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Family News, Rachel

Twelve Things I Love About Rachel

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My oldest daughter recently celebrated her 12th birthday, and Kathy asked me, “Aren’t you going to write a post about Rachel for her birthday?”

Talk about time flying. It seems only yesterday she was 11 …

One of our many traditions is that, on each child’s birthday, Kathy and I nostalgically reminisce about the actual day of that child’s birth. Rachel’s birth-day is memorable in terms of weather (a very cold Michigan day), in terms of inconvenient timing (born at 4:50 am during a snowstorm), in terms of worry for me (Kathy lost a lot of blood at her birth), and in terms of the joy of having a first daughter. The kids never seem to tire of hearing the story each year — of course, I try to liven it up with snide comments and family jokes.

As important as the birthday is, what happens after that seems much more significant, which is why it is no trouble at all for me to come up with a list about my beloved daughter:

Twelve things I love about Rachel …

  1. She has a quick wit, and a clever and quirky sense of humor

    2. Rachel loves to laugh, and has the rare sense of timing necessary to maximize the humor of a remark. Her wry but soft-spoken comments often have me straining to hear what she says, not wanting to miss out, even if I am the one being roasted. She often fires an amusing Parthian shot, just as she exits a room — leaving her victims ruefully shaking their heads in admiration of her verbal prowess.

    waiting for the mail

  2. She believes in Justice

    3. If there is anyone who is most like me in my love for justice, it is Rachel. She carefully watches the ebb and flow of family relationships and is quick to point out any improper favoritism (or lack thereof), especially among her siblings. Holding unflinchingly to personal integrity, she knows the difference between fairness and justice and seeks to order her own conduct according to the highest standards.

    princess in purple

  3. She is kind to David and Sarah

    4. Reading books tirelessly or playing with them, Rachel enjoys her youngest two siblings and cares for them graciously, sharing her time and toys unstintingly. In spite of Sarah’s tendency to use her sister’s things without permission, Rachel is patient and almost unfailingly kind to her little sister, even to the extent of giving her little jobs so she’ll feel useful. Last night, as I went to bed, I ran into Sarah, heading into the bathroom with a plastic cup. “Rachel makes me get her a glass of water every night,” she informed me cheerfully. “Yeah,” observed a gently sarcastic voice from the top bunk. “Every night she climbs up and begs me, asking if she can go get water for me; so sure enough, I ‘make‘ her do it.” Rachel has earned the trust and loyalty of her smallest siblings, and is storing up great treasure in heaven for herself through her consistent kindness to them.

    sarah and rachel

  4. She is generous

    5. Buying gifts for her siblings or sharing her stuffed animals, Rachel does not cling tightly to possessions over relationships. Last year when I bought some gifts for a missionary family of our acquaintance, I put them all on the table and allowed the children to ‘buy’ them from me, so that they could give the gifts in their own name. Rachel did not disappoint me, but dug deep into her bank to purchase a number of the gifts. She carefully tithes on her income, and (like her Mom) is open-handed with kind words and encouragement.

  5. She is a good friend

    6. Rachel is a soft-hearted girl, and she doesn’t enjoy sarcasm that hurts, or comments that really put others down. She is also somewhat of a thoughtful and solitary girl, often preferring to be alone, yet she seems to thrive (like her mama), on good girl friends. One thing I know: when she has a good friend, she knows how to keep them. Rachel is loyal and true and sweet and fun, and almost always thinks of the needs of her friends ahead of her own.

    birthday girls

  6. She loves music

    7. Last summer I won an iPod Shuffle, and I immediately thought to give it to Rachel. Ever since she was a little girl, she has always been the first to learn the lyrics to a new song, and has spent many a happy hour singing along in the car or in her room. As she leads worship in the children’s program at church or listens to the Christian radio station, it is exciting to see how her love for music draws her along in her love for Jesus. She is a little more of a hard-rocker than others in our home, but not obnoxiously so; she pushes us to listen to new music and stretch our ears a bit.

