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today is also my niece melissa's birthday.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Happy Holidays to All
these are actual photographs of real snowflakes taken in a lab by a professor at cal tech. aren't they gorgeous!
Kenneth Libbrecht, a professor of physics at California Institute of Technology, photographs snowflakes in the field and in his lab. Studio-type lighting, even outdoors, brings out angles, texture and color that are otherwise hard to spot. Click to enlarge.
Kenneth Libbrecht, a professor of physics at California Institute of Technology, photographs snowflakes in the field and in his lab. Studio-type lighting, even outdoors, brings out angles, texture and color that are otherwise hard to spot. Click to enlarge.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
talk derby to me....
a while ago i mentioned that my niece is taking up roller derby. she is in boot camp with the Silicon Valley Roller Girls. the SVRG has recently been granted entrance into the womens flat track derby association's apprentice league. they are one of only ten teams in the nation that have be given this opportunity and the only california team.
please, if you can, click on the "chipin" link <--------- over there on the side and sponsor my niece during her skate-a-thon. the SVRG is entirely volunteer and self funded group and the funds raised in the skate-a-thon will be used to cover travel expenses and other fees.
also, go see whip it starring ellen page, and drew barrymore, in theaters friday, october 2nd!
please, if you can, click on the "chipin" link <--------- over there on the side and sponsor my niece during her skate-a-thon. the SVRG is entirely volunteer and self funded group and the funds raised in the skate-a-thon will be used to cover travel expenses and other fees.
also, go see whip it starring ellen page, and drew barrymore, in theaters friday, october 2nd!
Friday, July 31, 2009
check this out...
while we were visiting my aunt in Medford, she gave me the negative for this print. i took it to superior color lab in San Jose and he was able to scan it to disc and make me a print of it.
it was taken in 1900. the little girl in the front row is my grandmother who was born in 1896.
it was taken in 1900. the little girl in the front row is my grandmother who was born in 1896.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
road trip recap - written...
thursday, july 2, 2009: try to pack. receive dirty looks from moo kitty. take bus and light rail to niece J's office. pick up rental car. takes us almost 3 hours to get from the rental car office to berkeley. mileage: 51. we had some delicious tri-tip at the buckhorn grill though! arrived in chiloquin, oregon at 2:00 am.
friday, july 3, 2009: get up at 9:00 am, eat breakfast, walk around in the yard taking pictures, drive to town to get coffee. only 1 starbucks in the entire town of klamath falls. it's in the safeway. MMMMMMmmmmmmm coffee! drive to crater lake. get attacked by mosquitos. get attacked by hail storm. drive back to sister's house. eat dinner. watch the secret nazi diaries on natgeo. go to bed.
saturday, july 4, 2009: get up, eat breakfast, fall asleep in chair, wake up and shower. pack and load car. drive to klamath falls for coffee. drive to medford.
check in at hotel, drive to brother's house. sit in front of window a/c unit thinking about how cool the hotel room was. greet aunt and uncle when they arrive. hug auntie because she is crying, she is so happy to see me... hang out at patio table in back yard talking about the good old days. eat delicious brisket my brother cooked on his grill for 15 hours. listen to him bitch because he put it fat side down instead of fat side up (everyone thought it was great anyway). eat WAY too much good food. make plans to see auntie and uncle the next day. watch the kids light off fireworks. return to hotel and sleep.
sunday, july 5, 2009: get up, shower, pack car and drive to auntie and uncle's house. have coffee and talk while auntie makes eggs benedict for breakfast. eat, hang out and talk more. decide to get on the road toward home. stop in redding for coffee and food. get back on freeway. get off in corning to stop at "the olive pit". spend 45 minutes sampling olives, olive oil and vinegars. make purchases and get back in car. drive some more. stop in pinole for potty break and coffee. stop in emeryville for gas, drive to niece J's office. move everything to her car. lead her to rental car return. arrive home. kitty moo won't leave me alone.
total miles on rental car: 1090.4
friday, july 3, 2009: get up at 9:00 am, eat breakfast, walk around in the yard taking pictures, drive to town to get coffee. only 1 starbucks in the entire town of klamath falls. it's in the safeway. MMMMMMmmmmmmm coffee! drive to crater lake. get attacked by mosquitos. get attacked by hail storm. drive back to sister's house. eat dinner. watch the secret nazi diaries on natgeo. go to bed.
