Sweet Sixteen

Saturday morning I woke up and looked out the window to find a bleak cloudy morning.  It was sprinkling off and on and looked as if the skies were going to open up and pour cats and dogs.  The big storm we had been expecting had come and it rained all night long.  I was disappointed because I wanted to go see my granddaughter Monica for her birthday.  It wasn't just a birthday it was her 'Sweet Sixteenth Birthday'.  My husband didn't want to drive in the rain especially since they live so far away and complained that it was too cold.

Where have all the years gone?   Monica was the cutest baby girl and she was such a good little baby.  She never cried unless she was hungry or wet.  We used to prop her up on the couch and she would stay there until we picked her up or else she would fall asleep.  I can still see this beautiful little girl as she would sit on the floor by my book case and read book after book.  Life has not been easy for her, she had trouble adjusting to a life without her daddy (my son) when he no longer lived with his girls.   I remember her calling me on the phone asking 'grandma can we come over?'.......How I wish I could hear those words again!  She is in that stage of life where she is involved with school, friends and growing up.  They also live so far that we hardly see each other.   I pray that God keeps His hand on her through the coming years and that she comes to understand life as it is and stop trying to fight it.       

My daughter saved the day when she called and said she would be going to see Monica and asked if I still wanted to go.  Woopee!   Of course I wanted to go!!   We were to leave around noon and we'd all go together in her van.........this was more than I expected, my hubby  wouldn't have to drive after all.

After a couple of stops here and there to buy a birthday card and balloons we finally got started.  It was a beautiful day though cloudy and cold but the drive out there was sooo beautiful.  The surrounding mountains were snow capped and it looked so majestic as only the work of God can look. 

It had been a couple of months that I had seen baby Adrian so it was a double treat.  According to his doctors he is doing great progress.  He is growing so fast and doing all the things babies his age do so we are all excited......He is so cute.  Alicia his sister is so smart and bright for her age its incredible.  She alone is going to be responsible for our special baby to do wonderful progress as he grows, by watching everything she says and does.

Sylvia had made Pozole and Seviche for lunch and it was the bomb!  We sat around the table eating and talking enjoying our lunch.  We then sang to the birthday girl, we all ate cake and before we knew it was time to leave.  

I miss my two granddaughters so much and I don't get to see them as often as I like to but Im thankful for when I do.  They are growing to be beautiful young women.   

I love you very much Monica.......aka Muneca♥

H e l l o

Two weeks ago I received a promotion letter from AT&T to upgrade what I currently had and receive a free telephone.  With the wonderful upgrade I would be getting it was hard not to accept, of course I said yes.   I now have all these wonderful freebies which include:  Unlimited texting,  receive phone calls from another mobile carrier with no charge to me and the 1400 unused minutes I had would be rolled over and added to this new plan.     *I don't use the phone much and I only text messages to my daughter and 1 friend* 

This person I spoke with was very nice, asked all the right questions and violla I was all set with my new upgrade.  If anything went wrong with the phone I was to contact them and they would trouble shoot it and get it going with no problems.   Second choice was to walk into any  AT&T store and get my problems solved that way too.   All this had to be done within 30 days ...........Sheesh what if the phone messed up after that period?

After two weeks I decided to 'contact' AT&T by phone and see if they could help with 3 problems I was having.  I was able to take pictures but I could not send them to my e-mail address or to anyone and I was unable to retrieve any photos sent to my phone.  Sending messages by text wasn't working either;  FAILURE TO SEND kept appearing on the screen.   It was all very frustrating and I was really getting annoyed with this new phone.  

I made contact with AT&T and spoke to three very nice people except they all asked the same questions!!   Why do they do that?  I couldn't believe that they were unable to fix my problem over the phone as I had been told.   Instead they suggested that I should visit one of the stores near me.     WHAT NOW?

I decided to go where I had originally purchased my phone.    This person was also very nice and explained how to use some of the features on the phone.   BUT a message reading FAILURE TO SEND kept popping up on the screen after he took pictures on his phone and sent them to mine.  The reason some of my telephone numbers were dropped from one phone to the other was because I had not saved telephone numbers on the Sim card.   Ok, its true I didn't save anything because no one told me I had to.

