Holy Cow! We can't believe you are retiring!! Today we threw an open house at the office for our dear Naomi who is retiring soon. She has been working in our office for the past 20 years and we are definitely going to miss her. Lots of friends drop by to wish her all the best and enjoy some refreshments together. Holly came by with precious little Mary Mayes who is not yet three months old. I loved cuddling and holding her while she took a little nap. She is too cute!
Once a year this small and relatively insignificant street near my place puts on an amazing "dress" of purple blooms. This beautiful tunnel of flowering Jacarandas feels as if nature has rolled out its royal purple carpet just for me. As I drive under the lavendar colored canopy I think about how thankful I am for an amazing Creator who year after year allows me to enjoy this very pretty sight.
Memorial Day
Another semester is coming to an end as graduation ceremonies will be held Friday and Saturday for the class of 2008. This week our office went out for lunch together to the Old Spaghetti Factory to celebrate the May birthdays. We has a great time together as usual! Darren's wife Jen came with their new baby and a couple of us enjoyed holding her during lunch. Graduation... weddings... babies here... babies on the way... and so life goes on.
Five more fun days with the kids! Last Wednesday, Mom, Monica and the kids drove back up to LA from El Centro. Timothy stayed back to get some work done at the station. Aunt Grace and Uncle Jon took them all that afternoon miniature golfing at Camelot. The kids had a really good time and I joined them after I got off work just in time to see them finish the last hole. We all drove home and made pizzas for dinner. Thursday afternoon they were all off to the bowling alley. I missed some of the fun but joined them as soon as I got off work. Between gutter balls, lucky strikes and some spares we had a ton of laughs and a great time.
I took Friday off from work so we could go spend the whole days down in La Jolla at the beach. It was a beautiful day...perfect beach weather! We scored the last fire pit too! The kids jumped right in and Margie totally enjoyed playing in the sand. After some lunch Aunt Grace and Uncle Jon announced that we all were going to go kayaking. They were so excited to do this for the first time. Even little Margie enjoyed riding in the kayak between Monica and Auntie Ruth. It was fun and we got to see some sea lions, seals and looked and looked for the tiger sharks but didn't see any. After we were back on terra firma the kids hit the beach and water again. The was beginning to set and it was really beautiful against the water and waves. Soon it was time to light the fire and warm our cold toes! Uncle Jon entertained the kids with some fun stories while we roasted hot dogs and made some s'mores. Saturday we were up bright and early again to join Aunt Sara who got us free passes to Disneyland. The kids were very excited to go. The weather was really, really warm and we tried to stay cool as much as we could. Margie enjoyed all the kiddies rides including the ladybug ride and the bumper cars. David, Abby and Christine were with 
Aunt Sara doing the bigger rides. It was a fun, fun day! Sunday morning we went to a Spanish speaking church were Timothy and Monica were meeting with some friends. After church we drove down to the Block to meet Jon, Grace and Adam for lunch and a movie. We had promised to take the kids to see "Prince Caspian". Little David really enjoyed the sword fights and battle scenes and even tired little Margie sat quietly and attentively through the whole movie. We all came back to the house for dinner and to celebrate Uncle Jon's birthday. Happy Birthday! Our time together had come to and end much too soon. We have had a wonderful time together making lots and lots of great memories. You can check out several photo albums with lots of pics from these last couple of days here: http://chiarapics.spaces.live.com/
This weekend was one that was packed with celebrations and family time. Earlier this week Timothy, Monica and the kids arrived in town. Mom, Donna, Greg and the kiddies drove into town on Friday. Everyone was here to celebrate with Jon as he graduated with his degree in Art from Concordia University. Yay, Uncle Jon!!! We are so proud of you! With noise makers in hand we loudly cheered him on as he walked across the stage. After the ceremony we all drove back to see his senior show. That evening I had all the family over for dinner. The fun times continued on Saturday.
After making breakfast for all the kids (so all the parents could sleep in) we went on a walk down the road to see some horses. When we got back we took some fun and goofy pictures. We had some really good laughs together! In the afternoon we all drove down to Sunset Beach. It was really windy (and a little cold) but the kids didn't mind a bit and jumped right in. They all had a great time playing in the water and getting buried in the sand! 
Of course Sunday was Mother's Day. After church we all drove out to Azusa to have lunch and spend the afternoon with Sara and Patrick. The food was delicious! We had a nice time together while the kids ran around playing with water guns. It was nice to be able to be all together with Mom on this special day. It's hard not to have the "Sunday blues" after such a great weekend... do I really have to go to work tomorrow??!! I'll be posting all the pics online soon. 
Last night was the opening for Jon's senior show. After many, many long hours and lots of hard work the show was ready for all to see. Lots of friends and students dropped by to see it and congratulate Jon on a job well done. Everyone is coming into town for graduation on Friday afternoon. All the Georgia family will be arriving tomorrow night and the Arizona family on Friday. It's going to be a blast to have them all staying at my place! Plus, this weekend is also Mother's Day so it will be great to be all together celebrating it with Mom. 
After a two year hiatus the official Cinco de Mayo party organized by the Registrar's Office returned in all it's glory! Jeri took over the planning from Naomi and did a wonderful job coordinating and organizing the food and decorations. We all had a wonderful time eating and laughing together along with a few others from a couple of other departments around campus. Megan and Steve were crowned as this year's Cinco de Mayo King and Queen. Our former Queen Marty and King Dave were also in attendance =) You can check out more fun pictures here: http://reggiestrar.spaces.live.com/
A day when millions of Americans, from schoolchildren to the President will join together to lift our nation before God in earnest and heartfelt prayer. Now is the time for revival. Now is the day for prayer! 
