Lady Jan's anniversary

My 26th anniversary was last week on December 21.

And I was sick! Darn it!

So I couldn't go out to dinner to celebrate, so my husband got take-out. He brought home Dicicco's calazoni which I just love and hadn't had for a while, so we at least had a special treat on our day.

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My Wedding story

In 1979 the year we got married, I was deperately looking for some place to get married.

I had always assumed that I would have my own church to get married in, but was astonished that we were having to meet in a BASKETBALL COURT???

You see our church had sold our old church building, in attempt to gather enough money to build the new church building. They where attempting to building on land in a better area, that someone had donated for that use.

The couple that bought our old building and were going to use it as a day care center, immediantly separated and started divorce proceedings.

Which stopped the building project, because it stopped the money flow. And we couldn't get our building back, because of the divorce proceeding froze all the assets!

Which greatly inconvenienced me!

My dad suggested we get married in the same place we were meeting for church. And I said, "But dad! I can't get married in a BASKETBALL COURT!"

I kept picturing the wedding party all lined up on the goal lines, and I would be stand under the hoop in my white dress and veil. Then at the end of the ceremony, when I kiss my new husband the buzzer would sound and a point would be given to the home teem. Then I'd move forward and toss the bouquet through the hoop, and the girls would all dive for it.

Um, no.

Then my Aunt Regina suggested we get married at the recreation room / club house where she was manager and my Uncle Arnold was asstant manager.

And we did and it was really nice too.

But it rained that day really hard, at least it held off till I toss my bouquet over my car to the waiting girls on the other side. Then a crash and doom of thunder and it started to pour.

How's that for timing?

Then a gust of wind took the bouquet out of the reach of the girls, and it landed splat! In the road. And my maid of honor (Sarah Pittman) who was on the other side, ran around behind all the girls and grabbed it up before anyone could react.

I'm not sure but I think she might still have it.

A sad Christmas tale--by lady Jan

A fifteen years or so ago, Mr and Mrs Smith (not their real names) found time weighed heavily on them around the holidays. Especially since their children were long time grown and had started family's of their own, and now even the grandchildren weren't so little anymore. And they missed the kids being small.

Then Mr Smith grew a beard, and people started saying how much he looked like Santa. That gave them an idea, a marvels, wonderful idea. Mrs. Smith went right to work, she was a wonder with a needle and thread. She sewed two costumes; a Mr Claus one for her husband complete with Santa hat with bells down one side, and a darling Mrs Claus one for herself complete with a red and white muffin cap that echoed Mr Claus hat.

They started by visiting the kids in the neighborhood, then they touring the stores and shops. They got invited to Christmas party's, and kids flocked to them where ever they went. They were a huge success, and they loved it. They became a staple of Christmas in Madera every Holiday season. People wanted to know where the Claus's would be, so they could take their kids to see them.

I remember taking my nephew to visit them at Wal-mart, and Mrs Claus gave him a candy cane after he was too scared to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. I told them how darling they looked in their costumes, and they told me how much they loved doing this every year. My own daughter got to met them too, but she doesn't remember them now, as she was very young.

After nine years (or so) the saddest thing happened, Mr Smith had a stoke and didn't make it.

I heard they were looking around for someone to play Mr Claus with Mrs Smith. But poor Mrs Smith said that she didn't want to do it anymore, because there were too many sad memories.

And sadly so passed a sweet tradition in my home town.

Seasons Greetings from Lady Jan

photo & card by Janice

And suddenly there was the angel,

a multitude of the heavenly host,

praising God and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest."
Luke 2:13

Peace, good will
and happiness for you at
Christmas and always.

Lady Jan's brand new avitar from Yahoo!

This is a fun new thing from yahoo, I tried to get her to look like me, but they don't have an over wieght avitar.

Lady Jan rants on about foggy day sequels and school buses

I don't get it!

Yesterday was the worst foggy day this year, and they canceled all the morning buses for Madera. Then Fresno cancels school for the day because of the pea soup fog.

Then today it's the same fogginess, 24th of a mile and no foggy day sequel, no bus cancellation. Nothing! Just get on the bus and forget it's foggy kids, just ignore all that gray fluffy stuff outside the bus windows-It's not there!

I don't know why I even care, as I drive my Daughter to school. I just have a beef with the buses in general, and we have bad blood between us.

I mean real bad blood. I think the bus shack is run by a bunch of idiots, and they think I'm a bitch!

It all started with my daughter getting spat on, on the bus. And not by one boy either! By all of them! Well exempt two who tried to protect her from the boys, by covering her head with their coats. I thought that should be the bus drivers job, and they thought "boys will be boys." Huh? I took her off the bus for a while, "after the spitting incident".

Next time I put her on the bus, it was when I thought that my daughter shouldn't be on the bus for three hours coming home from school. My goodness we are all of five minutes down the road from the school. Apparently the bus drive went and started dropping off kids in the opposite direction, and she had to sit there in the bus seat for that long as that, because she was dropped off last. And that was fine? How is that fine?

Couple years later I was gonna put her back on the bus again, and they thought that at eight years old she could walk a quarter of a mile at six in the morning, and cross a busy country road where everyone drives 100 miles an hour. And there is no side walk! Just broken pavement, and great big clumps of dirt. And did I mention the semi trucks that fly by dragging dirt and rock in their wake?

I tried to get them to pick up my daughter at our mail box where she use to be picked-up, and I was told that never happened! Then the woman yelled at me and slammed a receiver in my ear! Gees! I was talking in a normal voice, and all I just wanted to know was why? Can't she stand to be questioned?

My husband called the bus shack to complain about how I was treated, and the director apologized. And someone was going to call us later and we'd work something out. Guess what? Nobody called!

So anyway I drive my daughter to school, foggy days or no.