Category Archives: personal

Birthday Memories from Montebello!

Today is my birthday and I decided to go down memory lane and post some older photos and show you a little of my history.

 

First I’ll surround myself with things I enjoy. I do know how to pamper me 🙂

 

I think this is my seventh birthday because of the candles on the cake which would make this 1958.

 

This is our dining room at 4635 Oak Street in Montebello Gardens. We lived here till I was in 5th grade. My brother Fred, sister Vera, me, my cousin Jim and my sister Kathy who got cut off when I posted this (sorry Kathy)

 

This birthday was either 1960 or 1961 because there’s my little brother Steve in the high chair and he was born in December of 1959. This is the kitchen and my cousins around me are Tanya, Valia, Vera, Johnny, and you can barely see Walter. These next 4 photos were taken just last Sunday when we ended up driving through Montebello to go to a family function in Whittier.

While we lived on Oak Street in Montebello Gardens (Pico Rivera) my 3 older siblings and I would walk to the Montebello library to check out books. We’d head to Whittier Blvd. and have to cross this bridge over the Rio Hondo River to get to the library. It was approximately 2 miles each way.

The library was located at Montebello Park. This is the building the library was housed in where I spent many happy hours looking at all those books and trying to choose just 4. Now it’s a senior center.

We moved from Montebello Gardens across the river to Montebello when I was in 5th grade. This is our house at 305 Los Angeles Ave. When we lived here there wasn’t a second story and there wasn’t a chain link fence. Although a chain link fence would have come in handy after the twins (escape artists) were born…

 

This was my high school. Montebello High home of the Montebello Oilers. It’s totally fenced in now so they can have Lock-downs. How sad is that?! That’s a reality of our times. No fences in the 60’s!

 

The football field that I spent most Friday nights at during football season in high school. It’s under renovation.

 

In my junior and senior year I was a Song-leader and part of the cheer squad. I’m in the bottom row on the right.  Judy, my best friend from junior high and high school is next to me. Debbie next to her. The top row left to right is Kathy, Bet (yes we called her Bet), and Judy. You can see those same stands behind us. This photo was taken in fall of 1967. We’re seniors here and will all graduated in June of 1968.

These are the photos I had access to while I’m here at the condo in California. Tomorrow I fly to Seattle to see my kids and celebrate Easter with them. I’ll be there for a couple of weeks. I haven’t seen them face to face since January 1st so I’m really looking forward to my time with them.

This was taken last Easter in Edmonds overlooking Puget Sound at our good friends Dave and Jody’s. They started the tradition of eating  fish on Easter because that is what Jesus ate after his resurrection to show the Disciples He was alive.
~
Thanks for indulging me and I couldn’t resist the Beatles singing Happy Birthday to finish off this post. Thanks Myrna.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.

TT #25 ~ 13 Big Years in my 57!

 Friday March 14th is my 57th Birthday. For my TT this week I’m choosing 13 very memorable years in my 57!

1. 1951 ~ My birth year. I was born in East Los Angeles, California.

2. 1963 ~ At Hume Lake Christian Camps in King’s Canyon, California God called me to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and I started a new life following him.

3. 1968 ~ Graduated from Montebello High School in Montebello, California

4. 1972 ~ Went on my first date with Dear in October of this year.

5. 1973 ~ Graduated from Cal-State Los Angeles with a degree in Home Economics and an Elementary Teaching Certificate.

6. 1974 ~ Got married on December 6th to Dear and have celebrated 33 years of marriage so far. We were married on a Friday evening.

7. 1979 ~ Our first child was born in January. Josh is our firstborn weighing in at 10 pounds. Born on a Friday.

8. 1981 ~ Our second son was born also in January, also on a Friday. Dan was 8 pounds and 1-1/2 oz.

9. 1985 ~ Our third child was born on a Friday, too but not in January. Our first daughter (and last) Katie was born at the end of December even though her due date was in January also. She weighed in at 8 pounds and 12 oz.

