Janet van Zant-wozniak:
CLASS OF 1979
Buena High SchoolClass of 1979
Ventura, CA
Oxnard CollegeClass of 1985
Oxnard, CA
Northern Virginia Community CollegeClass of 1984
Alexandria, VA
Northern Virginia Community CollegeClass of 1981
Alexandria, VA
Janet's Story
Life is extremely busy!
I am 48 don't look it or feel it, well maybe in the knees! Where did the time go? I don't feel 48, however, I am happier with myself, than I have ever been in my life.
Married to Pete, 10 years, have two sons, Jordan age 26, and Drew age 18 just graduated in May of this year, and has started De Vry University.
Jordan is doing short films and editing film projects. He is self taught, he does wonderful work with special effects. He is now trying out for various community theater projects and doing extra work in films and some modeling, working on his annual Halloween Haunt at my parents' in Camarillo, and working at Michael's.
Drew, is at De Vry now, studying for his Bachelor's in Software Design and Engineering. He plans to change his name to Wozniak by the end of this year, actually Pete is legally adopting him.
As some of you may know, my Dad, John Van Zant, taught at Buena at the opening in 1961 to 1968, when he left for a job with the Ventura County Superintent's office, where he was one of 4 to 5 men who developed the Regional Occupational Program, in 1974 he became the Director of that program until 1978.
On October 4, 2008 my Dad was inducted to the Ventura County Educators' Hall of Fame. For his many accomplishments in furthering education.
Like the Regional Occupational Program.
My parents are still living, my retired dad is still not so retired, and is working with me on a project that we already have copy righted and patentanted, monitoring his diet, due to type II diabetes and has lost quite a bit of weight.
Pete is now a consultant for a few Aero Space companies that use the S.A.P. Prisim program. He was with Raytheon for 5 years when they had a huge layoff. Pete now works full time for StellarMicro Electronics, making more than he did at Raytheon, much more, we are now in the 6 figure bracket for taxes...yeah! I think?
As for myself, I have had a modified hysterectomy, four years ago, where we dicovered I had not had a tubaligation, and lost a daughter at 3 months gestation, due to where she implanted under a benign Fibroid tumor. We named her Louisa Marie, after Pete's two great, great grandmother's.
I have since, discovered, that I have monderate arthiritis in both of knees, back and breast bone, however, I remain active.
So far this year we have made it without any hospitalizations, injuries or surgeries! Hurray! Spoke too soon, Pete was rushed to the ER this last week with a halucinitory diabetic reaction, minutes to an hour away from a coma. So, we did not make it through 2009, my surgery for my left eye cataract is September 17, 2009.
I am extremely pleased with my life, we have extraordinary friends and family, even though I miss home-Ventura.
We travel a bit, I miss going to Big Bear where we had a cabin, but sold it, we still go up there occasionally.
I have made a lot of new friends in Lancaster and Palmdale, I have more time to devote to jewelry making and I now am an Independent Sales Consultant for Avon.
We are just enjoying our home, and our family and our 4 dogs.
I collect ghost stories, study all kinds of different religions, except the occult and cults, read a lot, do photograpy, do decorating for friends and family, furniture restoration, and jewelry design, collect vintage linens, clothes, accessories, depression glass, pottery; Roseville, McCoy, Francsican, Bauer, and California ware, quilts, handkerchiefs to my already abundent collection.
I feel I have come along way, I compete with no one but myself, I never have. And I take life one day at a time. My happiness is dependent on myself and not others. For those of you who might now have learned this lesson, the key is that you cannot make someone happy, you can only give happiness and hope they accept it.
I feel my greatest accomplishments in life are my two sons, and the fact that I have taught them, to be strong in themselves and independent thinkers not to follow the pack, but dance to their own tune.
Married to Pete, since 1999, we have Drew, our 18 year old son, and Jordan age 26.
Pete works, and I keep myself busy with fr...Expand for more
iends, making jewelry,and selling Avon,decorationg, reading and being pampered by my loving husband, who, I pamper back!
We have 4 dogs, Pepper Grace, and Akita/German Shephard mix 9, Kodiak Bleu, a male Blue Queensland Heeler 7, and Indygo Star, a female Blue Queensland Heeler also 7 and a new addition a stray that Drew and I found in the middle of the street, a female 18 months old in heat, no collar, no tags, no chip. Esme' Serenity, she is a Deer or Reindeer Chihuahua and Doxie mix. All black with just a little white here and there. She plays catch, and is a cuddler. Loves to wrestle!
So look for future pictures of Esme',Pepper,Indigo and Kodiak.
We have a lovely home, I wish we could pick it up and move it to Ventura County though. Thank heaven for A/C units in the summer time! And Uggs in the winter.
We go down to Camarillo, once a month, and holidays to see my parents, though some holidays, everyone comes up here. Which, is great!
We also are visiting my mom in law Nan Wozniak in Thousand Oaks every other month.
I am most thankful for the life we have, and the friends we have in our life and our family.
I also would have liked to have been involved in more school activities, studied harder, and had other friends.
And had more self confidence.
However, life must go on and it is what shapes us to become who we are when we are older, and hopefully wiser.
My first Junior High school crush was Doug Garrett, but he was involved with his friends, High School was Herman Raschke, and we became engaged after High School, he moved back to Virginia with my parents and I, and then he was injured and returned to Ventura without me, we fought a lot, but I loved him a lot. However, I know it never would have worked out.
If I got a do over what would I do differently?
I would have never married my first husband.
As for High School, I would have viewed my body differently, and I would have been more involved with school activities.
Where have I lived and why did I move?
Ventura, April 1961 to May 1981, my parents sold their house because my former fiance' and I did not make enough money to make the house payment. So we moved with them. ( E. Herman Raschke.)
Virginia 1981 to December 1983, moved to Camarillo, because I was a single mother, and moved with my parents, because my dad got a position with the County Schools office.
Stayed in Camarillo, till 1994, when I got to rent my grandmother's house in Ventura, moved in 1998 after my divorce, and moved back to Camarillo, with my fiance' now husband Pete.
Moved from Camarillo to Palmdale in 2002, to buy our first house, the one we are still in.
I still only have a few wrinkles, and I weigh less than than I did in high school and the last reunion, and only a few gray hairs!
The teacher I would love to see again? Unfortunately, Walter Zorovich died, and though I knew him since birth, our families, and other families my parents associated with, with the exception of 3 of the adults, have all passed away before their time.
It was like having God parents, without actually going through the formality. And I miss them all terribly.
College
I attended Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria campus in 1981 and 1983. And Oxnard College in 1984.
I live in the high desert of California, in our new house, with my husband Pete, and youngest son Andrew, my oldest Jordan is out on his own.
I had a home business in Medical Insurance billing, but have since retired from it, to concentrate on the perils of the teen years, for Andrew. And to volunteer at his school. I am now designing beaded jewelry.
I am into photography, ghost stories, studies of religion, collecting vintage linens, clothing, accessories, jewelry, pottery, dishes, glassware, I love thrift stores, flea markets, and antique stores, and estate sales. I am also a member of the Red Hats as a Pink Hat you can be in a chapter at 35 to 49 as a Pink Hat.
We have 3 dogs, an Akita/Shephard mix female, and two Blue Queensland Heelers, a female and male.
We have our health, and happiness in our family and friends and animals.
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