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: turned 58 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 64 this year. Over five years ago, he left advertising to become an
archaeologist! He works on-call for for a half-dozen
cultural resource management firms, excavating sites, surveying, and monitoring. He enjoys literature, Shakespeare,
history, and travel. Follow him on Insta: @archaeoka.
Roy: turns 26 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 Resilient Roofing, a local roofing company. He’s
been there over four years now. He’s engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Danielle. He likes doing things with friends
and making money.
Leo: turns 24 this year. After completing a music production and sound design certificate at Point Blank Music
School in Los Angeles, he enrolled at Grossmont College aiming to transfer. He’s now deciding between UCSD and UCLA
electrical engineering BS/MS programs. He enjoys reading, using cool technology, playing the keyboard, hanging out with
friends, and cooking.
Shadow: is a 25-pound black/tan/white rescue mutt with a curly tail, about 16 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 2025, after a fall left her unable to walk, she moved to a board and 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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