A new start

Tomorrow begins my internship. I have to admit that, in some ways, I am sad about it, because working full time means less time with Rebecca. I've so enjoyed being able to be with her so much - more than twice as many days a week with her than away from her, plus lots of time for her and I to have shopping dates and playdates on weekdays and to take several week-long trips to Tennessee each year. I'd like to say that I've enjoyed the time and ability to be a happy homemaker, but somehow even with allegedly being at home so much, the office has remained in a perpetual state of chaos of my doing. I was definitely not cut out to be a full time stay-at-home mom. I've enjoyed having the best of both worlds these past two years - putting on my work clothes and carrying my Coach bag or my red Italian leather work tote and doing off and doing something intellectually challenging a couple of days a week. I've been so blessed to be in a position to have that kind of time with Rebecca for two and a half years. Most mothers have to return to full time work when their babies are just six weeks old....so, I certainly have nothing about which to complain. I'm very thankful that, for her, very little changes, except for the fact that I am gone an extra two days a week. She has the same environment and adores Nanny Rebecca, and they have all kinds of plans for the summer. I know she is happy (jubuliantly so, in fact!) and well cared-for. In the end, that's what really matters. But it does make me a bit sad.

On the other hand, I'm really excited to be beginning this last step on my academic journey. It's certainly a big milestone in my professional life. I know that Ramy harbors some kind of fear that I'll take a whim to embark on another degree when I'm finished with my Ph.D., since I've now been in school for 26 years. But no, I'm really done after this! (Although the idea of going to pastry school in my retirement actually seems exceptionally appealing). Today, after I went to fill out a stack of paperwork for direct deposit, who to give my last check to if I kick it, how many exemptions I'm claiming, how I want my name on my badge, and swearing my allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, I went over to Loma Linda. I turned in my key to the internal clinic, which I've had since the end of my first year there. I also cleaned the random papers out of my mailbox. I had a little foreshadowing of the feeling I expect to have next June when I'm finally officially done with that place and will be leaving with a hood on my shoulders and some sheepskin in my hands. I'm excited to be fully in the practice world. I'm excited about the work I'll be doing and the opportunities I'll have on internship and about getting ready to start making plans for what comes after graduation. I've been looking at all the various options for review materials for the EPPP (the national licensing exam)...and trying to be realistic about how much effort I'm going to put into studying for it.

I am grateful for all the people in my life who love and support me and who will continue to do so in this next chapter of our life.

Home again

Ramy, Rebecca, and I arrived safely home last night after an uneventful flight. Rebecca had only napped for about half an hour on the drive from Fayetteville to the Cracker Barrel yesterday around noon, so we were expecting (and hoping!) that she would sleep on the flight. That child did not sleep a wink on the flight! However, she was angelically good. She never asked to get out of her seat or anything and really didn't even require much entertaining, other than some snacks and giggle time. Myrna picked us up at the airport, and Rebecca didn't even nap on the drive to Chino Hills. We arrived home, and she was excited to be greeted by Paddington and Sydney. It was also a happy reunion with her toys, and she wasn't ready to go to bed until 10 p.m. (midnight, Central time).

Today, I've been in the cleaning and organizing state of mind and have cleaned out a bookshelf, gotten rid of clothes that no longer fit, reorganized dresser drawers, and got rid of a bunch of crap in the garage. So now, hopefully, I have more room to put away all of the clothes in the suitcases, which I have yet to unpack. I've decided that despite having a walk-in closet and five-drawer dresser for her clothes, I can't fit more than one season's worth of clothes in at one time. Pathetic, isn't it? The few things I've bought ahead for next winter and spring are in boxes to be unpacked when it is time, along with the cool weather stuff she had from last season that I'm keeping for this fall.

I love productive days!

Our last day

In addition to it being Ramy's and my fifth anniversary, it is also our last full day here in Tennessee. We head back to California tomorrow evening. We've had a really great time here, and I am not eager to get back to the West Coast, particularly considering that I have to start work next week and we have a long hot sumemr there ahead of us!

On Tuesday morning, we had some pictures taken at Portrait Innovations in Huntsville. Rebecca was only interested in sitting in the rocking chair or exploring the rest of the room and studio. After we'd done all of those pics we wanted and wanted her to do other things, she was in kind of a snit and was less than cooperative. Nonetheless, we got several good pictures. I've posted a slideshow over on the right side of the website.

