Vivian Roubal
Vivian Roubal's Latest Posts
At Home With Vivian: Just a Routine
Labor Day has come and gone. The kids are back in school. Summer (even though the autumnal equinox isn’t until September 23) is over. Summers are fun and exciting, but there’s something about getting back to a predictable routine that’s comforting, especially to kids. Kids thrive on routine. I know. I was one of those […]
At Home With Vivian: Twins!
“I’m going to Connecticut?” I asked in disbelief when my mother gave me the news on an afternoon late in June 1968. I had just walked in the door after riding my bike home from the Antioch High swimming pool where I taught Red Cross swimming lessons in the mornings. I was wet and hungry […]
At Home With Vivian: Up a Creek
It’s been hotter than blue blazes this week! We need another scorching week like a hole in the head. I wish it were a little cooler, but like my mother often said, “If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.” Holy Toledo! I’m channeling my mother. Well, isn’t that a kick in the head. The […]
At Home With Vivian: Winning streak
Mmmm…. Lemon sorbet in a waffle cone from the famous Marianne’s Ice Cream in Santa Cruz. Can’t beat that as a reward for completing a 6.2 mile run/walk! My husband Jeff, daughter Marion, and I spent a lovely morning going to the beach this past Sunday. We left home at 5am and hit the parking […]
At Home With Vivian: Road Trip
I met a father and his two daughters from Houston, Texas last weekend at the Golden Gate Recreation Area in Marin County. We were waiting together at Rodeo Beach, near the finish line of the trail runs. He waited for his daughters who were running the marathon (26.2 miles!) and I was waiting for my […]
At Home With Vivian: Chores Galore
“It’s 4:30!” I yelled at my kid sister as she lay on the couch lazily watching afternoon cartoons. Johnette looked at me with wide eyes then bolted upright, rolled off the couch, and hit the floor running. “I’ll get the garbage!” she shouted over her shoulder. She sprinted to the kitchen while I ran to […]
At Home With Vivian: 1776
“What do you remember about the 4th of July when you were growing up?” I asked my son when he called recently from Nebraska looking for a Hawaiian barbeque recipe that didn’t contain red meat or pork. With some hesitation he replied “I don’t remember much – just fireworks and maybe a barbeque in the […]
At Home With Vivian: We’re so lucky
Ola! Cheerio! Bonjour! Ciao! Yassou! Salve! Hello! Jeff and I just returned from a Mediterranean cruise. Wow. Totally awesome. Wow. What else do you say after actually seeing and doing things you only dreamed about? As my husband likes to say “We’re so lucky!” Cruising has changed dramatically during my lifetime. I remember going with […]
At Home With Vivian: School’s Out
No more pencils No more books No more teacher’s Dirty looks! It’s count down time! Just a few more hours until Martinez school hallways will be filled with shouts of glee to be free! Joy and glad tidings will ring from every classroom, office, bus, and cafeteria. Summer vacation is within view. So close. Oh, […]
At Home With Vivian: How I Met Your Father
My mother believed in fate. She’d often say, “It will happen when it’s supposed to happen but it wouldn’t hurt to help it along.” When something happened, good or bad, she’d say, “It was meant to be.” On one fateful day in 1973…. My college roommate, Katie, knew that a young man from the sixth […]
