Happy 2008!

Today is the last day of 2007. In fact, we only have a few hours left! I hope it was a good year for everyone. I also hope that whatever you didn't achieve in 2007 will be achieved in 2008.

Every year I wonder what will be different at this time next year. Whatever happens in the coming year, I'm sure I'll be able to handle both the good and the bad.

I wish everyone lots of happiness, success and contentment.

Please continue to pray for our troops and their families. God bless everyone!

Another New Year

It's been a long time since I've been able to write anything. For whatever reason, words escaped me and the stress I felt completely went against the relaxation I normally feel while I'm writing. I thought I give it a try again tonight to see what happens.

Tomorrow will be New Year's Eve and I'm already wondering about what changes will take place in the coming year. 2007 was overall a pretty good year. Candie survived her first test as a military wife, the deployment of Thomas to Iraq. She grew into quite a strong woman, but then she comes from a long line of strong, independent women. It seems to be a trait that comes from my mother's side of the family. Thomas returned to her in October and it was a joyous time in her life. I'm proud of my son-in-law and daughter. I hope 2008 will see their love and marriage grow stronger with every passing day.

During this year I also gathered up all the willpower I possess and began a new diet and exercise regimen which resulted in a 55-pound weight loss. Part of my success comes from the fact that, rather than being driven by appearance, my motivation came from the desire to be the healthiest I can be. I've also accepted the fact that losing the weight is the easy part; maintaining my ideal weight will be harder. However, I'm up to the challenge and I can honestly say I'm happiest when I'm exercising on a daily basis, whether I'm lifting weights or walking.

In September, the entire family rejoiced over the birth of my niece's son, Daniel. Daniel is my mother's first great grandson. My sister is now a grandmother! I have become "Aunt Grandma".

There were heartaches this year, too. My friend, Doug, lost his son in August and his sorrow is still overwhelming at times. If I could, I'd take away his sadness. I pray that he will experience a little relief in the coming year. Also, my father-in-law, Albert, passed away after a short battle with cancer. I didn't get to spend as much time with Albert as I would have liked, but I'm very thankful that he and my husband reconciled shortly before Albert's passing.

Overall, it's been a good year filled with a little sorrow, laughter, good times and growing friendships. I'm grateful for the new friends I've made, the new level of friendship I have with friends I've known and the health and happiness of my family. I pray that 2008 will be a good year for everyone I know. I thank God for the gift of such a wonderful, happy life.

God bless our troops and their families. Ease their pain at being separated from their loved ones and bring them all home safe.

Let's Say Thanks

Let's Say Thanks

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! My son-in-law is home from Iraq with my daughter and I'm very grateful for that. However, I am having a difficult time remembering that there are so many of our troops still overseas. I've been sending postcards to our troops through the "Let's Say Thanks" web page. I've included a link here for you to follow. Please consider doing this as many times as you'd like. In fact, I have it saved it to my "Favorites" and go to it often. It won't cost you anything but the time it takes to type your name, city and message!

Please continue to pray for our troops and their families, especially now during the Christmas season.

The Fall Season - Once Again!

Now that the time has officially changed from my beloved daylight savings time to standard time, fall is officially upon us. I love the spring and summer months because of the activity and anticipation of new adventures. However, this fall has already brought some interesting changes in my life.

First was the arrival of Thomas from Iraq. Candie, and many other Army families, had been anxiously awaiting the return of their loved ones, almost since their deployment in August 2006. Then midway through the deployment came word that the deployment had been extended. I was proud to see my daughter recover from her disappointment and continue to be a source of encouragement and comfort to her husband, Thomas. Now that he has finally returned they will be able to live and love as a married couple again. It's a reminder to me that she is a grown, independent woman now.

The other change in my life was one that I'd thought about as a vague possibility someday, but was totally unprepared for. This past Halloween was the first since 1975 that I was not out trick-or-treating with one of my children! Not that my youngest didn't trick-or-treat, she just went with her friends and one of their moms. It was her first move toward independence from me. I must admit, this development left me with mixed emotions! I often joke with my younger kids, telling them that when I had them, they'd promised not to grow up but they did anyway. My poor husband tried his best to comfort me, but I was beyond being consoled. So, in order to fill the evening, we attended the vigil mass for All Saints Day then went to Target. Life, it seems, goes on and we either sink or swim with each life-changing moment. Personally, I've always chosen to swim so next year will probably dress-up in some sort of costume and hand out candy.

Please continue to pray for our troops and their families. They need extra prayers now that the holidays are close at hand.

Prayers Answered & Birthday Weekend

First I must start out by saying that the Lord has answered my prayers and brought my son-in-law home from Iraq, safe and sound. He called me yesterday morning a few hours after he landed in Hawaii. It was wonderful to hear his voice and he was so happy to be home with Candie.

They will now have the chance to be a normal married couple for a while, which they deserve. Candie has been a good military wife, loyal and full of love and support for her husband while he was deployed. It was hard on her and I can't even begin to imagine how she mustered up the inner strength. I'm proud of her and the woman she has become.

Thomas also made a huge sacrifice in leaving his beautiful bride and their home together to serve his country. He is everything I hoped for in a son-in-law and I'm so proud to have him in my family. I have prayed many hours for them and know that they will be blessed with a wonderful marriage and a loving home.

Also, this was my birthday weekend and having Thomas arrive safely was the best gift I could have received. My sweet husband sent me to Hawaii to spend some time with Candie earlier this month, so this has probably been one of the best birthdays of my life.

