This month we have been all over the state. Up to Napa, when Dad was in the hospital, down to San Diego to move Rachel and Johan into their new apartment. Then up to Mammoth to take care of things at our cabin and get a few skiing days in. Life is busy in the Harnzberger fast lane. Here is a great Snowman built for a snowman contest this last weekend. Someone, ( Not me) did a great job with this creation. All to celebrate Mammoth's record snowfall in December. We have had incredible weather with sunny blue bird days, no wind, and great skiing every day. Fritz tried out his new Snowboard and I tried out my cross country skies I bought at a garage sale last summer. Great fun and good exercise! Happy New Year and blessings this new Year!.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BLESSINGS IN THE NEW YEAR!

“ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting father, the Prince of Peace. “ Isaiah 9:6

Greetings to all our friends and family. We hope this letter finds you with joy and happiness as we celebrate the Christmas season, and the joy of the birth of the Christ child.

As we journey through life, we all cross many bridges. They are milestones, precious moments, and memories that cause us to stop and consider where we are going. This has been a year of many bridges for us, both high and low. I would like to share the stories of some of these times with you.

In early March Ryan proposed to a wonderful young lady, Tina Clause. We have known her family for years here in Santa Barbara. Needless to say, we were thrilled. Tina graduated in June from UCI Medical School and began her residency at UCSD at the end of June. On September 19, Ryan and Tina were married on a beautiful day at the Santa Barbara Zoo. They honeymooned in Tahiti, and make their new home in La Jolla. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Tina Harnsberger to the family!

In March of this year, the Schirm and Scribe families came together in Napa to celebrate my Dad’s 90th birthday. It was great to be together, and so amazing that he is still with us today. My sister Nicky and her husband Dr. Tom Suard continue to attend to all the details that keep our Dad with us. Papa Bear continues to enjoy his life at the Meadows of Napa. Each month I make the drive up to Northern California to visit with him and check in with the rest of the family that lives there: the Suards, Brierlys and the Johnson family.

In June, after school ended, I realized it was time for a change. I passed the art teacher baton on to a new teacher, and officially retired as the SBCS art teacher. As much as I loved teaching, I felt the calling to cross that bridge in life, mainly to help care for family members and spend more time with Fritz. I continue to enjoy art with my own paint brush. Check out some of my recent paintings at lorettespalette.com. I am also writing a book about my grandmother, and rewriting my art lessons as a how-to book for teachers. Most recently I was able to go to Orlando and Disneyworld after Thanksgiving with my niece Carrie and her family, through the “Make a wish foundation”. I am so happy I was available to do this.

At the end of July, Rachel and Johan moved back to California. Johan defended his dissertation proposal in November and passed. He continues to work on this big project and hopes to have his Doctorate next year. Rachel has been applying to various jobs at non-profits and universities throughout Southern California. Having worked at Harvard for the last 2 1/2 years, she has a wealth of experience with special events, government affairs, and international relations. Rachel and Johan hope to make their new home in San Diego soon, but with the job market being what it is, the process has been slower than they would like. They are currently living with us in Santa Barbara as they make this transition in their life.

At the end of August, the Schirm family was able to once again get together for our annual family reunion: this year it was in Santa Cruz. This is always a wonderful time for the whole family, but this year it had special significance as we got to spend a wonderful week with my sister Jill. Jill had been battling colorectal cancer for four years and on September 14th, Jill passed away from this life to her new heavenly home. Her passing leaves a hole in my life, as my sisters have always been my best friends. She was truly an amazing person. Her energy, enthusiasm, kindness, love for all, and joy of life were an inspiration to all. She was loved by so many, with over 750 attending her service on Sept 25. A tribute to Jill can be found at brierleyblogger.com

Fritz continues to be successful with his business during these unpredictable times, carefully watching over the assets entrusted to them. Marathon Investment Programs was in Forbes Magazine again this year: this time in the billionaires issue, in an article that highlighted the “Leading Wealth Managers of Southern California”. Today, as I am writing this letter, it is Fritz’s 61st birthday. How this year has flown by. He is the best looking 61 year old in my book. He continues his daily swims and bike rides and has picked up a new hobby, go-cart racing.