saturday, july 4, 2009: get up, eat breakfast, fall asleep in chair, wake up and shower. pack and load car. drive to klamath falls for coffee. drive to medford.
check in at hotel, drive to brother's house. sit in front of window a/c unit thinking about how cool the hotel room was. greet aunt and uncle when they arrive. hug auntie because she is crying, she is so happy to see me... hang out at patio table in back yard talking about the good old days. eat delicious brisket my brother cooked on his grill for 15 hours. listen to him bitch because he put it fat side down instead of fat side up (everyone thought it was great anyway). eat WAY too much good food. make plans to see auntie and uncle the next day. watch the kids light off fireworks. return to hotel and sleep.
sunday, july 5, 2009: get up, shower, pack car and drive to auntie and uncle's house. have coffee and talk while auntie makes eggs benedict for breakfast. eat, hang out and talk more. decide to get on the road toward home. stop in redding for coffee and food. get back on freeway. get off in corning to stop at "the olive pit". spend 45 minutes sampling olives, olive oil and vinegars. make purchases and get back in car. drive some more. stop in pinole for potty break and coffee. stop in emeryville for gas, drive to niece J's office. move everything to her car. lead her to rental car return. arrive home. kitty moo won't leave me alone.
total miles on rental car: 1090.4
roadtrip in pictures...
CHILOQUIN
small lion statue in my sister's garden
big lion statue in my sister's garden
my sisters adopted dog, sweetie pie
viola growing up through the walkway
my sister's mare, violet
columbine in my sister's garden
CRATER LAKE
me and my sister
niece J and my sister
all three of us
in the gift shop at crater lake
MEDFORD
auntie hermine and uncle bill
my youngest niece, kelly
my oldest niece, casey
my brother fred
my sister-in-law, debbie
small lion statue in my sister's garden
big lion statue in my sister's garden
my sisters adopted dog, sweetie pie
viola growing up through the walkway
my sister's mare, violet
columbine in my sister's garden
CRATER LAKE
me and my sister
niece J and my sister
all three of us
in the gift shop at crater lake
MEDFORD
auntie hermine and uncle bill
my youngest niece, kelly
my oldest niece, casey
my brother fred
my sister-in-law, debbie
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
road trip...
on thursday afternoon my niece and i will head out for Klamath Falls, Oregon to spend a few days with my sister. niece J has never been to klamath falls so we will probably take her to crater lake or something.
then on the morning of the 4th we will head over the mountain to Medford, Oregon for a visit with one of my brothers and his family along with my last paternal auntie and uncle. unfortunately we only get to spend one night here so there won't be time to see much other than the family. but that's ok. i mean, the family is the reason we are going.
we'll be home late on sunday. until then, behave and play nice with each other. :)
then on the morning of the 4th we will head over the mountain to Medford, Oregon for a visit with one of my brothers and his family along with my last paternal auntie and uncle. unfortunately we only get to spend one night here so there won't be time to see much other than the family. but that's ok. i mean, the family is the reason we are going.
we'll be home late on sunday. until then, behave and play nice with each other. :)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
just stuff...
so, june is a hard month for me. my mother's birthday was the 7th and the day she died was the 19th. i often find myself in a funk that i just can't seem to shake, no matter the dosage of meds. this year is has been especially hard for me for the mere fact that june 19th was a friday.
for most of my life, my mother and i fought. i was my father's daughter. the youngest, and his only girl. i am sure that threatened my mother in some way as my father and i were pretty much inseparable. after my father passed, i was pressured by my mother to get things done. the "normal" things in life. get married, produce offspring, you know. i was perfectly happy being single and living life. then i met someone i thought maybe i could settle down with. my mother hounded me about it. when is the wedding? why haven't you had a baby? when are you going to buy a house? i managed to tune her out most of the time. then came the day my husband told me he wasn't happy. he wanted a divorce. at the time i was crushed. it wasn't what i wanted. i lobbied for counseling. he declined. i didn't know he already had another woman... or girl really, as my replacement was only 19. and apparently as dumb as a box of rocks, but i digress. after that night of torture, i cried. i begged and pleaded. but his mind was made up. so, as i moved into the acceptance phase of the program, i fought an internal battle. i hadn't told my mother. a week passed, then a month. my sister knew. my friends knew. but i still hadn't told her. for fear that my delicate emotions wouldn't be able to handle her response. i was sure she would rant and rave that i had to try harder. call me a worthless failure. but as i began to wake from the haze, i knew i would have to tell her. so i did. expecting the worst. what i got was something so opposite of what i thought would happen that for a minute i wasn't even sure i was talking to my mother.
