Life in California .X x V. ,OO

Hello everyone

New friends
Al and I on right

Playing around

  Life was good! It was the first time since we got married, I have seen him so happy and satisfied with his work!We made many new friends; some were parents of Karen's kindergarten class and others were teaching  with me at the same Hebrew School... Others were designers and costumers which Al met in his furniture business...

  Among the business men Al befriended, was Maurice Donenfeld, another Furniture Manufacturer, who's nickname was Marco... Al and Marco, who enjoyed each other's company, decided  to introduce their wives... We got together at Marco's Furniture factory and took off for lunch... Harriet and I 'Hit it of ' at first sight;  connecting right away by our common bond of 'yo-yo' dieting! The four      of us, were the complete opposites in many ways, but the differences did not stop us from becoming  "Best friends"! Al and Marco's furniture business, dealt with different kind of clients, which right away prevented any kind of competition...Al's dealt mainly with the Hospitality Industry (Hotels, private clubs and fine restaurants) While Marco catered mostly to the Home Furnishing Industry, which eliminated any business competition, between the two of them... The four of us spent a lot of time together: Dining out  go to the movies, get season tickets for two theaters and traveling together... Al and I ,who had several groups of friends, often invited all of them to our home, to celebrate some of the many holidays of the year.... Below are photos of several Jewish holidays...

Karen on Rosh Hashana	Sukot	Karen on Chanuka	Karen on Purim	Karen (right) Passover	on "Pesach"

   Our 'Gentile' friends (non Jews) would invite us to celebrate Easter and Christmas, which were new    for me and made it a delightful experiences... Besides celebrating the American holidays, we took the opportunity to celebrate American and other Ethnic holidays, like the 'Chinese new Year'...

Chinese New Year	🍀 Harriett and   I on "Saint Patrick"	Cinco de Mayo	Karen's and Shira's 4th of July cake	Halloween  Shira and Darlene	Thanksgiving Lyle is cutting the turkey

   Harriett's Playful inner child, was even bigger then mine! She insisted we call ourselves "The Four Musketeers!" I was the 'Youngest Musketeer' in our group of four and wasn't very experienced with the American way of life... Our daughter Karen was only four years old, when we met Harriett and Marco who had two older sons and a twelve years old daughter... They immediately embraced us as a part of  their family; insisting Karen calls them 'Auntie Harriet and Uncle Marco'. Harriett took upon herself, the job of teaching me how to bring Karen up 'Properly', in the 'environment' of the American schools... She was especially worried about the time, Karen would start Junior High, where her daughter Jolie was at that time... She suggested which classes Karen should be taking when her turn comes and was telling me how very important it was, to befriend the most 'Popular girls' in the class and try to win over the "Bitches" among them...It didn't help to remind my new friend, that Karen is still in Kindergarten, since according  to "Auntie Harriett", I 'Must' make sure that Karen will be a Cheerleader, because this is one of the ways to become 'Popular in school! ' She also instructed me which classes and after-school activities, Karen should be taking in order to be with the Most Popular Guys... I thanked Harriett for her good intentions asking to remind me all this in ten years, when Karen will become a 'Teen Ager'...X

 First grade

 Mirman school

 

   Karen was tested as a 'Highly Gifted' child and her kindergarten teacher and principal, recommended she skips the last year of kindergarten and begin first grade at the Mirman School for Gifted Students. She was only five years old, the youngest in her first grade class, when she joined this prestigious school... Years later I will regret that I did not keep her one more year in kindergarten, so she could have another year of care free childhood... After her third year at the Mirman School,we decided to move Karen to the Temple School of Stephan S. Wise, where she stayed for the next two years an later to  an excellent Private Middle School, named after the well known Rabbi -Solomon Shechter...

Karen's Bat Mitzva	Karen with her favorite teacher	Solomon Shechter Middle School	With favorite teacher/rabbi	Karen's"admirers"... at At her Bat Mitsva

   One memorable summer, Karen and a few other students, were selected from California's High Schools (As well as others all over the US.) to fly to Russia and join in what was called "The Peace caravan,which was combined of several Tour Buses, taking the American students to different parts of Russia, in order to meet Russian high school students and begin a 'Peace Dialogue' with them...Karen, who wanted to be with her friends in summer camp, was reluctant to go... I needed all the strength (and patience) a Teenager's mother could summon, to convince Karen, that this Amazing Opportunity, may be an important events in her life; where she and the other kids, who were "Hand Picked" to represent the American Youth would  be able to create the possibility of Peace with Russia; the Leading communist country in the world... 

