21

It's hard to believe, but my oldest child, Shellynne, is 21 today.

I remember the day she was born. I remember walking the halls of the hospital while in labor, trying to hurry things along a bit. I remember hearing her cry for the first time. I remember they brought us a nice dinner and champagne after she was born to celebrate. I remember telling the nun what her name would be, and that poor nun trying to find a patron saint for the name "Shellynne". LOL

When we were ready to go home, the nursery staff brought Shellynne to me in a red stocking - an early Christmas present, they said. Indeed she was! A Solstice baby, to be sure.

Happy Birthday, Shellynne!

The Aftermath

One night last week, my son was driving home from theater rehearsal when he was run off the freeway by another driver. He was forced over lane by lane, unable to get away from the other driver, and finally onto the shoulder, where he lost control of the car, and somehow was launched into the air. The car flipped over a 7-foot fence (without touching it) and eventually landed on its roof on a side street about 150 feet further down the road.
The car is a total loss. The front hood is about half the length that it was before it met with concrete, asphalt, and some juniper bushes. If he'd had a passenger in the car, they wouldn't have made it.
When the car finally came to a halt - on its roof - he undid his seatbelt and crawled out the passenger side window (the driver side window was the only one that didn't blow out), getting his only scratch - on his elbow, from the asphalt as he crawled out. It was as if he was in a little bubble of protection. I still can't believe the way the car looks, and how my 6'3" son escaped without injury.

I've been wanting to post this for almost a week, but was waiting until he had the opportunity to tell some people himself. So if you've gotten a call from him in the last few days, and haven't bothered to call him back, now you know why he called. I believe this has been a life-changing experience for him, facing death in such a dramatic way and surviving. He's lost his independence literally overnight, and is dependent upon his using his father's car (again) until the insurance is straightened out. I'm still trying to come to grips with the whole thing myself. Phone calls at 11pm are rarely good news. Seeing the car did eliminate the waking nightmares I was having about what had happened. We still don't know exactly what happened, or what set him airborne, or why that car forced him off the road and never stopped. I'm trying to keep the "what-ifs" from making my head spin. One thing for sure - this kid definitely has something he is meant to do with his life.

My son, the star!

The Berubians present...

Tales from the Shadow Zone

Thursdays and Saturdays in October, 8:00 pm
Oct. 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28
Admission $15

Second Stage Theatre
431 N Brookhurst St, Suite 140
Anaheim, CA

For reservations, info: (714) 502-2249

This is a Halloween show made up of short sketches. Mark and his friend Jared are both in this show, with several appearances.

Mark's Graduation

Mark graduated from Warren High School last night. It was hard to pick him out from where we were sitting on the bleachers. And of course there was a beach ball that made its rounds during the long list of names. At the closing, the traditional throwing of the caps was observed. The Fire Dept. was on hand to set off fireworks at the end of the ceremony - a great touch.

Congratulations, Mark! I'm very proud of you.

June - Round Two

Faire last Saturday went well. The weather was great, and Elfkat hung out with us most of the day. We had lots of Reiki clients, which always makes the day worthwhile. Then Monday night, we had our monthly Reiki circle. After lugging boxes and the massage table and canopy etc up and down the stairs, we were definitely ready for OUR turn to get Reiki!

Then, Friday, we went to Lowe's....after 10 years of living in this apartment, we broke down in our middle age and bought a window air conditioner and all the fixings to install it (non-permanently, of course -- rental unit). By the time we got home with it, the "high of 78" had already become 95 degrees. The next 9 hours could have been an episode of "DIY Comedy", but the A/C is in the window, and it works beautifully! The job isn't completely done, but the rest is basically the sealing work. You should have heard us moving around yesterday -- all the moans and groans from sore backs and arms. It isn't easy to carry a 65 pound box up a flight of stairs!

Today, June 18, is my son Mark's 18th birthday. Hard to believe. There were times I never thought he'd grow up, and now he's an amazing young man with a big heart and his life's path before him. Happy Birthday, Mark! I love you.

Family Portrait

Nicole wanted to know why her picture wasn't in my blog, so here is the whole family, taken a year and a half ago. Yes, Mark is taller now! As soon as we can convince the camera to talk to the computer again, I'll be able to post more recent pics.

L to R: Nicole, Shellynne, Mary, me, Mark

Traveling Child

Finally! After four long months in Japan, my oldest daughter comes back home today. (That's her with her brother Mark)

Shellynne has been in Tokyo doing a semester abroad, which is required for her major (International Relations). I've only been able to talk to her online (occassionally) because of the costs of phone calls and the time difference (16 hours). She has a travelblog. She hasn't posted as much or as often as I would have liked, but there are lots of pictures of her adventures. I'm sure she has lots of stories to tell, too.

Welcome home, Shellynne! I've missed you!

Growing Pains

Tonight I'm doing the "mom thing" -- sitting on pins and needles. My oldest daughter, Shellynne, left this afternoon for Tokyo. She's been overseas before, but with a group, and this time she's flying alone and will be gone for 4 months, studying in Japan. I was just as bad when she went to China. I know I won't be able to relax until I get that email from her saying that she has safely arrived in her dorm. That should be around 6 or 7 tomorrow morning -- right now she's somewhere over the Aleutians. Yeah, I'm worried. Yeah, I'm missing her already. She'll always be my baby.