The Birthday Project: Part I

The Birthday Project: Part I"

by: Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong, (w)Holy Ghostwriter

? August 19, 2024, ? *Updated August 20, 2024

*Notice to those who read this post prior to the August 20, 2024 update:

Somehow, in the midst of posting this article, a portion of this article was changed (deleting a small portion and repeating a small portion in the article). The change made to the article on 8/20/24 by the same author, Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong (w)Holy Ghostwriter was to fix the section where this occurred. Previous copies of this article are still the work of Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong, (w)Holy Ghostwriter.

In addition to this, a number of places where F.McLintocks was noted, the name was incorrectly written as FM McClintocks; this has been updated. That being noted, the unintentional change to the company name did reveal how the fm radio and the clocktower at the IGH: Holiday Inn, Santa Clara are connected, and upon seeing the type of establishment this is, you may see why the author Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong, (w)Holy Ghostwriter included an unintentional nod to actor Clint Eastwood, who very likely has had a Ted Talk by this point in his career.

Please send a message via email to [email protected] for any concerns or questions you may have about this and/or any other matter.


What Is The Birthday Project?

Decades have passed and yet a birthday project I began in the 1990s has become a practice that has retained merit for me; you could say it came about from an epiphany of sorts I had just prior to my birthday.

It dawned on me that the custom of receiving gifts on one's birthday, in a sense is backwards thinking. The reality is, we come into the world as needy beings whose survival is dependent upon others, and when we grow up, to celebrate this (in many societies) we have ordained a tradition of expecting to receive more from others. Yet, in remembering how much we have needed (not only in our birth, but each and every day) it seemed more fitting to do something that expresses our awareness of the good things others have done for us and to reveal how this has changed our lives in the process.

During my first ever birthday project, I prepared a special birthday trip itinerary of places I had hoped to go to with three very special people in my life. Our journey took us across two different bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area of CA to two very unique lighthouses. In addition to preparing our itinerary, I had decided to write something about lighthouses that conveyed the changing process we go through in our lives, and I provided a copy to each of the people I had invited. This was later posted at blogspot and is known by the original title I gave this work of art: "Lighthouse Keepers: Tend The Light."

Interestingly enough, only two of the three I initially invited were able to attend, and there were initially two versions of this project. One version had my hand-written notes about how lighthouses provide us with a visual representation of our *ever-evolving lives; this was written on stationary that had a lighthouse showing in the background. The other version (of this piece I wrote) contained the typeset text of my notes inside the card I had prepared, and a picture of the first lighthouse I planned for us to visit (on the front of the card) that I had given to those I had invited on this special journey for my birthday. Because I photographed the Point Bonita Lighthouse (found in the Marin Headlands of CA) at that time, the card was provided after we returned.

I can't say that I've remembered the birthday project every year since the time I first thought of this; however, this thought has stayed with me and shaped who I am today.

Most of us don't think of ourselves as a project; we'd probably prefer the phrase "work of art, in process." These things certainly be said of me: I'm not the same person I was when I first came into this world, and every day I'm in the process of learning who I am becoming.

What Is The 2024 Birthday Project?

The truth is, I began this year's birthday project some time ago, hoping to present a new piece of art I was preparing to a local Inn, in honor of Lunar New Year. When my plans didn't work out as I had hoped, I put the project aside hoping to revive this project at a later date.

"Peace" is in actuality part of the theme of this artwork that is a mixed media picture I've been putting together for the Holiday Inn Express at San Thomas Expressway and the El Camino Real in Santa Clara, CA. Some who have been following my posts, may have seen a portion of this idea that was already posted. The complete project contains separate items that together provide an overarching theme that is specifically designed to showcase unique qualities of this specific inn.

