Happy New Year 2008!

Another New Year! May all of our families and friends enjoy a year of blessings, health and fortune!
I have started this blog in order to connect with those who are away from us and want a glimpse of the O.C. Benincosas...or at least a few of them (and to improve on the keyboard). As the years pass, we grow further away from one another and begin our own lives and adventures. Different seasons of our lives change us. We embrace new inspirations, make new goals, and move forward.
Val and I continue a wonderful life together and continue on the road of new plans, old plans and dreams. Of course this blog will only reflect the good things. Call me and I can tell you the "other"...but, all and all, this life has afforded us so many blessings and fortunes that I never thought would come true.
OK. Let me tell you about our kids...
We have one child at home, currently. Ashley is now almost 21 and has begun her business as a hair stylist. She does have THE talent and has had several clients return to her. She works late. I am amazed at the clients who come into the salon after 4 p.m. (I was usually starting dinner then.). My how things are in the "real world"! lol She's building up her clientele and loves it all. She continues to have a quick whit and loves people. She's a pretty mellow woman and can get along with just about anyone...much like her Dad.
Tiffany, 25, and Sean, 28, live in Hawaii. We really wish they were closer. (Tiffany would always run to the store for me on Sat. nights to get ready for Sunday dinners, etc.) Sean is in the Air Force as a Korean linguistics Staff Sargent. Tiffany orchestrates/supervises several swimming pools on different base locations. She guards, trains, and teaches. She's met many different people and loves the ladies in the Aqua Aerobics classes. Sean wants to attend medical school and has some grueling studies. ( I asked Sean why the medical field and he said he wanted to help people. That's a good reason to me!) Tiffany is studying forensics. (When she was in high school, she worked "undercover" for a close-by Police unit . She's been interested in police science, ever since.) They are a darling couple and have great Church callings. Tiffany is into cake making/decorating and sends Sean w/cakes to families so she and Sean don't eat them. Good strategy, eh? She had a wonderful lady teach her all the tricks of the trade.
Hollie, 29, is "vacationing" in Hawaii. She lives w/Tiffany and Sean. Although, she's not home very much! She worked at an emergency vet. hospital here in Ca. during and after receiving her B.A. So much stress and an ache to experience some adventure, she up and moved to Hawaii. Now, her favorite thing is scuba diving. She came home for Christmas with a special "scuba" necklace around her neck. I had no idea what is was and she had to set me straight! (Now, I'm thinking about getting certified. It would be great because it's water aerobics, yes? My knees would bend better.) Hollie's not quite sure how long she will adventure in Hawaii, as she is working at Sea Life Park for the time being. She really wants to work w/the rays and might be able to this year. However, the pay is not up to her standard. She is enjoying her experience immensely and has many tales to tell. We tell her it's a great time for her and to take it all in. She's had a few "movie stars" visit and it's fun to keep up w/her day to day. What would we do w/o texting and such?
Gina, almost 31!, is near us and surfs as much as she can. She's training for a marathon. And, she just received approval to assist in emergency oral surgery at nearby hospitals. She loves the Dr.s she works for and they have really been good to her. They all took a trip to Cabo for a few days and had a blast. I told Gina to take me next time. They went on ATVs, para sailing, etc. She has a great roomie named Jenny. They help each other along life's path. They love to put on their "party pants" and come and raid our pantry. lol They share their dating experiences and rate them. They both have met some nice guys along the way...but, not THE guy. I know if they stay in the right places and the right time, they will each find THE guy. Don't give up girls! 30's is the new 20's, right?
