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2008-12-26

Christmas 2008  

by laura beth


Family fun with the Scott side of the family! Kenny has a lot of family here in Orange County and we all try to get together here at Grandma's (where Kenny and I are parked) for various family functions and holidays. It has been a little harder over the years to manage this as people get married and extended families, well, extend. All of the married family members' spouses have family in the OC as well. This year for Christmas, Uncle Brett, Aunt Cathi, Cathi's daughter Jen and her boyfriend Dean, and Kenny's cousin Nathan and his wife Christina all gathered Christmas Eve here at Grandma and Aunt Laurie's house for food and games. We played a game, exchanged a few gifts, and had a ribeye roast and Honey-Baked Ham. Kenny also typed out various Christmas writings (scriputures, poems, some serious, some comical-Dickens, Thoreau, Dr. Suess...) that we each took turns reading around the dinner table, lighting a candle with each reading. I think that this might be a wonderful new tradition for at least Kenny and I. It was a great evening.

Grandma, Laurie, Kenny and I all slept in a little Christmas morning. We watched It's A Wonderful Life and opened a few gifts. Later we had leftovers from the night before. Christmas Day is also Aunt Laurie's birthday, so the rest of the family came in the evening for ice cream sundaes and gifts. Kenny's cousin, his wife Aaron, and their girls, Madisyn and McKynzie, cousin Chase, his wife Carrie, and their 3 kids Caleb, Emma, and Sarah were all there, as were Nathan and Christina. Quite a houseful as usual. It's kind of amazing to me how close in age Kenny and his siblings are to all of their cousins, on both sides of the family. Now a whole new generation is growing up before our eyes!

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2008-12-23

in Arizona  

by laura beth


While in Arizona, we were able spend time with Kenny's immediate family at his sister Erica and brother-in-law Shawn's house in Phoenix. Kenny's parents and sister Elisa had come from Scotland for Grandma Lily's funeral. Ken was pretty sick the whole weekend and Evie wasn't feeling good either, so they spent a lot of time in bed, but we still had a nice visit. It was great to watch the Xander and Ava open Christmas presents and just enjoy the company of each other for an evening.

Shawn and Erica have had a really tough year. They were both laid off this year. A few weeks ago, Shawn's new pickup was stolen from in front of their house. Grandma Lily passed away on Monday December 15th. Erica had recently found out that she was pregnant (which she was ecstatic about) but on Wednesday, December 17th she found out that she had miscarried at 17 weeks. So the grieving that weekend was magnified. However, Shawn and Erica are amazing. He is so supportive of her, an they are both wonderful to each other and their children. Erica has found a part-time job at a toy store and she provides daycare, which Shawn helps with. He also has his own business installing high end car audio systems. I am proud of the way they have handled the hardships in their lives this year. Just being there for the weekend it seemed evident that the rough times are strengthening their family. Being there for the weekend really reminded me of the importance of love and grace.

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Lily Sahagun Hernandez  

by laura beth

Kenny's maternal grandmother, Lily Hernandez, passed away Monday December 15th after a battle with cancer. We were able to make the trip to Cottonwood, Arizona for the weekend to attend her funeral and spend time with the family. It was really great to see everyone, and although it would have been nicer under better circumstances, it was also a beautiful time of healing, crying, laughter, and memories. We were able to see Grandma last March and felt that it may for the last time, but hoped to see her again this Spring. However, she was ready to go and it was her time. The following is a combination of the eulogy that Kenny read at the funeral and Lily's obituary:


Lily Sahagun Hernandez was born February 26, 1926 in the mining town of Jerome, Arizona, to Amado and Eutiquianna Sahagun. She was the youngest daughter of 8 children and is survived by 2 sisters, Jane and Hazel. She attended Jerome Elementray School from Kindergarten through the 4th grade. In 1936 the family moved to Oatman, Arizona where she attended Oatman County School from 5th through 8th grade, then she went to Kingman High School. In 1940 the family moved to Los Angeles, California where she attended Roosevelt High and then graduated from Garfield High School.

As a little girl she loved to play with paper dolls and in her teen years she loved to dance.

in 1947 she married Oscar Hernandez at our Lady of Lourdes Church in Los Angeles. Lily was 21 and Oscar was 23. They used to love to have parties at their home and every New Year's Eve Oscar would dress up as either Old Father Time or the New Year Baby in a diaper. Lily worked as a banker in California.

In 1950, their son Oscar was born, followed by daughter Evie in 1952, daughter Terry in 1955, and son Michael in 1960.

In 1974 the family moved back to Arizona. Lily got her real estate license and ran the Jerome Market for several years. She was also a Pink Lady at Verde Valley Medical Center. She loved to paint, knit, crochet, decorate cakes and do all kinds of crafts. She was and avid bowler and loved to cook for anyone that came to the house. She always made sure that no one left her house hungry.

Most of all she enjoyed spending time with all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Lily leaves behind her two sons: Oscar and his wife Deborah and Michael, both of Cottonwood; two daughters, Evie and her husband Ken of Scotland, UK [Kenny's parents], and Terry and her husband David of Cottonwood; 12 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren. She will missed greatly. She was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar Hernandez.
I first met Lily when Kenny and I were dating. We made a trip to Arizona for Kenny's youngest sister, Erica's, high school graduation in 2000. I immediately felt a bond with Lily. She made me feel a part of the family even then. Every time we visited her, she was genuinely excited and happy that we were there. She would make us a meal, and force us to eat, even if we had already eaten. She really cared about each of her family members and she really will be missed. I wish she could have been a part of my life for longer.