Tuesday evening, Ramy and I got to go out on a date to celebrate our anniversary! Rebecca stayed with Grammy and enjoyed going out to dinner with her and Aunt Margaret. With the undivided attention of those two, plus "Spakes-peer" (Shakespeare) to laugh at, and all kinds of fun things to play with at Grammy's house, how could she have missed mommy and daddy? I think we were largely out of sight and out of mind! Ramy and I had dinner at the Melting Pot and then watched The Hangover at the movie theater. It was nice to have an adult night out to celebrate our anniversary.

On Wednesday, we left the house early and headed east to Chattanooga. We went to the Tennessee Aquarium. Rebecca was loving all the ocean fish, penguins, and butterflies in the first building. We had made up names of fish for some silly reason, and so we had to "find" those fish at the aquarium. In addition to finding Nemo, we also saw Finn, Goldie, Gill, and Fishy Wishy. There was almost a catastrophe, however, when the first gift shop we went into did not have a plush Nemo. They had a small Nemo, and Rebecca was briefly placated by it and the stuffed penguin that she held hands with and "walked" with. After that, she was kind of over viewing fish, and we went pretty quickly through the river fish building. After lunch, we saw the IMAX 3D movie of Under the Sea. Rebecca was a bit scared by the loud sounds in surround, and she was sleepy and promptly fell asleep on daddy. The 3D thing gives me kind of a headache, but it was a cute movie. The best part of the IMAX thing was that the gift shop there had a stuffed Nemo! Praise the Lord! Since that time, we've had to sleep with Big Nemo, Little Nemo, and the stuffed penguin we bought that Rebecca named Pedro. We drove around Chattanooga for a short while, and I revisited some of my college haunts and felt old when I realized how many things had changed!

On Wednesday night, I went it alone and had dinner with my girlfriends. Ramy and Rebecca played outside at Grammy's house, riding bikes and doing other fun stuff. On Thursday morning, Rebecca, Grammy, and I drove to Nashville to pick up some fabrics at various fabric places so that Grammy can make some cute outfits for Rebecca. Thursday night, we had dinner with Brian, Stephanie, and Baby Benjamin at Cahoots. Ben is such a cutie! He's so tiny and precious but looks older than he really is because he has a lot of hair (not to mention that he looks wiser than any 5 week old). Clearly, Brian and Stephanie are great parents and are enjoying their sweet little boy and their new roles. Why didn't I take pictures??? We made some pies and cheese straws and took them to the Caudles' home in Taft.

Today, we chilled at Grammy's house and had biscuits and sausage or jelly for breakfast. We played outside and Rebecca had a great time blowing bubbles (rather, using the little tools that blow them for you, which are much cooler!). My friend Molly's aunt passed away, so we went to the funeral home for visitation in Ardmore and then on to Huntsville for a nice dinner out with us and Aunt Margaret on our last evening here. I had taken some pictures of my mom's flowers and have been making her some note cards online with them, so I'm finishing up that and putting off trying to pack up! I think I'm going to play like Scarlett and think about that tomorrow! Luckily, our flight isn't until 5pm, so we'll have time to be leisurely in the morning before heading out for Nashville with a stop at the Cracker Barrel. Hopefully we can fit everything in the three suitcases we brought with us with only one extra box to add to the mix. I'm also hoping that we can sneak some of Rebecca's beloveds into the checked luggage and that we don't have to have three babies, Big Nemo, Little Nemo, and Pedro the Penguin all on board with us.

5 years

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since our wedding day. What a beautiful, sacred day it was. I'm even more grateful that we both realized that the wedding was only the first day of our marriage, which was something we both put as a top priority. The intervening time since that happy day has been full of happy times and blessings even through less-than-happy times. We always have a good time together, work together well, and complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, quirks, and foibles.

Ramy, I love you so much, and I'm so thankful God gave you to me. After five years, there's no one I'd rather spend time with than you. No matter what the situation, you're always what and who I need you to be at the time, whether it is by fixing whatever is wrong, making me laugh, making me see that I'm overreacting, or just being a distraction.



This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding, and I think it symbolizes us well.