Phillip works full time with Fritz from his own office in Orange County. His knowledge and expertise play a vital role in the success of the company. He loves his life in Orange County. He has many wonderful friends and roommates that he enjoys hanging out with and going on surf trips with. This year he has been to Mexico, Hawaii, and Nicaragua. Also, being located closer to Ryan, they can see each other more often.

May this season of Christmas celebration be one filled with family and friends. We are so grateful for you. In this day of Facebook, emails, blogging, texting, etc. -- we are thankful for all the unique ways to keep in touch with each of you. As I look back on 25 years of Christmas letters, I realize these are the “original” blogger pages. As we journey through life and cross those different bridges in our lives, it is nice to know we have so many friends and loved ones we care about. You are all truly special to us.

With Love from the Harnsbergers
Fritz and Lorette,
Phillip, Ryan and Tina Harnsberger
Rachel and Johan van Gorp

Family blogger site: Harnzblogger.com Email: loretteharnsberger@yahoo.com
fritzharnsberger@gmail.com

Sometimes when you loose someone very close to you, it is comforting to remember them in some special way. For me, painting a picture is a way I can remember and grieve my loss of a special person-- this time it is my little sister Jill. This is a picture taken during a walk with my sister Jill and her husband Casey, on a spring morning in Cayucos, near San Luis Obispo. We are walking towards Morro Rock. I liked the picture, though I had never thought of painting it. In the distance are 5 kids, representing their 4 children plus one. Maybe I should add the future Grandson who is on the way now too. The Rock represents for the solid foundation they have established for their family as Christians.

I love landscape pictures, I think mostly because I see God’s beautiful creation, especially in sunrises, or sunsets, and clouds. God’s signature - His Creation -- is so evident in nature and most importantly is present in His people. Each person is unique. And I celebrate Jill and the special person she was to me all her life. She walked closely to the Lord, especially these last 4 years. Now she is walking with Him.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Dear blogger friends,

On September 19, our son Ryan was very happily wed to his bride Tina. It was a very wonderful day in Santa Barbara in so many ways. Their love for each other was so apparent to everyone there. Ryan met Tina at our church about 1 ½ years ago. Our two families have known each other for many years. Little did we ever know that our families would be joined together in such a special way. Both of our kids went to Santa Barbara Christian School, where I have been a teacher for 14 years. I taught both her sisters, and I taught Tina and watched her grow up from 1994 – 98, when she graduated from SBCS 8th Grade.

The wedding site was at the Santa Barbara Zoo. This last summer, all our days were very foggy, even up to the day before the wedding. The night before the wedding a thick fog hung over the Zoo. YET On Sunday we had an incredibly beautiful day. Absolutely perfect. Thank you Lord. The sun was out, the climate enjoyable, and the setting for this wonderful union was perfect in every way.

Thank you to the Clause family for hosting such a beautiful wedding, to Annie Williams who created beautiful flower arrangements with her wonderful crew of ladies, Rachel who created the bouquets for the girls, and boutineers for the guys. A young friend Shane created our video, and cousin Mike was our DJ. Soooooo much fun! The many talents of the Clause family was so amazing. From the invitations by Cindy, the wonderful Italian cookies by Tina's aunts, to Tina cooking and making all the carmel sauce for the favors of the wedding. Tina and her Mom's vision for the whole wedding was beautiful.

For me, in the midst of the joy of this union, was the bittersweet memory of my sister Jill, who had passed away only 4 days before. It was a very emotional time for me, as anyone could imagine. I am thankful that I had had some special time with Jill beforehand, say my farewell to my precious sister and that I was able to begin to grieve her loss ahead of time. I missed my family from up north, as they were not able to come. Ryan gave a short tribute to his Aunt Jill and Tina's Grandfather before they cut the cake. It was really touching for me.

For us, the wedding and especially the union of these two wonderful young adults was beyond anything as parents we could have hoped for. I am so amazed by it all. God is so good to us. Ryan and Tina went to Tahiti for their honeymoon and are now settling into married life in San Diego. "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps". Proverbs 16:9.