10. 1988 ~ We moved from California to the state of Washington so Dear could go to Pharmacy School at the University of Washington.

11. 1996 ~ We gave our dream home and all of our equity back to the bank because of a major landslide on the slope behind our home.

12. 2001 ~ Our first born son was married to our beautiful daughter in law, Laura.

13. 2006 ~ Dear took a full-time job in Southern California and he and I find ourselves living in Southern California again but without our children close by. They are all still in Washington. Dan and Katie are taking care of our home while we’re in Southern California in our Condo.

I’ll leave you with this party image of me way back in the 50’s. I’ve always been one to love a good time…

 

For more TT click here.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.

Know and Tell Friday ~ March 7th

 

Here are the questions for this week’s Know and Tell from To Know Him.

Question 1
I have been blogging for a year this month, so my question is what made you start your blog?

As of March 3rd of this year my blog is one year old. I started my blog because my brother made me. I was emailing people all the same sort of stuff he thought would be great on a blog. He had a blog already that I was commenting on. I was apprehensive because I didn’t know if I could handle the technology. Baby steps and a year under my belt and a lot of what I was afraid of isn’t scary anymore. There is still a lot for me to learn.


Question 2
Do you speak another language? If so, why or how did you learn it? ~My first language was Russian. My parents are Russian immigrants and they came to the U.S. in 1947. I was born in 1951. I had 3 older siblings that paved the way for me to learn English. Sorry to say that my Russian is quite dismal. I can read it and I understand more than I can speak. I took Spanish in high school and really didn’t retain much of that language either. ~
~Question 3
Morning person, or night owl (or somewhere in between)? Nowadays I’m more of a morning person. Many nights I’m in bed by 9:00 P.M. and then wide awake at 5:00 A.M.
 ~
Question 4
Do you exercise on a regular basis?   I’m glad you asked this question now because I walk for at least an hour a day except for Sunday. This is my primary exercize. I’ve come to realize that at my age this is the only way to keep the numbers on the scale from creeping up…


Bonus Questions
Question 5
If money were not an object what is one thing you would like to do for another person?  ~ Take my children to Ireland and Great Britain and pay all their home and vacation expenses while we were away.
~
Question 6
What is one of your favorite attributes of our Lord God? ~God’s sovereignty is very important to me. He is the one that is in control and it’s not up to me. That really gives me peace and freedom when I screw up like I’m bound to do!
~
Question 7
Have you ever thought about adoption or foster care?Every time I’ve thought about either of these I have not  had a positive response to make the leap.
~

To see more Know and Tell answers click here.

Brown Plate Special ~ Week 4

I had to weigh in a day early because of my schedule tomorrow. I am happy to report that my weight remained the same. So to date I’ve lost 6 pounds total. I am feeling changes in my bulk this week even though I didn’t lose any more according to the scale. I’m very content with this eating style and activity level. You might wonder why I’m so excited about this new plan. I’m going to show you a little of what I ate this week and still managed to maintain my weight. Now the added steps in my day are really key here and not eating after 6:00 PM at night or in between meals is important toward my loss and maintenance. I’ve walked one hour a day besides my regular activity steps around the house.

 

I’d like to invite you back to my blog tomorrow because it’s my One Year bloggy birthday and I’m giving away a gift.

Happy Birthday Vera! Born on Leap Year Day in 1948 ~

My sister Vera was born on Leap Year Day in 1948. That means she’s 15 years old today. Well this is just the 15th time that her actual birthdate has occurred in her lifetime.

 

Vera is the one on the bottom row holding the cake. I’m next to her holding the skirt of my dress. My sister Kathy is in the top row between our cousins June and Nancy. My brother Fred is the the one in the overalls on the bottom row. My cousin Vera is next to me and my cousins Mike and Bill are in the top row as well.

