"Thanks a Bill-ion Mr. Card!" (sign in the halls of Toll Middle School in Glendale!)

Today was the retirement party for Bill Card - he's been teaching and administrating for 35 years!!  The party was at Toll's Middle School where he has served as principal for the last 3 years.  There was a handful of staff from Clifton there, a handful of member of the Arcadia Stake, a handful of family members, and a whole lot of folks from Glendale USD.  

This was part of the table decor.  The tee-shirts were cool too - and there was a hamburger truck - "Son of a Bun" - pretty good hamburgers too.

 

More table decor - the band Bill has performed with for the last 12 years was there to add to the fun and festivities.

 

There was ice cream and popcorn and soda - a real middle school event!

 

There were a lot of speakers - who kept it short and sweet and seemed to zero in on Bill's strengths - and why we all love him so. Then Bill got up and performed with the band - and with Perry Hoopes - singing "Johnny Be Good."  I should have taken a photo of that!

 

Bill started out as a band director at Crescenta Valley High School - so the CVHS band came and performed - it was a great touch - sort of "Mr. Holland's Opusish!"

Probably the best retirement party I've ever attended!!  Glad I was there.  

The end of an era

The youngest son of Agnes and Peter Clayton - my Uncle Byron - died Friday morning.

 

The last time I saw him was at my mom's 90th birthday party 4 years ago.  I called a few more times to try and arrange another visit - I had visited him 2 or 3 times in the years previous - but we never found a time that worked for both of us.  I think I should have been more diligent - I had some more questions for him.

I should probably write up the conversations I did have with him, because they were interesting and enlightening.  He seemed to have a memory for details, and he told the stories with details, which of course made them easy to listen to and fascinating.

Story telling may be a Clayton trait!!

It is the end of one era, but my grandfather remarried twice and there are half siblings of my father that are still alive.  Because they are close in age to me, I often think of them as more like cousins.  Byron always seemed like an uncle!  I recall going to his wedding when he married his first wife.  We all got new clothes - it was pretty exciting for us.

As an older teen, he was involved in a serious car accident where the other passenger died.  He was injured and taken to a hospital in Monrovia where he recuperated for many months.  My mom remembers going to visit him there - the hospital was on Foothill!

For many years he worked at the May Company, and when my brothers went on missions, he got special discounts for them on luggage and suits.  He was not active in the church, but he lived right next door to the Claremont Stake Center.  He would say, "Isn't MIA on Thursday night?  It was always on Thursday night.  I don't see any kids over there on Thursday nights."

He was something of a loner.  As we spoke of him tonight, my mom said, "Well, I don't think he's a loner anymore."

I'm sure the reunion was a happy one.  He lost his mother as a small boy of 8 or so, and I imagine they were both delighted to reunite.

Rest in peace Uncle Byron!

Happy day to Henry - latest teen on the Terrill Grandchildren Roster!!

A very special day when this little guy finally arrived.  Some drama preceded his arrival, but all's well that ends well!!

 

Probably my A Number One Fave Foto of the Hankster,

 

who just keeps growing and growing

 

into the wonderful young man he is today!!

Happy day to you Henry - and all year through!!  WE LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Every year I have a lovely birthday - thanks to family and friends who make it a point to help me celebrate in fine style.  And there are always grandchildren willing to help blow out all those candles.

 

Isla found those old baby doll bassinets I used to crochet - back in the day - and decided one of them made a perfect chapeau for Deacon!!  There was a lot of laughter over it too!  It's been awhile - no one but me knew what it really was!

 

Once again a plethora of good friends sent me cards - don't you love a mantle full of cards??

Here's to a great new year ahead!!

A "little" family party!!

There's really no such thing as a "little" party at the Claytons.  But in reality, only a fraction of the family is usually there.

 

7 of Mom's kids were there, 3 of her grandkids, and 11 of her great grandkids.

 

We needed a "human shield" to keep the candles lit!  Mom always lets the great-grandkids blow out the candles.

 

Deacon was everyone's favorite - at least everyone's favorite to hold.

 

Cousin time - always fun.

Bill's bike was a very big hit - especially when he drove away with a lot of vroom, vrooming!!

