Graduation is Coming Sooner than I Think!

OK, today is one of those milestones that everyone talks about.
My baby ordered his cap and gown today (with all of the trimmings: Announcements, name cards, tassle-(you have to buy that separate!)

Anyway, $250 later, we are on our way to Graduation Day!

R and I went to Senior Parent night last Monday and we were sticker shocked!

This Senior year will cost us over $2,000! Between the yearbook ($65), Senior portraits ($300 at least-I am still trying to get a deal!) , Disneyland trip ($200), Hawaii trip ($850), cap & Gown ($41), college applications($50 ea!) Not to mention Winter Ball, Prom, etc etc. WOW!!

(And then I will have to do it all over again in 2 years~ and then again 3 years later)

So..my advice....start saving now!

Today was a milestone. Too bad I haven't kept up on the baby book, otherwise I could write it in there! Thanks for listening... ~K~

Old Prom Photos

As two of my boys get ready to go to the "Homecoming Dance" this Sat. night, I felt the need to locate my and R 's Prom photos: What do you think? Do we look the same?
1982 (16 & 17)
1983 (17 & 18)
1984 (18 & 19)
2005 (39 & 40)

Colorado

R and I just went to Colorado last weekend.
Our dear friend K sent us tickets to come visit her and her two kids.

(L (3) , T (10) & Jasper (4mo)- Lhaso Apso puppy!)

Colorado is a beautiful place! Although it is beautiful, it is missing one of our favorite people, K late husband Rusty.
Rusty left this world on November 6, 2004 after a 2nd courageous battle with cancer.

Rusty was only 40 years old.

(Rusty at Carmel High School 20th Reunion-2002)

K (my best-friend since we were 9 years old) and Rusty were high school sweethearts along with me and R .
We did everything together! Double dating, bowling, Denny's and Dancing are the memories I remember the most. Rusty was a very talented man. He played semi-pro baseball and was very modest about it. Please see the link to an article written about him this last May summarizing his baseball career:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050330/news_1s30azbase.html

Now, R and I are continuing down our path and K is going down a path of the unknown. (God has a plan for her, I am not worried about that!) I am just so sad that she is traveling down that path alone right now.
I have to say that I am so proud of her. Although she misses her husband terribly, she is focused on making sure that her two children are leading normal childhoods. She is a wonderful Mother and great roll model.
Rusty is alive in that household. He is their guardian Angel, I felt his presence there, and Thank You God for leaving K with those two wonderful gifts, especially little L . She brightens each day. And T has the patience of a saint, and helps Kristen as best as a 10 year old can!
I Love them all dearly and miss them when I am not around them.
I will probably write more about Rusty later, but that is enough for now. It is really emotional for me and R to lead life without him. Especially because of the fact that since his death, two more friends (ages 41 and 43) have left this world, with no rhyme or reason. It is not for us to understand why, but to try to understand what our plan is...That is the question. And just when we just begin to figure it out...something else gets thrown in our path. I guess it's what you call...Life!
~K ~ -