New Beginnings

Where do I begin? This month is so full of new beginnings. I guess I will start there, at the beginning. On July 28th, my brother, Robert, and his wife, Ildiko, welcomed their son, Ashwyn Kyler, into the world.

He's so perfect and beautiful. I am filled with joy every time I look at his sweet face :)

Next Monday, my niece, Celia, will begin Kindergarten. It seems unbelievable that my adorable little baby...isn't a baby anymore, but a beautiful and well-adjusted young lady!

 

And, finally, the week after that, Alec will be starting college. Many of you have probably learned that Alec was headed to San Jose State University to study Computer Science...well, as sometimes happens...plans changed. Nobody panic, he'll be in school, just close to home. He enrolled in Moorpark College and will be staying at home for the next couple of years. His friend, Brian, who relocated to Irvine for the next two years, plans to finish his degree in San Jose. The two plan to move up together then and get a place, thus avoiding dorm life while still accomplishing the goal of a degree. Trust me, the decision didn't come lightly, and we are all looking forward to the new experiences that college life will bring to Alec. After being home schooled for the past five years, everything is new!

 

So there are many new beginnings in the Herrick/Rice, Herrick/Baas/Boyer, and Herrick households! We are so excited for the opportunities and challenges that await us and are eager to see what happens next :)

Blessed Be.

Senior Sunday

At yesterday's church service, as we do every year, we honored this year's graduating seniors. It's a great way to remember the youth who were confirmed four years earlier, see where they are and find out where they are going. It's also an opportunity to let them know one more time that we are still thinking about them and praying for them and aren't going to forget about them as they head out into their futures. 

This is the fourth year that we have presented our youth with "Faith Quilts," quilts that have been designed by friends and family of the youth and put together by members of our congregation, to give to these graduating seniors as a tangible reminder of this love. I'd like to take this opportunity to share Alec's Senior Sunday with you:

Pastor Gary and Alec at the beginning of the presentation

Lorna, our quilter, draping Alec with his quilt as Pastor Gary speaks about Alec's future

Alec seeing his completed quilt for the first time :)

Continuing on with the ceremony...

Amy during her presentation...she got so emotional! She hadn't even seen any of her squares before this day!

Amy and Ariana

After everyone received their quilts, Amanda Lembke, one of our Youth Leaders, spoke about her experiences with these youth. She has given so much of herself to this group and it was great to have her speak to them on this important day. Thanks, Amanda!

The whole quilt

A nice photo of Alec :)

Ariana and Amy, again--you can find them together often!

Celia at the tree on the patio. Alec was blessed to have Auntie Lisa, Uncle Bill, Celia, Auntie Gayle, and Grandma Herrick come to see him receive his quilt. Brian also joined us this day! He won't have a graduation ceremony, so this was the closest thing--thanks so much for coming out!!!

Lisa's square~photos from their adventures :)

Alec's birthverse

Grandma Herrick's square~more adventures!

Grandma and Grandpa Bierma's square~it's all about the music <3

Auntie Gayle's square that has been a huge hit

The first of TWO Sunshine squares...Elizabeth's!!!

Celia's precious drawing <3

Guess who? Uncle Robert, that's right, he's the coolest, heh.

 

Brian's square~This is based on a video game the two of them play and was drawn completely freehand by Brian and transferred. The symbolism is as incredible as the friendship :)

The SECOND Sunshine square...from Amanda!!! Okay, here's the story, Alec got nicknamed "Sunshine" one night in Youth Group and it stuck...it's pretty funny, since he's clearly NOT "Sunshine"...and yet...he kinda is cause he's so cute...:)

This square goes on every quilt and is signed by Pastor Gary. It's a piece of home and I love that it's on the quilt!

A shared passion for the TV show "Bones" from Monique. Who wouldn't be cheered up in those lonely moments in the dorms by looking down and reading a few of those crazy antics from our favorite "Bones" cast??

A collage of the moments of Alec's life

A fleur-de-lis representing his National Youth Gathering in 2009

AND, Amy's square~pictures of some of their adventures, youth gatherings, Quidditch, and a beautiful quote from Martin Luther.

What a truly amazing gift! I'm sure you can see how much time and effort goes into each of these quilts. I am so in awe of our quilters for the work they do and the patience they have! Thank you, too, for each of you who made a square for Alec's quilt! It will long be cherished as will the love and faith you have had for Alec :)

Moving On...

Well, okay. I guess it's time to update this blog. The last time I wrote we were checking out colleges for Alec. So...we've gone through the application process, and of the three universities to which Alec applied, he was accepted to two. I don't know if he has heard from San Francisco State, come to think of it...Hmm. Anyway, he was accepted to San Jose State and Cal State Polytechnic in Pomona. yay! He has chosen to enroll at San Jose, which has an amazing program in Computer Science, his chosen major. 