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for all your support these last two weeks since our Jill passed away. Thank you for sharing your love for Jill, special stories and remembrances, and how Jill has touched your life also.

We also appreciated the many nameless helping hands were there making salads, desserts, sandwishes, etc. dinners for the family the last 2 weeks. You know who you are and you are so appreciated.

The memorial for Jill was special, with so many friends and family attending this tribute to Jill. Many funny memories were shared. Jill was courageous, loved to have a good time, a best friend to so many, a jokester, athletic, competitive, beautiful to the end. She always said "Heeeeello, How are you doing today?" and really meant it. Her cheerful smile will be missed by all who knew her. Lots of messages have been posted to her facebook and comments to her blog these days. Thank you for all your love and remembrances for Jill. Here is a copy of the slide show, with her favorite song.

A PDF of the memorial booklet made by Nicky is at this link: http://www.snugharbor.net/images2010/hirez/jill-final.pdf

We love you Jill. We know you are in a better place and you are dancing with the angels.

My dear sister Jill has passed on from this earthly home, to her new home in paradise at 7:45 this evening. I am sure she is greeting many friends at the gates of heaven. Yesterday I learned she last spoke to someone around 1:00. After that she went into a deep sleep. Her family kept an all night vigil at her bed side. Today also has been the same. A pastor came to pray and share with them. Her breathing was labored but her heart just went on. At her home tonight many friends and neighbors had planned to gather at 7:45 for a candlelight vigil, not knowing of course ahead of time, that it would be her time to enter heaven.

What a precious send off for my sister. I will miss you dearly.

Dear Family and Friends,
Today my sister Jill is having her last visits with her family on this earth. She is getting ready to enter the place our Lord has prepared for her. In John 14:2. 'Jesus says that he goes to prepare a place for us." We have an eternal home with the Lord, for all those who have accepted Jesus as their savior. My sister did this many years ago. Our other sister Michy, who left this earthly world over 30 years ago, prayed that we would know Christ and prayed for each one of us to know the Lord. Now I am blessed to know the Lord and so also with my two sisters Jill and Nicky.

We have had many vacation and family times together over the years. Our kids all know each other well. Most of all, we love the Lord. 4 years ago, on a water ski camp with the church high school, Jill as a counselor told the Lord " Lord I want to thirst for you!". A few weeks later, on her 50th Birthday she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. At that time, she poured out her heart to the Lord. Together He helped her walk this journey of living with cancer, going through treatments, tests, xrays, ct scans, radiation, and more chemo than anyone I have every known. I admire her so much for her bravery, her tenacity, her courage and her strength in good times and in bad. My sister has an unbelievable gathering of friends around her. Casey her husband and their 4 kids are incredibly close and love anyone and everyone.

Tonight as I write, which is really apart of the grieving for me, my sister is preparing to enter into the heavenly world. Last Saturday when I left the hospital, I said goodbye to her. Fritz and I had the opportunity to pray with her before we left. Fritz read a verse Colossians 3:1 "set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" .

Jill is in God's Hands. You can get any updates on the http://brierleyblogger.blogspot.com/ I have been updating for the family for the last week. Love to you all, Lorette

Hello blogger buddies, I am in the hospital in Concord with my sister Jill. This is her third visit to the hospital in 3 weeks. This time it seems she is finally making some progress. She has not eaten in 2 weeks, and is having a lot of complications caused by ascitis, or cancer fluid in the belly area. She has had her belly drained twice and her lungs. Now that part seems better, but .... Eating is impossible, so she has nourishment by a feeding tube at this point. She has a special NG tube now that has helped clean her out. The picture is from a week ago, her 2nd trip to the hospital. She was walking around the hospital ward area. Today she continues to make progress from the Chemo she had last week. She is truly a fighter in so many ways. We continually pray through this time of changes and concern for her health. She updates periodically at http://brierleyblogger.blogspot.com/
Between bloggers, facebook, etc. The world is really changing so quickly with how we communicate. Thank you everyone for all your prayers and concern for my sister. Her battle with colorectal cancer has been for 4 years now. Many of you who know me well know that my relationship with my sisters is very very close. Having lost our sister Michy over 30 years ago, our bonds grew stronger than ever. Most importantly our relationship in Christ also grew, and binds us forever in HIs caring love. I am truly blessed by all my family members, and all our times together.

