Beth Wilson has been a friend of mine for almost 25 years, when we first moved to Torrance, CA. We met in the sandbox at the local park where we took our kids to play. She has a great hubby, Steve, who loves her almost as much as I do! Beth is a master genealogist (she helped me unearth my biological family) as well as a librarian, school board member & all around wonderful friend. We always manage to have a great time when we get together, and I treasure her honesty and love for life.
Sara is Beth and Steve's oldest child (of 3) and their only daughter. She is as energetic and full of life as her mother, with a kind and gentle soul. She is very artistic, loves to scrapbook, and makes amazing collages. She's also a wonderful aspiring actress and has been in several plays, none of which I have seen, YET!
Matthew is Beth's 2nd child, and such a fun guy, in fact all of Steve & Beth's kids are simply great! He is a year older than my Matthew and in the Air Force. He was recently married to Cheryl, shown here with him. I wasn't able to attend their wedding, but from the photos I saw it looked simply breath taking. Good luck to the both of them.
Last but never least of the Wilson clan is Luke, shown here with his (Tinkerbell loving) wife Diana. Luke is such a sweetie (I know he'll cringe when I say that) and I truly enjoy being in his company. This guy has the manners of a prince, and is such a kind person. Diana must be a gem, she's the other half of Luke & he married her!
Diane is one of my "oldest" girlfriends. She dates back to my high school years and if bribed just right could probably spill some pretty incriminating pieces of my past. Let's hope I've been kind enough to her over the years that she'd never consider doing just that. Diane and her husband John work for a mining company in Nevada. She has an incredible amount of responsibility, not to mention how physically hard she works there. All with Rheumatoid Arthritis! Love you Diane. ....never forget....."GRAVES"
Sandy and I went to high school together and have kept in touch ever since. She's married with 3 boys and is another talented and busy lady. She's good at farming, drives school buses, works as a school aide, quilts and designs beautiful jewelry. Busy as a bee. It's really rewarding to keep in touch with high school friends, this one is particular.
Pauline is a Jr. High English, Grammer & Writing 7th, & 8th grade teacher, currently living in Illinois near her 2 children; David (Matt's age)and Valerie (a couple years younger). When her children were in grade school she lived out here in Southern California, which is where we met. Once upon a time, Pauline and I were in a craft store together with the name of our space aptly called "Two P's In a Pod". Pauline and I are true kindred spirits, and have remained close despite the distance through phone calls, letters, emails and digital cameras. I've even flown out to Illinois and spent a week there one April, having tons of fun stomping around in the snow, catching up on old times. Pauline is single and looking for the right guy, so if you know any....email me as you have to go through me 1st! ha! Pauline will always be very dear to my heart.
David & Valerie Marincic shown in this photo, are Pauline's children, and are very special to me. Matt attended grade school with David and Jason babysat Valerie when she was a little one.
You'd have to personally know these two wonderful friends to understand just how incredible they truly are. I first met Tony through a friend when I was a fairly new mother to my first born child; James Richard. Tony was so accepting of Jimmy and the fact that he was handicap that I knew right then just how special he was. When Katie entered his life, (which BTW, was a great thing) my husband Jerry and I spent some hilarious camping weekends with them, all of which cemeneted what was already a great friendship . After the birth of their two girls, Stephannie and Janelle, and their move to Santa Rosa, our get togethers have been further apart. Even so, it's like old times whenever we visit, and we shall always treasure them.
Carol is a long time dear friend, shown here with our friend Lynn. She is the mother of Teresa and Becca, below, her 2 daughters who are the same age as my sons, Jason and Matt. We've been friends ever since our kids went to grade school together. We've been through thick and thin and is like a sister to me. I'm not sure what I would have done had she not been in my life. Thank you Carol, for always being there for me.
Teresa (not pictured) is my dearest girlfriend, Carol's oldest daughter. Teresa is the same age as Jason, in fact they went to school together. I love spending time with Teresa, as she is easy going and full of life. She has grown into quite a responsible young lady, with an adorable daughter.
Rebecca is Carol's youngest daughter, and is like the daughter I never had. We share a kindred spirit in so many aspects of our lives. Becca is kind, considerate and a great person to be around. She warms your soul, and encourages you to feel better about yourself just by being in her presence. I feel so blessed to have had Carol's 2 girls in my life, and treasure the times we get together. I love you Carol, T, Ms Em, and Becca.
