Jennifer Hines Ciucki

949-254-2424

Harry D. Hines - 1937 (approximately)
Connie Hines Solari - 1966

B.A.E. from Arizona State University, 1973
Teaching Credential and Post Graduate work from Concordia University, Irvine CA

Arizona, 1973 - 1980
Irvine, 1980 - 1992
Newport Beach, 1992 - 2016
No Scottsdale, AZ, 2016 - present

My husband and I retired to Arizona in July of 2016 right after my last year of teaching, and we love it. Although it gets hot here during the summer, you can't beat the weather the other 9+ months! We miss the beach, but get back to CA often to visit our 3 children and 3 grandchildren that still live there. My daughter Alexis and her husband Tom, and their 3 little ones moved 30 minutes from us from TX last September and we couldn't be happier, and our daughter, Samantha and her husband Kelly live about 45 minutes away in Tempe - and are expecting in early October! HAPPY DAY! Our home is like a revolving hotel with our CA group visiting throughout the year. That's what we had hoped our life would be like when we bought our home. Family is EVERYTHING!
As they say, you're busier during retirement that you were when you were employed, and I'm finding it to be true! I keep busy, and look forward every evening to getting in the kitchen and cooking, and enjoying a quiet evening with Jim. He's my rock, and I feel truly blessed~

I'd have to say that being a Tigerette and the Friday night dinners at some of the team members' homes during football season - with the So Pas school bus picking us up to take us to the game - and being a Flag Girl really stand out in my mind. Also, our amazing Grad Night was beyond compare! I didn't have much confidence then and kind-of blended in with the stucco so my memories are simple and few, but here are some others:
putting soap in the San Marino pool before our homecoming game, being late to school because of it, yet not getting in trouble; after football game dances in the cafeteria; my one and only time ditching (part of last period study hall) and getting caught by my mother when she saw me walking home while on her way to the grocery store!; being issued the same french book that my sister, Connie Hines (Solari), had (how weird to remember that!); Mr. Goto and our card files of Chinese symbols; Coach Solari always telling me to take Vitamin C whenever I was getting sick; driver's training with Coach Solari and him taking us for ice cream; and getting a B in geometry (finally!).

I went to Lincoln Elementary School (Lincoln Stinken) with Bobby Graham, Billy Hoffman, and Johnny Markytan. Some things I remember are: The cool wooden see-saw-like-thingie between the kindergarten building and Miss Garrison's 2nd grade classroom; being called "Kindergarten baby born in the gravy" during recess by the second graders; having Mrs. Forberg for 1st grade (I loved her - she reminded me of my grandmother from So Carolina); our bank books in 2nd grade; throwing up on Miss Garrison(!), my 2nd grade teacher; being a milk monitor; tacos in the cafeteria on Tuesdays (sometimes I got to eat in the cafeteria when they had them); having Mrs. Parker for both 3rd and 4th grade (not too happy about that), but we did get to weave Indian rugs in her class and learn to play the autoharp; speed reading machines; taking the flute and playing at my sister, Connie's, Elementary School graduation; Monty Montana coming to school with his horse; always having skinned knees; Maypole dances; finally experiencing the love of reading (especially biographies) in 5th grade, and writing and binding our own book(!); getting school-wide booster shots in the principal, Mr. Stoddard's, office.

Some memories of SPJHS are: Being a Tiger Cub; penny hops in the gym; the day President Kennedy was shot; Mr. Voight (sp?), the algebra teacher, who made algebra so understandable; making Tigerettes; making the Field Hockey Day team two times: decorating our field hockey sticks; singing my first solo in chorus; being Hall Monitor; making sure you didn't wear black and red on Fridays because it meant you were a "pick-up!"

I remember the A and W stand close to the Jr. High and their root beer floats; the record store on Fair Oaks where you could stop after Jr. High and spin records; Twohey's and their amazing onion rings and hot fudge sundaes; Fosselman's and the small jukeboxes they had at the counter, and their french beef dips; the Rialto Theater (good times); Greco's Pizza next door to the Rialto - a cute little place with good pizzas; Taco Bell; Live Hardware where I worked my senior year in HS; the beautiful So Pas library; the Arroyo Seco and the summer baseball games there, and the fair that came once a year; and who can forget...the Plunge!
(Notice how most of the places I mention have to do with food?) LOL

I don't remember there being athletic programs, teams or activities in Jr. High other than the PE programs. I was a Tiger Cub at SPJHS and I loved their PE program. We were always tumbling and having tumbling competitions between the Dumbos, Amazons and Mustangs; playing kickball, badmitten and volleyball (at least I think I remember playing volleyball!); and field hockey with the goal of making the Hockey Play Day team! Lynn Lemaire was the one to beat...she was SUCH an amazing athlete.
I always wanted to try out for the tennis team at SPHS, but never did...Oh well!