If you weren't there, we missed you!!

Happy 94th!!

Mother's  high school photo - I'm sure she wasn't thinking about being 94 one day when she had this shot taken!!

 

This is a fairly recent shot.

 

And here we have the oldest and youngest posing together at the birthday bash.

Happy Day to you Mom - you're the best - and you deserve the best!!

Saturday outing

Initially I had planned a fun trip to Union Station for a tour I'd read about in Westways.

 

Unfortunately, thousands of others read about the same tour - and there are no openings until August 16th!!

 

We considered several options, including a walking tour of historic sights in LA.

 

But common sense prevailed, and we stayed close to home.

 

It turns out that Alice remembers going on a field trip to the Huntington Library when she was 9.  We lived out in the San Fernando Valley - so that was a pretty ambitious field trip.

 

We had fun - and we mostly just wanted to spend some time together - so it filled the bill.

Happy Day to Dawn!!

The best thing that ever happened to Harry was Dawn - shown here at her bridal shower.

 We were so excited to welcome her into the family!!

And look what they started!

Dawn gets a lot of the credit!!

We love you Dawn - have a happy day!!

Baby Boy Terrill

Noah as a newborn - a happy baby, and one who was loved by everyone.  He also went without a name for 3 weeks.  I was ready to agree to anything, but every time I said, "Okay, that's fine," Harry would pause and say, "well, let's think on it some more."

Noah has a 3 page birth certificate as a result!!

And Noah on Sunday the 11th as we celebrated his birthday and Dawn's - and Mother's Day.

Where do the years go??

Mother!

I've always loved this photo because it captures so much with so little.  I'm holding Bonny, the sweet little girl who made me a mother.  I love all my children, but you only have one first child.  And that child has to bear the brunt of being first, so you sometimes feel bad about how inept you were at times.  Bonny has been generous and forgiving of our efforts on the learning curve!

And my mother and her mother are in the picture.  I heard something on NPR this morning - didn't catch all the details, but it was a woman who was performing with her son - and she hadn't performed for awhile.  Her son was speculating that it was a revelation to his children to see their grandmother as a whole other person than just the Grandma they knew.  And my mother and grandmother were definite people before they became "Mom and Grandma!"

My grandma was a stenographer, and she loved to travel.  She and my mom went across the country on the train every summer to visit in Ashland, Kentucky, my grandma's birthplace.  She was a wonderful needlewoman - but didn't really take it up until middle age.  And my mom always wanted to go to college - didn't get to go and graduate until she was 68 years old - the age I am now!  The more I visit with her, the more I learn - and I think I thought I knew all about her!!

Talk to your mom and your grandma - if that's still an option - and your daughters!!  Let's keep learning and loving and growing - and making our mothers proud!

Happy day today to all the wonderful moms I know and love!

And they're off!

Monrovia established a race, "Fountain to the Falls," three years ago.  The first year we didn't know about it, last year there was a conflict, so Harry was excited to be able to participate this year.  It's a little over 7 miles, and it starts at the library fountain and goes to the "falls" in Monrovia Canyon.  (For the uninitiated, "the falls" are often no more than a trickle, it all depends on rainfall.  There has not been a lot of rainfall of late, so the "falls" are probably a trickle today.)

 

There were over 300 entrants this year - Harry was pretty close to the front of the pack when I took this photo.  I will post his results - I should note that the race is up to the falls and then back to the fountain - that's how you get 7 miles!

Monrovia could get on the map with this one!!

A recent journey

I returned late Tuesday night from the trip with Harry, Dawn, and family to El Paso for Marjorie's funeral and burial.

 

It was a pretty good  trip - the kids behaved, we found adequate food and lodging and the requisite number of rest stops!!  (In spite of a road closure we had to wait out in Lordsburg, New Mexico.  Maybe I should have taken photos - I've never seen such a depressing place!!)

 

Deacon - and the other kids for that matter - were all at their best.  A nice blessing for all of us.

 

McDonald's in the motel room - what a treat!!

 

Eve is a great little babysitter - in case you need one sometime!!

 

I'm still tired - have TONS of photos to sort through - and will do a longer post soon.

For now, I'm heading off to bed!!