Texas
For entries after August 2002,
Go to "Texas 2" web page.
October 26,
2002: Al Mukhtar's Daughter, Leila Georges Matar Weds Chris Alfred
Moujaes. See Texas 2
Nadia Matar, daughter of Nabil & Wedad Matar,
marries David Shane Cowart
The wedding took place in Saint Michael Church in Beaumont Texas on July 2002.
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Celebrating Roum Easter in S E Texas 2002
-----Original Message-----
From: Matar, Nabil [mailto:Nabil.Matar@premcor.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 5:53 AM
To: 'A. G. Kenicer'
Briefly The Roum church in Beaumont celebrate Easter every year out doors near
the priest's house where there is a large space consist of swimming
pool, volleyball field, area for children with swings and slides. all the Roum
and their friends in the area will attend the Easter services, have lunch
together and do several activities like playing music, volleyball, swimming etc.
As for the pictures I send you, I already wrote the first names of the
individuals, most of them you already new. incase you don't, bellow I will
identify some by mentioning the last name like for example:
Lina ,Nadia and Ziad are my children, - Azlyn and Nicholas are my grand
children - Leila is George's Daughter - Nora is my
sister
Tony is tony Mir3i Moujaes ( Khalil Mir3i's son). Chris is Alfred
Moujaes son - George Haddad is the person who played the 3ood during
Shweir on the beach and he help us on shipping the stretchers. - of
course you already new George , Habib, Janice.
As for the others the majority are Lebanese Mughtaribeen.
By
the way, I asked Habib to word the Plaques, once he finish we will let
Grace and Susan edit them.
Nabil E. Matar
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| Author | Topic: Great pictures |
| Klee Member |
posted
06-04-2001 08:01 PM
Whoever invented the camera must be thanked, not to mention the photographers who record events for posterity. It is great to see the photos in the last update :-O : the proud family of new baby Caroline Zghaib (Ghassan, ALL the women in your family are just BEAUTIFUL, they must have good Shweir genes), and we can see all the happiness of the Texas picnic (no storm or snow can stop the Shweirieh, right?). We are so fortunate to have the capacity to share these and other photos of scenes, young people and events on the internet. I loved the photo of the mughly for Caroline, and the guys with their Mughly; you can almost hear the happy laughter when you look at these pictures :-D . Thanks for sharing them. IP: Logged |
| George
Matar Administrator |
posted
06-05-2001 09:24 AM
Agree with you Dr. Klee, the pictures are great, but they usually tell a fraction of the story. There is nothing like being there when these events happen, I wish you were with us, I guess I will revise that to say I WISH YOU ALL WERE WITH US on that day. There are many stories that went with the event my report is only one, there was no way I could have covered everything, the chats that took place, the jokes, swimming, the trips the people took getting there and back. One couple drove into the grounds because they saw the Lebanese flag, I walked and Invited them to join us, They apologized, because they were late for a gathering in Beaumont (they took the ferry also)but they wanted to see what was going on. I can't remember the names, I think she was Zaina and he was Nabil (?) both Lebanese, they operate the Hotel at Moody Gardens in Galveston...They Invited me for a visit. I tell you Dr. Klee, if every Shweiry community around the globe holds a reunion like this once a year, we’ll have good pictures through out the year, and a much more united group There are a couple of rumors that just sprouted out. Northeast of the USA would like to have a reunion and call it “Shweir at Lake George” and I believe our Canadian Counterparts in Montreal are thinking of doing the same and name it “Les Shweiryeh Au Montgheal” Vou Les vou Danceh’ avec Moi? Pardon My French Ya’ll. But the Idea is very appealing. Now How about you Aussies, New Zealanders, Brazilian, Germans, San
Franciscan / San Joses. I guess the Bay Area can have a tremendous
gathering because there are so many Shweirieh over there. Here’s a
partial list The Kenicer, Kheneisser, the Khounaisser, Archbold, Mapar,
Houchaimy, Matar, Baaklini, Walsh, Tabshrani, Halabi, Touma Sawaya, Malouf,
and I bet there are many many others in that part of the USA (Check the
phone book). You have the perfect weather, and the means to spread the
word so fast over there (Mhz). Some of us in Texas might even join you
(and I am not talking strictly the Bay Area!!). That George Is so Pushy!! one of these days! one of these days! he's gonna get his a..... IP: Logged |
| Nabil E.
