I am stuck somewhere between CA and the mid-west

This past week was the beginning of a new year of classes at the college. No matter what, my first week seems to bring out the fact that I am not a "California-born" citizen. My students often remark that I have an interesting "accent", and I readily share that I actually grew up in the mid-west and have since set my roots here in southern CA. So, as the question was raised again this past week, it got me thinking about how things are different here in southern CA. I made a short list, that I thought my truly mid-west family might appreciate.

Things that I do (or did) in CA just because I grew up in the mid-west:

1. I say y'all. (I don't know if this is just a personal thing, but I say it often and normally am asked where I am from)
2. I wear a sweater in January, simply because it is January.
3. I believed that church attire includes nylons and dress shoes. (I have since eradicated that idea.)
4. I am surprised to see coupons or advertisements written in both English and Spanish.
5. I believe one should only get on the freeway when taking a "trip."

6. The price of a very small house makes me gasp.
7. The idea of swimming outdoors on Christmas day is humorous.
8. I actually want to "feel" an earthquake.
9. I still stare at the ocean and beach each time I drive by it because I am overwhelmed by how beautiful it really is.

10. I don't feel a need to have a tan in the fall and winter----isn't it just a summer thing????

Well, that is my list. I had fun writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. I have lived here in southern CA for 4 years, and I hope to never leave it. I love where I live, but I also love the fact that I do have roots in the mid-west, and there are parts of me that will never forget about it.

Wesley's 9-yr. pictures

When Wesley was walking out of class today, I saw him and thought: "Wow, that is one big kid. Is that one mine??" I don't know what has happened in the past year or two, but this guy has been growing and maturing. We are very proud of him, too. You just have to love those sparkling brown eyes :)

Look who is going back to school........

Today was the first day of classes at Ventura Missionary School! Wesley is now in 4th grade, and he is happy about two things: he has a good teacher (a male), and his best friend is in his class. There are two classes of each grade level, and the classes are divided differently each year. Wesley and Cody have been together every year, so far.

I have to post another picture of Drew below because he looks like a midget, next to Wesley :) He is excited about being in second grade. After school today he told me, "Luke, Aidan and me played basketball with three third graders, and we won. I made lots of baskets." It was rather exciting for him. I guess recess does bring home some of the best stories.

We thank God for the school that they are able to attend, and for the way we see God working in their lives. Andrew was not put in the same grade as his best friends from last year. I told him that I had prayed that God would put him in the right class with the right people that would most help him to grow. He understood and was able to accept the fact that God's will does not always mean we get exactly what we want!

Roughing it at Lake Casitas

Our family spent two days and two nights doing some real camping---in a tent. Lake Casitas is just 20 miles from our home, set in the mountains of Ojai. Our campsite had a beautiful view. Below is a picture of Gary getting the tent set-up. It was very windy during this process. Thankfully, the wind subsided for the rest of our stay.


The kids all had a good time. The boys did quite a bit of fishing with dad, and we did several small hikes. Brooke was an interesting camper. She hated the bathrooms (but that is quite understandable), so she pretty much refused to go to the bathroom. We visited the camp store several times because their bathroom was "better." She also hated the yellow jackets. We get limited bugs at our home in Ventura, so I was not expecting too many bugs while camping. However, we did get visited by quite a few yellow jackets. We bought a trap, and that seemed to console Brooke somewhat.


We saw many squirrels. They were much smaller than the squirrels I was used to in the mid-west. Gary said he heard a coyote the first night that we were there. I loved the fact that Gary did most of the cooking, and it all turned out exceptionally well! We spent our last evening at the water park and got everyone rinsed out from all the camp dirt.

Gramma and Poppa come to visit

Mom and Dad got in on Monday. We were busy the whole week! Tuesday was a trip to Fo-Fo Figgilys, where mom and dad got in the tunnels and crawled around like kids. I did too, but it was especially fun to see them up there. Tuesday night was Wesley's birthday party at Round Table Pizza, with some of his friends.


Wednesday we took a trip to the Ventura County Fair. I think we all rode on something, and we all found something good to eat, too.


Thursday was spent up in Ojai. Dad and Gary went golfing, and the rest of us walked through the shops and park in downtown Ojai. The kids were all three ecstatic when Poppa bought them a new Webkinz. They were carried around the rest of the day!

