A few things to report!
I just got back from a speaking engagement near DC, where I addressed students at a Young America's Foundation (YAF) conference. These high school and college students are so impressive! Intelligent, thoughtful, respectful, mature... everything we hope our young people to be!
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| Q&A after my talk |
Among these wonderful students were two stellar young men from Bellarmine College Prep near San Francisco who spoke to me privately after the talk. They told me about the ugliness and hostility they received from the left when they dared to put up a memorial of crosses in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary's statue on campus, in honor the 55 million children killed after Roe v. Wade. Hundreds of obscene, threatening tweets were heaped upon these courageous young Americans who simply and peacefully remembered the babies. Their responses to the vitriol show the depth of their character:
Pray for our courageous young people, my friends! They are strong, speaking truth to power. It's daunting and even frightening at times, but from what I saw and heard from this group, they are up to the task.
And thank you, YAF, for all you do!
+++++++
I love traveling to different regions of the country, partially because I make a point of meeting up with Bubble readers/friends. I connected with some wonderful ladies, and I was especially thrilled to have lunch with CS, who happened to be in the area! What a treat! She is lovely and gracious and fun!
Also, my husband and I were able to see our son Eric, who came to the area (from North Carolina) to meet up with his girlfriend who was in town (from Colorado) for a conference in Maryland. We spent a lovely evening with them, and then the following morning, our son proposed to wonderful Larabeth at the national Catholic shrine in DC, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception!
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| The chapel in which he proposed. |
She said YES, and we are so incredibly joyful to welcome a new daughter into the family! (Catholic Match strikes again!)
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| Celebrating later that evening! |
Looks like December nuptials for the happy couple, which is pretty good timing because that is a few weeks after my second daughter and her husband have their second child, due in November! Yes, I'm going to be a grandma for the fourth time! The announcement came just around my grandson David's first birthday. This little guy is walking now and ready to take on all the duties of a big brother!
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| Sweet birthday boy!! |
Meanwhile, my first daughter and her husband are expecting their second daughter any day now! Big sister Felicity has more than enough love and affection for her little sister and more, as you can see demonstrated here:
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| This little one is feisty and open-hearted! |
Well, that's the news for now! I have unpacking and laundry to do! Wait, sleep first....
Haha so now it will be Priscilla's turn to go from labor --> wedding :D
ReplyDeleteOne of the benefits of being facebook friends with Leila, you get all this breaking news almost as it happens :)
What? No pic with CS?? Disappointing!
ha ha, yes, it's a Facebook benefit! And CS prefers anonymity, which I respect! :)
ReplyDeleteJust filthy Rich! Wow!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Eric and all you guys.
I don't remember Nubbys math but I know that's a lot of love relationships. Rich indeed!
And I think I said 23 grands in 14 years. So 4 down with 11 years to go and Eric coming on line means...............yes! Your on your way. Dean can then legally change his name to Abraham and start assigning tribe numbers.
Love to all, very exciting,
And I think I said 23 grands in 14 years. So 4 down with 11 years to go and Eric coming on line means...............yes!
ReplyDelete? You said 15, originally. Why do you insist on messing with the set timetable? Dang, dude. Does your watch run fast or what? chortle
Lol
Congrats to all, Leila. All the best to the newly engaged couple and to the expectant moms and dads.
If you wanna know the probabilities of how many boys or girls you can expect, I'm sure Chris has some magic ancient formula up his sleeve that includes a cootie-catcher of folded paper and a penciled-in fortunes:
"Pick a color (fold out, fold up, fold out)... now pick a triangle (fold out, fold up, fold out)... (opens it up) Annnnnd...It's gonna be a ...boy!!". :) :) :) Straight-up statistically sound.
Ha ha, the Chris and Nubby Show! Unofficial, still, but someday.... it's going primetime!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys!!
Congratulations!! :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteLeila, is there any kind of high school level YAF group out there that you know of? Our oldest really seams interested in politics. Or anybody?
ReplyDelete@nubby
ReplyDeleteWhy you gotta ride me like an old mule? 14...15...Whatever... miss algebra2
fancy facts. Since I cant find the original prediction we'll just have to
assume that I'm correct for now. Just cold hard intuition at work here.
It's going to be 15 boys and 8 girls by the end of 2028. That equals 23
(trustme, put down the calculator). Cecily will start with girls and then
close strong with boys. Priscilla mostly boys and saved by a few girls. I
can't get a read on Eric yet ( because my finger ripped through my trusty
paper fold up/fold out thing. Worn out from years of using it for NFP...all
cocktail stained with cheerios stuck to it). Until I fold up a new one,
we'll have to wait. I'm just saying that it's tracking well especially if
I'm granted an extra year because of your lack of accurate recall and total
deficiency in cognitive understanding of the metaphysical properties
regarding flip up/flip out instruments of truth. and such.
and Leila, you really need to stop and consider the carbon footprint issue
here. Mother earth will surely groan under the weight of all this reckless
God given Love.
14...15...Whatever... miss algebra2 fancy facts.
DeleteHaha, you’re right. Numbers aren’t supposed to be accurate-- that just leads to correct answers -- and as a society, we’re so beyond that, anyway... rates, ratios, factoring in, factoring out, who cares?? Go with your gut, Poindexter. ;)
You're all caught up in the facts meanwhile a prophet is always rejected and mocked in his own land.
DeleteWhat is with the formatting madness? The comment box on my desktop has vanished. And typing on my phone is madness.
ReplyDeleteChris, bwahahahahaha!!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes! YAF does high school stuff (this was high school and college) and a lot of their conferences are at the Reagan Ranch in California!!
Yaf.org for upcoming events! :)
Chris, you might want to consider mock trial for your politically bent kids; good foundation for logical thinking. It's usually available for both middle and high school; advances into regional and state wide contests. On a side note, being involved in a debate club is a good foundation for both mock trial/politics . Not to mention, having that Sawaya sense of humor, your offspring will be off to a running start :)
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats, Leila, to all the happy red letter days!
Thanks Maggie, sounds interesting. Mine do jr toastmasters group where they do debates but it's not current event driven. All good stuff
ReplyDeleteYou're all caught up in the facts meanwhile a prophet is always rejected and mocked in his own land.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fact, there, too, chief. I don't dispute it. lol
The real question is: Can you solve for the rate at which the prophet is rejected over a set amount of time, without monkeying with your time frame?
Or can you solve for the probability that he will be rejected, based on certain factors? (Hint: It was a very, very high chance that he'd be rejected....I'm guessing maybeee cloooose to 100%)
Yea, math is great...
CS, if you're out there I'd love to hear more about your lunch with Leila...
ReplyDeleteYes, I hope CS pipes in! We can speak with no identifying details! :)
DeleteLeila, here is another fascinating American Catholic initiative for college/university students that has already crossed the "pond", and that I just learned about:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.focus.org/
Perhaps you are already familiar with it?
I was also very moved by your OP on your cousin Michelle, and immediately shared it with my wife. Thank you, and thanks to her for her powerful faith and witness.