One part of the project (previously posted) gives visitors of the Inn an opportunity to write an "eggs-pression" about themselves for others who visit the inn to read; this is also tied in with part of the actual artwork prepared by author Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong, (w)Holy Ghostwriter for this specific Holiday Inn. The "eggs-pression" activity is aimed at fostering connectedness of people from various backgrounds, and although the 2024 Birthday Project celebrates the wonderful service all Inns provide, this project also showcases holidays we celebrate, that it is well suited for this precise location. You may have guessed, the project includes birthdays as part of the holiday tradition, and another special day that I believe should be celebrated with the rest of the holidays.

Although the Super Bowl is related to the Passover "Last Supper", many of you may be aware that this day is not normally considered a holiday, despite the fact that there is much fanfare and celebration that goes on during this special event that takes place yearly. This playful prose has a purpose: to encourage the child-like qualities that birth trusting and loving connections in our world. Knowing that connectedness is part of this theme, it should be pointed out that this project is connected with another project put together by the same author a few years ago, known as "The Mission CD Project."

What Is The Mission CD Project?

The mission cd project is an idea that came to author Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong, (w)Holy Ghostwriter when she began posting articles regularly on the Linkedin platform and connecting songs, products and information about other business services within each article.

When posting about the Mission chain found in CA a song by the recording artist known as Carman known as "Mission 316," had been included, and it seemed appropriate for each of the 21 missions to have a copy of the cd.

In setting out to complete this project, I decided that in doing so, other locations near each of the missions would receive a gift also. Thus the first location: Our Lady of Peace Church and Shrine received a copy of the book "The Good Good Father" by Chris Tomlin and Pat Barrett, along with a cd of the song "The Good Good Father" by Chris Tomlin and Pat Barrett, for all the padres at the church to hear and share with the parishioners and those who came to visit them. This included a few notes about the new Mission cd plans.

Many of the missions have received a copy of the "Mission 316" CD by Carman also, but the story about a few mishaps that happened on the way (that hasn't yet been posted) was written when visiting missions in southern CA. The story about "The Mission CD" was and is a playful nod to fellow author Shell Silverstein who wrote the book "The Missing Piece."

Once again, the point of the Mission CD project, was and is to encourage people to appreciate all our society has done to better our lives and enjoy this process of celebrating goodness in our world. This was mentioned here for good reason. Here in the US, people have gathered together from all over the world. The idea of being an American has changed over the course of many years. We the people are descendants of a variety of places: Asians, Africans, Mexicans and/or Europeans all came to the US, calling this one place their home. The same is true of many other countries. What was once disconnected became connected through a commonality: the place we live at this point in time.

The connectedness of the Holiday Inn Express: Lompoc, the Candlewood Suites: Santa Maria @Roemer Court, and the Holiday Inn Express: Santa Clara @ San Thomas Expressway and the El Camino Real may not be obvious to those who haven't made reservations through the IGH (Intercontinental Hotels Group) website. Truth is, many may not be aware of another connection that has been included in this work that was put together. The IGH also has a number of facilities that specifically houses army personnel.

For those interested in learning about the Army facilities provided by IGH, that information is found here:

https://www.ihg.com/armyhotels/hotels/us/en/reservation

Even if you've visited these locations, you may not know of the connections I made between these different locations that showcase the way the "Mission CD Project" and "The Birthday Project" work together for much the same purpose. Although I had stayed at the Candlewood Suites: Santa Maria and left items at this location left notes revealing how the gifts left at various places are connected along with a few items, what wasn't mentioned in the article above is how two inns were connected by way of the specific gifts left at each location. Due to timing, it took two trips to central and southern CA to leave these items.

On the first trip, a cd was left along with a sticky note inside a partial copy of "The Message" New Testament Bible by Eugene H. Patterson. The sticky note pointed to a verse that mentioned "the real thing," a branding term the coca cola brand has used for years. And with this a small coca cola can was left at the Radisson in Santa Maria that is located near the airport.

https://www.choicehotels.com/california/santa-maria/radisson-hotels/cak16

This version of the "Holy Bible," is located here at Christianbook:

https://www.christianbook.com/the-message-new-testament-mass-market/9781576834305/pd/834301?event=ESRCG

You can review this passage at Bible Gateway (or reading John 1) in "The Message" translation of "The Holy Bible," here:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A9&version=MSG

When I came back a second time, I left a large Pepsi cola can with the notes at the Santa Maria Candlewood Inn.

