My Perfect Holiday on the Irvine Ranch?

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We just had the most wonderful Holiday on the Irvine Ranch. It all started this morning, when I took out some of my best clients out for a round of golf to thank them for all their support and business despite the economic recession. My business and income actually grew 20% this year and my clients continue to stay loyal and their businesses are also thriving. I treated the wife and here three best friends to a full spa day at Burke Williams; I really wanted to pamper her for all the stress she has been under with the kids this year and thank her again for being such a strong emotional support as I grew the business.



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After golf I meet up with some friends for a late lunch at our usual haunt, Prego?s. We lingered and reminisced the conclusion of another year. These are life long buddies that I walked life with. These are brothers that will die for me, they know my life story inside and out and they were there when I needed them the most, many times in the heat of battle. They help heal some of my major life wounds and were there to celebrate the many victories. I am certainly fortunate to have this band of brothers.



After the late lunch, I swung by John Wayne to pick up my folks. We greeted each other warmly and drove next to pick up the kids. The kids were at the neighbors on a play date with the nanny. The kids were ecstatic to see grand-ma and grand-pa as they ran to greet them with gifts in tow. On the way home dad handed me a $20,000 receipt that they deposited in the kids educational IRA. I normally just give mom a big hug, but I just couldn?t help kissing her this time; that felt really good it?s been years since I did that.



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Driving up to the house in Shady Canyon we had a huge surprise as we noticed that the housekeepers had decorated the exterior with holiday decor. That really brought out the holiday cheer in everyone. As we step in the door, we instantly noticed the wonderful aroma of the catering party. The next few hours as more family members arrive, including the in-laws and siblings; we enjoyed the sunset views overlooking the canyons and city lights with hors d'oeuvre and champagne.



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Dinner was exquisite; the caters did an excellent job. We went around the table and shared deeply what each of us were thankful for. Big brother held high his 10 year sobriety chip that he just picked up the past week. Mom and dad shared pictures and stories of their recent mission trip to Thailand where they help stop human trafficking and prostitution ring. The in-laws shared deeply from the heart as they confessed to the tough struggles they had this year in their marriage, but also the hope they both finally feel after several break troughs they had in counseling. The words of affirmation and encouragement were plentiful as more than a few of us were downtrodden by the economy and unemployment. The most powerful part of the evening was after dinner; I felt the urgency to help a cousin and his family who is out of work and behind in their mortgage. The wife and I agree to take a private/surprise collection, we chipped in $5,000; and handed them a check. They were speechless and broke down in tears with thankfulness.



After dinner the nannies got all the kids cleaned up and ready for bed; it certainly feels good to have the house full with love, laughter and joy. While putting my son to sleep with his usual bed time routines, he shared an idea inspired during dinner to help the orphans at Casa Hogar. Casa Hogar Sion is an orphanage that our church sponsors with routine short-term mission trips. He wants to give all away all his allowance for the remainder of the year; and wants to see if relatives would give monetarily to his cause in lieu of presents this year. I reaffirm him of his generosity any how proud I was of him.



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I found the wife among the remaining guests that lingered afterwards. There were miraculous relational breakthroughs that follow as we caught up with each other. Third Uncle thought it fitting to share with everyone a forgiveness letter he wrote to his long deceased grand father for pain, resentment and anger he still felt from years of physical and emotional abuse he experienced as a teenager. That broke the wall to cousins asking each other for forgiveness with similar family resentments. One uncle in tears finally stood up asked for the forgiveness of their daughter; he was always disappointed of her career choice and husband. He expressed how sorry he was and how proud he is of her; she was in shock and simply hugged her dad.



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We ended the evening with a walk around the neighborhood; our family was invited to so many get-togethers around the block that we just couldn?t refuse. We introduced some family members who joined us; there were many other openly warm homes; all with welcoming smiles and holiday cheer. We ended up at the biggest house at the end of the cul-de-sac; where if straight out of It?s A Wonderful Life, we sang Aud Anxine among family and friends; among strangers and guests; among young and old; among Christians, Muslims and atheists.



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I am indeed blessed beyond measure. I live the perfect master planned life on the perfect master planned community. All is right with the world and I wouldn?t change a single thing, I couldn?t ask for anything more.
 
Reading this fiction made me want to vomit. I lol'd. And I had an awesome holiday despite being sick and overcooking my prime rib by 10 degrees.
 
For those of you who don't really know me... I am using a bit of TIC fictional liberty here... As an outsider looking in for most of my life, this is what I imagine what goes on in a Shady Canyon home; the purpose of this post is to match the realities of what really happens to what is portrayed in the various TIC marketing champagnes.