Please continue to pray for our troops and their families. God bless everyone especially Thomas and Candie.

On His Way Home!

Today I heard from my daughter Candice that her husband Thomas is on his way home from Iraq! She spoke to him this morning and he was in Kuwait, waiting for his flight back to the United States. He's expected to arrive in Hawaii sometime this weekend. Needless to say, Candie is excited and happy at the prospect of having him home.Thanks to all who prayed for his safe return. Please remember to keep praying for our troops and their families. They need our love and support.God bless you!

Support Our Troops

My son-in-law, Thomas, is due to return from Iraq any time between now and the end of October. I'm thrilled that this ordeal will be over for Candie and Thomas soon. Tonight when I called Candie I heard something in her voice that I hadn't heard since he left. She was bubbly and happy and rushing to make her preparations for his homecoming.

Last week when I was in Hawaii visiting her, we went to Schofield Barracks where he's stationed. It was exciting to see the "Welcome Home" banners strung out across the entrance and the base seemed alive with families and newly-returned soldiers. As we drove through the housing areas, I caught sight of many homes with "Welcome Home, Daddy" and "We Missed You" signs in the front yard. I guess living in an area that's not near a military base, it's easy to forget the homecomings that are taking place everyday.

On Sunday when I returned home, there was a young soldier standing in the airport waiting for his flight to Hawaii. I watched as a man and his two young children approached the soldier. The man introduced his children to the young man and said to the kids, "Did you have something to say to him?" The two children then said, "Thank you for protecting us. We appreciate it." The kids looked so proud and the young soldier said, "Thanks. It's my pleasure." I will pray for that young man every day because I know that there are family members who will miss him while he's deployed.

When Thomas deployed, I put a yellow ribbon in my tree and promised to keep one there for him until he came home to us safe and sound. I added another one on August 1 for my cousin, Jan, who is now serving in Iraq. I've decided to keep a yellow ribbon in my tree until all our troops are home. I feels it's the least I can do to repay them for all they're doing for us.

Please continue to pray for our troops and their loved ones. Whether you agree with the war or not doesn't matter. They are our brothers/sisters, neighbor, friends, sons/daughters, husbands/wives, fathers/mothers and they deserve our support and prayers.

God bless everyone, especially our troops.

Visiting Candie

Last Thursday I flew to Hawaii to spend a few days with my beautiful daughter, Candie. You can't imagine how much I wanted to go until you understand that two things in this world terrify me: dying in a plane crash and the ocean. Still, with Candie in Hawaii I had no choice but to board the jet and fly over the ocean to see her. It was worth every minute of the fear I experienced just to spend time with her. She picked me up at the airport and even presented me with a beautiful lei when she got there. We quickly got into the car and drove to her condo/apartment in Pearl City. She lives in a high-rise building, on the 30th floor and the view from her apartment is absolutely breathtaking. After I rested for a while, we were in the car headed out to shop and eat dinner. Her friend Stacy joined us and we had a great time talking and laughing.

On Friday while she went to work, I hung around the apartment until she got home. We laid out at the pool for a while, then went in and got ready to hit Honolulu, eat dinner and walk around the International Market. Saturday we headed out to Schofield Barracks, the North Shore and Sandy Beach but our trip got cut short when someone broke the window in Candie's car, opened up the trunk and stole our purses! The damage to the window was costly to Candie and the anger we felt was very upsetting, but not enough to ruin the trip for me.

Sunday we attended mass together and I realized it had been quite a few years since we'd done that. As I became more and more absorbed in the mass, my happiness at being there with my daughter grew and I began thanking God for all the blessings He has given me. I would not have been able to make the trip without the thoughtfulness of my wonderful husband, who paid for me to go as an early birthday present. And the days I spent with Candie were days I will remember for a long time to come.

As for the purse-stealing incident, the thieves didn't take anything of any consequence to me since I had my wallet, cell phone and camera with me anyway. The most important thing is that I the the opportunity to spend some wonderful days with Candie.

Thomas will be coming home from Iraq in the next couple weeks and we are all so thrilled! Please continue to pray for our troops and their safety.

Mama Mia

If anyone has read my profile, you've probably noticed that I list bowling as one of my hobbies. My husband and I bowl on two leagues, one on Thursday night and one on Friday night. The Friday night league is a Sons of Italy league and this is our third year in that league. I really love to bowl and it's not necessarily because I'm good at it. On Friday nights I bowl with two other ladies and this season we've named our team, "Mama Mia". The first year we were "Chicks Rule", last year we were "Oh Chit" (and before you waste anytime wondering, yes that's exactly what we meant) but this year we are Mama Mia.

Barb, Dottie and I have been bowling together 3 years now. For a brief time we had my friend Chris on the team because Barb had shoulder problems. But last year and this year it's the three of us again. The other ladies in the league are Margaret, Anne, Anna and Graciela. The rest are men, including my husband Ray, Barb's husband Dan and Margaret's husband Richard. Bowling with these ladies has been one of the best times of my life!

We have lots and lots of inside jokes, and all it takes is one of us saying, "There will be no regalia tonight!" to send the rest of into hysterical laughter. In fact, sometimes it takes just one word to break the rest of us up. The men usually stand and look at us wondering what's so funny...to be honest, we probably couldn't begin to tell them because it's often beyond our understanding, too. The bottom line is, these women are my dear friends. I know if I had a problem or something bothering me, they would listen and give me their support or advice and I would do whatever they need as well.

