April 14, 2010: Yet Another Spring Birthday

Spring has returned.

The earth is like a child

that knows poems.
~Rainer Maria Rilke

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings from San Diego, California where beautiful spring flowers seems to be multiplying overnight. We are presently in the midst of the big 3 day celebration of Khmer New Year - at least it is big for the thousands of Cambodians who live in the San Diego area. It is a first for Cindy and me, but a regular occurrence for our daughter-in-law Chenda. Learn more about Khmer New Year.

The first picture I am including shows baby Preslea Maida Shepard with her daddy Nathan, mom Chenda and Grandmother Cindy. This picture was taken just yesterday at a Khmer New Year celebration here in San Diego. (click the pic for a larger view)

Today is the birthday of Rachel Jane Shepard of Bothell, Washington. She is the middle child of Darrell and Mary Shepard of Kirkland, Washington, a Granddaughter of Maida and Eugene Shepard, and the 13th Ggrandchild of Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard. The second picture I am including, taken last fall, shows Rachel with her mother Mary on the left and her boyfriend Bryan Miller, standing. The third picture today shows Rachel at 3 years old at a family wedding in Anacortes, Washington.

Rachel: "I can't believe I'll be 23 this Wednesday, time sure flies! :) All is going well with me. Bryan and I are still living in our apartment in Bothell. I stay busy these days with work and taking care of our 5 month old puppy Maddi. :) I continue to work in the senior housing industry (going on 7 years!) and actually got a new job as an Assistant Administrator for an Assisted Living Memory Care community. It's a lot of work and responsibility but I am enjoying it. Work is pretty tiring and we've been having some crazy weather lately so I've been relaxing and of course spending time with my family. As you know we all still stay within about a 15 minute radius of each other.  

My mom is doing pretty good. For the most part she's recovering very well from her recent surgery. Patrick just got a promotion with his job and Chris continues to work and go to school full time. We are all looking forward to the following months for some nice sunny weather. :)

What a beautiful baby Nathan and Chenda have. I love the name. I'm very happy for them. Your first grand baby! That's exciting for you guys too. I enjoy the family emails and getting to see the pictures that come with them."

Historical Note: There is another Rachel Jane in our family tree besides today's birthday girl Rachel Jane Shepard. Bura (Davis) Shepard's maternal grandmother was Margaret (Maggie) Williams Spear (1845-1904) who had a sister born with the name Rachel Jane Williams (b. 1832). Often in our family children will be named purposefully after a relative. Then there are times when a child is unintentionally named after one of their ancestors. My guess is that the latter is the case here, but it is worth celebrating nonetheless. Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Select this for a photo presentation done for Rachel. 

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Steve