Kevin's graduation from boot camp

We all wore tye-dye to show we were from CA!
Kevin's swearing in day!
Kevin's sister Savannah visited us for a few days and we went to the U.S.S. Hornet with Nickita and Josh.
Just a few years apart..... 2004 & 2019
Visiting Kevin in Minot, ND 2019 with grandpa Gene and Aunt Theresa
Aunt Theresa spent 28 years in the Army and helped to inspire Kevin to join the military.
At the great mall of America, Minneapolis, MN
A real little house on the prairie below, a sod house.
HUGE farm equipment
The Hjemkomst Center, Moorhead, MN.  This viking ship was build by a shop teacher and his students.  It was taken to the great lakes and from there it sailed to Norway!
On our way to see Kevin, a stop over with a few brews and to see Ft. Snelling where Gene found a musket to take up arms to protect the fort!
On our way to see Kevin, we stopped in Grand Forks, ND to meet up with some of Gene and Ryan's family who still own the family farm.
Our place in South Lake Tahoe.  We were trapped there March and April due to Covid. After 6 years of owning it, we have decided to sell it since we can no longer rent it nightly due to the locals. We will use the proceeds to travel around the world after Covid19.
Our newly fenced veggie garden.  Higher to keep the chickens out.
Making spaghetti sauce.
Chickens free ranging in the backyard.
After 25 years it was time to rebuild the koi pond due to tree roots.  We built it originally, but this time I paid a young guy to do it. Both waterfalls run and the wheel turns.
Home grown blueberries and broccoli.
We finally rented a boat for the day and went around Lake Tahoe.
A bowl Ryan made on his lathe and the T-Shirt I got him. 
We lost Charlie earlier this year to a brain tumor.  This is Rudy, an 8 yr old rescue.  Our newest family member.
My first outing on BART to SF.  After all my surgeries, I had to learn how to walk again. A great self protrait!
Two months of orange Martian skies.  We had the HEPA's going and 2.5 micron filters on our faces. Crazy wildfires!
Left is Daisy, then back is Pearl, front is Hazel, and right is Gertrude and she is almost 10 years old!
Yep, that's me!  I took up Muay Thai kick boxing 2.5 years ago.  I have weekly private training.  Didn't think I would come back after all the surgeries, but I'M BAAAACK!
My cousin Shannon and me at our place in Tahoe 2017.
Our exchange student son, Jens.  He lives in France now but is from Germany.  His girlfriend Alida is from Venezuela.  They just had their first child, Matilda.  
Another home improvement project. Ryan removed the entry stairs and replaced them as well as the new handrails. He is sooo talented!
After 25 years, our old grill had to be replaced.  I had a new insert made in SM.  So nice to grill on a nice evening!
We decorate for Halloween too!
​Adventures with Gene.  We took him to so many places!  Here are Baker Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge.
I was sitting in our den one day in November and something blocked the light from the front window.  I looked up, and there was Kevin standing in his work uniform and holding a bouquet of flowers!  A complete and total surprise!  Wow, it was sure great to see him!!
Kevin is in the Air Force and Security Forces, a military cop now.  He works nights on his base.  Minot is about 60 miles from the Canadian boarder!  It can get to 49 degrees BELOW 0 at night and he still has to work in it!
Kevin's accomplices!  Nickita, Josh and Austin when they came by to say hi.  They knew he was coming for a visit and said nothing!!
Thank you all for being our friends and family all these years!  It is hard to believe that it was just December 5th 2003 and an 8 year old Kevin was moving into our home. We will never forget when he asked if it was ok to play with his submarine.  When we said yes, plop it went into the tub and took off!  Almost a year after that, our adopt was final for Kevin and we were on an adventure to Egypt, Jordan and Paris.  You can see Kevin's early day adventures at the old site I made for him http://kevinscreations.homestead.com.  It's an index file, so no w's or @'s.  

