James Honored by His Alma Mater

I'm a bit late in posting these photos of the Distinguished Alumni dinner. James, along with 8 other individuals, was honored at the Kellogg Ranch Restaurant at Cal Poly, Pomona on Friday, April 24th. I flew out on Thursday night to Los Angeles, while my sister, Claudine and my parents took care of the girls. It was a wonderful event. Dinner was prepared by the students of the Hospitality Management College.

Here are a list of the honorees:

College of Agriculture
John E. Andrews
Class of '92

College of Business Administration
Lawrence Taff
Class of '80

College of Education and Integrative Studies
Robert Pletka
Class of '06

College of Engineering
James S. B. Chew
Class of '84

College of Environmental Design
Victoria Basolo
Class of '91

College of Letters Arts and Social Sciences
John Mortberg
Class of '70

College of Science
Una L. Morris
Class of '70

Collins College of Hospitality Management
Jill K. Bosich
Class of '93

Athletics
Daniel Andrews
Class of '90

All of the honorees were so accomplished and humble. Each of their speeches reflected their love of Cal Poly, their commitment to 'giving back' and their love of the faculty who nurtured their interests and ambitions. Every one in attendance was so welcoming and accepting of the honorees.

I was truly inspired by all the nominees, but two of them (besides my husband!) really touched my heart. The first was Dr. Una Morris. She came to the US from Jamaica when she was just 17. Her mother had died when she was 10 and she arrived in the US with little to her name. She was an runner in the 1964 (Tokyo), 1968 (Ciudad de Mexico) and 1973 (Munich) Olympics. She had to practice with the men's track team at Cal Poly because there was no women's team! She went on to become a respected Radiologist. Her speech nearly brought tears to my eyes as she thanked her professors and the family that took her in when she came to the US.

Second honoree I just loved was Jill Bosich. She was the second youngest honoree. She spoke of the overwhelming choices that young students face when they have decided what 'they want want to do', but are unsure of which avenue to take to get them to the place they want to be. I believe this is a situation that many of us faced as college students, and Jill spoke so honestly and affectionately of the individuals who guided her to her current success.

It really was a lovely evening. We were thrilled to have our friends Nick and Mary join us at the event. Nick, who has been James' dear friend since 4th grade, and Mary live in Massachusetts. If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know that our summers are not complete until we spend time with Uncle Nick and Aunt Mary at their home in Marshfield. Also present was Fred, James' friend since kindergarten. James, Nick and Fred have all maintained close contact through the years and all are quite accomplished in their own right. Also sharing our table at the dinner were James' former professor and friend, Dr. Mike Sheldon. Mike nominated James for this honor. Mike's wife Tina was a classmate of James' and they have remained friends for over 20 years.

Rounding out our table were James' Mom & Dad and the Dean of the College of Engineering, Professor Ed Hohmann.


Mike and Tina




James with Cal Poly President Mike Ortiz, Dean Hohmann, and a few of the honorees. (Photo taken just after I told James he needed to straighten his tie!)

After the dinner, Fred and Nick & Mary joined us on the patio of our room at The Inn at Kellogg Ranch. Mary and I had a good time observing the 'Three Geniuses' as they shared beers, smoked cigars and solved the world's problems. All and all, a really spectacular evening!

The next day (Saturday) I hopped a plane home to the girls. James had to stay behind to attend to work in California. It was a quick trip, but one that I'm so glad I made.



Here the 'Three Geniuses' goof around with James' image that was posted, along with the other honorees photos, in the reception area. I'm so glad that some things never change...

NASCAR Chevy Rock n' Roll 400

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

James & Maddie had their annual NASCAR race outing this past weekend. Originally scheduled for Friday night and all day Saturday, the events were postponed to Sunday - due to the remnants of tropical storm Hannah which hit us on Saturday. They both really enjoy this event, held at the Richmond International Raceway. They get VIP treatment, which includes meeting the band that performs before the race.

This year, the band was Three Days Grace. Both James & Maddie said that the band members were engaging and quite nice. They took the time to chat and pose for pictures. Last year, they were very disappointed with the surly Daughtry so, it was a great surprise when they actually got to converse with the band. The lead singer even gave Maddie one of his guitar pics !!

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Because of the delay of the race, Chevy was left with a shortage of manpower... everyone had stayed in Detroit. This provided an opportunity for James and Maddie to participate in the introduction of the NASCAR drivers. James drove and Maddie rode 'shotgun' as they drove around the track with drivers Ryan Newman and Mark Martin.

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Mark Martin climbs into the bed of the Chevy Pick-Up:

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Ryan Newman hops onboard:

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Maddie snapped this shot while they were driving around the track:

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Maddie was still smiling when they returned home in time for a late dinner with Josie and me. It's rare that a 14 year old girl gets to share this kind of event with her Dad - they both just love the races! James loves having the one-on-one time with Maddie and returns home feeling very proud of how all the folks at Chevy compliment him on his lovely daughter. Maddie, on the other hand, loves getting to go to the concert and meeting all the people. (She also confessed to liking the time with her Dad...) !!

Our Safari Park Adventure

Today we took a family road trip. The weather has been HOT, so we decided to head for the cooler air of the Blue Ridge mountains, a mere 3 hour drive from our home. I found out about the Safari Park on the blog of my friend, Kim, who has since taken her blog private. She and her family live MUCH closer to the park, but I would never had known it existed if not for Kim.

