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.

March, 2008

Our Tasha is still hanging in, barely. She keeps getting lapses that last about 5 days, of not eating and drinking very little water. We have to assist her to the backyard potty, and help her back in the house. She still has the loud cough, but the vet has her now on a medication that seems to be helping that. We can tell that she is not in any pain, as she still manages to give us kisses and wags her tail with excitement. We are thrilled to still have her with us.

March 8th - Spring Rec Soccer season is in swing. Nicole's U-14 team won 9 to 0, Nicole making 1 goal, and Brandon's team played a tough, first game in the U-8's, losing 3 to 0. The field is a bit bigger, and the teams they're up against are a little older. They were exhausted by the time the game was over, but, nevertheless, ready to get ice cream at Dairy Queen.

Nicole's school soccer team has done extremely well in their short, 7-week season. They have won all of their games, with one last game to play next week.

March 15th - This week, I noticed Brandon had a few extra teeth in his mouth, BUT, his baby teeth were not loose. So, today, I took him to his dentist, and Dr. Phil (his dentist) said he would help him get them out. Brandon was confused. "Mom, how is he going to do that?"....I said that he was going to pull them out. My brave boy walked in the office with the nurse, and came back within 10 minutes with his two teeth in a cute little treasure chest container. He said it really hurt and he cried just a little. When I looked at his baby teeth in the box, I couldn't get over how long the roots were. Nicole's were never like that. Brandon's teacher said all the kids in his class that she has assisted in removing teeth from this year, have had the longest roots. Hmmm....I wonder if that means anything?? I'm sure the Tooth Fairy will be generous to him tonight, being he was extra brave at having them pulled.

Brandon is graduating tonight to a yellow-stripe belt in Karate. He made it through "breaking the boards" at practice recently. He absolutely loves karate, and is top in his class. Pictured with him to the left are his friends from school, Tyler, Evan, and Sara.

On our way out to Brandon's karate, our dog, Tasha, collapsed. I knew this was it, so I told David to just go, and I'll catch up with them. Within 30-minutes after they left, Tasha went into a coma, and her breathing started to change. She even started to bark and growl, as if she was fighting off her demons. I called David, and he left the kids with friends at karate, and rushed home. We decided after a few hours of watching this, that it was time to take her in. We loaded her on my lap in the van, and drove around the corner to get the kids. Nicole really wanted to be with us, and we were glad she decided that, because as soon as the two kids got in the car and gave Tasha love and kisses, Tasha took about three breaths, and was gone. I didn't tell the kids until we got to the animal hospital. Needless to say, it was devastating to say goodbye to our Tasha girl. She brought all of us so much joy, and we feel so fortunate to have had her all these years. We have so many wonderful memories of her and Worf, and now she's joined him and Missy (our cat) at the Rainbow Bridge (http://www.rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm), pain-free, doing what she loves to do best, chase her ball, and waiting for us to join them someday. Tasha is being cremated and will rest in peace in our home, right next to Worf.

TASHA

This was taken in 2003 when she was 11 years old!
Rest in Peace, Puppy-Girl!!! We love you!!

March 15th - The last basketball game of Brandon's YMCA league. It was truly unbelievable to watch this team of 6 & 7 year olds play. They are really good!!! Brandon is certainly taking after his Dad in his love of sports. When Nicole was this age (6), she was still watching "Between the Lions", "Barney", "Out of the Box". What does Brandon watch? ESPN Sports!!! His Dad is very pleased, needless to say!!

After basketball, we were off to the soccer field in Campbell to watch Brandon play first. The Might Tigers did a great job, once again, keeping up with a tougher team, coming out tied, 0-0. We're so proud of them!

Then, Nicole's team was next. They did extremely well too, winning, 7 to 1, Nicole scoring 3 of those goals.....a hat trick!! Nicole wrote an email to her friends about her experience with Tasha and here is a quote from it:

"I had a soccer game today and I told my mom and dad that i was going to play extra hard for Tasha. And I ended up scoring a hat trick (3 goals)! I'm sure that made Tasha, Worf, and Missy proud! I love them very much! And I will always know that they are always there for me in spirit!"

Her entire email was so beautiful, and I didn't even know about it until my Dad told me about it (she sent it to my brother). I had her send it to me, and just cried when I read it. I guess all these years of writing thank you notes has helped.

March 16th - PALM SUNDAY - went to church with my cousin Colleen. The youth group performed the stations of the cross. They started this program two years ago, and it is extremely heartfelt. From the music to the acting....it truly makes you feel as if you lived this event yourself. Father Jon does a fabulous job at directing the youth (http://www.stjulies.org).

March 18th - Nicole's last soccer game at school. They played Britton from Morgan Hill, one of the better teams in the league, and we won 3 to 0. This means Bernal is in the playoffs for the first time ever. The first playoff game is schedule for Tuesday, April 1st.

March 22nd - Attended the annual Easter Egg Hunt at our pool club. Brandon enjoyed finding Easter eggs with is neighborhood friends. He even won a large Easter basket filled with goodies. We always enjoy this event with Lili and Marissa, especially (also pictured is Lili's friend, Amber).


We all were busy today cleaning and preparing for Easter Sunday brunch, making time for our goofy kids to color Easter eggs.