Pre revolution palace	A welcome with bread and salt	The Americans' gift (Karen on the left)	The tomb of the unknown soldier	Karen and Stalin

In a museum (Karen in red)	On the left with her new friends	In the center with Russian teens	With a little Russian girl	With a Russian officer

   Two years later, when the Berlin Wall came Tumbling Down, I would say to Karen:"Do you know     how Powerful you are? Look at what you are capable of doing!" To which she answered, like a typical teenager: "Oh Mom!"...  Summer camp was always one of the greatest sources of fun and joy, for our daughter! Besides making new and lasting friendships, she enjoyed the out doors life of Swimming Horseback ridding, Mountain climbing and many other activities; like meaningful conversations and discussions with her new friends. Each summer Karen would climb a step higher in the Camp: from a Camper to a Junior Counselor, then a Dance Instructor and the coveted position of 'Song Leader'! In the camp she would eventually meet her first " Real Serious boyfriend" Jonathan and would have a  two years relationship, which would last for three years...

"Summer Time and the Living is Easy"	Karen and Jonathan	Jonathan and Karen	Madly in love	With Robin and boyfriends

   The Buckley High School was another great experience! Unbeknownst to us, most of the students in   this school were the sons, daughters, nieces or nephews, of well-known "Stars" of Hollywood's Movie and Music Industries. Our home was filled with happy teenagers,who's company Al and I truly enjoyed which seemed to be mutual... Karen told me how one of her new girlfriends, who's father was a well known Actor, told her how annoying her Dad's Fame was, since people would stop them wherever they went, to ask for  an Autographs... "Your mom and dad are the first 'Normal parents' I got to know Karen!"  She said."What was your answer? I asked her. Karen looked at me and winked: "As you well know mom the ward 'Normal' is Relative" And we bouth started to laugh...

  Below, Karen's at school and during the celebration of her Sweet Sixteen party, in "Dar-Ma-Grab", the        popular Moroccan Restaurant in Hollywood, where we often visited and took our gusts to dine ...

  Below, graduation from High School! An Emotional Event for the student, as well as for their families...

   My father-in-law, Al's dad, often talked about the fact, that time is passing away to fast,"Before you know its over!" He used to say... Only now, as I look at the photos in this post, I realy understand...The photos above are showing our Karen at her High school graduation, getting ready for collage. It seems     as if it was just yesterday, when I took her to the "Mirman School for the Gifted", when she was only    five years old... It seems that just yesterday, I was standing behind the fence of her school, when she started First grade, wiping the tears from my eyes... Now, Karen was getting ready to leave us and go       to collage in Washington D.C...After one year only, she would come back to California and transferred   to the University of Santa Barbra, with her new friend Tammy... A year later, Karen would move again this time to UCLA... I was concerned, that Al and I started a bad habit of school-changing, during her  most formative years and told her so; she laughed:"Don't worry Mom, one of the most impotent thing which you taught me, was that if we are not really happy with something, we can always change it!" 

   After Karen received her Driver License, I finally had more time to farther my Metaphysical and  Spiritual Knowledge... I talked Al into going with me to a seminar named EST, which was one of the    most important 'Mind Expending' experiences, I have ever went through! I took other seminars like "Chinese Energy Healing, Aroma and Essential Oil Therapy and the Healing Vibrations of Sounds        and Colors..."  I also studied Clinical Hypnotherapy and "Mixed together"my new knowledge, with    other kinds of information regarding our Spiritual Growth; information which I have been gathering through out the years.... My work as a Clinical Hypnotherapist was a great source of satisfaction. I had      one more wish I accomplished, when I received my PhD degree in Human Behavior, from New  Port University...  One of my nephews in Israel said to his parents: "Shira is the only one I know, who never stopped going to school!" 

With Love and Light,
Shira