MY ANNIVERSARY PRESE

MY ANNIVERSARY PRESENT




Today is our sixth wedding anniversary.

I got my anniversary present a few days early this year, and I'm thrilled to pieces over it. My husband gave it to me during our recent CAMP MEETING in Soquel, CA. I had gone with the kids and he joined us whenever he could, but we truly missed each other so much that I feel I have our separation to thank for my gift's premature presentation.

Soquel, CA, is not far from Felton, where ROARING CAMP RAILROADS is located. And it was there at Roaring Camp where my husband, Lorenzo, gave me the sweetest anniversary gift I have ever gotten in all our years together.

It all happened last year. We had planned a whole weekend around our wedding anniversary, which also coincided with "Day Out With Thomas", Thomas The Tank Engine's appearance in Felton. We kicked off the celebration by going to the beach in Santa Cruz. Later, we checked into the Crowne Plaza, just a stone's throw away from my mother-in-law's house in Milpitas. I guess our mood was infectious, because we ended up getting an upgrade to a corner suite upon checking in.




We were in no rush to get out of there since I had gotten tickets to Thomas' last trip, which didn't leave until 4 PM. So the next day, we checked out late so the kids could enjoy the hotel's amenities before heading out to Roaring Camp. Troy had just learned how to swim, and he got to show off his new pool prowess to the ladies at the hotel's deck.





But he was bugging us about seeing Thomas the whole day, and it was really putting a damper on our anniversary spirit. Finally, we couldn't take any more of the whining, so we headed out to "Day Out With Thomas".





The kids were beside themselves with excitement. The last time we had seen Thomas was two years before, at The CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM in Sacramento, but Lance and Troy were still too young to appreciate it back then. After we rode Thomas, we went to the shop, where the boys took so long to choose what they wanted that we missed the opportunity to take pictures with Thomas himself. I was hugely disappointed at this, since I am a sucker for souvenir photos, but Thomas had already taken his last trip and was gone for the day.

Dejectedly, we headed back to the parking area. Daddy took us back to the beach at Santa Cruz after, which brightened the kids' spirits somewhat. And then we ate our anniversary dinner at one of our old haunts, Cats at Los Gatos, a historical old tavern and brothel which had been converted into a restaurant.


..


We headed back to Modesto that night, the kids happily tuckered out in the back seat. But that wasn't the end of the story. The next day was the day of our anniversary itself, and Lorenzo, my sweet husband, insisted on taking the whole family back to Roaring Camp Railroads again, just to I could have my souvenir family picture taken with Thomas the Tank Engine. The kids got to ride Thomas one more time, and they even got to meet Sir Topham Hatt this time around!




By then, my husband had already been driving the whole weekend with very little sleep. And since our return visit was just a day trip, I knew it wasn't an easy drive to take. But he soldiered on without complaint, just so I could have this:




And that makes it the sweetest anniversary present I had ever gotten.

(PLUGGING: Read about out Camp Meeting experience in 87 GENTLE STREET.)

SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS, Part 1

1. Troy's Birthday

...


This shot of my little Prince Charming was taken the day before Troy's Preschool graduation.

Call it a pre-birthday picture if you will, since Troy doesn't officially turn five until July 17, but since school would be long done by then, his teacher decided to celebrate early. So Mommy got to hand out chocolate cupcakes, vanilla ice cream amd handmade loot bags to a bunch of preschoolers who most likely didn't need the extra sugar, but after I read their equally sweet handwritten birthday banner for Troy, I thought they were highly deserving.


2. Troy's Preschool Graduation



It's so hard to believe I was just writing about my son's first day at PRESCHOOL And now, he was about to exit those doors for the last time, a whole year wiser.

Now, I know that graduations are supposed to be happy events, but I have always felt a certain sadness at the end of each ceremony. After all, these children have all spent close to a year in each other's company. And now they were going their separate ways. There was something about it that just felt so abrupt to me.

This is probably why I have always made an effort to organize an after graduation event for my children. For the past three years, I have invited my sons' classmates and their families to celebrate the beginning of summer by throwing a pot luck swimming/karaoke party.

This year was no exception, and it was by far the most successful yet.





3. Vacation Bible School



My children didn't stay out of school long. In fact, the very next Monday following graduation, my kids bagan attending Vacation Bible School. This is an annual week-long event thrown by our church, where children could learn more about Jesus and the bible and meet new friends besides.

This year's theme was "Fiesta". There was a bible station, a craft station, and a video station. My children enjoyed the singing and Lorenzo and I enjoyed watching our sons lead the opening and closing prayers. None of us minded the nightly dinners either, which were of course, in line with the fiesta theme, Mexican. YUM!


So there you have it, a rundown of how our summer's been so far. The season's just begun, so there's lots more to look forward to. And with these bright smiles and shining faces greeting me everyday, you can be sure I'll be getting my daily dose of sunshine...



... with no sunblock required!