Now you'll see how this is connected with the good, good padre left at Our Lady of Peace Church and Shrine in Santa Clara; hopefully!

Yet there's more.

In the notebook that was left at the Santa Maria Candlewood Inn the notes included some "Did You Know..." trivia that pointed to another man by the name of John who has inspired me for many years. In addition to this, I mentioned (for the first time in many years) something I wrote as a tween that included these two well-known brand-named soda companies. I now call the previous note I had written an "Ode to a Friend," and that it was. One of the few actual poems I have written, the poem itself was written to a friend who was involved in a hurtful incident. The point of the poem was to indicate by mentioning ideas (often viewed as rivals to one another) being equally valuable: such as light and darkness and one name brand verses another. These are a few of the many gifts that was left at this location, along with A dvd of "The War Room" movie by the Kendrick Brothers.

The dvd and blue ray for this film is found here at Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-war-room-alex-kendrick/28702944

What you may not know about THIS connection is that at least two Missions near this location had a history of a feud that took place between the San Inez Mission (near Pea Soup Andersons) in Buellton, CA and the Santa Barbara Mission that is located in Santa Barbara, CA. You can search and find several articles on this time period. I've included a link for one article that notes this rebellion period that took place not far from San Luis Obispo, CA here:

https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/history/50/

Another "gift" that was left on this journey along the Mission trail is a page from the book "Being Peace" by Thich Nhat Hanh that was places inside a binder (for people to write notes when visiting the Pea Soup Andersons Restaurant in Solvang, CA); whereas, the rest of the book was brought to Florianos (restaurant and butcher counter) in Lompoc CA with some of my personal notes inside this book, after I went to *POPPIN into the Holiday Inn: Lompoc to leave a small FM Mp3 radio and the Orca Origins book "Diwali: Festival of Lights" by Rina Singh.

Before this, I had taken another notebook with notes about "branding" to F.McLintocks restaurant in Arroyo Grande, CA. Being completely on the (Up and Up), I provided a place where people could write notes to share with others about tips they wish they knew earlier in life here also. Although the F.McLintocks in Arroyo Grande is said to have closed, there are currently two locations (near Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa) that are still open, so the original set of notes may have been taken to one of the two current locations.

Here are a few of the ways this was connected places nearby. Mission La Purísima Concepción is found in Lompoc, and between Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is Vandenberg Space Force Base (where space launches take place and the military air force base is located); the connectedness you may not think of immediately is a movie that joins the gift left at the Holiday Inn, Lompoc with the Vandeburg Space Base: known as "Wall-E."

And rather than receiving the original Carman Mission 316 cd, the Mission La Purisima Concepción received a cd I prepared specifically for this location that included the "Mission 316" song by Carman and a few songs by Jaqi Velasquez and Danny Gokey that were linkedin with the meaning of the name for this location and the Florianos restaurant, such as "Flower In the Rain" by Jaci Velasquez; likewise Danny Gokey's song "We All Need Jesus" notes we all have needs 24 hours a day 365 days per year. In Spanish the term "Flor" means "flower" in English and "a?os" means "years," and the book about "being peace" is written by a bud-hist monk, much like Jesus was said to have rose from the dead.

Unfortunately, a couple of planned site locations were postponed; so the original "Walmart" (aka: wail-muerte) blank book (that had been planned to be left at another nearby restaurant was delayed; this (too) was slated to show how each gift is connected to other gifts, in much the same way that your giftedness is connected with the people who have assisted, encouraged and inspired your gifts and abilities.

