West Covina (CA)

(My theme is places I have visited or lived)

In 1978 we moved from San Jose, CA to Pomona, CA in order to attend Bible College in San Dimas, Ca. That was in August 1978. Some time in 1980-1981 we moved to West Covina. 

Our two younger daughters were born a few blocks from our apartment on Cameron Avenue at the Queen of the Valley Hospital. Sharon and Stacy were born there in 1981 and 1982.

Stacy was almost born in the apartments! From the time that Irene woke me up at around 3:00 AMish in the morning and I was holding my new baby girl was about 45 minutes. 

West Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, located 19 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles in the eastern San Gabriel Valley and is part of Greater Los Angeles. The population for the city was 106,098 at the 2010 census. Wikipedia

West Covina was incorporated as an independent city in 1923 to prevent the city of Covina from building a sewage farm in the area. Walnut groves and orange groves continued to flourish during the subsequent decades. The population in 1930 was 769 and blossomed to 1,549 in 1940.

 As a result of remarkable expansion during the post World War II building boom, West Covina became one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities between 1950 and 1960, with the population increasing 1,000 per cent from less than 5,000 to more than 50,000 citizens. The decades between 1960 and 2000 demonstrated steady growth, which slowed significantly by the time of the 2010 census.

Virginia City (NV)

(My theme is places I have visited or lived)

We lived outside and inside Reno, NV for approximately 5 or 6 years, We were able to tour around the great state of Nevada. We visited as many historical sights of the old west as we could. 

I don't remember when the first time we went to Virginia City or how many times we visited it any more, but I loved it every time.

Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of theReno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Virginia City sprang up as a boomtown with the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovery in the United States, and numerous mines were opened. At the city's peak of population in the mid-1870s, it had an estimated 25,000 residents. The mines' output declined after 1878, and the city declined. As of the 2010 Census the population of Virginia City was about 855, with 4,000 living in Storey County.

Utah

(My theme is places I have visited or lived)

The first time I visited Utah was in the mid 90’s. A close friend was a lighting salesman and had to set up a display in Salt Lake City. He wanted some help and company so he asked me to go with him for a quick weekend trip from our home in the Seattle area. It was a fun trip and I enjoyed the time with my friend. It was fun to see Utah. It was so beautiful.

The next time we saw Utah was in 2009 when we traveled to Illinois to visit or daughter. We drove through Utah on I84 until we hit I80 East into Evanston, WY. Again it was so beautiful.

The third time we visited Utah was when we traveled the same route in order to visit our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter a second time in Illinois.

Utah is a state in the western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896. Utah is the 13th-largest, the 31st-most populous, and the 10th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States. Utah has a population of nearly 3 million (Census estimate for July 1, 2015), approximately 80% of whom live along the Wasatch Front, centering on the state capital Salt Lake City. Utah is bordered by Colorado to the east, Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast.

Approximately 62% of Utahns are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS (Mormons), which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life (although only 41.6% are active members of the faith). The LDS Church's world headquarters is located in Salt Lake City. Utah is the only state with a majority population belonging to a single church.

The state is a center of transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation. In 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Utah had the second fastest-growing population of any state.St. George was the fastest–growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005. Utah also has the 14th highest median average income and the least income inequality of any U.S. state. A 2012 Gallup national survey found Utah overall to be the "best state to live in" based on 13 forward-looking measurements including various economic, lifestyle, and health-related outlook metrics.

How to be Right with God (Part 12)

SERMON               GM16-081

SERIES:              Renewal Through Romans: The Gospel Defined, Explained, and Applied

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM (April 24th, 2016)

SUBTITLE:        How to Be Right with God (Part 12)

SCRIPTURE:     Romans 5:1

SUBJECT:          Justification produces advantageous benefits for the believer

SUMMARY:       Since the believer has been declared and is treated by God as righteous, Paul now provides some of the obvious results or benefits of having been justified by faith. All of the following benefits have been made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and by placing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. These benefits serve as an anchor giving us security and confidence to face the trials of life.