Summer fun in the sprinkler

One of the many things that Rebecca has been enjoying about our vacation in Tennessee is playing in the sprinkler that Grammy bought for her. We've been letting her play in the water in the late afternoon/early evening, when it isn't quite as hot as in the middle of the day. Rebecca loves it! It has a thing where you can drop balls down the tube and then it will spit them out high into the air on a shoot of water. So Rebecca reaches in the top of the thing so that she can stop the tall spray of water! She also likes to try to "catch" the water in her mouth. Despite the fact that she is shivering, she never wants to come inside after a long time of playing in the sprinkler. The other night, I brought the baby shampoo out and gave her an outdoor bath in the front yard. Does it get any better than that?

Dinner with Friends

On Monday evening, Rebecca, Ramy, and I drove up to Franklin to have dinner with my friends Shannon and Melissa and their husbands (Ryan and Sjon-Paul). Mel and S-P's daughters Emmaline and Laura were there, but Shannon and Ryan's daughter Brooke had a more appealing offer for an evening with Ma and Pa (maybe a wagon ride to Olson's Mercantile was part of the deal!).

We had a great time talking and laughing over Italian food. Our kids were less than interested in having a photo taken to commemorate the occasion!

A cute face

Father's Day recap

On Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day with Ramy. We went to church at my mom's church and then had a southern country buffet lunch. That evening, we went to Connor's Steakhouse for dinner, where Ramy enjoyed a ribeye and lobster tail. Rebecca also enjoyed it!





I had done a project for Ramy as a Father's Day gift for him. I took these pictures of Rebecca holding up letters to spell DADDY, and I'll be framing them in a horizontal collage frame.

Hopefully he will actually take them to work and hang them up. On second thought, knowing how he is about keeping a single box with all his belongings on the floor in his office so he can pack up in less than 5 minutes, I think I will go hang it myself!

I also got a Daddy/Daughter storybook for Rebecca. She enjoyed having her daddy read it to her (she's wearing a Father's Day shirt that my mom made for her).



It was a sweet day. I hope Ramy felt loved and appreciated as a dad!

Daddies and Daughters

Seeing Ramy and Rebecca together is one of the greatest joys of my life. I always knew he would be a great daddy, but nothing could have prepared me for the way in which seeing my husband with our child could make my heart pour over with happiness. I'm so thankful that Rebecca is blessed with an amazing father, as I was. I really don't think we can underestimate the impact a father has on his daughter's whole life. My daddy has been gone for more than two years now, but he'll never really be gone, because he is a part of everything I do (except maybe my bad days - those are all my own!). Ramy is very much like my dad in many ways, and seeing him with Rebecca also reminds me of happy times as a little (and big) girl with my own dad.

It was always so interesting to me to see, even from Rebecca's earliest months, how she expected different things from her mommy and daddy. (I was the utilitarian one, while he has always been the fun one!). The look of absolute adoration that Rebecca has for Ramy is absolutely incomparable, and there are several images of the two of them together that are indelibly imprinted in my mind's eye.

Rebecca loves to do just about anything Ramy does. She stands in his chair next to him, patting his face while they watch basketball or Operation Repo. If daddy likes to eat fish, then Rebecca is certain it must be a delicacy. She also thinks that it's cool to eat the shells of sunflower seeds like Daddy does, but certainly there are very few bad or socially undesirable traits he has that she can adopt as her own (and we won't talk about those!). She loves to follow him, "help" him do household chores, wear his shoes, and generally idolize him. I think there couldn't possibly be anything sweeter than the love a daughter has for her daddy, and vice versa.

Happy Fathers Day to all wonderful daddies!

Now the party can begin!

Ramy arrived this morning into Huntsville airport, after a redeye from Orange County to Atlanta and a delayed Atlanta to Huntsville flight. Although when Rebecca was forced to awaken at 6:30 a.m. and told me she didn't care about going to get Daddy, she was certainly overjoyed to see him once we got to the airport to meet his flight! Poor daddy didn't get any sleep on his flights, unfortunately. Rebecca has been helping him nap this afternoon so that we can do something fun tonight.