Hello blogger Family and friends,
Thank you for all the prayers for my Dad. He has bounced back since the hospital trip. We went for a transfusion, and Lasik drip. But it seemed like they are doing more and more unnecessary tests and blood work. Dad just wanted to go home. We came home Friday and I have been his 24/7 care for the first few days. Then we set up some extra nursing care, so that he is looked after in his place of independent living at the Meadows. Today he had some doctor visits, and I am waiting to see the results of this. I flew home this morning after spending the night with Carrie, Tucker, Emily and Evan In Sacramento.
I will be paying attention to the nursing care for him, as is needed. Marie, a retired RN has been a wonderful support for us during this time. Thank you Marie. We shall see how Dad does this week. As he continues to slow down, we are preparing for the next stage of care for him, so keep him independent as best we can.

Hello dear family and Friends.
My Dad is back in the Hospital at the Queen of the Valley. He went in for a blood transfusion and to have a lasik drip which helps when he gains too much water weight too fast. Its hard on the kidneys though. I flew up early Wednesday morning at the last minute and I felt lucky to get on a very full flight. He has congestive heart failure for a very long time now, and kidney failure. To go through the routine on the hospital is really hard for him, and of course more and more problems are happening. We are planning to see finally this morning the Case manager/social worker and Hospice to see what kind of palative care we can give to Dad and keep him comfortable and at home. We need wisdom and we need Dad to understand what is happening to his body and that things are different when he goes back ( hopefully soon) to his room at the Meadows. Nicky and Tom have been so incredibly patient and helpful with Dad, but its not easy to care for someone in this late stage. I am here to help, and just sit next to Dad as nurses, doctors etc explain things to him and he doesn't get it. I hope I am getting the instructions etc also right. Jill is on her way up today, and Louie got to see my Dad the other day before an emergency took him home to Orange County unexpectedly.

He has bounced back from each hospital visit this last 14 months. He may again this time, for a short while. He is an energizer bunny and is breaking all records for someone with his condition. I don't know what today holds for us, But I am thankful for prayer and support and a God who loves us so much, and strengthens us in these times.

I will try to keep you posted. You can always email me. or post comments here on this page.

Hello blogger buddies,
It has been a busy month, with the end of the school year, and lots of busy weekends. Rachel and Johan have celebrated their 1st anniversary now. -- so amazing how a year goes by quickly. Ryan and Tina have been engaged 3 months as of yesterday the 6th of June ( D-day anniversary also yesterday). 3 1/2 months to go now for the wedding day. Tina graduated on Saturday from UCI Medical school and is now officially "Doctor Clause". ( but soon to be Dr. Harnsberger). It was great to be with the Clause family and participate in the celebration with our friends. Truly and Honor! Then after celebrations and a wonderful lunch, we started to pack up her apartment. In the morning we were off to San Diego with the Clauses and Ryan and a trailer full of the first load of furniture for her move in day in San Diego. It was a marathon weekend for sure especially for Tina, since she had a full day of celebrations on Sunday too. Here are a few pictures to share.

In Boston this weekend. Enjoying being with Rachel and Johan! Happy Birthday Johan! We have been able to go out to the Cape all the way to the tip at Provincetown, Ride bikes along the Charles River, and on the Cape, hang out in the park Boston Commons, shop a lot, and tonight we are off to Fenway park, if it stops raining! We are off to the Science Museum now.
Its been a blessing to be here1

Dear Blogger family,

Late last night I received a call from Ryan! He and Tina are ENGAGED! A joyous day for us has arrived! Ryan has been dating this lovely young lady named Tina since about last May or June. We are incredibly blessed and so excited for both of them.
Their first date was a walk around Balboa and they had an ice cream somewhere down there. They did this again, and then walked out on a pier. It was here that he proposed to her. He had it all planned! This what I know at this point.

We have known Tina's family since we moved to Santa Barbara in 1987. Both our families attend SB Calvary Chapel and Tina attended Santa Barbara Christian School as Ryan did. She was in 4th grade when Ryan was in 8th Grade. They did not know each other then. SBCS is where I teach art, and I had the privledge of teaching her sisters in 1996 till 2003 .

