Off To Sacramento

Thursday May 21, 1992

We're awake at 6 a.m. and up about 7, dressed, we spend an hour with Justin before he leaves for school. He's so sweet. He hugged and kissed me good night twice last night before he finally went to bed. I felt really good all evening thanks to all those good naps. We visit and relax most of the day. Ric's friend is there all afternoon. He's a limo driver. Ric works in the yard all day.

Chris and I go pick up Justin from school and take the pup to the vet. When we return at 4 p.m. Frank and I say "Goodbye" and we're off to Sacramento. It's a nice 2-hour drive except for some traffic.

We check into the Expo Inn, a suite, lovely, with kitchenette. We have a great Japanese dinner 1/2 block away. We take a walk afterward. I had another really good day! Felt fine!

Ric and I had just made the move a few days before this from my condo in Santa Rosa into our brand new house on Wellington Circle in Windsor. The front yard was landscaped by the builder, but the huge back yard on 1/3 acre lot required a tremendous amount of work to even get it ready to landscape. It was on a slope going down towards the back fence on a pie shaped lot, with the widest part of the pie at the back of the property. There was plenty of room alongside the garage to build a driveway down the side of the property all the way to the back fence. Ric built 2 retaining walls to make 3 terraces out of the slope. Behind the back fence was open space with rolling hills and valley oaks.

The limo driver Mom spoke of is Ric's friend Scott, who Ric has known since elementary school. When I first met Ric, all 3 of us would go skiing at Lake Tahoe together. Scott only stops by to visit once or twice per year when the customers he is driving in his limo are wine-tasting or playing golf in the area.

The New House Under Construction

Monday March 23, 1992

It was very painful getting out of bed to visit the bathroom during the night, but I slept very well from 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. I awoke in much less pain. So much better I didn't even think to take any pain relievers (Tylenol) all day. We hung out in the trailer in front of Chris' condo til 9 a.m. then went in to clean up. We relaxed until 3 p.m. when we all went to pick up Justin from school.

Ric then drove us to see the new house in Windsor under construction. It's very nice and what a beautiful view of trees, meadows and streams from the rear of the house.

Chris is feeling much better, looks good, and is quite large at 5-1/2 months pregnant. We eat lasagna at home. Frank is a "great" grandpa spending quality time with Justin and fixing his bike, etc. Ric's mom comes for dinner and stays all night.

Ric and I lived in my condo in Santa Rosa for 3 months while we refinanced it to pull money out for a down payment on our new house being built in Windsor. Most of our furniture went into storage during the 3 months while we lived in our temporary lodging. The house on Wellington in Windsor is pictured above and is taken right about this time, a little less than 2 months before we moved in. The beautiful view of open fields and huge oak trees behind the house is what attracted us to the house, as well as being a little larger than the house we had previously lived in for a little over a year. This house was also on Wellington, 1/2 block down the street.

Ric's Mom Carmen worked and lived in San Rafael, about 50 miles south of Windsor. She was an early riser, so when she would come to visit, she would usually spend the night on the couch and then leave early the next morning before rush hour to make the drive to her job as a nurse's aid at Kaiser Hospital in San Rafael.

The Corner Wellington House

Friday July 12, 1991

I'm awake at 6 a.m.. I'm hungry. At 6:30 I head downstairs for breakfast. I eat oatmeal. Still feeling icky. I eat 1/2 banana. Still icky. I drink 4 oz. apple juice. Two minutes later I have thrown everything up all over the couch cover (plastic), me and the carpet. I don't feel well at all, but must get ready to leave for Chris and Ric's in Windsor, California, an 8-hour drive. I am 45 minutes late being ready to leave. We're off at 8:45. I feel icky for a few hours but finally my stomach settles down. I eat a good lunch.

Traffic is awful from San Francisco to Windsor. Chris has prepared a lovely spaghetti dinner. Their house is really lovely. Some very nice touches.

Chris is happy. Ric gave her a diamond engagement ring yesterday. I am happy for her. Their wedding will be here on February 15, 1992.

Poor Mom! I feel just awful knowing she had to face an 8-hour drive to bring Justin back home to us, when she was so sick. Nausea is a common side effect of chemotherapy, and I am actually amazed that it took this long to affect her, considering her chemotherapy was 3 days earlier.

As for the traffic, it is still just as awful through Marin County at rush hour from San Francisco to Windsor, especially on Friday nights.

Ric and I were living in the corner house we had purchased on Wellington Circle in Windsor the previous October, after moving from my condo in Santa Rosa. This is the first time Mom and Frank had visited us there. Above is a current photo of the house, which we owned until 2005 when we sold it to my mother-in-law and continue to manage for her as a rental:

As far as the wedding, that didn't happen until June 15, 1992. More to come on that.