Additional Notes From Author Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong, (w)Holy Ghostwriter About This Article:

*ever-evolving: was set apart with a star in these notes to assist the reader with seeing how this specific phrase reveals another point being made: "eve-revolving." When studying about lighthouses, I had included some notes about the unique traits of lighthouses, such as how the "fresnel" lens affected the light that was produced and revealed some ways that our lives correspond to some of the unique features of these lighthouses in my previous writing about lighthouses. Not previously noted, and links to my current writing about "Perfectly Paired Partners," most lighthouses contain a revolving mechanism that rotates the light and produces a unique "key" signal, so that sailors know where they are located. If you haven't read the ongoing "Perfectly Paired Partners: Ongoing Saga" yet, this includes a "Key" section that assists readers to better understand locations also.

The original notes written also by author Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong about "Lighthouse Keepers: Tend the Light" is found here:

https://kasper-katarmstrong.blogspot.com/2019/08/lighthouse-keepers-tend-light.html

Note: The original notes for "Lighthouse Keepers: Tend the Light" were written prior to the author's last name being changed to Armstrong.

Point Bonita Notes: Because the picture of Point Bonita is missing from the article, you can learn about this lighthouse (that includes a suspension bridge that was made to replicate the Golden Gate Bridge and overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge) here: https://www.nps.gov/goga/pobo.htm

Quinn's Lighthouse Notes: The other lighthouse visited (on the first birthday journey), is Quinns Lighthouse Restaurant located in Oakland, CA." The current website for this location can be found here:

https://quinnslighthouse.kinramen.site/

Not noted specifically in this article, a second trip was planned and took place shortly after the first, so that the person who wasn't able to attend the first journey to the light stations, could see these locations along with another location in the SF Bay Area known as "East Brother's Light Station" near the Richmond-San Pablo Bay Bridge. This bed and breakfast location is located near Treasure Island, and to reach the lighthouse you must take a boat to reach the lighthouse. Currently the light station offers day trips for a nominal fee for those interested in seeing their unique offering here:

https://ebls.org/

The Holiday Inn Express: Santa Clara (featuring a clock tower) is located here:

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/santa-clara/sjcst/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=BingMaps-_-EX-_-US-_-SJCST&msockid=12a86c36b2bb69fd2de77fc4b3f768ed

The Holiday Inn Express: Lompoc (near Mission Purissima Conception) is located here:

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/lompoc/lpcca/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=BingMaps-_-EX-_-US-_-LPCCA&msockid=12a86c36b2bb69fd2de77fc4b3f768ed

The Candlewood Suites: Santa Maria is located here:

https://www.candlewoodsantamaria.com/

The Vandeburg Space Force Base is located here:

https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/

Pea Soup Andersons:

https://www.peasoupandersens.net/historyBuellton.html

*POPPIN and Wall-E:

The term "poppin" was used in the article to point to some "Walt Disney" ligo others might notice by placing this in caps with a star; as this points to the movie "Mary Poppin" by Walt Disney Pictures. Wall-E is a space movie also by Walt Disney pictures in connection with Pixar Pictures. What you may not know is that the Pea Soup Anderson's logo that is found at both the Santa Nella location not far from Mission Soledad; and The Pea Soup Andersons logo for the location in Buellton, Ca (near the Danish town of Solvang, CA) was prepared by an artist trained by the Walt Disney Company. This information can be found on their website linkedin above.

Both of these Amazon movies can be purchased here and at many local retail stores:

Mary Poppins is here:

https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Poppins-Anniversary-Julie-Andrews/dp/B0095R6OUO/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34BGHWDWEH0DL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1h_Ah5sHtj-LiLA375xn-7EolJySaxR4cTUT_fph8_Jq9p7Id9xNoR2AKPZIJ3ZXg7fjCRKO4MgrlnaQhdzHOH37F_v_o0xejs5KNgDrehoJAO60EojHuiQjv_sJFC5_GUDRyLzf_idHzeTMEFHHt5W5MWZ9uuXu6cZdZ4y0Mns4SPrv9xQxLusHUL_OxvmyHi0O3dKW33dh-5K1AjHu174aBSjC9mPylZwu3xC24eg.x2Lpg5Coyw86KNqawlqLj4ra9r-ohAtimLITH4Khy78&dib_tag=se&keywords=mary+poppins+movie&qid=1724096824&s=instant-video&sprefix=mary+poppins+movie%2Cinstant-video%2C165&sr=1-1