I'm not against generosity, wealth, family honesty and the ideal good life. As a matter of fact, if I had a magic wand, I would indeed paint this picture for my family. But far from it, our family dynamics are far from idea. Needless to say, we too have a lot of work ahead of us. I am curious though, do this kind of life really exists? I'm not claiming BS here but for the one person who voted 5+ would care to give some detail...?
 
[quote author="no_vaseline" date=1259476773]overcooking my prime rib by 10 degrees.</blockquote>


No worries, No Vas. It's better to overcook than undercook, imho. I once made a standing rib roast, only to cut it open and find it was still bloody. I had to keep my guests waiting as it went back in and they filled up on appetizers. You said you were going to set the grill to "kill". LOL. What happened?
 
[quote author="roundcorners" date=1259476939]I am curious though, do this kind of life really exists?</blockquote>


It exists in the same universe as miracle cures for baldness, money-back guarantees, and 22-year old women marrying 50-year old men for love rather than money. TIC sells an image and makes sure the superficial curb appeal sells it too. But if you think living in Shady Canyon, or even Turtle Rock, is going to magically turn a dysfunctional, drama-addicted family into the Cleaver's idyllic TV existence... you are going to be horribly disappointed.



However, you don't need any specific house or job or bank balance to be happy either. You can reach out to your loved ones and make amends with a simple phone call. You can let go of past resentments and anger by putting pen to paper and mailing it off... to nowhere, if need be. You don't need housekeepers or well-to-do relatives to make the holidays happy. All you need for happiness is willingness; willingness to forgive those who have harmed you, willingness to admit your own wrongs and transgressions, willingness to sacrifice your own selfish needs for the happiness of those who willingly do the same for you, willingness to be content with what you have now as opposed to what others appear to have, willingness to be a part of, rather than apart from, the world around you. You can't buy that kind of happiness, and if you already have that kind of happiness, what city you live in won't enhance it anymore than the kind of car you drive can make you a better person.
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1259478524][quote author="no_vaseline" date=1259476773]overcooking my prime rib by 10 degrees.</blockquote>


No worries, No Vas. It's better to overcook than undercook, imho. I once made a standing rib roast, only to cut it open and find it was still bloody. I had to keep my guests waiting as it went back in and they filled up on appetizers. You said you were going to set the grill to "kill". LOL. What happened?</blockquote>


I just mistimed it a little bit. I wanted it to finish at 125 after I let it rest. It got there (you pull it 115 and let it coast to 125) an hour early, so when I put it in the grill on "kill" to make a nice crust, it immediately flamed up and I caught it on fire (I should of turned the burners to low after I got it heated up, lesson learned) I think it was 135 when I got done with it (because I stuck it in there at 125 instead of 115 because it rested for an hour). It was smoked perfect, with a nice ring and good color and medium rare. Everybody raved it - except me who likes it rare.



I was pretty crushed I screwed up, but nobody else seemed to care. There wasn't any left if that means anything.
 
[quote author="ABC123" date=1259484382]I personally think it would be horrible to have to spend a holiday morning sucking up to clients.</blockquote>


not if those clients are paying for your bills b
 
[quote author="Nude" date=1259479139][quote author="roundcorners" date=1259476939]I am curious though, do this kind of life really exists?</blockquote>


It exists in the same universe as miracle cures for baldness, money-back guarantees, and 22-year old women marrying 50-year old men for love rather than money. TIC sells an image and makes sure the superficial curb appeal sells it too. But if you think living in Shady Canyon, or even Turtle Rock, is going to magically turn a dysfunctional, drama-addicted family into the Cleaver's idyllic TV existence... you are going to be horribly disappointed.



However, you don't need any specific house or job or bank balance to be happy either. You can reach out to your loved ones and make amends with a simple phone call. You can let go of past resentments and anger by putting pen to paper and mailing it off... to nowhere, if need be. You don't need housekeepers or well-to-do relatives to make the holidays happy. All you need for happiness is willingness; willingness to forgive those who have harmed you, willingness to admit your own wrongs and transgressions, willingness to sacrifice your own selfish needs for the happiness of those who willingly do the same for you, willingness to be content with what you have now as opposed to what others appear to have, willingness to be a part of, rather than apart from, the world around you. You can't buy that kind of happiness, and if you already have that kind of happiness, what city you live in won't enhance it anymore than the kind of car you drive can make you a better person.</blockquote>


If I didn't know any better Nude, I could have swear you're a Christian... ^_^ you speak truth indeed...
 