I've grown to love these ladies like sisters and love the time I spend with them. Sure, we get very silly sometimes but I thank God for them because they have brightened up my Friday nights immeasureably. The hours I spend with them laughing, talking and bowling are important to me because of who they are.

Please continue to pray for our troops and especially for my son-in-law Thomas who is due to return to Hawaii this month. God bless everyone.

Jury Duty

For the past week I've been on jury duty. For those who are not familiar with the one-trial system California has adopted, it goes like this: you get your summons in mail and are told to call in every night (beginning on a certain date) to find out if you have to report to the court house in person . If you have to report in person, you then drive to courthouse on the day you're told to appear (usually the next day at 8:30 a.m.) and spend the whole day there waiting and waiting for something (anything) to happen. If you're lucky you get to go to a courtroom and (possibly) have your number called to sit in the jury box as a potential juror. Otherwise, you pretty much sit in the courtroom and listen in case one of the prospective jurors is eliminated and your number gets picked to replace them. Once you get to the end of the day (usually around 4:00 p.m.), you're excused and don't have to be on jury duty again for at least a year.

The interesting thing about jury duty is the people you get to meet. I've been in jury duty 3 times in the last 7 years and each time I've managed to meet someone to talk to while we wait. The funny thing is that when I get a summons in the mail, I always think about the imposition, if there's anyway I can get out of it, or possbibly trying to move my service location so it's more convenient. Then, once I actually get there, I start feeling better about the whole thing and begin to enjoy myself. This time, I had actually hoped I might get on a trial but then remembered that I'm due to leave for Hawaii on Thursday.

Since I was assigned to the courthouse in Whittier, CA, I took advantage of the situation during lunch the lunch break and walked seven blocks to the historic district to indulge my love of old, historical homes. It was a cool, windy day and the walk was an easy one (only slightly uphill) and I saw some truly beautiful homes.

I guess the bottom line for jury duty, or any unhappy situation you may face in life, is that life is 99.9% attitude. If you have a crappy attitude, the experience will be an unpleasant one. If you find something positive about the same experience, it can turn out as good as you want it to be.

Please continue to pray for our troops. They need our support just as much now as ever.

Life & Changes

It's been a while since my last post and lots has happened. First, my daughter Candie came and stayed for two weeks. This will be her last visit without Thomas and we're all happy about that. Candie's visit was planned so that she would be here when my niece, Tina, gave birth to her first baby. Tina is my sister's daughter so that means my sister beat me in the "grandmother race".

Tina was due on September 20 but gave birth two days ahead of her due date, September 18. She had a boy, 7 lbs. and 19 inches long. They named him Daniel Michael after his father. Both the new parents are extremely happy and Baby Daniel is very, very loved by all the members of his family. It's been a while since our family has had a new baby and I'm already looking forward to the holidays!

The other big news is that my son-in-law, Thomas, is due to return from his deployment in Iraq. I am busily planning a long overdue wedding reception for them sometime in November.

Last but not least, I just observed the tenth anniversary of my late husband's death. It's hard to believe that ten years has gone by without him, yet my life has changed tremendously in that time. Sometimes I think back on my life while I was married to Dave and it's hard to believe it really happened. The young children I was left to raise by myself are now in junior high and high school! And, the teenage daughter I had is now a married woman! I thank God every day for the strength and guidance He has given me to raise my family. I also thank Him for bringing me a wonderful man to love me and my children and the happiness we share as a family. When I lost my husband, I was never scared because I knew the Lord would take care of me and help me whenever I needed it. My faith in the Lord has never failed me, not one time in my life.

I will try to keep up with my blog a little better. Please continue to pray for our troops in Iraq and their families. They will need extra prayers now that the holidays are around the corner.

Labor Day Weekend & Back to School

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend. As it turned out, the 3-day weekend was combined with my usual Friday off, giving me a 4-day weekend. It was wonderful to putter around the house and relax for a change. The weekend started off with a Friday morning all to myself while Ray and David went fishing. Since it was so hot when they came back, Ray and I got into the pool and floated around for about 2 hours. It was nice to spend time floating and talking to each other about nothing in particular. We even held hands while we were in the water talking to each other. I got a giggle out of that because I could just imagine the kids' faces if they had seen us!

Saturday we did more of nothing much. It was our Saturday for pedicures so we went, then took our wedding rings in for polishing and inspection. Then I took off to visit my friend Marie for a couple of hours. We had a great time talking to each other and I've decided it's definitely something that we will do more often.

On Sunday we began preparing the kids for back to school. This summer was a very good one and one I hated to see end. Of course, it had to end and the kids started school today. I drove both of them to school and dropped them off before going to work this morning. I'm praying that this will be a good school year for them but, of course, I'm already counting the days until winter break when we'll be able to sit in front of our Christmas tree, maybe with the fireplace going. I'm cherishing every moment of these school days because I know they won't last forever.

Please continue to pray for our troops all over the world. Hopefully Thomas will be home soon.

God bless all the children returning to school and keep them all safe.

Lunar Eclipse

Did anyone get to see the lunar eclipse last night? My husband Ray and I did! As we were getting ready for bed last night we watched the news to see if we could find out when optimum viewing time was. When we heard that it would be between 2:30 to 4 in the morning we looked at each other and decided to set the alarm clock so we could go outside and see what we could see.

As it turned out, we didn't need the alarm set. I woke up at 2:48 a.m., went to the bathroom and quietly came back to climb into bed. Ray was awake and said, "Do you want to go take a peek at the moon?" So we got up and walked outside to look.