I asked if he could replace the phone because I had asked for red and received a dark grey with orange instead.   Just when everything was going as I thought it should............. he couldn't fix any of the problems.......... so he decided I should go to another store down the street.  They he said would be able to exchange the phone, he couldn't because I had not purchased it from the inventory in his store...........God help me!  

The same thing happened at the other store................A new AT&T policy prevented them from exchanging  anything since I had added the new upgrade and new phone to my  bill and it had been processed over the phone.
 
I was seeing red by then and bit my tongue swallowed my words, kept my cool and proceeded to go outside to make another phone call to the people I had originally dealt with.   aaargghh!

After going round and round with this new person who kept asking stupid questions about my social security # and address, what phone # did I put new upgrade.   I thought they have computers so they can see whats going on with their customers.  Finally she said everything was done and for me to return the phone in the same box it had come in and they would send me a new one.   I was like really mad by then, how could they expect me to be without a phone until they send me the new one?   I would also be getting a $30 credit towards the purchase of a GO PHONE from Wal-Mart and all I needed to do was ask them to open up my account and they would see the discount given to me.     Sounds easy huh?

At Wal-mart the clerk laughed and said they are not affiliated with AT&T in any way and they don't open anybodys account.   They would would also have no means of getting their money for the Go Phone.   I very politely put the phone down on the counter said thank you and walked away.   I was so tired,  my back was aching, my feet were sore from wearing my new boots.

I will send the phone back in its little box and wait patiently for the new one to arrive soon praying that there is nothing wrong with it and that it is RED!

             

A Day In LA

On Monday I went with my friend Corinne to UCLA which is in Westwood a suburb of Los Angeles.  I didn't hesitate at all to say yes when she asked me if I would go along for the ride.  Her husband was sick and she didn't want to drive for an hour or more by herself.   I hadn't been to this part of LA in years!   Her daughter Casondra attends UCLA and was unable to come home for the weekend and needed some things; which was the reason for our trip.   ~I love going 'back' home every chance I get~

We talked and laughed so much all the way, that we didn't notice how long the drive took for our next venture back!   Our topic of conversation was of course our husbands, kids, church and God lol.  Since we said it all during our drive down three different freeways (10, 5, 405) before getting to our destination; I wonder what we'll talk about now?  I love this lady she is so much fun to be with.  Who says just because we're seniors we can't have a day of fun?   We're as young as we feel not necessarily how we want to look anymore but OOOOOOOO well!

Leaving everything we brought in Casondra's dorm we then went to eat lunch at Chipoltes restaurant in Westwood.  While it wasn't authentic Mexican food it was pretty good.  We sat outside in the patio eating these huge burritos as we talked about everything in general and the time just flew by.  There were no classes since it was a holiday and students were everywhere, walking, jogging  while others were exercising.   Lucky rich kids!  lololol   We wanted to start our journey back home by 2:00pm so that hopefully we wouldn't get stuck in traffic.  We drove back to the dorm and dropped her off said good-bye and left.

Can you believe we did not see one famous person in Westwood?   Maybe next time lol.
  
Since moving to San Bernardino 21 yrs ago I rarely go to downtown LA any more.  It  was amazing  how different everything looked.   There are so many new high rise buildings there now..... WOW!.   I grew up in a suburb northeast of dwntwn LA (Cypress Park) and after graduating from school worked in the dwntwn and Wilshire areas.  I loved  the idea of working far from my house, and taking one or two buses to work (I didn't have a car).  Seeing the same people every day getting off at different bus stops along my daily route and wondering where they went.  Sometimes having  conversations with people I sat next to day after day.  Once  I noticed another girl got off at the same bus stop I did,  but went the opposite direction.  This went on for a long time lolol!     ~On break one day walking toward the elevators we met up (while we had never spoke except to say hi and smile at each other), we both cracked up laughing at the same time.~    There were two bldgs connected by a bridge.   We worked on the same floor I on the east wing & she on the west; reason why we went opposite directions every morning........how weird is that?    We became friends and for many years we kept in touch even after I moved on to another job.   Its so sad because I can't  remember her name, it must be a senior lapse in memory.   Some may find it a little weird but I even enjoyed being in the crowded streets among all those hundreds of people.   As with everything else and the passing of time the thrill of working so far from home faded and I looked and found jobs closer to where I lived.  