[quote author="roundcorners" date=1259458733]<img src="http://www.irvinecompany.com/assets/images/sidebar/PAC20-74b.jpg" alt="" />



</blockquote>


I work in that building --- and must go there five days each week. For me, a perfect day is just about ANY day I do NOT go to this building.
 
[quote author="roundcorners" date=1259494912]If I didn't know any better Nude, I could have swear you're a Christian... ^_^ you speak truth indeed...</blockquote>


It's pretty funny to me that you should say that, RC. When I saw you wrote, "I?m not against . . . wealth, . . . and the ideal good life. As a matter of fact, if I had a magic wand, I would indeed paint this picture for my family," I couldn't help but think that your church was doing it wrong. It is interesting to me that the atheist understood how to do without money better than the Christian. This is not a criticism of you, but a characteristic that I see quite a bit in affluent suburbs where there are a lot of nondenominational Christian churches, and I find it intriguing.
 
[quote author="EvaLSeraphim" date=1259555663][quote author="roundcorners" date=1259494912]If I didn't know any better Nude, I could have swear you're a Christian... ^_^ you speak truth indeed...</blockquote>


It's pretty funny to me that you should say that, RC. When I saw you wrote, "I?m not against . . . wealth, . . . and the ideal good life. As a matter of fact, if I had a magic wand, I would indeed paint this picture for my family," I couldn't help but think that your church was doing it wrong. It is interesting to me that the atheist understood how to do without money better than the Christian. This is not a criticism of you, but a characteristic that I see quite a bit in affluent suburbs where there are a lot of nondenominational Christian churches, and I find it intriguing.</blockquote>


Eva.. I'm not sure what you're saying here... wealth, money itself is not bad, it's actually neutral. Money is simply a tool that can be used for the bad and for the good. Christianity teaches us that the sole <strong>love </strong>and the <strong>pursuit </strong>of money can be the causes of a lot of evil we see around us.



It's not bad to have a nice house, even a huge house, but what are you using the house for? Is it solely for your own gratification? Or do you see it as an opportunity to minister to your other affluent neighbors...
 
[quote author="roundcorners" date=1259558450][quote author="EvaLSeraphim" date=1259555663][quote author="roundcorners" date=1259494912]If I didn't know any better Nude, I could have swear you're a Christian... ^_^ you speak truth indeed...</blockquote>


It's pretty funny to me that you should say that, RC. When I saw you wrote, "I?m not against . . . wealth, . . . and the ideal good life. As a matter of fact, if I had a magic wand, I would indeed paint this picture for my family," I couldn't help but think that your church was doing it wrong. It is interesting to me that the atheist understood how to do without money better than the Christian. This is not a criticism of you, but a characteristic that I see quite a bit in affluent suburbs where there are a lot of nondenominational Christian churches, and I find it intriguing.</blockquote>


Eva.. I'm not sure what you're saying here... wealth, money itself is not bad, it's actually neutral. Money is simply a tool that can be used for the bad and for the good. Christianity teaches us that the sole <strong>love </strong>and the <strong>pursuit </strong>of money can be the causes of a lot of evil we see around us.



It's not bad to have a nice house, even a huge house, but what are you using the house for? Is it solely for your own gratification? Or do you see it as an opportunity to minister to your other affluent neighbors...</blockquote>


Ha ha ha. This is like the "what kind of car would Jesus drive" ridiculousness. He didn't have a noble steed, or even a donkey - he'd walk then, and he'd walk or take public transit now. And a field was just find to minister and preach in both then and now. Now, I could never live like that, but I don't delude myself either about it - I am far from what a good Christian should be, I'm too materialistic.



This is the kind of things true Christians would do. <A href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-09-14-mr-t_x.htm">Mr. T sells the gold chains, gives money to Katrina victims</A>.
 
RC,



This thread will get you into trouble and leave a negative impression for others to question your faith. I know a lot of church goers attend church for social reason and show off their wealth.
 
I have to say that I'm ready to puke also. I can't even vote I feel so sick about the fact that I just wasted two minutes reading that drivel.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1259565125]RC,



This thread will get you into trouble and leave a negative impression for others to question your faith. I know a lot of church goers attend church for social reason and show off their wealth.</blockquote>


This is another reason why I want to start this thread, at all these family gatherings, there is always this huge white elephant in the room; people are courteous and respectful but never really address deep root problems that run in the family. I almost wish they would just have a big fight and get all the issues out in the open, instead of just talking about the food, watch sports and brag about accomplishments...



