New Year's Eve

Thursday December 31, 1992
New Year's Eve

I awake feeling brand new. My aches and pains are all gone. God has answered my prayer again. Praise The Lord!

Donna and I are very busy in the kitchen all day preparing food. Chris and Ric and all the boys arrive about 2 p.m. We begin to serve veggies, chips, dips, candies, etc. Gary and Maria arrive at 6 p.m. and we all sit down to a big ham dinner. It's great! About 8:30 Mark and Ivana and their girls arrive. They stay a couple of hours. We are all playing pool. Everyone is having a good time.

I begin to have pain in my chest about 6 p.m. and take pain pills the rest of the night. Marty and Kathy arrive about 10:30. When midnight comes we all toast, hug and kiss. A great day and night.

So thankful that Mom is feeling better for the New Year's Eve celebration! Mom and Frank had lots of parties and frequently entertained in their big house on Ambergrove Court. They had a huge dining room with a table that seated 12 easily, a large living room with vaulted ceiling, a big kitchen, and an extra large family room which included a pool table. When the house was being built in 1982 Mom and Frank asked the builder to remove the fourth bedroom that would have been built downstairs, opting instead to have an extra large family room for entertaining. Off of the family room was a sliding glass door that opened to the patio and off the dining nook were french doors that opened to another patio. The lot was huge, over 13,000 square feet, and included a large side yard where they stored their RV and boat. Summer parties were the best because there was plenty of room for a crowd in the beautifully landscaped backyard. The reception for her funeral was held there. This would be Mom's last New Year's Eve. Sad.

The Ambergrove Court House

View Larger Map">

Saturday August 10, 1991

We take our walk before Frank heads for the valley. He also helps the neighbors fix some sprinklers. We are getting lots of calls on the house for rent. We spend the evening at home, too tired to go square dancing tonight.

I can relate! Ric and I manage 9 rental houses of our own plus 6 more for my mother-in-law. There is always something to repair or replace, and a couple times every year there is a turnover. Running ads, showing the house to prospective tenants, taking applications, phone calls, preparing lease agreements....We did that 6 times in 2010, a record number of turnovers, with a record number of rental expenses as well!

Home is their beautiful spacious 2-story place in Simi Valley. The link above shows a current photo. It looks like the current owner has added a swimming pool in the backyard. Frank stayed in the house for several years after Mom passed, but now he lives in a retirement community with his new wife Carol in Lincoln, California. Keeping up the yard at the Simi Valley house was a full-time job!

Nightmare on Ambergrove Ct.

Tuesday, June 25, 1991

Up early to go to the doctor. I awoke at 4 a.m. from a bad dream and didn't get back to sleep til 6:30. I dreamed I was alone trying to find my group of friends. I kept walking around the building where they were last seen until my legs were so heavy I couldn't drag them anymore. Then I turned on my back on the ground and pushed my body along. I knew Frank would be worried but I didn't know what to do and I woke up.

I went to see Dr. Bix alone. She said my white blood count was down but not enough to worry about. My platelets were fine too. She was so nice asking about our trip etc, I couldn't bring myself to say I want another doctor. The next time there's a problem I'll tell her then.

After dinner I went grocery shopping for Don Pedro. I'm really tired and go to bed at 10.

Could it be that mom was having a nightmare because she was dreading the thought of seeing a doctor she didn't like and didn't feel was in her corner? I just changed my doctor this week for that very reason. I need a doctor who is going to fight for me, not against me.