SOME REALLY GREAT DADS

Happy Father's Day (although a bit belated) to three great dads!

Here is a pic of my dad, Charles William (Bill) Johnson. My dad spent his entire life working hard, proving to the world (and to himself) that he could be a good businessman with just a high school diploma, some "street smarts" and a lot of good common sense. He did just that, and amongst other things, was very successful in the trucking industry. He worked for the Greater Iowa Leasing Company when we lived in Iowa, then for Hertz, then Transportation Equipment Rentals; and also started his own company, Consolidated Fleet Systems. He finished his career working for Petrolane, in Long Beach. He taught me to care about what I did, whatever I chose to do. He taught me the importance of being loyal, and to value my integrity. He showed me how to do an honest days work, and to keep my family first. My dad passed away suddenly on December 28, 1985 from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. He was not a particularly "huggy" kind of guy, but on Christmas Eve, 1985, he gave me a huge hug as he left my home, and told me how much he loved me. What a gift from God! That was the last time I saw my dad alive. I miss him so much!

Next I'd like to honor two more great dads, my husband Mike, and his dad Al Doriguzzi. Mike is such a great dad to our kids! He was never as huggy (kind of like my dad) as I was, or as soft and wishy washy as I was when we were raising our kids. But, he is strong, a good provider, and very level headed. Our kids know who to go to when they need an analytically thought out answer to a problem, or someone logical that is not wrapped up in the emotion of a problem. They know they can depend on their dad for help in any situation, whether that be help moving, putting in yards and sprinklers, or just a shoulder to lean on. He is a strong believer in Jesus Christ, and a strict adherer to His word. I am so thankful that he is the father of my children!

Here is a picture of Mike and his dad in Alaska last year! Mike's dad, Al, has become a second dad for me. He is much the same as Mike in his thoughts and ways. He has recently become a strong follower of Christ as well, and is very involved in the bible teaching church he now attends with his wife, Susie. We are happy that he lives nearby, and that he is a big part of our lives. I am grateful that he cares for me as if I were his daughter.

Happy Father's Day, Dads!

Angels STOMP the Padres!

For Father's Day this year, we bought Mike's dad tickets to see an Angel's game with his boys. Mike's brother Greg lives in San Diego, so we thought it fitting to choose a game where the Anaheim Angels were playing the San Diego Padres. Here are Mike, his dad Al, his nephew Ryan, and his brother Greg, as we waited for the game to begin. Greg thought it was great fun to cheer for the Padres amidst all the Angel's fans, and Ryan thought it great fun to completely ignore the game, play with his dad's iPhone and eat expensive stadium food. Here I am, trying really hard to fit in with the guys -note the Angel's cap perched on my head.Last, but not least, I include a shot of the Angels warming up:

The stadium looks really empty here -- I suppose it is because the game had not started yet. Everyone was still out buying beer and hot dogs!

We thought it quite hilarious that when his team quickly started to go south, Greg took off his Padres hat and changed it to an Angel's one. Fickle little thing, isn't he?

The Angels WON the game, 9 to 1. They also won the entire 3 game series against the Padres. YOU GUYS ROCK!

We're going back on July 10th to see the Angel's stomp the New York Yankees. Wishful thinking?

A MIRACLE, PURE AND SIMPLE

This little boy, Jayden, is the nephew of a friend of Lisa's. As you can see, he is eating a piece of birthday cake. He was celebrating his cousin's 6th birthday. A few short hours from when this photo was taken, he was found at the bottom of his cousin's swimming pool. He and his birthday boy cousin had gone out to the backyard (unbeknownst to the adults), and Jayden decided to go swimming. His cousin (who is on a swim team), did not realize at first that Jayden's thrashing in the deep end meant he needed help. When Jayden slipped under the water and began to sink, he realized that there was a problem and tried to save Jayden himself. When the adults found the kids, Jayden was blue, was not breathing, and did not have a heartbeat. According to the home surveillance video tape, he had been in the water for about 7 minutes. His quick thinking aunt and uncle performed CPR, and he was revived, but still unconscious. Jayden was transferred by the paramedics to Loma Linda Trauma Center, where he has been since Sunday evening. He was in critical condition, and in a medically induced coma to help relieve the swelling in his brain. They have been slowly bringing him out of it, and today, he opened his eyes, cried for his mamma, and asked to go home! Nothing short of a miracle, in my book. After many tests, the doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Praise God!

DINNER, A PLAY, AND A VISIT WITH MY SISSY.

Saturday we had tickets to see the west coast "Broadway" production of Dirty Dancing. We also took Mike's mom along, as a gift to her for Mother's Day. We started the evening cruising down Hollywood Blvd, and took a few photos along the way. Here is a picture of the Capital Records studio, it was built to represent a stack of 45 RPM records: This next photo is a shot of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, which they always seemed to mention in the old Hollywood type movies. I am not sure why, it didn't seem any different than any other intersection in Hollywood!

