Clancy59

Lucy has a special purchase to make in Milan? Could it be fabric-made, long and white, perhaps? Still loving the trip. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch! I love it! When we traveled through Ireland, every single place had vegetable soup as the only choice. And it was always puréed! It got to be a joke with us. We even took a picture of a menu board with it listed!

Happy Birthday, @gmc! Flamenco. I knew what the dance was, but couldn’t remember the spelling. Thank you. Richie was the one who always wanted Chinese on Sundays, if I remember correctly. I recently reread the stories, but I’m not quite sure. If I hadn’t reread them, I wouldn’t have even had had a guess!

Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt stupid for missing the ‘shipwreck!’ I was racking my brain trying to remember any mention of it and feeling lost when I couldn’t come up with anything! I have been enjoying this family sojourn so much. It’s a wonderful celebration with people who truly love and respect each other. I especially love the photo session. It’s something I want to do with my husband. They are also being a joy for the crew by not being the typically entitled people I am sure they usually cater to. CJ’s confrontation with the Chef provided incentive for her to be inventive in her creations (shocking her and the others with the childrens’ eating habits that follow those of the adults, therefore not needing a ‘kiddie’ menu, which she had originally groaned about. I think they are also finding it interesting that these Americans have a much more lax attitude about alcohol with the children than usual, to the point of teaching Liebe how to judge wine.). They seem to be showing their appreciation with the flaminco (?) demonstration and ‘lesson’ with the kids. I am quite certain this is not par for the course. Keep ‘em coming’, Carlos! We just love these stories!

I’m sorry. I saw someone had reacted to my comment and I was looking at what I had written. It brought fresh tears to my eyes. You see, unfortunately, in May, we lost Patrick to that insidious addiction that he was fighting so hard. The first idiotic doctor he had, who wound up sending him back for multiple surgeries removing more and more of his leg due to his ineptitude, gave him powerful painkillers. He didn’t listen to the parents’ concerns about addiction when Patrick had shown previous signs of being susceptible to such. He never truly recovered. His leg never truly healed to the point that any prosthetic he had was very painful. One prosthetic provider was actually angry at the previous providers because of the poor job they did. He was an amputee himself and understood the issue better. The family just spent the past Monday (11/14) at his graveside for his birthday. This is going to be a very difficult holiday season as it is the first one without him running around from the ‘adult’ table to the ‘kids’ table and messing with all the little ones. He was always the worst sneak thief of the food coming into the house, especially my muffins, stöllen and quiche. His mother is holding it together on a daily basis right now, but I am worried about the holidays themselves. Please keep them in your prayers.

I’ll have to be sure to have the tissue box handy with these stories. I had tears in my eyes within the first few sentences! We all need an Aunt May!

Those are stunning! I would love to travel on that train!

I was laughing at the start when Loren admitted that sports wasn’t as bad as he made them out to be. He may not understand the various games, but he can join Jay for the discussions! Then I was happy to see that the charity game came to fruition. The girls were absolutely priceless, although I did get a bit upset when they tried to toss each other like Daddy and Uncle Taywer! I was very happy to see Loren quickly put the cabosh on that! And then you had to have that halftime show. I could barely read it, I was sobbing so much! Loren didn’t know what hit him, and then he was surrounded by his entire, huge family unit, showing him just how much he is loved. I’m crying now, just thinking about it! Loren may say he knows he has everyone’s love and support, but I don’t think he had totally internalized it until that moment. (Although I don’t quite understand Chris Martin’s confusion. Wouldn’t they have organized this beforehand? Was he looking for Jay?) Truthfully, I was glad to hear of the parental units’ deaths. After everything they put both boys through, they needed punishment, and since the statute of limitations prevented the government from prosecuting, I guess the cartels were the next choice. The groups were probably running scared with Loren’s celebrity status (so they knew they couldn’t go after him or his family), and when Rob’s podcast came out, that was the final straw and signature on the parental death warrants. That’s my theory, anyway. While I am sorry to see this series (except for Rob’s story) come to a conclusion, I have to say it is a very satisfying conclusion. Thank you for such a wonderful ride. I always perked up when I saw any of these in the lineup. Take care. We look forward to Rob’s story when you are ready. Happy Halloween!🎃

I knew this would be a fun chapter to read. What a surprise for the crew, to discover that this group of Americans are not the typical, spoiled, entitled elites. Imagine, the kids eat the same things as the adults and actually eschew ‘kiddie’ foods, and are firmly disciplined when needed! And then, on top of it all, when the food is deemed too insipid for their tastes, the chef is approached politely in her own domain, despite her own reaction, and informed to go all out and not to worry about offending sensitive palates. The crew was worried about the kids running rampant over the boat and getting into areas they shouldn’t, but instead, the munchkins ask permission to be shown areas they are interested in and show true interest, asking questions, when introduced to areas that could bore other kids. They even show some experience with sailing when helping raising the sails, even if it was only pushing a button and laughing when they got knocked on their bums by the unexpected motions of the boat! If the crew is impressed by this family with just the first morning of this voyage, just imagine what they will think by the time the trip ends!

