The Open Table

March 24,2007

2007-03-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

Last month we celebrated the Oscars with a party at the Payne home.

Everyone got dressed up and we celebrated with style!

This week, we will be meeting at Dena’s house, directly south of the Whole Foods Market - West LA

Next two weekends

2007-03-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

We had talked about going out on Sunday evening, but Karen has decided to cook for an early St. Patty's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage tomorrow, so we will be meeting at the Ing home (actually, you will be meeting, because I will be in Vegas for a convention).

Since we will be here tomorrow night, we will be going out next week, on Sunday March 18th, place to be determined.

Also, we are presently targeting the weekend of April 20th - 22nd for our retreat out to Palm Springs.

Upcoming Meetings

2007-02-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

It's a new beginning in 2007, and since we seem to be growing, I figure that we should try to get the blog going again. If nothing else, at least we can keep our schedule up here and plan what we will do from from week to week.

That said, here is what we have on tap for the next few weeks,

Feb 18 - Sam's Birthday! We will be celebrating Sam's Birthday at El Cholo in Santa Monica! We will try to get there a little earlier than usual, about 6:00 pm. Please RSVP to Ben so that I can let them know how many are planning to come.

Feb 25 - Oscar Party! Emily Payne will be hosting an Oscar Party at her parent's home on Wellesley Drive. It's going to be a formal affair, so don't forget to dress up! The Academy Awards start at 5:00 pm, but get there early to see the stars walk down the runway.

March 4 - Celebrate Chinese New Year with the Ings. Chinese New Year is a two week celebration and we will be honoring the closing of celebrations for the Year of the Boar. We'll be meeting at the usual, 6:30 pm start time at the Ings.

Hope that you can join us.

Disneyland late summer

2005-06-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Maddy, Owen, Emily Payne and I just got back from a day at Disneyland on Wednesday and as usual had a great time! Sleeping Beauty's Castle is all done up in gold and the 50th Birthday Fireworks Show is spectacular! Since Karen missed out this time, we are planning on going again at the end of the summer (last week in August) when our SoCal Annual Passes go into effect again.

Planning ahead, I saw the following deal on mousesavers,

Late Summer/Early Fall Disneyland Annual Passholder Rates - For check-ins between 8/28/05-9/29/05, stay on Sunday and Monday nights at Paradise Pier for $89. Discounted rates will also be available for other nights of the week and at the other hotels. You must check out by 10/1/05 for the special rates. Must be booked 8/1/05-9/29/05, but a few people report success in booking it early. Ask for rate plan APD.

I thought that we might want to plan our SNG Disneyland trip to be an overnighter on the last Sunday of August, 08/28. Let me know what you think!

May 15th at the Crawfords

2005-05-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

We will be meeting at Matt & Kim's house this Sunday, same time as usual (6:30 pm).

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Matt & Kim Crawford
855 10th St. #104
Santa Monica CA 90403
310-393-2591

No Meeting on Sunday

2005-05-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, due to Mother's Day, there will be no meeting. Enjoy time with your families!

Although a number of us were under the weather, we still had a great time last Sunday. Kelly Thiele did a phenomenal job at her recital - it is amazing to see how her voice and performance have both matured. Of course, now that she will be graduating, the tough part of actually finding a career will be her next obstacle, but with the talents that she has been blessed with and the support of everyone at church, we all hope that she will find success. Kelly told me that so many things felt so right about having the opportunity to perform her recital in her home church, in front of all the people that she grew up with. I think that even though I did not really grow up in the church (well, at least not as a child), I have to agree that one of the great things about the church is the feeling of love and support that we fell for one another. We are truly blessed by God.

Also, good luck to Emily Payne, who last Sunday headed off to work in the rice paddies in Japan. I am sure that she will have great stories to tell us when she returns. Keep her in your prayers.

This week begins Kickball with Katherine Palo. Hope to see some people there. Otherwise, our next meeting will be on May 15, probably meeting at our (the Ing) home.