I am very excited about this next step for Alec and am focusing on that, not the fact that he is moving out in just a couple of months. Yikes! I'm very happy that SJSU is minutes away from my sister and her family, and also our former Youth Director, Elizabeth, one of our family's closest friends! Alec will be surrounded by love and support, which makes me feel very comfortable about this move. Plus, he's more than ready for this challenge :)

As he is finishing up his Senior Year, he has taken on a Senior Project: building his own computer. I would list some of the specifics, but I really haven't a clue about them. I do know this--it's a gaming computer that is super fast and crazy amazing. He purchased each component individually, and assembled the computer himself in a couple of evenings. It's the kind of thing that will be nice to be able to bring up in conversation with his professors as he starts getting into his computer classes. That kind of experience will be helpful and put him above others down the line. Yeah, I'm kind of proud of him about it!

As for the rest of us, we continue on. Michael is busy at work--really busy. He's also finishing his last in-class semester at school. The next couple of years will be in the field doing practicums and internships and behind a desk writing his dissertation. I am working on getting my business going and hoping I'm busy once Alec has moved out! Our oldest kitty, Maddy, just turned 17, so we are treating her gently and always grateful for her companionship. Our middle kitty, Sophie (7), tries to mind her own business until the baby, Horatio (2 1/2), wreaks havoc and disrupts all of our lives! Never a quiet moment with him around! 

And that sums up the goings on around here. I'd like to say I'll write more frequently, but there's really no guarantee....so....until next time!

College Tour 2010 and Happy Birthday, Celia Rose!

A few weeks ago, Michael, Alec and I went up to Northern California for a long weekend. We went up on Thursday night to San Francisco so that Friday morning we could see a couple of friends of mine start off on their 3 Day/60 Mile Walk for the Cure for the Susan G Komen Foundation. More about this can be found on my other blog: Lara's Theme. It was a beautiful morning, and we took advantage of our location and decided to check out a couple of colleges in which Alec is interested.

Michael, Alec, Me, Elizabeth, & Nova at the Opening Ceremony

First we went to San Francisco State University. This campus is a sprawling property in the middle of a very busy city. Housing edges up against a gigantic mall, which seems to be in closer proximity than most classes...

Next we went to CSU-East Bay, located in Hayward....not the most exciting city, to be sure. Fortunately the campus is located at the top of a hill and is pretty encapsulated.

The third university we visited was San Jose State University--my personal favorite going in because it is about 5 minutes from my sister, Lisa! This campus seems pretty insular, yet exists in the middle of downtown San Jose. The students have only to step to the outer edges of the campus to be in an exciting and vibrant city.

Before we headed out that morning, Alec's order of preference (as I understood it) was--CSU East Bay, SFSU, SJSU. After touring through the cities and seeing the campuses, SJSU has come out on top and is his first choice. Yay!

While we were out looking for colleges, we stopped by Ghirardelli Square. If you don't already know, Michael is seriously a fan of chocolate...so it was a given. We had lunch and, of course, ice cream :) Yum!

 Then we headed in to San Jose for the final college tour (they were really drive-bys) and to check in to our hotel. The rest of the weekend was dedicated to my niece, Celia, who turned 5 years old last month! That evening we had dinner from our favorite Mexican restaurant, Aqui, with a longtime family friend, Kristofer.

It's all about the Extreme Closeup these days!

The next day was all about getting ready for Celia's birthday dinner. Lisa and I shopped, my brother-in-law, Bill, picked up our mom from the airport, and Michael and Alec checked out the Tech Museum. Then, while Grandma Anita read to Celia, we got things ready. Dinner was lovely as always, but Celia was more interested in presents :)

Storytime!

Cool bracelet kit--we made bracelets for each other <3

I'm telling you, it's about the funny pictures--in this one, she's just a head...

Celia's Grandma Lolita, Aunt Monica, and Cousin Julia were also there to celebrate. Monica and Julia made Celia some chocolate covered strawberries...

And once the kids were sufficiently hyped up on sugar, I swooped in and made them a little crazy...it's what I do. 

This would be Julia's Extreme Closeup...

Silly faces

Silly faces...Extremely Closeup...

Silly girls!

What can I say?? I love this girl.

Sunday morning we got together for brunch and had Coffeecake, eggs, bacon, fruit...oh, and Coffee! As Celia and I started making our bead bracelets, Lisa and Bill started putting out Halloween decorations.

Halloween parachute figures...

 

C is so cute with this scarecrow! She couldn't wait for Lisa to bring it out :)

Well, she's looking at Mom's camera for this one...

Playing with its hair!

Maintaining a safe perimeter, as always.

Then, before we packed up to go, I had to get in some planned shots. Foremost on my mind were the "Cousin" pictures I always try to get. This year was fantastic! Celia and Alec had been bonding all weekend and by the end were ready for "cheek-to-cheek" poses.

We were practicing her MySpace pose

This little girl delights me in ways I can't even describe. It is a privilege to get to spend time with her, and I am so blessed when I can! Happy 5th Birthday, Celia! We love you <3