  7. She loves to serve at AWANA

    8. This year Rachel was invited to serve as a helper in the Cubbies AWANA class, teaching three- and four-year-old children in our church’s Wednesday night program. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that my daughter would enjoy the prospect of trying out her spiritual giftedness (teaching? service? evangelism?) at church. So far, we hear nothing but good things from the adult teachers, who are already campaigning for Rachel to help them again next year, in spite of the temptation of the Middle School program.

    sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters

  8. She has a soft spot in her heart for animals

    9. Even before she could talk, Rachel clearly loved animals, especially kittens and cats. That deep, abiding love has continued, fueled perhaps by our staunch resistance to the idea of having a dog or cat as a pet. Rachel’s advocacy has been the reason for our adoption of both guinea pigs, in spite of the sorrowful demise of Martin, our family’s first pet. One day I was trying to reassure her: “When you grow up, you can have a cat of your own, or even more than one!” Rachel countered with her own assessment. “It is true that I love animals now, but what if I grow up and don’t care about them the same way any more? I should have a pet now, just in case.” It is hard to argue with such logic.

  9. She is cheerful

    10. When we named her, we chose ‘Joy’ as Rachel’s middle name, in contravention of our intent to use middle names to honor family members. At the time, we were focused on our joy, but Rachel has made that name her own, in the cheerful and joyful way she relates to our family. She truly takes after her mother in that, for which I (and her future husband, should the Lord bless her in that way) are very grateful.

    journals from posie

  10. She knows her Bible

    11. Throughout the years, Rachel has paid careful attention to her Bible lessons at home and at church, and understands her Bible remarkably well, for a person her age. Her ability to interpret the scriptures and her knowledge of God’s character are the envy of many of her instructors. It is a delight to my soul to hear her explaining spiritual truths to her younger brothers.

  11. She loves Jesus

    12. As the apostle says in 3 John 1:4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Throughout her life, it has given us great joy to know that Rachel gave her heart to Jesus at an early age. Like every other Believer, she struggles with the invisible nature of God, and she recently confided to me, “Sometimes I don’t feel very close to Jesus.” But she prays and she reads her Bible and she walks in righteousness, growing in grace and in favor with God.

  12. She asks hard questions and thinks deeply

    13. Of all the children, Rachel has always been the one to ask ‘thorny’ questions. I remember picking blackberries when she was three, and how she got a thorn in her finger even after she prayed that she would be protected from the prickers. “Why does God let bad things happen, Daddy?” she asked. Just tonight, she engaged Kathy in a long discussion about why people take drugs. “Did you ever take drugs, Mom?” Rachel is never afraid of being too direct. Joshua loves using Rachel to ask the questions, when he is curious but too reserved to ask.

The other day, Kathy was shopping with her two girls, and the checkout cashier commented on their resemblance to my wife: “You have Two Mini Me’s there,” she laughed. Not to in any way minimize her uniqueness as a person, but I think one of the nicest things I can say about my daughter is that she reminds me of my beloved wife.

rachel is so beautiful

Not a bad start to your life, sweet Rachel. :)

I love you!
Tim-Daddy

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Chestnuts, Roasting on an Open Fire

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Well, not exactly an open fire. Or roasting, really. Or chestnuts, to be completely truthful.

It all started on a quiet Saturday. Nobody was away on an overnight, nobody had friends over, nobody had meetings or other engagements out of the house.

Kathy and I opened the day in prayer, asking God specifically that He would help the day to be a fun relational day, and that the attitudes of the kids would reflect the fact that we like being together as a family. At breakfast, as I tickled and laughed with the children, David asked me, “Why are you being like this, Daddy? Usually you don’t act like this. I have been a bit preoccupied many recent Saturdays with work and other responsibilities. Time to have some silly family togetherness.

