Tag: family

The Christmas fun begins

This weekend we got a head start on our Christmas festivities (besides the 3 or 4 office parties/lunches I’ve already been to) with two family parties.

Saturday night was the annual Turner-Medlin Christmas party – which I think has now become the Turner-Medlin-Blundell-Lattanzi party.

This was my third year to take part in the annual party and its always one of the highlights of the season.

Along with the Christmas festivities, we also use the occasion to celebrate our nephew Jake’s birthday – which is Dec. 21.

Jake blows out the Birthday candles
Continue reading The Christmas fun begins

July 2009 vacation photos

I’ve posted 250+ of my favorite photos from our vacation last week in the Bahamas.

You can view them here (click on the photo below)… or on Flickr or as a slideshow.

July 2009 Cruise to the Bahamas

Also, you can see the photos Laurie picked as her favorites on Flickr as well.

Returning home

Just a couple initial thoughts tonight, about our cruise…

We had a great time with our family — it made for a great trip. I even had a good time after my legs became the main topic of conversation — after my stank-nasty sunburn on Tuesday.

And unlike our last cruise – we hardly noticed the ship moving or rocking at all.

However, since we got off the ship this morning (around 9:30 am EST) I’ve continued having “motion moments” in which I turn or move a certain way and feel like I’m on a very rocky sea vessel — odd.

And finally — no matter how pampered we are on the cruise — Royal Caribbean still can’t beat the normal size of my toilet seat, the softness of my toilet paper, the average size of my shower and the softness (and length) of my own bed.

There’s still no place like home.

numerous birthday wishes

facebook birthday wishes

facebook birthday wishes
Originally uploaded by Jonathan D. Blundell


I have some great friends and family!

60+ birthday wishes on facebook, countless more on twitter and text messaging and emails and phone calls…

Thanks everyone for taking a moment to send your birthday wishes! And thanks for being great friends!

How would you respond?

dong-yun-yoon

Dong Yun Yoon [English name is Don Yoon], 37, was at work at his cafe when he discovered the horrible news of a F/A-18 jet crashing into a residential home – his home. His wife, two young babies, and his mother-in-law who had recently arrived from Korea to help take care of the babies [a Korean custom] all were killed in this tragedy.

Eugene C Cho shares Yoon’s story on his blog. And you can watch video on CNN.

And I’ll be honest, had it not been for Cho, I’d have no idea this even happened.

Yoon married his wife, Young Mi Yoon [a nurse], four years ago and had two children: Grace [15 months] and Rachel [2 months]. They had just moved into this house one month ago.

“My wife — it was God’s blessing that I met her about four years ago, and we got married,” he said quietly. “She’s just such a lovely wife and mother, who always loves me, and (the) babies. I just miss her so much.”

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So, your entire family has been taken from you. The pilot of the F-18 that crashed into your house walked away — he ejected just before the crash.

How would you respond?

Yoon responds with grace that can only come from an almighty God.

“…I believe my wife and two babies and mother-in-law are in heaven with God,” he said. “And I know God is taking care of them.”

as for the pilot…

“Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident,” Yoon said. “I know he’s one of our treasures, for the country, and I … don’t blame him. I don’t have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could.”

Sure makes my petty issues with others seem even more so.

God may we love like you love. May we treasures others like you treasure them. May we see your image in them all. May we conspire to live differently this season and live our lives differently from this point forward.

“Grace, grace, God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all our sins.”