Jill and I have been friends ever since we moved out here to Orange County. The 1st time I met Jill she was about 7-8 months pregnant with her oldest son, Patrick. We became close "sisters" almost immediately and I baby sat both Patrick and Alex for quite a while. Therefore I feel like they are my sons! Jill is a special friend in my life whom has been there for me whenever I needed her. I feel very lucky to call her my "sister". I love you all.
Irene is Steve's mom, & a very dear friend. Irene & I have many things in common, unfortunately RA is one of them, thus creating a special bond. She lives in Florida, but has traveled to CA to visit her family.
DEBBIE AND JOHN, WITH SON COLE, AND DAUGHTER MAKENNA
Debbie was a co-worker at my job, Pro PT. She is such a great person & friend. Her New York/Jersey accent is a kick and if you're not careful she'll kick your butt and then ask you to drop and "give me twenty (pushups)" all with that gorgeous smile. Who can resist? Her husband, John, daughter MaKenna (I Love You MaKenna) and step-son Cole, shown here in Deb's red Mustang for their Christmas photo, are just as nice as Deb. All that said, her and family have moved to Georgia due to her hubby's job. They've since added an adorable member to their family, Jake, who just happens to be my godson! His photo is below.
JAKE
So far in my life I've only held Jake when he was a newborn. In this photo he is 2 1/2 months old and obviously a cutie! I hope to someday soon hold him again and let him know just how special he is to me!
Pat & I have been friends from way back when. She hired me as her "flunky" at the House Of Fabrics more than 25 years ago. We've shared many ups & downs in our lives & no matter how much times passes we always pick up where we left off. I admire Pat for many reasons, mostly because she is strong when times are tough & has a kind soul. William, shown here with his mother, barely knows me, but I was present the moment he was born! Love you 2!
I met Cathy when I started working at the House Of Fabrics with Pat. Later, when she worked at Daniel Freeman hospital, she used to check on my son Jimmy when he was there. We've had good times togther; we're huge fans of the once popular "Beauty & The Beast" TV series, she's introduced me to tea shops, & we both love to browse book stores endlessly. She used to babysit the boys; they called her "Aunt Cathy", which is when this photo was taken.
I met Terry when I worked at Pro PT, where he came in for physical therapy and exercise. His wife, Karen also was a patient there. Terry and I used to chat often when he came in to Pro PT and I was always struck by his upbeat attitude and love of Disneyland. Karen and I started walking together and found out we had a lot in common. Once I quit work and the both of them retired, Jerry and I became fast friends. For my 53rd birthday we got annual passports to Disneyland and became constant companions to the Disneyland Resort where we have tremendous fun!
Diane and I met through a mutual friend when she was running a food co-op. Later she added me to her client list and began cleaning our house. It was during this particular job (she's had many) that we became good friends. Diane is such a good person, very honest and very loyal. We have a lot in common, and although not recently, we have enjoyed creating one of a kind jewelry while visiting. She is an excellent seamstress, craftsperson, and gardener, to mention just a few of her many talents. She has 2 adorable children; Justin and Ashley.
Loreli and I met through a mutual friend, Robin (see below), back when Robin and family used to live on our street. Loreli dabbles in many venues; hairdresser, seamstress, gardener, as well as being a talented painter. We have had many a fun day spent at several of the great nurseries here in Orange County gathering plants and such to create fairy gardens. David and Loreli have 4 kids, 1 daughter, Candice, and 3 sons, Lane, Sterling and Carson.
ROBIN, DOUG, BRITTAN, TYLER, AND KYLE
I first saw Robin before she even moved on to our street, when she was a single mom to Brittan and Tyler and came by to see the house for sale. Her and her family have since moved, but we remain close. She is a very sunny person, kind and fun. She has a good heart and loves to decorate. No wonder, she's great at it! She married Doug, another great person and they had son Kyle. Together they are great parents and dear friends.
MIKE AND PAM
Pam and Mike also lived on our street, across from the Robin and Doug. They've also moved, although not far, and have 3 kids; Cole, Riley and Samantha. Pam loves to play baseball, in fact that's where she met Mike and also loves to garden. She's enjoying spending time home with her youngest, Samantha who is 2, and their only girl. Mike is a car buff and a personal trainer when he's not working. A busy family for sure, and good friends of ours.
EMILY AND DAVID
Mitchell's parents used to live to the right of us here in Mission Viejo. (Are you noticing a theme here? We're the last to stay!) Our son Jason, was the ring bearer in his parents wedding. Mitchell's dad, Mitch the 3rd and wife Gina live locally, so we see them on occassion. Mitch owns his own repair shop and has even worked on Jason's car. We've all had good times together, and enjoy keeping in touch.