Matar Member |
posted
06-05-2001 10:56 AM
Dr. Klee, My brother Habib took a fantastic video for the picnic and gave it to me. It could be a nice video to show in Eid Al Mughtaribeen. I am now making several copies. If you are interested, please send me your address and I will be more than happy to mail you one. That’s goes for Hilda, Mona and Saera and maybe Anwar (just kidding master). For the rest of you guys, you have to beg ha ha ha |
| Author | Topic: Shweir at the Beach |
| Habeeb
M. Nacol Member |
posted
05-28-2001 06:46 PM
What a great reunion. First I want to thank our wonderful hosts Alfred and Maria Moujaes for their gracious hospitality, and of course my little brother George. It seems that every year it gets better. It was so good to see Anwar again, and my cousins Saera and Milad who came all the way from Montreal. Also To get to meet Waleed, the son of my cousin Shehady Moujahes. The big surprise for me was seeing Dr. Joseph Abdo and his wife Sassy. Joseph is from the Salamy side of the Moujaes Family and first cousin to Saera Khairallah.We did not have Mighli to celebrate the birth our newest Shweirieh Caroline, but we had Texas Bell icecream. I wished that everyone could have seen George and Alfred playing the dirbakeh with our friend George Haddad (Ein Dara)singing and playing the oud. Laila outdid herself in designing the new shirts. Thank you guys for a very memorable occasion. The fattoush was out of sight! IP: Logged |
| George
Matar Administrator |
posted
05-29-2001 02:28 PM
Thank you Abu il Hebb on this BB. It is the short but accurate version, expect the longer version with "Pictures" in the very near future. In the nutshell, it was great. The Fattoush was done by Leila Moujaes, she is Alfred and Henry's Mom. Coming your way soon is the complete story. IP: Logged |
| Ghassan
Zghaib Member |
posted
05-29-2001 03:39 PM
I can only be thankfull to the people who made all this happen: The Shweir at the beach , the Shweir website, etc... I know now that 'my family' is bigger than I ever thought or imagined. I'm gratefull for all those who share my joy and happiness. Thanks again shweirieh... IP: Logged |
| George
Matar Administrator |
posted
05-29-2001 04:54 PM
Ya Abu Diane, Marie, and Caroline...Wait for the pictures that we took today, they were specially for your family and Caroline. Okay I'll give you a hint, we had our Mughli and the bill is being sent to your Address (just Joking about the very last part) IP: Logged |
| Ghassan
Zghaib Member |
posted
05-29-2001 08:10 PM
Your price is on me (haakon alaiyeh)  |
Every Year on the day we have our annual picnic I get
this mental anguish wondering if this year’s picnic going to be a success.
I can’t help myself on Sunday morning question whether everybody who
said they’d be coming are actually coming?
Are we well prepared to make all the attendees enjoy the afternoon?
Are we going to make it worth their while, especially those that have
traveled so far to be with us? Did
we buy enough food and drinks? Did
we buy too much food and Drinks? Is
the weather going to hold? Well,
Sit down and read this full report, a little long but in include “The Good,
The Bad, and the Ugly”
The Weekend - Friday
The
weekend started on shaky grounds, the flight schedule was running amok but
everybody arrived safely. Alfred
who happened to be the one buying the food was on a business trip outside the
state. God bless him he cut it
short to be home in Beaumont Texas on Thursday night, only to hear that he had
to entertain a client on Friday night in Houston Texas (100 Miles Away).
Saturday – The Storm
Really
early in the morning, Alfred decided to head home after taking the client to his
Hotel arriving around 4:30 AM to find his sweet wife Maria fighting a migraine
headache the size of Texas itself (I usually get them but the size of Idaho).
He stayed by her side all day, going to the market to buy the fish,
utensils, paper, potatoes, corn, drinks etc…between her naps.
In the mean time a cold front, coming from the northwest, collided with a
warm front, coming from the Gulf, along the Interstate 10 covering all the area
from Houston to Beaumont and beyond. We
are talking about a major and super charged storm with torrential rain and
dangerous lightening of biblical proportions.
I am talking about the type that you can not carry an Umbrella because of
the wind and the fear of the umbrella’s metallic pole attracting the
lightening bolts just like you see in cartoons.
Needless to say Alfred got caught in the middle of it as he was bringing
the food from Sam’s warehouse to his car, got his car inside REALLY WET.
