Thursday the 12th, we left for Anaheim taking hwy 101 because we didn’t know if the Grapevine pass had snow and required chains due to the much needed rain that had finally come to California. There were many memories that flooded our minds as we traveled through areas that had been a part of previous vacations with our boys and even my first marriage. (I spent my first honeymoon in Santa Barbara.) We always enjoy traveling together as it is time to communicate on many levels without interruption. The weather held and we arrived at the Anaheim Hilton about 9:30 PM. It is right next to the Convention center and Disneyland. We shared a room with our good friends and business partners, the Tashjians. I must say that the Hilton rooms aren’t anything fancy but we were extremely pleased with a couple of basics that were top class…one was the towels (they were a nice size that you could actually wrap around all of yourself) and the other was the bed. It was very comfortable. Probably the nicest bed we have had in a hotel setting. Made getting a good nights sleep possible. There was one other nice amenity but I will tell you that later.
The two day conference was a mix of emotions…concern, disappointment, hope, trust, faith, commitment, fantastic training and love. We are so very grateful that we made the decision to attend. We are committed to working with our Zrii business and being successful to fulfill the goals we have made for ourselves. We are excited to work hard and see results. We are committed to help those who join us to also succeed in fulfilling their goals and dreams all of us gaining better health in the process.
There were several outstanding presenters during the conference. One was Thurl Bailey. He is a former pro basketball star plus he sings, and is a great motivational speaker. He was the first presenter on Saturday and was just what the conference needed to start the day. He sang and spoke to us giving us all deep reflection and determination. We bought his CD during the lunch break and were just one of many who had him autograph it. That was my Valentine’s gift.
Speaking of Valentine’s day, one of the presenters had his wife come up on stage with him and he told about their meeting on a blind date and how happy they have been in their marriage. He then got down on one knee and asked her to go to Hawaii with him and marry him again in renewing their vows. He presented her with a piece of jewelry at the same time. She was overcome and emotional. He, Dr. Boettcher, threw his head microphone off over his shoulder to give her a “real” kiss. It was very tender and sweet. All the women were envious, I think.
After the conference, we took off for dinner with the Tashjians to an Irish pub. It was called “The Auld Irisher Irish Pub and Restaurant. The atmosphere was fun and the food was great. The only negative was we were sitting very close to the speakers where the music was playing and it was loud. If it hadn’t been so crowded we would have asked for a different table. But it was fun and yummy.
After dinner we returned to our hotel room and ordered a movie on the flat screen TV (at least 36 “, maybe 42”, the other amenity). We watched “Australia” and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you haven’t seen it…make a point to do so. It is filled with adventure, history, comedy, drama, and romance. It’s set in the beginning of WWII and very well acted. We highly recommend it.
Sunday was pack up and ship out day but first we made a stop at the home of a dear old friend of mine. Her name is Brahna Nudell. She was a neighbor of ours when we lived in Cucamonga CA. when my three oldest were very young. “Linda” (Christy) went to school with her son David and they played together a lot. Even though we haven’t seen each other for about 37 years we have kept in touch every year at Christmas time through cards and a phone call. Brahna’s husband Seymour died a 4 years ago, so now she is alone but still living in Irvine, CA which is just a few miles south of Anaheim and just off of I-5.
It was her birthday on the 12th of Feb so her son David (who lives in Hollywood) was there too and took us all out to lunch at the Elephant Bar restaurant to celebrate her birthday. We had a fantastic time together reminiscing and getting caught up on the current days in our lives too. I brought pictures of the family…all of you, and they were thrilled. David was particularly interested in “Linda’s” & George’s families as those are the ones he remembers. He just turned 43 at the beginning of the month. He is quite well known in Hollywood for music (has several gold records on his walls) he’s written for pop groups, TV shows and movies. He is also a TV and Movie producer. He’s writing a script for a movie now and working on his next book. He gave us a signed copy of a book he wrote "Lessons from Beyond" which he dedicated to his hero, his dad, as he learned so much about life from him. It is an ongoing book series where people contribute stories from their lives of lessons they have learned from those who have passed away. David goes by the name Daven Michaels in his career. He is a very down to earth guy and such a good son to his mom. He currently has a girlfriend who has two young children. Being a "Daddy" figure is a first for him and he really likes it. Our visit was a real highlight of our weekend. Richard and Brahna were very happy to finally meet each other after talking on the phone several times when I wasn’t home for her annual call.
Our trip home was on I-5 and we didn’t hit the downpour of rain until about 130 miles from home. It was a deluge but we made it home without any trouble and arrived about 9:30 PM Sunday night. It was definitely a trip to remember.
Abby and Noelle watch the event
Michael
Emma
Jenna
The Whole wonderful Family with the Judge
Emma and Abby riding the Motorcycle race bikes. They loved it and did really well!!
Michael being a real biker on his game!
Jenna loved the Merry-go Round
Isaiah had fun on the games too but loved to eat his peaches....LEFT HANDED!! Papa is happy he finally has another lefty in the family.
