Today was the end of the year for my ESL classes. The Hispanic ladies prepared lunch for us as a thank you. One of my students, Adaly, presented me with a dozen roses. With tears in her eyes, she said she was going to miss me...five months. We don't start the new year until the end of September. I got her phone number and told her I'd call her during the summer so we could practice her English. That seemed to make her happy.

Adaly has a heartbreaking story. She came to the US from Guatemala, leaving behind three children under the age of 10. She has three children here and a good husband who doesn't beat her. She completed twelve years of school in Guatemala and would like to get a job. Her husband wants her to stay home with the children. I told her if she continues to work hard on her English, I'd help her get a job in a school when her youngest is in school full-time. Annie is now two years old so I figure we've got at least three years to perfect Adaly's English.

I'm back...AGAIN!

I quit posting as I felt I was being redundant...same activities week after week. But some of my "fans" missed reading about our happenings, so I'll give it another try. Since my last post, I did make a trip to the Southwest. I spent the first week in April with Erik, Kadin, Gracie and Jeffrey. Had a wonderful time as we got some quality time with Jeffrey. The second week in April, I went to Arizona. Sister Jan and I stayed with Marla in her Phoenix winter home. We did a four day girls' hiking trip to Northern Arizona and Havasu Falls. Our adopted sister, Marilyn, drove up with us. We stopped in Jerome for lunch with Aaron and his girlfriend, Emily. He then showed us his "shabin." He seems very happy and we ladies were in agreement that Jerome was a good place for Aaron/Moondog.

I have been playing team pickleball on Mondays, piano lesson on Tuesdays, golf on Wednesdays and Fridays, and teaching ESL on Thursdays. I started donating blood platelets, which takes me three hours. They tell me I give enough to help two people so I'm happy about that. You can donate platelets every week, unlike whole blood which is every eight weeks. I hope all who are able will help their local blood bank. It costs us nothing but a brief stick of a needle and our time.

Wishing all the mothers a Happy Mother's Day. Erik, Lisa and Aaron all called today. Arne took me out for dinner on behalf of our children. I chose Olive Garden and had ravioli...delicious!!