Wall-E is here:

https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Plus-Bonus-Content-Burtt/dp/B0791YP6JD/ref=sr_1_2?crid=39HOKWL6Z6XEO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QOylt-9Nm7dcKcaChanDjD3uB82qzsF4Y_k92bEvEplSseQ37PDjO0TSKRYEy3yArnCdHysejNHDhcSSSDZuDW47i3hFEHcKt8fjF6HiwXzJ1f05X6BIUShtFYatGJpXiFe0MZVcMuygCzgfvaJ2nKY9HiE-QgVBC8caOFbj4K80f2v2n1ZwOQBy4iXvwTVEICLzOeJLEq-6BdGsk1yntOa0wcbmMEcgkYtIUuHehZU.s3FLV7uPk-o0ZyJ4nseHrLxVBn1fsC7grHErgZStLNA&dib_tag=se&keywords=wall+e+movie&qid=1724096688&s=instant-video&sprefix=wall+e+movie%2Cinstant-video%2C167&sr=1-2

On the "Up and Up," although you may know of the "Up" movie by the Walt Disney and Pixar Studios team, this is actually pointing to the type of notebooks that was left at a few of these locations. Each place where notebooks were taken, they served a different purpose.

Each notebook was color-coded to match a trait about that location and the purpose for leaving the book. Although a few of these were from the "Up and Up" brand: such as one that was left at one of the Hilton locations, in the Los Angeles area, so people could "register" their names into the book as official "Citizen(s) of Heaven," other brands of notebooks have been left at different locations also.

You can see the type of notebook left at the Candlewood Suites here at Target:

https://www.target.com/p/wide-ruled-composition-notebook-up-up/-/A-80796207#lnk=sametab

This Up and Up notebook corresponds to the song "Citizen of Heaven" by the artist known as Tauren Wells. Yet this was connected also with a few books that was left in this area also.

You can purchase this song at Itunes:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/citizen-of-heaven/1482660115

The Hilton Garden Inn, Montebello (who received a book about "936 Pennies) was one of two Hilton locations visited in the Los Angeles, CA area. This book had been chosen based on a chapter about a different type of garden that people go to, in order to pay respects to someone they love.

Information about the 936 Pennies can be found here at the christianbook website:

https://www.christianbook.com/pennies-discovering-the-joy-intentional-parenting/eryn-lynum/9780764219788/pd/219788?event=ESRCG


The other Hilton location (known as the Double Tree, Rosemead) location that received the book by Christine Caine, known as "Undaunted." This book includes some of Christine Caine's notes about learning to fly, in a spiritual sense.

The "Undaunted" book can be found here at the Amazon website:

https://www.amazon.com/Undaunted-Daring-what-God-calls-ebook/dp/B07HPWVDXY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NSJAJQLQD27T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2XAzgBCWIq59KgSwdEGprZq593sEieOtuGCskuWG1GV6kwsF0lmZDkQs4Lu1ySZtDl4KKaJV-YNAbglW_DoiqOqGtcUUqa5tRSO_33jq6vwJ9m98LCwi0w2KhwMgIig4IzzvpROVsmsJijBnbbf6tPYtiSfgJntU7k6QXdn6YTc-7CgogqUBHcrZQxylmfWQgyafFdE-yI7X74q94sEeK0bTHr06cWpPjt3U_hFHOKo.zY_ChPIsEeKsVZdIfikNZCz-5NdwLePe4qJk0SYbfKY&dib_tag=se&keywords=undaunted+christine+caine&qid=1724105983&sprefix=undaunted+christine+caine%2Caps%2C349&sr=8-1