Next Sunday's (May 1) activities

2005-04-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, Kelly Thiele will be performing her masters thesis. We are planning to attend and follow up with an early dinner at a local restaurant. The suggestion has been that we go to El Cholo to do the early Cinqo de Maio celebration.

Recital will be at 4:00 pm in the Sanctuary, dinner following immediately after.

Hope that you can all join us.

A Cup of Sugar?

2005-04-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

This past week, we did a very unusual thing ... we borrowed an onion from the neighbor down the hall. Both Karen and I were home, planning dinner and not wanting to go out to the grocery store. We figured that we had almost everything that we needed to make curry for dinner except for an onion. We actually figured that we could make do without the onion until I came up with a revolutionary idea - why not ask a neighbor? At first, it was a joke, "Why not ask a neighbor?" We weren't serious of course, it seemed too much like a 50's sitcom. Then, many of you will not be surprised to hear that I figured, what the heck, and started down the hallway.

Even then, I was apprehensive. Our neighbors across the way, with the little boy that plays with Maddy and Owen, wasn't home. The neighbor a little further down the hall that has lived here longer than us, and who is on the homeowners' board wasn't home either. As I assessed the situation, I initially turned back into our condo, and then decided to head down to ask the Indian (from India not native Americans) couple that lives down the hall. We don't know them well, but exchange pleasantries in the garage and hallway, and since we often smell curry wafting out of their kitchen, it was somehow strangely appropriate.

As I approached the door, I was still apprehensive. I brought my fist up, and then since I was mostly committed, I went ahead and knocked. Rus, the husband answered. Somehow, that caught me off guard, since I was thinking that it would be easier to ask his wife for an onion - no doubt some chauvinist thinking on my part.

I cleared my throat, "We were starting dinner and realized that we needed an onion - you wouldn't happen to have one, would you?"

Rus replied, "Certainly," and went to rummage through a drawer in the kitchen as I stood at the door. He returned with what looked like a monstrous onion and handed it to me with a smile.

I turned and walked away as the door closed behind me. I was actually exhiliarated, feeling a little like Mrs. Kravitz on "Bewitched" (okay, I have to admit that I have never been in their condo, so when Rus was looking for the onion, I peered into the place from my vantage point at the doorway). When I got home, Karen and I both broke out laughing at the simplicity of a neighborly favor, as well as our trepidation at the thought of imposing on someone else.

As I thought about it, though, I wondered how come we had never done this before in the 12 years that we have lived in this building. I wondered how come in today's society, why so many of us are afraid to go next door to ask for a cup of sugar. Are we afraid of imposing on other people, or have we just gained such a feeling of self-sufficiency that we don't ever want to need a bowl of sugar from anyone, including our neighbors?

Putting this into context with relation to faith, do we hesitate in opening our hearts to God? Do we believe that we are so in control of our lives that we do not need to ask God for guidance? Isn't God like that good neighbor who is willing to give us something that we need if we simply ask?

It was not a long walk down our hallway, and yet it is extremely difficult to take that first step. The distance to God is even shorter, but for many of us, it is even tougher to take action. Still, I felt so much exhiliration from the simple act of allowing someone to give me something that I asked for, that I have to say that sometimes, it is better to receive than to give.

This Sunday, we will be meeting here at our place. I'd like to take you for a walk down the hall.

With God's love,

Ben

SNG Trip to the California Poppy Reserve

2005-04-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

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Originally uploaded by vbing.

This past Sunday, we took a trip up to the California Poppy Reserve. It was a long drive, but we had a wonderful time checking out this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Mojave Desert in full bloom after this year's historical rainy season. We followed up with a drive following the railroad line along Highway 58 to enjoy a Basque dinner in Bakersfield.

Poppy trip cancelled

2005-03-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

It turns out that only a few people had today off, so Karen & I decided to postpone the trip to the California Poppy Reserve. We are looking at going next week, either Saturday April 2, or Sunday April 3. We would probably follow a similar schedule.

Is anyone interested in coming and does it fit into your schedule?

Welcome!

2005-03-20T17:25:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by vbing.