 

This has to be Easter judging from the dresses and the white patent leather shoes. Vera, Kathy and Me.

 

This is Vera and me sometime in the 50’s. Fall or Winter judging from the black patent leather shoes! 🙂

 

This is a photo of the 4 of us sisters a year ago at another birthday celebration. Kathy, Lana, Vera and Ellen. We also have 4 brothers.

VERA! I hope your day is filled with love, joy and happiness. Looking forward to celebrate with you soon. Praying for God’s continued blessings in your life…

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Fun Monday ~ February 25th

This week’s Fun Monday is easy, Mariposa is hosting and asking TWO things –

First (1) Please share with us how the NAME of your BLOG was made? I can’t wait to hear interesting funny stories!

This is a photo of my brother starting my blog. He’s sitting in front of his laptop excited that so far it’s all working. Now understand that I hadn’t started blogging yet so I still had a lot to learn about taking good pictures for posting.

When my brother told me he was going to start a blog for me I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the technology. He convinced me everything would be ok. We then started brain storming about what I should name it. We came up with a few fun names but the way I came up with my keeper is…

a. I’m generally a very happy person.

b. I’m also someone who wonders about a lot of things and have a deep need to know.

So as we were discussing point a and b my husband came up with The Happy Wonderer.

As far as the purpose of my blog I chose “to Honor and Encourage”. I’m an encourager to people around me and I wanted that reflected in the relationships I’d develop on my blog. It is very important to me to Honor Jesus Christ who I consider to be my King.  I want my words and posts to be things that will encourage people and be something that won’t reflect poorly on my King. My blog was born on March 3, 2007 so I am very close to my first bloggy birthday!

(2) Please share with us (in words or photo, though a combination of both will be a bonus!) your favorite/ most common dish!

Oh boy, I love food! I also love to enjoy people around a table with good food. So what to show? I’m going with a favorite dinner, lunch and breakfast!

 

A typical dinner is some protein with a couple veggies items. This is a easy dinner that we enjoy. Some great bbq’d Rib Eye Steaks, sauteed mushrooms with caramelized onions, and a green salad with tomatoes and cucumber. Now to go with this my hubby will make me one of my favorite drinks, a Kensington Dream. It’s a drink he copied after watching a bartender in South Kensington (England) make it for me. Update: A few of you wondererd what is in this drink. There is brandy, creme de cassis, juice of half a lemon, amaretto, shaken together and then you top it off with champagne! They don’t call it a dream for nothing, cuz you’ll soon be dreamin after you drink it 🙂

 

For lunch I am always ready for Mexican Food with lots of good salsa and cilantro! This happens to be a meal at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in town, El Tecolote.  We are having an Open Tamale, chips, salsa, and guacamole.

 

Most mornings I have my high fiber cereal with a banana and large cup of black coffee. In the summer I add more fruit that is in season.

For more Fun Monday visit Mariposa who is hosting this week.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Know & Tell Friday

 

1. Do you read or study best in silence or in a place with background noise? Why?

I read and study best with quiet. I think this is the way I learned to study over the years. I find noise, TV, people talking loudly too distracting for me.

2. If you were to write a book about your life, what would it be called?

I’m thinking this might be an ok title, The Journey from East Los Angeles.

My first response was The Good the Bad and the Ugly.

3. (This question is a deep one…I know it should be a bonus, but I already have a few bonus questions chosen for this week) Why do you think divorce is so prevalent?

For the oversimplified answer I’m going to say that selfishness is at the bottom of this. Also we don’t believe that marriage is truly a covenant sealed by God but instead a contract to break when things go bad.

4. What’s the best way to resist peer pressure?

I think you need to be at peace with God and who He has created you to be.  Then you need to recognize the gifts He has given you and be content in using them.

5. What is the most serious illness or injury you ever faced?

When I was in college a week before my finals during Spring Quarter I came down with Scarlet Fever. I had to stay in bed flat on my back for over a week. I’ve never felt my throat burn and hurt as much as during this time. I had to take incompletes in all my courses and make up the finals just before Fall quarter. Needless to say I didn’t do really well on these finals.