Buttons

Rebecca continues to be enthralled with Grammy's house. Last night, she found yet another thing about Grammy's house that makes it an intriguing place of excitement and adventure! My mom was sewing a dress for Rebecca (because she doesn't really have enough clothes, right?). Rebecca wandered in and said, "Whatcha doin', my Gammy?" When Grammy told her she was sewing, Rebecca's interest was piqued. Grammy told Rebecca that when she was older, she would teach Rebecca how to sew. Rebecca inquired, "Can I try, Grammy?"

Grammy pulled out an enormous glass jar of buttons to pick out some buttons for Rebecca's dress. She might as well have pulled a pot of gold from behind a rainbow, as far as Rebecca was concerned. What treasures!


Rebecca poured over those buttons for the longest time. She sorted them by colors, by sizes, or just by ones she liked best. She picked them out of the jar and placed them on a plate. She got more and more exuberant about the buttons the longer she played with them, to the point that even though she was exhausted, she was so stimulated by the colors, shapes, and textures of the buttons that she couldn't calm down to go to sleep.



This afternoon when we came in, Rebecca went to the sewing room, looked inside and whispered as though it were sacred ground, "'Dat's Gammy's sewing room...with buttons!"

Tuesday

Other than losing sweet Daisy, Rebecca and I have been having a great time here in Tennessee. Rebecca enjoys hanging out at Grammy's house. In fact, if we've been out for a long time, she'll say, "I want Grammy's house, I want Grammy's house!" Crazy girl.

On Saturday, we headed to Nashville and ate breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. We went to the Little Cottage at the Factory in Franklin. They were also having a pet adoption that day at the Factory, and Rebecca enjoyed seeing all the cats. Afterward, we went over to Green Hills and shopped at Janie and Jack. I picked up several things from the Season Finale sale that weren't available at the store in California. We also bought a bunch of things from their new line. Rebecca slept through the whole time in Janie and Jack but was excited to go through the bags after we had left. She was wearing a navy blue dress (the one in the pic from my last post, actually) but found a light blue shrug that we had bought. She loved it and wanted to wear it and then wouldn't take it off, despite the fact that it so did not match what she had on. I kept wanting to explain to everyone we met in the mall that I didn't put that outfit together and that I really do know how to match clothes! We ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and also hit up Davis Kidd bookstore, as well as a couple of places for adult clothes! We found a Whole Foods and were able to stock up on cereal bars for Rebecca as well, so it was a successful shopping day.

On Sunday, we went to church with my mom. Rebecca was happy to see Jack, although I think Jack had much more interesting things on his mind than in seeing girls. He's so tall and looks like he's ready to play high school football. We went to Cracker Barrel in Huntsville with my aunt after church. Sunday night, my friend Brenda came over and we hung out and ate pizza and gossipped, while Rebecca played.

Yesterday, Rebecca got a haircut. We met my mom's friend Marilyn for dinner and Rebecca enjoyed some barbecue. Today, we took my aunt to the doctor. While we were waiting for her, we went over to the mall so that I could see if there were any deals I couldn't live without at Gymboree's Red Balloon sale. I also found the most perfect black dress and went ahead and bought it for myself for my graduation next June. I wouldn't ordinarily buy something like that so far ahead, but I loved the dress and it fit well, so I went ahead and got it. Now I just need perfect shoes to go with it. And of course, I need to be done with internship and defend my dissertation! But at least I have the dress!

Godspeed, sweet Daisy

Today was a low point in our visit to Tennessee. My mom's dog Daisy has been at the animal hospital since before we arrived. She'd had a seizure last weekend and was found to have very low blood sugar, which led the vet to believe that she had a tumor on her pancreas. Although we'd all hoped that it would be only a surface tumor that might be able to be removed and give her some more quality time with us, when Dr. Warden did surgery today, it was found that it was just too advanced for anything to be done. Daisy was a very sweet dog, who had "belonged" to my dad, which makes her loss seem even greater. However, we are glad that she is not in pain and confusion any longer. Rebecca loves my mom's dogs and talks about them almost as much as she talks about our dogs. Before we came and since we have been here, she has asked about Daisy frequently. I'd explained that Daisy didn't feel good. She'd gotten to the point that she'd mention Daisy and then immediately say, "Daisy no feel good" with a sad look on her face.