The Calm after the Storm
By
eight o’clock Saturday Evening, Maria was feeling a little better, Alfred and
I agreed that we will do everything on Sunday Morning. He refused to let me drive to Beaumont to pick up everything
and bring it to the Cabin, he said it was too dangerous for me to drive at night
and the storm is not as intense but still strong. At 11:00PM he calls me:
“Maria is doing great and sleeping comfortably, I am on My way to the
Cabin to start marinating the fish”. I
said “don’t be stupid, we can do that in the morning besides, it is late at
night it would be dangerous, and what about the storm”?.
“yeah, yeah, yeah I know”. He
said. “The storm has cleared, see
you in the early morning, I am on my way” Click beeep. He hung up
My
Family, and Nabil’s Family, with Saera and Milad and Suheil and Natalie
Baaklini were all at our beach cabin. We had our own fun that night but we did
miss all the fun activities we had planned for Saturday like the Golf
Tournament, the pre-picnic sit down dinner, and our soul satisfaction concert.
There is always next year, lets see what we can salvage on Sunday
The
BIG DAY.
6:30
in the morning I picked up the Ice and Donuts and headed to the cabin to
find Alfred already had the coffee ready, few minutes later we began to work
franticly to get the place ready. Short
minutes after that My Wife Janice And Michael arrived followed by my brother
Nabil and Cousin Milad. By around
10:00 AM we succeeded in transforming the Cabin grounds into a festive location
for a grand picnic. Alfred’s
neighbors The Simoneauxs how volunteer every year to do the cooking where
already on there doing that task. The
setup crew headed for the showers to clean up and welcome the crowd. I put my
New “Shweir on the Beach 2001 T-Shirt, yes I am very proud of it.
Everything
was ready so we waited, and waited, and waited, Why are they late? maybe it was
the Storm? Ring..ring..ring (
I am so glad I gave you all the telephone #s).
“A Bunch of us are stuck in Galveston waiting on the ferries, we expect
to be waiting for a couple of hours” Anwar said. Wow how could I forget not to mention “Avoid
coming via Galveston on Memorial Weekend” .
That was the main reason my map did not show Galveston…..My sincere
apologies.
At
around 2:00 PM KAABOOOOM everybody
poured in from all directions as if they all planned it that way.
The Party Really began.
Where they Came From
This
year we added new states and a new country to our guest book.
Montreal, Canada; Arizona; California; Louisiana; Maryland (Soon to be
Washington State); Ohio; and need I mention Texas.
Thank
You Dr Joseph, Sassy and kids; Walid Moujaes, Anwar Kenicer, Abe Sawaya
& Linda, Sami Moujaes for planning your move around our picnic
The T- Shirt
The T-shirts are great, and if you have not got one
let me know and we’ll order you one. Got
to have it. Thanks to all that
bought shirts, the selling of the shirt this year helped finance a good part of
the picnic expense. The cost of the
shirts was 30 % higher than last year because of the screening.
With the Money we collected we paid for the shirts, part of the food and
essentials. The remainder was used
to finance the books that you saw on the tables and will be on their way to the
Dhour Shweir / School Libraries hand carried by the Shweirieh attendees that are
traveling to Dhour this summer.
Alfred & I thank you all for helping
carrying the weight with us. And
thank you Leila Matar for such a creative Logo
The Lunch
I don’t have to tell you but by 2:00 PM Everybody
was Hungry, the preparation of food was complete and already placed on the
table. Fish marinated in Louisiana
spices, Tabasco, covered with a secret combination of spices and corn meal, then
fried to a golden mmmmmm brown. Potatoes
and corn boiled with Louisiana (different) hot spices, and hot links. The Salads
were really good Janice’s coleslaw & Leila Moujaes famous Fattoosh (Wow),
Nora Moujaes brought assorted Fruits and the Sarkis Family brought a tray of
Melon Cubes and Strawberries and cream (Thank you Barbara).
And of course BAKLAWA (Courtesy of Noisettine) that was hand carried all
the way from Canada by Saera Khairallah, it was so good it tells Samadi OUT OF
MY WAY. You can order Baklawa
through our web page e-commerce section.
Father
Michael Chavez who studied theology in Deir al Balamand blessed the food and
then EVERYBODY joined in on “Our Father Who Art in heaven”.
Amen Lunch was served.
Many
thanks to the above-mentioned people, I would like to Add the Salim Moukdisi
Family for the donation of the drinks. Also
the Gibrael Moujaes Family for the contribution to the fish buying fund.
The Little Celebration
My
Brother Habib brought Blue Bell Ice cream in single serving cups, this desert
was dedicated to Caroline Zghaib the daughter of Ghassan and Sizame Zghaib from Montreal, Canada.