As I travel down Memory Lane I remember how exhilarating it was working and living  near all those theaters and restaurants; what a dilema having to choose where to go.   I musn't forget Grand Central Market where you could buy theee best shrimp ever mmm yummy.  Going to Little Joe's Restaurant right in the heart of China Town and passing Olvera Street everyday.   Little Tokyo with all its little shops and where I bought a lot of Hello Kitty things for my baby girl Tiffany.    Ohhhh Nostalgia!!!      Shopping!!   I shopped every week at   Broadway, Bullocks, May Co, Lerner's to name a few and which are no longer around. ~sigh~

I love LA and miss all the hoopla that goes on there, but my home is now in boring San Bernardino.   Hahahaha

Taking a different route back home which is much easier & quicker and it just happens that Tommy's Burgers is right on the path way! lolololol    Corinne was kind enough to stop so I could buy some burgers for our dinner that night.  My husband and I had a  'Tommy chile cheese burger feast!'   We had been craving these  burgers for a while, but the rainy weather stopped our plans for a trip into Eagle Rock twice this month.  

We also made a quick stop in Pasadena so I could see the house she sold to her brother and where she once lived.  The house looks like a cottage real unique in its style.  I loved it.

The freeway was crowded but it was moving and we were speeding along quite nicely.   Once again we talked and laughed so much we were crying.  Time went by much too soon and then.............we were back in boring San Bernardino ~sigh~ but we both agreed that we would have to make another trip to Los Angeles soon.

Beloved Let Us Love One Another

Love your enemies and treat your brothers and sisters with love and respect.  Reach out to help someone if you know they are hurting and pray for them.  Be kind to one another the way Jesus wants us to be.  Don't ignore people because you don't want to get involved in their problems!  Everyone at one time or another needs a shoulder to lean on or even a smile would help.  We hear this preached across the pulpit over and over and yet so many people are being excluded.   Is this meant only for those who are new to the church?  Are we to exclude those sitting in a pew taking up space?    

There is one purpose why we go to church and that is for our salvation and to be ready for that wonderful day when we'll be with the Lord.  It is a sanctuary to revitalize and energize ourselves with God's Word.  To give us strength for trials we might encounter through out the week, not to be tried and tested within the walls of the church with the people we worship with.    Yet it seems the downfall may be this very topic.  These people who I'm talking about must sit through the messages and think the Pastor is not speaking to them.

< In God's eyes we are all the same, he is no respecter of persons..........where did that verse get lost? >

I was taught by my parents to be respectful of elders and everyone I came in contact with.  Not just those I   liked or knew were part of the in crowd.  It is a new generation and ways of thinking are different from when I grew up; but it seems a lot of the younger people feel  that elders do not have to be acknowledged and so ignore us.   I do not appreciate this especially if I've known them since they were young children and others for many years.

I am not alone in these thoughts that I'm jotting down on this blog I have personally spoken to many who feel the same.  Some family members are guilty of this, and I think it is sheer stupidity that they do not know or realize how rude and ignorant they are being .     

How can we expect God to forgive us our trespasses when we hurt one of his saints.  Do we not understand the meaning of   "WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE WE DON'T NEED ENEMIES."   How can we deliberately shun someone because they are not in the same status?   Lord help me to love everybody!

Maybe this was not appropriate, please forgive me but I needed to voice my thoughts and isn't that what these blogs are for?

Rain In Sunny California

Well isn't there a shortage of water in California?  Doesn't everyone always complain that it never rains in sunny California?  When I first woke up it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day so I opened all the windows and doors to enjoy the brisk cool air. 

It turned out to be a very interesting day with sporadic rain showers with the sun peeking in now and then.  Suddenly the clouds crept in and the sky became dark, the wind picked up and started blowing very hard with light sprinkles when all of a sudden it started pouring and we had an abundance of water, WOW!  

 The pond was beginning to look as if it was going to over flow because the rain just came down in buckets.  I quickly ran outside when it slowed down a little bit to put all my pots with plants and flowers out in the open so that they could get wet.  For some reason rain water makes them thrive.  I could water for a week and they would not look as luscious as they do after the rains.  There's just something about Heavenly Water :D) 

 Hopefully tomorrow it won't rain too hard, at least while we drive to church and back home.  For now all is calm and quiet so I guess I better go to bed because morning comes real quick.

Who Are YOU??

