For Mom and Sarah

While taking care of my gravely ill mother, I spend many cherished hours reminiscing with her, my husband, brothers, son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. Many of you will hopefully be able to relate to, or have experienced the activities and incidents you will read about. I hope you will be able to relive the feelings of excitement, joy, sadness, and longing as you slip into the people's arms that reside at North Twenty-eighth Avenue. These stories have the art of making the color's of a rainbow brighter, the scent of a morning rain more powerful, and the feeling of being loved more meaningful. They give you strength, determination, and a vision to never give up. I wish for you that they change the negative powers in your life into positive powers, so you will follow your dreams. If I try to pretend there are no problems such as fights, illness, and death, I'd be living in a fantasy world. But then, it seems like it is one big dream; maybe, maybe not. There is a creation of a happy foundation that influences many lives forever. The close knit bonding makes it harder for the children to leave this secure environment. The adaptation of going their separate way is a true test of adulthood. Yakima still displays a real Twenty-eighth Avenue behind a school called Castlevale. Once surrounded by beautiful fruit orchards, a small irrigation ditch, and graveled roads, the neighborhood and its' people will live forever on the pages of this book.