Let's get right to it! Here are fifty-six amazing Jenny facts--one for each year since she was born--about the woman we continue to love and want to learn more about:
1. Jenny worked on patent prosecution after completing her law degree. For one patent she wrote involving spatial coordinates, Jenny formally cited HA Rey, the creator of Curious George.
2. We still use the Meyer lemons from the tree that Jenny nurtured. It's been our only source of lemons for several years. Tyler is using a couple of them today to make hummus.
3. Jenny designed our backyard to attract hummingbirds and bees. Almost as if to acknowledge Jenny's passing, the bees left our backyard at the end of June 2022. The hummingbirds, although they likewise disappeared at the same time, finally returned a few weeks ago. To Jenny's plants, of course!
4. Jenny introduced me and the boys to the Wordle. Tyler currently has a Wordle streak of 186 consecutive days and counting. (Yes, he even got "CORER" last week. Was that one even fair?)
5. Jenny preferred taking notes with pen and paper as opposed to her computer.
6. Jenny was indifferent between ballpoints and rollerballs. She could also use a pencil in a pinch. However, she had a disdain for fountain pens, much to the chagrin of the three men in her life. She found them to be too unreliable.
7. During one long-haul trip over the ocean, we played in a trivia contest open to everyone on the airplane. Jenny not only won, but the point differential between her and second place was greater than that of any other pair of consecutive finishers.
8. Jenny loved musical instruments both for herself and for her boys. She had a strong preference for used over new: The boys' piano, Tyler's viola and Dylan's trumpet were all previously used.
9. Jenny's setup for a good night's sleep: No electronic devices in the bedroom, clocks in the bedroom are OK as long as the time isn't visible from the bed and half a cup of water on the nightstand for those arid nights.
10. If a good night's sleep was elusive, Jenny would get out of bed and sleep in a room that was devoid of her husband.
11. As long as either son would permit it, Jenny would lie down next to one of them at bedtime.
12. Jenny successfully played Cupid, personally setting up two of her friends who would eventually get married.
13. Everyone has a better leg when balancing on one leg. For Jenny it was her left. For her twins? Tyler's better on the left, Dylan on the right.
14. Jenny's Audi A4, once a prized possession of hers, finally went kaput in July 2024. It was just a few hundred miles short of 100,000 miles. It was replaced by a 2025 Camry.
15. Jenny was a left-handed mouser.
16. Across her 13 years in our current house, Jenny used the same rice cooker.
17. For flights, Jenny preferred the aisle over the window. The middle was her least favorite.
18. Because I lacked both the time and the interest, I rarely checked my personal email. So, Jenny ghost wrote more than 90% of email responses coming from my personal accounts.
19. Jenny regularly participated in succulent swaps. the meeting times for which still populate the family calendar even today.
20. To celebrate Jenny's birthday, Dylan got these cupcakes from a nearby 7-Eleven earlier today.
21. When in Japan, 7-Eleven was Jenny's go-to spot for a quick breakfast. Also, Jenny preferred that we sing the Happy Birthday song over a small cake--even over cupcakes on at least one occasion.
22. I wrote a chapter on chemical vapor deposition for a book to be published by Elsevier later this year. I'm dedicating it in loving memory to my wife, Jenny.
23. Jenny shopped at the Container Store to take advantage of their annual Elfa sale in January, personally outfitting four closets.
24. Pre-Covid, Jenny worked from home every Wednesday.
25. For camping trips for Scouts, Jenny always helped the boys with food prep. In fact, for his cooking merit badge, Dylan would often merely heat up the food that Jenny prepared.
26. All of Jenny's plants that produced fruits and veggies are still pumping them out. We still regularly consume her lemons and tomatoes (they keep propagating from one year to the next).
27. Tyler drew the cartoon below on Jenny's office whiteboard in 2014. This photo was taken in 2018 and Jenny would continue to leave the drawing up for years to come.
28. The only fast-food restaurant where Jenny would agree to eat lunch during the workday (drumroll please): Arby's
29. Jenny always wore jeans to work on Fridays.
30. Jenny regularly hosted poker nights with her work friends for the first years after completing law school. Her special talent at the poker table was calling bluffs.
