew it, they were gone.  But they will be back, no doubt.  Talk about an on-going olympic tournament throughout next semester is in the works.  Wii will see them again and Wii will be ready.   

I don’t know of any better combination than Indian food and the Wii.  It just worked so well.

Srinu and his masterpiece.

In the basement…it was game time.

Our unofficial scorekeeper

Gabe & Lanna : the archery results

Ironman & Robert in round-robin play.  Canoeing.

DEACON showing his mad skillz in archery.  Good form!

jude & DEACON in sword fight.  DEACON got a beat-down.  I’m just sayin’.

Robert:  the Wii Champion!

Ironman is awarded a consolation prize.

The top 3 winners & their prizes along with the Game Night sponsor.