To learn more about these two Hilton Locations, that information can be found here:

https://www.hilton.com/en/locations/usa/california/montebello/hilton-garden-inn/?WT.mc_id=zlada0ww1gi2psh3bng4advbpp5dkt6multibr7_153671575_1004635&&msclkid=149f1a4fddca1a1188bf7c8c1a3c00bb&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search%7CGI%7CWorld%7CUSA_CA_Los-Angeles%7CExact%7CCPC%7CEN%7CAPI%7CEDGE&utm_term=montebello%20hilton%20garden%20inn&utm_content=US%7CCA%7CMontebello%7CALL%7COK&gclid=149f1a4fddca1a1188bf7c8c1a3c00bb&gclsrc=3p.ds

"The Blessing Cup" book written by author Patricia Polacco (and included notes written by myself, Kathleen (Kasper-Kat) Armstrong, (w)Holy Ghostwriter) was left with the security guard at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, CA found here:

https://www.aju.edu/

Keep in mind that Patricia is also the author of the book "Tikvah means Hope" and this term is the Hebrew word for hope. "The Blessing Cup" book can be seen here on the Thriftbooks website along with many of her other children's books:

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-blessing-cup_patricia-polacco/3053492/?resultid=041db5b6-7fb9-4eec-9246-6dee8ede5504#edition=7677977&idiq=16767549

You may wonder if I thought to leave a cup at any of the locations. Indeed, I did. At one of the Hilton locations, I hand wrote some notes for the staff to find (on cups that were left here for their guests); however, when visiting two locations near one another ( The Apple Farm Inn and the Peach Tree Inn in San Luis Obispo) a cup was left at one of these locations along with a special blessing blanket that has tassels, like the tassels found on a Jewish prayer shawl. The book left at these two inns were not about Apples or Peaches or blessings as you may expect. Instead, one received the book "The Pumpkin Patch Parable" by Liz Curis Higgs; whereas, the other received a copy of the book "Made To Flourish" by Beth Moore.

The article I wrote (when staying at the Apple Farm Inn) near the Peach Tree Inn at San Luis Obispo is linked in along with a picture I put together of these two inns here at Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/kasperkatisinhymntogod/photos/pb.100063665222779.-2207520000/5003983139615071/?type=3

What I learned about the Florianos location (noted above) is that I had read reviews that this location is a favorite place for military personnel to eat; and yet, you are sure to want to see the writing on the wall at Florianos Restaurant found here at Facebook too:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=557333003065536&set=pb.100063665222779.-2207520000&type=3

Both books can be purchased at local bookstores and online retail locations such as thriftbooks that is located here:

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/made-to-flourish-cultivating-an-abundant-life_beth-moore/26234302/?resultid=11936fe2-2e34-4efc-93d9-afd8fce2613a#edition=29788614&idiq=44005588

You'll probably never guess where I purchased the blessing cup from for the Apple Farm, because I truthfully forgot what one I left with them.

Blessing cups were purchased from a few places so I'll tell you where these are found. These special blessing cups can be found at

Here at The Dollar Tree: https://www.dollartree.com/dinnerware/coffee-mugs

I also purchased a Starbucks cup for a select location.

Those who shop at Safeway may know that they have Signature Select brand items along with Starbucks express service) here:

https://www.safeway.com/lp/starbucks-coffee.html?AID=14064854&PID=100357191&SID=oc5A05L8E_cFrofF6SHThC9vyStCYcTuv_0J4gjjy6ny8H9vokGQksj7Sfiz1s5c&cjevent=39fcd5ef5e7311ef81fe9e9a0a1eba22&cmpid=aff_swy_alld_ecom_cj

And of course, I included Sprouts Market items to produce good and lasting growth here:

https://www.sprouts.com/

Also a holy "blessing cup" from Whole Foods Market was picked up here to take to one of the locations I visited. These can be found in their deli serving area noted here:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/shop/SCA

What you may not know is that some of the online services (such as Instacart, Amazon Prime, and Walmart Pickup and Delivery) will bring items to their members at locations where they are staying, including local Inns that allow deliveries to be received.

