Turning 20...

It seems just yesterday we were bringing this little bundle home...How do the years pass so quickly? Well it is true, Bry is turning 20 today. My boy has grown up and it is time for him to leave those teen years behind. Through the years he has been fortunate to have many wonderful people influence his life, ideas, education, etc. To all of you...I say thanks! Thanks for all the fun, for all the guidance, for all the love, and for all the laughs!

I am happy to say with you all by his side the small bundle that we brought home 20 years ago while living in MD has grown over the years through fun times in IL and then now in CA into an amazing young man. He has filled the years with much laughter, interesting thoughts, fabulous music, and amazing friendships which seem to continually fill the house. Here are just a few pics from over the years...

Mother Nature...In all her Glory

The rainy season is upon us and oh is it ever! Rains, winds, snow...we have been hit. Having a moment of quiet in the house and procrastinating brushing up on my book before heading off to Book Club, I wandered the yard to check for damage. You see, we have a lull in the rain at least for a few hours before we get hit by what is the second of the three systems that are to hit us. We knew it was coming...they had been telling us for days! There were lines and lines waiting to receive our ten alloted sandbags all day Thursday. Everybody was talking about the storm and some were even stocking up on food. It slowly made its way down into the valley, after much damage elsewhere. We watched the news and answered calls of concerned friends and family in IL. The flooding comes so quick...almost out of nowhere! I sat cuddled up, finishing the last of the three books in the series His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass) after returning home from work, deciding I really did not want to be out when it hit. By the time Wayne arrived home through what sounded like a fun drive, the flooding was just two streets away from us...but as fast as the waters rise they subside and Bry went out a few hours later and called to say that we were able to leave our development safely and off he went with friends for the night. Roads have been closed, trees are falling, people are without electricity and snow has covered the mountains...and we all sit awaiting round two. Well, the damage was minimal to our plants I am happy to report and the air feels clean as I walked this morning. The rain will be with us for a few more days and between book clubs, parties and hearing Bry perform Sunday morning...I hope to have time to cuddle up with yet another book and listen to the...at times soft music of the rain hitting our wood shingles, warm within what I hope will continue to be a home with electricity. May you all find the quiet times amidst your storms.

Blessings-