With Ryan's family at the Berkeley Rose Garden

Ryan graduated from the University of California at Berkeley on Saturday with a degree in Industrial Engineering.  On Friday Ryan got very encouraging news on the job front and should hear soon whether or not he has landed a position in software technical support.  We flew down Saturday morning and finally had a chance to meet some of the people that have been very important in Janel’s life the last few years.

We stayed with Janel’s host family, John and Kay, who were extremely gracious.  Their home is beautiful and they seem to enjoy taking care of people.  We had a delightful time getting to know them and we enjoyed playing games and talking late into the night.  We can see why Janel says they’re very much like us (and we take that as a compliment).

We had a very enjoyable time with Ryan’s parents, Paul and Kathy, and with his sister Leslea and her husband Nick.  We all have quite a bit in common and we certainly feel like we’ve known them a lot longer than two days.

After church (Janel played drums with the worship band), we spent all of Sunday with Ryan’s family, eating, shopping, exploring the Berkeley Rose Garden, and visiting – all in all, a very enjoyable day.  Nick and Randy were continually getting game updates as Randy’s Mariners eventually prevailed over Nick’s Giants!  Janel was working so we stopped in her shop along the way.  That evening, Kay prepared a great meal for us and we continued to get to know each other.

On Monday, Janel and Ryan treated us to a Giants’ game.  The weather was great and so was the game.  AT&T Park overlooks the bay and is beautiful.  And the timing of the game was great as we went straight to the airport to catch our flight home after the last out.

And the best part, of course, was seeing Janelly again!!!  Thanks, Janel, for making it a very special weekend.  We love you.

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