                                 
                "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"!
Why do people blurt out whatever pops into their brain?    I have found that crocheting has helped  me learn the virtue of silence in the first degree lol.   I listen a lot more to whats going on around me because I have to concentrate as I crochet on a project so in turn I also speak less.  Thinking takes a lot of energy as I crochet too..............so unlike some people I stop and think before I speak.

Today after church as I drove into a restaurant parking lot to have lunch with my daughter and her family I noticed one of the ladies from our church walking towards the door.   No need for names!   Stepping out of my car I said hello and her response was to tell me that she had forgotten my name!  Apparently she told her daughter;  "There's whats her name, who is she"?  The daughter's  response was   'WHO'?

 Let me say that for the past 21 yrs that I've known this woman I have never forgotten her name!   She has a unique name and is rather outspoken.   She does not mince words and will always let you know whats on her mind.   After learning this about her Im very cordial and other than to say hello I stay away from her.

Love Is In The Air

Love is in the air can't you just feel it?  The days have been beautiful with clear blue skies, the wind is a little chilly but oh so nice.  


All around me I've seen people smiling and laughing with a glow on there faces.  In the stores I see them walking up and down the aisles and humming to tunes unknown but to themselves.  

Bunny rabbits are all around the plantation jumping and playing, the birds even sound like they are tweeting  longer and louder lol.  There are hundreds of gold fish in the pond where do they go when you can't see them I wonder?

There are buds popping up on trees and on bushes which will be flowers in the spring. The plantation will  once again be surrounded with luscious and beautiful colors again. 


      I believe this is the way we will feel when we see Jesus face to face on that wonderful day!  

 

 

Today we went up the hill to the cemetery where mom is buried and we put some flowers on her grave site.  I hadn't been there since last June when she passed.  I got so choked up my throat still hurts.  I miss her so much especially since we were together like glue for the year before she went.  I find comfort in knowing that she is finally resting and not in pain anymore and that she is also in her right mind.  

My dad had been going up the hill at least once a month since June, but stopped when the weather got bad and then also because of the fall he took.    I knew he wanted me to drive for him since his leg is still messed up and can't drive very well.   He was too stubborn to ask! ...........So I asked Bobby to drive for me since he is off on Thursdays.  Thank God he said yes, I hate driving on the Cajon Pass!     

We stopped to buy a dozen fake red roses and being that its gonna be Valentine's Day I also bought a small heart to hang on a metal hook I took along with me.  Red roses were her favorite flowers and black was her favorite color.   Since I bought all this at the dollar store I feel sad because it seems like such a cheap gesture, she was a person who always had the best and looked her best.  Even though I know it doesn't really matter I still wish the flowers could be real ones.  The people at the mortuary advised us not to buy real flowers because they wilt right away with the sun and weather up in the high desert.    

It was a beautiful day in Hesperia but we didn't stay very long because we didn't go prepared for the cold weather.   It was soooo windy and cold.

Mom there is not one day that goes by that I don't think of you.........I love you and I miss you so much ♥

Weighing Doubts

The time had finally come and I was truly scared I didn't know what to do.  Asking someone for their opinion or for any advice with my dilemma was out of the question because I don't want to share any information.  The reality of my own sins was going to be revealed  by way of numbers.  Oh  how I dreaded this day.  I knew I had to make up my mind but the decision was frightful.   Curiosity didn't kill the cat for nothing and it was not gonna get me so I finally reached my decision...............YES!    I will weigh myself before I start dieting again.

Where was it?   I had to search and search.   It took awhile before I finally found it underneath old blankets and old clothes conveniently out of sight.  My own guilty conscience knew what I'd been doing for the past 4 months so out of sight it was also out of mind and I didn't have to think about pounds.  I could hear that little machine with all those ugly little numbers staring at me and saying  'Step on me'.   I walked away from it thinking I should wait until a week of being on my diet to weigh myself again.   BUT wait a minute, then I would never know how much I gained and what to go by.   Decisions what do I do...  Oh why not?   Back to the closet I went and debated on what to do with MYSELF.   I finally gave in to the pain and torture I was gonna feel and regret.   Astonished,  I thought those ugly little numbers were wrong and the  machine was broken.   I jiggled it and turned it upside down checked the dial and stepped on it again.   Can you believe the shock to find that I had actually lost another 4lbs!!!!!!!!  Those ugly little numbers were telling the truth and now I could look at that scale without fear.