I belonged to the Youth Group at St. James Episcopal Church when I was in Jr. High and High School, and was a Brownie and Girl Scout in Elementary School. I'm sorry to say that I wasn't involved in any clubs at SPHS. (If I could only do it all over again...)
But in our neighborhood we had lots of clubs!! Does that count? We had the Gloomy Creek Club, the Climbing Club, the Pooh Ghost Club, and the Under The Stairs Closet Club. We sold lemonade in our front parkway for our club dues money, and one of our groups wrote and put on skits and plays for our mothers and fathers (poor things - having to sit there and watch!)

Not often any more, but when I was living in Newport I'd occasionally drive up to So Pas and drive by our home at 416 Grand just to reminisce. I would drive through the neighborhoods, up and down Fremont, Fair Oaks and Mission, around the Jr. High and HS, past St. James Church, the library and near Glendon Way where the train for Grad Night would stop to pick us up. It's sad to see so many of the little shops no longer there.
Such amazing memories! I remember flying kites in the middle of Grand, being in and out of each others' homes all day long and being warmly welcomed, playing outside until dusk - listening for our dinner bell calling us to supper, floating leaves down the gutters after it rained, after dinner family walks during the summer, and the list goes on. Good Times!

Until recently I didn't keep in touch with anyone except through this website, which wasn't often; when I left for college at Arizona State I pretty much left it all behind and started all over again. But NOW Della Cain Demaree and I have reconnected. When I realized after about a year of having lived here that she and her husband live about 30 minutes away from us I called, so we've met for dinner. Such Fun!

If you're ever out this way I would love to get together. Just call....

I'd like to travel to Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, Poland and parts of Africa, but I doubt that that'll ever happen. Thanks to my tent-camping family as a child I HAVE been all over the US and parts of Canada, but that's it! Oh, and I've traveled to Mexico. Pretty sad. I'd also like to take a river cruise.

Life's Simple Treasures:
To visit the elderly who are lonely or who have been forgotten, to show them how important they are.
To be a true friend.
To give back to others in whatever way possible.
To extend "that" smile or greeting that brightens someone's day.

My parents influenced me the most by showing me the importance of family and faith. I was blessed to be raised in a two-parent home, for better or worse. Family came first, always. Our home was a congregating spot all my life for our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and all of our friends that became "family!" We went to church every Sunday as a family, participated regularly in church events and at home celebrated the true meaning of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. It was a Christ-centered home. I was disciplined in a loving, but strict, way and offered forgiveness when I messed up. They were there to offer encouragement. My parents shared the importance of a college education and gave me this gift.
Their words of wisdom ring true today.

My husband and close friends. And good music!

Blood, Sweat and Tears; Earth, Wind and Fire; The 5th Dimension; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Brazil 66; Getz Gilberto; The Temptations; The Righteous Brothers; Chicago; The Beach Boys; Elton John; Carol King; Joni Mitchell, Ambrosia, The Association.

Greg Karukas; John Klemmer; Kenny G; Boney James; Luther Vandross; Chris Botti; David Benoit; Bobby Caldwell; Bob James; Bobby Lyle; Jeffrey Osborn; Gino Vannelli; Boz Scaggs, Basia, Michael Franks, David Sanborn; Josh Groban; Frank Sinatra; Santana and all those from "back then."
Master Chorals and classical would be mixed in as well!

I would spend more time with fostering friendships with girls, and doing girl stuff. I didn't really know how to do that; I was so self-conscious. I read what others have written and I feel as though I lived on another planet than they did...

Nothing really earthshaking...(gotta fix that!) My husband and I spend a lot of time with our two children (and their spouses) and three grandchildren (almost FOUR grandchildren) that live here, which keeps us "happily" busy. I'm involved with several charity groups through the church and and in the community, and I sing with a group that performs regularly at retirement homes. Jim and I enjoy entertaining, and we get to So Cal often to see three of our children and their families. But what I would love to do is pick up golf again and "really" travel some - not just to So Cal.
LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR 50TH REUNION!!!!