Vivian Shenk:  

Okay, here goes.... after graduation I attended one year of college in Santa Cruz, CA before getting married in May of '69. My husband was a Navy Corpsman and our first duty station together was at Port Hueneme near Oxnard, CA. Our first son was born July 1970 and 8 days later we left for Idaho Falls, ID where Michael served the military in a Medical dispensary in town. There was no base, but way out under the desert was a nuclear submarine training station and the trainees and their families utilized the medical facilities there. My folks moved from Armona to Fresno after I graduated, so when my husband was sent overseas during the Viet Nam War, our son and I returned to Fresno. When Michael completed his year overseas, his four year enlistment was over and we went back to Santa Cruz so he could continue his education there. June of '73 we returned to Fresno to find work and our first daughter was born two days after we arrived. A year later, Sept. '74, twins arrived...a boy and a girl. I was now 24 with 4 children newborn to age 4 and had my hands full. Michael continued to take a few night classes at Fresno State. I was a stay home full time mom until all the kids reached full time school age at which time I began working in a Savings and Loan. Working my way from part time teller to full time operations officer and eventually accepting a Branch Manager's position in Hanford until the Savings and Loan sold and merged with another bank in 1991. Loved the commute and being back in my home town even for just those couple of years. I worked a couple more years as an office manager for a construction company in Madera before our grandchildren began arriving on the scene in '95. I've been pretty much granny nanny, granny taxi, granny playmate, etc. since then. I adore my 14 grandchildren and am very blessed to be near most of them. I sieze every window of opportunity to speak something of value into their lives. Besides, I'm a pretty fun granny to hang out with. Our 4 children were active in school with sports and music and after graduating from high school our twins spent two years serving in YWAM, a Christian Missions Organization. Our oldest son traveled the nation with a Drum and Bugle Corps and our middle daughter stayed near home while working for the Fresno Bible Book Store. Our oldest son joined the Air Force and at one point we had a son in Saudi, a daughter in Croatia, and a son in Brazil simultaneously. Needless to say, we spent countless hours on our knees that year. Our youngest son is now an ordained minister and is pioneering a church in Lone Pine, CA while working his own carpet cleaning business to keep food on the table for his wife and 5 ...Expand for more