Cami in Virginia

I just want to update everyone on Bolton family happenings. If you don't know, Cami moved to Norfolk, Virginia 2 months ago. Her boyfriend, Gentry is from there and was moving back and she decided to go too. Ric and Diona live in Virginia Beach which is about 10 miles away. Gentry has been working since they moved back there doing side jobs with his uncle and a few friends. He has done painting, tiling and even some screening. He also LOVES doing music recording stuff and has had a few jobs with that also. That is what he would like to do full time but it hasn't happened yet. In the meantime, he does keep busy helping his uncle with a painting business and the friend who is a contractor. But Cami had not been able to find anything and was getting discouraged. But she called today to say she got the job she really wanted and starts on Monday. She is the receptionist in an oncology practice. It's her first real full time job with benefits and lots of perks. They pay your membership to COSTCO or SAM'S CLUB, Christmas bonuses, company picnics, 401K, etc. She is so excited. And the best thing about her move to VA is that her and Ric's family can get to know each other better. She has been over there several times to have dinner with them or go swimming or babysit. The girls love having her around too. I think it helps her not to be too homesick. Now, if I can just get back there for a visit....

BTW, did you see my link to Ric and Diona's blog- it's new, check it out!

Dance Festival

Do you remeber when the church used to have those great dance festivals at the Rose Bowl? Well, I got to attend another one Sat. night. I was lucky enough to have been in a dance festival in 1984 and it seemed like that was the last one I heard about, until recently. I still receive a newspaper which comes from the Upland area (LDS Trumpet) and it was announcing an upcoming dance festival which included the Chino Stake (my old stake when we lived in Diamond Bar). I decided I wanted to see if it was as GRAND as I remember it, so I sent for 3 tickets. I planned on Ray and Ryan going with me, but they had other plans, so I took Amy and Faith. It was at the University of Redlands, so only a 2 1/2 hr drive. But it was so worth it. There were 12 stakes, 109 wards involved. 3000 youth!!! It was great. The deacons did their own routine which was done with basketballs. The beehives did a couple of dances themselves and then the Mia Maids and Teachers did a couple of routines to Beach Boys music medley (the theme was "California Dreamin") The Laurels and Priests topped it off with some ball room type dancing to Disney music. Faith loved the whole thing and hopes she can do it when she turns 12. There were in-between shows on stages with specialized talent including polynesian dancers, a group of steppers, a young and rising country music sensation (I don't watch it but I heard someone in audience say she is on "Nashville Star" a reality show on TV) and two sisters who did a whole latina salsa dancing and singing routine. Then the finale was a total patriotic show with about 200 missionaires running in with first the 50 state flags as a chior sang Fifty-Nifty United States and then the others came in with the American flag and lined the outside of the field as the 3000 youth, now dressed in red, white or blue polo shirts, lined the field in the formation of the flag. It took a full 15 minutes to have all 3000 get on the field and that was with them running on. So they then had a slide show of actual military serving from those wards and then a moment of silence for 2 from those wards who had been killed in action. Then the whole patriotic music show began and ended with fireworks. It was beautiful. I'm sure it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for those kids who got to participate and something they will never forget.

Faith was so impressed, when we got in the car and started driving home, she had been quiet and we thought she had already fallen asleep (it wasn't over until 10:00 PM), but then she said, out of the clear blue, "thank you grandma for bringing me to this" And I am so glad I did.

Missing the family

It's July. Our family was together last July and will be again next July, so now I am sitting here thinking about how much I miss everyone NOW! We aren't taking a vacation this summer since Ray took his time off in March to go to Mississippi. But it is hard to be in Blythe when everyone else goes on vacation and it is too hot to do anything. I do not like living so far from family. I guess this post is just a sounding board today.

Family baptism

We had a great time in Lakewood this past weekend. Amy and kids left on Friday, stopped at Soak City in Palm Springs and then on to Kathy's house for the night. Kathy has her 3 grandkids from Surprise, AZ staying with her for the summer, so Cameron and Faith slept on air mattresses with them while Amy went just down the street to Ray and Brandie's house. In the meantime, Ray, Ryan and I got up early Sat. and drove to Lakewood. All of us Boltons then went to Santa Monica Pier and beach. We enjoyed driving with windows down and sunroofs opened. Just to get out of Blythe's heat is a treat, but the ocean was great too. I have not enjoyed being in the water like that for a long time. I scared Ray and the grandkids because I went so far out, but I loved it. The waves were just right.

