Grammy & Papa's 60th Anniversary

Happy 60th Anniversary Grammy & Papa!

We celebrated Grammy & Papa's 60th wedding anniversary with family from near and far. Aunt Adele and Aunt Jan came from back east, which was great to see them again. It had been way too long since we have seen them last. I believe it was when Grammy L passed away is when we saw them last, which I was still in high school, which was a long while ago. They were the same as I had remembered them. It was great to see them giggle the way I remembered them when we all got together for family gatherings. You could tell they were Grammy's sisters. We had the celebration at our house in the guest house, which has been quite the party place this year. We decorated it with tulle and flowers from my yard. I turned out really cute. Annie, Unkie, Laura, Jason, Mom, Dad, Kim, Scott, Kristy, Ray, Darin and I, plus all the little ones, Ashlee, Sydney, Dillon, Brendan, Hailey and Ethan were all in attendance. We feasted on a Mexican style early dinner. We also had cake from the every so famous "Cake Lady," Laurel. Her cakes are to die for! We toasted to the happy couple, Elmon and Joan aka Grammy and Papa. May they pass on their beautiful tradition to all of us. Happy 60th Grammy & Papa, we love you!!

Sydney's 1st Day of Kindergarten

It was a nerve wracking day not only for Sydney but for Darin and I. Today was Sydney's 1st day of Kindergarten. It is just unbelievable that she has grown up so fast. She is an amazing little girl who has blossomed into a fun spirited, imaginative, brilliant person. Today she started school at 11 AM in the K-2 Classroom of Mrs. Esteves. You can tell she had some butterflies in her belly, although all she was worried about was that she was the only one with her lunch pail. Mrs. Esteves told her it was because some of the other kids were either getting hot lunch or had their lunch boxes in their backpacks, which eased her nerves. She was ready to go and went through the door without looking back. Hailey and I watched as I wiped away my tears. Hailey was more interested in playing on the hopscotch. Mrs. Esteves told all us parents that our children are in good hands, which was sweet of her. We picked Sydney up promptly at 3 o'clock and she was thrilled to see us. She had a fun day at school, although she "didn't want to talk about it" as she told us (what-ever that was supposed to mean). I began chatting with her about lunchtime and then she finally opened up. They learned the days of the week and today is Tuesday August 12th. They also introduced themselves to their friends. It was a fun day.

Sydney's Last Day of Preschool

Wow...3 years of preschool gone in a flash!! Sydney was loved by all the teachers and staff at The Child Day School in Pleasanton. Sydney especially Miss. Rose and Misbah most of all. Sydney has grown so much since the first day she entered The Child Day Schools. Talk about from one extreme to the other, on day one of preschool Sydney was 2. She cried for about 2 weeks at drop off time. Now that she is 5, she gets mad when I come to pick her up because she is not ready to go! She has blossomed into a bright, sweet, caring, intelligent little girl. Thank you Child Day School for helping to form Sydney into the little blessing that she is.

The cutest comment ever!

While we were on our way to the lake over the weekend, there are many animals to look at along the way like cows, horses, sheep, goats, and ducks. We were going along and there were some sheep and Sydney in a sincere voice says "Mom, Mary must be sleeping because there are her sheep!" I was cracking up. She never ceases to amaze me with the things that come out of her mouth. She is an amazing and imaginative little girl. Love you Bug.

Relay for Life 2009

Relay for Life 2009 was once again a success. A big thank you to Team Super Jake for the continued success we have had for the past 5 years! I participate in the Relay for Life in Dublin every year, and yes I have successfully completed 5 24 hour events to help find a cure for cancer. This event is such a an amazing event. You meet so many new people on teams and hear so many inspiring stories of people who have fought the battle with cancer and won, people who are currently fighting the battle, as well as unfortunate stories of people who have fought the battle and lost. It is an emotional event, that is for sure. We had some unusual weather this year, for sure. A bit of the heat and a surprise thunderstorm that lasted about 10 minutes, which was odd. We once again had 24 raffles prizes to represent the 24 hours of walking. There was also a fireworks show in the evening, which I didn't get the chance to see this year, but oh well. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who donated money for me at this event. Thank you Jeff Lienhard, Danette Scott, Carole Scott, Al Brady for your generous donations. I appreciate it. Another part of the Relay for Life which is so meaningful to me is the luminary ceremony. This is a ceremony that takes place in which you write you name on a lunch bag and a glow stick is placed inside it. Then in turn the bags are placed along the pathway in which we walk and come nightfall, there is an amazing glow from the bags. I have so many bags this year, it was kind of scary. Some of the people I recognized, whether they fought the battle, are fighting the battle or are in remission are Ann Brady, Gary-Steven Brady, Missy Christensen, Tess Scott, Reed Snyder, Billy Meehan, Gary Miller, Michael Jones, Dwain Glossip, Bill Boston, Henry Lienhard, Sheri Castro, Nana Castro, Debbie Martin, Maria Ponce, and of course Super Jake. I know I have forgotten some people, so forgive for the people I haven't mentioned. There is also some music and speakers that go up and tell their stories as well as a slide show of photos. Thanks again to everyone who helped me make this event successful, another part of my journey.

4th of July

4th of July was another fun day at the lake. It always tops off the weekend between Sydney's birthday and the 4th, we look forward to every year!! Sydney always thinks the fireworks are for her birthday!! Makes me laugh! We had a great BBQ for lunch and dinner, some good ol'American grill! We enjoyed lots of fun in the sun, a little fishing and a short nap to top it off, well some of us did. We had a fireworks show of our own, which the kids always enjoy. It was a great day!

Sydney's 5th Birthday

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY SYDNEY!!!

It is incredible that Sydney is already 5! Not to mention the fact that she will be starting Kindergarten in a couple weeks! Yikes! We celebrated Sydney's actual birthday, July 3rd at the lake as we ALWAYS do. Sydney woke up to balloons everywhere upstairs at the lake. She enjoyed the day fishing, swimming and going out in the boat accompanied by all her cousins, Auntie's, Uncles and also Nana and Papa. She had her favorite dinner, Spaghetti, garlic bread, and Caesar salad all thanks to Auntie Kristy. She had a barbie birthday cake to top it off! It was a wonderful day. Happy Birthday to my sweet angel. We love you with all our hearts!