He has made his own way in the world, taken a few detours along the way, but he is on a great course now.   Of course Kevin is a child of several families, his birth family Wendy, gpa Monkey Dan, gma Lorri, gma Penny, his foster parents Jill and Paul, and us.  He has a new family now, the Air Force.  Kevin should be proud of where he is now.  I know all of his family is very proud of the young man he has become.  You are love beyond words and we all are proud to call you our son or grandson.  Keep up the good work Kevin!  
All the guys are growing up and moving on.  Nickita is a fueler at our local airport and hangs out with the rich people who own private jets.  Slava, who this party was for, has moved to the Seattle area for a new job with Intel.  Roman has a masters in software programing and works in SF.  And Josh now has two AA degrees from Chabot College!  They still stop by to see the old people and it warms my heart! We are so proud of them and all they have accomplished!
Kevin feels safe to sleep, Marley is guarding his big brother. 
10.5 months no walking and 2.5 months I spent in a hospital bed and a wheelchair!  One of my outtings thanks to Ryan to have quality of life.  The 8 screws, plate and pins in my foot for those months.
We got to spend some time with my cousin Don and his family too.  After we adopted Kevin, they adopted 2 kids too!  
We drove Kevin down the coast to see the beach.  It was 19 degrees when he left ND and it was 77 out at the beach!
All of this because two people fell in love....

A blast from the past!  Our wedding day!  This is the picture that was in the local newspaper.
Forgot me!  No room to put me where I should be. Oh well, just a footnote anyway. :)
                                                               Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah

What can be said about 2020 that hasn't been said already? I have been half expecting the seven plagues before the end of the year! We hope everyone has "battened down the hatches" this year and have made it through ok. We haven't done Christmas cards in a few years because of various reasons, but it was time to get back to the holiday spirit!

To catch up, Kevin joined the Air Force in July of 2018, left for boot camp on my birthday in October. He had his basic and technical training in Lackland, TX. He was able to come home for Christmas and regaled us with stories from boot camp. He was able to see most of his friends and some of his birth family. He decided to make it his career and make a lifelong dream come true. He had tried several other jobs, but they were not what his heart longed for. Ryan and I as well as his birth mother Wendy, her husband Billy, and their son also flew down to help Kevin celebrate his accomplishments. We were able to do some sightseeing and saw The Alamo, Sea World and the River Walk in San Antonio. It was an honor to be at the Alamo, knowing its history. Kevin has been stationed in North Dakota and has learned how cold cold is when it's minus 49 degrees! He will transfer overseas next year and we will most likely visit him in the country he goes to, if it is safe.  

We had Ryan's dad, Gene, move in with us in August of 2018 due to him having Alzheimer's. In July, in between my foot surgeries, we flew to Minnesota and met up with Ryan's sister. The 4 of us drove through MN and then across North Dakota to see Kevin at his base. But along the way, we stopped in to see The Mall of America, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, The Viking Museum, and Grand Forks where Gene was born. We also were able to see a titan missile silo and the International Peace garden at the Canada border. It was a mini family reunion in Grand Forks because we were able to meet up with some family who still live there! Really nice folks and I am glad we were able to meet them. This year Gene went to visit an old girlfriend and decided that they were going to stay together so in October we packed up his things and he has moved back to our hometown. Connie has agreed to look out after him and Gene is happy helping her with her dog grooming business. He has purpose, company and with that quality of life.  

Ryan has been at Cisco systems for 22 years now. They had layoff's this year due to Covid19, 20% of their employees but Ryan survive!! They offered early retirements, reduced work hours, and a straight layoff. Now that Ryan has turned 60, they offered him an early retirement package, but he declined. It was equal to about 6 months’ salary, but I doubt Ryan will ever be able to retire because he can't sit still that long! He will most likely reduce his hours to 32 and still be a full-time employee in 7 yrs. at which time he may retire, but most likely not. He replaced our entry stairs, floor and handrails this year and they look great!

As for me, I have been gardening and have a new batch of chickens. Hoping they will start laying soon. My first chicken, Gertrude, is still alive and will be 10 in February! I had been working out 5 days a week doing 3 sports, cycling, boxing and swimming and enjoying life. I have been doing ancestry work for all of us and have traced our families back into the 1400's! In April 2019 I decided to have bunion surgery and it went horrible wrong. What should have been 2-month event, ended up being 4 surgeries on my right foot, with the screws coming out, 10.5 months no walking and 2.5 months in a wheelchair. During this time, I paid for our pond to rebuilt due to tree root damage. It was a Godsend to wheel out there and enjoy the fish. In between I had rotator cuff surgery after having thrown a left cross in my Muay Thai kick boxing class. I had to learn how to walk all over again and thought life as I knew it was over. Very challenging, but in September 2020 I was able to get back to cycling and boxing. Our local public pool is still closed due to Covid19. In October I finally sent a picture to my doctor of a growth on my left toe and was told to come in for surgery. Turns out it was Squamous Carcinoma and another piece of me left due to cancer. I had a PET scan done and it came back clear but I am using a chemo ointment on it and my face.  

