After teaching for 30 years, Dick retired from Leuzinger High School in 1990.  He worked for our daughter Laurie for about ten years or more doing medical transcription, which he could do at home.  That was nice, because he was able to stay with my Mom who was in her 80's and 90's at that time.  He also took care of grandchildren often, taking them to the park, reading and playing with them.  He's a good grandpa!

 

    I kept teaching until June of 2001 and was able to teach some of my own kids as well as some of our grandchildren, so I really enjoyed that.  After teaching ten years in Hawthorne,  I taught for 27 years at Liberty Christian School here in Huntington Beach, and 25 of those were in kindergarten.  Since I retired, I have been taking classes in P.E., oil painting, Photoshop, and a class called "Write your life story."  Needless to say, I have really been enjoying retirement.

 

    Most of you knew my mother.  She passed away two years ago next month and was 96.  She was a wonderful lady, strong and with a great mind.  She was an inspiration to all our family.

 

    I think you all knew that we were active in AFS and hosted eleven foreign exchange students through the years.  Many of them have come back to visit, and some of their families have even come to see us.  Likewise, Dick and I have done some travel to see them, too.  We were fortunate to have gone to Africa, South America, New Zealand, Asia and Europe because of our students.

 

    One of our students who came back to live with us again was Geoffrey from Ghana.  We formally adopted him in 1983, and his name is legally Lester now.  He is married to his grade school girlfriend, Annie, and they have two children.  The kids stay with Dick and me 24/7 because both Geof and Annie work.  They are really good kids, ages 7 and 11, so we are glad to have them.  They help to keep us young and on our toes.

 

    Dick and I both read a lot.  I write a lot and help Lynette and Levon with their school work.  Dick likes to play cards on the computer and watch TV shows and game shows.  We are both active in church, too.

 

    Fortunately, our four daughters and all but three of their eleven children are close enough to see them often.  We love that!  This year we had our first great grandchild and that is special. I will let our daughter all tell about themselves.

 

    We hope to see all of you in August at the reunion, wherever it might be.