she was supportive. she cried with me. told me everything was going to be ok. that i didn't need a man to take care of me. that i was everything she raised me to be. a strong, independent woman. she reminded me that if she could raise 4 kids on her own for 10 years, that i would be fine. we talked every day. sometimes rehashing some old hurts, sometimes laughing over shared memories. she became my long distance rock.
and then, she got sick. with her being 800 miles away in oregon, all i could do was pester my sister and brother to get her to a specialist. i knew it was cancer. it had to be. she had been a smoker since the age of 15. after all those years of fighting with her, now i was fighting for her. i called her doctors, insisted on tests. finally, one of the doctors agreed to do an MRI. the only problem was that mom couldn't lie down without coughing long enough for them to do the test. with my brother and sister by her side, they dosed my mom with morphine to get her calm enough to lay flat on the machine table.
hours later the phone rang in my office. it was friday morning. june 19th, 1997. my brother was the caller. "mom has pancreatic cancer" he said. i asked if she knew. he told me that they wanted to wait until i got there to tell her. could i come right away? i told him i would be there that night. i called the temp service and ordered up a temp to cover the rest of the day and the next week. told my boss what was going on and high-tailed it out for home to pack a bag. i left my house at 3:00pm that day. when i arrived in klamath falls at 9:30 that night i went straight to the hospital. i didn't want my mom to know i was there because then she would know for sure that something was wrong, but i wanted to peek in on her. just to see her for myself. when i finally found her room i stuck my head in the door and saw the bed was empty. the charge nurse asked if i was looking for someone. i told her that i just wanted to look in on my mom and she said "oh, she passed away earlier this evening." what? why hadn't my brother or sister called me? when i asked them, they both answered that they hadn't wanted to upset me while i was driving. i was incredulous. i had driven like a bat out of hell to get there as fast as i could. if they had called me i would have known not to take the chances i had to get there. but there was nothing left to do. she had already been taken to the cemetery for the cremation. we managed to stop them before that happened the next day so that i could see her for myself and say good bye.
it was one of the hardest things i have ever had to do. and every time june 19th falls on a friday, it's like living it all over again.
for most of my life, my mother and i fought. i was my father's daughter. the youngest, and his only girl. i am sure that threatened my mother in some way as my father and i were pretty much inseparable. after my father passed, i was pressured by my mother to get things done. the "normal" things in life. get married, produce offspring, you know. i was perfectly happy being single and living life. then i met someone i thought maybe i could settle down with. my mother hounded me about it. when is the wedding? why haven't you had a baby? when are you going to buy a house? i managed to tune her out most of the time. then came the day my husband told me he wasn't happy. he wanted a divorce. at the time i was crushed. it wasn't what i wanted. i lobbied for counseling. he declined. i didn't know he already had another woman... or girl really, as my replacement was only 19. and apparently as dumb as a box of rocks, but i digress. after that night of torture, i cried. i begged and pleaded. but his mind was made up. so, as i moved into the acceptance phase of the program, i fought an internal battle. i hadn't told my mother. a week passed, then a month. my sister knew. my friends knew. but i still hadn't told her. for fear that my delicate emotions wouldn't be able to handle her response. i was sure she would rant and rave that i had to try harder. call me a worthless failure. but as i began to wake from the haze, i knew i would have to tell her. so i did. expecting the worst. what i got was something so opposite of what i thought would happen that for a minute i wasn't even sure i was talking to my mother.
