Chapter 26 Birthdays and anniversaries

Sofia & Afonso's Birthday January 29

The kids' first birthday celebration with Kensi and Marty was coming up, and they were turning 4 . . . they were excited. Donald and Julia were there to help celebrate (he was off parole), a half dozen friends from pre-school were invited as were Kensi's partners at South Bay – Wendy and Valerie. Sofia loved playing dollies with her girlfriends and the older ladies, it made her feel so grown up.

Children were asked to bring a card only, no gifts please as the kids had been swamped at Christmas. Adult guests were told gifts were optional -keep it under $15 please. Direct family ignored all instructions but did save their gifts for a family party the next day.

It was fascinating to watch the children interact. They were ½ way through a preschool year and so had been talking with each other for several months; the English-speaking kids had picked up a fair number of Portuguese words, and vice versa. The resulting conversations were a mish-mash of the two languages with lots of giggles thrown in. It was all the adults could do to contain their laughter. Kensi was aware of this development and had some concerns. Over the course of the school year, she had spoken to some of the mothers and was relieved to hear that none of them were concerned. In fact, most of them were pleased that their child was becoming at least partly bi-lingual. It was thought to be an asset going forward. Kensi and Marty were relieved.

Donald and Julia set to work building an inexpensive shelving unit in the kid's room. There was a desperate need for storage for all the clothes, toys and other stuff Santa had brought (thus the no gifts request at the party). This would hopefully be alleviated come summer when a 3-bed apartment became available if they wanted to move. The other living space option was to move to San Jose – that discussion was not yet finalized.

South Bay had, as previously noted, found space where they could have all their services operating fully in one location. Donald was therefore busy with Kensi putting the finishing touches on the shooting range, for both handguns and long rifles. Also previously noted – there was not the hoped-for demand for sniper training so that space would sit undeveloped for the time being.

After the two ranges were finished, they reserved the first 2 weeks of operation for South Bay firearms instructors and special guests. This way the kinks could be worked out and they could schedule the first group of trainees. Marty was in the first 'class', he was trying to be certified for Concealed Carry; he was nervous, but his in-home support system was cheering for him.

HE WAS A SUCCESS! AND KENSI RE-CERTIFIED ALSO!

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

In early April (not April fools' day) the San Jose Chamber of Commerce was holding a ball honoring outstanding new businesses in the area. South Bay had been nominated and had won the top award. This was a black-tie affair. The three couples would be attending to accept the award on behalf of South Bay: Kensi/Marty, Wendy/Adam, Valerie/Wesley. None of the couples felt that they had attire suitable for this high-class of an event, so they found a formal wear shop in San Jose. The couples went as a group so they could color coordinate what they wore. They finalized on:

Kensi a hot-pink ankle length gown with a generous slit to mid-thigh on the Left, silver & white diamonds jewelry, 4" stilettos; Marty a black tux with burgundy accessories.

Wendy a silver over white ankle length gown with the same slit, jewelry and stilettos; Adam a black tux with silver accessories.

Valerie a royal blue ankle length gown with the same slit, jewelry and stilettos; Wesley a black tux with light blue accessories.

The ladies did a great job of an acceptance speech with all 3 taking part. After all the speeches and presentations, it was picture time. The 3 ladies did a group shot for South Bay which was stunning beyond belief. That one shot was definitely going on a poster and was guaranteed to be seen on many a marketing brochure. Interestingly, the next day this picture showed up in newspapers around the bay in full color in the business sections. An impressive PR coup!

Each couple had the opportunity for a couples shot for personal use – Christmas cards for example.

VACATION TIME AGAIN

By carefully coordinating with her partners, Kensi was able to take 2 summertime 1-week vacations to condos on Marty's list. He came along of course.

The first was in late June when they took the kids along with them and returned to the Caribbean, where they had gone alone last summer. To say Afonso and Sofia had a blast is a gross understatement! They used a pint of sunscreen keeping the kids from becoming lobsters; water was becoming a natural habitat for both Afonso & Sofia. Marty took Afonso and Kensi took Sofia and they explored in double kayaks. They couldn't get enough of that. They did some snorkeling in a shallow water lagoon; next time they would deepen the experience. They had a ride in a family 4-seater parasail; after some initial trepidation everyone relaxed and smiled for the camera. They arrived home tanned and exhausted!

The second vacation covered July 29, Kensi' birthday. They got away with this only because they PROMISED the kids that there would be a birthday party for Kensi when she and Marty returned. Of course, July 29 was Marty and Kensi's 1st wedding anniversary also. They went back to Hawaii, this time to the Big Island. They rode horseback on a ranch, drove up Mauna Kea to the observatory, and got in some water sports of course. They arrived home for Kensi's party then some R & R at home before the next school year began.

Sofia and Afonso were more than ready for another year of preschool. They were super excited to see their friends and eagerly participated in a show-and-tell, along the lines of "What I Did Last Summer". Kensi and Marty helped each child produce a picture poster to go along with their talk. They didn't seem nervous at all and received applause and hugs from their peers. They were proud of their efforts as were M&K.

Family life was really coming together. Any doubts Marty and Kensi had about their ability to be a good dad or mom were rapidly being alleviated. But two huge decisions loomed on the horizon.