Hollywood is certainly an interesting place to people watch. As we were sitting at an intersection, this pair started across the crosswalk! The guy on the left was dressed up as a zombie, complete with blood stained clothes (I hope it was a costume) and a white face. Next to him is everyone's "favorite" Spongebob Squarepants. We stopped for dinner at the Hollywood icon "The Pig and Whistle". It was built in 1927, and was the site of the first "after the Oscars" party, as well as Judy Garland's 15th birthday. In its heyday, it was frequented by the likes of Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Clark Gable and Jane Wyman.After dinner we headed over to the Pantages, to see Dirty Dancing. Along the way, I snapped a shot of this famous star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame":

Here are Mike and I doing the obligatory pose outside the Pantages. Note our very cute almost matching shirt and dress:I am sorry to say I was not impressed with the play. I am a HUGE fan of the movie starring Patrick Swayze, which probably didn't help my opinion of the play. I already had preconceived notions of how I thought the production should be, and whatever that was, this wasn't it. I didn't think the acting was very good, nor the singing. The best part was the final scene where they do that great dance to "I've Had The Time Of My Life". For the record, I liked "Wicked" MUCH better! If you get a chance, go see it!

Today (Sunday) we went to Anaheim to see my sister, Christy. She is here from Texas visiting her son, so we went down to his house today and went out to lunch with them. After a great lunch at the Claim Jumper, we went back to his house to play a couple rounds of "Apples to Apples" and watch the Lakers/Orlando Magic game. GO LAKERS!!! They won by a few points in overtime. My parents would have been so excited, they were avid Lakers fans! Here is a photo of Christy and I:

Fun, fun weekend!

My Weight Loss Journey

As anyone who knows me knows...I have struggled with weight all of my adult life. It is a constant battle with me, one that I continue to fight even now. Seems like I am either gaining or losing. I have never been successful at finding the "sweet spot" of weight maintenance. I would like to say that it is hereditary, or that I have a slow metabolism...but even if there is just a shred of truth to that, I have come to realize that the biggest reason I am overweight is because I eat too much! Plain and simple. I love food, and love sweets of most any kind. Self control may be a virtue, but it is not one I can claim success at attaining. Will I ever?

Back in 1985 I joined Weight Watchers for the very first time, and lost a whopping 93 pounds in just 14 months. I stayed at my goal weight for about 10 minutes :-), and then slowly started putting it back on. Five years later, I was back where I started. How could I have let that happen??? I worked so hard!

Several times since then I have made repeated attempts to get back to my goal weight. I tried aversion therapy, Weight Watchers (again), Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers (again), etc. I always managed to lose 10, 20, even 30 pounds, and then BOOM, right back I would go. In October of 2007, I hit my highest weight ever. I also developed (at 50 years old) high blood pressure, which scared me. I hung my head and put my tail between my legs as I went back, AGAIN, to my old standby. It DID work...so long as I followed the program. I also knew that it was healthy and fairly easy way to lose. Here I am when I rejoined in October of 2007:

I made up my mind that I was going to lose it this time. I had grandbabies now! I wanted to be a healthy grandma, one that would (hopefully) be around a while. Pound by pound, it began to come off. I'd gain a few, lose a few more, and yet, at the end of each month, I was less than the month before. Well most of the time, anyway! Thanksgiving and Christmas were a major stumbling block, and I had to lose the 13 pounds I gained, ALL OVER AGAIN!

You know, I am not sure I even care about getting down to my original goal weight of 147. I am older, and my skin is sure not what it used to be. It is already getting pretty floppy. I think I could maintain a higher weight fairly easily (Famous last words! We'll see!), and still enjoy the kinds of food we like to eat. So, I am now setting my goal about 25 pounds higher. Not thin, but comfortable. Will the doctor be happy? Probably not...but hey, it's an improvement. I joined a gym, and have been exercising 5 days a week. He had better not complain with THAT thrown in the pot!

Here is a pic of me this Mother's Day, after losing 50 pounds. I was happy when I compared it next to the other one. I have taken a long time to lose this 50 pounds, and tend to get discouraged and forget that I HAVE made progress. There's a few more wrinkles there...but I guess I'd rather have the wrinkles than the fluff.

I know that a lot of you out there struggle with weight too, and completely understand what I am talking about here. We need to stick together!! A good support system means a lot to those walking this road. I sure hope I can keep this off, and lose the rest. It sure is a struggle!

In Praise of Motherhood (warning: a mushy post!)

I am so grateful to be a mother. Although I became a mother at a very young age, it was something I had always wanted, and something that defines my very being. My children make me so proud! From the time they were little, I have been proud of them. Not just of their accomplishments, but of everything else that makes them who they are. Their sensitivity, their devotion to God, their thoughtfulness, the honor they show, the steadfastness to which they hold to their beliefs...I could go on and on. They have grown up to be incredible adults, and wonderful parents. As I watch my children nuture their children, I realize even more how very blessed I am. They are such good parents, and I am grateful to know that my grandchildren have parents that are so loving, responsible, and patient. Mike and I were parents at a very young age, and made a lot of mistakes. I am so thankful that God redeemed our efforts. Despite all of our shortcomings, our children have grown up to be amazing people.

