www.kuraoka.org
Us, up to now: We met in 1996 through a personals ad in the San Diego Reader, if you can believe it. We got engaged about a year later, on a daytrip to the Anza Borrego Desert. We were married in 1998; our wedding day in Balboa Park was made especially memorable by the first recorded hail in the park in more than 100 years. We were the very first wedding held in the Granada Room, which was the original chapel, next to the big ballroom in the restored House of Hospitality; many of our wedding photos were taken posed in the beautiful space that is now the Prado Restaurant. Our pre-kids life was one of relative indulgence - season tickets to the Old Globe Theater, camping, last-minute travel to Germany and England, weekends and evenings to ourselves. Later, as parents raising two boys, our home in a suburban San Diego neighborhood was filled with a joyful chaos of our own making, most of which was recorded in our online Weekly Journal. Now both boys are young adults, both living temporarily right next door. Life is good. We’re traveling and even seeing live theatre again. You can stay up-to-date with what’s going on in our lives by visiting our current Weekly Journal, an online diary of ordinary family life. Our latest photos (and the occasional video) are hanging on our now world-famous virtual refrigerator door.
Meet the Kuraoka family:
Ondine: turns 56 this year. After a stint as a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer, she returned to social work in 2011. She is an LCSW. She also
writes and is shopping her first novel. Her hobbies include reading, writing, crocheting, gardening,
and travel. Follow her on Insta: @ondine.alegra.
John: turns 62 this year. He left advertising to become an archaeologist, and now has
been one for over three years! He works on-call for for a half-dozen cultural resource management companies. His interests include literature, Shakespeare,
history, and travel. Follow him on Insta: @archaeoka.
Roy: turns 24 this year. After graduating summa cum laude from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, with a BS in business and marketing, he got
a job running the marketing for a local roofing company. He’s been there nearly two years now. He likes writing, reading, theater, and making money.
Leo: turns 22 this year. He completed his certificate at Point Blank Music School in Los Angeles, and is now enrolled at Grossmont College aiming to
transfer to the SDSU engineering program. He enjoys composing music on a MIDI keyboard, hanging out with friends online and in-person, and cooking.
Shadow: is a 25-pound black/tan/white rescue mutt with a curly tail, about 14 years old this year. We adopted him in November 2012. He likes food, walks,
balls, and destroying stuffed toys.
Other Very Important People:
Barbara: Ondine’s mom. In 2023 she moved to a memory care facility in Lemon Grove, where we visit her regularly.
Frances: John’s mom. She lives in a senior living community in Arcadia, near Los Angeles.
The Buddies: Individually and as a group, we helped each other stay sane
through the challenges of raising children. Many are school and Scout families.
In no particular order:
Friends and Family:
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