Caroline sister to Diane and Marie is our newest Shweiry Born on May 20th
2001. May she have a long, healthy, and successful life.
The first incident
Maria feeling much better on Sunday hopped in her van along with “Pepper and Blaze” (See the Bulletin Board for stories on P&B), okay they are really big dogs. They arrived at the Cabin and immediately were placed in their special fenced area. In the mean time “Dusty & Thor” (my Dogs) were quietly blending with the crowd when they suddenly noticed P&B…this is first time they met…Bark.. Bark.. Bark (Translation Aaow Aaow Aaow). Dusty the smarter of the two, a Sheltie, traded “P” with Pepper and realized he was not a match for the Mammoth counter part quickly settled down. Thor on the other hand just could not stop barking as if he wanted to take on both P&B. I tell you, you can read Pepper’s mind by the look on his face while checking Thor: “you must be Kidding!!!” You see Thor has a tough name but he is a Maltese and slightly shy of 2 pounds. I grabbed him and said “Thor, settle down Boy.” He Shook and tried to jump from my hand to go after Pepper. I said “Quiet Boy”. He looked me in the Eyes and was still shaking and said: “Hal Kalib Samalee Badanee.” (Translation, that dog poisoned my body). Okay, he really did not say that, I read it in his eyes. I wish we had that on Video, it would have made “America’s favorite Videos”.
The Music
Very
different this year, thanks to my brothers Nabil and Habib for inviting George
(great name) Haddad from Ein Dara and his Lovely wife Tammy and daughter.
George is a top notch Oud player with a beautiful voice. Alfred and I
alternated on the Derbakee, and Nabil played the Daff.
Everybody joined in on the singing and Dancing.
Lead singer started to pop up from the crowd, there was Nora Moujaes,
Tony Moujaes, Meray Chavez (Father Michael’s Lovely Wife from Doma), Saera
Khairallah, Nancy Endari, and Many others.
There was Dabkeh, and Raqus Arabie.
Habib requested the song “Haowil Ya Ghanam” and George Obliged but it
was so nice and touchy to see the singers one by one move towards the microphone
and join the others singing the song. Somebody
must have that on a video…. Please share.
I
enjoyed playing the Derbakee so much, but it has been ages since I played it
last…I guess since 1971 during Eid Al Berbara.
My fingers are not used to this type of banging anymore.
As a result and for three days my hands looked like the Cabbage Patch
Doll’s hands, puffy with short and fat fingers.
Thank you Haddads for such a memorable and joyful afternoon
The Roasting
During
one of the intermissions Alfred recognized Anwar Shaya Kenicer as the Father of
the Shweir.com and presented him with a gift.
A well deserved honor Yahoo Anwar. Yours
truly was drowning in guilt because I did not know about this, worst yet why I
did not think about it myself. Yes
I was so intense into my deep thought that I missed what Anwar had to say (Sorry
Anwar). I was so involved in my
thoughts that I almost didn’t hear Alfred call my name and recognize me for
…something, What? If you are
reading this and were there please email and tell me…. Anyway, I walked to
where Alfred and Anwar were we hugged and…. “who said A speech!?!”
Now I know why actors and stars write their acceptance speeches.
So they will not miss thanking anyone, and I am so ashamed to say that I
did and I sure missed thanking the most important persons, it is late but here
it is: Primarily I’d like to
thank:
My
family for understanding my “unintentionally” ignoring them on the day of
the picnic
My
deep appreciation for Alfred and Maria, because without these two friends, that
are so dear to my heart, and their hospitality, Shweir on the Beach would not
have existed…
Thank you Nabil catching my fall and covering what I missed, with your “Soft Voice”.
The Games
Natalie Baaklini was enjoying playing Tawlee with Henry and her Dad, also playing Street Tennis. I don’t remember seeing Elie playing that game. Honestly, we had to compromise on the number of games that we played, several events were canceled like the bicycle race and balloon stumping, because of the delay in starting and because of the fun we had singing and dancing. But we did managed to slip in several games of Volleyball. Volleyball this year was a lot of fun and included players of all ages 7 years old Nicholas to 58 years old grandfather Nabil. Cute Little Azlyn (10yrs) said this is the best year ever, I love playing volleyball with you old folks, but stay away from my playing area I can handle it…and she meant it.
The Second Incident
Morris
Moukdisi joined the volleyball game but could not maneuver really well with the
set of keys in his pocket so he decided to place it on the base of the Net post.
