Toni Maness:
CLASS OF 1988
Independence High SchoolClass of 1988
San jose, CA
Morrill Middle SchoolClass of 1984
San jose, CA
John Sinnott Elementary SchoolClass of 1983
Milpitas, CA
Northwood Elementary SchoolClass of 1981
San jose, CA
Mayne Elementary SchoolClass of 1981
Alviso, CA
Toni's Story
Life
Nov 2011:: Where does one begin? Since IHS I have lived in many places: So. CA, Guam, SC, NY, NJ, MD, and now it appears Chesapeake, VA is going to be our home for now. We have been in Chesapeake since 1998.
I have four great kids: Anton 23, Ashley 18, Kaitlynn 16, Matthew 3. Two in college, one in HS, and one just getting out of diapers...whew! By the time the youngest graduates HS in 2026, I will have had a minor child in my home 38 years. Kinda sorta dreading the whole empty nest thing!
I graduated from college with honors, and I am a self-employed medical transcriptionist. I love my work. Sometimes the doctors get too graphic for my imagination though! LOL I am enjoying my 30s, career, husband, kids, and life! Time just slips through the fingers like water. I did get to go to Italy September '04 with my mother and aunt. We had a wonderful time. I make it out to CA every few years to visit friends and family. It's been one adventure after another! I have had a wonderful life filled with many ups and downs, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
Shelley M., Julie H., Nancy C., and Debbie P. you all have a special place in my memories....update...found them all on Facebook! Technology since the Apple 2-E and the commodore 64!
Military
First and foremost, I was a spouse with all of the mililtary listings. I think Classmates does not do a good job of pointing that out (it used to be well documented), and I know I filled that portion out when I added those communities way back when.
With that said,
I loved my years as a supportive Navy Widow. I was able to travel the country and did a 2-year stint in Guam. We tried to get to Italy but alas, the government was doing cutbacks at the time and they determined we "had too many dependents" whatever that means!
I remember the first time I really moved from San Jose. I was 19, had a baby boy, was scared, and got on plane to go to Long Beach. It might as well have been 15,000 miles away versus the mere 400. LOL Not quite two years later, my husband came home and said, "we're going to Guam." I said, "Where's that?" LOL He tried to explain it to me. I had to go to the library. Guam was beautiful but I admit, the first 6 months were rough. I cried a lot for about the first 2 months...Expand for more
. The roaches were huge and flew, the milk was called "filled milk" (gross stuff btw), to call home cost $1 a minute, and my husband was on a sea-going pig that left me on the island alone with our son. Instead of jumping on the first flight home, I made the best of it and made some wonderful friends, strike that, new family members, and we are still like family to this day. We partied a lot. Instead of college...I had Guam! LMAO
After Guam, we headed to South Carolina. Thankfully, SC was only a 4-month adventure, traveled to Stillwater, NY for a bit, and then we would call Colts Neck, NJ home for 3 years. NJ was wonderful. My husband was assigned to MOMAG at Earle. We had a lot of good times and traveled the eastern seaboard. I was hooked on the East Coast. Silverspring, MD was next on the list. Now, that was exciting. Without traffic, I was directly north of the White House by about a 10-minute drive. We lived in a high-rise, took the Metro, and just experienced the hustle and bustle of the DC area. If it wasn't so expensive there, I would have liked to stay.
My husband was retiring, and I knew I didn't want to go back to CA; I had fallen in love with the east. I also knew I didn't want to go back to his hometown (uhm, I am being polite here). We basically played pin the tail on the donkey and chose Chesapeake, VA. He had been stationed here before, and our dear friends from Guam were here as well. I love Chesapeake. We are surrounded by water, the ocean is a short drive away, the homes were under 200K when we moved here, and the schools are awesome. My son remembers most of the places he has lived, but our girls really only know VA to be home. The girls even have this southern accent thing going on (it helps their dad is from NC).
I miss moving. I miss meeting people from all over the country. I miss getting that call right after my husband spoke to his detailer telling me where we were headed next. I think the Navy is a wonderful organization and the ones who are enlisted and the ones who follow them around the world should enjoy the experience. Sure, before the last mooring line is brought in, you can expect something to go wrong, but looking at the big picture, it made me who I am today. In a heartbeat, I would do it all again.
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