After we learned the news about Daisy, I knew that the time had come for a discussion with Rebecca. She mentioned Daisy and immediately said, "Daisy no feel good." So I explained to her that most of the time when people or animals don't feel good, they go to the doctor and get better, but that Daisy was just too sick to get better so God took her to heaven to live with him. She looked pensive for a few moments and then went back to something else for awhile but mentioned Daisy again a couple of minutes later, so we went through the explanation again. A little later, Rebecca said she wanted to see Daisy..."please", so I explained that she was in heaven and that even though it made us sad that we couldn't see her, she was happy in heaven with Jesus. Then Rebecca said she wanted to go to church, so I'm pretty sure she was associating Daisy being with Jesus at church. That was a little more of a difficult explanation, since we talk about Jesus being at church in communion, that Jesus lives in our hearts, and Jesus is in heaven with Daisy and Grandpa. Those are concepts difficult for adults to grasp! I tried to keep the message simple about heaven, and after the last discussion of it, Rebecca hasn't asked again, but I'm sure it's just the beginning of a dialog about it.

A playdate with friends

On Friday, Rebecca and I drove to Gallatin, Tennessee to meet up with my friends Shannon and Melissa and their little girls. Did I know where Gallatin was before I hit the interstate? No. Thank goodness Melissa is good at giving directions. It's a miracle I didn't end up in Lexington.



Melissa's daughter Emmaline is five years old. She is the consummate big sister. Not only was she incredibly patient with all the two year olds underfoot, she wanted to give dolls to Rebecca and Brooke to take home with them. She also enjoyed posing for the camera and taking pictures with her mom.



Melissa's daughter Laura was two in October, so she's about four months older than Rebecca. Both Laura and Emmaline have gorgeous light blue eyes. Laura is so easy-going and relaxed. She shared her cool straw cup with Rebecca. Do those eyes slay you, or what? Laura decided that morning that her yellow bathing suit was the best outfit for having guests, because yellow is her favorite color. We all agreed. She also had a run-in with a candle and some of her bangs were sacrificed to it! But more importantly, she didn't get burned, and the bangs will grow back.

Here's Mel and her two sweet blue-eyed girls!


Unfortunately, I didn't get an opportunity to snap pics of Shannon and Brooke together. Hopefully I can correct that soon. Speaking of pics, Melissa brought out a photo album and we took a little trip back in time to our high school days. It was fun to reminisce...particularly with the advantage of hindsight! Thank goodness none of us ended up getting some of the things we thought we couldn't live without at the time!



Shannon's daughter Brooke is just a few weeks younger than Rebecca. However, she is more than a few inches taller than Rebecca!! Brooke is so ladylike, and her pretty blond curls are just adorable. Shannon is a hairbow making queen, so you can see Brooke's matching hairbow. I knew Shannon and I were kindred spirits when we became friends on the playground in the 6th grade.


Melissa cooked lunch for us, and what a spread she prepared! We had chicken strips, a veggie plate with dip, fruit, beans, tortellini pasta with pesto sauce, banana bread, brownies.... Rebecca couldn't decide whether she wanted to run with the girls or sit down and eat. Such decisions! The girls had a good time playing together. Brooke and Rebecca really liked having a little tea party, and they all enjoyed listening to Miss Shannon read a Dr. Seuss book to them. Rebecca has so much fun hanging with other little girls, especially older girls. She kept leaning over and petting Emmaline, like she was a puppy!








The afternoon flew by, and we all had sleepy toddlers who needed to nap. But hopefully we will be able to get together again for dinner with the husbands before we go back to California. I miss these girls (and their girls!) so much! It's heartwarming to see that after all these years, we all have plenty to talk about and I don't think any of us has really changed very much (although I think we probably all take ourselves a little less seriously). I also need a picture of Shannon, Melissa, and I and a better pic of all the girls together (although it may be asking too much to get that many little ones all looking in the same direction and happy at the same time!).