Around 2 pm, I inveigled everyone into a walk around the lake near our house; although it started to drizzle, we had a good time. As we left the park, I noticed two large chestnut trees, having recently dropped hundreds of their glossy mahogany-colored fruit and their prickly husks.

The First Lake Expedition
This crew, however, was not particularly prickly about being photographed.

Apparently none of us know the actual words to ‘Chestnuts, Roasting on an Open Fire’, but that didn’t stop us from bellowing out the few lines we did know, on the way home. Following my lead, the children have learned to compensate with volume for a lack of musical talent. Never having roasted chestnuts over any heat source, let alone an open fire, I decided to sponsor an expedition back to the park to harvest the chestnuts.

We gathered bags and bags of them, to the evident dismay of a rather scruffy-looking squirrel, which seemed intent on eating them all. We did him a favor — overdose by chestnuts is probably a painful way to pass from this world. Arriving home, I did a quick search for chestnut recipes online, and we began to prepare a batch of the nuts for roasting on a cookie tray.

Bags o' Nuts
Don’t they just look too good to eat! Our mouths were watering …

Kathy was on the phone with her mom, who was very impressed with our foray into the world of Christmas lore. Unfortunately, she had never actually tasted roast chestnuts, and was not a good source of information on the topic.

I immediately thought of my Mom, who grew up at least part of the time on a farm. She used to tell us stories about the many old-fashioned Christmas traditions they enjoyed. I figured her generation probably had more in common with Little House on the Prairie than the hustle and bustle of this modern age. “After all,” I figured, “she’s old — she probably knows about this stuff.” We got her on the phone.

“Nope,” she answered. “I’ve never even tasted them.” I guess all that old-time Christmas nostalgia is a crock. She compounded my disappointment by mocking me: “Also, watch out for those poison chestnuts. They’re just like mushrooms, you know.”

I rolled my eyes, which had little effect, over the phone. “We saw a squirrel eating them, Mom. Shows what you know.”

Prickly Girl
For some reason, we all wanted to show Kathy (who didn’t go nut-gathering) the prickly husks.

Mom was quick with an answer to that. “Ah, but as everyone knows, squirrels can tolerate a much higher level of toxicity than humans.” She’s a hoot, my Mom is. I laughed patronizingly and hung up, threatening her with some of our culinary efforts when she next visits.

Except that this time, she was right.

Prodded by a feeling of unease (that I have come to recognize is from the Holy Spirit), I did a little more research online. As it turns out, Sweet American chestnuts were nearly obliterated in the United States by the dreaded Chestnut Blight, so that most American chestnut trees were wiped out by 1940. Apparently the blight continues, and so even chestnut trees that have grown up since 1940 are often killed by the blight fungus before they reach maturity. Chestnuts eaten today in this country are almost entirely imported. The chestnuts we harvested so gleefully are from an unrelated horse-chestnut tree, toxic to humans (but not, strangely enough, to deer or squirrels).

Don't put those in your mouths, kids!
Fortunately, most of us, no longer toddlers, are past the ‘put everything in your mouth’ stage.

I’m told that the horse-chestnuts have a very bitter taste, which may have limited the number we would have eaten, but I felt we had a narrow escape. As I read on one website: “Chestnut poisoning is rarely fatal, but typically causes vomiting, loss of coordination, stupor, and occasionally, paralysis.”

As I read on another website:

Horse chestnut trees do not produce the “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” that Nat King Cole croons about every Christmas. The edible chestnut grows on the European sweet, or Spanish, chestnut. The ones we buy for the holidays are most likely imported from Italy.

Horse chestnuts contain a bitter poison called aesculin. Even though we see squirrels going after them, horse chestnuts are toxic for humans.

I’m thinking of a new Christmas Carol, adapted for modern times:

Aesculus, baking on an aluminum cookie sheet,
Drizzly mist, falling on your ears
Yuletide carols, being sung out of tune
and folks without raincoats, standing in the rain.

