Trish Boyle Niehuser

I came to St. Monica's my senior year from Phoenix, Arizona. I always say, "it was like dying and going to heaven"!

Everyone asks if it was hard to change schools in your senior year, my reply has always been, "it was the best year ever". So many great friends and fun times !!

After high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but ended up being a nanny for a family with 6 kids in Beverly Hills who summered on Lido Isle. At the end of summer, I received a letter from Holy Names College in Oakland (yes, the same Holy Names nuns) asking if I was still interested in attending college there, although there were no rooms in the dorm, but I could live off campus with a family as a nanny. So again, I became a nanny for 4 years to pay for part of my college education. I met my husband, Richard at a St. Mary's/Holy Names dance on Valentine's Day 1965 and we have been married for 45 years.

It has been a fun journey together. In 1974, we decided we wanted to move to a small town, buy property, and be "back to the land" type people. We settled in a small town in northern California, built a lovely, small passive solar house on 5 acres and raised 3 children. Not sure who got the most of our efforts to plant a small vineyard and garden/the birds, deer, gophers, or raccoons!! I have heard our children say it was the most creative place to live and they have fond memories of a small town and living there.

At the age of 50, my husband, Richard decided to go to law school. At that time, we had 3 children with one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary school/ALL playing sports. YIKES!! It was a busy, challenging time. Richard passed the bar then took patent bar and is now a patent/environmental attorney doing contract work at home.

I continue to work fulltime as a resource specialist working in an elementary school with students who have learning disabilities. I love my job and my students help keep me young and laughing.

We have two children that live in San Diego and now a son-in-law there also. Our oldest son lives in Monterey and is a certified welder and artist. Adam has two children/8 years old and 6 years old. Our daughter, Leila has won several regional Emmy Awards for her production work in news at ABC in San Diego. Her husband, Steven just returned from China for a PBS documentary about his grandfather, General Joseph Stilwell who headed up Burma, India, China front in World War II as he was a distinguished 4 star general who opened up the Burma road for the Chinese. Evidently, General Stilwell is still held in high esteem by the Chinese which was the purpose of this documentary. Our youngest son, Lane is so proud to have bought his first house in La Mesa and does sales work in San Diego.

For the past 13 years, we have lived here in Santa Cruz. It reminds me so much of Santa Monica and our life here has been filled with joy and laughter. I will always hold a fond place in my heart for the friends I made at St. Monica's. We do not think we will be able to make the reunion, but I hope at sometime to re-connect with long, lost friends.

My best to all of you. Here is my email address tniehuser@yahoo.com Trish