Due to the ever-changing terms, you will want to check with the delivery provider you select and the place where you are staying, should this information be helpful to you.

Once again, the point of the Mission CD project, was and is to encourage people to appreciate all our society has done to better our lives and enjoy this process of celebrating goodness in our world.

This was mentioned here for good reason. Here in the US, people have gathered together from all over the world. The idea of being an American has changed over the course of many years. We the people are descendants of a variety of places: Asians, Africans, Mexicans and/or Europeans all came to the US, calling this one place their home. The same is true of many other countries. What was once disconnected became connected through a commonality: the place we live at this point in time.

The connectedness of the Holiday Inn Express: Lompoc, the Candlewood Suites: Santa Maria @Roemer Court, and the Holiday Inn Express: Santa Clara @ San Thomas Expressway and the El Camino Real may not be obvious to those who haven't made reservations through the IGH (Intercontinental Hotels Group) website. Truth is, many may not be aware of another connection that has been included in this work that was put together.

The IGH also has a number of facilities that specifically houses army personnel.

For those interested in learning about the Army facilities provided by IGH, that information is found here:

https://www.ihg.com/armyhotels/hotels/us/en/reservation

Even if you've visited these locations, you may not know of the connections I made between these different locations that showcase the way the "Mission CD Project" and "The Birthday Project" work together for much the same purpose.

Although I had stayed at the Candlewood Suites: Santa Maria and left items at this location left notes revealing how the gifts left at various places are connected along with a few items, what wasn't mentioned in the article above is how two inns were connected by way of the specific gifts left at each location.

Again, due to timing, it took two trips to central and southern CA to leave these items.

On the first trip, a cd was left along with a sticky note inside a partial copy of "The Message" New Testament Bible by Eugene H. Patterson. The sticky note pointed to a verse that mentioned "the real thing," a branding term the coca cola brand has used for years. And with this a small coca cola can was left at the Radisson in Santa Maria that is located near the airport.

https://www.choicehotels.com/california/santa-maria/radisson-hotels/cak16

This version of the "Holy Bible," is located here at Christianbook:

https://www.christianbook.com/the-message-new-testament-mass-market/9781576834305/pd/834301?event=ESRCG

You can review this passage at Bible Gateway (by reading John 1) in "The Message" translation of "The Holy Bible," here:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A9&version=MSG

When I came back a second time, I left a large Pepsi cola can with the notes at the Santa Maria Candlewood Inn.

Now you'll see how this is connected with the good good padre that was left at Our Lady of Peace Church and Shrine in Santa Clara; hopefully!

Yet there's more.

In the notebook that was left at the Santa Maria Candlewood Inn, the notes included some "Did You Know..." trivia that pointed to another man by the name of John who has inspired me for many years. In addition to this, I mentioned (for the first time in many years) a poem I wrote as a tween (under my maiden name) that specifically mentioned these two well-known soda companies whose products I left at the two inns in Santa Maria owned by different companies.

Yet maybe you can see why I might have wanted to place one of the sodas at the Radisson and the other at the Candlewood?

I now call the previous poem I had written an "Ode to a Friend," and that it was. The poem was written to a friend who was involved in a hurtful incident. The point of the poem was to indicate by mentioning ideas (often viewed as rivals to one another) being equally valuable for a specific purpose: such as light and darkness and one name brand verses another.

One of the other gifts that was left at The IGH Candlewood Suites is a dvd of "The War Room" movie by the Kendrick Brothers. This specific location had a lending library and dvd players in each room when I visited. Should this feature be of interest to you, be sure to verify that these items are still available for your stay.

