October 23, 2009

My beautiful mother passed away today. She just turned 73 on the 5th of October. Mama suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for 30 years, but the last few years took a toll on her. She ended up battling severe pain in her mouth from trigeminal neuralgia, which is caused from the MS. You can see from her recent picture to the right, how it changed her face. We had to call in Hospice to get her comfortable, and she fought hard for 12 long days. I'm thankful I was able to be at her side for those twelve days, with my brother and my Dad, giving back to her just a tiny bit of all that she has given me throughout my life. She's a beautiful person, inside and out, and I miss her so much.

My colleagues at work gave my family the most beautiful gift.....a red oak tree to be planted in my Mama's name at the park I grew up in, Washington Park, down the street for my parents house. On November 12th, 2009, Dad, Rick and I witnessed the City of Sunnyvale planting the tree and they let us bury flowers and a picture of Mama with it.

Then, just 5 1/2 weeks after Mama died, my Yiayia (grandmother) passed away at 98 years old. She was my mother's mother, and I believe she just had it with the news of losing her second daughter. She had been ready to go for the past few years, and would get upset when she'd hear of someone passing and say "why am I still here?" Well, on December 8th, 2009. she died peacefully in her bed with all of us at her side. I was rubbing her chest after I noticed her breathing got more shallow and within minutes, she took her last two deepest breaths. Very, very peaceful, and there was such a presence in her room while we were waiting. It was truly unbelieveable!!! My Mama's family is all together now in heaven. They are all missed so VERY much!!

This picture was taken on Thanksgiving 2009. We had our last family dinner at her house, and she wanted to help, so she peeled apples for the crisp. Her mind was sharp up until the day before she passed. This is Yiayia at 17 years old in 1929.

Winter Break

February 14, 2009
We had plans for being away this winter break for five days, three nights at our cousins cabin, then two nights at our friends' cabin in Pinecrest, BUT, my Mom was admitted to the hospital on Friday, and I didn't feel comfortable leaving for so long. We even debated if we should go at all, being a storm was coming in, but, we decided to chance it anyways on Valentine's Day, for just a few days in Pollock Pines. It was a beautiful day, and when we hit the mountains, there was definitely alot of snow, and, SO breathtaking.

This is what it looked like in Pollock Pines when we got there:













A few guys drove by as David starting to shovel a spot for the car, and they offered to snowplow the driveway (for a fee, of course). David said that was the best thing he paid for all day.

The kids' were already upstairs playing Mario Cart on the Wii, and that evening, David fixed a nice dinner.......clam chowder in bread bowls, garnished with asparagus and shrimp.









February 15, 2009 - Sunday morning brought more snow, and it snowed all day.


David made a saucer run on the driveway and the kids had a blast. Even Lily had fun in the snow; her first time to the cabin and snow with us.






SNOW ANGELS


After playing in the snow, we took Lily for a walk.
Back inside, in warm, dry clothes, and a warm fire.....notice Brandon and how he's driving Mario Cart....and Lily, our marble fudge dog who blends in with the carpet.


















A special thanks to our cousins, Lany & Lisa, for letting us use their warm, comfortable, retreat throughout the years. THANK YOU!!! We love it there!!

January, 2009

Irene passed away on January 2, 2009
David's birthday, January 13, 2009

December, 2008

Brandon's new school, Gilroy Gardens, Christmas Day, Mom in hospital, New Years at LOP.

November, 2008

Brandon's 7th birthday, Legoland, Thanksgiving at Mom & Dad's

October, 2008

My birthday in SF, Fleet week, Michele's wedding

September, 2008

School starts, N clarinet, soccer, B piano, B broken arm, Rena's wedding, Irene's 80th birthday, Irene's cancer/surgery/stroke

August, 2008

Pismo Beach and Lake Tahoe

July, 2008

We did alot in July, starting with July 1st, when we celebrate Nicole's Baptism Day. Than, Brandon started a sparring class at Karate. He loves it! He's quite the fighter.....Even scares his own Daddy.

We celebrate July 4th in Morgan Hill with the parade in the morning with friends, then a night on the green in the evening to watch the firework show. This is one of our favorite events of the year.

Nicole took a horse camp at Calero Stables in Morgan Hill. This has been something she's been wanting to do for a long time, and she really enjoyed it. Master was the horse she got to ride and take care of all week. Of course, now she's asking for her own horse.