Gammy's house

Rebecca and I arrived safely yesterday morning. We took a red eye from Orange County to Atlanta, and that flight was fine. We haven't flown Delta in awhile, and Rebecca was quite taken with the in-seat personal televisions with touch screens. She was compelled to touch all over her screen to make it change channels or whatever. Despite the fact that she was falling asleep, her little hand would reach out to the screen to do something on it. I had told her that we would get to sleep on the airplane and then when we woke up, we'd see Grammy. Since we were schedule to arrive in Atlanta at 4:45 a.m. Eastern time, which is 1:45 a.m. our time, I thought she would probably sleep through until we were on the second flight. Nope! As soon as we touched down in Atlanta, Rebecca's eyes popped open and she exclaimed, "I coming, Gammy!" She was slightly dismayed that we were not yet to see Grammy, but that didn't stop her from keeping a whole terminal full of people entertained by her dancing and singing waiting to board our next flight. I suggested to Rebecca that we get something to eat while we waited. She said, "Um, how 'bout Cacker Battle [Cracker Barrel]?"

Unfortunately, the flight from Atlanta to Huntsville wasn't as good. We were delayed leaving by over an hour. It was a puddle jumper plane, so we had to go down a couple of flights of stairs, walk across the tarmac, and then climb the stairs into the plane. That's fun when you need to carry the carseat and hold a toddler's hand! As I boarded the plane, the flight attendant demanded proof that Rebecca's carseat was TSA/FAA approved. So I had to drop everything to show her the sticker. That wasn't good enough for her though, and she ended up confiscating Rebecca's carseat! Rebecca had to ride unrestrained, because our flight attendant was obviously wiser than Britax, the FAA, and all the other flight attendants on the other 40 flights it has been on with us. She then made a couple behind me put their newborn's carseat forward-facing. Clearly, the woman was an idiot on a power trip. I have her name and composed a letter to Delta mentally on our brief flight. Nonetheless, we made it safely into Huntsville and had breakfast at the Cacker Battle. Rebecca was practically in a stupor from lack of sleep and tried to get our of her stroller when I turned my head and fell and whacked her head on the (carpeted) store floor. It was a loud hit, and I think it kind of knocked the breath out of her as well as stunned her, because it took quite a while for her to let out a bloodcurdling scream. She cried hard enough that it made her fall asleep finally. She napped for several hours but was refreshed to see what things awaited her at Grammy's house. She had the best time playing with Shakespeare last night. You'd never know that dog is eleven years old. He was frolicking and cavorting and chortling, and Rebecca was dancing with him. She was giggling so hard and kept telling Shakespeare that he was crazy. She and I both slept really well (and early!) last night.

We sure do miss Daddy, but we are looking forward to him joining us here soon! I'm sure he is eating himself into an MSG coma since we are gone. He had to get his fix of Chinese food while I'm out of town, since I don't like authentic Chinese food nearly as much as Americanized Chinese food, which no self-respecting Asian will eat apparently.

Monday

It surely seemed as though the last week has really flown by! We've been really busy! Last week, I had a really complicated case at Casa Colina on Tuesday, and I barely got all of the assessments scored on Wednesday. I worked on that report for most of the rest of last week.

On Wednesday, Rebecca started going to the weekly summer kids movies with Nanny Rebecca. It's a great deal - for $5, you get a pass to see a kids movie each week for 10 weeks. 10 movies for $5? Can't beat that! So Wednesday mornings are their time to go to the movies. They saw Space Chimps last week. That evening, Rebecca put a clear plastic bowl over her head and told me she was a space chimp! She's a crazy monkey, that's for sure! The funny thing is that our Rebecca is so light that the movie seat kept folding up on her! She doesn't weigh enough to keep the seat down! We think a booster seat will help, so we'll try that this week.

I was reminded again tonight how lucky we are to have Nanny Rebecca. We were driving and I told Rebecca that tomorrow morning, Nanny Rebecca would be there and that Mommy would go to work. Rebecca said, "I love Nanny Becca. I happy." Then she said, "I sleepy and happy!" We've had quite a few boo-boos this week. All have required not only kisses but multiple bandaids, which must be applied with great love and concern for the boo-boo. However, she proclaimed after I put on the bandaid this morning and was fawning over it, "It's okay, Mama. I not feel bad."