Everybody knows, some stomach ache and stupor
help to make the season memorable
tiny tots, with vomiting and paralysis
will find it hard to sleep tonight.

… but I don’t want to give away the whole song. I contacted Freddy Cole (Nat’s younger brother) about singing it for me; so far, he hasn’t returned my call.

Tim
Project 365, Day 279

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A Thousand Generations

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This is a post I wrote back in May, that has been simmering in my subconscious. Finally, with Kathy away at camp, it has a chance to see the light of the blogosphere. It is hard to live with a blog-hog, but somehow I manage. :)

*******************************

It is the weekend before Memorial Day, and I am about to celebrate my fifteenth anniversary with my beloved. Hard to believe that we have been married for so long, and yet in some ways I feel as though we have always been husband and wife. We had hoped to spend four or five days alone in a fancy bed-and-breakfast (well, OK, in our own home) devoid of the scampering feet of our five children. My parents had agreed to take the kids from Wednesday evening through Sunday … I had arranged to take both days off from work — what plans we had! Alas, it was not to be.

My Grandma holding Sarah
‘Great’ Grandma with Sarah (June, 2003)

My Grandma’s death on Tuesday changed all that, and instead of snuggling down with my sweetie, I flew to the east coast to attend my grandmother’s funeral. We scurried around finding a rather expensive last-minute airline ticket for me, but a blow was struck for democracy when I arranged an inexpensive rental car and hotel reservation through Hotwire, my favorite source for rental car bargains.

My sister and cousin Kristi
Sister Posie and cousin Kristi, thick as thieves, as always.

One of the defining characteristics of my grandmother was her propensity for bargain-shopping, so it seemed appropriate to get a good deal when attending her funeral. I only wish US Air would have cooperated.

More cousins
Strange to discover that both cousins Kevin and Kurt are in the Telecom business these days, like me. Makes you want to rush out and buy a cellphone, doesn’t it?

I traveled to Baltimore with my parents, and, after crossing into Pennsylvania, we stayed overnight in York. Mom and Dad had a bit of an adventure at their hotel, and so we departed more hurriedly than we had intended, heading for the Harrsiburg area without a single Peppermint Patty to cheer our way. Enjoying a delicious luncheon at my aunt and uncle’s home and meeting up with my siblings and my uncle David’s family, we arrived at the church a good 90 minutes before the funeral.

My beloved Grandma
Grandma was very fond of her great-grandchildren, even scruffy ones.

Less than two weeks ago, I had the sorrowful duty of attending a memorial service for six fallen soldiers from the Stryker Brigade at Fort Lewis, killed in Iraq by an explosive device in the road. One of the soldiers was a friend from our church, who had attended our Small Group Bible Study and our Sunday School class. He had married just five months before being deployed, and our church family spent the last several weeks in deep sorrow, struggling to find ways to console his widow, Emily.

David and Grandma play cars
In the year that Grandma lived with my folks, David used to play cars with her for hours. It isn’t every day your leg can serve as a superhighway.

As I sat in the church before the memorial service, I was struck by the contrast between this death of my grandmother and the deaths of the young soldiers. Although we feel a sense of loss at Grandma’s home-going, it is mixed with gladness, as we celebrate her long and faithful life, and her ‘promotion’ to Heaven and a new body. I couldn’t seem to find a silver lining in the loss of those six young warriors.

Jason's Memorial Service
The final roll call for the six soldiers who died was very poignant, as each soldier’s name was repeated three times without answer. “Sergeant Harkins. Sergeant Jason Harkins. Sergeant Jason R. Harkins!”