Tina has been in medical school the last 4 years. Next week on March 18th she receives her match for residency. And in June she will graduate. We are very excited for this time. Yesterday, her Mom Katy and I were at a baby shower together for a mutual friend. We prayed together for our kids and their relationship that we have seen grow over the last 10 months. I had NO IDEA Ryan was proposing yesterday also. What an answer to prayer for us.

Hello Blogger buddies.

Happy March. Spring is almost here and its in the air! I just had a drive up the 101 and I saw lots of Lupen already along the freeways. I am up north, on the way to Napa to care for my Dad. I am tag teaming Louie my brother and Nicky as caregivers, as we determine where we are in Dad's care at this time. Dad's 90th birthday is coming up, and day he never dreamed would ever happen and he is determined to make it.

It seems to have been a whirl wind month the last two months. I have had a trip to Napa, Sacramento and Pleasanton in January, a field trip to the Getty this last week and 2 trips to Mammoth with Fritz on the school holidays. Visitors from Kansas City ( Marilyn and Dave with their friends), and last week a cousins get together at the Bohnett homestead to go through family pictures together. My Dad made a trip down with my sister's for the Cousin's time and to see his brother Mike. We had a wonderful visit, and I cared for Dad for 3 1/2 days. But we could all see how weak and tired he was. After he went home he ended up in the hospital on Monday, not surprising.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year dear friends and family. I am sharing with you in this picture of my very favorite Nativity created many many years ago while we were living in Irvine. I happily put this up each year, remembering how the kids played with the wooden figures and how this reflects for me the simple true meaning of Christmas..... Christ Birth over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.

This past year has flown by so quickly -- like a very fast wind in the desert. Wishhhhhhhhhh Its gone by. Now as I slowly reflect upon the year, I am reminded again of so many big events. To name them all.

OUR YEAR 2009
Rachel & Johan were married on June 5 at the
Montecito Country Club with over 100 guests from
Holland to China....

We had a huge 30TH Birthday surprise for
Ryan. He also got his Contractor’s license & ran a
Triathlon under 4 hours in August......

Fritz celebrated his 60TH Birthday with lots of
family & friends.... and he caught the biggest
trout of all times......

We Celebrated GRANDMA DOTTIE’S 80TH
BIRTHDAY with all of Fritz’ brothers....
Fritz, Steve, Dave and Mike

Phillip bought his first home in San Juan
Capistrano and is a proud owner......

Fritz and Lorette celebrated 35 years of marriage.....

FRITZ & PHIL were honored to be in FORBE’S
Magazine for Marathon Investment Program’s
great track record.....

Phil’s new home in San Juan Capistrano

And then at Thanksgiving time we had a short
Schirm family reunion playing football in Pleasanton
and cousins time in Snug Harbor. Though everyone couldn't
be there, those of us present were able to hang out
with Papa Bear and enjoy our time with him also. As the blog
before this shows, Dad is with us and we enjoy our time with him
We hope he can come down to Santa Barbara soon for a gathering
of cousins at the end of the month.

My sister Jill continues to blog regularly about her cancer condition. She has amazingly lasted over 3 years. She really is a fighter. This last regiment of treatment has been particularily hard on her. Also, not being able to have some experimental treatments that she was recommended for by UCSF Doctors has been discouraging. ( No thanks to the insurance companies of course). She continues to be upbeat and hopeful for the future. Her blogs are at. http://brierleyblogger.blogspot.com/ if you haven't seen this before. There is three years worth. A full book for sure.

Please be sure to stay in touch with us. Email or call. We love hearing from you.