The moon was beautiful! It was partially red and we could see a dark spot which, we guessed, was the Earth's shadow. We stood looking up for a few seconds then Ray said he was done and wanted to go back inside. It wasn't until we came back in that it occured to me that watching Perseids and lunar eclipses probably isn't something that a lot of people do. "Am I weird?" I kept asking myself. Then it struck me; if I'm weird, then I'm married to the right person because we always do these things together.

I'm so fortunate to once again have this kind of love in my life. It's something that I never expected to happen again, but it did. I thank God for bringing this wonderful man into my life and giving me the opportunity to have someone to share His miracles with. If you have a chance, watch the Perseides or a lunar eclipse sometime with someone you love.

God bless our troops. Please bring them all home safely.

My Dad & Heads-Up Pennies

This week I observed the third anniversary of my father's death. You would have to have known my dad to understand the disbelief I still feel that he's gone. He had a very strong personality and was always doing something, or making plans to do something. He also worked out at the gym and had quit smoking in 1983 to improve his health. He had no serious health problems until he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002/2003. Even in the face of his illness, he always wanted to spend time with his grandchildren. He took my kids many places in the years between their father's death and his death on August 23, 2004. He was never too tired to spend time with them and loved all his grandchildren with all his heart and soul. Shortly after his death, my mom consulted a psychic and was told that whenever we found a heads-up penny, it was a sign that he was present. Since finding that out, I have found heads-up pennies in the most unexpected places and during the most unexpected times.

The first was on February 19, 2005. I married Raymond that day and as I was waiting in the bride's room at the church for the wedding to start, I bent over to put my rain boots into a bag when I noticed a penny lying on the floor. Upon closer inspection, I noticed it was heads-up! I knew then my dad with with me at my wedding. My mother found a heads-up penny in her hotel room in Hawaii as we were leaving for my daughter's wedding so she picked it up and gave it to Candie. But the last heads-up penny I found was this past week in my office. . .

On Friday I registered Nikki, my 12-year-old daughter, for 7th grade. As a special treat I invited her and her friend Cassidy to ride with me to work and then I let them go the the mall, which is located across the street from my office. I walked them to the signal and watched as they made their way across the street, into the mall parking lot and into the mall. Being the mom I am, I called Nikki several times during the day to check on them. Finally I got a phone call from the girls that they were ready to come back to my office so I walked back to the corner and watched them come through the parking lot and across the street. They sat on the floor in my office excitedly showing me the things they'd bought. I called Martha, my babysitter, to come pick the girls up. When she got there, I walked the girls downstairs to say "Hi" to my son, then I returned to my office. Once back in my office, I sat down at my desk and noticed that on the floor in front of my file cabinets exactly where my daughter had been seated was a heads-up penny! I knew then that my dad had been at the mall with the girls all day.

Please continue to pray for our troops and their families. They need our prayers and support on a daily basis.

In Appreciation of Housework and Children

My vacation is now over and I'm back at work. I miss being home with my kids and being able to do things with them anytime I want to. I loved being a stay-at-home mom because I got to go on field trips, be a room parent, team mom and have "the house" that all the kids love hang around in.

The other day I asked my husband to check his lottery tickets to see if he'd won so I could quit my job. I long for the days when I cleaned my own house every day, folded towels and laundry and had my house organized. I've already made up my mind that if we somehow become independently wealthy, I will still drive a Nissan X-terra, live in my own house (remodeled and landscaped, of course) and clean and do my own laundry. Once again I'm reminded that the simple pleasures in life are the ones that are most important. Things like washing the floors, having time to sit down and help with the homework and going on field trips with the kids are what matters to me.

On Tuesday I enrolled my son for his second year in high school. Tomorrow I enroll my daughter in 7th grade. . .where is the time going? How is it possible that these two precious babies I so lovingly cuddled, nutured and loved can be more than half way through their school years? Unfortunately, the nature of children is that they are temporary gifts from God. Parents often forget that the baby they bring home from the hospital will not be that way forever. One of the ironies of parenthood is that if you do a good job with your children, they become independent and leave you. The upside of that is that they grow into the most incredible adults; I've seen it with my older son and daughter.

Please remember to be patient and appreciate the beautiful gift that your children are. The Lord has only loaned them to us for a very short time.

God bless our troops all over the world. Please say a special prayer for the 14 killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq, some of whom were stationed at Schofield Barracks where my son-in-law is stationed.

Two Wolves

This was sent to me by Nubia (LA Times Pressmans blog) and contains a good life-lesson.



One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between the two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

A Little Humor

I received this in an e-mail yesterday. It impressed me for two reasons; 1. it's a funny story, and 2. it speaks volumes about prejudice and assumptions about people. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.

"For anyone who didn't see David Letterman's take on this:

(And it's a true story...) On a recent weekend in Atlantic City , a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. "I'll be right back and we'll go to eat," she told her husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.

As she was about to walk into the el evator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was tall...very tall...an intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: "These two
are going to rob me." Her next thought was: "Don't be a bigot; they look like perfectly nice gentlemen." But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and stared at the two men. She felt
anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind but gosh, they had to know what she was thinking!!!

Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now. Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed
with the other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move . Panic consumed her. "My God," she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! "Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore.

Then one of the men said, "Hit the floor." Instinct told her to do what they told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head andlooked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her feet. "When I told my friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized one, "I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'a m." He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing. The woman thought: "My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself." She was too humiliated to speak She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator. The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband.