We all ended up at Josh and Angie's house for a great barbecue that night, thanks Middoughs. They have a above-ground pool set up there and me and all the kids enjoyed a good swim. Then we went back to respective homes, showered all the kids and put them in a huge tent in Kathy's backyard (9 kids in all). They slept reasonably well when they settled down but it was early up on Sunday since Ray and Brandie's ward starts at 8:00am and we were all going together. Needless to say, we all took good Sunday naps. Then at 5:00 pm, we all went back to church for the baptisms of Anthony and Josh (our 2nd and 3rd oldest grandsons, Ray Jr's ). Grandpa Ray had the honor of baptizing them and I was asked to speak. It was a nice baptism and well attended by their new ward. We met people in the ward who we knew 20 some years ago when we were in Long Beach 2nd ward, one guy from our Diamond Bar ward, and one guy in this ward knows a guy from Blythe who I know well because he used to be an assistant superintendent in our school district.

Amy and kids, with little Alisa (Ray&Brandie's 2 yr old) left for Blythe from there. Amy also took Ryan so that Ray and I could stay an extra night ourselves. We slept in Monday and then went for a leisurely day of sightseeing and reminiscing , visiting the Queen Mary, Shoreline Village and Seal Beach. After a nice lunch, we went back to Ray's and got the boys to go home with us. They will stay the week with us and then Brandie will come to Blythe this weekend for her "Love" reunion and take them all home. It should be a fun week.

Warning: boring post

I started the weekend by leaving work at 1:30 on Thursday because I ran out of things to do at work. There was only a skeleton crew working throughout the district and every time I thought of something I needed to take care of, I would make a phone call and get a voice mail. So, I gave up and went home. But then all I did at home was housework. Amy had been off for 2 days and the kids didn't have school on Thursday, so they each had a friend spend the night on Wed. So I had done nothing for 2 days and since I still had energy from doing nothing at work, I spent the energy well and did lots of housework.

The rest of the weekend was just about as boring as it gets. It was very HOT so not much to do. We spent 4th of July day indoors until about 4:30 when a ward family came over to swim. Another family joined us about 6:00 and then we barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs. Everyone took off about 8:00 to go see the fireworks at the fairgrounds. Amy got off work at 7:30 so she took the kids. Ray, Ryan and I realized we could see the fireworks from our front yard, so that is as far as we went.

Saturday was ward temple day and youth baptisms for the dead, so Ray was a designated driver. I was home with the kids and babysat for another ward family so they could attend the temple. We swam a lot and worked on the rain gutter tracks for our cub scout rain gutter regatta. I did a pretty good job I think (other than slicing my thumb open). The regatta will be held Wed., so we will cross our fingers the track works without any leaks. Cameron also painted his boat and got carried away with some stickers. Now this is where I should be inputting some pictures, but I still don't know how to do that, so let your imagination go wild.

Sunday was equally as uneventful as the rest of the weekend. Church was ...well, it was fast and testimony meeting, what can I say? Then the missionaries came for dinner and I did fix an extra nice meal for them (Elder Kerr's birthday was Saturday). I made chicken cordon bleu, ricotta pasta, corn, salad and a yummy strawberry cream pie. They ate, shared a scripture and were gone by 6:00 PM which made for an early evening.

This blog is serving as my journal, I guess, and so I am just writing to write. Don't mean to bore you all, but it was a boring weekend. Next weekend promises to be better, we will be going to Lakewood for our 2 grandsons' baptism. Ray Jr.'s 2 oldest boys who are 12 & 14 are getting baptized. They have wanted to for years now but their mom would not agree until now. They are excited and love their new ward (they are off at scout camp this week). I am hoping to make a weekend in Lakewood/Long Beach and not just the usual day drive.

I LOVE THIS JOB!

