Beginning of 2011

The new year started out with Cindy's birthday celebration/bowling party. RJ felt good enough to get out of the house for a few hours, but not quite ready to hit the lanes himself. (Bowling is not high on the list of approved post-surgery activities, if at all.) We timed it in between IV medications, which at that point were being done 3 times a day at home.

Salt-n-Pepper sister Peggy joined in, too.

In February, I was finally accepted into a company training class that is by far the most popular class offered. It is an overview of the West Coast Disney operations, and gives an in-depth, behind the scenes look at several different facets of the company. There are divisions that I had never even heard of up to this point, some new and some quite old. I was in this class with folks from China, India, Seattle, New York; folks from the Movie studios, HR, Finance, Theme Parks, Websites, you name it. It was a great 3-day networking opportunity.

While a small bit of it was in class lecture, the majority of the class was going out to different areas and having tours. When time permitted, we got to goof off a little. Here we are at KABC-7, playing around at the same anchor desk and weather station that I watch every morning and night.

We played around with the green screen; I know now that I was not meant to be a weather girl - everything has to be done backwards! We got to meet a few anchors and talked in depth with Dallas Raines.
We got to tour WDI, and this is the only location where we were prohibited from taking pictures. There was one room where we got to meet Lucky the Dinosaur, which is the first free-standing, free-walking audio animatronic figure developed. Other areas we saw included some R&D stuff used for planning new areas of theme parks, storyboards and scale models, and figurines used for animation.

Other areas we toured were the TV studio lots for General Hospital and Grays Anatomy, the original animation studios where they still hand paint cells, the current Walt Disney Studios where the lead animator described how she animated Rapunzel in the movie Tangled, Radio Disney, and The Disney Channel.

The last day of the 3-day class, however, was all at Disneyland. We toured Walt's apartment, saw the Soarin' Over California movie from the backside of the screen, chatted with the Food & Beverage managers at Pizza Port (they serve more meals there in a month than all Taco Bells do in a year!), and finally ended our day at the Characters division. There we were fitted and dressed into a costume, and taken on stage for a 20 minute stint with the guests. We had to learn our role, how to see and walk without falling over in our costumes, and even how to sign that character's autograph.

I was paired with a guy from WDI, and we were all very nervous to be "on-stage". I was Dee, and he was Dum... we ended up having a blast. It was very cool and drizzling that day, and they weren't sure they were going to let us go out in that weather, but they let it happen. We were pouring down sweat when we finished.. I have all sorts of admiration for the folks who do it every day, especially in the summer!

Sammy came over to visit a few times before shipping off to the Navy - he spent the beginning of the year trying to shed those last few pounds before he could be accepted into Boot Camp.


In March, we had the opportunity to stay at the newly renovated rooms at the Disneyland Hotel. They are gorgeous, and have tons of great furniture and amenities. The headboard went across the whole wall, and the stars and fireworks lit up from behind... way cool rooms.

We decided to make a mini staycation out of it, and spent the whole day at Disneyland with Cindy. We haven't done anything longer than 3-4 hours in quite a few years, so this was kind of a nice break before RJ returned to work.

Fall 2010

So, I see that I haven't written for awhile! Since last August, I see.. well, you know, things get happening, and they roll together, and that darn "life" thing just gets in the way. Sooo, to catch everyone back up with things, here's the Readers Digest version of Fall 2010.

Kevin celebrated his 15th birthday in September, and we all went out to the brand-new Ruby's restaurant in Anaheim. I think he would make a rather handsome busboy, don't you think?

He spent the rest of October and November the usual way - nights and weekends at band practices and football games and performances. I spent it my usual way, planning our Tournament. That got cancelled due to a one hour rain shower. (Bitter, party of one, right here)

Thanksgiving week came, along with emergency budget meetings, meetings with the school board, and a very sick husband. Three different doctors we saw that week advised the same thing...stay home, rest, you've got a bad case of the flu. We spent Thanksgiving at Cindy's house, and had a rousing game of Sequence after dinner.