Wednesday evening, I had a dinner to go to, so I didn't get home until late. I thought I was coming down with something and felt like crap Wednesday night, Thursday, and Thursday night. On Thursday, I spent the day at the University of Redlands, putting together my set of data for my dissertation. I still have to get some more of the demographic data from the clinic director, but then I'll have a full data set and can actually run some analyses. Hopefully we got something interesting at least! Ramy had a Knights of Columbus election meeting on Thursday night, so Rebecca and I chilled at home. We decided we needed some snacks, and Rebecca has been into cooking a lot lately, so I thought it was a good time to do some real mommy-daughter cooking that would be quick and foolproof. So we made Rice Krispy treats. I got the butter and marshmallows melted and the stove turned off before I got Rebecca up on the chair to pour in the Rice Krispies, so I didn't have to worry about her getting burned. She had a good time and was quite proud of herself, although she thought getting the goo on her hands was a bit gross! Now, every time I am at the stove though, she wants to "help." That makes me nervous, because her little hands are too unpredictable and I'm paranoid of her being too near the stove/oven.

Friday, Rebecca and I chilled at home and watched movies (I still wasn't feeling great). That night, we went to Jessica's 6th grade graduation and then had dinner at Johnny Rockets. On Saturday, Ramy had to go to a seminar on murder (not a how to class, thankfully!) and was gone most of the day. That evening, we went to Santa Anita and walked around and had dinner. Sunday we did a lot of relaxing at home and hanging out.

Today, Rebecca and I got up early so that we could meet Julie and Adelaide at Brea Mall. We were the first people in front of Janie and Jack to shop their Season Finale sale. We got some awesome deals! I was super excited about some of the outfits I got for really cheap prices. If you get Janie and Jack cuteness and quality at Target prices (or less, in many cases!), you know you're a good shopper. If only I put the organizational planning into my dissertation that I did into strategizing Rebecca's clothing, I'd have defended my dissertation long ago and have moved on to world domination. It's so much fun having Julie as my shopping (and scheming) compatriot, I don't know what I'm going to do when they're gone to New York. (By the way, any IT connections in the great NYC area? Julie's husband is still looking for a job!)

Rebecca is very excited that we are going to see Grammy this week. She knows we get to sleep on the airplane Wednesday night and that we'll wake up and see Grammy and Aunt Margaret. Let's hope it goes that smoothly! Grammy's dog Daisy is sick - she had a seizure on Sunday and it remains to be seen what is going on with her. I've tried explaining to Rebecca that Daisy is sick. Rebecca lovvvvvessss Daisy and has been quite concerned. Hopefully they can get her feeling better again.

Jessica's 6th grade graduation

Last night, we went to the 6th grade graduation ceremony for the Chino Hills Christian School to see our niece Jessica graduate. The ceremony was supposed to be outside at the school, but because of threat of rain, they moved it to a multipurpose room at a nearby church. It was CROWDED. Nonetheless, it was a very nice evening, and we're very proud of our niece. She will be attending junior high school at another christian school in Ontario that goes through high school.

Rebecca enjoyed the evening too! She had to be shushed a few times, because she wanted to talk or sing or proclaim her desire for goldfish, but she was very good through the long ceremony.


Myrna and Ed with their 6th grade graduate:


Ramy's Mom, Rebecca, and Ramy:

Do you ever wonder?

I realized that most of the people who read my blog have no idea what it looks like where we live. Unfortunately, most of you won't ever come visit us either (but you're all welcome!)!

We live in Chino Hills, California. We're about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, about 75 miles west of Palm Springs, about 115 miles north of San Diego, and about 400ish miles south of San Francisco. We're about 30 minutes from either the mountains or the beach. In 2007, Chino Hills was ranked as the 13th safest city in the United States and Money Magazine ranked it on their top 100 best places to live. According to our city website, it also boasts the 6th highest median income in the United States (that explains all the BMWs and Lexus at Costco). Chino Hills has a population of about 78,000 people and was only incorporated in 1991. It is 49% Caucasian, 28% Asian, and about 18% Latino.

We live on one of the hills in Chino Hills, and this is the view from our neighborhood:



This is what the hill immediately behind our house looks like:


Here we are on the way down to our community pool.


This is what it looks like when you drive down the hill from our house (straight across that intersection is Costco!)


This is our church - St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church.

It is the largest parish in the Diocese of San Bernardino. Here's a picture of us with my confirmation class when I converted to Catholicism on the day we were confirmed by the Bishop and another random picture of me at our church.




This is what Ramy looked like at the beach a few years ago when we actually went to the beach:


This is what the beach where we got engaged looks like:
it.