The post happens to be a 2x4 inserted into a 4 inch plastic pipe 4 feet
deep and full of water (remember we are at sea level).
Plup…the keys sank to the bottom.
Morris being so nice: “Don’t
worry I have another set, or we’ll get the keys after the game.
I tell you that was not easy, the arm is too short, a stick can not hook
the key ring, even a modified coat hanger with a hook did not work…..Many
ineffective suggestions were made (including mine).
Then Our Host Alfred outsmarted us all.
LEARN, he walked to the food table, grabbed the serving tongs and
leisurely walked back, gave it to Morris: “Here’s
your Arm extension” . I tell you
the man looked like a genius.
The
Pictures
Hundred
of pictures were taken, you just have to wait until we post them on the web
along with other articles.
The
Meeting
We
held an annual Meeting to discuss our successes and failures and where do we go
from here. You will be hearing more
about real soon.
The End of the Day
It is so sad to see days like this end, but it was
very gratifying to know that all were leaving with a big smile on their faces,
bellies full of good food, a memorable T-Shirt on their shoulder.
And most of all a beautiful gathering that is implanted in their memories
for a long long time. Mental Anguish is now packed till next year.
It was emotional saying Goodbye to Sami, Michelle, Madeline, and Zack Moujaes knowing that it will be very hard to have them next year at our reunion. Please join me in wishing them the best in their new Home State Washington. They are Leaving Texas on June 3rd. Best of luck you four, and do stay in touch.
The Party after the picnic
You thought it was over?
NOOOO. by 10 PM we decided to stop the cleaning and head to the Simoneaux
(where they fried all the fish). So
we grabbed our electric and acoustic guitars and Zipppo.
Over there Bruce and Skip have already set up the rest of the “Rock and
Roll” so we all joined in playing and singing all sorts of rock and country
western songs. Alfred & Bruce
played the Electric Guitars, Skip played the Bass, I played acoustic Guitar,
maracas (no drums this year). Michael
(my Son) Joined us later and with Alfred & I jammed on the songs of Santana,
Jimmy Hendrix , the Beatles, Alfred and Michael Shared the guitar leads. It WAS GREAT. It
got even better when my wife Janice got into the act and started to sing with
us. This went on till past Midnight
after that we were pooped.
Monday
Most of the day was getting the place back in order and setting up to head back Home to the old routine. I won’t bother you with these details.
“And
when we had the choice to sit it out or Dance……We surely Danced”
Thank
you all
Your
Mukhtar Bil Mahjar
George
Matar
| 1 A  Even the birds flew in formation for our party |
2 Waiting for the Ferry, could not help but notice how low Texas gas prices compared to California |
3 On Ferry, Wow look how long that oil tanker is |
4
A welcome site at the gate |
5
Here is another shot of the group just in case you were not smiling in the first one |
B
Volleyball anyone? |
 Alfred & George |
 The Dancing cookes and Baklawa Queen |
 Cajun Catfish |
 Lunch Line |
C
 Lets see how many you can identify without captions... |
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| N Books to start the first Library in Shweir Souheil & Samih taking inventory |
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| O Shweir Foundation Meeting & Awards |
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 On Monday some Toured Houston: 64 story hi-rise |
 Texas version of Niagara Falls |
 Rockets to the moon  |
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Yes I toured Nasa, saw their command center,
some of the capsules that went to the moon and I touched a rock from
the moon.  |
On Tuesday we met again at Elie Bijjani (sp?) restaurant with consultants to discuss formal formation of Shweir Foundation or Fund then ate some Mughlee. |  |
 Eating Mughlee w/ photo of Al Burge (Beirut old main square) |
 Mughlee Honoring Caroline |
Private Art Collection in a Houston home of early works of a very talented
Shweiry Artist.
This artist is internationally recognized yet has not yet been featured
on Shweir.com.
Those who can name the artist will be eligible for a drawing to win a
"Shweir On The Beach 2001" T-Shirt. Send your guesses to anwar@shweir.com
Drawing will be held the end of June.
Nabil Goes Hunting, Texas Style
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Last week I was invited to a deer-hunting trip in a place in Texas near the Mexican border called Carrizo Spring. It is about 40 miles of Eagle Pass Texas. This was the first time ever I was exposed to such a wonderful experience. We spent 4 days out in the woods in a very rough country. We done our hunting, cooking, sleeping in a camp and of course sitting around camp fire every night where each of us ten guys telling jokes and funny stories. It was an experience I will never forget and I would like to share it with the Shweir. Com family.