  • At 92, my grandmother’s life was lived and her work was finished; at an average age of 23, the soldier’s lives were cut off before much of their promise was even dreamed.
  • Grandma’s eternal destiny in Heaven seems about as certain as you can get, this side of the grave; for several of the young men, their lack of faith in Jesus does not bode well for their fate.
  • Grandma outlived her husband, nearly all of her peers, and two of her daughters; those soldiers were survived by mothers and brothers and (in several cases) wives.
  • Grandma’s death crept upon her slowly and gradually, while the soldiers were cut off in the instant of a sudden treacherous explosion.
  • Grandma’s death was in some sense a relief from pain and decline, while the bitterness of the soldiers deaths still stings sharply.

Cousin Jon Mark and his family
My cousin Jon Mark has the most joyful, infectious laugh of anyone I know. Hard to believe it of a man who looks so respectable in a suit, but Jon Mark is one of the craziest of a crazy bunch.

I was glad that I had taken the opportunity to attend my grandmother’s birthday party in November, 2005; I felt as though I had said “Goodbye” to her then. I hope I’ll always remember her sitting in the sun in Steve and Sue’s driveway, surrounded by generations of her descendants, enthroned in their love, smiling upon us all from the vantage point of 91 years of life.

Grandma's Memorial Display
Grandma’s pictorial display, complete with her fishing hat.

It was good to have a little time to look at the display Steve and others had assembled, commemorating and highlighting some of the events of Grandma’s life. In a side room, Grandma’s body was laid out in her casket so that we could pay our respects to her ‘in person’ as it were. I was prepared for a strong, sorrowful reaction to seeing her body, but my response was actually very matter-of-fact; my heart seemed to know that wasn’t my Grandma – it was only the body in which she lived for a long time, and which had finally been exchanged for a better model.

A Tree of Grandchildren
A Tree of Grandchildren

All three of my Grandma’s surviving children were present, and eleven out of the thirteen grandchildren attended as well, some bringing their entire families. I wish I could have brought my sweet wife and children, but we couldn’t afford it, having recently spent all our frequent-flyer miles (and then some).

Two brothers enjoying a good story
Uncle David always seems to have great stories involving strange hand motions.

The memorial service focused on the difference Grandma’s faith had made over the course of her life; I was particularly touched by letters from some of the six foster children that Grandma had helped to raise, after her older four kids were out of the house. I was challenged with the hope that I might finish as well as my Grandma did, who loved the Lord with all her heart, from the day she trusted Jesus until the day she died.

Jon and Emily
Cousin Jon amazed us all with his tricks with cutlery and witty banter.

The graveside service was brief, and we all returned to the church for a fellowship meal. As friends and acquaintances from Grandma’s church drifted homeward, and the family was left more or less alone, the atmosphere quickly turned festive. Our family doesn’t get many chances to assemble together, and we were eager to catch up on news and retell old jokes. As I circulated from table to table, I was struck by the legacy that my Grandma leaves behind – a whole family that loves Jesus – three surviving sons (two daughters already with Jesus), thirteen grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson! All of these hearts and souls and more were changed forever because Grandma said ‘Yes’ to the Lord when she was 17 years old, and because she said ‘Yes’ to Grandpa’s proposal of marriage when she was 22. I tremble even now as I think of the long-term ripples from the choices I make so blithely (even insouciantly?) today.

DJ and family
Cousin DJ’s family sure has grown up fast!

Toward the end of the evening, my cousin Kevin pointed out that we (as a whole family) are unlikely to assemble together again, unless we take specific steps to make it happen. We are spread all over the map and we don’t stay in touch as well as we would like. I mentioned this to my Dad, who suggested a family reunion out in Washington once the Retreat Center is built. The idea was well-received, but I think it will still take some pushing to make it happen. A large part of the family is still in Pennsylvania, and airfare isn’t cheap, these days.

Steve and Sue
My uncle Steve and his bride, who faithfully and sacrificially cared for Grandma in these last years of her life.

As we laughed and joked together so naturally, I felt profoundly thankful for the blessing that God has given to me by putting me in this family. It is very good to be reminded that I am rooted in a lineage that has been loving God for at least four or five generations, and that I can count on His love for myself and for my family.

