An Autumn We'll Never Forget...

On September 2nd, our eleventh grandchild, Alethia Joy Thomasson, was born to Mike and Evelyn and siblings -- Sophia, Nathanael, Luke and Timothy. She's a little beauty who seems good natured and already well-adjusted to being handled and bounced around by her rambunctious admirers. Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the four older youngsters while Mom and Dad stayed in the hospital. It was quite an eventful stay for us seniors!! How'd we ever do this in the past???

On September 17th, Jon's doctor told Jon that he suspected that he had lymphoma. The next day, Jon had a CT scan that confirmed the doctor's suspicions. Suddenly, our lives took on a whole new dimension as we all tried to fathom what this news meant. Never before had any of us faced so personally our ultimate mortality... It shook us all to the core. We realized that God was with us... and since then, God has sustained us all. Prayers have reached our Father's ears, and He has been merciful... Jon has gone through five of his twelve chemo treatments. He's lost his hair, but not his smile. Talia Rose has been a constant joy in the lives of Jon and Erin... It is impossible to not reflect Talia's laughter and giggles and pure fascination with everything in her path. Her new own little kitchen has been the scene of hours and hours of her attention as she cooks us all our suppers and gives us pretend glasses filled with cubes from her ice-maker..

Balboa or Bust!!!!!!!!!!

Our family all got together this month to celebrate Mike's graduation from The Master's Seminary.

Jim, Melody and Eric joined Mike and Evelyn on Saturday night to attend a special banquet in honor of the graduates.

Brian and Jen and kids arrived from Colorado that night as well to our rented beach house on the Balboa Peninsula. Later that evening, Jon, Erin and Talia also arrived... with all the cousins finally meeting the newest members of the family.... Talia and Matheson.

For Mike's graduation, his entire family of 19 watched as he received his Masters of Divinity Degree with honors! It was a proud moment for us all. And.... all the cousins met another new cousin... Timothy!!! It was awesome to all be together after being apart for two years.

Next Jon celebrated his 29th birthday on May 12th....

On Tuesday, we hit Disneyland. We had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday was the day for geocaching and going on a cruise of Balboa Bay

and catching a couple mackerel!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday... the ladies hit the American Girl Place in Beverly Hills...

We had a few more walks on the beach... and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a dream come true for us Grandparents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You Have Been Tagged!

Recently, I was tagged by Erin to participate in a questionnaire about my favorite reads. It took me a while to get around to it, but it was fun to actually reminisce about books that had in some way touched my heart. As an elementary school teacher, I've often been enraptured with the books that I was able to introduce to my students. Part of that joy was seeing young readers discover the beauty of good writing.

Often, my adult reads have been restricted to vacation time... when I actually had the time to complete something I started. Now that I'm retired, I've once again begun to frequent the local library. I often pick up new books... Lately, I've enjoyed the series on England's queens by Phillippa Gregory. I've also tried to read several of the books on Oprah's BookClub list. One of my all time favorites was Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. I totally forgot to mention it in the questionnaire. I think it's hard to equate my best reads.... It's an ongoing process for me.

Anyway, if you're one of those people I zapped, have fun and don't sweat it. It's kind of enjoyable once you get started....


I HAVE BEEN TAGGED!
Here it is!
1.) One book that changed your life.
The Bible, and in particular …. The Gospels and Acts.
When I went away to Westmont College in 1965, these books came alive to me. They were inspired by God… and they inspired me to dedicate my life to following Him. I can remember being struck to my core by the teachings of Jesus. I continue to base my life on them.

2.) One book that you have read more than once.

Hmmm…. The Honorable Imposter by Gilbert Morris
This book is the first in Morris’ series called “The House of Winslow”. I like to read this book each year right before Thanksgiving, to remind myself of what our ancestors went through to make America the “land of the free”…

3.) One book you would want on a desert island.

Definitely, The Bible, and in particular, The Psalms.

4.) Two books that made you laugh.

1. All Creatures Great and Small…. or any other books by James Herriott. I find his adventures as a rural veterinarian…. incredibly enjoyable. His descriptions of life in the British Isles cause me to want to visit there.
2. The Grass Grows Greener Over the Septic Tank… or any other books by Erma Bombeck. I find her to have captured the joy and riddles of life of a suburban housewife….

5.) One book that made you cry.

Two come to mind…… as being very touching…. to me.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and
A Patch of Blue by Elizabeth Kata

6.) One book you wish you'd written.

This one eludes me…. I highly respect authors of children’s literature that bestow wonder and imagination on their readers…. Perhaps The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, or even one of the Harry Potter series… by J.K. Rowling.

7.) One book you wish had never been written.

Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler. His legacy of hatred showed the depravity of man in full expression.

8.) Two books you are currently reading.

A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith
A Woman’s Journey to the Heart of God by Cynthia Heald.

9.) One book you've been meaning to read.

Traveling Light by Max Lucado.I actually began this book several years ago and never finished it.

***For the 1-2-3 meme, the directions are:1) Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).2) Open the book to page 123.3) Find the fifth sentence.4) Post the next three sentences.5) Tag five people.

Sunset Western Garden Book
“Begonia, tuberous (zones 4-9, 14-24; H1)
Campanula isophylla (Italian Bellflower) (zones 2-9, 14-24)
Campanula portenschlagiana (Dalmatian Bellflower) (zones 2-9, 14-24)”

Tagged:

,Pennie, Anna, Kathy D., Bonnie Pat

California Living.... at Its Best!

After several tries at posting this post.... I'm just going to try and add photos.... I'll let the reader fill in the blanks. It's been a great month for us.

The Holidays Flew By!!!

We have had lots of happenings in the last two months... and have been busy just trying to stay even with them. First of all, Jim and I enjoyed so much our time with cousins Dave and Tukey who went out to dinner with us... and Peggy and Blair who came to visit us. The Kellys brought lots of old photos with them, and we compared notes on our Bronson and Hackett family trees.

We also enjoyed a mini-family reunion at the Seagraves home in Granite Bay.

We also enjoyed all the joys of sharing the holidays with friends and family. We went with Jon, Erin and Talia to pick out their Christmas tree at the nearby tree farm. Our Christmas celebration included time with Erin's folks, Ron and Sara Poole. We missed having the Colorado Thomasson's with us...but they sent lots of great photos.

On New Years we spent time with Mike and Evelyn and crew... and played the wii game by the hours.

We have also spent time with friends in our Bible Study group.

Jim continues to wash those windows ... and Melody enjoys tutoring Angie and Chris... as well as tutoring at Acres of Hope.

We hope 2008 is a very blessed year.... in every way... for each of you!