The first day a friend of mine and I left home around 4 o'clock in the morning and drove about 460 miles (Approx. 736 kilometer) to the place. We arrived at the camp around one o'clock. To get to the camp we had to use a dirt road about 10 miles long. The camp consisted of two open areas furnished with several beds, a kitchen and a bathroom. Out side, there is a slab in the middle of it a hole where we built the campfire, and an area equipped of racks to skin the animals. Around two o'clock the host explained to us the hunting rule and regulation. He explained that we only can shoot one deer either male or female and all the hogs we can shoot. The deer should be old and the male should have ten points or more. He also gave us the hunting schedule, which is at 6:30 AM the driver, will pick us and take us to our designating deer stand where we stay there till 10:30 AM. 10:30 AM we will be picked up and brought back to the camp where we eat a brunch and relax. 3:00PM we will go back to the deer stand till dark where we come back to the camp and sit around the camp build camp fire, eat and drink and do what ever we please.
So around 3:00 PM the guy came in a utility truck, picked us up and took us to our designated deer stand. The deer stand is a small 4 feet by 4 feet made of plywood it has a door, an open window, and one chair. The hunter supposed to sit inside the room waiting for deer or hogs to show up. Boring huh, not at all, it is fascinating when the animals come in to eat the corns spread by the owner of the lease.
15 minutes after I arrived to the stand, the deer start coming, this was the first time I have seen this. I was so excited and very anxious to shoot my first deer ever. Finally I aimed at the oldest and the largest and shut the animal (you might be wondering how I knew he was the oldest, easy, he was the one in the wheel chair). To my surprise I didn't miss (He just could not move fast enough). You see my plan was, the first day is for practice and the second day I will kill an animal. By killing the deer the first day I met my quota therefore I can no longer shoot deer, I only can shoot hogs. So I waited for the truck to pick me up. Now I know that sound cruel to shoot a beautiful animal like a deer but I was overwhelmed with this experience (and he was old, real old). The truck came and we head back to the camp where the guys helped me skin the deer and package it. After that, every body cleaned up and prepared for supper and sat around the campfire sipping beer and telling jokes. It was really fun, like the commercial says: "It does not get any better than this".
The second day I decided to go to the stand and observe the animals. I can tell you guys, observing the deer, hogs and wild turkeys were more fun than shooting (not to mention that hogs and turkey are much harder to shoot, they were young and fast). In the evening it was Miller time again just like the night before. The Third day one of the guys and I decided, to cross the border to Mexico via Eagle Pass. I (might look like a native but) never been there. We spent all morning and then returned to join the group. The evening was spent sipping on "Buck Horn" beer and sharing fish stories.
The fourth and the last day we pack up our stuff and headed back home. Seriously, for the guys who never spend some time in Texas wilderness. It is a wonderful experience that will stay with you the rest of your life. My deer is being processed into Smoked sausages and Chili meat. If you come to the Shweir on the Beach 2001 I might share a bite with you, "Ya'll cum to Texas ya hear"!!!
I hope you will enjoy reading this. I am also attaching several picture of the trip.
Nabil
The Shweirieh in Texas Welcome
you
"With Arms Wide Open" to our annual Shweir Reunion
Yalla, get yourself ready for our 4th Annual "Shweir on the Beach" Picnic. This year it will take place on Sunday the 27th day of May. For those of you in the US, it is the Memorial Day weekend. This day was selected to help you plan time to travel to / from Texas. This is a pretty STRONG 4 ½ months Early Notice. You probably will receive about three more notices before the big event. Early RSVPs are strongly encouraged because it will help us plan your enjoyment better. I'll be glad to receive your RSVP, do let me know the # of people coming with you.
Here are some Ideas we are toying with for this year, your input is more than welcomed.
The Pre picnic (if we have enough People)
Saturday : Gulf of Mexico Golf Tournament, bring your clubs
Saturday Afternoon: Field Setup and preparations (Volunteers)
Saturday Evening: Possible dinner and Dance "Place to be announced,
possibly Alice's Restaurant"
The Picnic
Sunday Early Morning: Preparations at the Moujaes Cabin
Sunday 9:00 AM till: SHWEIR ON THE BEACH 2001, schedule of events/games to be
announced.
We are planning a Talent Show for Who ever got the Guts. We are hoping that Judy
Bou Kheir will be the coordinator.