Well, I said I know nothing about football—I know even less about their contracts!

I agree. Loren feels guilt for not returning to Mike and Julia after leaving so long ago, but they didn’t say or indicate a single thing about that. They welcomed him HOME with unconditional love and support. Loren, when he left at age 15(?), really didn’t have enough understanding of this to forgive himself for his self-realized selfishness. As a result, he wasn’t sure how he would be accepted here and now. They demonstrated what REAL parents should be, and he visibly relaxed and melted into having his own loving family again. Loren is very aware that he influences people with his various social media, but he hadn’t realized that putting his real story out could influence people in another way. Geoff is his proof that, although he went through hell as a child, now that he has survived and is getting the information out, he is literally helping hundreds of other kids who might never have had hope before. The idea of the Celebrity Charity Football game sounds like a great idea, and I don’t even watch football! They can get all the big names involved and raise awareness, as well as raise funds to help rescue kids and help them recover, and prosecute those who are involved in these crimes. He would probably hate for it to be named for himself, however.

I want to comment, but I’m laughing so much, I just can’t!

I’m enjoying this story so far. I love that Cove named his daughter after his former lover, even if he hasn’t figured that out yet.

Liebe is a typical 7 year old in the eclectic choices of her interests. Her intensity in studying a complex language is wonderful. Not everyone her age would dive deep on a single subject, but her age is perfect to learn a new language, while it would still seem like a natural thing. This is the same with her choices in food. Wait until that uppity boat chef finds this out! I think it is perfectly just to credit Liebe with teaching her brothers to share. She sees how her entire family pitches in to take care of her, teach her, explain things to her, etc. As far as she’s concerned, she’s just extending this to her brothers and cousins. You also have to remember that being 3 years older than them, she does have a lot more experience than them. She’s just sharing her experience to make sure they as well received as she is! The stupidity of school boards lately seems to know no bounds. They seem to be catering to a small, threatening vocal group and not using their own common sense. These groups refuse to follow protocol and procedure if they find material offensive. EVERY SINGLE LIBRARY, INCLUDING SCHOOL LIBRARIES, should have procedures in place for anyone who doesn’t like something. There is a simple form to be filled out and they have to have a VALID reason why they want the item removed. Disagreeing with the information without proof of inaccuracies is not cause for pulling a title. Ethically, they should NEVER be allowed to make any kind of a decision for any child other than their own, but we are seeing how school boards are caving to the extreme right (because the mentality right now is that educators in the classrooms are imbeciles). Some boards have actually gotten their backbones back and put the books back, but there aren’t many. But what can you expect when we are talking about a group that includes The Holy Bible as one of its top 100 targets on an annual basis! (The ALA keeps track.). The main complaint seems to be Song of Solomon, which has some rather descriptive love poetry. (And then you have Librarians like me. When I was at a Catholic High School for a couple of years, one parent gave me a couple copies of The Koran. I was happy to accept them and put them in the Religion section. I don’t know if they ever figured it out, because I left the following year to go on to graduate school full time, so this was a long time ago, and the school no longer exists.)

I wanted to react to this post, but couldn’t because I could only use a single reaction! This one rated multiple! The kids are being spoiled in the aspect that they are being introduced to the wide world and all it’s wonderful diversity, including it’s darker side, unfortunately. They need to be aware of the good as well as the bad of humanity, and CJ and Owen are making sure they are. This one rated a ‘Heart’ ❤️. Unfortunately, there are people in this world who are so afraid of the past that they think they have to ‘protect’ these ‘poor, innocent’ babies from harsh reality. They are the ones who don’t want to deal with reality! Even the worst atrocities can be presented to very young children in age-appropriate ways. All they are asking for is honesty. I taught in public and private schools for over 35 years and had many discussions with many thousands of students (when you are a Library Specialist, you deal with every child in the school, not just a single class) over the years. They would ask questions and I would try to answer them while not treading into dangerous waters of parental outrage (“How DARE you tell my child such a thing!). At times, it could be difficult to maintain any kind of neutrality on an issue. These kids, some as young as 8-9 years old, had some outstandingly brilliant observations and debates about various issues. This deserved a ‘tear’ or an ‘angry face.’ 💧😡 Mind you, I do think the teacher making those kinds of comments could be charged with a hate crime and deserved punishment. That was going too far. I have been known to explain to classes how reading and writing was a little known skill during medieval times and demonstrate by explaining that girls very rarely were taught anything other than domestic skills and then counted the boys and told, maybe, 1 out of 8 or 10 that he was the lucky one and all the rest were workers. (The kids knew I wasn’t picking on a single group because I was simply counting around the room.) Boy, were they upset at the inequity! Especially the girls! We then talked about how much better they had it now than our ancestors did. (I think we were talking about the history of books and publishing as part of a unit on caring for them, and I was explaining how, at one time, they were very rare and expensive, not like today.)