Let the storytelling begin

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. (Deuteronomy 7:9)

Grandpa's Gravestone
Grandpa preceded Grandma in death by 13 years; what fun it must be for him to show her around Heaven!

Only 995 generations to go … I can hardly wait to see what God continues to do in our family, as we say ‘Yes’ to our King!

Family at the Graveside
A small part of the whole family at the graveside service

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The Cousins are Coming!

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The Cousins are Coming! One if by land, two if by sea.

Okay, they aren’t exactly British.
And they weren’t coming to fight.
And they didn’t arrive anywhere near midnight.

But they did come from far away (Norway) and they certainly went over land and sea on their way here.

Oh never mind.

In other words, Tim’s brother’s wife and children flew in yesterday. On their way to see the grandparents, they stopped by our house for dinner.

See, that doesn’t sound anywhere near as intriguing and creative as a good American Revolutionary battle cry. Sigh. I’m trying here folks.

We worked hard getting the house spiffied (is that even a word) up for company. The kids were motivated and excited to work – for the first 20 minutes. After that I resorted to bribery (popsicles), cash and threats. In varying degrees. To be used as necessary.

welcome sign

Sarah, David and Daniel made this beautiful sign.

The house (ahem, please don’t go into my bedroom) looked wonderful by the end of the afternoon. We did dishes, put away books, carried out trash and recycling, worked through the heaping piles of laundry and just generally picked up. Rachel mopped the kitchen floor for me (and only charged $1.50). All of the children cleaned their rooms.

At no charge. Aren’t they sweet.

rachel's sign

Rachel and Joshua were holding this sign outside when the cousins drove up. Talk about good timing!

Elizabeth admired the house and pretended that it always looks this fresh and clean. Ah, have I said before what wonderful sisters-in-law I have? She even turned a blind eye to the vacuum cleaner in the corner, still slightly smoking from excessive use (that’s what happens when you only vacuum once a month). I’m telling you, I love this woman!

After a few minutes of visiting and casual chit chat, Joshua and Timothy started right in on a game of Thurn and Taxis.

timothy and joshua

True gamers through and through!

The girls went outside to swing and talk. Rebecca is a gifted story teller and Rachel a gifted chatter (chatterer?) so I can only imagine the sweet conversation they enjoyed. Rachel and Joshua both e-mail Rebecca regularly so they easily picked up their cousin/friendship.

sarah, rachel, rebecca

Rachel and Rebecca talk, share and laugh while Sarah listens.

The younger boys went upstairs to Daniel’s room. They said they were reading Magic Treehouse books to David but this is what I saw when I went to check on them.

david, samuel and daniel

Hmmm, this is not exactly how I read a book but then I’m boring that way. Looks a wee bit more like wrestling than reading.

We had salad and pizza for dinner. It turns out Papa John’s is different from Papa Murphy’s although they both do sell pizza. Thankfully the restaurants are relatively close by so, hypothetically speaking, if you sent your husband to Papa M’s but then proceed to order pizza from Papa J’s, it doesn’t cost him too much time driving around trying to find some pizzas ordered for “Tim.”

Hypothetically speaking.

After dinner the girls served everyone ice cream and then washed all the dishes. Thanks, Rachel and Rebecca!! The 3 Musketeers went out looking for mischief in the garage and the rest of us played a game of Puerto Rico. At one point the desperadoes came through, no doubt looking for gold.

our distinguished visitors

Armed and dangerous??

The evening went by much too quickly and it was soon time for the Cousins to say goodbye. We didn’t have time to finish the game but counted up our points and named a victor. To keep Tim happy (after all he did write that great post on gaming this week), we let him win our game of Puerto Rico.

That’s not exactly true.

We want Tim to be happy – true.
He won the Puerto Rico game – true.
We let him win – false.

Well, it was almost true.

