John's graduation weekend June 17,18,2005

On June 17th, I drove from Danny’s and Kristy’s home in Valencia , to Palmdale, approximately 40 miles east in the Mohave Desert, to visit my youngest son, John, his wife, Rhona, and their adorable two year old daughter, Daphne. This was John’s graduation week-end from Advanced Career College where he was trained to be a multi-platform certified network engineer in computers, with certifications in MCSE/MCSA, :Messaging/MCP/A+!!! It’s way over my comprehension??, but I was very honored to be able to be a part of his celebration, and very proud of him, too. Congratulations, John!! Good job!! Rhona, did a great job of organizing, planning and decorating for the ceremony, including a lovely party afterwards! Very thoughtful and well done! Thank you, Rhona, for all of your love, encouragement, and support during his schooling and training, (towards both John and Daphne). You “kept the home fires burning and held down the fort!”
During my short visit with them I had the awesome privilege of spending time bonding with my adorable little granddaughter, Daphne, as well as her Daddy and Mommy. Daphne is quiet, observant , cautious, pensive, and loves sliding down slides, swinging, going “hikin” (in her stroller), “binkies, and singing “Five Little Monkeys” while jumping on the bed!! She has almost completely potty trained herself ! She is a little cutie, very sweet, and fun to spend time with. I only wish she and my other precious grandchildren, as well as their Mommies and Daddies, weren’t so far away.
Alas…all too soon, June 19th, Sunday, I had to leave, and drive back to the cruel world of work and multitudinous responsibilities!

Visit with Madison and Zachary

June 13th, the day after our trip to Disneyland, was my son, Daniel’s 36th birthday! He doesn’t look a day older than he did as a teenager!! (Don’t know how he keeps that perpetual youthful look??) That was my first day of five to take care of two year old Madison, and five month old Zachary, while Mommy and Daddy went to work. Kristy had two weeks of teaching left before school was out. What a privilege to be able to bond with these two adorable, sweet grandchildren. Those five days sped by as though time had been stuck on “fast forward.”L Madison is full of fun and energy and loves and lives life to the fullest!! We enjoyed a variety of activities, including stirring up a couple of birthday cakes for Daddy, reading books, playing dress up (Madison, not NanaJ), going to the park, play-shopping and cooking, blowing bubbles, watching Barney, Pooh, Leap Frog, and Mommy and Me DVDs, singing, riding the trike, and taking literally hundreds of digital pictures on the camera Daddy Danny and Uncle David gave me for my birthday last year.J Zachary is the sweetest, most beautiful and cuddly little baby boy.JHe loves to play, hear and make noises, is very sociable, and enjoys watching his family’s antics!J I had a wonderful and rich time with them, and with their Mommy and Daddy, too. I miss them very much, and look forward to a time when we will not have to part again.J I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to be a part of their lives for a week. Thank you, Danny and Kristy, for both sharing and trusting me with your most valuable heritage.

Southern California visit

On June 10th , I was fortunate enough to get 10 consecutive days off to go to southern California and spend some time with two of my sons, their wives, and children. A rare treat!! Spent the first Sunday at Disneyland, a place I haven’t been to for over 25 years!!. I was amazed how clean and manicured it is. This year is the park’s fiftieth anniversary, and you would never guess, everything looks so new and well maintained! I wondered when repairs, repainting, etc. does happen, since there is no sign of such for tourists! The parade and fireworks were even more spectacular than usual because of the anniversary celebration. We stayed til closing--eleven o’clock, and while awaiting the tram to the parking level, I wondered what their budget and overhead is?? It was kind of a mind boggling thought!

Anyway, I highly recommend going if any of you out there haven’t been. To top the night off, I was the recipient of a lovely random act of kindness. It was my son’s 36th birthday, and he has been a Mickey Mouse fan since he was a small boy. I wanted to get him a Mickey Mouse face balloon from one of the vendors. I had only brought my plastic, no cash. Wouldn’t you know it, the balloons required cash. Seven dollars to be exact. I went into a restaurant before they closed, to see if I could get the cash from my credit card?? No luck, but a sweet looking young woman next to me asked, “how much do you need?” She had overheard my request, and as I explained my desire and plight, she was reaching into her purse, grabbing bills. I couldn’t believe it, and asked if she would share her address so I could reimburse her? She handed me seven dollar bills, asking if I was sure that was going to be enough, then smiled and said, “This is the happiest place on earth,” as she walked away. She was like an angel.

More info June 5,2005

Iv'e been busy finding things to spoil my secret pal!! Looking forward to this event and getting acquainted with other knitters out there. I'm posting my summer schedule for the benefit of those trying to communicate with me. I will have access to a computer while I'm gone hopefully?
June 11 to 18 in southern California with grandchildren

July 13 to August 3 camping along the northcoast of California

More soon. Judy