31. Jenny worked on submarine technology development, contracting for the US Navy, when she worked at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh prior to school.
32. On April 9, 2018, Jenny ate this pork knuckle in Wurzburg, Germany on a business trip.
33. Jenny painted her toenails once in a while, but never her fingernails.
34. As an undergraduate, Jenny made a deal with her roommates: If they bought the raw ingredients she would cook for everyone, including herself. She must have impressed--her roommates kept wanting more.
35. On at least one occasion, Jenny kicked out a roommate's boyfriend from a dorm room.
36. When living in Pittsburgh, Jenny was a regular at Three Rivers Stadium. There, she watched a pre-steroidal Barry Bonds (back when he was a speed-guy and not a slugger) play for the hometown Pirates.
37. When it got chili inside, Jenny chose from a number of jackets. They were all zip-ups and they were all a shade of purple.
38. Jenny’s favorite sitcom prior to marriage was Cheers. Jenny’s favorite sitcom after getting married was Parks and Rec.
39. Given her choice of cardio equipment at the gym, Jenny used the treadmill and stationary bike most often. Maybe once in a while she would use the elliptical machine. Stair climber? Once in a blue moon. Rowing machine? Never.
40. When traveling internationally with her family, Jenny strongly preferred Airbnb to hotels. For domestic travel Jenny‘s preference was the opposite.
41. Jenny's favorite spots for buying produce were 99 Ranch and Foothill Produce. Her price cut-off was two dollars per pound for veggies.
42. Jenny spoke of wanting to be a DJ at a classical music station if she weren't an attorney. Her ultimate dream job, though, was to be a general manager for a Major League Baseball team.
43. Throughout the nearly 25 years Jenny and I were together, she never woke up after 9:00 am.
44. One dinnertime staple that Jenny made was curry chicken. For the sauce, Jenny used cubes made by Golden Curry (mild, in the orange box).
45. Jenny's favorite game when company came over: Telestrations.
46. Jenny found the desk I'm currently using to compile this list on NextDoor for only $40. It has been my primary desk for the several years since then.
47. Jenny subscribed to Time and Businessweek. She was also an avid reader of the alumni magazines of MIT and Stanford (both of which go unread in our home these days).
48. Jenny frequently needed to return clothes to stores that, at the time, did not have free shipping. Always looking for an excuse to bike, I regularly returned her unwanted items to Ann Taylor Loft (Valley Fair in San Jose), Kohl's (Mountain View) and Black House White Market (Stanford Shopping Center).
49. In 2008 in San Diego, Tyler banged his head against Jenny's chin, chipping a front tooth of hers and requiring an emergency trip to the dentist.
50. Jenny found an artificial tree at an after-Christmas sale. We've been using it for ten years and counting. The estimates for breakeven for carbon footprint (using the same artificial tree annually vs. getting a new real tree every year) ranges between five and 20 years.
51. When hitting her stride on a puzzle, Jenny would rest her right ankle on her left knee while sitting at the dinner table. Whenever she did that, you knew she meant business.
52. The only bumper sticker that Jenny kept was the one pictured on the left. She placed it on our kitchen cabinet and we have left it there ever since.
53. A selection of non-profit organizations for whom Jenny volunteered: Scouting America (webmaster, merit badge counsellor), Child Advocates Silicon Valley (Court-Appointed Special Advocate), Blach Intermediate (Treasurer), Bicycle Exchange (mechanic), Catholic Charities Eastside Neighborhood Center (food distribution and setup), Loyola Elementary (Movie Night, STEM activities setup)...
54. Jenny frequently used The Woks of Life for recipes when making dinner for us. Tyler still refers to this website for making mapo tofu even today.
55. One trait of Jenny ‘s that immediately impressed my parents was her willingness to eat anything that was served to the table. However, she did not like cilantro. To her, it tasted like soap.
The setting for the following verbal exchange: Tyler, around 2008, is showing me a clothes hanger.
Tyler: This is a hooker.
Loren: Go tell that to Mommy.
(Tyler disappears for a minute then returns...)
Loren: So, what did Mommy say?
Tyler: Mommy said a hooker is a bad girl.
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