she was supportive. she cried with me. told me everything was going to be ok. that i didn't need a man to take care of me. that i was everything she raised me to be. a strong, independent woman. she reminded me that if she could raise 4 kids on her own for 10 years, that i would be fine. we talked every day. sometimes rehashing some old hurts, sometimes laughing over shared memories. she became my long distance rock.
and then, she got sick. with her being 800 miles away in oregon, all i could do was pester my sister and brother to get her to a specialist. i knew it was cancer. it had to be. she had been a smoker since the age of 15. after all those years of fighting with her, now i was fighting for her. i called her doctors, insisted on tests. finally, one of the doctors agreed to do an MRI. the only problem was that mom couldn't lie down without coughing long enough for them to do the test. with my brother and sister by her side, they dosed my mom with morphine to get her calm enough to lay flat on the machine table.
hours later the phone rang in my office. it was friday morning. june 19th, 1997. my brother was the caller. "mom has pancreatic cancer" he said. i asked if she knew. he told me that they wanted to wait until i got there to tell her. could i come right away? i told him i would be there that night. i called the temp service and ordered up a temp to cover the rest of the day and the next week. told my boss what was going on and high-tailed it out for home to pack a bag. i left my house at 3:00pm that day. when i arrived in klamath falls at 9:30 that night i went straight to the hospital. i didn't want my mom to know i was there because then she would know for sure that something was wrong, but i wanted to peek in on her. just to see her for myself. when i finally found her room i stuck my head in the door and saw the bed was empty. the charge nurse asked if i was looking for someone. i told her that i just wanted to look in on my mom and she said "oh, she passed away earlier this evening." what? why hadn't my brother or sister called me? when i asked them, they both answered that they hadn't wanted to upset me while i was driving. i was incredulous. i had driven like a bat out of hell to get there as fast as i could. if they had called me i would have known not to take the chances i had to get there. but there was nothing left to do. she had already been taken to the cemetery for the cremation. we managed to stop them before that happened the next day so that i could see her for myself and say good bye.
it was one of the hardest things i have ever had to do. and every time june 19th falls on a friday, it's like living it all over again.
Monday, June 08, 2009
yesterday...
would have been your 84th birthday. and i was too sad to even bother getting dressed. i miss you now, more than i ever thought i would before you passed.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
it always seems like a good idea at the time...
remember, back over here where i chastised myself for doing the nike women's marathon?
i have somehow been talked into doing the san jose rock and roll half marathon in october.
i have agreed to be part of a get fit team that my niece's trainer is putting together.
what the hell was i thinking?????
i have somehow been talked into doing the san jose rock and roll half marathon in october.
i have agreed to be part of a get fit team that my niece's trainer is putting together.
what the hell was i thinking?????
Thursday, February 26, 2009
anchors aweigh...
so, my niece and i are going on a cruise for thanksgiving. we will be on the carnival cruise ship SPLENDOR. yesterday i emailed her the deck plans. she writes back to me "you realize we are on the bottom deck, right?" i said "yes, why?" she writes back to me, "may i remind you of the titanic." all i could do was laugh.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
january 11, 1920 - january 11, 1988
i miss you, dad.
it's been 21 years since you left me. i still feel that pain, every day as if it were just yesterday.
i had breakfast with debbie this morning. right across the street from where you and i had breakfast all those years ago. there was a man playing the harp. when we sat down, he was playing "always on my mind". i got chicken skin as i listened to it. as i sat with tears in my eyes, debbie asked what was wrong. i told her that today was your birthday. i told her about our day that started with breakfast in pacifica and ended with dinner in santa cruz with uncle jack and auntie rose. the drive down the coast on a january 11th, 28 years ago that was just as gorgeous as today.
it's been 21 years since you left me. i still feel that pain, every day as if it were just yesterday.
i had breakfast with debbie this morning. right across the street from where you and i had breakfast all those years ago. there was a man playing the harp. when we sat down, he was playing "always on my mind". i got chicken skin as i listened to it. as i sat with tears in my eyes, debbie asked what was wrong. i told her that today was your birthday. i told her about our day that started with breakfast in pacifica and ended with dinner in santa cruz with uncle jack and auntie rose. the drive down the coast on a january 11th, 28 years ago that was just as gorgeous as today.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
me and uncle big ears...