V.J., 32, and Trudie, live in Oregon...near Portland. They have a great house and live in a great neighborhood for raising children. (It's a little to "wet" for me.) They are happy and are such a cute little family. They live right near the Temple, which is nice. They are both wonderful parents. (I guess V.J. really observed his Dad because he shows a lot more patience than I ever could muster!) V.J. and Trudie seem to be on the "same page", as far as raising the kids. Jackie, 4, and Owen,19 months, are the brightest, cutest, imaginative and lovable children in the world! (We can't wait for more?) It's so exciting for these little ones to come down and experience life. They already have their personalities when they are born. It's incredible. Those of you who have experienced this, know what I mean. V.J. works for I.B.M. . He travels a bit. He just received his Masters from N.Y.U. last Fall. He had to travel back and forth from Oregon to N.Y. for that. It was grueling for him and his family. But, with the support of a fabulous wife, he did it. V.J. doesn't love the flying part, either. We've been fortunate in that his job changed and we get to see him more. Trudie has taken up cake decorating, too, and has created some lovelies. We love any visits from them and are collecting more toys to entice them. Also, our house is now referred to the "beach house" by the kids. And, we are not allowed to sell it. lol
Traci, 33, Traci likes to have sports equipment around and loves the outfits. She even has a lawn bowling outfit! ... and golf shoes. etc. She bought a paint ball gun recently and looks cute in the garb w/her pretty royal blue gun. However, her hobby is the collecting of shoes. If lucky enough, she will pass down a pair, or two, onto a sister who wears the same size. Traci is a Project Manager at her employment and say she does everyone else's job. She has always been an organizer and is very good at it. She does well w/her company and bought a condo last year near Laguna Beach. It is beautiful down there and she's close enough to us that it makes it so nice. We like our kids to be nearby. She loves it there so much, too.
That's a quick up-date on our kids.
Now for Val and me.
Val is now practicing retirement. He's been home a few months since the demise of the mortgage company he worked for...and he's enjoying it way too much. He's been a CFO for many companies, but he probably enjoys the mortgage business the most. Although, currently is not a great time for that line of work. Now though, he'll will go bike riding in the middle of the day...put up some insulation in the garage...run the lawn mower...do some laundry...hammer here and there, watch a movie, etc. He's usually on his computer doing some consulting work or watching me spend money. (The last part I don't like.) We've actually discovered that we still get along! That was a fine discovery because now we know that when he does retire, all will be well in our home. It's been fun to have him around and I will miss him if he decides to work outside the house, again. He continues to be my inspiration. He must be the most patient person there is. He's a good father and loves me and the kids, spouses, grand kids. He observes people and just smiles. I like to make up stories as to what he is thinking. And, sometimes I like my version better because sometimes he says he wasn't thinking anything! How can someone not think anything? It's a quandary!
We have a calling as Singles Advisers in our Church. There are kids 18-30 years old. It is a fun calling and it keeps us young...which is a good thing! The kids , actually,are in charge of most events, and we just "advise". We watch them date and we help to encourage it. We've been to many weddings/receptions and have actually helped "cater" one in particular. The bride called us about 3 days before the reception because she had no one to organize and buy the food, or to serve, or anything! That was an experience for sure! lol What would one do w/o Costco or Sam's!!! We've come to know many of the single adults as well as wonderful adviser couples and the Bishopric. All of them are so dedicated and spend so much time helping these young adults. They are all a true inspiration. Val and I love it all.
Pickle, me,...well, what do I do? I really don't know! I asked a friend what she did now that she wasn't working outside the home anymore. She said that she did genealogy on Tues. Then, she thought for a moment and said she was always busy...but, what did she do? She couldn't quite put her finger on it and said, "I don't know!" Well, that's me. But, I do know I still need to rid the garage of Christmas yule. I'm really slow this year. We had everyone here for Christmas and it was wonderful! The house was bulging with people and I loved every bit of it. We had toys from here to kingdom come. Presents were strewn about and food and goodies were everywhere. There was baking and cooking and cake decorating. Tiffany assigned everyone to do something for Christmas Day dinner, and all I had to do was to make it "pretty". That was great! And, dinner was lovely. There were trips to the beach, shopping, food tasting and everything else that goes on during the holidays. There were trips to the airport several different times. There were many cars parked in front of our house and in the driveway. Hmmm...it seemed as though we needed to add another wing or two to our house, as well!
But, now things are quiet again. Val's at his computer and Ashley is at the Salon. And me...what do I do, anyway? I'll have to get back you on that...