Elaine bought herself a present. Something she's always wanted in the livingroom....a baby grand piano. It's about 88 years old, made by Hazelton Brothers who made pianos from 1898 to 1957. It's in pretty good shape for being so old, and even the piano tuner said usually pianos this old just get trashed, but this one still sounds pretty good. I play it just about everyday. Being self-taught is a challenge, but it still brings peace to my soul.

I took the kids to the San Francisco zoo to meet two friends and their kids that I used to work with at Sun Microsystems back in the day. We try to meet up once a year, as one lives in Santa Cruz, and the other in San Francisco. And this year, Gayle was moving from Santa Cruz to the South of France. Brave ones, they are, and they are loving it there!!

Our friends from Brandon's soccer team, The Greenleaf's, got a job transfer to Switzerland, so we celebrated with them before they all left too. We hear they are doing great as well, and enjoying the adventure. This all certainly proves that our friends are much braver than we are.

June, 2008

We spent Father's Day weekend at a local Hyatt Hotel in Santa Clara, across the parking lot from Great America, and spent the day in the park.

My dear friend, Irene, also known as my "other-mother", was in an art show. She showed two of her paintings, and one of them, the poinsettia is one she painted for me last year.

May, 2008

May 5th brought my Daddy's 75th birthday. Now, that is SO hard to believe, but he still looks and feels so good. AND, he takes great care of my mother. God bless him!!

After four, long, hard-working years in nursing school, and at the age of 47, Carol, my friend from high school, graduated. I was so proud to be at her graduation, along with her family and our mutual high school friend Betty. I'm so excited that I now have a friend who is qualified to take care of me someday! :-)

On May 7, 2008, David and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary by taking a trip to Las Vegas, just the two of us. We left the kids in Sunnyvale with Brandon's Godparents, Joanna & Norman, for 4 days. First time ever being that far away, just the two of us. We stayed at the Stratosphere, and walked the strip all weekend. It had been 21 years since we were last there, when Caesar's Palace was the biggest hotel. So much has changed, so it was exciting to see all the new places. Our favorite hotels were The Venetian, The Bellagio, and Caesars Palace. We didn't even gamble or see any shows. We were just thrilled to be able to still have fun together, after all these years, without the kids, who tend to be the main focus of our relationship. We thoroughly enjoyed our time together. We had our wedding vows renewed at Cupid's Wedding Chapel, where I got to walk down the isle again to the traditional Wedding March, along with a minister and a photographer. It was kinda hoaky, but special, at the same time.

May also brought us upsetting news about St. Stephen's, the private school we've been in for 10 years now. They announced that the doors would be shutting forever on May 30th, two weeks before the school year was supposed to end. This was all due to low enrollment, and not having enough money to continue. So many of our St. Stephen's family friends were upset, and the last day of school was very hard on the kids, and, mostly the parents.

We noticed a few months ago that Nicole's rats, Rosie & Rachel, were getting tumors, and they were growing rapidly. We finally had to make the decision to put them down. A very rough night for Nicole, especially after losing Tasha just a few months ago.

April, 2008

April 1st - April started with the first Bernal playoff girls soccer game against Valley Christian. It was an interesting game, as one of Nicole's best friends' is on the VC team. Bernal held their own through the first half, keeping the score tied, 0-0. After half-time, Valley Christian came through with 3 goals, winning the game. They ended up winning the championship on Thursday, April 3rd. We are so proud of the Bernal girls soccer team. They have never been in the playoffs in the 35 year history of the school. They had a great, memorable season.

April 5th - Today, Nicole performed with the selected band members at Bernal in the California Musicians Educational Association (CMEA) Festival at Evergreen Valley High School. This was not a competition, but a performance that was judged and critiqued by professionals. The band sounded wonderful, thanks to their instructor, Randy Tyler, and came out with a top score of "S" (Superior) - a score the Bernal Intermediate band has only received three times in 35 years.

It was emotional for me watching Nicole sit in the second-chair (same chair I was always in back in the day), performing with "my" clarinet. It brought back so many wonderful memories, that I hope she will gain from doing this too. After the performance, the band was taken into a room where the judges met with them and told them where they need to improve....or not. Then, it was outside for a formal group picture.



