BabuLife

14 Years Ago Today

Today I celebrate 14 years of marriage with my best friend and love of my life.  Not many people can say they have what we've been blessed to have.  We've been together since 1990. We've celebrated two proms, graduations, marriage, the birth of three kids and so many ups and a few downs that I can't even count.  And the most amazing thing is that Addie helped lead me to Christ in 1993.  Looking forward to the next 14 and beyond darling!

Go Kart Riding

The Abu Saada clan arrived safely back home Sunday evening.  We were able to spend some much needed quality time with my folks along with much needed rest and unplugging.  When I asked my girls what their favorite thing was that we did this past week in Branson, MO...they all answered "Go Karts!".

Below is a video I took with my Flip Camera while riding with my youngest.  If you listen half way through, you can hear her yelling to her sister sitting on the sidelines "It's not bad Carys! It's good! It's not bad at all!".  Carys eventually took the advice and jumped on.  Check out the video here or watch below:

Today: An Unexpected Dinner Guest

One thing I've learned being around my parents..."expect crazy things to happen". Thusday's dinner was just that...crazy.

We were heading to a small diner in Branson, MO to meet some family friends who are pastoring a church in the area. When we walked in we were greeted by some very friendly people who I assumed knew our local friends. My first thought when this person greeted me was "huh...this fella looks like Jim Bakker". When Addie and I sat down this very kind diner seated at the table next to us, turned his chair around and sat listening to my Dad share his story. When Addie asked our family friend if this person attended their church she said "oh no...that's Jim Bakker".

Mr. Bakker was kind enough to let me snap this shot of him with my pops. Seriously....how crazy was that!?!

Today: My Little Artist

Today: Living the Dream...poolside

Today: Daddy Daughter Time

Lessons Learned at Planet Comicon Kansas City

I took my daughters to Kansas City Planet Comicon '09 to meet Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca of Star Wars fame) and Tom Kane (voice of Yoda of Clone Wars Cartoon fame).  We had a blast walking the floor of the convention meeting costumed fans and perusing old toys and comics.  As we went through the whole convention process, there were a few things I learned that I felt I should share with you...it's never wise to upset a wookie.

• Don't assume a picture taken with a film star is free. Found that out when I ended up having to pay an extra $5 after I snapped a pic of my girls with Peter Mayhew. I think it's worth the cash. Shoulda charged Peter...they make him look good. :)
• Don't assume any autograph is free. If they are sitting behind a table as a guest, this is their livelihood.
• Don't be aggressive with the stars. I noticed some people were just a little gruff/pushy with the stars as if they haven't been sitting there for hours already signing autographs.
• Autographs are pricey. Seriously. $20 for a signed pic. I suppose it depends on your perspective. If it's a star you really want, it's worth it.  I had three girls who wanted their own Peter Mayhew autograph. Wasn't going to happen. I was able to get them to accept the fact that we were going to get one autographed pic and it was going in my collection as "ours". They know where it's at and they can show their friends anytime they want. There were a wide array of nice glossy pics to choose from...which was very cool...just made it very difficult to choose. All in all...Peter Mayhew will be leaving KC with $27 from the Abu Saada family. We got a $5 picture (as seen above), a nice $20 glossy from OfficialPix signed by Mr Mayhew and a $2 plastic cover for the glossy. Oh...and the memory of meeting someone we've been watching for years and years to come.  I think my daughters will remember our time together fondly.
• Pricing is on the tables. Make sure you look around on the tables to see how much the artist is charging for an autograph. I think it makes them uncomfortable to have to ask for the money.
• Costumed fans are great. We took several pics with fans dressed as Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Superheroes and an R2D2.  Each person was extremely friendly. You could tell this was their time to shine. You don't have to be afraid to ask for a pic...they'll do it and will be very happy to.
• Avoid the "Adult Star" table. I asked someone tending a booth if I could see a layout of the convention floor.  Identifying where the adult models were signing autographs as priority for me. Not to visit them...but to steer clear. We came close at one point and I happily noticed nobody was in line to meet them.  I wish they'd just cancel this section of Planet ComicCon.
• Bartering. I had a person tell me that their stuff is open to "negotiation" on price. Didn't know that...now I know. It's really like a giant garage sale.
• Tom Kane is extremely pleasant. The man who does the voiceover work for Yoda (among other characters) in the Clone Wars cartoon was so nice to the kids.  We walked up to him and said hi. We told him how much we enjoyed watching the show every week and he replied to the girls in his Yoda voice "The show you watch weekly Hmmm?" AMAZING! To see the grin on the faces of all my daughters at that moment was fantastic! Side note...he actually lives here in Overland Park, KS.  He does much of his work from his studio in his house. Each of my girls got an individually signed card from him...they love it!

If you get a chance to go, check it out. Planet Comicon is Saturday, March 28 thru Sunday, March 29.

Punched in the Heart

As I'm sitting in my recliner enjoying a day off, my youngest daughter walks to me with her thumb stuck deeply in her mouth.  She looks at me while her other hand was rubbing her chest.  I asked her what was wrong and she pulled out her thumb, and said one of the most profound things I've ever heard a 3 year old say.

"Daddy, God punched my heart."

Wow. In that one sentence a person could preach an entire message.  After I helped my daughter understand how much God cares for her heart and only desires to help her heart become stronger (I didn't want her thinking God goes around punching our guts out for the heck of it) I began internalizing what she just said to me.  I think at times I need a good punch in the heart from God.  What was probably a simple case of trapped air in my 3 year old daughter's diaphragm, became a message from God that spoke to my heart about the need to receive God's correction with joy. 

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1 NKJV)

Has God "punched" your heart lately?

Gaza Update

Below is the most recent note sent to the "Once An Arafat Man" Facebook Group members.  If you'd like to join the group, sign up for a Facebook account and join the over 270 people on the "Once" Group Page here.  To all who have asked how my folks are....THANK YOU.  Your prayers and concern mean more than you know...

Hello "Once" groupers!

As you know, there's a lot happening right now in Gaza where my folks have been working over the past couple of years. Thankfully, they are safely outside the borders of Gaza...however, there are many friends and partners within. We covet your prayers for the people of Gaza and the people of Israel during this time.

Many have asked for information on where my Dad (Tass) and Mom (Karen) are. Currently they are in Israel doing what they have been called to do. If you've read the book, you know there's no stopping them from doing what the Lord has called them to do.

Today, my Dad put a post up on the blog www.OnceAnArafatMan.com to give you some insight into his thoughts regarding the current escalation in Gaza. You can read it here:

http://onceanarafatman.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Keep your ears to your radios and eyes to your TV sets, as all attention is being drawn to Gaza and Israel, you might hear or see my Pops sharing his story of redemption. He's been on several shows recently including Janet Parshell, Jay Sekulow among many others.

Thank you all so much for your support! And please...keep passing the book around! There's no better time than now to share the story with your friends and family...the world is watching, wondering what exactly this whole conflict is about.

God bless!
-Ben (Son of Tass)

My Future?

I am the lone male in a house of four females. Please...someone please....please tell me this is not in my future.

HT: Los