Monday: Clean up and late farewells
Last year we had people representing the following States: California, Florida,
Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, and of coarse Texas. (Click
here for full story and see photos)
This year, we are hoping to add several other states and possibly some new
Countries Like Canada and England and perhaps some surprises from other
continents.
Waiting for your RSVP......You really do not have a good excuse not to come, so, do this now and before you forget:
1. Mark up your Calendar
2. Click here to send an email to George
Matar
3. Write: George my family and I are coming (Total of x people)
4. Sign your name, add a tel # if you wish
5. Push "Send" button
EeeeeeeeeeZZeeeeee. Isn't it
O did I forget to mention that the PICNIC IS FREEEEEEEEEEE.
Your Mukhtar Bil Mahjar
George Matar
Welcome to "Shweir on the Beach 2000"
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The following are a collection of select emails that
were exchanged shortly after the "Shweir on the Beach 2000" party. The
first and Last emails are from George Matar, Marhaba
Ya Shweirieh Wow, where do I begin to describe what took place during this year’s “Shweir on the Beach 2000”. This one was by far the most fun and most gratifying .
Jeeb(y) Finjan ahweh, It's going to take some time to read this. This
is the
report on our GRREEAAT Picnic, just to give you a taste of what happened,
and if you were there, relive the moment. I also cut and pasted some of
the
messages we received I tried to remember as much as I could and I am sure
I am missing 95 % of all that happened. Enjoy, and forgive the spelling. Saturday
May 27th. At the
Moujaes Cabin After
dinner we set up the musical instruments to practice the song for
Sundays’ crowd, The band on Saturday was a mix of the “Shabeebit Bourj
Dahdooh” and the “Gulf of Mexico Boys”: Alfred
Moujaes, Bruce Haire and Michael (my Makhool) Matar on guitars Skip
on base Mike on Piano George (yep… me) on drums
Vocals: By those who
remembered the words. We were into the session about half an hour
when the wind picked up drastically.
We had to stop, pack the instruments, and go downstairs and bring
all that we prepared earlier back into a shelter. Spend the remainder of
the evening reminiscing about the past. Sunday
May 28th This
day had the making of a great day. Friends
are coming from across the US, South Lebanon is free at last, and Allen
(the Mummy) Greenspan is not pounding the NASDAQ.
Even the weather couldn’t have been any better, overcast with
gentle cool breezes stayed with us all day long. Early
Morning:
We had to reset the tables, well, everything back like it was.
Then head for the showers. We
barely finished when the guest began to Arrive. Mid Morning
This is really what makes all this effort worth while. When you see friends and relatives that have been out of your
life for 20,30, 40 years. You
scream, laugh, cry, hug, kiss, quite an emotional sight and very hard to
put into words. Best
described When Nora Moujaes and Fawzi Emad recognized each other after 40+
years, you must have heard the screams FAAAWWWWWZZIIIIII
!!!!!! (forgive me if I don’t say much about it, I don’t think
I can do it justice). This year we had name tags which made it easier to
remember everybody’s name. This
year we purchased T shirts with a newly designed Logo by Leila Matar (my
baby Mishmosh) and produced by Chris Moujaes (contact them at www.moujaes.com
they are great with web pages, de3aieh).
On the back we had a beautiful picture of Shweir taken through pine
trees from Tobiya Baaklini’s home, courtesy of Suheil and Joy Baaklini.
Needless to say, they all were gone.
As a result of the sale and donations we were able to send $ 800 to
the relief societies in Shweir through Bank Audi (NY).
Let’s beat that next year.
Most
people got involved in old days stories, others got together for a
Volleyball game (intense) some played ping pong others went swimming.
This went on till about 1:00 PM. In
the mean time, Henry , Melvin (honorary Shweiry) and company were frying
cajun battered cat fish and boiling potatoes and corn, and fixing the
sausages, hamburgers and hot dogs and of coarse BEANS.
Some guests brought some wonderful compliments to the above:
Kim Suza: coleslaw; Nora Moujaes: Hummos; Leila Moujaes: Fatoosh;
Samia Chedid: Namoora. At
one o’clock lunch was ready and everybody gathered around.
Habeeb Nacol welcomed the all, blessed the food.
Everybody joined together in praying “Abana al lazi b’ Samawat”
(Our Father) in Arabic very touching I wish we had it on tape.
Afterwards lunch was served. Mid
Afternoon: The Games (private joke) This
year was Sanin’s. The
riders were:
Mona Khoury, Chris Moujaes, Tony Moujaes, Michael Matar, James
Mikdesi, and the finisher Eric Moujaes.