wish you and yours the merriest of christmases and the happiest of new years!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
christmas cookie memories...
it seems like a million years ago. i was just a kid. barely 13 i think. my mom used to order christmas cookies by the dozens from someone that she worked with so that we would have them for the season. my brother fred and i would get so excited because we knew there would be a ton of cookies in the house.
mom thought she was outsmarting us by hiding them in this huge tupperware container under the bed in our parents room. as the holiday draws ever closer this year i find that i am more in the spirit this year than in many years past. i find myself wanting to make a ton of cookies, even though i can't find a container to keep them in. i so wanted to find a big flat container of some sort that is airtight like that one my mother used.
i have my annual ornament exchange coming up this sunday. this year i am doing a brunch. but i think i will try to make a pile of cookies too so that everyone can take some home. there is nothing like homemade christmas cookies!
mom thought she was outsmarting us by hiding them in this huge tupperware container under the bed in our parents room. as the holiday draws ever closer this year i find that i am more in the spirit this year than in many years past. i find myself wanting to make a ton of cookies, even though i can't find a container to keep them in. i so wanted to find a big flat container of some sort that is airtight like that one my mother used.
i have my annual ornament exchange coming up this sunday. this year i am doing a brunch. but i think i will try to make a pile of cookies too so that everyone can take some home. there is nothing like homemade christmas cookies!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
just in case i don't check in tomorrow...
happy turkey day!
i'll be with NSM and her son, and her sister. we're having ham! i've got the chocolate pecan pie in the oven now. tomorrow i will make the green beans wrapped in bacon. i need to make a quick run up to my niece's house in fremont to check on her fur babies and then it's off to NSM's for the afternoon.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
speaking of my nephews...
this monster cat (he has got to weigh in at 18 lbs) is boo boo.
and this handsome boy is yogi. yogi love's his auntie barbie. i was with my niece when she adopted him so he cozys right up to me. in fact, this morning i hung out for a while to watch "good morning, vietnam" and yogi was on the sofa right next to me the entire time. he would not let me stop touching him.
and this handsome boy is yogi. yogi love's his auntie barbie. i was with my niece when she adopted him so he cozys right up to me. in fact, this morning i hung out for a while to watch "good morning, vietnam" and yogi was on the sofa right next to me the entire time. he would not let me stop touching him.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
catch the sun...
my sister sent me these in an email. they are WAY better than the usual tourist holds up the tower of pisa pictures so i thought i would share.
enjoy!
enjoy!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
random things...
first... i know this looks like a picture of me smiling. but it's not. it's really a picture of me freezing and my teeth chattering at the mandatory fun on saturday.
next, thanks to an intern and a clinician who refused to give up and let me live in pain we are FINALLY making some progress toward getting my back better. last week they started treating me with electric stimulation,
cryopak ice
and the cold laser
then a side posture adjustment.
where i had previously been an 11 on a scale of 1-10 this morning i am about a 5 on a scale of 1-10! yippee!
and finally... i was talking with my niece on satuday night. we were sitting across from each other at IHOP perusing the menu. she was talking about some hamburger with a fried egg on it. so i told her about this ladies brunch show i saw paula deen do once where she made these breakfast burgers that had krispy kreme donuts for the bun, a fried hamburger patty, a fried egg, bacon, and then another krispy kreme donut on the top.
i can feel my arteries hardening even as i type this. and she looks me right in the face and says paula who?
next, thanks to an intern and a clinician who refused to give up and let me live in pain we are FINALLY making some progress toward getting my back better. last week they started treating me with electric stimulation,
cryopak ice
and the cold laser
then a side posture adjustment.
where i had previously been an 11 on a scale of 1-10 this morning i am about a 5 on a scale of 1-10! yippee!
and finally... i was talking with my niece on satuday night. we were sitting across from each other at IHOP perusing the menu. she was talking about some hamburger with a fried egg on it. so i told her about this ladies brunch show i saw paula deen do once where she made these breakfast burgers that had krispy kreme donuts for the bun, a fried hamburger patty, a fried egg, bacon, and then another krispy kreme donut on the top.
i can feel my arteries hardening even as i type this. and she looks me right in the face and says paula who?
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