Calling All Spanish Speakers...

At my request (and Anil's promise to me for bearing a little girl), I request when you visit that you speak Spanish to Belen. She has shown great interest in learning the language. I will try, too!

Abrazos!

Groping the Dalai Lama! ?

This was the highlight of my year! Who knew ? The country girl from Oregon, who would meet Anil and become the worldly woman she is today (ha, ha). Anil has lived a life most of us only dream of, and thanks to his talent made this opportunity for us......This is a more descriptive account of our day.

We arrived at the Hyatt in Seattle before the final day of the SOC event ( I have never seen Anil so elated as the final day, which he organized). We had no idea what to expect, but we walked over after greeting Roshi Joan at the Sheraton . Somehow Anil was not on the list, but because of his prominence we got the "go ahead". Luckily we didn't have to slip someone a Benjamin :-)

When we arrived in the meeting room it was filled with a hundred or more volunteers--another three or four meeting rooms were filled as well. The photo-op was for the most most "distinctive" of the group. There were hundreds of volunteers, if not thousands, who worked during the event.

We scouted our group and waited for instructions. We prepped, combed, talked, gathered, ungathered, and merged into the what we thought we be the perfect photo.....and then we waited, and we waited, and waited. ( We edited out the others in our group for our blog)

Finally, the Secret Service arrived and explained how things would go....

Very quick. Gather closely. Smile. And no groping the Dalai Lama! Gotcha!

The doors opened several minutes later. We watched and listened to the photos and the oh's and ah's of the other groups. Next was our group....

Anil and I are were in front so the HH stepped between us. HH moved his hand towards me, and I naturally grabbed it. And a second later, as the photographers were snapping photos, was MORTIFED that I was GROPING the Dalai Lama! There are several photos of me looking wide eyed and horrified, that I had done such a thing,.....but is was all very natural and the Dalai Lama did not seem offended. I hope!

Anil, Stephenie and the Dalai Lama

A look back at the Seeds of Compassion event. Anil and Stephenie get a quick photo op to meet and greet the Dalai Lama. Despite very specific instructions to the contrary by Secret Service agents, Stephenie cannot resist groping His Holiness...