The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said: "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years." It was signed:

Eddie Murphy
Michael Jordan"

LA Times Pressman Bloggers

The funeral for Bryan Padgett was held today. It has been a very long and difficult week, and now begins the long and difficult adjustment for the Padgett family. For as long as I've known Ed, this was the first time I'd met all his children or any of his siblings. It was also the first time I've met some of the contributors to Ed's blog. For my readers who are not familiar with how my blog came about, I am a contributor on Ed's blog, the Los Angeles Times Pressmens Twenty Year Club. We each have our own personality and point of view, which adds the to blog's diversity. I've known Nubia for years, but it was my first time to meet Jesse and Kanani.

Kanani is perhaps one of the most loving, warm women I've ever met. There is a calm, easy-going part of her personality that made me feel at ease immediately. Jesse is also a friendly, warm and supportive person and I enjoyed meeting him, as well. I am honored to be a part of their "family" and look forward to watching our friendships grow. I'm sure we will all be there for the Padgett family in the difficult days ahead.

The events of the past week have reminded me of how important friendships and relationships are in our lives. I value my friends and family because without them, my life would be so empty and unfulfilled. My heart is happy knowing that I have new friends in Kanani and Jesse, as well as the rest of our little family. I thank God for this wonderful gift.

Please continue to pray for the Padgett family, and our troops and their families.

Our Perseid Adventure

It is 2:01 a.m. on Sunday, August 12, 2007. Expanding on a long-standing family tradition, the entire family and my sister went up to a mountain road, away from the city, so we could have a good view of the Perseids. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Perseids, it is a meteor shower that is visible at the same time every year. This year is supposed to be one of the best for viewing the Perseids because there is no moon.

Our original plan was to travel to Blythe or Laughlin, check into a motel, and watch the meteor shower from the desert. In the past, we've always set alarm clocks and sat outside to watch. We would usually see one or two falling stars, but never enough to be really impressed. This year we had plans, but when Ray couldn't take the time off work, we came up with an alternate plan. At 11:00 p.m. we drove up the Cajon Pass onto Highway 138 toward Silverwood. When we were well away from the city lights, we pulled over on a turnout, parked and settled in to watch the meteors. It was fun to sit out there in the middle of nowhere and scan the sky to see the occasional falling star. We talked, laughed and made a plan for next year to go camping in the mountains to watch.

Of course, we all realized that tomorrow night will offer the greatest opportunity to see the meteors, but Sunday would be impossible since we work on Monday. It was fun anyway and we are looking forward to next August. I may still go outside to see if I can see anymore meteors tomorrow night.

God bless our troops and their families. Also, God bless Ed, his late son Bryan and his entire family. May the Lord hold them close to His heart.

The Tragic Loss of Bryan

My heart has been aching since I heard the news this morning that my high school buddy, Ed, lost his son in a car accident. There are no words capable of expressing my sadness and sympathy for my dear friend. It's hard to imagine that kind of loss, especially since Bryan was a young man justing starting his adult life.

If I could, I would gladly take some of the pain away from Ed and the rest of his family. In the days to come there will be so many things taking place they won't have time to think. But life has a way of waiting for you to come back to it and that's when the reality will hit.

I am praying that the Lord will keep them close and guide them. I've always believed that if the Lord brings you to it, He'll see you through it. Please add the Padgett family to your prayers.

God bless you, Bryan. Watch over your dad and the rest of your family.

Back in the Saddle Again!

Happy Monday! Since my last post, the slumber party went off without a hitch and was a success. I'm also about 95% recovered from the cold I caught last week.

Summer has gone by way too fast and I'm beginning to dread the return to reality that hits once the kids return to school. This coming weekend will be the beginning of my final vacation for the summer. We plan to head out to the desert this weekend in hopes of seeing the Perseides (a yearly meteor shower) in an area free from lights. This is something we have done for the past 6 or 7 years with the kids. It's become a ritual at my house for us to set alarms for 2 a.m., then trudge out to the front yard with blankets and lay on the lawn to see the meteors as they come down. Trouble is, where we live there are too many streetlights. It seems like every year we say, "Next year let's go somewhere we'll be able to see better."

Watching (or trying to watch) the comets is one of those unexplained traditions that came out of nowhere. I can't wait to see if one of my children carries on this ritual with their children. If they don't, you can be sure I plan to!

Please continue to pray for our troops and their families. God bless everyone...

Sick Today and the Slumber Party

Today I'm not feeling well. I've caught a cold that seems to be getting worse by the day! Sunday it started with a sore throat, Monday I sneezed all day so I took 2 Benadryl capsules and went to bed at 8:30. Yesterday I was woozy from the 2 Benadryl I took the night before and spent most of the day trying to wake up. Today I'm sneezing my head off, I have a runny nose and my stomach hurts. I'd love to go home and sleep the rest of the day but I can't. All I can think of is my daughter's slumber party on Friday night and all the preparations I have to make.

Of course, the slumber party should be fun. . .it's a 1980's party! My daughter is planning on wearing jeans with leg warmers, a big t-shirt cut at the neckline to hang off one shoulder, lots of plastic bangle bracelets and, of course, some big plastic earrings that were mine in the 80's. Since she has naturally curly hair, it'll be easy to duplicate the spiral perm with an old banana clip and she's planning on wearing make up that I will put on her, just like I used to wear. I'm really looking forward to the party, if only I could get over this cold!

I hope everyone is enjoying their day and please remember to pray for our troops. My cousin, Jan, deployed to Iraq today so say a special prayer for her.

Mid Summer Afternoon Ramblings

Today is the last day of July 2007. Before too long, August will be almost over and the kids will be getting ready to return to school. Is it my imagination, or are summers getting shorter and shorter?