March 23rd - HAPPY EASTER!!!

We celebrated Easter Sunday with family and friends at our home, with a nice, sit-down brunch. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed all of our blessings.





March 24th & 25th - Time at the Castle on Pajaro Dunes --
Our friends, The Carmichael's, asked us to join them and others, once again, at their Pajaro Dunes castle. They're the ones that had us at their Tahoe home in February. Such generous friends. Nicole brought her friend, Haley, and even though it was a bit chilly on the beach, the kids were brave enough to go in the freezing cold water.



Each morning, the kids would go down to the beach and collect fresh sand dollars. They each found about 30. Then, they collected debris from the beach and created this creative fort in the sand.













This is a view from the third floor of the castle. That's David and Nicole in the water at 9:30 am. The weather was beautiful, and the wind was perfect enough to fly kites. We flew the "Black Pearl" kite that Brandon got for Christmas, for the first time.

David was on the beach at 9:00 am to have his coffee and read the paper. I served him breakfast on the beach, and at lunch, brought him down a sandwich (what a life!). He only came up to use the facilities. Then, about 7:00 pm, he finally came up to watch the sunset with all of us from the balcony. The most beautiful sunsets I've seen here yet.

Thanks Carmichael's, for being so generous to us.

Happy New Year??? (Jan & Feb, 2008)

By the start of our year, I'm questioning how the rest of it will go???

Thank goodness we've had a few get-a-ways to get some peace-of-mind!

JANUARY

January 2nd - Our 16-year-old dog, Tasha, is diagnosed with cancer of the blood vessels.
January 3rd - Matthew, our nephew, turns 22.
January 13th - David turns 46.

January 16th - We get a call from our nephew, Matthew, with shocking news that his 42-year-old mother, Leslie, (David's sister), passed away earlier that afternoon. Even though we didn't have a relationship with her, we are still shocked and sad about this news. Our hearts go out to Mom, Kirsten, and Matthew especially, during this extremely difficult time. We're waiting on the results from her autopsy to get answers on what actually happened.

January 28th - Viewing of Leslie -- sadly said our goodbyes.

Rest In Peace

LESLIE DENISE ALPER
March 13, 1965 - January 16, 2008
http://www.RememberedBy.Us/LeslieAlper
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January 29th - Brandon had surgery to have his tonsils and adnoids removed. He got through everything great. Much better than Mom did. He did so well that he didn't even need pain medication. Doctors were very proud of him.....needless to say, so were Mom & Dad.

That same evening, our Tasha, took a turn for the worse. She collapsed while trying to go outside, so David picked her up, and while he was holding her, we thought it was the end. We were all crying, saying our goodbyes. However, miraculously, she bounced back, and within a week was back on her own again. She still manages to get around pretty good - eats, drinks, wags her tail, and gives kisses, but has a persistent cough from the tumor that is growing around her lungs.

FEBRUARY

February 6th - Honors night at Nicole's middle school. She made the Principal's list and was initiated as a member of the California Scholarship foundation. This is a group of kids who support our community by performing community services.




February 8th - Our annual Girls weekend at the cabin in Pollock Pines. Had to shovel, but definitely not as much snow as last year. It was gorgeous weather, and once again, we enjoyed our bonding time with movies, laughter, food, and refreshments. Sisine, Juli, and Dana....we missed you!!!










February 12th - My dear friend, and former neighbor, Vicki, who now lives in Vermont, went in for breast cancer surgery. Thank God she's doing pretty good. God bless you Vicki, and may He continue to give you strength through this battle you are fighting.

February 16th - The Carmichael family have become wonderful, and extremely fun, friends through St. Stephen's, and they were brave enough to invite four families, 8 adults and 9 kids, (yes, all at once) to their beautiful retreat in Tahoe City. What a great time!! Thanks Carmikes!

The parents dug out a sweet toboggan run in the snow along side of the lodge, and the kids had a blast sledding.















We also drove down the road to a nearby snow park, and the kids had a great time there too.

Click on the arrow to see Nicole sledding down the hill.


Click on the arrow to see Brandon sledding down the hill.



The toboggan run at the lodge was best at night, as the snow got super slick and the kids were flyin' down the run. There were a few minor injuries, but everyone, including us ole folk, had great fun!!!

































Laurel, Amy, Jane & I took a short walk to the snow-covered beach, and could see our Hyatt property across the lake at Incline. The water was crystal clear and was so still, it looked like saran wrap. So breathtaking, surrounded by beautiful, snow-capped mountains.




















February 20th - Mighty Tigers soccer practice starts. All boys and one girl on the under-8 team this Spring season. They are ready to rumble!!!!

Brandon is playing basketball through the YMCA. He's quite the basketball player, and his team is doing great......"Go Lakers"!!!! That's him shooting for the basket that he made.

February 23rd - Yiayia (Elaine's Grandma) turns 97.
February 12th & 26th - Nicole's first soccer scrimmage game, away with her school team. Broncos (her team) won, 1 to 0, with Nicole scoring the only goal. The official first game, Broncos won 5 to 0, with Nicole scoring 2 of the 5 goals. YOOHOO!!
February 28th - Nicole's second game.....tied, 1 to 1, with a tough team from Gilroy. They even went in to overtime to try and break the tie, but no one scored.