It never occurred to me to expect a sequel to this story. It is, indeed, a complete story in and of itself. (Although, after it was mentioned above, a cautionary tale with Dan could be interesting.) This was a well-told story, poignant in its message. Thank you. If only everyone could read it with open eyes, maybe we wouldn’t have the issues that are currently ripping people apart right now.

I woke up this morning to find this new chapter, to my delight. I started reading while I had breakfast. I’m surprised I was able to finish eating, with my heart in my throat for Loren. Despicable doesn’t even begin to cover this! And they still wanted the money years later!? Thank goodness for people like Mike and Julia keeping their eyes focused on him. Loren needs to be more involved with them. They were better parents than the—I can’t even think what to call them. They definitely were/are not parents. Mike and Julia should be grandparents to the girls. Have you had this planned in the background all along? You must have, as this is an extremely involved, complicated storyline. I know the statute of limitations has passed and they won’t be able to be criminally prosecuted for these crimes, but I, for one, I am sure, certainly hope to see them tried—and found guilty—in the court of popular opinion on both Rob’s and Loren’s social media. There should be nowhere for them to run to escape this for the rest of their lives and beyond. Too bad they can’t include the police, municipal and court officials who covered things up. (And why did they cover things up?). The same goes for anyone who participates in these disgusting activities, especially for monetary gain and the ability and enjoyment of hurting others, especially children. They may now have answers to why Loren was abandoned, but it has opened a whole new set of questions as to the coverup. Why? Who?

Yes, Elena is trying to protect Henry, but there are others within the department who seem willing to lock him up and throw away the key simply because he is a new person in town, a teenager and from New York. Every little thing about him has been interpreted by them to prove his guilt. Henry is here without his parents. He is, therefore, here to set up a new market for his, or their, illicit goods. He is working in multiple jobs—the better to establish a network that will allow customers to contact him. He rides a bike and doesn’t drive a car. No registration to follow and easier to get away in the narrow alleyways and to hide. No matter what the issue is, the naysayers are able to find an excuse to find him guilty. Elena doesn’t believe this, but she is finding it hard to prove his innocence without his cooperation!

Sorry. This was a duplicate, so I blanked it out.

Please tell me it isn’t who I am beginning to suspect after hearing his full story. I am also upset that several people in the police department seem to already have Henry convicted and ready for imprisonment. All I could think of while I was reading this chapter was, whatever happened to innocent before being proved guilty? But that seems to status quo today. Any rumors or suspicions against a person automatically mean their guilt, and it’s black/and/white. There is no allowance for circumstance.

LOL! This is one of the many reasons I love your stories. You are so descriptive when explaining places and events. Reading your stories is not only entertaining, it’s also educational. I’ve heard of that church in Barcelona, and even knew it wasn’t finished yet, even though Goudi was no longer here, but I never knew about the 18 spires or the stained glass windows and the reason for their colors. Wonderful! CJ and Owen’s interest and explorations in their surroundings will undoubtedly make an impact on the kids. The kids will see their adults’ excitement in discovering new places and things, and that will make them excited about it also. They will learn to treasure that giddy sense of the ‘new’ and the natural high it provides. The adults also model appropriate usage of technology by having it on them and using it, but not diving into it to the exclusion of everything else.

I’m not surprised CJ would encourage Liebe to go into architecture, considering his own interests and her own evident curiosity, and that she isn’t sure what she wants to do yet. But she’s 7 years old! Curiosity is part of being a kid! At this point she wants to be a doctor one minute, then in the next 5 minutes, she’ll change to an astronaut, a cowgirl and then a teacher. She doesn’t really have to start settling on a future career for at least 5 more years, and that’s only so she can start to plan her high school classes to support her college program (math/science heavy vs art heavy, as an example). While I am enjoying their visit to Barcelona, I really want to see them on the boat. That crew is dreading them because of the kids and are assuming the group is full of the stereotypical, entitled, rich Americans. They are in for a pleasant surprise and I am looking forward to seeing them eat crow. (I’m not at all vindictive. I’m just protective of my favorite family!)

The way the City Council is escalating this thing with the orphanage, it almost seems like someone has some vendetta against the orphanage itself or maybe Pat. They will definitely have to be wary of attempts to confiscate the new home. BTW, “Home for God’s Angels?” I’m sorry, but it makes it sound like a hospice or cemetery to me. I don’t have a replacement name right now, but I had to make the statement.

Usually Santa asks each child his/her name, but hopefully, someone was also taking notes! As usual, the guys are making sure the kids are well taken care of. For the Christmas dinner, if they do go traditional English, just don’t tell the kids what some of the dishes may be called. Some of those names could be off-setting!

I was very happy to see a new chapter in the lineup! Glad to see you writing again. I think I’m going to go back and reread the whole story. There’s just so much I have to remind myself of! Hope to see your next chapter soon. The story is quite involved and intriguing, which makes it even more fun to read!

I was thinking about this. They are fraternal twins, which means there were 2 eggs. That’s on Mom, not Dad, in this case. In Loren’s case, it’s a single egg that split in two—that’s genetic. I think I stand on my comment! 😉