Even as a mom, summer is my favorite season of the year. Summer means no homework deadlines, no rushing to do laundry on Sunday night, no lunches to worry about, having the whole evening to sit outside with my family and no bedtimes to enforce. Being a responsible parent is harder than I imagined. Keeping my children pointed in the right direction is challenging but worth all the effort. I've already seen the fruits of my efforts in my older two children and it gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

In a couple of weeks I'll be on vacation again. We've made plans to camp at the beach again and maybe take a trip to Laughlin. I hope everyone has time to spend with their families playing, talking and just enjoying each other.

Please pray for our troops and add a prayer for my cousin, Jan, who will be deployed to Iraq tomorrow. I will be adding another yellow ribbon to my tree tomorrow. The first one is for my son-in-law Thomas, the second will be for Jan.

God bless everyone and have a wonderful rest-of-summer!

Jade

The Swimming Pool (Original Version)

(Note: This was posted on MySpace July 8, 2006. It's being published here to provide readers the opportunity to compare last year's experience with this year's.)

Today it's 99 degrees where we live and I don't really mind. I love the heat so summer is my favorite season. Last week we went to Rita's house for a little socializing and cooling off in her pool. We had such a great time, Ray and I went out and bought a 4' X 15' pool for our backyard last Sunday morning. He set up the pool and filled it with water and the kids have been enjoying it all week. Yesterday was my day off but had other stuff to take care of so I didn't have a chance to get in. This morning, I had my nails done then Ray and I went to the local pool supply store to pick up some floating toys for our pool. We all got in and had a great time together, as a family. It didn't matter that I can sit on the bottom of the pool with my head out of the water, it still felt great! There was more than enough water for me to float around on my lounge and the kids and I had a blast making a whirlpool by swimming around and around. We even played a few rounds of "Marco Polo"!

It was relaxing and fun to spend the afternoon cooling off and splashing around in the pool with our kids. I can't wait to get in again tomorrow! Stay cool and take advantage of the simple things in life.

God bless everyone!

The Swimming Pool Revisited

This morning my husband and I got up at 7 a.m. to fulfill a promise to our kids that we would set up the 4' X 18' pool we purchased for them in late May. With softball tournaments, All Star games and practices taking precedence over almost everything else, the kids (and me) had to wait a long time.

We started out by opening the box (always a smart way to begin!), and pulling out all the pieces. Soon we were unwrapping parts, snapping things together and sweating up a storm! Trust me, there's nothing like the smell of fresh plastic to give you the head rush we all craved in the 70's! Once we had the top ring put together, Ray decided we needed two more sets of hands and went in to wake the kids. When they came out, we began the comedy of picking up the pool and moving it left, then right, then back left a tad, then closer to the wall, etc. Finally it was placed as close to the mark as we could get it and we began putting the pads on the end of the poles and straightening the whole thing out. As I'm sitting here on my computer, I am satisfied with the knowledge that tomorrow we can all jump into the icy water and relax! Of course, I can't wait to see the water bill next month...

By the way, the title of this post is "The Swimming Pool Revisited" because last year on MySpace I posted "The Swimming Pool". The difference between last year's swimming pool and this year's is that last year I didn't have to get up early and sweat 10 pounds away putting it up! I will post my last year's version of "The Swimming Pool" and you can compare the two experiences.

Please continue to pray for our troops and their families. God bless everyone and go swimming if you have the chance!

End of the Season & A New Me!

The last couple of months have been quite busy with Nikki's softball games and summer activities. Softball ended last weekend and, as busy as we were every weekend, I can honestly say that I will miss the games and the team very much. This was a great group of girls and parents, we all got along well and had fun supporting the team.

There is something else that I've been doing in my personal life and now I feel is the time to mention it. I've been working hard to improve my health with diet and exercise and have managed to lose 38 pounds in the process! I've had a life-long battle with weight and even managed to overcome it for about 10 years of my life. But as I began to age, the pounds began cementing themselves to my body and the result was a much larger me. I finally got to a place where I couldn't stand myself anymore and was so unhappy I decided to just do it. So I embarked on my diet plan and have stayed with it for the last few months. I guess the thing that makes it work for me is that I set a simple goal for myself (i.e. lose 5 pounds), then when I reach it I feel the accomplishment and get refocused on the next goal. Trust me, it's a lot easier to lose 5 pounds than it is to lose 20! I have also become very aware of the number of calories I consume in a day and the number of calories I can eat to lose or maintain my weight. It's been a real learning experience but it's definitely becoming a way of life for me.

Now that softball is over for the time being, I also plan to go to the gym on a regular basis. A few years ago I went 5 days a week and still have the muscle tone in my legs to prove it. I can't wait to begin building the muscles in my body again. It's very hard to describe the feeling I get from cardio and lifting weights but I can compare it to being elevated above all the problems in my life. If anyone knows what I mean and has a better description or explanation, please feel free to let me know.

Please pray for our troops, they really need our support now that the desert heat is upon them. God bless everyone!

P.S. Now that softball is over, I'll have more time for my blog. Be sure and tell your friends to check me out sometime!

A Fairy Tale

This is the fairy tale that should have been read to us girls when we were little:

Once upon a time in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle. The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said, " Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn backinto the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in your castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on lightly sauteed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled and thought to herself, "I don't freakin' think so."

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone! Please celebrate safely, don't drink and drive and make sure all the elderly people in your life are well hydrated and have an opportunity to cool down today. Also, if you have pets give them plenty of water and bring them in if there are fireworks in your neighborhood.

