My son, Todd Anthony Valenti, is 18 years old today!

God has blessed us with an awesome son.  He loves God and loves to work in His Kingdom.  I pray he continues to give his life to what God has called him to.  For in doing so, only there will he find true joy.

At 18, he has already accomplished quite a bit with his life…

At age 7 he began taking Tae Kwon Do.  He stuck with it and received his black belt at 11 years old.

He started taking piano lessons at age 11, began playing in church at age 12.  Today he is an accomplished pianist, has written several songs, and is the music director for Refuge Youth Ministries at his church.  He also plays the organ, bass guitar and drums.

On keyboard @ Camp Meeting.

On drums @ his Uncle Andrew’s church.

On bass @ Youth Service.

Playing for Youth service – age 12.

He has also built two computers for himself.  He spent months researching the best parts, ordered them, then built the computers, on his own.

He has helped his family work in the cherry orchard in many ways since it’s beginning and is always a big help in all he is asked to do.

He has always given of his time, sacrifically to any work regarding his church and the Kingdom of God.

Here he helped his brother put up church sign.

Helped give blankets to the poor children.

Helping with Turkey Give Away.

I thank God for giving me such an awesome son.  I love him so very much and am proud of the mature, sweet, kind young man he has become.

1st day of Kindergarten.  He insisted on wearing his big brother’s sweater, even though it was too big.

Any reason to go to the beach/ocean…I will be there.

Our church ladies went on Saturday for a fun time of talking, getting to know each other better…and some crazy girls…swimming…in the freezing Santa Cruz ocean!  We had lots of fun!

I look like a hippy from the 60’s!  Ha!  Love you, Patricia!  Thought you were gonna go swimmin’, huh?  ‘Til you felt the water!  Brrrrr… .

Yep!  That’s Danelle on left.  Half fish, she is.  Where there’s water…no matter the temp…Danelle’s in it.

Faith, Cassandra, Santa, Christina.  Hang Loose!

Lisa, Lani, Sep (sp?).  Some of our new ladies.  So glad they came.  They’re lots of fun!

Deanna and her friend.

SO BEAUTIFUL!

Fun ’round the fire pit.

Makin’ s’mores.

Gooey.

Messy.

But oh so yummy!

As the sun started to set, it started getting cold.

Ladies, you are wonderful.  So glad I know you.

Note: More pics here.

Love this song!

The European Starling.

It is the bane of my existence!

Unbelievably smart – like a dog.  They love our cherries and eat way too many.  They are mean and disgusting too.  They don’t even take the whole cherry!  They just eat half of it, leave the rest on the tree, then poop it out!  Why even eat it?

Len and Kyle shoot them, and we have propane cannons that make a gunshot sound, but still they come.  You have to sneak up on them.  As soon as they see the guys raise their rifle, they take off.  They know what will happen.  Crazy!

[[p. 9]] After many failures the European starling was successfully introduced into this country in 1890 at New York City, where it became firmly established within a few years (about 1896), and now it must be considered a naturalized member of the North American avifauna. Within 20 years of its establishment it had become one of the most abundant birds in the region about New York City and of local occurrence from Maine to Maryland. In another dozen years it had occurred in every State from the Atlantic to the Mississippi and from the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico, with outlying records in Nova Scotia, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas.

So…why?  Why in the world were they introduced into this country?!  Sigh.  I heard somewhere that the Queen of England gave them to America as a gift.  Thanks a LOT!

Okay…I’m done venting.