Please enjoy, with me, a few of my favorite pictures. Then, scroll down a little further to see some pictures of MY mom!

I could not leave this post without a couple of my favorite pictures of my brother and I with our mom...hope you enjoy them, too. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

YARD WORK AT DAVID'S AND A WEEKEND IN SACRAMENTO

Where does the time go? I can't believe it has been over 2 months since I added a post to this blog. I pay much more attention to my FACEBOOK page, so if you are at all interested in visiting my page, look me up there as "Janice Johnson Doriguzzi".

We have been busy, as is everyone else, I'd guess! Wish I would have had my camera the weekend before last, as we were at David's trying to help him get trenches and ditches dug in order to lay sprinklers and get his front yard seeded. Mike and David worked really hard digging, and Brody and I took out what seemed like TONS of rocks that were left from the demolition of the old house, and construction of the new house. We were all pretty tired by the end of the weekend, and there is still a lot of work to do. David was happy with the progress though, and that is what counts. It was a lot of fun to see Brody and Rhys, they are always so happy to see us. Brody's bedtime prayers are so adorable, he starts out by thanking God for all the things in his room, "Thank you God for the light, the door, the fan...etc." Then he picks a person (or five) in his life, and prays for them, too. I love it!

This past weekend, we drove up to Sacramento to see Lisa, Charles and the kids. We spent the day at the mall, took Faith to see the new 3D movie "Monsters VS Aliens" (which I slept through) and also visited "Old Town Sacramento", where we saw the capital building.At Land Park, we visited Fairy Tale Town and the Zoo. Here is a picture of Faith and Jack at Fairy Tale Town posing with Humpty Dumpty.In this photo, they are posing as a kangaroo and her baby at the zoo:

At home, we colored Easter eggs a little early:We played in the backyard:Faith and Grandpa cuddled on the couch while watching cartoons one morning:Jack and I decided we should have a picture together with our jammies and "bedhead":One day, we took a walk on the trail that is behind Lisa's house, and enjoyed stopping at the Ingram Slough. There is a lot of water fowl livng there -- cranes, geese, and all kids of other birds. We also saw some muskrats swimming nearby, and looked at their lodge homes. It was a nice weekend, but it is always hard to leave. Faith tearfully said, "Grandma, I don't want you to go home", and Jack (who was napping when we left), walked through the house calling for his grandpa when he woke up. "Mike! Mike! Oh no! Mike all gone!" We are not sure why he started calling his Grandpa "Mike" all of a sudden, but it is pretty cute! Hope we can see them again soon.

FLIGHTS, DELAYS, WORK, BEER, AND A LOST SUITCASE

Mike left yesterday for Freidrichshafen, Germany, on another work related assignment. Freidrichshafen is a city in southern Germany, and it lies on the shoreline of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) which forms the border between Germany and Switzerland. Thankfully, he will only be gone for two weeks.

He left Ontario at 8 a.m., flew 2 1/2 hours, and then tried to change planes in Dallas/Ft. Worth. After a 2 1/2 hour layover, his plane was delayed another two hours, and then finally got underway. After a 10 hour flight, he landed in Frankfurt with only 45 minutes till his connecting flight left for Freidrichshafen. He made it, but his luggage didn't. After another hour in the air, he went straight to work. Craziness. He worked about six hours before heading out to a good German restaurant for some yummy German food, and the obligatory glass (or two) of his favorite black beer, Kostrizer. As of this evening, he had not slept for a LONG time, and his suitcase had been located, but not delivered. He is hoping his fresh clothing will arrive while he is at work tomorrow. So are his coworkers! They all drew straws to see who would have to ride with him in the car in the morning!

Sleep well tonight, Mike, and come home soon!

Faith's 4th Birthday

This past weekend, Mike and I traveled up to Sacramento to be with our granddaughter, Faith, as she celebrated her 4th birthday. She was so excited, and we were happy to be there to share it with her. She had lots of family - both sets of grandparents, both of her uncles and their families, and lots of neighbors and friends were on hand.

Lisa got out her face paints, and painted the kids faces, and Charles fired up the BBQ to make some yummy hamburgers and hot dogs. Several of the little girls dressed up as princesses for the occasion. Princess Faith is second from the right: Faith loved having her family here for the party, and Dave and Stacy were excited that they finally got to visit Lisa's new home in Lincoln. Here are Uncle Davey and cousin Rhys. Rhys is the one with the clown hair:

In this photo, Grandpa is getting a big hug from Brody and Faith!Next came the birthday cake...and Jack really enjoyed his piece!Lisa bought a tiara shaped pinata, which proved to be a bit difficult to break open. The little kids all had a shot, and then the big cousins got a turn, which finally brought about the desired result.Here is Brody, holding tight to his blue "fuzzy", waiting his turn at the pinata:
After the pinata, it was time for Faith to open the many gifts that her generous family and friends gave to her. She had a great time!