However, RJ was much sicker than just the flu, and ended up hospitalized with a staph infection that had gone straight to his heart and required repair on three valves. Fortunately we ended up having the surgery done at USC with a fantastic team of surgeons and hospital staff. At one point he was on multiple medications and we were required to wear this snazzy disposable gear so we didn't catch his infection. I just realized these are the only pictures.. I think I was too numb throughout the whole thing otherwise.

One of the evenings in December, when RJ was still in the hospital, I went out to LaVerne and met up with some old friends from Overtones and PFB choirs. It was great to see Martene and Judy and watch slides and flip through photo albums. Yes, the kids were home a few more hours by themselves, but I needed that diversion in the worst way.

The end of December brought the usual round of float decorating.. This year we decorated the China Airlines float, the Pac-Man 30th anniversary float, and also worked on the 3 Little Pigs who adorned the Quikrete float. Below is my 2-day creation, a tiny little sign that is the epitome of the detail area. I was lucky to see it for 10 seconds on TV, but it was worth it (it always is).


Laura and I chummed up on most of the days, working as a team on most anything that needed to be done. Or re-done. Cause Cindy said so.

The Boy (scouts) Are Back In Town

When school is out, that means band is done, and the boys now have time for moving ahead in Scouts -- completing service hours, merit badges, and rank advancements.

One of the first things that happened this summer was Flag Day ceremonies in June at the Elks Lodge. The boys get to each carry a flag and hold it during the ceremony that tells about the history of the flag. There's only two cub scouts in this photo, the rest of the really young boys are brand new to the Troop. Was my Kevin ever this small as a boy scout?

July also meant Kevin preparing to run a Court of Honor, and finishing up his Personal Fitness requirements.

Nana (Jessie) celebrated her 94th birthday this June as well. A big lunch was brought in and enjoyed under the trees at the Workman-Temple homestead next door to her home.

RJ celebrated Fathers Day and his birthday with a combo gift this year - a new blu-ray player. Anything that can make his movies clearer and sharper is guaranteed to be a big hit.

Kevin and his troop went to Lost Valley camp for a week at the end of June/beginning of July. There he and Thomas cranked out 3 Eagle merit badges and one additional badge, along with a bit of goofing off and having a grand ol' time. Maybe go back as a camp counselor next year to earn some car money??

One of the requirements needed for Life is to teach younger scouts a new skill. There was a First Aid merit badge weekend in July, and Kevin went along to help teach - knocking out that requirement along with some service hours.

I brought Jacob and Matt over in the evening to hang out with the troop for dinner in the 95 degree heat. Even though Jacob wants nothing to do with Scouts, he jumped in and helped with the dishes after dinner that night.

Only spent TWO DAYS at the beach this summer -- it has just been too cold! I know we are wimps to anyone north of central California, but if it's overcast half of the day, we aren't gonna sit and the beach just to shiver.

Thomas, Kevin, and Devon are here showing off their buffed bodies.

One of the last activities before school started was a car wash fundraiser for the troop. Ms Davis hates to cook, but she showed up and BBQ'd the hamburgers and hot dogs like a pro. Michael Edgar is here hamming it up with her.

With six merit badges, 7+ service hours, and teaching other scouts, Kevin is ready to go for his Life board of review in December. First has to get through the hurdles of another marching band season, but he is in a good place!

Matthew sailed through the Traveler achievement, the Map/Compass and Family Travel belt loops with our trip to Yellowstone. One more achievement for him, a couple of campouts to go, before he is ready for Boy Scouts in the spring.

Time to direct our attention back to school work and band and tournaments and the crazy-ness that goes along with all that. See everyone from BSA in December!

The Yellowstone Trek - day 5

...actually, the end of day 4, and then day 5.

The last night in WY (actually, our first night in WY, since we officially stayed in MT) we went out to a local steakhouse in town. I grabbed one of the pamphlets that told about the local history of the town - it was a Pony Express and a Union Pacific railway stop for many years before the interstate came through. We talked about going on a ghost tour of the town, but decided maybe not-- we didnt want any visitors following us home that night.

