Janet Shares: All The Best for 2012

All the Best to our Family and Friends

for a happy and healthy 2012!


Rachel and Ciara 2011

Ciara, Barb and Leann

Janet and Ciara

Ciara just left to go back to Massachusetts, staying with the wonderful Norrman family, after spending a week with us. We celebrated Hanukkah (a bit early) together which was heartwarming. Ciara's finishing up her contract with Becker College where she was the head coach for the field hockey team and assistant coach for girls basketball. She'll be coming back home in February to finish her last 6 months of grad school at CSULB in Sports Management.

In July, she's headed back to Mass. where she will be taking on the head coach job at Becker for field hockey and hoping to secure a full time job at the school doing Sports Information Management (SIM), a career goal at this time. She experienced SIM while interning at UCI this past year and discovered a passion for that aspect of the sports industry. So, it is with mixed emotions that we will be seeing her move back to Auburn, MA in 2012, but we love her and are so very proud of her accomplishments. Best of all, she is as happy as can be! Who could ask for more?

Grandma Rosa Lee, Rachel, Ciara and Janet

Rachel is a junior at Newport Harbor. After two years at OCHSA, she decided to give Harbor a try and is enjoying it (as much as any teenager enjoys school). This year Rachel had her sweet 16 celebration and had her Confirmation and Congregation Shir Ha-Ma'alot.

Performing with NDT at South Coast Plaza

Rachel and Kenyon

Rachel continues to dance with Newport Dance Center and has a wonderful boyfriend, Kenyon. We adore him and enjoy spending time with both of them.

Rachel and Kenyon

Kenyon and Rachel

Rachel took her PSAT and is preparing to take her SATs and other college preparatory tests. It's hard to believe that our little Rachel is preparing for college! Even more amazing is that Rachel now has her driver's permit, meaning that Greg and I are getting chauffeur driven everywhere! She's doing a very good job driving and plans to take her driver's test in March. Rachel brings us much joy and laughter, is quite bright and engaging -- she makes us so proud and we love her very much.

Greg and Biscuit

Greg is in his fourth year working at Mission Hospital in the radiology department. In his "spare" time, he continues to do amazing graphic design. In fact, he was part of the team that earned an international award for the 2010 annual report created for United Therapeutics. It was a great honor and we are very proud of his accomplishments! Greg continues to create beautiful landscape in our back patio and side yard. Everyday I open the blinds and see the beautiful flowers and vines that he maintains.

This year, Greg and our wonderful neighbor Marwan, planted a garden which has yielded many delicious tomatoes, bell peppers and chilies. Greg loves to spend time with our wonderful beagle Biscuit, now in his 12th year and is bringing us lots of joy and laughter.

I am in my 4th year working at Experian in Costa Mesa doing project management in the Global Project Management Office. I just became certified as an Experian Ambassador, so I can now train others in the community on understanding, building and managing credit. My desire is to help high school and college age students understand how to use and manage credit wisely. Continuing with my photography, I am now a freelance photographer with Orange County Jewish Life magazine. In addition to being on the Board of Trustees for Congregation Shir Ha-Ma'alot, focusing on Social Media (Facebook) and managing the SHM Photo Gallery, this year I represented the Irvine Jewish Community at the annual Global Village Festival.

Pumpkin Chili with Corn Bread

Danielle, Rachel, Janet, Greg, Susan
and Grandma Rosa Lee

I've spent a lot more time creating interesting and often successful dishes in the kitchen. Something about cooking for my family helps me to express the great love that I feel for them. I love spending time with family and friends and keeping everything.

One of the extra benefits of living in our wonderful neighborhood, is spending time with our next door neighbors, Marwan, Rula and their beautiful daughter Chloe. She had her first birthday this year, was Baptised and was the star at the celebration!

Grandma Rosa Lee, Greg, Chloe, Marwan
and Rula at Chloe's Baptism Celebration

Ciara's dad John, his girl friend Tina, Greg and I took a weekend trip to Paso Robles and had a fantastic time tasting wine, dining and taking in the beauty of the land. What a gorgeous town -- like being in Italy, without the expense!

John and Tina

Greg and Janet

Paso Robles

The four of us, plus Ciara, Rachel and two of Ciara's friends from the East Coast are headed on a cruise to the Caribbean in February as an early gift for Ciara's upcoming July grad school graduation. We had planned it before she took the head coaching assignment at Becker College, so we decided to just keep the reservations and celebrate before the graduation - sort of like, "Life is short, eat dessert first."