SCHEME:           To provide confidence that justification safely secures the believer from condemnation

SKETCH:          

3A     The Implication of Righteousness (4:23-5:21)

          1B     …it is procurable by all men who believe (4:23-25)

          2B     …it is productive for all men who believe (5:1-5)

                   1C     Peace with God (1)                 

                             1D     The Basis for Peace (1a)

                             2D     The Beauty of Peace (1b)

Tony Roma's (Vancouver, WA)

(My theme is places I visited or lived)

A former employer, Curt Warner, moved us lock, stock, and barrel to Vancouver, WA from Bremerton, WA in April of 1999. We lived in Vancouver from April 1, 1999 until February 5th, 2005 when we moved to Longview, WA. (We just recently moved back to Vancouver April 15, 2015 from Longview, WA)

When we lived here in the early 2000's in the Ross Shopping Center across from the Vancouver Mall there was a Tony Roma's. They had the best steak money could buy. It was every bit as good as Ruth Chris Streak House in Seattle or Portland, better or as good as the Outback Steak Houses, or even Black Angus.

I use to order the steak and lobster dish every time. Why did they have to close the doors here in Vancouver? I can almost taste those steaks right now.

Tony Roma's is a casual dining chain restaurant specializing in baby back ribs. The first location was established in 1972 in North Miami, Florida, by the founder, and today there are more than 150 locations in over 30 countries on six continents

Tony Roma, the driving force and namesake behind the casual dining eatery, opened the first Tony Roma’s in North Miami on January 20, 1972. Prior to opening his self-named restaurant, Tony Roma was the food and beverage specialist for the Playboy Club.

Originally, a steak and burger joint, one weekend, Chef David Smith, threw some baby back ribs on the grill and served them with Tony Roma’s special BBQ sauce. The ribs proved so popular, they were added to the menu full-time, and quickly became what Tony Roma’s was known for. Tony Roma’s menu has further expanded to include seafood, pasta, chicken, and sandwiches.

Four years later, in 1976, Clint Murchinson Jr., the then owner of the Dallas Cowboys, was in Miami for Super Bowl X. Though the Cowboys suffered a disappointing loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mruchinson didn’t go home empty handed, instead he purchased the majority stake in the restaurant, going on to become the driving force behind Tony Roma’s international expansion. Murchinson and Roma established Roma Corporation, a jointly owned company that oversaw the restaurants and sold franchises.

In 1979, the first international location opened in Tokyo, Japan and by 1983; there were 30 Tony Roma’s restaurants around the world. During the mid-1980s, Roma Corp’s growth plan included opening more franchises, rather than company-owned stores.

Clint Murchison sold his shares in Roma Corp to his children in 1984, and Kenneth Reimer, a Murchison business associate, took over as CEO of Roma. Tony Roma himself also sold his interest in the company to the Murchison children.

Under Reimer, Tony Roma’s expanded; growing the menu, opening more locations and remodeling older restaurants for a more modern feel. In 2002, Frank Steed took over as CEO and president of Roma Corp and David Grail became head of menu development. Steed signed agreements to open an additional 60 Tony Roma’s across South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

In 2001, original head chef, David Smith retired and Tony Roma’s first Executive Chef, Bob Gallagher came on board in 2006.In 2003, Tony Roma died in Hemet, CA, at the age of 78.

Saint Maarten

(My theme is places I have visited or lived)

In 2005 my employer awarded my wife and I a seven (7) day Caribbean Cruise on the Carnival Cruise Lines as a Christmas gift for helping her start and establish a brand new business. We had to wait until May to take the trip but what a fantastic gift.

 We worked 14-18 hour days in late 2003 and 2004. She thought we gave it our all and worked hard and gave us a great reward.

Our ports of call included Puerto Rico, St, Maarten, and St Thomas Islands. It was great to tour the old fort and the downtown section of San Juan. The islands were gorgeous. I could live in St Thomas without ever giving it a thought. I wonder if they need a church down there?

We sailed out of Miami and had the best time ever. My boss "popped" for a balcony state room. There is nothing like sitting on the balcony on the side of a ship, in the evenong with the moonloght bouncing off the ocean waves! The ship at the bottom of the post was our ship, it was the Carnival Triumph. Everyone should take at least one cruise in their lifetime!

St. Maarten is the Dutch side of an eastern Caribbean island with two distinct cultures--Dutch and French. 

The two countries on the island even have different spellings, with the French half spelled St. Martin. 

Most large cruise ships dock at Philipsburg, the capital of St. Maarten, while smaller ships anchor at Marigot, the French capital. 

Although St. Maarten/St. Martin is small, it takes a couple of hours to ride between the two cities

Saint Martin (French: Saint-Martin), officially the Collectivity of Saint Martin (Collectivité de Saint-Martin) is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. 

With a population of 36,286 (as of Jan. 2011) on an area of 53.2 square kilometres (20.5 sq mi), it encompasses the northern 60% of the divided island of Saint Martin, and some neighbouring islets, the largest of which is Île Tintamarre. 

