About Mom and Dad's Awesome Example of Love....

Mom cries almost every birthday and Mother's Day when she reads a card from Dad. It's like we are so used to it, we bust out the Kleenex but we never get over how cute it is...
They are certified divers and dive together all the time...
They go to Carmel together at least one weekend a month...
They often hold hands when they walk...
They have always had dates during the week going to eat frozen yogurt...
They are each other's best friend...
They work in their yard together...
They raise tortoises together...
They love Jesus with all their hearts...
They eat a lot of bran and egg whites...
Mom has always cut Dad's hair for him...
They both like plants...

About Pop Pop teaching us to have a heart for those in need...

My Grandparents were not born with silver spoons in their mouths. Although Grandma said she had a very happy upbringing where she got most of what she wished for, it was still during the Depression. Grandpa came from extremely humble beginnings of shining shoes to make change, working as a young boy to help feed his family, and sharing a loaf of bread with his siblings, with butter on a good day, as he has often told us. We have many of their stories memorized, word for word even, but I know we will treasure these stories forever. Grandpa and Grandma came to California from the east coast, and after living very humbly in trailers and having to work extremely hard, finally obtained the "American Dream". Through hard work and drive to be successful, they developed a very successful business, as well as owned the buildings, and were able to provide for their family in ways they had only dreamed. My earliest Saturday morning memories as a child are not of sleeping in and watching cartoons. My memories are of waking up before the sun is up, quickly getting dressed with one, two, or even three of my sisters, and waiting for Pop Pop to pull up in the driveway to pick us up. We would drive from our neighborhood to the Fresno Rescue Mission in downtown Fresno. We would go into the building, waving hello to homeless, former addicts, and many men that without my Grandpa encouraging us to step out of our normal life, we would probably never have otherwise meet. We would sing hymns, along with the men, always off key, followed by freshly cooked breakfast, and a sermon. Our favorite part of the morning was when the sermon would start. Grandpa would always reach into his coat pockets, look at us out of the corner of his eye, and happily display a piece of candy. We would light up with huge smiles and he would "sneak" them to us, as we acted as if we were surprised somehow. We would eat lots and lots of sugar filled candy throughout the sermon, and would then climb into Pop Pop's car and drive to one of his stores. We would say hi to his employees and would wait for Grandpa to urge us to grab a doughnut to snack on while we wait for him to be ready to take us home. Somehow our sugarless week at home was always worth it for the sugar filled Saturday morning that we looked forward to every Saturday. At the time, I didn't really understand what I was learning from my Grandpa. But now, looking back, I am humbled by his desire to expose us to the other side of the world and see how blessed we are. We interacted with the homeless and were able to see that they are people, just like us, who happened to be born into less fortunate situations. We were taught to be loving and giving to others, despite their circumstances. My parents and Grandparents all instilled in us that the money we are blessed with comes directly from God and that we are to bless others as He has blessed us.

About our books, toys, and music...

As mentioned before, we weren't really allowed to watch tv growing up (que Mom and Dad rolling their eyes), other than some PBS and Christian station here and there. Although we have had ridiculous amounts of drama, being one of five sisters, we have also had plenty of fun. We played with dollhouses, Ginny Dolls (fat version of Barbie), Maple Town, Fisher Price "people", Strawberry Shortcake, Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony, Legos, and American Dolls. Most of my playtime memories come from playing with Whitney and Laura Joy. I can't remember which of the sisters did this with me, but when we lived in PNG, we would create the outline/walls of a home with the grass that was left behind and didn't get bagged. We would use our little hands to form different rooms in the home and then play in our pretend homes. We used to build entire cities with legos, and spent endless hours in all our dollhouses. We loved playing in our col-de-sac with the neighbors, running around all day in the summer until we were called in to get ready for bed. The tree in my parent's front yard was always fun for us to climb, and the neighbor's long, hollow bush was our "tunnel". My friends and I loved to do the "bigger and better scavenger hunt" in the neighborhood, as well as play Sardines. Something all of us sisters loved to do was create entire room tents made up of sheets, blankets, chairs, tables, and whatever else we could use to make our tent even bigger. We often played "house" as most girls do with the stove my dad built us that even lit up under the burners with lights. Books were a huge part of purr childhood, as we read about as much as kids these days sit in front of the television. Some of our favorite include: The Little Old Man Who Could Not Read, Bemblemen's Bakery, Amelia Bedelia, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Mandie Shaw, Boxcar Children, Little House On the Prairie, Where the Wild Things Are, Bernstein Bears, Babysitter's Club, Morris the Moose, Curious George, Paddington Bear, Ramona, Chronicle of Narnia, and of course, good old Highlights Magazine. I could do this all night but I should probably move on! We loved to listen to Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patti, Amy Grant, Baby Beluga, Psalty, Colby the Computer, Charity Churchmouse, Adventures in Oddysey, and Nannybird. I hope I can instill in my children a passion for reading and music as our parents did for us...

Inside jokes/ideas/thoughts between us sisters...

