Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys

I was in a foster home with my little sister for almost 3 years with the most wonderful loving couple Deanna and Richard Lancaster. They wanted to adopt us but because our mother knew she could collect welfare from having us with her so that, unfortunately, didn't happen, and let me tell you, I was angry for a very long time about it. However, with the Lancasters, I found my love for reading books, especially mysteries! During our stay with these kind and loving people, Deanna introduced my sister and me to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Mysteries. Deanna was a wonderful woman who worked as a nurse as well as manage a household, with cooking, cleaning, laundry, taking care of us girls and her amazing husband Richard, everyone called him Dick, He was a very kind and thoughtful man, he was a used car salesman by day and on Sundays, he would take us to work with him, we had to sit in the car for a while but eventually he would take us to lunch at a place called Sambos(which was unfortunately torn down because the picture on the building was of a little black boy with a tiger, so they deemed it "racist" which if I am being honest it was.) it always smelled so good there and the food was delicious. Deanna and Dick were also very religious, we went to lots of church and bible studies at other church members' houses and they also had a jewelry sales business they did on the side. This was not junk jewelry, this was real gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and Jade...a lot of Jade. We would take the summers and travel all over California selling these gorgeous pieces. I also learned my love for a lot of good old music like Paul Anka, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Niel Sedaka, Niel Diamond(whom I love to listen to still), and the like. I first started loving Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys mysteries when Deanna would read them to us at bedtime, however, my sister would be asleep the first five minutes she was in bed. Deanna would read three to four pages per night so as to keep the suspense up and make the book last longer. She would change her voice to sound like the characters, making dramatic faces that would make me giggle, and was great at leaving me hanging and very excited for bedtime each night.

Night after night she would read each book to a riveting conclusion and I could not wait for the next mystery to begin(it was also a very smart way to make me want to get in bed)! Nancy Drew seemed to me to be the smartest girl sleuth in the entire world to my 10-year-old brain, I just loved her and the Hardy Boys! I owned the entire series and I wanted to be a detective when I grew up because of those wonderful little books. I was also a big fan of Holly Hobby when I was young and when I finally turned 12 with them they gave me my own room and decorated it in Holly Hobby, I had the sheets, spread, pillow covers and drapes to match! I was so proud of my own room, and my sister WAS NOT allowed to come in(she was such a brat)! To be honest, I can't remember any of the stories, but I do remember how they made me feel and remember how much I loved to read. You really don't see a lot of that these days do you? What people don't do enough of in this day and age is read a good book! I have to admit, I never read books anymore. I am always on this contraption called a laptop, simply because it's just that...simpler. There is nothing better than to lose yourself in a really great book like the Harry Potter series if you are into that, or Bram Stokers Dracula, or Fifty Shades of Grey(made me blush a FEW times) but I find that when I try to read anything lately, I end up falling asleep halfway through the book, then I never finish it. Maybe because I don't really want the story to end? I tend to also do this with most television series too, I just want the story to go on and on, but I hate novels...yes I find that funny too. All good things really must come to an end I suppose. I have learned to appreciate all the great books I did get to read, and I am making plans to do some real reading again simply because it's good for the imagination, peace of mind, and the soul. I really wanted to thank Deanna and Richard Lancaster for all they gave us but I never got the chance, I have tried to find them but I had no idea where to even start because when I was ten they were in their late 30's or early 40's...I think, so they are probably still alive and thriving somewhere and if it's meant to be that we should meet again then God will guide my path to them, if not I will always remember you fondly. Thank you to Deanna and Dick for sparking my love of books and music. Thank you both, god love you for giving so much of yourselves to two very lost and abused little girls. You may very well have saved my life as a matter of fact I know you did! Unfortunately, my little sister lost her life at the young age of 36 to a particularly nasty bout of pneumonia. She had become a severe alcoholic and she smoked so much she ended up with chronic emphysema, and she was found alone in a motel room, I would love to blame my mother, but I think my sister was already on her way down a dark road, even as a child. So, I took that and turned it into more positive lessons like I learned that life isn't always fair but there is always a way out of any situation, and a rainbow at the end of the tunnel, also, that life doesn't have to be a mystery, and if you just let god show you the way, you will never be lost. I have seen a lot in my 54 years, raised and lost a son to a tragedy, but I manage to keep going. I am blessed to have had the experiences I have had, and grateful daily for all the gifts the Lord has given me. God bless all of you who read this, may you find a good book to settle down with tonight.