The southern 40% of the island of Saint Martin constitute Sint Maarten, since 2010 a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Before 2007, the French part of Saint Martin formed a part of the French overseas région and département of Guadeloupe. Saint Martin is separated from the island of Anguilla by the Anguilla Channel. Its capital is Marigot

River Walk (San Antonio, TX)

We were introduced to the San Antonio River Walk when we attended a Metcalf Family reunion in 2001. Normal words fail to describe the beauty of the decor, water, shops, bars, and food places. It wa refreshing on a hot Texas afternoon.

The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA. Lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.

Today, the River Walk is an enormously successful special-case pedestrian street, one level down from the automobile street. The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws fromthe Alamo to Rivercenter Mall, to the Arneson River Theatre, to Marriage Island, to La Villita, to HemisFair Park, to the Tower Life Building, to the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Pearl Brewery. During the annual springtime Fiesta San Antonio, the River Parade features flowery floats that float down the river.

In September 1921, a disastrous flood along the San Antonio River took 50 lives.^[1] Plans were then developed for flood control of the river. Among the plans was to build an upstream dam (Olmos Dam) and bypass a prominent bend of the river in the Downtown area (between present day Houston Street and Villita Parkway), then to pave over the bend, and create a storm sewer.

Work began on the Olmos Dam and bypass channel in 1926; however, the San Antonio Conservation Society successfully protested the paved sewer option. No major plans came into play until 1929, when San Antonio native and architect Robert Hugman submitted his plans for what would become the River Walk. Although many have been involved in development of the site, the leadership of former mayor Jack White was instrumental in passage of a bond issue that raised funds to empower the 1938 “San Antonio River Beautification Project”, which began the evolution of the site into the present 2.5-mile-long River Walk.

Hugman endorsed the bypass channel idea (which would be completed later that year) but, instead of paving over the bend, Hugman suggested 1) a flood gate at the northern (upstream) end of the bend; 2) a small dam at the southern (downstream) end of the bend; and 3) a Tainter gate in the channel to regulate flow. The bend would then be surrounded by commercial development, which he titled "The Shops of Aragon and Romula". Hugman went as far as to maintain his architect's office along the bend.

The River Walk across from the Rainforest Cafe in San Antonio

Hugman's plan was initially not well-received – the area was noted for being dangerous. At one point, it was declared off-limits to military personnel. People were warned of the threat of being "drowned like a rat" should the river flood. However, over the next decade support for commercial development of the river bend grew, and crucial funding came in 1939 under the WPA which resulted in the initial construction of a network of some 17,000 feet (5,200 m) of walkways, about twenty bridges, and extensive plantings including some of the bald cypress(others are several hundred years old) whose branches stretch up to ten stories and are visible from street level.

Hugman's persistence paid off; he was named project architect. His plan would be put to the test in 1946, when another major flood threatened Downtown San Antonio, but the Olmos Dam and bypass channel minimized the area damage. Casa Rio, a landmark River Walk restaurant, became the first restaurant in the area in 1946, opening next door to Hugman's office.

San Antonio River Walk at West Market Street between the WestinHotel and The Alamodome

Through the following decades the network has been improved and extended. The first major extension of the Riverwalk was constructed by the joint venture of two general contractors Darragh & Lyda Inc. and H. A. Lott Inc. to Tower of the Americas as part of HemisFair '68. The expansion extended the Riverwalk beyond its natural banks at the horseshoe bend to the new convention center and theater by excavating much of the block bordered by Commerce, Bowie, Market and Alamo Streets. That was also the year the Hilton Palacio del Rio was built, the first of many downtown hotels that leverage their slice of urban "riverfront." A subsequent major expansion opened in 1988 that extended a branch from the 1968 extension to create a lagoon at the new Rivercenter Mall and Marriott Rivercenter Hotel.

In 1981 the Hyatt Regency San Antonio opened with a new pedestrian connector that linked Alamo Plaza to the River Walk with concrete waterfalls, waterways and indigenous landscaping. Known as the Paseo del Alamo, this river "extension" actually flows from Alamo Plaza into the San Antonio River through the atrium of the hotel. This connector not only allows the hotel to market itself as being on Alamo Plaza and on the River Walk, but it provides the city with an urban park that connects the city's two largest tourist attractions.

Many downtown buildings like the Casino Club Building have street entrances and separate river entrances one level below. This separates the automotive service grid (for delivery and emergency vehicles) and pedestrian traffic below, and creating an intricate network of bridges, walkways, and old staircases. The San Antonio Spurs had their five NBA Championship victory parades/cruises along the river.