Wooohooo!   I am so excited  and now I will faithfully continue on my diet journey and see what else takes place in the next few months.   The majority of my clothes already hang on me and I've given away 2 bags of clothes that I was gonna wear someday.  Well I hope that day never comes!

I am no longer afraid I will be faithful and strong to the very end.   I will eat carrots and celery for a month if  thats what it takes to lose this ugly fat that's been hanging around for years.

Why didn't I start sooner!

The Great Fall

Well today I took daddy dearest for his follow-up check up after his visit to the ER.  He fell the early part of December and stubborn as he is I couldn't get him to a doctor until 2 weeks ago when he was in so much pain on his leg and thigh so I took him to the emergency.  X-rays showed there were no broken bones or fractures and he was given a demerol shot to ease the pain along with a prescription.

This would be his first time to be seen by his new primary doctor after enrolling in the Scan program.  Not that we knew anything about this doctor other than he was chosen by me because he is only 5 min's  away from our house.  Both the medical office and hospital are in the same bldg.  YAY!!!  No more traveling for an hour and 25 miles to get him to a doctor.

While I filled out a ton of paper work daddy dearest looked at tv until he was finally called and off we went to be seen by the nurse.  After taking his vitals and checking his heart and everything else they do we waited for a little while longer until the doctor came in.

This was the first time in all my experience with doctors and nurses that I can say I liked this man because he was very very nice.  He actually looked at us when he spoke to us and asked questions.  He did not act like he was in a hurry to leave because it was almost lunch time.  He asked my dad if he had any questions or problems.  He listened patiently while my dad spoke and explained why he didn't like this particular hospital.  *Daddy feels that my mom was not given the correct treatment and thats why she died.  We did not realize that this man who we were talking to was the director of doctors for the hospital........woohoo!   He apologized for the carelessness that took place while my mom was in the hospital and said he would look into it.   I was shocked and I know daddy was too.  Dr Moyer asked why we chose him as a primary doctor and I explained that it had been a random choice from a pamphlet we had been given by the Scan Ins. that has all the doctor names and addresses.

Daddy was given a clean bill of health; other than his heart which is a little irregular or off beat.  His lungs and other vitals given his age are all in good condition.  (Daddy dearest will be 83 yrs pretty soon).   Bursitis is the cause of his pain and as a result he is limping and using a cane.  Doctor gave him a prescription for pain and told us to make an appointment 6 months from today to check and see how he's doing then.   What a relief that was!

I am so ecstatic!!

Be My Valentine

Valentine's Day celebrates love and happiness, we should make memories of our own true stories to remember and not have to read a book and say 'I wish that was me'.

February should be the month to let someone know how much you appreciate them or love them if that be the case.   This is not saying  we shouldn't do thoughtful things the rest of the year, but especially during this month when every where we look there are cards, candies, flowers etc. reminding us that we should.   Imagine how a  person will feel if they receive a little surprise when they were expecting nothing.   Speaking for myself I love receiving valentine cards or candy, what ever it is tells me someone was thinking of me.

I think I'll take my husband to a nice restaurant for dinner because he's my Valentine lol.  Call a friend or someone you know is alone and invite them over to your house for a pot luck dinner.  Dress up the table with a vase of pretty flowers for a nice setting.  Serve whatever you have on the menu for that day and whatever they bring.  It will probably be a great time of fellowship and fun.  I love it when I get invited to someone's house and unless they really can't cook I thoroughly enjoy whatever is served.  If you want to entertain little kids or teenagers just feed them chips n dip and whip up some cup cakes decorated with cute valentine candies or whatever and they'll be happy.  

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Through our 44 years of married life my husband has given me Valentine cards and flowers which I really appreciated but the most important  to me was that he remembered and thought of me.  Valentine's Day is about LOVE and I think men should receive the same from us women because they are important too. 

Romeo and Juliet, Odysseus and Penelope are just two of the love stories that ended in 'Happily ever after'.  Wouldn't it be better to say me and him ended happily ever after because we loved each other enough to remember the little things through our life?

Every year I buy Valentine cards for all my grandchildren or a little something to let them know I love them very much in February and all the other months in the year.  

                             ♥♥Happy Valentine's Day To All My Family & Friends ♥♥