We Leave For Colorado Tomorrow

Thursday July 23, 1992

Awake at 7:45. Up and at 'em! Feeling good except alot of pain from arthritis in my wrist, right shoulder and right hip and back.

After breakfast I get cleaned up and pack my clothes to take to Colorado tomorrow. Frank brings me a Cupid's hot dog for lunch.

I call Chris. She is feeling much better from her C-section. Derek is nursing much better now. His diaper rash has cleared up.

I called Joan. She has good news: her tumor is shrinking. Thank you Lord!

Mom and Frank have only been home for two days and are already leaving on another trip. What happened to "Home At Last?" It seems like she is trying to cram a lifetime of adventures into a few years. My Aunt Cathy told me one time that Mom's side of the family has the wanderlust gene, having Scandinavian blood. She and her brother my Uncle Gene both love to travel, experience adventures, and live life with gusto. I just came across this photo of them together toay. It was taken in October 1990.

I Couldn't Possibly Do It Without Frank

Sunday April 26, 1992

Bad night. Didn't sleep well thanks to aches and pains all over my body. I'm so out of shape it's pitiful. Just a bit more to do and we're ready for company. A last minutes trip to the market and our company, Bucky and Iny and Gene & Cathy arrive on time at 2 p.m. We spend the afternoon on the patio. The yard looks so beautiful! The ham dinner is ready at 6 p.m. and we have a lovely dinner and lovely time at our dining room table.

With Frank's help the day and the dinner turn out perfect. I couldn't possibly do it without him. I'm tired but happy when we settle down alone about 9 p.m.

Bucky is her cousin that she and Frank just visited a few weeks before in Florida and Iny is his wife. Mom's brother Gene and his wife Cathy from Pasadena came to visit them as well. I'm sure the weather was beautiful at the end of April and everything was blooming in their yard. They had a huge backyard that was beautifullly landscaped. It was the location of many parties, family reunions and even weddings.

We Enjoy Being With Gene & Cathy

Sunday March 15, 1992

We're up and out by 10:30 on our way to Pasadena where we'll meet Gene and Cathy at the Doubletree Hotel for a travel show. We spend a couple of hours there, then go to lunch in "Old Town." We enjoy being with Gene and Cathy. We always have alot to talk about. After lunch we go to see Perry and Cathy and their new home addition. It's huge and lovely. It's not finished but soon.

We get home in time to eat dinner (pizza), get dressed, and go to Larry's square dance in Northridge with friends. Great fun! Then Bakers Square.

Mom's brother Gene Thomas was 6 years older than Mom, and they had different fathers, but in spite of the age difference, they were very close. Both Gene and his wife Cathy were attendants at my parents' wedding, and continued to be good friends with my dad after my parents divorce. They are good people, well into their 80s now, with lots of friends, and lots of great stories to tell of their world travels. The photo above was taken approximately 1950 around the time they were married.

It seems that no how matter how busy their days are, they are almost never too tired to go square dancing in the evening. Northridge is a 20-mile drive from Simi Valley where they lived, and Pasadena is almost 50 miles from Simi Valley. Both Mom and Frank seemed to have boundless energy.

Rose Parade Floats

Thursday January 2, 1992

We have a lazy morning. It's not raining after all so we decide to go to Pasadena to see the floats from the Rose Parade. It works out well for us to pay to park in the church lot. Their van shuttle takes us up the hill to where the floats begin. It's great! Frank's first time to see a float in person.

Afterward we go a few blocks to Gene & Cathy's. They are not at home. We call Guy--Cathy is in Hemet. We leave a note and go to Gary's. After 15 minutes he, Maria and boys come home. They are glad to see us and are happy to go out for Mexican food with us. We enjoy! We're home at 8:30, relax and watch TV.