I'm not much for road trips... I'm a nervous passenger ("backseat driver", if you insist on being technical!). James usually grabs the kids and goes - leaving me behind in blissful silence. But, I had a stern talking with myself and decided to tough it out. I'm so glad I did!



We had a ball! The drive through the safari park is slow and very entertaining. We took Josie out of her car seat so she could easily feed the animals. She was very excited by the prospect of being up close and personal with the animals, but the reality was quite different! She would scream, "I want to feed the zebra!" So, we would stop and Maddie would help her put her feed bucket out the window to attract the animals. Once an animal approached the car, Josie would squeal with delight and get as far AWAY from the window as possible! "You do it, Maddie!" All the while, she was laughing and literally jumping for joy on the backseat!





Josie was really great at finding the animals we saw in the guide handed out by the park. I was amazed that she was able to find them so quickly and accurately!!





Here are a few of the animals we saw on the safari drive:









After we finished driving through the safari, we headed to the petting zoo and giraffe feeding station which was included in the $12.00 adult admission price. Here, we saw much more exotic animals...just not as close as the ones on the drive.



















When we finally decided to head home, the girls were just great at keeping themselves occupied and entertained. They had a few Hershey kisses and used the wrappers to give themselves some 'grillz'. The girls say, "Peace out, Dog!"

Goddard Space Dinner

They both left with strict instructions to take as many photos as possible... This is the ONLY ONE taken! James mumbled something about traffic, arriving late, no time, etc. What a disappointment! James & Maddie, however, had a wonderful time at the dinner. James said everyone thought Maddie was in college - Yikes!! My baby is not even in High School yet!!!!

And, speaking of High School (nice segue, huh?!) Maddie was accepted to the new Catholic High School! We are so excited she will be a member of the first class to complete 4 years at the school. They are opening this fall with only sophomores and freshman. Last night, we attended the registration meeting. We met the new Asst. Principal and some of the teachers. It gave Maddie a chance to get a look at some of the kids she will be spending the next 4 years with. She was happy to see 3 of her current classmates at the meeting.

Maddie will be taking Physics, Chemistry, Algebra I, English I, Sacred Scripture I. Christology, Bioethics (the Human Person), World History and either French or Latin. There aren't many options for electives for freshman. Looks like she will taking Personal Fitness for Athletes. I keep begging her to sign up for the concert band and to start playing her cello again - but she's dead set against it. Oh well, hopefully, she'll come to appreciate what a gift it is to be musically inclined.

Getting Back to the Routine

Well, we're settling back in to our normal routine here. The cruise was great! Maddie was extremely upset when school opened up 2 hours late on Monday - as opposed to being closed completely. It seems there was a Math test she was not at all prepared for. Who can blame her? Would you study Math with swaying palm trees in your line of vision?!

First order of business was to get all the laundry done. Check. Second order of business was to get Josie reacquainted with all her cartoon homeboys and homegirls. You know the crowd - Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse, Curious George, Dora, Diego and Noddy. Then, she HAD to visit with each and every one of her toys, books, and Playdoh containers. I'm happy to say that she is back to her old schedule of breakfast, some TV, a snack, torturing the dogs, playing with her toys and wrecking the house.

James was working while we were on the cruise and continued less than an hour after our arrival home. His main concern was that I immediately mail in our tainted Peter Pan Peanut Butter lids for reimbursement from Conagra Foods. Yes, we did have the tainted peanut butter, but we all ate from the jars and suffered no ill effects. Still, better safe than sorry. I'm just not that sure that the extra $5.00 in refund money is worth the push at this time. But you know the saying, "When daddy's happy..."

The most disturbing thing that occured in our absence was that Carson (a.k.a. Bubba) apparently refused to eat while at the kennel. He really is a Mommy's boy, but I was surprised by how hard he took the separation. He came back to us as nothing but skin and bones. I weighed him this morning and he lost 2.5 pounds in one week! For a dog his size, that's a lot of weight. It broke my heart to see him.


We had planned to pick up both dogs on Sunday (the kennel only opens from 6PM-8PM for pick-ups) but we were hit with an ice storm, the kennel lost power, and the RT 1 (the main route to the kennel) was closed down because of fallen power lines. The dogs were fed, but that's about it. When Josie & I arrived to pick them up on Monday morning, they had not been bathed. The staff asked if I wanted to wait. Absolutely not! Give me my babies now! Casey, as has been the case in the past, has no voice. Apparently, she had barked herself out by Wednesday. She just has a pathetic croak escaping from her mouth at this point. She did not suffer from an eating disorder in our absence so she is still in fighting shape.

After getting everyone settled back in, bathing dogs, doing laundry and grocery shopping, I finally got some time to check in on my computer. I just had to check in on the kids sites that I follow (listed on the right). Blog withdraw is an ugly thing.

I was very amused by Mary-Mia's account of damage inflicted by Hurricane Hubei (a.k.a her twins, Rose & Marie!). That same Chinese hurricane must have spun clear across the country and hit here in Virginia! I'll offer the following photo as proof of the chaos created by our own Hubei honey:



Even with all the mess, it's great to be home!