Happy Anniversary!

Can't believe it's been 10 years - but it has!! Many congrats to Hannah and Robbie on building a wonderful family - the years have been good to them.

Here's to many more good years!!

Happy day to Frankie!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our sweet Frankie!! He is a joy and a delight - and he's a reader too!

Birthday Month!!

Happy Birthday to me and RoseAnn - Long time birthday buddies!

 

And Happy 17th Birthday to Henry - our first grandson!!

Where do the years go??

Better late than never!!

It's been a busy week! Belated birthday greetings to Noah - the "baby" of the family who is now 31!

 

And Happy Birthday today to Dawn - the best thing that ever happened to Harry!

 

And Happy Mother's Day to Helen - first one without her.  Good memories abound however!

 

Second Mother's Day without my mom - miss her still!

There are 42 birthdays on my May birthday calendar - and Mother's Day, graduations, Memorial Day, end of school - such a busy month!!

Birthday Buddies!

It was just a year ago - yesterday - that I was in Redwood City for a fun stay to help when Ralph was born. And it seems like yesterday! Time always flies in the face of the growth of these wee ones!

 

And three years ago I was in Virginia, helping after Polly was born.  

I have so enjoyed retirement - which allows me to stay for longer visits with new babies. 

And I love that we have a couple of "birthday buddies" in the family!!

Polly and Ralph are wonderful additions to the grandchild roster!

Today is Alice's birthday, and it is

 

Maddy's birthday!  I always thought it would be fun to share a birthday with a family member - and I do, actually - with my sister-in-law Roseann.  

Both these photos are from a summer time visit with Alice and kids - while they were in the foreign service, they would come down to SoCal in the summer to visit my mom - and to stay at our house too.  It was a nice set up - our kids got to know each other and to share some good times.

Happy day to both of you - and best wishes for a great year ahead!

Happy day to my Grandma Stevens!!

Loved my Grandma Stevens.  She used to send me letters when I was in college and when I was a new bride and a young mother.  She died the year Phoebe was born. She had been a stenographer in her younger days - and she always typed her letters - I thought I had saved them - but haven't been able to find them for years - and that's too bad - because I remember them being funny and fun to receive.

You will just have to take my word for it!

Happy Birthday Bruce!

It was a great day when Bruce joined our family - he set the gold standard for sons-in-law - and we can't imagine the family without him.

 

Happy Birthday Bruce - we love you!!

Happy Birthday Eliza!

Eliza was 13 days late! The others had all been 11 days late, so I didn't get upset until day 12!

 

Dad had wanted to name her Anna Magdalena - but I prevailed - I thought she looked like an Eliza - and I still do!!

 

It was great to have a baby in the house again! 

 

Although Phoebe was fond of saying, "I was an only child til Eliza came!" But she loved having a baby sister too!

 

 We did have foster child, Bernie, for a year. So the family of 4 kids had 5 kids for a bit.

And now Eliza is a mom of 4! It is like one big circle!

Eliza is a blessing in our lives - we have felt that from the beginning!!  Have a great day - and a wonderful year!

Belated Birthday Greetings!

Browsing through the old blog - which doesn't get much attention from me or anyone else actually - and realized that I had missed posting on Keesa's birthday!!

She came for a birthday weekend and we had a great time. She is the best little guest! And fun to hang out with.

So grateful to have her in our lives!!

It's great to be eight!!

Saying goodbye to a dear friend

We got word today that our dear friend Sue Adams died yesterday.  About two weeks ago she posted on FB that the doctors had informed her that her last round of chemo had not worked.  She chose to go home to hospice care, and yesterday morning, with her family around her, she left this earthly vale.

Sue was a good friend.  They moved away quite a few years ago, but we stayed in touch with Christmas cards and she came back to Monrovia often.  Her daughter Emily was a good friend of Phoebe's, so we were often in touch with her.

With the advent of social media, seems like I could see Sue and her happy life in living color frequently enough that I felt like she was still just around the corner.

When we first moved to Monrovia, I wasn't very happy about being here.  I made friends in the ward and got involved and all seemed to be well.   Then they shuffled the ward boundaries and a few of us were sent to the Monrovia East Ward.  I was aghast - what would I do now?

One of the first people to come and see me was Sue Adams!  She was friendly and cheerful - you could not be gloomy in her presence. I knew it would be all right in this new ward.