It may have been Frank's first time to see a float in person, but Mom had seen many over the years. My Uncle Gene (her brother) and Aunt Cathy lived on Sierra Madre Blvd in Pasadena for many years. They would invite their friends and relatives to join them every year to set up chairs on the front porch or sit on the roof of their storage shed to see the parade. It was fun, but I hated getting up at 4:30 in the morning to make the drive to Pasadena. Fortunately, one of their neighbors let us park in their front yard for free, as parking was at a premium. Some time during my teen years, the state bought their house to build the Pasadena Freeway and they moved up to the hills overlooking Pasadena. They are now 83 and 81 years old, enjoying life, travelling the world, and entertaining friends in that same home. They even drove up for my son's wedding this summer, a 400 mile drive from Pasadena. Young at heart, both of them. Here is a photo of them in their younger years:

Maria Makes Chicken Enchiladas

Sunday December 8, 1991

Lazy morning and off to a party at Biddeo's house in Montrose at 1 p.m. Brother Gene is there too. It's a quiet party. We stop at Gary's on the way home. Maria makes chicken enchiladas for us. They are delicious. I'm very cold all day today and very tired tonight. We get home about 8:30. I'm in bed by 10 p.m.

My nose has been running for days now. It's not a cold but it's a funny time of year for allergies. My kemo medicine I take by mouth definitely makes me tired.

I guess so! Chemotherapy is toxic. No wonder she's tired.

Maria is a great cook and often entertains family and friends. Her mom taught her young how to make Mexican tamales and enchiladas.

Uncle Gene's Birthday Party

Sunday September 8, 1991

We have a leisurely breakfast and read the paper, watch the birds and check out the patio plants. Frank leaves for Lemona. Chris calls. We have a good talk about Thanksgiving at Chris' and problems with John Reyes (her ex).

I go shopping for a comforter and buy one at Mervyns. I stop for a hot dog. I'm still having trouble being hungry alot. Maybe it's the chemo, maybe not. I pick up a yogurt to share with Frank. He's had no lunch. I feel bad. The bathroom floors are almost done. They look nice.

At 4:15 we leave for Gene and Cathy's. It's Gene's birthday dinner. Guy and Lisa are there. Alyson is much more friendly. The baby is walking. He's so cute and looks just like Guy. Some neighbors are there and we have a great filet mignon steak dinner. Lynne does most of the work. We're home by 9:15 exhausted!

Mom's brother Gene was 6 years older than Mom and had a different father. In 1991 he was turning 63. He will be 83 this year (2011) and is still going strong. He and his wife Cathy have lived in Pasadena for many years and built their house on a hillside when their boys Perry and Guy were little. Gene's son Guy and his wife Lisa are at the birthday party with their two small children, Alyson and Patrick. Funny that Mom thinks Patrick looks just like Guy. I don't see much resemblance. Guy is tall and lanky like his dad. Patrick, who is 20 now, is built like a football player, strong and husky. In fact he played football all through high school and Alyson played soccer. Alyson is currently on the soccer team at her college in Texas. Lynne is Gene and Cathy's youngest. She was and is a gracious hostess, always helpful, yet laid-back. She and her husband Everett currently live in Seattle, WA and have 3 small children Emerson, Eloisa and Ellington.

Donna and Bob Visit

Saturday June 8, 1991

We arrive at 7:00 to prepare breakfast for Donna and Bob and Steve and Dee. After breakfast Steve and Dee leave. Bob and Frank install our new headlight. Big job. How nice of Bob. He's a good friend.

Later we take Bob and Donna to visit bob's son Mark, wife and granddaughter. Nice visit in Tujunga. Then we go to Gene and Cathy's in Pasadena for dinner. Wonderful visit! Gene and Bob enjoy each other. We stay from 5-11. Good time.

Bob drives us home. We are all pretty tired. Bob and Donna gave Frank a lovely money clip for retirement. Frank's folks gave him a check.

For mom it's always about family. She was the one who always held the family get-togethers. Here she joins Bob and Donna to visit Bob's son, and then visits her brother Gene and his wife Cathy in Pasadena. That's a long tiring day for someone battling cancer. Pictured above at Donna and Bob with Mom and Frank at Lake Almanor in 1989 and then Donna and Bob on their cruise to Alaska in 2009.