This is an early Christmas present from my daughter Sierra. She is a very personable gift buyer… knowing exactly what everyone would enjoy. She was afraid that I’d go out and get this for myself so she gave it to me yesterday. I had hoped to watch it in the afternoon, but that didn’t work out and today is not looking good either. It does make me smile sitting on the table in the living room, inviting me to stop and escape for a few minutes.
Steel flew in for Oregon, and Sierra returned from Las Vegas. For the first time in more than 3 months, all of the chicks are back in the nest. There is nothing quite like the feeling of waking up in the morning and knowing that the most important people in your world are safe and asleep in their own beds. We take this for granted when they live at home. Now that the kids are off to college… these moments of security are even more meaningful.
We have been so blessed to be able to travel to all of Steel’s home football games in Oregon. It is so great to see him each weekend, but one of the unexpected joys from these trips is spending so much time with Sierra. She wanted to go to all of the games with us and we were delighted to take her. She drives down from Chico in the mornings and meets us in the Long Term Parking at the airport in Sacramento. We’ve developed quite a little routine and we’re becoming more efficient travelers with each trip. (We still argue over who gets to sit by the window.)
People ask me all the time if Sierra and Steel get along. I never really know how to answer that question. It seems to me that they do… in general. Of course they have their territorial spats and arguments when they are both home, but they’ve always been protective of one another. One thing I know for sure… Sierra LOVES to watch Steel play football. She even enjoyed the wrestling matches, but Football is a special passion. I hate to admit it, but she may be his biggest fan… or at least tied with me for that title. She gets nervous and anxious for his games and fired up when he’s in on a big play. She’s not ashamed to scream out his name from the stands and wave to him when she thinks he’s looking up at us.
Sierra is exceptional. She both smart and wise and it has really been fun to watch her continue to mature and grow into the independent adult she has become. Just today she registered for her last set of Undergraduate classes at Chico (for the Spring Semester.) We all marveled at the accomplishment and wondered where the time has gone. Sierra has worked very hard and is set to graduate from Chico in the Spring after only 4 years. (A difficult fete in these times when classes are so hard to come by.) I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her. (This picture shows Leroy and Sierra watching Steel’s practice.)
Today’s photo of the day is brought to you by Sierra Rocha. She took this fabulous shot with her iPhone on the plane today on our way to Portland to see Steel. These trips have been a lot of fun with her. She is (almost) as excited and anxious during Steel’s games as I am. The flying is working out well. She drives from Chico and meets us at the Sacramento airport. We did argue over who got the window seat… but I guess it was worth it for this shot.
For those who have followed my Blessings Blog from last year, you’ll be familiar with my story about the Holiday Barbie. Every year, Sierra gets the new edition for Christmas. It’s a HUGE part of our holiday tradition with so many memories associated with the acquisition.
On our way to Oregon this morning, we stopped at a Target to get some goodies and as we walked past the toy section, I noticed the Barbie dolls and decided to check. August 13th is a bit early, but I took a chance and there she was.
This one will have unique memories attached to it since it was purchased on our way to Oregon to move Steel into his dorm. I wish now I had written down all of the stories about the Barbies each year. I think they mean more to me than they do to Sierra.
This is a picture of two of my favorite people. (Daughter Sierra and Nephew Brandon) If they weren’t cousins, I swear they’d be a couple. Sierra often refers to Brandon as her BFF and we were teasing her last night that he’ll be her Man of Honor at her wedding. They share a lot of the same interests. Brandon is just about the coolest 13 year old I’ve ever known… and when he’s with Sierra, you don’t notice the 8 year age difference… especially after today.
Another common thing that Sierra and Brandon share is BRACES. Sierra had braces put on her bottom teeth this morning to fix some movement she’s had over the last few years. She’ll only have to wear them until November, then they’ll replace it with a permanent retainer. Brandon has only had his braces on for about 6 weeks so they were commiserating tonight at dinner. Sierra was complaining that her mouth hurt and Brandon assured her that it would only last a few days.
With our abundant harvest, Sierra was inspired to try her hand at baking zucchini bread today. She loves to bake. She even talks about one day opening her own bakery and calling it CeCe’s Sweets. She looked up a recipe on the Internet, doubled it and baked 4 delicious loaves. The entire batch required 3-1/2 zucchini so we still have plenty left over for other recipes.
Tonight we had dinner with our dear friend Karen Wright. (One of my favorite people, at one of my favorite places… BJ’s.) Karen is always a lot of fun and full of energy. Karen is a big fan of my kids and always has a kind thought and word for them. It was fun for Sierra to celebrate turning 21 with this lady.
To celebrate Sierra’s 21st birthday, we boarded a party bus and drove to several trashy bars in Modesto. Steel was recruited to be our designated driver and did a great job getting us to and from each destination. We met up with friends at each of the stops who came by to wish Sierra a happy birthday. We had a schedule, but we didn’t stick to it very well. This picture is in front of our first stop, Nino’s and was taken by one of the kind patrons. We had a great time but Sierra was a bit disappointed that she didn’t get carded.
This is my view of Sierra’s room when she’s away. I keep the door open and walk past it several times a day always to be reminded of what’s missing. When she’s home she keeps the door shut (mostly to hide her messy room) but when she’s at school, I keep it open waiting for her return. Today is her 21st birthday. While it is a major milestone in someone’s life, it’s not necessarily the birthday that you look forward to spending with your parents. I didn’t get to see her today and that seems very strange. She stayed in Chico to celebrate with her friends. We’ll postpone our festivities until the coming weekend. Instead I thought a lot about 1989. Sierra is the age I was when I delivered her and our lives couldn’t be more different.
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change a thing about my life, but I’ve always hoped for an easier road for my children and so far, so good. I married at 19 and had my first baby at 21. While it worked well for us, it’s not the easiest way to start a family. It is so much wiser to finish your education and to be a bit older and more mature before marrying and becoming a parent. Sierra is almost finished with her third year of college and is on track to graduate (with her first degree) next spring. She has really set herself up for success. One of my favorite quotes is, “Life is tough, but it’s tougher when you’re stupid” and Sierra has been anything but stupid.
No one has directly changed my life as much as Sierra. Becoming a parent was a transformative experience for me and it defines who I am. My whole life changed in an instant and all for the better. Every thing, every one, every moment was preparation for that event. While I consider my marriage my most significant relationship, being a parent is my most important responsibility. I know that God will never give us more burden than we can bear. He knows I can’t handle much, so he’s given me tremendous children to raise who have always been more blessing than burden.
