The Americana

On Wednesday my hubadub & daughter with her two munchkins drove to Glendale Adventist Hospital in Glendale to see my niece who was going to have surgery.   It was a very nice long drive heavy with traffic as usual but the flow kept moving.   Thank God!   We got off to a late start and Tiffany was a little upset but we got there in plenty of time before she was wheeled into the operating room;  since they took her late.   LOL     My sis-in-law (her mother) Maxine and her son were there also and we had a nice long visit talking about family etc.   After a couple of hours a nurse came out to say that Jennifer was fine and everything had gone ok.  We decided to leave and find some place to take the grandkids to eat lunch.

Pond at mall

 I had heard of the Americana the new outdoor mall in Glendale from Tiffany, but hadn't  had a chance get down there, so what better day than today?   Its awesome, so nice and beautiful and in my opinion a lot better than Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga.

We ate at the Cheese Cake Factory, the food was delish, we had a great time laughing and talking and then it was time to go walking around the mall for a while.      

While my daughter & grandkids went into some of the stores my husband &  I sat  by the pond looking at all that was around us.   Do I sound like a little kid?   I felt like one.   This mall was not there when I lived in the LA area, I really like it and going back as soon as I can to see the entire two acres!!   There is a trolley car &  Im gonna be a tourist. LOLOL      

 

Overall view of the area

  Im just so glad  I finally got to window shop there. 

Teardrops Keep On Falling

Mom

 

 

 

 

The pain of losing anyone is very emotional and painful, but losing a mother is the worst ever.    Even today a year later there isn't a day that goes by when  I don't see something that reminds me of my mother.

After the one year anniversary of her passing last month I promised myself to move on; even though I know that I'll probably be sad for the rest of my life.   I feel like an orphan even though I still have my dad.   I thank God for the many years I had her in my life.   

Looking at pictures of mom I still get very sad and depressed for a while, but its just that a photo.   Soooo,  today seeing a video clip on Face Book that someone posted of mom and my nephew Nick,  I completely lost it.   It's a three minute clip, I felt as if a fist had socked me in the chest.   Hearing  her voice as she's talking to us, felt as if I was right there in that room again.   

I cried like a baby for a long long long time, and  NO!  I didn't feel better afterward.   I felt drained and exhausted and then I cried even more.   Suddenly I realized  this was the first time I had really bawled and I was grieving for my mom who is no longer here with me.     At the time of her death I was numb with pain and  felt physically sick, but was also trying to keep my composure around my dad.   Now I ask myself  'WHY'?     Aren't people supposed to cry at funerals and expect help from family,  not the other way around?     With all the planning and arrangements that needed to be taken care of  and making sure dad didn't lose it since he looked terrible, there was  really no time  to cry. 

Mom & Nick

Then we lost my mother-in-law just a short two weeks later.   Being surrounded by sadness again was so traumatic, trying  to console my husband and being there for him and his family.    I feel deprived  (I use that word selfishly) of grieving for my mother and not being able to say good-bye. 

* There were many wonderful friends who helped with the reception after the burial and family who stood by me while I went through the process of paper work.*

 I am forever grateful to them.   Love you all

Another Loss

 

Lake Arrowhead Village

Today we invited my daughter and grandson to go with us to Big Bear and spend the day up there for a few hours.   It was an ugly overcast cloudy day down here but once we got to higher elevation the weather changed.  

It was a beautiful drive up there and it was sunny and clear, even kind of chilly!   We decided to stop at Lake Arrowhead Village, walk around for a while, maybe eat lunch and then continue up to higher grounds til we got to our destination............Big Bear. 

Lil Dino, Tiff, Bobby

We browsed around a few stores and were thinking of getting on the ferry boat, but we were stopped short from doing anything.   My daughter received a phone call informing her that a cousin in her husbands family David Zamora had died of a massive heart attack while driving to a meeting at work.   He crashed his car and was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.   Seeing how upset my daughter was we decided to drive back home so she could meet up with my son-in-law and go join other family members. 
  
David Zamora was mayor for the city of Colton, he was elected last fall and was a very nice person, who will be missed by many.    

RANDOMNESS

FAT TUESDAY

Today my hubadub and I were talking about the Mardi Gras and wondering what this event meant.   I looked up the meaning  and in french it means Fat Tuesday.    Its a big people parade where everyone is so ecstatic about all the things they are going to give up for Lent so they dress up in different costumes or just go as they are and walk the streets acting like they're all crazy in celebration of this.   That is too funny lol.    I used to give up all kinds of things for Lent back when I was a practicing Catholic too.   I don't think I really ever stopped doing anything..........at least I don't remember if I did or not lolol.     Wonder if all these people are of that faith??   Seems to me that their celebrating is kinda weird.   Think maybe its a pagan festivity?   O well just asking....................

This is what I found on the web about Mardi Gras:

Parade of People during Mardi Gras

 *** If you've ever been on Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras, as a drunken mob gathers around a Golden Calf beating drums and blowing horns and shouting "Hail to the Calf!", you won't need to ask that question. There is no doubt that the period of celebration that we call Carnival has roots in pagan end-of-winter and beginning-of-spring rituals reaching back thousands of years.

These festivals - some of which can only be described as drunken orgies - existed across most lands that were being overtaken by the Christian Church, and like many other holidays and rites, the Church sought a balance between the old and new. Understanding that the party was not going to stop, the church placed limits on it, decreeing that it could not start until the finish of the Christmas holidays and had to end on the day before Ash Wednesday.***

For many years I worked for a Tax company in Los Angeles which was owned by two men who were from Louisiana.   Their friends in Louisiana would send a sheet size cake to our office during March which is the month of the Mardi Gras.    In the cake there was a tiny baby doll which meant good luck to the person who got that piece.   They would also send bags of fake costume jewelry for everyone who worked in the office to take home.   My daughter was a little girl at the time so I would take tons of long colorful beads home for her to play with.    

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GOD BLESS AMERICA

Yet another question we both were not sure of was how old America is.   That's sad not knowing this!!!   
How often do you get asked;  ' How old is your America?'   Come on we must be serious about this, NEVER!  
I am proud to live in America land of the free, where I can worship God, and carry my bible to church without hiding from anybody.     

Pink & Yellow

        I have finished a blanket for yet another baby shower.    This time its for a little girl, and after looking through all the yarn  I have, decided not to use the traditional blues and pinks and yellows.   These colors are a thing of the past and rarely do you see blankets in these colors anymore.   I still think they look beautiful when crochet or knitted into blankets etc.  
       These pastel colors have been replaced by bright colors that make your eyes cross lol.    I made this particular blanket in bright sunshine yellow and bright shocking pink, together with the stitch that this pattern called for these two colors blended very well and the blanket turned out very pretty and bright  (poor baby)

 



     I also found the beginnings of a Noah's Ark blanket while looking for yarn through my bins.     I started this blanket about a year ago and put away for another day lol.    I had forgotten all about it, probably because I didn't want to crochet the animals which are so time consuming and a lot of trouble.   Guess I'll just have to finish and get it over with.   It will look fantabulous once its finished.   I've  since made this blanket from a much easier pattern (wish I had found it first!)  and liked it so much I ended up giving it to my granddaughter Daisy for her future babies.  

  

        Another baby shower coming up in September is going to be for a boy.   The mama has sent me a picture of the room decor, it is pretty in powder blue and dark brown colors, with the furniture in dark wood.  My delima is trying to find yarn to match and find a pattern suitable for a baby boy.     I will do my best to pick out a pattern to go with this contemporary style.  ' I wish me luck'  lololol.