The meat was melt in your mouth fantastic, with a side of big baked potato and veggies, and the boys all had fun. Actually, they were smiling cause I mentioned they could go swimming afterwards.

The view from outside our hotel - neat geologic formations surround this town, completely different from where we had been that morning.

The town had a bunch of sculptures along the main drag, and we got out at the boys insistence to go ham it up with some of them. We never saw bear in Yellowstone, so why not here?

Day 5 dawned with us driving south to Flaming River Gorge national monument, on the border of Wyoming and Utah. The drive south from Green River was boring as all getout, until all of a sudden you come upon this flaming gorge:

Mom! Mom! We gotta stop so we can take a picture next to the dinosaur sign!! Oh, alright. We were pretty close to Dinosaur national monument, too, but we didnt swing by there as I heard the visitor center was closed for renovations.

We had taken a vote earlier in the morning at breakfast - do we head south an hour to see Flaming Gorge, and then head back up north an hour to I-80 and over to I-15? Or do we continue on south on a two-lane road for most of the state of UT and see the back ways? Popular vote was the back highways -- grandma Elta would be proud!

Along the way at one point, we got stopped by another herd of wild animals. Not bison, but cattle this time. I swear they were being wrangled by the Marlboro Man.. The kids didn't know who I was talking about (thank goodness!).

Most of the day we were winding through a mixture of deserts, forests, and steep grades up and down mountain passes. We spent the time counting those cows again, and seeing who could guess the closest time from the lightning up ahead to the rain hitting the windshield. There were three different stretches of scenic road that we drove through, and I would do it again someday.

We had lunch somewhere in the middle of the state, and pulled into Cedar City, UT that evening right around dinner time. We took a poll and decided that popcorn and candy while watching Toy Story 3 was a way better dinner than dinner out somewhere else.

The next morning we planned to hit Cedar Banks and a tiny bit of Zion National Park, but the rain and flash flood warnings decided our fate for us. We zoomed back through the little corner of AZ, on to Las Vegas, Barstow, and finally home that afternoon.

Zion, Bryce, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon - you're all on the slate for another road trip....which may or may not be before a return to the lands up north.

The Yellowstone Trek - Day 4

The last day in the parks, and we finally take our token picture with the Yellowstone sign. Only because it was 8am and no one else was there hogging it!

This was a meadow we drove through first thing every day, and the morning clouds were just so neat on the horizon. Thunderstorms were heading our way, we made it just in time.. One day I want to return, and just sit by a river and soak in all the quietness that we don't have in LA.

On our pass through the south loop the first time, we skipped by this turnoff. Today we stopped and I jumped out to take a look. Wow - right off the road is all this beauty, and we drove right by it the day before. What else is out there that we missed?

We continued on, on to Grand Tetons National Park. (You know, the green one on the map, just south of Yellowstone.) Have always wanted to visit this park, too, and now I really just want to go back!

We had packed up the maps in the car earlier that morning, but I mean, how hard is it to get there? Just follow the signs! Well, I took the road that went due south instead of the road that veered to the southwest. Spectacular sights on the road, but not the close up ones I was thinking of. We drove all the way to the southern end before catching the road that goes up by the Snake River. Doh!

After trekking our way back north (shh, dont tell anyone we were backtracking), we stopped at Jenny Lake, right at the base of the mountains. Kevin was conked out in the car, but the other two boys got out to mug for the camera.

Spectacular clouds and bright blue sky against these mountains - I took a TON of pictures! The boys climbed over the wall here and down the embankment to the shore of the lake. I was too tired to complain at this point, and figured they needed to get their legs stretched. I did get tsked tsked at by a passing German tourist, though. Oh well.

We continued our trek for the day, down to Jackson Hole... past cool cabins, the Elk Refuge, and into the town of Jackson. Yet another place I want to return to! We stopped for gas, ice cream, and a short walk through the town center. Lots of neat shops that reminded me a little bit of Big Bear.

A gorgeous sunny day, and I can only imagine how it would all be with everything covered in tons of snow and twinkling lights in the winter.

The drive on to Green River, WY, took us out of the mountains, and down across prarie - through very aptly named "Big Sky Country".