Balencia Lopez Erskine:
CLASS OF 1967
Villa Park High SchoolClass of 1967
Villa park, CA
Peralta Junior High SchoolClass of 1964
Orange, CA
McPherson Junior High SchoolClass of 1964
Orange, CA
Sycamore Junior High SchoolClass of 1964
Anaheim, CA
Sunkist Elementary SchoolClass of 1961
Anaheim, CA
Balencia's Story
My Life, sort of:
My name is Balencia. the1ladyhawke(at)gmail(dot)com is the way to communicate with me. I would love to hear from you but I can not afford to read my guest book here. I am basically a loner yet have many people I care about. Any friends I had in school stayed there. A couple I tried to keep in contact with but life has its ways of separating people. However, recently John Walkowiak has been visiting the Family History Center I staff at to trace his roots and as a result has joined the SAR. I have realized that all friends I have ever had have been temporary. Not of my own doing, it is just the way it happened. Moving around every three years as a child is probably the reason. Would I like to strike up friendships, you bet!
School
Biggest Crush - I had a different crush each year since 2nd grade (lack of love at home).
Teacher that inspired me - no one although I was fond of Mrs. Elliot, my 8th grade art teacher.
Funniest school memory? - ????
Craziest School memories - ?????
Happiest School memories - Band.
Colleges
Goldenwest College & Riverside City College - Photography; FIDM - AA degree in Fashion Design & Certificate in Textile Design; Chaffey College - Basic Computer & Fine Arts; Computer Learning Center - Certificate in Computer Programming; Cal State Long Beach - Certificate in Multi-Systems Administration & MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional).
Workplace
Car Washer - 1969 ; Seamstress, fast fry cook, waitress, dancer, cashier - 1970 ; Presser in dry cleaners - 1973-1974 ; Orange County Transit bus driver - 1974-1988 ; Textile Artist - 1990-1995 ; Internet Tech Support - 1996-1997 ; Web Designer/Developer - 1997-2005 ; Administrative Assistant - 2005-2006 ; Data Management Specialist - 2006-2009; US Census Enumerator - May-June 2010; Computer Programmer/Web Administrator/SQL Administrator/ Web Development - Apr 2012-Dec 2013; Web Production/Sound Engineer - Jan 2014- March 2014; Teleseminar Host - March 2014 to Dec 2014; currently unemployed.
Church
Sunday School teacher 1981-1985; Cub Scout Den Leader 1985-1989; Girls Camp Photographer Summers 1984, '85, '86 & '87; Ward Librarian 2003-2008; Stake Family History Center Technical Coordinator 2005-2008; Stake Family History Center Staff Member 2004-2008; Family & Church History World Wide Service Missionary 2007-2009; Ward Family History Consultant 2004-2014; Ward Historian Jan 2015 - present; Ward Employment Specialist Feb 2015- present.
Family
Four Children; 8 grand children; 2 Great-Grand daughters ages 7 & 3 1/2.
Famous cousins
Joseph Smith, Prophet; Harlow Shapley, Astronomer; Walt Disney, Animation visionary; Alice Lee wife of Theodore Roosevelt, president; Amelia Earhart, Aviationist; Emily Dickenson, Author; and more.
Favorite things to do
Genealogy; movies; go to the temple; visit family; help others, FaceBook; Sudoku.
How do I hope old friends remember me??
It matters not how they remember me, so long as they do.
Philosophy
1. Love God with all my heart, mind and strength.
2. The Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - even if they treat you badly.
3. Treat all with respect and kindness, no matter what.
4. Help others when you can.
5. Love thy neighbor as thy self.
6. When life deals you lemons, it takes a while to make the lemonade.
Life is too short
- to make little things that go wrong big
- to make big things that go wrong enormous
- to harbor ill feelings
- to focus on what's wrong with the world; we should focus on all the good
- to leave a legacy of unselfishness
- never force anyone to do anything for any reason.
- always, with love, patience and understanding, encourage others.
See where I am going with this philosophy?
If you are depressed, go help someone. If you feel you are not worth anything, help someone who is worse off than yourself. If you are bored of your life help someone paint a house or plant a garden. If you wish your life was different then change it.