Bonus Questions
6. When was the last time you felt like you had a laugh with God?

When I catch myself doing something I just commended myself for not doing. I always laugh at how easy it is to get caught in the act of being a sinner.

7. What do you say to someone who is going through a tragic or hard time?

I don’t say “I know what you’re going through”. It’s ok to cry with them with no words. I do say that I will pray for you and better yet pray over them right then and there. When I do pray I really try to depend on the Holy Spirit to guide these prayers so I don’t say something from the flesh that isn’t helpful. I say I’m coming over to sit with you, answer the phone for you, make dinner for you, clean the house for you (sensitivity to the person is important as some people wouldn’t want you barging in). Another practical expression of kindness in hard situations is to go to the store and take some groceries over.

Now if you’d like to read more Know and Tell head over to To Know Him.

Monday Walk in Whittier

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

I drove Southeast through Ventura County into Los Angeles County to the suburb of Whittier, east of Los Angeles to visit my sister Kathy. Whittier is home to Whittier College, Richard Nixon’s alma mater. He majored in History. We decided to combine a nice healthy walk up the hills and down in the older beautiful neighborhoods of Whittier so we could then have a guilt free nice lunch as a reward.  Kathy chose the Crepes and Grapes Cafe on Greenleaf Ave. in Uptown Whittier. I have a few photos of our time. The first photo is of the great Avocado tree that keeps me well stocked by Kathy when the avocados are in abundance. Then we walked along such wonderful canopied streets and we saw some beautiful blossoms. The last photo is of my yummy crepe. This was a build your own crepe for $6.95. I chose turkey, red onion, tomatoe, green pepper and a ginger lime sauce on the side. Kathy chose a white sauce, chicken, spinach, tomato, and Jack cheese. Duhlicious!

 

This is my sister Kathy with her grandson Jackson. She is my oldest sister, a wonderful friend and Godly woman. Thanks Kathy, that was fun…

Six Non-Important Things/Habits/Quirks about Me ~ Meme

 Pam at Beyond the Red Door tagged me for a meme. And now Cricket re-tagged me but her’s is for seven so I’m adding one more weird thing about me.

1.  Link to the person that tagged you.
2.  Post the rules on your blog.
3.  Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4.  Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5.  Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website
6.  Let your tagger know when you entry is up

So here are my six…

1. I always sleep on the left side of bed as you are looking at it. Or the right side if I’m laying down on my back in it…

2. I drink my coffee first all by itself before I have any breakfast.

3. I leave earlier than I need to wherever I need to go.

4. I have a deep “need to know” .  If I don’t know I’ll make up a story (this happens when I’m people watching)

5. I generally do not wear make-up.

6. I usually am in bed by 9:00/9:30 PM…

7. I love to have hot vanilla pudding on top of ice cold chocolate ice-cream.

So if you plan to play this meme let me know…

The Desires of Our Heart ~

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

I decided to combine a joyful experience with Thankful Thursday.

 

God is so good to me. He gave me two desires of my heart today! I’ve said over and over again how sweet it would be to meet one of my bloggy friends and how I’d love to have a walking buddy in Southern California after I left my walking buddies in Seattle, Washington. Today Willow and I met and had a walk and plan to walk on a regular basis, keeping each other accountable. How sweet it is! We found each other through other blogs and realized we both live in the same city. We’re in the same stage of life and have a lot in common. Check out her blog, she has very exciting news today! She became a grandmother!

Today we met in Old Town Camarillo at a specialty coffee shop and walked around one of the older neighborhoods in Camarillo and through a couple of Antique Stores. Fun times with lots of steps to log for the Lovella’s Walking Club!

This is something I’m thankful for this week!

For more Thankful posts visit Iris at Sting My Heart…