Hello Blogger buddies, I am sorry that I haven't blogged for a while. When I slow down enough to write emails, I am not always thinking about blog updates too.
Anyway, for those checking, I wanted to update about my Dad. I rushed up to Napa last Tuesday after receiving a call that Dad had had a heart attack. We all thought this was it. But low and behold .... here he is the next day with me at the Veteran's day services in Napa. Dad had a "cardioaversion" ( spelling??). My understanding is that his heart was racing at 220 beats a minute. He would have had a heart attack or stroke, but the pacemaker/defibulator did the trick. The defib went off 7 times. It shocked his heart back into rhythum and he is here today with us. He was rushed off in an ambulance, with Nicky following behind. it was quite scary for her I am sure. Along the way, he pops up and waves to Nicky! He was better already but taken to the hospital for tests, observation etc. I arrived that night and he was back to his daily routine. Amazing Amazing. One little friend at the breakfast table named Ruby had leaned over and prayed over my Dad. He remembers this! She thought she was also saying goodbye. Imagine her surprise when he showed up at breakfast the next day. I stayed with Dad the next couple of days and then came on home. Then Fritz and I went to San Juan Capistrano to see Phillip in his new home. We had a nice beautiful day riding bikes and visiting Phil and some old friends Mike and Beverly.

Anyway, we are blessed to have my Dad still with us. We are all in God's hands and this day was certainly a reminder. For those who know my sister Jill, she continually amazes all of us with her fight against cancer. You can get her updates on her blogger at http://brierleyblogger.blogspot.com/ We look forward to Thanksgiving with my sister Jill and Nicky and their families. We will have a family football game, and many fun memories for all of us. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy Anniversary! This last Sunday Fritz and i are married 35 years. It is so amazing how the years have gone by seemingly so quickly. Our early years together, raising a family for 25 years, and now the empty nest time for the last 6 years or so. On Labor day weekend we made a fun little trip up to San Luis Obispo to try something new. WE TOOK the TRAIN.! It was definitely a first for me to try this. We packed back packs for over night and we rode around the town, eventually to a park to relax. We had a small lunch at a little Belgium place BELFRITs that my niece Bonnie had showed me once. What a treat! We probably could have ridden to Avila Beach and next time we try this we probably will. I was the chicken. How many miles is it???? We rode up to the Apple farm where we stayed. Cute little place that we had never stayed at. I stop here every time I drive up to Napa and Pleasanton. Its my gas, coffee, bathroom break all in one. So to actually stay in one of the well decorated cute rooms was truly a treat. Especially the Hot Tubs! After riding up hill to get there, it felt so good. Fritz and i had a nice dinner out and we rode all over Cal Poly the next day. In our college days when we met, we were both going to Cal Poly Pomona. Well SLO Cal Poly has so many of the same buildings, programs, Dorms, etc that we experienced, so It was fun to ride around the EMPTY campus. ( Remember, this is Labor Day). We had a really great time and we a planning our next Bike trip down to see Phillip in Dana Point and getting off in San Juan Capistrano. For our anniversary dinner last Sunday, Fritz took me to the Stone House at the San Ysidro Ranch. It was a culinary treat for us. And then on the 14th I created my own chef's delight of Fritz' favorite dinner of Broccoli and chicken. ( any suggestions for a new name here?)

What a busy adventurous 2 weeks this has been. This last Tuesday night I flew to Boston Red_Eye to be with Rachel and Johan and see their new place. I had such a nice time with Rachel and we cooked one of their favorite meals-- Mexican Fajitas. On Thursday Marilyn from Kansas City arrived. I took her on the freedom trail, visiting all the main sites, plus the beautiful Boston Library, and the Boston Gardens and the Commons. Johan treated us to his now Famous French Onion soup. Rachel delighted us with her quiche. Definitely with the European touch which we love. We said our farewells and on Friday Marilyn and I were off on our adventure to Martha's vineyard. Traveling there is no easy task for a Californian who likes to jump in her car and go. Its walk with everything-- suitcase, purse, computer bag, shopping bag etc. We took the T-line to the train and bus depot, to take the bus to a harbor. Then we took a ferry across the channel to the island, again lug everything around to try to find the car rental place and finally jump in a car and go. Only took about 4 1/2 hours total to travel a total of 70 miles maybe? Actually at least 1 hour was waiting in the line for the bus at the station since I was off by an hour for our departure.
Details, details. .... This really is like a journal you know, if you have gotten this far. ....
Next we enjoyed driving all over Martha's vineyard and staying at a farm on the vineyard with ponies, llamas, sheep, goats, donkeys and a few skunks and snakes also along our path. Its was the most restful and beautiful little place I could ever have imagined. I was so blessed to be with a special friend, Marilyn and to be in such a beautiful place as this was. We were in heaven. The weather was wonderful, the walks on the beach, all the scenery ..... it was wonderful. What can I say? I am thankful for a Santa Barbara friend who gave me the opportunity to stay here. It was an incredible gift of time and relaxation.