There are dozens of spots that are the starts of carcinoma. It was scary when they said they may have to amputate my toe. But as mom said to me when I came out of my coma in '89, "I knew you would be ok, 'cause only the good die young!" Gee thanks mom! :) My coach Al, was surprised that I came back to boxing and told me that I am an inspiration to him that even the hardest challenges can be overcome. It made me feel so good!

We lost Charlie last year and a piece of my heart went with him. But we adopted an older dog named Rudy from a rescue, a 6.6-pound bundle of energy. He is 8 years old, had a tail broken in 2 places, lost most of his hair due to fleas, and a blown iris from someone kicking him in the head. He has recovered well and fits in well with the other 2 dogs. Rosita is 16 now and Rudy will keep Marley company when she is gone. It will be interesting to see how Rudy takes to snow when we visit Tahoe. :)

In 2019 we relandscaped our front lawn and our son, the exchange student Jens, was visiting from France at that time and helped us with the dry streambed, new flowers and lawn removal.  

Like everyone else, we haven't been able to travel due to covid19, but it's also been since 2013 that we have had any foreign vacation. We went to Florida in 2015 to see Disney World, NASA, and Universal for our 33rd wedding anniversary. Prior, we went to Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Russia in 2013 and took Kevin’s friend Nickita with us. Speaking of anniversaries, October 20th was our 41st anniversary of our first date and December will be our 37th wedding anniversary. We would have gone to my 40th class reunion, but it was postponed to 2021 due to covid. We are hoping to catch up on travel next year with plans for South Africa and England/Scotland/Ireland/Wales as well as where ever Kevin goes. The following year I am hoping for Japan and Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia. So many places to go, and with the future use of my feet in question, we need to get traveling! In the meantime, we have been doing home improvements. A new security screen door with electronic locks, new security system, and finally after 30 years we are having the fireplace stoned over and a wood burning insert put in! My cousin’s hubby is a master craftsman and will make our new mantel. It will happen at the end of Nov. We also had solar put in with a Tesla battery in January 2020. It is sure nice to have a 20.00 PG&E bill!

In October Kevin surprised us with a visit. I was sitting in the den on my phone and the new dog was barking. I used to sound trainer to get him to stop barking. I went back to my phone and then noticed something cross the path of the light coming from the living room window. I looked up and there was Kevin in his uniform with a bouquet of flowers!! My first thought was what did you do to get kicked out of the Air Force :) , but instead asked what the heck are you doing here?? I got a long hug and then Ryan heard something from the garage and I told him I need your help up here can you come up, it's down the hallway. He came up and ran into Kevin! It was a great week. We drove him to the coast and were able to sit on the beach in 77-degree weather. He had been in 19-degree weather! We went out to eat for Chinese, Mexican, and had all his friends over for a BBQ and sat around the firepit. He then drove over to Fresno to see his birth family and then onto Reno to see his girlfriend.  

My website for my photography is www.creationsbydeborah.com and I will be adding more family stuff to it since I do not sell my photography any longer. It will be easier than printing pictures and sending them. We will be on the website www.californiachristmaslights.com again this year, just look for Hayward and we will be there!

We hope everyone has stayed healthy and away from covid. We hope that you will be able to spend plenty of time with family and friends in 2021 because they are what make us rich in this world!  

Best wishes in 2021!

Ryan, Debbie, Rosita, Marley, Rudy, Gertrude, Daisy, Pearl, Hazel, and the finny ones in the pond.


My new truck. My Acura MDX died after 255K miles.  Decided on a GMC Canyon 4x4 diesel.  Great truck and great mpg! Tahoe and Pismo Beach.
Air show we took Gene to in Carson City, NV.
Just a few oops that I forgot.  Oh well, I'll put it down to a blonde moment rather than a senior moment!  :)