I’m late posting photos, but as the saying goes, better late than never.

I had just gotten home after taking our houseguest Valerie to the airport (she went home to Illinois for the holidays) when I saw Jerry’s car in the driveway. I was so excited to see him home for lunch! I was sure he had come home to see me so I rushed in the front door to say “hi sweetie”. When he walked out of his study and I saw the look on his face I knew there was a different reason for him being home in the middle of the day. You know the rest of the story, another job lay off with the holidays right around the corner. This short story line leads up the photo of me with a very special person in my arms, baby Jack L. Hord. Carol’s daughter Teresa, husband Jeremy, and daugher Emily welcomed Jack into the world a few days after Thanksgiving this year. Jerry had gone back to work after telling me about the job lay off news, and I was on the phone with my girlfriend Pauline boo-hooing about it. I was in no mood to break away from my conversation with Pauline, despite Carol’s persistance. She called my cell several times, then the home phone. I finally gave in and took her call. She didn’t tell me that Teresa and Jack were with her, she didn’t know about Jerry’s recent job status. She just knew how much I loved her girls and T’s kids. I hung up with Pauline and waited for Carol to come over like she said she was going to do. When I answered the door I was so tickled. I also knew that I needed a baby’s love at that very moment to lift my heart. Thank you baby Jack, Teresa and Carol.

We started our festivities by having good friends Terry and Karen over to enjoy the Christmas vibe. Karen brought over hot chocolate and we enjoyed that while we opened our gifts.
It was Jerry’s year for all things Coke related. Maybe next year we’ll put up a small tree in his study to show off his Coke ornaments.It was the year of the fairy for me. I was blessed to receive Tink in many different forms this year and loved it. This was a Mary Cicely Barker calendar, another favorite artist of mine who illustrates exquisite fairies.

Terry’s gifts came in the form of Disney. Not too big of a surprise because that’s his mantra, his main thing, what makes his heart go thumpedy-thump. Karen and I went to an estate sale this last year that had a awesome amount of Disney items for sale. We found out as we were purchasing our items that the estate sale was due to a foreclosure which made it very sad. But in the end Terry got this shirt and a cool Disney blanket, so I was thankful for those gifts.

Next on our holiday festivities was spending Christmas eve with good friends the Bennets. Jill made everyone a wonderful mexican feast with delicious margarita’s, and Matt joined us for dinner that evening which was nice. In a festive mood Jill placed celebratory New Years eve crackers on each table setting which was a lot of fun.
Inside each cracker were crowns, a joke, and a prize. Each end of the cracker was tied up with twisty gold ball ties. Those ended up being the most entertaining, something akin to the box, not the contents. Patrick made “knuckle-cracking-beaters” out of his. Steve proudly shows off the paper crown. It seems to fit him just right, don’t you think? Jill bravely shows there is more than just 1 thing you can do with the New Years cracker ties thank you, while Matt tries not to notice that mom did not have her focus set right!

We had a nice treat this year with having both boys home for Christmas. Jason and his good friend Christina, better known as Chuck, made the long trek down from Arcata, Ca in his dependable blue Honda. Since it is about a 14 hour drive one way, they decided to stop over in San Fransico on their way down. It had been almost 2 years since we’d seen Jason last, so we were all very excited. Christmas morning was nice. We slept in a bit, and Matt drove down from Newport Beach to open gifts with us. Matt appreciated his gifts as did Jason, of course, yet the best part for Jerry and I was the fact that we had both the boys home for the holidays at the same time.
As part of our family tradition, we traveled down to San Diego for Christmas day dinner at Patty’s cousin’s house. Greg and Doreen make the best prime rib known to mankind and are the most gracious of hosts. Getting to see Greg’s parents, and Patty’s closest aunt Lou and uncle Jim who live a stone’s throw away, is another part of the wonderful tradition, as is seeing a whole host of other family members. It is time spent with great food and spirits, lots of wonderful stories around a long table, and best of all simply the best family a girl could ever wish for.

Before you dive into this blog you might wonder if these topiaries at Disney World and Disneyland Resort are real. I am not sure if the Peter Pan and Snow White topiaries shown here at Disney World in Florida are real, but I do know the others are as I’ve seen them up close. The only part that is not real on the topiaries in Disneyland Resort is the yellow main on the lion. That is made out of some synthetic fiber. I hope this bit of information is helpful.

My girlfriend Pauline took these topiary photos while on a trip to Disney World in Florida with her 2 children, David and Valerie, a place I someday hope to enjoy to the fullest. I am a huge fan of Tinkerbell, for those of you who don’t know me well. I love the fact that Peter Pan is getting some recognition in these topiaires, he’s really how Tinkerbell came to be know now isn’t it?

This topiary of Snow White and a few of her adorable dwarfs is just remarkable. I wonder why they can’t do this in Disneyland or California Adventure. Maybe because of Florida’s climate, where it is more humid. The California sun can sure beat down on our horticulture.

I’m not saying Disneyland doesn’t have some amazing topiaries, as shown here with their lion ornamental tree. I’ve looked at this lion up close and the mane is made out of some kind of synthetic fibers. This particular topiary is over by It’s A Small World, where they have the largest variety of topiaries in all of Disneyland and California Adventure displayed.

I love their swan featured also by It’s A Small World. The pink flowers are geraniums and are remind me of a peacocks feathers.

I found a wonderful little surprise in my garden yesterday! I dutifully planted the perennial sweet peas last year that my girlfriend Carol gave me from her Mission Viejo garden. They’ve been making a slow progress ever since, climbing and winding up the white arbor we have in the corner garden, clinging to the red shrub roses I have planted there. I was beginning to think they would just climb their little hearts out without producing any flowers until I saw their sweet sweet pea heads up over the top of their neighboring plants. I love it! Thank you sweet Carol.

We always have a nice time when our youngest son Matt comes down from his place for a visit. Being the amateur photographer buff that I am (which doesn’t compare at all to the professional photographer that Matt is) I snapped a few pictures of him while we sat on the patio. He is most always quite patient with me while I take multiple photos of him from every possible angle and position. Someday I hope to be as good at photography as he is, for now I guess I just have to struggle with showing him the photos I take. You have no idea how humble that can make you. After brunch, Matt and I ran a few errands, TJ Max, car wash and Target. It’s always fun to shop together, listen to his music choices, I do like some of his pics, and chat while we are out and about. I am so very blessed to have such great sons!

It’s always sad to talk about those we love who have passed away, whether recent or further back in time. It is within this framework of emotions that I want to express my grief over the passing of a family member, John Laxalt. John and his wonderful wife Candy were high school classmates of mine, both graduating in 1972, a year after me. They were both involved in school activities, John on the varsity basketball team, Candy a cheerleader or the “pep squad” as they called it back in the day.

John and Candy were a couple back in high school, as shown here in a photo taken from my 1971 graduating year book. Their photos filled the pages showing them in various school activities. I never really got to know them during the high school years. It wasn’t until my father in law Vern, married Candy’s mother, Jackie, that we became related and began to see and have a chance to get to know each other. In the last 6-8 years, approximately, Candy and I have had the unfortunate event of having even more in common, when she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Candy has struggled for so long with the debilitating symptoms of this disease. And then the devastating news that John had cancer.

It just doesn’t seem fair sometimes, all the stuff that is thrown at us in life. It feels as if too much tragedy happens to those who don’t deserve it, and the ones that are careless in life skate through it with nary a scratch or personal hardship. Maybe karma will catch up to them. Who knows. All I know is I wish peace for John. And for Candy, I hope somehow she will be able to find comfort in knowing family is there for her, whenever.