"going on a rabbit trail"
"mouthwash bottles in the parental's bathroom"
"Doah, Nettie Boo, Boo, Nee Nee, Ray"
"You pretty thing you"
"Going to the beauty parlor"
IHOP
Sweet Tomatoes
Monterey
Mt. Hermon
Michael W. Smith
singing hymns at six in the morning and Mom starting the first note
Christian Bale
Saturns
An overabundance of plants
Fig Newtons
Cold grilled cheese sandwiches up in Raymond
Exact change down to the cent
Causing men to "stumble"
The "candy man" at the Rescue Mission
Thousands of trips to Orchards
Bagel Basket
Home made popcorn with spray "I can't believe it's not butter"
Listening to hours on end of Adventures in Odyssey up to Canada
Dr. Sheldon
Watching CMTV (Christian Music Television) and Lawerance Welk on Saturday evenings
Costco size Tampax boxes
Pardinis
Laura holding her breath until she passes out
Touched By An Angel and Promised Land
"Mac-a-groni"

Additions thanks to sister Whitney:
Water music
Pink sponge curlers
Advent
Bobs Big Boy with Dad
"we dont want any"
Soder (soda)
Dutch blitz
Re-birthdays
Can't count how many so's I love you
Raggedy Ann and Andy
Grin Again Gang Get Gung ho about Jesus
Ginny dolls
GW school supply
Animaniacs
Tents made of blankets and chairs
Moms cranberry salad and bar b q chicken
Chocolate instant pudding
Quiet time
Love it all!!!

About the magician and the Christmas morning limo?

We are a really quirky family, if you haven't caught on to that. We sometimes seem like super normal, uninteresting people, but then every now and then, something totally random will happen and I think to myself, "I have to write a book!"
It was my Grandparent's anniversary. I want to say it was their sixtieth or something like that. My dad planned for us to all go eat at Elbow Room in Fig Garden. We were all sitting down at the table in the "party room" when a man showed up. It was all very bizarre and confusing what this man was doing at our party. He began doing random magic tricks and was quite entertaining. I remember asking Dad, "did you hire him?" My dad just shrugged his shoulders and kept listening to the magician. It was soooo random and no one saw it coming. The guy was clever, silly, and witty and got us all involved in the tricks. By the end of the "show" my dad admitted that he had hired a magician for the party. It was again, super random in that no one was expecting it, but oh so entertaining to witness and tell about!
It was days before Christmas and Grandma said that she wasn't certain that she and Pop Pop would make it to Christmas morning based on my grandpa's health. My dad kept reminding them that they MUST be there and that it wouldn't be the same without them. So my dad went above and beyond to make sure they couldn't decline. He hired a limo to pick them up and bring them back to my parent's house. Mind you, my grandparent's and parent's homes are three minutes driving away from each other and ten min or so walking. We are talking CLOSE. All I remember thinking was how weird the driver must have thought we were hiring a limo to go a couple miles on Christmas Day. The lengths we go to for family!

My mom's parents lived in Maryland my whole life until they passed away so it was a treat to see them. I remember their house well (although I was about four) on Bivalve - not sure how to spell it but I've heard it said a lot. I remember the closet in the living room that had a secret passage to the bedroom next to it. I remember the giant fridge on the porch that had apple juice cans and I can still imagine what it felt like drinking out of one. The pool was the highlight of the home. Grandma Polly taught me to swim and if my memory serves me correctly, she loved to swim. I always think of her when I watch "Ya Ya Sisterhood" in the scene where Ashley Judd has all the kids in the lake and they all want to be chosen to be "saved" by her.
I remember Pop Boy's snore. It was epic. That man snored so loud that when I slept in one of the rooms upstairs and he was in the living room in the first floor, I had trouble sleeping from all the noise. I remember Pop Boy teaching me to play checkers when I was seven. I had my pink cast on my arm but that didn't get in the way of learning.
I also remember Pop Boy's smell. I think all of us sisters, at least the ones that remember him well all remember his smell. It was cigarettes and aftershave or something. I have smelt it one other time and I remember being knocked off my feet with memories.
I remember Grandma Polly's voice. I don't know how to describe it but she had the best accent and her voice was so...loving. When we have watched old home videos and I hear her voice, I wish that I had known her better.
Visiting Grandma Polly and Pop Boy also meant seeing my favorite aunt and uncle and two cousins. I remember going to my cousin Norm's baseball game and it was the first baseball game I had ever been to. We got to chew gum and eat Fun Dips. We would have slumber parties with the cousins and us girls got to play with Maple Town. I remember my fave aunt and uncle coming into the living room really late with oreos and milk. This was such a foreign concept to us to eat oreos at all, much less late at night.
If only we could have known those grandparents better and had more time with our cousins. When we get together with our cousins and my aunt and uncle now, its as if we just pick up where we left off as if we see each other all the time. We are very blessed to have family that we like so much...

Location:About Grandma Polly and Pop Boy...

About all the movie lines we have memorized...

"Sanka, you dead"? (Cool Runnings)
"Sonora, Sonora Webster, will you marry? Take my hand and marry me and make me a happy man". (Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken)
"I say, that what you say, is what I say". (Newsies)
"Open the gates and seize the day". (Newsies)
"Would you please call me Cordelia"? (Anne of Green Gables)
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die". (Princess Bride)
 Hey, you can pee now...Um... too late". (Cool Runnings)
"Dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes! Love, Alfalfa". (Little Rascals)

Thanks to the help of sister Whitney, I'm reminded that I left out "what about bob"?
"I'm taking a vacation from my problems".
"baby steps"
And always the good old Father of the Bride!!!