Friday was a cold day to go to the beach, but we had to get them to the ocean sometime, so we made the trip to the beach. Brooke and gramma enjoyed playing in the sand.

Thank you, mom and dad, for flying out to see us. We had tons of fun, as always. We did also buy a new tent. The boys spent the last night sleeping in the backyard with dad and Poppa. We plan to go camping later this week, so wait to see some pictures from there :)

Happy Birthday #9!

Wesley loves mint chip ice cream, so I made him an ice cream cake. Yum! I told him that he can't get too much older or we would start running out of room for all the candles on his cake.


The only thing he told us that he wanted for his birthday was money or Verticon. Gary and Andrew and Brooke took a trip to Toys 'R Us and purchased this item while I distracted Wesley elsewhere. Verticon is a game where the "floating balls" fight each other and you have to pick which one you think will last the longest. They come with weapons also. Boys and their toys, particularly my boys and their "fighting" toys.

Happy Birthday, to my oldest! I love you, bud. Wesley is a first born child and manifests it well in his drive, ambition, intelligence, and leadership. These qualities are also mixed in with his clumsiness and great compassion. Who would have thought nine years ago that my littlest baby (5 pounds) could grow to be such a big boy (not even a head shorter than me and nearly 100 pounds)? Wesley is most proud of his family; he told me yesterday that he is so glad that God gave him a great family. His best friend is his brother, and his hero is his dad. I don't know where that puts Brooke and I, but we will settle for being the only women in his life. :)

Spider-man is among us

When people speak of "climbing the walls" as a bad thing, I have to now laugh. Andrew loves climbing, climbing anything. His latest adventure has been to climb the doorway openings. Normally, he will just do it. I may be getting ready in the bathroom and next thing I know, Andrew is up at the top of the bathroom opening. Yesterday, though, he put on his Spider-man apparel and did his "climb." I figured that deserved to be photographed. I seem to remember my cousin Frankie doing this as a young boy. Now, I have my own Spider-man.

Santa Barbara Zoo

We took a trip to the Santa Barbara Zoo. One of my favorite parts is the 25-minute drive up the coast. Brooke's favorite was the elephant. Wesley and Andrew loved the gibbon. We stood there for quite awhile and just watched them swing all over the place----amazing.

Who doesn't love a package..........

......especially a package of clothes from Aunt Linda! Brooke and Andrew found such tremendous joy today in opening and inspecting a large box that was sent to us from Michigan. Thankfully, Molly is bigger than Brooke and passes her clothes down to Brooke. Brooke changed her outfit.....I am not quite sure.....but I would have to estimate 18 times today.

Andrew was thankful for the bag of Tootsie Pops that found their way into Brooke's box of clothes. I was also humored by the fact that the sides of the box were all colored----I guess Ryan and Dakota helped with the packaging. Thanks, Molly and Aunt Linda; we love you guys and all of the clothes that you send our way!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July from the Beards! We enjoyed a BBQ and smores and fireworks with several families from our church. We were in charge of bringing the dessert. We settled on chocolate chip cookies (good Rehfeldt tradition) and flag brownies.


Just an update on my last post. We have not heard much in regards to the house. We are dealing with a bank, and they work at their own pace. Our realtor told us that one of the offers was better than ours by $10,000 with more money down, so we counter offered our own offer and raised the price by $15,000. I don't know if this will make a difference. It is in the Lord's hands. We somewhat expect that if we were going to be able to purchase the home that we would have heard something by now. So, we continue to wait.

Thanks for your calls and prayers regarding my tests this week. I actually was also having some severe pains below my chest for this last week. So on Wednesday, I was in the doctor's office all day. One good thing about being diabetic is that the doctors feel free to run every test on you. I know that my heart is in good condition (EKG), my liver is functioning well and my gallbladder is not infected (blood tests). My nerve test also came back with clear results. So, there is no problem with the nerves in my legs. In fact, that specialist said, "You look great, particularly for being diabetic for almost 30 years." Regarding the recent pains below my chest (and lack of sleep), the doctor put me on some medicine and said I probably have an upper stomach infection. Unfortunately, it has not taken away my appetite :)

It was a fun day today, and thankfully, I was feeling much better! Hope you all enjoyed your different fireworks, wherever it was they shot up from!!!!