There was a brief period of time when we walked together. I enjoyed getting to know her better. The ward was very social, and we interacted frequently. When they moved away, I was sad indeed.

When I fell in Albertson's and cracked three ribs, I was given a settlement.  I decided to use part of it to buy a Bosch mixer - something I had coveted.  Sue was a dealer and I got one from her.  It was fun to have her come and show me how to use it - and when I use it, I think of her.

When I walk in the mornings, I go past the house they used to live in.  In all these years, it has not changed.  I like that aspect - it means when I go by, I can think of Sue and remember all the good times.

Goodbye sweet Sue - heaven is a little brighter today - and the light here is a little dimmer.  

Godspeed!

Missing Ry!

February 22nd is Ry Nebeker's birthday. Ry has been gone for 3 years now - we miss him still. He was pretty much always "larger than life" and so his absence seems to stand out.

In 1990 and 1992, we camped in Ashland OR with the Nebekers  - it was a lot of fun - we still share the memories.

Thankfully his paintings and prints are all over our house, so he's always with us!

Happy Birthday David!

David tends to hide or be difficult when I try to snap a photo of him - so I don't have a whole lot of great photos of him.

This one is him putting away chairs at Harry and Dawn's wedding reception in 2000.  That's Aulvie Bourgeous helping him.  We all love Aulvie Bourgeous - and we love David too!

 

David and Phoebe are the perfect pair - we didn't know him until after they had decided to get married - but we trusted her judgment.

Over the years, we have had the chance to have our relationship grow and develop - and we are really glad Phoebe found David.

Happy Day David - may the force be with you!! lol

Sweet 16!

How can this sweetheart of a young woman be 16?  Old enough to drive and date? 

A fave photo of mine - captures the essence of Esme!

Looking forward to our Grandma's Bday weekend - it's always fun with Esme!!

Sweet 16 wishes for you all year long!!

Happy Birthday Pop!

Today is Grandpa Terrill's 102nd birthday - and I recall a birthday celebration for him almost 40 years ago, right after we moved her from Utah.

 

I made him a wool shirt - just like the shirt I'd made for Dad a few years earlier.

 

Harry insisted that I needed to make it large - but it was too large.  It was going to be quite a job to take it in.  I think we ended up giving it to Ernie, because it fit Ernie.

But Grandpa was very gracious - I know he appreciated the thought and the effort.

Always a gentleman!!

Oh my, 21 years old - I remember when I turned 21!!

Happy day to the lovely Miss Ara - first grandchild par excellence!!

 

I remember Dad coming to Wildrose to tell me - I can still feel the giddy excitement that reigned.

 

I remember driving to Ojai to see her - I think everyone went along - at least Eliza, Hannah, and Noah.

Such lovely memories of one of the loveliest young women I know.

I've said it before and I will say it again.  Ara set the Gold Standard for Grandkids - and has done a superb job of maintaining it!!

Happy day to you!!

Behinder and behinder!!

I am getting behinder and behinder - first it was the holidays - and folks stayed well into the month - for which we were grateful - love having folks here - but I'm playing holiday catch-up - and January is going by the wayside!!

But happy birthday to Theo - 11 on the 11th - the Golden Birthday - and we got to celebrate him right here - a treat for sure!

We love Theo!

 

And birthday greetings on the 9th to my Grandmother Agnes Busath Clayton - after whom I was named!

I look forward to meeting her some day!

Happy Belated Birthday!!

I think Richard has grown used to his birthday getting lost in the holiday shuffle!! But I remember his birth - he was not the first baby born at Glendale Adventist - but he did get a silver spoon for being born on New Year's Day!

Happy Birthday Jim!

Today is Jim's birthday - Jim and Harry worked together for many years - and saw each other every day. When Jim died, Harry said, "I still think about my brother every day,"

A wonderful pair - with many wonderful memories to share.

50 years of wedded bliss!

Late to the party - but that's the way it is around here!! 50 years together - and it's been a great 50 years - looking forward to forever!

We celebrated by going to the temple - where we had been married 50 years before - and had lunch in the temple cafeteria -with Bonny and Ara.

We are celebrating by going to Pigeon Point - a lighthouse station with a hostel - with our kids and grandkids.

Will report back!!