Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Last night Grace and I went out to dinner with David & Kristin. It was their last night in California before heading out again back to South Dakota. Jeri & Ric joined us for a delicious dinner at Stubricks in downtown Fullerton. I wish we all lived closer together... South Dakota is TOO far away! After dinner we walked over to Cafe Veronese for coffee and hot chocolate. Good times... good friends... we're going to miss you!

Sunday, October 28, 2007


A week later... some fires are still burning, but through all the devastation and destruction little shoots of hope are springing up and slowly many people will begin the long slow road back to normalcy. The sunset tonight encouraged me and gave me hope that no matter what happens God is still in control and cares for his children.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

It has been incredibly sad to watch how devastating the fires have been throughout this area. I have many friends and their families that have been evacuated and some of them still don't know if they have a house to go back to. The last couple of nights as I looked out my window at home it was very sobering to actually see some of the burning hills in the distance. Early this morning as I was having breakfast around 7:30 AM I was looking out my window and saw this... the sun trying to shine through all of the smoke. It looked more like a sunset than what morning should look like. Here is the sun at 5:30 PM...

Sunday, October 21, 2007

PomegranatesI really enjoy traditions...they bring back good memories and you also make new ones as you celebrate them year after year. One tradition that I have enjoyed since moving up here to the heights has been the "Pomegranate Tradition". For the past several years I have been getting together with my dear landlady, Charlotte, to squeeze the freshly picked fruit. This year I also got to help her pick them from our tree out behind the shed. It is a labor of love as we squeezed out every drop of the delicious red juice (four quarts in all) and make jars of wonderful jelly to give as gifts. This evening I finished making my jars of jelly. It's a bit of a long but gratifying process! I love cooking! You can see pictures of the whole process here:

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

In celebration of National Boss Day, my staff took me out for a very yummy Italian lunch at DeLuca's. I am truly very blessed to work with such wonderful ladies. They are great at what they do and make my job a real pleasure. Pictured from left to right are Aida, Me, Megan, Emily, Jeri, Amy, Chrystal and Abby. "The Registrar Girls"... you all are awesome!

Saturday, October 13, 2007


Today I went to the MCAS Miramar Air Show with Grace, Jon and some friends. We were amazed and awed at the many military and civilian aircraft. From the F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier (from Yuma!), to the CH-53 Super Stallion and the USAF Thunderbirds each was awesome in its own way. It makes me so proud of all our men and women who are serving in the military. We got quite a few opportunities to experience some craft and equipment hands on. I felt like a kid in a candy store! I hope to get the pics from the "big" camera uploaded soon. God bless our troops and keep them safe! Of course I took a lot of pictures which you can see here:


Friday, October 12, 2007

101202

Happy Anniversary Grace & Jon! It has been such a joy to see you grow as a couple these past five years. I love you very much! Jon, thanks so much for taking such good care of my baby sister =) Thanks for everything you all have done for me and all the fun times we've shared together. I'm looking forward to the next five! Italy? Greece? So many places so little vacation time!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Happy 39th Birthday Timothy!
You are finally catching up to me, wink, wink!!
Love, your big sister =)

Monday, October 01, 2007

Last Saturday Grace, Jon and I went to Long Beach. Grace came up with the great idea to have lunch at Cisco's, a cool hamburger place right next door to West Coast Choppers. It was actually pretty good for a burger place! Then we set off to the Aquarium of the Pacific. There is so much to see there. One of the most exciting things was being able to "pet" the stingrays. So many interesting creatures and such brilliant colors were just another reminder of our amazing Creator. It was a bit crowded but we enjoy it anyway. Later we took a walk along Shoreline Village and saw the Queen Mary across the water. The weather was beautiful and the sunset very picturesque. I'm so blessed to live here!