Wow, I haven't been able to say I love my job in months! But, right now, during the summer, I love my job. Since it is too hot to be outside and I would be stuck in the house anyway, I may as well be stuck in the office and getting paid for it. I can get so much done in the summer that I cannot do during a school year. I love to clean out files, reorganize things and even try to find ways to make things run smoother when the chaos begins again.

I only wish I had this AM energy at the end of the day when I go home. But, that is the problem with the hot weather, it tends to wear you out quicker. I always thought it was good to have my washer and dryer in the garage and not in the house, but now I hate to go out there to do laundry. I always do a load of laundry before going to bed in the evening and another when I get up at 4:30, but if there is any more than that to be done...

Just a reminder to all you Californians (and soon-to-be... A & J) today the new law is in full force- no talking on a cell phone while driving. The fines are small, but I have a feeling (and inside CHP information) they are really going to be enforcing this law. Get your bluetooth ready!

My parents future looks good

My sisters Linda and Rhonda and I took our parents to Covina Hills to visit their "soon-to-be" retirement home. They will be retiring to the Masonic Home of Covina. This is something they have planned for the last 35 years or so (maybe longer). It is one of the benefits of being a lifer mason. Both our parents have been active Masons for 50 years now. We always knew this was their plan, but until about 3 years ago, we didn't pay much attention to it, or think about it. In fact, I will go on the record and now repent for my "mental scolding" of mom and dad for not planning financially for the future. They have been "retired" for quite a few years and have lived on a meager pension for awhile. They have always paid their bills and were able to buy a small home 12 years ago, but they never had extra money. They have lived modestly to say the least. I know the beginning of the month was always better than the end of the month for them. But none of that really matters now. It turns out, they have planned well for their future. They are going to be taken care of the rest of their lives. Yes, it will cost them a little but even that turns out to probably be the best thing. They will give the deed to their home to the Masonic Home who will, in turn, sell it and keep all but 1/4 of the profits. Well, like I said, mom and dad have lived modestly and have not been able to keep up with the maintainence of the home the way a older home needs. So, if they were needing to sell their home to be able to finance themselves, they may not do too good because the home needs some attention. But 1/4 of the profits will put some money in the bank for them and with the selling market down (especially in Blythe), this works to their benefit. And they also turn over all but 1/4 of their monthly pension. Again, that just gives them a little spending money and that is all they will need. (more about this in a minute) And, this arrangement leaves no room for my sisters and I to have to make decisions on their behalf or worry about dividing the "estate" amongst us. I think we all agree that is something none of us would look forward to doing.



In return, my parents will soon be living a life above the standards they are used to. This home is gorgeous! It is in a nice neighborhood of Covina, but very well isolated. The entire grounds are immaculate with very well maintained lawn and gardens. The "compund" consists of a main building where the business offices are and it houses the parlor, dining hall, full workout gym and jacuzzi, massage room, beauty parlor, ceramics room and puzzle room. This is where the monthly activities are posted on an entire wall (weekly and daily handouts are available in the dining hall ). There are 3 separate apartment buildings with about 12 units in each. For each 6 units, there is a washing machine and dryer room (with free soap). Most apts are on the ground floor, but the "ground" floor is actually up because of the rolling hills throughout the grounds. There are stairs, ramps and elevators in each building. A lot of the residents use walkers to get around and it is completely walker friendly. My parents originally thought they would like an upper unit with a balcony instead of a patio, but after this visit, they are convinced there isn't a bad apt. in the complex, whatever they get they will be happy. The apt. itself is small, but fine for two. Each unit has a 2 burner stove, a microwave, a refrigerator, cable hookups, a walk in closet and a "seniorized" bathroom with grip bars and seat in shower. They also have 3 cords in the apt that if pulled, gets a nurse at the door within minutes (also, phone off hook signals a problem) there is a 24 hour nurses station to monitor. The unit has, as mentioned, a private patio or balcony. By private, I mean that it has walls between you and your neighbor but not a wall to prevent you from having a view. The gardeners keep up the garden spots but will personalize your own spot for you (roses vs pansies vs desert scape, etc) The other big building on the compound is the recreation room. It has card tables and couches and there is a large screen TV, pool table, ping pong table, shuffle board, etc. It has in it, a video closet where you can "rent for free" one of over 100 videos. A library of paperback books including a "large print" area. There is a computer lab with 6 computers for their personal use. There are 2 stores, one sells grocery items and personal needs stuff and one sells items made by the people in the home (knitted booties, aprons, etc) Oh, I forgot, there is also a "new to you" thrift store where everything is free (they dispose of deceased residents stuff this way or other residents donate unwanted stuff). This recreation room is attached to a huge barbecue/ picnic area for group parties.