I'm not afraid to defend my faith, again, I'm not going to take offense if you think otherwise. BK brought this up before, I'm not afraid to share how messed up I really am. We are ALL broken, jacked up people. Anonymous, if you really know what goes up in this brain of mine; if you really know how greedy, fearful, faithless, lustful; how much I struggle with materialism, envy, jealousy, it'll blow you away!!! That is exactly why I'm a Christian, because I know how screwed up I am, how much I need Jesus and thankfully I do have a bunch of guys that also keep me in check... I'm not afraid to share this with the IHB or with my family...



If our faith was just based on "works" alone or just doing good things and avoiding bad things then I will NEVER be good enough. I can give all I have and if I don't do it with love, or the right motives it's useless. I'm not going to question Mr. T's intentions, but even with all the right intentions, I can never earn salvation. Again I'm not going to bla on an on about Christianity, and point to me; how good of a person I am for being a Christian... I always point to Christ, HE saved me from a life of self-destruction, stopped a generational cycle of physical, emotional abuse, chemical/relational addictions; HE saved my life, I owe Christ everything, my life, he owns everything. I give because I have been forgiven and given much in return...
 
[quote author="roundcorners" date=1259580537][quote author="bkshopr" date=1259565125]RC,



This thread will get you into trouble and leave a negative impression for others to question your faith. I know a lot of church goers attend church for social reason and show off their wealth.</blockquote>


This is another reason why I want to start this thread, at all these family gatherings, there is always this huge white elephant in the room; people are courteous and respectful but never really address deep root problems that run in the family. I almost wish they would just have a big fight and get all the issues out in the open, instead of just talking about the food, watch sports and brag about accomplishments...



I'm not afraid to defend my faith, again, I'm not going to take offense if you think otherwise. BK brought this up before, I'm not afraid to share how messed up I really am. We are ALL broken, jacked up people. Anonymous, if you really know what goes up in this brain of mine; if you really know how greedy, fearful, faithless, lustful; how much I struggle with materialism, envy, jealousy, it'll blow you away!!! That is exactly why I'm a Christian, because I know how screwed up I am, how much I need Jesus and thankfully I do have a bunch of guys that also keep me in check... I'm not afraid to share this with the IHB or with my family...



If our faith was just based on "works" alone or just doing good things and avoiding bad things then I will NEVER be good enough. I can give all I have and if I don't do it without love, or the right motives it's useless. I'm not going to question Mr. T's intentions, but even with all the right intentions, I can never earn salvation. Again I'm not going to bla on an on about Christianity, and point to me; how good of a person I am for being a Christian... I always point to Christ, HE saved me from a life of self-destruction, stopped a generational cycle of physical, emotional abuse, chemical/relational addictions; HE saved my life, I owe Christ everything, my life, he owns everything. I give because I have been forgiven and given much in return...</blockquote>


I really don't care WHY a person is a good person or what they attribute it to. More power to you, RC. I'm so done judging anyone else's religion or lack thereof.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1259565125]RC,



This thread will get you into trouble and leave a negative impression for others to question your faith. I know a lot of church goers attend church for social reason and show off their wealth.</blockquote>


What the ...?



You might wish to revisit my comment. I <em>never</em> questioned RC's faith. I've never met the guy, but do not doubt that he believes in God and Jesus Christ, and that Jesus was crucified and died for RC's sins. I don't question RC's faith at all, particularly in light of how open he is about it. I have no doubt the RC does his best every day to live up to the teachings of his church.



What I questioned was the theology his church was teaching. The reasoning used to justify material wealth is relatively new (only about 60 years old). Of course, questions about and divisions arising from Christian theology are more than 1000 years older than Martin Luther's posting of his 95 theses, which is the basis for the current Protestant line of Christian churches. Prior to that, you had split between the Catholics and Orthodox. Before that, you had a group of people who voted for which books would comprise the Christian Bible, and before that you had the question of whether to follow Paul or James in the early church after the death of Jesus. Is the theology necessarily "bad" because it is new? Not in my opinion. My opinion is that it does not hold water because it is not particularly faithful to either the letter or spirit of the text, and the reasoning used to get to the result is rather tortured.



But that's one of the great things about America: you can believe whatever the heck you like. If RC chooses to believe that the Bible / Jesus was neutral about the possession of money and wealth, more power to him. No one is suggesting that I can't disagree with him about that, are they???
 
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