It was a fun event, as all the kids rode together on a bus from Bernal to Evergreen Valley HS across town. When I got back to Bernal to wait for the bus to arrive, I was sitting there in my van with the window down, and I could hear screaming in a distance. I looked up in the sky, wondering "could that be them? Not a chance." There would be no way I could hear them that far away. A few minutes later, the bus arrived, and all the kids were screaming in excitement. I couldn't believe that I actually did hear it echo from way down the street. They were all so excited, as they should be. What a great experience!

Brandon had a soccer game today. Nicole and I had to miss it, due to her band performance, but Brandon's team came out winning 2 to 1.

April 12th - Today started out early on the soccer field with Brandon's game starting at 8:00 am. They won, 2 to 1. Mighty Tigers are looking excellent out on the soccer field. We're so proud of them! Nicole's team had a bye, which was good because we celebrated her birthday this afternoon at Silver Creek Sportsplex, a new indoor arena for soccer and fun. She had 20 girls join her in jumping around in jump houses and playing soccer.After the party, five of her bestest friends spent the night. They had alot of fun, as I planned a Digital Scavenger Hunt at the mall. This is how it worked.....I divided the six girls in to two teams.

They picked their own team names: Chimichangas had Nicole, Jenna & Alex, and ATAALDC (stands for "Anything That Andrea And Lizzy Don't Choose") had Andrea, Lizzy & Haley. Each team was given a digital camera and they each had lists of things they had to do in ONE hour at the mall. They ALL had to be in the picture along with the item they had to find, so they had to interact with people as well.

I waited at "headquarters" (Starbuck's), thinking neither team would finish in an hour, but, I was wrong. ATAALDC came in 10 minutes before their time was up, and the Chimichangas came in 5 minutes before their time was up. Each team had completed each task, even the bonus task worth 50 points. They had to walk and cluck like a chicken in the food court. I tallied up points when we got home, and in my eyes, both teams won! I was so proud of them all.
The girls came home and goofed around, finally getting to sleep at 1:30 am. I made them a nice breakfast the next morning......Nicole's actual birthday!

April 13th - Nicole turns 13 on the thirteenth!!
Her GOLDEN birthday!

Nicole is a great kid (so far) and is easy to pamper. After a fun-filled day yesterday, today was low-key. After her friends left, we cleaned to get ready for family coming over for cake. Nicole's biggest surprise of the day was.....a new dog.....LILY.
The opportunity to get this adorable dog came to us, and it was a hard decision to make, being we just lost Tasha a month ago. Lily belonged to my bosses mother-in-law, and she passed away in early February, leaving the dog without a home. My boss already has six animals, so he couldn't keep her. It just so happened that he asked me to feed the animals while he and his family were away, and I got to know Lily briefly, falling in love with her almost instantly. I made the mistake of taking Nicole with me one night, and she too, fell in love with her. Who wouldn't? We told Nicole that we probably wouldn't get her, because we needed a break from animals, when, all the time, in my heart I was going to surprise her for her birthday. I worked it out with my boss and his family, and they delivered Lily to our home when everyone was over to celebrate Nicole. Nicole was shocked to see them all standing on the porch, and when I said "happy birthday" while pointing to Lily, she responded with "Are you serious?" and ran to my arms with a huge hug. Awh!!! Very touching.

The fact that this is Nicole's dog means she needs to take care of her, so her first time ever being a pooper scooper.....

A little about LILY.....she's 4-years-old, weighs about 13 pounds, and is a mixture of Shelty, Korgi, and Pomperanian. She's completely house trained, and is so lovable. She pretty much has the run of the house, stays in the house while we're gone, and listens well. It didn't take her long to feel at home. We feel so fortunate that our paths crossed. At first, the guilt was heavy, with my feelings for Tasha, but then I realized that Lily's mommy is taking care of Tasha for us, and we're taking care of Lily for her. The weight has been lifted.

Tia Amelia's 90th Birthday
In April, we also celebrated my great-aunt's 90th birthday with my Dad's side of the family. Tia Amelia is my paternal-grandmother's youngest sister, and the older she gets, the more she looks like my grandmother. I get teary-eyed every time I see her, because she reminds me so much of Vavo. She looked so beautiful in her purple dress! Pictured here is Tia Amelia with me and my Dad, Mom, and brother Rick. On this day, my God-daughter, Michele, asked if Brandon could be in her wedding as the ring-bearer in October. I was so touched that she wanted him a part of her special day.