Have I mentioned recently that I really love this game? It’s my current favorite. Well, it was until Tim beat us all this evening. I’m consoling myself with the fact that the game ended early and there was still a chance I could have pulled ahead and beaten everyone. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Oops. That didn’t sound as sweet and genteel as I meant it to be. Stream of conscious blogging can be dangerous.

And I’m one of the non-competitive people in the family. Heh, heh.

smile, you win

Ever the humble, gracious winner.

I hope we have hours of game playing ahead of us next week. Tim will be home (no doubt brushing up on his Puerto Rico skills when he’s not working) while the children and I head off to camp. One of the fun things about the week of camp is gathering friends and family for games. Of course, with the Burts in Thailand we’ll be missing our favorite gaming friends. How can we possibly have day camp without them?? Daniel and Rachel are going to be especially sad without their ‘best friends forever’ staying right down the road. It just doesn’t seem right.

The only thing to do is play lots of games in their honor. Tina, I promise to win as much as possible. That’s the kind of friend I am.

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 193

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Victims of Anti-Crime

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Some people go away on vacation and come home to find their home has been vandalized, robbed, or even destroyed. Those people have it easy.

We returned home from the airport and piled the suitcases by the front door, children staggering sleepily up the stairs or sitting dazed on the bottom step, until a passing Daddy can carry them off to bed. We started the standard triage process on the accumulated mail, and then discovered we were the victims of a heinous anti-crime. Bail bonding is likely the most misunderstood profession in our legal system. Lawyers, clerks, even magistrates within the criminal justice system who are exposed to bail bonds on a daily basis can often on give the most basic explanation of the process. Compound this with the fact that most citizens who find themselves in the position of needing a bail bondsman (or at least thinking they do) will often be in a confused state due to the stress of having a loved on incarcerated. Needless to say bail bondsman tend to enjoy more than a competitive edge when it comes to negotiating the terms of their service, if any negotiating is done at all.

So how does an individual without any knowledge about what is really involved with this mysterious profession make sure they are not paying more than what is reasonable? Let me start by clearly stating that the intent of this article is to explain only enough about bail bonding itself to give the reader enough knowledge to get the best price. I do not intend to outline the entire bail bonding process because, in reality, it is not necessary to understand the details to get the best price. In addition we are talking about LARGE bail bonds. No bail bondsman is going to be interested in getting into a heated negotiation over a $1,000 bail bond. You either pay the fee or your bailee will likely just stay incarcerated. There is one mandatory subject that must be covered so that you limit your negotiations to bail bonding companies that are in a position to actually help you and that is the difference in Surety and Property bail bondsman. That will be covered shortly, first lets look at the typical bail bond. You can find more info here about the Connecticut Bail Bonds Group.

A criminal defense attorney can provide clients with much-needed assistance with a potential case and advice on what occurs in the courtroom. They can guide defendants through the pros and cons of handling a criminal case and it can protect them from drastic consequences entailing a criminal offense.

Some may feel that heading to a law firm to get hold of any lawyer can be an easy solution to their problem, but that may not be enough to help prospective clients in these cases. A defense attorney is one who will be able to help defend someone in times of prosecution and specializes in criminal cases. The most important reason for it being the criminal defense attorney will be better acquainted with the different aspects related to criminal laws. Having dealt with cases in this field, the attorney should have some solid experience, which will help them handle the case as well. In some cases, there happen to be certain rules and regulations which need to be abided by. An attorney who particularly practices criminal law will know these rules and regulations better than any general lawyer. If you want to know more about the criminal defense attorney, see it here.

When going to employ a criminal defense attorney, there are certain things to keep in mind. The first and foremost thing for clients is to look into the work history of the attorney. A good criminal attorney ought to have a good reputation and an overall successful career, provided that he practices with sincerity and dedication. Work history plays an important role in furnishing an idea about the experience of the attorney, whether they are capable enough of handling the case. It is best if a client choose a lawyer who handles cases of their kind specifically, thus making the lawyer aware of the positive and negative sides of a case. An experienced criminal defense lawyer knows exactly how to proceed with a particular variety of criminal case and hence, they will be able to provide the client with a clear idea of their role in helping the attorney. It is critical that the views of the lawyer and the client are identical about a particular case. This enables them to communicate with ease and helps the attorney to present it before the judge.