Life can only be filled with love and goodness if we are filled with love and goodness. The problem with our lives is never out there, it is always within ourselves. We may get caught up in the things of the world but we have free agency to change anything in our lives for good, we just have to want to.
To want power and control over others is a lack of controlling yourself. It is self superiority. It is self indul...Expand for more
gence. It is a false righteousness. It leads to greed & selfishness, and brings poverty to others. It is a dysfunctional life.
How did I get this way?
A lot of time, pain, bad experiences, self analysis, prayer and forgiveness from our Father in Heaven and following the teachings of Christ.
What is important in life?
All things good. The desire to reach out of our pits and obtain true happiness. Having a relationship with God, our Father in Heaven. Always improving ourselves not trying to change others. Family. Friends. True freedom. The ability to think. The ability to still have a smile in the heart when the world is crashing. Being altruistic.
Where do I see myself in 5 years from now? Better than where I am today.
Where do I see myself in 10 years from now? With more great-grand children.
Do you have a hero? Talk about where your inspiration comes from.
I have no hero. My inspiration comes from the Good Books. No one is better than me nor worse, they just have different things to do in life that use the skills they have. Those that are bad in the eyes of the law are bad for a reason. We are all here for the same reason, to gain a body and get back to our Father in Heaven. This life is a trial for all of us. We all make mistakes. We all do good and bad. We all have good days and bad days. What we do with our life is up to us. We may blame others for our problems but what we do with those problems is in our control. There is no hero for me. There are many that have helped a little here and there but no one has rescued me from anything. Heroes are rescuers, I stand alone.
Life doesn't always turn out the way you expect. What's been your biggest surprise?
That all the hard work I have done and all the education I have had has done nothing for my financial status. I am still poor. Yet I have become wise.
If I won $100 million what would I do with it?
Give 10% back to the Lord; pay off my student loans and back taxes; give 1 million to each of my kids, adult grand kids, siblings; and set myself up to be self reliant. The rest goes to the poor. But who is kidding who, pipe dreams are just unrealistic dreams, fantasies, a waste of time.
To be truly happy, you would be where, doing what, with whom?
In the presents of my Father in Heaven doing whatever He asks. Until then, I am happy being me. I like who I am.
What happened to your first crush?
Beats the heck out of me. Where are you: Sammy (2nd grade)? Larry (3rd grade)? John Smilely (4th grade)? Lyle Whiticane (5th grade)? John Miles (6th grade)? someone (7th grade)? Larry Sufentes (8th grade)? Mike Scouten (last part of 9th grade and first part of 10th grade)? Tim Kinsman (rest of 10th grade)? Got married in 11th grade.
Still dress like you did 10 (or 20) years ago? Talk style.
Style is not an issue. Have not been shopping in over 10 years. Who cares what I look like anyway. As long as I am comfortable in the way I look that is all that matters. I am not here to impress anyone.
You get one do-over. What do you do differently?
Learn how to have a best friend or two and keep them. See outside the box. Color outside the lines.
What about you would surprise everyone at your high school reunion?
That I was a great-grandmother by the age of 59.
What was your first job?
Not counting babysitting or cleaning other people's houses when I was a teen. My first job was at a dry cleaners, where I got paid $1.25 per hour for customer service. What I remember most about it is working there started my husband accusing me of cheating on him because of my hours, 5PM to 2AM, in a military town. Little did I know then it was because he was cheating on me. I would not have had to have that job if he weren't financially irresponsible.
Share a childhood memory you'll never forget.
I have many childhood memories that I can not seem to forget. They are the ones that have molded me the way I am now. But my favorite one is when I was 11. I found a wounded bird at Person Park on our way to swimming lessons. My sister suggested we put the bird in a hole in a nearby tree. When we got back from the lessons, the bird was still there. We put the bird in my bathing cap with water and then took it home. I nursed it back to health feeding it water and oatmeal. In about two weeks when it could fly I set it free. I do not think my parents ever knew I had the bird in my bedroom closet all that time.
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