As an artist I found so many wonderful places for artistic inspirations. We took pictures of all the lighthouses that I could get to. I have lots of material to paint and enjoy again and again. My very first canvas painting from Cal Poly days in the 70's was a lighthouse! My Dad has it now. Coming to the east coast in the past, the lighthouses inspired me to try painting again. And here I am... I shall be putting my artist's palette to use with all the pictures and inspiration I gathered. More lighthouse pictures to come!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER JILL!

SHE IS SUCH AN AMAZING LADY! SHE IS ALWAYS FUN, POSITIVE AND FULL OF LIFE.
SHE IS SO BUSY BUT ALWAYS HAS TIME FOR ALL HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY. SHE WALKS AT LEAST 3 MILES A DAY, IS AN ADVISOR FOR THE CANCER SOCIETY, ( HELPING THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN JUST DIAGNOSED), HELPED WITH TEAM RELAY A FEW WEEKS AGO, HELPED A COUPLE FRIENDS THIS YEAR WITH MEMORIALS FOR SPECIAL FRIENDS, BRINGS MEALS, LEAD A BIBLE STUDY LAST YEAR, IS REMODELING HER HOME, HELPED ME WITH OUR WEDDING IN JUNE AND WAS A WONDERFUL ASSISTANT TO ME, AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. WE ARE ALL AMAZED AT HER ENERGY LEVEL AND I WISH I HAD HALF OF IT. IN THE MIDST OF CANCER TREATMENTS, DOCTOR VISITS, AND ALL THAT THIS ENTAILS ALSO. JILL I AM SO BLESSED BY YOU AND WHAT A SPECIAL SISTER YOU ARE TO ME AND NICKY, AND LOUIE. YOU INSPIRE ALL OF US!

Hello Blogger Buddies. This has been a fun morning. Ryan participated in his second SB triathlon with some other friends. You have to be an early riser to see this. 900 guys and gals lined up on the beach to take off into the ocean for a 1 mile swim at 7AM. Ryan went with the "second" wave and was ahead of the pack right way. Jr. Guards relived again. The second part of the race is the 34 mile bike ride through Montecito and Carpenteria and back. Then the 10 mile run along the shoreline streets of Santa Barbara and back. Ryan came in just under 4 hours. He came in 10th in his Clydesdale division. He improved about 20 minutes from his times last year. Congratulations Ryan on a job well done. It was great to hang out with Katie, Tina and Kelly for the 4 hours as we were Ryan's cheering section. Thanks girls. It was fun.
Fritz is hanging out in OC today with his Mom. Grandma, you gotta watch this next year. You would love it.

Happy Birthday Ryan! Today he is 30 years old! It's hard to believe that this milestone has happened. Last Saturday night Jason and Tiffany organized a surprise party for Ryan. With all their creative ideas, a great event called the "HarnZ-A-Thon" was the happening place. Phil and Jason planned a Guys night out with Ryan. On the way up to town, an emergency call from Tiffany came in about an emergency plumbing "I need help now" type of problem. When Ryan showed up, about 35-40 people were hiding and jumped out and surprised him. AND he truly was surprised.... We got him good! Thank you to Tiffany and Jason for organizing the fun party. Thank you to Jess from SB Crumbs who created an amazing Birthday cake with pictures of Ryan through the years. Thank you Landon for the many great pictures for the slide show. And Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the fun evening, It was great to be able to share this day with so many friends of Ryan through the years.

And today Ryan is at Hume lake Junior High Camp hanging out with the kids from Youth Group. Scott Dupar the leader was his leader back in Junior high and recruited Ryan to come along side in leadership this past year. Have a great time Ryan. Photo slide show of the party. I am sorry for anyone I missed.