Aptly speaking, a criminal defense attorney can be a useful asset for clients when the case is involving criminal law. A client needs to be precise in what they want their lawyer to act upon, and keep track of the lawyer’s progress and needs. As a responsible client, it is their duty to look over what their attorney has to do to secure their freedom.

Luggage for seven
Thirteen checked pieces plus eight carry-on bags makes quite a pile for tomorrow!

Anti-crime has never really caught on. I first read about it in a Terry Pratchett book, or perhaps it was Douglas Adams — whoever it was, he gave a few examples:

  • Breaking and decorating — the victim’s home is violated with new furniture, wallpaper, artwork, or whatever.
  • Whitemailing — the victim (usually a mob boss or other unsavory character) is extorted under threat that his good deeds will be revealed to his fellow criminals

Finding the right attorney should not be undertaken by drawing a name out of a hat. The attorney should be one who specializes in criminal law rather than other types of legal practice. Only an attorney who has experience in trying criminal cases will be up to date on all the laws and nuances that may help to prepare and present your legal defense. Obviously, the first requirement of an attorney is that they are licensed to practice law in the state where they are needed. Attorneys must sit for and pass a comprehensive bar exam in order to be accepted as an accredited and practicing attorney in the state. Most attorneys must have some experience in criminal law before they are ready to defend clients in criminal cases. A quality criminal defense lawyer should be skilled at gathering and assimilating information regarding the case. They should be familiar with all witnesses, law enforcement, case reports and autopsy reports (if applicable). They should be familiar with the style and history of the prosecuting team in order to formulate a plan of how to best defend against the charges. You will be get more about the Great Neck criminal defense lawyer.

Apparently the point of anti-crime is not just that a good deed be done, but rather that it be done in a way to produce maximum outrage or humiliation in the heart of the victim. When you are accused of a crime, getting arrested and spending time in jail can be an unfamiliar and frightening experience. Fortunately, since you are legally innocent until proven guilty, in many cases a judge may allow you to be released until your hearing or trial. However, the judge may order that you provide some form of guarantee that you will return to face the charges against you before you can be released from custody. This security is called a Bail Bond, and it must usually be turned over to the court in the form of cash, property, a signature bond, a secured bond through a surety company, or a combination of forms. Walking down the street in a normal town, one won’t find very many people with any knowledge whatsoever of the bail bonds industry. As a Ventura Bail Agency, we’ve been in this business for over 40 years and know the industry inside and out. So we thought we would put together a short list of four common questions and answer them for you. All answers are with regards to the laws of the state of California.Most Nevada residents can go through their entire lifetime and never have the need of a Las Vegas criminal attorney. However, incidents can happen where you should be consulting an attorney in order to make certain that your rights are protected and that you have the best possible representation. Even if you are guilty of a criminal act, the laws of the United States and the State of Nevada provide for the assumption of innocence unless you are proven guilty.

In any case, the ‘criminals’ used a variant of ‘breaking and decorating’ on us, and replaced our old, unattractive and barely-operable sinks with new, shiny sinks and faucets, leaving their jeering placards behind as evidence. As soon as we find out who it was, we’ll retaliate in kind, perhaps whitemailing them mercilessly … :)

New sink and cool faucet
Kathy has long wanted a better faucet, especially since our old one had been making ominous screeching noises when we turned it on and off.

In any case, it is good to be home.

They even hit the bathroom!
Even the little red bathroom was not deemed sacrosanct. You can imagine our outrage!

Tim (Kathy was too tired to write, and is, even now, nearly asleep in Cream Puff)

Project 365, Day 184

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