At her funeral she requested, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" by Elvis be played.
"Precious Lord, Take My Hand" (3:24)

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2008-12-10

Knott's Merry Farm  

by laura beth


This year Kenny and I were excited to go to Knott's Berry Farm (Knott's Merry Farm this time of year). Last year grandma got free tickets and we were hoping to get them again this year but no luck. Instead we took advantage of the awesome deal offered by Knott's and Toys for Tots-free admission with the donation of a toy valued at $10 or more. The line was huge-there were 19,000 people the day that we went (29,000 the day before), but it didn't seem crowded after we got past the entrance. Brett and Cathi went with us. After going last year, Kenny thought that it was just thing to get us in the Christmas spirit. The park is all done up for Christmas with performances, decorations, carolers, a parade, a tree-lighting ceremony and a craft village with all kinds of wonderful handicrafts and gifts. We watched 2 different shows in the Birdcage Theatre: O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi (amazing-it brings tear's to my eyes) and Dickens' A Christmas Carol. We saw a saloon show at The Calico Saloon and then Snoopy's Cool Christmas on Ice. We all went on the Timber Mountain Log Ride and then Cathi and Kenny went on the Xcelerator (Brett and I couldn't handle it).We ate funnel cakes with Boysenberries and strawberries and walked about enjoying the sites until the park closed. I think anyone that lives in Orange County should make it a tradition to visit this festive park during the Christmas season. Knott's Scary Farm is just as good, but we couldn't go this year.

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2008-12-08

Candy Caneland Craft Faire  

by laura beth

When we came to Buena Park, I had hoped to sell my jewelry and crafts at the local farmer's market. That didn't work out, but I was able to secure a spot at the annual Christmas craft fair. I worked pretty hard to get ready for it, but after paying the $20 booth fee, giving away $15 worth of products for a raffle, selling $10 worth of products, and making a $3.75 purchase from the neighboring booth (her only sale of the day), I came out in the hole. It was a disappointment for the other vendors as well. There were so many talented craftspeople and artists there. Everything I saw was creative, of good quality, unique and affordably priced. Very few of them sold anything at all. There were thousands of people there, but none of them seemed to be spending money on anything but "fair food". I find it interesting that just down the street from the craft fair, the mall that I work in facilitates hordes of people that buy tons of cheap, imported, overpriced crap for Christmas gifts. I see it every time I work. Maybe someday people will change their spending habits and look to their local artisans and crafts people for inspiring, thoughtful and unique gifts. I can only dream...

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2008-12-05

the most important meal of the day  

by laura beth


Since I'm thirty now, I've decided to eat what I want for breakfast. I am never hungry for cereal or yogurt first thing in the morning, but I know how important it is to eat something semi-nutritional for breakfast. So I've been forcing myself to eat yogurt, fruit or toast in the morning with a multi-vitamin and a herbal supplement, even though I usually don't get hungry mid-morning, and then only for really substantial savory food. So today I said, "To hell with breakfast food, I'm going to eat what I want for breakfast". And I had Totino's 3 cheese party pizza (completely horrible for you) with my own concoction of sauteed broccoli, onions, cabbage, peppers, and olives. It was amazing. Tomorrow, who knows? Maybe veggie lasagna, dinner leftovers, or beans and rice...I am so excited about this. I had to document this life-changing event here.

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2008-12-02

nerdy thirty  

by laura beth

final moments of my 29th year

Happy anniversary of my birth! Turning thirty is only slightly uncomfortable. I very clearly remember turning 20. And an entire decade has passed in only a few short moments. I guess I better start acting like an adult...

Today we went to the La Brea Tar Pits. It was free, not because it was my birthday, but because it was a Tuesday, and admission is free on Tuesdays. With all the time I've spent in California over the years, you would think I would have visited all the pinnacles of California history and culture. I have done a lot, but I still have a list yet to check off and the 'Pits, as I call them, are now checked off.


It's kind of an odd place, a park on Wilshire Boulevard in west Los Angeles. It's surrounded by tall buildings, apartments, and busy streets. When you walk through the gates, however, you are transported back to a time when mammoths, dire wolves, giant ground sloths, and saber-toothed cats ruled LA! That was my attempt at sounding exiting and adventuresome. The smallish park is built around various pits, oozing with black smelly tar and chock full of enormous fossils, even mammoths!

A bunch of years ago, in an area now called Rancho La Brea (the Tar Ranch), natural asphalt (not actually tar) seeped out of the ground in pools bubbling with methane gas. Big silly animals walked into the asphalt pools, which were cleverly camoflauged with leaves and dirt, and got sort of stuck. Big hungry animals would attack the mired animals and eventually become stuck themselves and die. Then scavengers and birds would come to feast on the carcasses and, well, you know how the story goes. The asphalt is a great preservative, and years of sediment and additional seepage buried the bones. Years later, fossils were found during commercial asphalt mining operations. Since 1906, more than one million fossil bones from over 650 species of plants and animals have been found and identified at Rancho La Brea. They represent the latest part of the Pleistocene Epoch. The asphalt also dyes the fossils shades of dark brown and black, which makes them unique compared to other fossils I've seen.

Soooooooooooo it was pretty cool. There are little pools of asphalt everywhere, even bubbling up in the middle of the lawn. The fossil displays are incredible, and there is a "fishbowl" laboratory where you can watch the scientists work with fossils. There are also active excavation sites--pits of bubbling asphalt with huge fossils sticking out of them. Pretty interesting stuff.

Later that night we met up with Friend Heather at the Cheesecake Factory. I often find myself craving the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake, but the price per slice prevents me from indulging. Turning 30 was decidedly a good excuse to have some.

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