Some of the activities they do are: monthly birthday party for all that month's birthdays and they bring in entertainment for this monthly party, bus trips weekly to different local shopping including grocery stores, Target and WalMart, etc. Also, monthly activites to sporting events, runs to Las Vegas or Laughlin, shows, concerts, zoo, etc. Different masonic lodges from surrounding areas come in once a month to provide a barbecue and may offer square dance or something. There are also daily classes like ceramics (they have a complete room with kilns and all right there), needlepoint, exercise classes (I forgot to mention the swimming pool where they have daily water aerobics). If there is interest, there are outings just to outside restaurants or movie theaters. The "activity committee" suggests ideas and gets everyone's input and then arrangements are made. The parlor I mentioned is a beautiful sitting room with a grand piano, cherrywood book cases full of classic hard back books and elegant furnishings. This is a gathering spot for some of the entertainment. The dining hall is very exquisite also, with round tales with linen tablecloths and napkins and fine dinnerware. Each resident is assigned a table in the hall and has a personal server for that table (4-6 per table). There is a salad bar also. They are served 3 meals a day. But there is also a 24 hour pantry available which has snacks, fruit, milk and juice, ice cream bars, etc. And don't forget, each apt has capabilities to cook for yourself. The menu in the dining hall is simple with one entree and one healthy option (usually fish). But then there is salad and fresh fruit bar and the entree includes soup and sides. We ate on Friday lunch which is always Mexican and we had enchilada soup, beans, rice and 2 hard tacos which were made with carne asada (and we had choice of soft taco). Then they came around with dessert (churros) but asked if we wanted ice cream also. It was all very good.



Now to the part about money. Once they are in this home, they are here for life. Their medical care and medicines are taken care of. If they need more care than the home can offer (they have a "sick bay" for someone with flu or something like that) they will be hopitalized at a local hospital with one of the 5 "on call" local doctors taking care of them. They also will be sent to a nursing or convalesant home if necessary but the bill is taken care of by the home. The home provides all the meals, housekeeping changes sheets once a week, all paper goods and soap are provided for the apt. They have a "scheduler" on staff who makes all your doctor, dental, and beauty appts for you and then they pass out a paper in the dining hall with your weekly appts. Even the cable for the TV is provided. Local telephone service is provided and even long distance rates are so low that they say no one has ever paid more than $5 a month. My dad can keep his car if he wants (and since he is 80 and his current license doesn't expire until May, he will keep it at least that long) but they have their own buses which take them to appts and all the outings. Even the trips to Las Vegas and Laughlin and stuff only costs them about $15.00 for the day. My parents can do some volunteer stuff around the home (like my dad will definitely want to work in the "grocery"store since that is what he did for a living) and even my mom will probably want to sort mail or something. They can be alone in their apt or around people all day.



Well, I am fully convinced that this is a great move for them. I am even envious. I will miss them being just blocks away, but I will look forward to visiting them in their new home. Now, it is the waiting game. They have been approved, done their 3-day visit stay, and now are just waiting for an opening which is supposed to be within 6 months. I told my dad that I thought the only downside of this is that they will have all these new friends (only 77 residents in the complex) and will have to see them die. This is a closeknit group. So, unfortunately, when there is an opening for them, it will be because someone has died.



Sorry for the looooong blog. I am excited now that I have seen the home and just hope to share it with others. I am glad for my parents' insight and persistance to get what they want for their future and hope I can be as lucky when I get to that age. I love my parents very much and wish them the best for their real retirement years.