All received blue ribbons
Balloon
Stumping This
was a game for young people (under 10). Anwar
George Kenicer started gathering Members of the same family tree for
picture taking. It was quite
educational to know who’s related to whom.
Anwar brought with him his family tree which date back to the 18th
century, it was very impressive. After
that we had our annual picnic formal picture on the cabin stairs with the
US, Texas & Lebanese flags waving in the background. Very touching, we might use this on our tee shirts next year. 5:00
PM The Music If
you left at this time, you have missed the best part of the day.
I think Anwar described it best in his e mail below, but
here’s a recap from this guys point of view: The same members as above
with the addition of Jack Suza on drums (I switched to Bangos, and
guitar). We played (jammed)
classic old rock songs for about 45 min, Bruce and Alfred did most of the
singing, joined by the rest in harmony on refrains.
Alfred, Bruce, and Michael split the lead guitar duty.
Mike Dow who is a professional musician playing with the Austin
based rock band “Who Gnu” (buy their CDs if you have the chance) did
an extremely fine job adjusting to our old style music. Jack did great
banging on the skins. Judy
Boukheir Sang La bamba, in Spanish. Then
Judy dedicated a song for her husband Elie, “Evergreen” played it
solo. Elie then played the 12
string guitar and added the Harmonica on “Blowing in the Wind”.
After that the adult were done, I got to be frank with you. Personally, this was very satisfying. But the best was
yet to come. The young Talent ·
Makhool Matar (17yrs) did very good
with the band on guitar specially the leads on Suzy Q. I can’t brag enough how good these kids were. We were so impressed that we are going to have this talent show as a permanent feature every year. I wrote enough. There are some important issue we discussed on that day as covered by the following email from Anwar George Shaya Kenicer. (the important part is half way in the email about helping the people of Shweir). Also included are select emails we received shortly after the party. MIN SHOOFKUM SINT Il JAY Hello Shweiriyeh, while communicating with my good friends Elie and Judy Boukheir, Judy forwarded to me an email from George Matar about the upcoming event. I was impressed by how many Shweirieh there are in Texas and by the spirit of the message. I flew from San Francisco the day before and was a guest at the Boukheir's. The next day, I came with the Boukheir family from Katy (near Houston). we took a shortcut via the ferry and after about 20 minutes drive, there was the Moujaes beach house. We could not miss it. A very large flag of Lebanon was blowing in the wind at the gate right off the highway. what a wonderful gathering. The setting was ideal. There were three other Lebanese flags draped from the upper deck along the posts towards the ground. On the other side of the deck, a tall flagpole with the American, Lone star of Texas and the Lebanese flag were flying high that you could see them from far away. It was great to see again many schoolmates from Shweir Secondary
School (SSS) and meet their respective families. Also, to meet or see
again some relatives or distant cousins. Nametags sure helped. Next morning, we went back to assist in putting away tables, chairs and bikes. With Alfred Moujaes, George Matar, Elie Boukheir, Mouna Khoury and I, we spent a few hours remembering the good old times. We also held an informal executive session. It was more like a brainstorming session on best ways to raise awareness and funds to help those in Shweir who are less fortunate than we are and also to help gifted students. Many great ideas were shared. George Matar summarized the group's consensus that in order to attract the attention and support of as many other people from Shweir overseas; we need to provide them with something of value. Everyone was in agreement that we wanted to make sure that there is good accountability on how the donated funds would be spent. Mouna said that her brother was thinking about putting some info about Shweir on the internet. It would be great to constructively coordinate and utilize such great talent. Getting more participants with similar objectives, we will have even more dynamic and resourceful entity. As the saying goes: all good things must come to an end. We said our
goodbyes promising to keep in touch and try to achieve as many of these
good ideas as we can. DEAR
George,, YA mallaaeen and ya akareet
I am sure you all had a greattime
last week end . ANd i sure many astory was told and many a memory
crowded the atmosphere. Zukrayat
azime . I wish I was able to attend and
to see all your facesya shwiereh.. HOPr next year .
Please do email me the events and all that happened during the week
end .. I have not heard from
NABIL for a while , pray all is well with him and all the family . I will
email him today ,..HOPe also you have some photos to email .. ANy way
thanks for all the effort you put into the SHwiereh weekend to make it
come true. I know how much time and effort and energy it takes to organise
these events,. GOD bless you all my love to all the MATTARS. Hi
Guys George George, George/Alfred:
Here's some statistics:
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