The dvd and blue ray for this film is found here at Barnes and Noble also:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-war-room-alex-kendrick/28702944

There is a connection between this movie and at least two Missions near this location. It's been noted online that a feud took place between the San Inez Mission (near Pea Soup Andersons) in Buellton, CA and the Santa Barbara Mission that is located in Santa Barbara, CA. You can search and find several articles on this time period. I've included a link for one article that notes this rebellion period that took place not far from San Luis Obispo, CA here:

https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/history/50/

Another "gift" that was left on this journey along the Mission trail is a page from the book "Being Peace" by Thich Nhat Hanh. This page from the book was placed inside a binder (for people to write notes when visiting the Pea Soup Andersons Restaurant in Solvang, CA); whereas, the rest of the book was brought to Florianos (restaurant and butcher counter) in Lompoc CA with some of my personal notes inside this book, after I went to *POPPIN into the Holiday Inn: Lompoc to leave a small FM Mp3 radio and the Orca Origins book "Diwali: Festival of Lights" by Rina Singh.

Before this, I had taken another notebook with notes about "branding" to F.McLintocks restaurant in Arroyo Grande, CA. Being completely on the (Up and Up), I provided a place where people could write notes to share with others about tips they wish they knew earlier in life here also. Although the F.McLintocks in Arroyo Grande is said to have closed, there are currently two locations (near Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa) that are still open, so the original set of notes may have been taken to one of the two current locations.

Here are a few of the ways this was connected with places nearby. When leaving the San Luis Obispo area and reaching Santa Maria, if you are careful you can reach Vandenberg Space Force Base (where space launches take place and the military base is located) on the way to Mission Purissima Conception, that is if you don't get lost at Los Alamos, CA on the way, like I did on my first trip.

The connectedness between the Lompoc Holiday Inn Express and the Vandeburg Space Force Base may not be obvious; however, remember, I left a book about Diwali at this specific inn; a movie that reveals the connection is known as "Wall-E."

As for the Mission itself, rather than receiving the original Carman Mission 316 cd, the Mission La Purisima Concepción received a cd I prepared specifically for this location that included the "Mission 316" song by Carman and a few songs by Jaqi Velasquez and Danny Gokey that were linkedin with the meaning of the name for this location and the Florianos restaurant. One of the songs included is a "Flower In the Rain" by Jaci Velasquez; likewise, Danny Gokey's song "We All Need Jesus" notes that we all have needs 24 hours a day 365 days per year.

In Spanish the term "Flor" means "flower" in English and "a?os" means "years." What's more, the book about "being peace" is written by a (bud)hist monk. This of course is connected to the fact that Jesus (rose) from the dead.

Unfortunately, a couple of planned site locations were postponed; so the original "Walmart" (aka: wail-muerte) blank book (that had been planned to be left at another nearby restaurant was delayed; this (too) was slated to show how each gift is connected to other gifts, in much the same way that your giftedness is connected with the people who have assisted, encouraged and inspired your gifts and abilities.

All in all, my hope is that the notes written here are an encouragement to see and appreciate those who make our lives more enjoyable. Whether you visit any of these places mentioned in today's article, may you remember the good that others have provided for your wellbeing each time you encounter these moments of your life.

Part II of this article will include a picture of the artwork that was started and has been set to be completed this month in August of 2024.

Today's picture included in this article was inspired by an article found in the "NIV Life Hacks Bible" found within the book of Isaiah. Although the information noted here about sanctification wasn't included in the "NIV Life Hacks Bible" 2015 version I purchased, the article provides people with some tools for "Self Assessment on Sanctification," and show how this habit is connected with scriptures found in Isaiah chapter 35.

The picture of Mission San Jose reveals both the connection with many of the notes written here, and of another fact you may not know about the CA Mission chain. Many of the missions hold services by the Catholic church (those known to wear habits); however, many of these locations are also maintained by the government, as is many of the lighthouses that are still operating today in the USA.

For those interested in this version of the "Holy Bible," this can be purchased at many retailers, in addition to the Amazon one seen here:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=niv+lifehacks+bible&adgrpid=1331509156811793&hvadid=83219644425581&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=86437&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83219691004841%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=22538_13531143&msclkid=fa469f3cd275143a41adf9ff35e33d1f&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_bx5yq5l26_e

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