Say a prayer of thanks for our troops and their families.

God bless America!

Another Tournament Weekend & Candie's Home

Candie arrived home on Wednesday morning for a 3 week visit. It's always so fun to have her home and the kids are really happy to have her around again. We began planning our vacation earlier in the year and were delighted when Candie said she'd join us. Yesterday she spent the day with her childhood friend (and our former neighbor) Mary, Mary's husband and brand-new baby boy, Ashton. Today she's accompanying Nikki and Ray to the softball tournament in Escondido. David and I will join them tomorrow morning. If Thomas were home, life would be almost perfect!

I'm reminded again of how fast time goes by these days. Nikki's All Star season is almost over and before we know it we'll be getting ready for school again. It's become abundantly clear that if I blink, I might miss something important. What's important to me is the memories the children will have of these days together. Candie and Rick sometimes talk about fun things we did when they were young and I hope it'll be the same for Nikki and David. I'm sure when Thomas comes home from Iraq we'll be able to make more good memories with him.

Please continue to pray for, and support, our troops and their families. Have a great weekend.

The Wedding - Part 1

Editor's Note: This was originally published on my MySpace blog on May 7, 2006

My daughter Candie is officially Mrs. Thomas O. Wedding now. It happened two weeks ago in Hawaii in what was probably the simplest, sweetest and most meaningful wedding I've been to in a very long time. She looked beautiful in her white cotton sundress and lei made out of yellow plumerias. She had a single flower in her hair (carefully placed on the left side to signify that she is married as dictated by Hawaiian custom). Thomas was equally handsome in his dark slacks, white dress shirt and the traditional lei worn by men which is open at the bottom.

The day I and my "entourage" arrived in Hawaii, we were met at the airport gate by Candie and Thomas with leis and hugs and kisses. My sister also met us and we piled in the rented mini van for the drive to the hotel. We checked in, changed into swimming suits and shorts and set out to see Candie's apartment, then headed to the North Shore. Candie was calm but I knew reality hadn't quite set in yet so I braced myself for what would surely come later. After hanging around the North Shore we went back to the hotel, cleaned up and went out for dinner. Thomas' parents were with us all day and we had a wonderful time. Around midnight, Candie and Thomas separated; her into my room and him into the room with my sons. They would not be allowed to see each other until the wedding the next day.

I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed laying on my bed and seeing my two girls asleep in their bed. It was the last night Candie would be my little girl and I was so thankful that I was there to enjoy it. Early in the morning, Candie's phone rang and it was Clarissa. She went into the bathroom to take the call and it made me happy to know that they were able to share a few moments before the wedding.

In the morning, we all showered and Nicole and I went to the dining room for breakfast while Candie rested in the room. She had a headache and was tired from trying to sleep with Nicole! Soon we were getting ready, putting on make up, curling hair and putting on our wedding clothes. My sister and niece came into the room for a while and Tina and Candie spent a little "cousin" time. I gave Candie her "something blue", a beaded ankle bracelet made out of blue beads, my mom gave her her "something old", one of her handkerchiefs from years ago, and Tina gave her "something borrowed", a diamond tennis bracelet. About this time, Rick came to the room to talk to his little sister. Soon after that it was time to go! We managed to get Candie downstairs and into the car without Thomas seeing her. Rick stood by the garage with his cell phone so he could call Thomas to come out of their room when Candie was safely out of sight. We drove to the beach and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. While we waited, some of the friends gathered and we all waited together. Finally, we called Rick and found out that Thomas, his parents, Rick and David were lost!

TO BE CONTINUED. . .

The Wedding - Happily Ever After

Editor's Note: This was originally published on my MySpace blog May 8, 2006

Once we discovered that Thomas and the rest of the family was lost, my sister Vicky came to the rescue and guided them to the park where we were all waiting. There were a few of us gathered by then and the minister was beginning to look nervous despite his efforts to appear calm. Finally, we saw the car approaching and Thomas arrived, so we all headed over to a shady area. Candie and Thomas took their places a little way down the beach and Candie's friend proceeded to sing an incredibly beautiful song in her equally beautiful voice.

As I stood watching my baby girl stroll up the beach , my mind began racing from the moment she was born, to her first dance recital, her first at-bat, her first boy-girl dance in junior high, her prom and finally the moment she told me she would be marrying Thomas shortly after she announced she was moving to Hawaii to be with him. The minister asked for the witnesses to step forward and Nicole moved up to stand next to her sister. My heart swelled with happiness, pride and a little sadness that neither their father, or step-father, was there to witness this precious and fleeting moment. It was then that the Reverend asked who would do the first reading and Candie said, "My mother will read it." I was handed a paper and began to read the passage from the bible. The tears flowed from my eyes and when I was done, Candie and Thomas spoke their vows and Dora took her place and read her passage. Suddenly, Candie became Mrs. Thomas Oliver Wedding! As I stood there letting it sink in I realized that I had not lost a daughter, I'd gained a son.

The lack of bother and fuss over this wedding made me realize that it wasn't the "wedding" that was important to my daughter, it was the marriage she'd entered into with this wonderful young man. Instead of choosing to focus on a showy event, they had chosen to start off in a meaningful ceremony with their loved ones in attendance. What a beautiful moment that was! As long as I live I will treasure that day and be grateful that I was there to witness it.

God bless you and your marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wedding~I love you always!

Dancing In the Dining Room

Editor's Note: This was originally published on my MySpace blog on June 23, 2006

Wednesday night I came home from work tired and stressed. I had stopped on my way home to pick up a few things, came home and ate dinner, then headed out to shop some more after. When I finally sat down at the computer to check my e-mails, etc., I logged into MySpace. If you've visited my page on MySpace you know that "At Last" by Etta James begins playing when the page opens up. I had the sound turned up so I could hear and was lost in my own thoughts when my husband walked out of the kitchen, took my hand and asked me to dance! I think I laughed and stood up so we could dance.

The kids were in the other room, watching a movie, but came out and peeked at us. They started laughing, and teased us a little but not in a malicious or nasty way. Mostly they stood watching with smiles on their faces. Ray and I danced in our dining room and it was one of the most loving, romantic moments I've ever experienced. When I think about it, it almost seems wrong that something as simple as a dance, in the dining room, to music from the computer with kids watching could be so meaningful, but it was. Simple moments, simple pleasures are ours for the taking. We just have to learn to recognize them. For my children, I think the knowledge that they are part of a solid relationship will give them a good foundation for their own relationships in the future.

I've never felt so important, valued or loved as I do right now. I thank God for helping me through rough times and bringing Ray to me and my family.

Birthday Celebrations & Friends

Editor's Note: This was originally published on my MySpace blog on October 27, 2006

This is my birthday weekend. My birthday is October 29, 19-- (and, no, it won't do you a bit of good to ask me to fill in those blanks!) This has been a good week for me. I realized that I'm surrounded by friends who love me and care about me and I'm so blessed!

On Wednesday, everyone in the department where I work took me to lunch to celebrate my birthday. You can't possibly imagine the trouble it was to accomplish this. Our city has a policy that says all departments must stay open all day. As a result, my fellow employees had to get special permission from the Assistant City Manager to close the department so we could go. It was such a nice lunch and I was very happy to spend time with the lovely people I spend the majority of my life with.

On Thursday, my girlfriends gathered to celebrate my birthday. I have the most wonderful friends. . .and they were all there yesterday. Marie has been my friend since childhood. One of the things she did after my husband died was to introduce me to her friends. They have all taken me into their hearts and I love and appreciate all of them more than I could ever begin to say. Every one of them are wonderful, amazing, independent and successful in their own way. Each has their own lifestory to tell and everyone of them is a testament to the strength of women. Being part of their circle has been a blessing. Someday I will write about each of them individually but for now I will only ask the Lord to keep them close to His heart and give my thanks to Him for bringing them into my life.

Marie, Erin, Rita, Chris, Debbie and Betty, God bless you and I love you all! As always, Lord, please bring our troops safely home and keep watch over their families.

Candie & Clarissa

Editors Note: This was originally posted on my MySpace blog on March 22, 2007.

22 Mar 2007

Candie & Clarissa

Candie is due home a week from tomorrow (YAY!!!) Having her home again will be wonderful. Thinking about her being at home with us again made me think of what it was like before when she and Clarissa were living at home.

Clarissa moved in with us and became part of our family. She moved into Candie's room which was the first time Candie had to share a room with another person. I remember her moving her bed in and the girls arranging things so that there would be enough room. Over the years there were several changes made to the room, the greatest being when they decided to paint the walls a bright lime green color! I think they painted all night. It looked really cute because they only painted two walls. The decor of the room became Hawaiian. They removed the closet doors and hung a shower curtain with palm trees on it to add to the ambiance.

There were several other adventures over the Candie/Clarissa years: the two girls helping out by cooking dinner when I had back surgery, washing their cars in the front yard, Margarita nights, coming home as I was getting up for work and pretending they'd just gotten up, Bulldog Gym and walking the dogs.

It was Clarissa who brought my sweet Finch into my life. She had a job at a vet's office and she brought home a pit bull puppy who'd been abandoned because he was sick. The vet treated him and intended to turn him into a guard/blood dog. We couldn't stand the thought of that so we kept him. It became a nightly routine for the girls to take Max and Finch for a walk, then load them in one of their cars for a ride to the drive-through Starbucks.

There were also camping trips. The last one we went on as a family was in August 2005. We went to Lake Casitas and they joined us, but had their own camping spot. We spent the majority of the first night waiting for Melissa to arrive but she kept calling because she was lost. After she'd arrived, we all went to bed only to awaken to the news that Candie and Clarissa had left their snacks in a bag in the back of the truck and some raccoons had eaten their food.

Perhaps my best memory is when the two girls and Ray planned a birthday party for me when I turned 50. I was sent to my room for the entire day and they cleaned, decorated and made snacks for the party while Ray cooked. It was probably one of the best birthdays of my life because they put so much of themselves into that celebration. The memory of their love still brings tears to my eyes and I will never forget the happiness they brought me.

I hope Clarissa and Candie will always remember and cherish the time they spent in my house. I know I will.

Please pray for our troops all over the world. God bless everyone, especially Candie and Clarissa.

A New Adventure

This is my new adventure. I've been blogging on MySpace for a while now and was asked a while ago to be a contributor on the LA Times Pressman's blog. I've put up a few posts but am never sure that what I have to say is interesting enough to all those pressmen.

On MySpace I seem to have lots of views every time I post a new blog so I guess some people must enjoy reading it. This blog will probably follow along the same lines. I write a lot about my life, experiences and whatever else pops into my head. If you're reading this, I hope you enjoy this blog and I look forward to your comments.

Thanks for your time! Please pray for our troops.

My Blog

Welcome to the Jade Page!